Information chaos age, big Denzel Washington news, RIP Judith Jamison
Friday, November 15, 2024.
What I’m Reading
Welcome to the information chaos age, where a growing number of Americans are getting their news from podcasts and social media. The democratization of the internet has come with its share of challenges — like the rise of misinformation and disinformation. With President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, aided in part by the rise of new media, journalists must find new ways to engage audiences.
Journalist Matt Pearce describes journalism’s fight for survival best in his newsletter:
“The biggest story about media and the internet is that new technology — AI, social media, smartphones, etc. — keeps driving down the cost of producing bullshit while the cost of obtaining quality information only goes up. It’s getting more and more expensive to produce the good stuff, and the good stuff has to compete against more and more trash once it’s out on the market.”
There are models of what journalism can look like during another Donald Trump term — the Black press has shown us the path forward, Nicole Carr writes in The Emancipator. “The historic Black press can serve as a guiding light for practicing journalism in pursuit of a healthy democracy — or, at least, survival and community,” the Morehouse professor explains.
It’s up to us to support the Black press, which will serve as a critical voice during an anti-press administration and a growing environment that embraces disinformation. The Center for Community Media at The City University of New York has a map of media outlets that serve Black communities nationwide.
More: My newsletter has seen a big bump in subscribers as people are leaving X (formerly known as Twitter) and heading to other social media apps like Spill, Bluesky, Fanbase and more. Thank you for your support!
This week, I went to two screenings: Malcolm Washington’s “The Piano Lesson” and RaMell Ross’“Nickel Boys.”
“The Piano Lesson” is a spirited adaptation of the 1987 play by famed playwright August Wilson. John David Washington and Danielle Deadwyler stand out in the film, which is set to stream on Netflix Nov. 22.
The cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Corey Hawkins, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, and Erykah Badu, whomakes an cameo in the movie. The movie feels a bit long, but the captivating performances and the dramatic ending makes this adaptation worth the watch. Read Ronda Racha Penrice’s review for NBC BLK…
“Nickel Boys” was one of the more unique films I’ve seen in some time. Based on the hit novel “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead, the movie follows the lives of Black teens who become friends during their time at an abusive reform academy in Jim Crow-era Florida.
It is shot primarily in first person, and based on the true story of the horrifying Dozier School for Boys. The cast includes stellar talent, with Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. The cinematography is on point; nearly every scene is visually pleasing. Check out “Nickel Boys” when it hits theaters in December.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: One person was killed and several others were injured in a shooting during a homecoming event at Tuskegee University. One suspect has been arrested and charged, and the university announced it is “no longer an open campus”...
California: Voters have rejected a measure amending the state Constitution to ban forced labor in any form, allowing the practice to continue in its prisons…
Georgia: A judge has set a trial date for a former district attorney charged with interfering with the police investigation into the killing of Ahmaud Arbery…
Illinois: Community leaders are fighting for accessible grocery options in Black neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side after Aldi’s abrupt closing…
Louisiana: New Orleanians held a “Jazz Funeral for Democracy” in the wake of the results of the presidential election…
Maryland: A neighborhood in Baltimore’s southwest corner is celebrating zero homicides in over a year due to the efforts of an anti-violence program, officials say…
Michigan: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced he will not seek reelection in 2025. He has been mayor of Michigan's largest city since 2014. Here are some potential candidates looking to take over…
Mississippi: The Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against the state Senate for discriminating against a former Black staffer by paying her half of what her white peers were paid…
New Jersey: Authorities are investigating racist messages spray-painted on a homeowner’s fence in the predominantly Black town of Lawnside…
North Carolina: Bennett College and Saint Augustine's University have partnered with Duke University to increase Black student representation in medicine…
Oklahoma: Lessie Benningfield Randle, one of the two remaining survivors of the 1921 Race Massacre, turned 110 this past Sunday…
Tennessee: Leaders are speaking out on the devastating fire that engulfed an abandoned building at Knoxville College, which was likely set on purpose…
What’s Happening
For NOTUS, Jasmine Wright went deep exploring what went wrong inside the Kamala Harris campaign…
Trump has doubled down on his threats to disband the Department of Education, and has vowed to give “restitution” to so-called “victims” of university diversity, equity and inclusion policies…
Vamarr Hunter visited his favorite bakery in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood for years without knowing the woman behind the counter was his mother. Now they work together…
The Sing Sing maximum security prison in New York recently held its first-ever film festival, and incarcerated men were able to judge the five entries…
A 13-year-old with autism told a teacher his backpack would blow up because he was scared someone would take his favorite stuffed bunny out of it. He was arrested and charged with a felony…
The Community Curation Program with the National Museum of African American History and Culture travels nationwide to “help Black communities preserve the many archives and artifacts that make up their local history”...
A white right-wing provocateur used the N-word while testifying against gun legislation during a Senate committee in Michigan…
Private prison groups expressed a nearly unrestrained glee on earnings calls over the “unprecedented opportunity” a second Trump term brings…
Take a look at the statue of the late Rep. John Lewis which was unveiled this week in Montgomery, Alabama…
California Rep. Barbara Lee is retiring this year, but the former mentee of Shirley Chisholm isn’t giving up the fight just yet…
Joan Tilghman, the new dean of Coppin State University's school of nursing wants students “to understand the connection between caregiving and a patient’s spirituality”...
Cerise Castle, a journalist who was surveilled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, announced she is writing a book on the criminal gangs formed within that very department...
An incredible story on the life of Chancellor Lee Adams, who will turn 25 years old on Sunday — 25 years after his father, former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, orchestrated the shooting of his mother, Cherica Adams…
Entertainment News
Denzel Washington dropped the big news that he’s planning to retire from the big screen, but he will appear in the next “Black Panther” film before then…He has since walked back his use of the word “retire” though…
Beyoncé has nabbed 11 Grammy nominations, making her the most-nominated artist in Grammy history…
In their own words, read how the 1970s soul music group The Stylistics created the classic “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” and how James Brown kept cutting their stage time…
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said the studio is still committed to bringing Blade to the MCU, but it’s not exactly clear from his words what that will look like…
️Craig Melvin is set to take over Hoda Kotb's spot as an anchor on NBC's "Today" after she departs the morning show…
The hit Hulu legal drama “Reasonable Doubt” has been renewed for a third season…
In her debut for the newly launched indie music outlet Hearing Things, Shamira Ibrahim wrote about the pressure Megan The Stallion faces and how it is impacting her artistic development…
Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation is launching a financial education initiative for students at HBCUs…
Whoopi Goldberg announced she’s taking on the sports world with the launch of a global women’s sports channel, All Women’s Sports Network…
For all of the Boyz II Men fans out there, a biopic and documentary about the R&B group are in the works…
PnB Rock may have been set up by an individual inside the Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles where he was killed, according to new details about the shooting…
Hyperallergic examined contemporary artist Whitfield Lovell’s Black history-centered exhibit “Passages,” which will be shown at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio through January 19, 2025…
The popular series “Harlem” returns on January 23, and ESSENCE has the first look…
Obituaries
Ella Jenkins, a children’s musician who encouraged millions of kids to sing along with her during her legendary career, has died. She was 100…
Judith Jamison, a dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, has died. She was 81…
Tony Todd, an underrated actor best known for his chilling role in "Candyman," has died. He was 69…
Roy Haynes, a pioneering jazz drummer, has died. He was 99…
Lou Donaldson, a famed jazz saxophonist who performed with greats from Thelonius Monk to George Benson, has died. He was 98…
For the New Yorker, Hanif Abdurraqib wrote about the late Quincy Jones and how every song he produced “was an act of generosity”...
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute and 34 seconds…
The Center for Cooperative Media’s South Jersey Information Equity Project is accepting applications from local journalists and media makers for their fellowship program! Deadline is Nov. 25…
The Washington Association of Black Journalists is now accepting applications from DMV-based high school students for our 2025 Urban Journalism Workshop…Also, I’m running for president of the WABJ!...
XXL is hiring a social media editor & on-screen talent who is obsessed with hip-hop…The Associated Press is accepting applications for its global news internship program with locations in NYC, LA, DC, Japan, London and Cairo…
The Widening the Pipeline fellowship for emerging journalists of color is now accepting applications. Apply by Dec. 15…
Can’t wait to see the Nickel Boys film, I just finished the novel and it was devastating and impactful.
Nickel Boys was really powerful. Definitely deserves award season recognition for cinematography and script.