Jam Master Jay murder, Saint Augustine’s disaster, RIP Eric Mays
Friday, March 1, 2024.
What I’m Reading
‘She endured cruelty’: what led to a leader’s death at a historically Black university?, The Guardian
Antoinette Candia-Bailey, a beloved administrator at Lincoln University in Missouri, was found dead by suicide in January. She was 49. She left behind a document trail alleging that her boss, John Moseley, Lincoln University’s first white president in 150 years, ignored her mental health concerns and “hurt people intentionally.” The tight-knit Lincoln community is still seeking answers.
The Black history books teachers hope won’t be banned, The Atlantic
As Black History Month ends, teachers are facing a unique challenge in educating students as right-wing activists and politicians ban books from school libraries. Vann R. Newkirk II spoke with educators about what teaching Black history feels like today.
A Homegoing to Remember, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In this beautiful photo essay, Arvin Tekmar spent several months documenting the dignity of Black funeral traditions through the work of one of the most notable funeral homes in the nation — Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home. It has overseen services for everyone from civil rights icons Coretta Scott King and John Lewis to rapper Shawty Lo.
‘Abbott Elementary’ Teaches Reading, Writing and Roll Camera, The New York Times
Each season of the hit ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary” employs about 150 children. Showrunner and star Quinta Brunson felt as though it was important to just let kids be kids, not child stars. The series aims to teach Hollywood in what a show with child actors can be.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: This is a long but worthwhile read. Learn about the Black women of Gee’s Bend, the greatest quiltmakers in the world…
California: Facing rising rents and rapid development, Black small-business owners in Los Angeles are mourning the loss of community spaces…
Colorado: The stolen bronze artwork from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument at Denver's City Park has been recovered…
Florida: Large investment firms are buying up houses in historically Black neighborhoods in St. Petersburg, pushing Black families out of homes they’ve lived in for generations due to rising prices…
Illinois: A ShotSpotter alert in Chicago from January led police to fire shots at a child who was playing outside with fireworks…
Massachusetts: A nonprofit housing watchdog group is suing 20 Boston-area property companies and real estate brokers for allegedly discriminating against low-income tenants…
Michigan: Eric Mays, an outspoken city leader during the Flint water crisis who often clashed with fellow officials, has died. He was 65…
Minnesota: Racism devastated our Black neighborhoods through highways. We're building back, Keith Baker and Glenn Isaac Smith write in an op-ed…
Missouri: The St. Louis suburb where Mike Brown was shot and killed by a police officer has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused it of operating a debtors’ prison…
Mississippi: A bill aiming to close three Mississippi universities raised eyebrows among HBCU advocates. I tried to clear up some of the confusion here…
North Carolina: Students at Saint Augustine's University are considering transferring amid the HBCU’s loss of accreditation…
South Carolina: A man was found guilty of killing a Black transgender woman in the nation’s first federal trial over a hate crime based on gender identity…
What’s Happening
Two men have been convicted of murder in the killing of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay, one of the most infamous slayings in hip-hop history…
Your favorite librarian, Mychal Threets, announced that he is resigning from his role at the Solano County Public Library in California to work on his mental health…but there’s a silver lining in the form of his upcoming gig with PBS Kids…
Tiah Tomlin-Harris created an online support group for other women on their cancer journey — particularly Black women…
Nikki Giovanni talked with The Guardian about “fighting racial segregation, dealing with mobsters – and why her sense of outrage is undiminished”…
The pressure to ban menthol cigarettes is intensifying for the Biden administration…
Nearly half of health care workers witness racial disparities against patients, and even more believe racism is a crisis or major problem, a new report reveals…
Meet Victor Glover, the Black NASA astronaut who will pilot the Artemis II moon mission…
Huh?: The candidate atop the Republican ballot for Missouri governor says he was only an "honorary" KKK member…
From Jenny Abamu: “I’m a Black woman who quit the State Department over racial gaslighting. Here’s why prestigious workplaces can be toxic for people like me”…
Natasha Nelson, who goes by ‘Supernova Momma’ online, is using her platform to highlight Black disabled pioneers…
A noose that a Black mechanic said he found led 100 St. Louis school bus drivers to stop working…
The Atlantic: “An alarming number of ‘urban’ schools are not merely unattractive and demoralizing places with heating and cooling problems. They also tend to be plagued with lead-based paint that crumbles from the walls and ceilings”...
The city of San Francisco has offered an apology to "African Americans and their descendants for the city’s role in perpetuating racism and discrimination.” Some say that’s not enough…
Students at the University of Mississippi met members of the school's Black Student Union from 1970…
At 30, Raleigh-based visual artist Dare Coulter is one of the youngest-ever recipients of the American Library Association's prestigious Coretta Scott King Book Award…
Entertainment
I saw an advance screening of Netflix’s “Shirley,” starring Regina King as Shirley Chisholm. I enjoyed Regina’s performance, and it was a pleasure to see Lance Reddick on screen again. The film itself was simply biopic standard fare — it was fine. “Shirley” will air on the streaming service on March 22.
Producer Lil Rod is accusing Diddy of operating a racketeering enterprise, groping him, forcing him to engage in sexual acts with sex workers and lacing alcohol for the guests in his home, including underaged girls…
A video surfaced that appears to show Cam Newton involved in a scuffle at a 7-on-7 youth football tournament in Atlanta…
A Philly judge has ordered Terrence Howard to pay nearly $1 million in back taxes and penalties after he allegedly threatened a DOJ lawyer and said that it was “immoral for the U.S. government to charge taxes to the descendants of slaves”…
Black influencers still code-switch despite having millions of followers. My colleague Taiyler Mitchell explored the reasons behind it…
Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, known for her role in “The Wire,” is teaming with series co-creator Ed Burns to turn her life story into a TV show…
Sterling K. Brown, making his debut as an Academy Awards nominee for “American Fiction,” hopes to be an EGOT one day…
Spike Lee’s fellowship program has teamed up with Ralph Lauren to outfit students with a professional wardrobe and treat them to individual styling sessions…
“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, to see Drake advocate for Tory Lanez after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion,” Andre Gee writes in Rolling Stone…
“Precious” star Gabourey Sidibe announced on social media that she’s expecting twins…
Rolling Stone’s review of Lifetime’s "Where Is Wendy Williams?" documentary says it left viewers with more unnerving questions than answers…
Star gymnast Gabby Douglas has left WOGA with just five months until the Olympics…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 44 seconds…
I went on my colleague Taryn Finley’s IKTR podcast this week to talk about the state of the media industry. Check out next week’s edition when it is published…
Butcher Brown brought his “solar music” to NPR’s Tiny Desk concert…
As North Carolina’s March 5th Super Tuesday Primary approaches, Black rural voters want to remind you that they aren’t a monolith…
Beyoncé’s BEYGOOD charity and CÉCRED haircare line are funding $500,000 annually for cosmetology school scholarships and hair salons in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New Jersey. See if you qualify…
The Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc. is working to pay off federal student loans for students at HBCUs upon graduation…
The official trailer for "Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told" is out. It will air on Hulu on March 21…
The beloved 1975 musical “The Wiz” will return to Broadway this spring. Here’s who's behind it…