My Juvenile story is out, Henrietta Lacks historic settlement, Lake Lanier dread
My Juvenile story is out, Henrietta Lacks historic settlement, Lake Lanier dread
Friday, August 4, 2023.
Editor’s note: I am currently in Birmingham, Alabama, for the National Association of Black Journalists convention! If you are here and see me around, please say hello. I’m also hoping to hold some time to chat with folks during the convention, so please check my Twitter page for those updates.
What I’m Reading
Back in June, Juvenile asked Twitter who were the best Black journalists in Washington to cover the 25th anniversary of his best-selling album “400 Degreez.” A bunch of amazing people responded to him with my name, and this story is the result. I followed Juvenile around for the day, starting in the morning with his NPR “Tiny Desk” recording and ending the day with a big bash at the iconic Howard Theater. Shoutout to Erin Evans for the crisp editing and Benjamin Currie for the fantastic artwork.
This story is part of HuffPost’s 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop coverage, which can be found here. Read my colleague Taryn Finley’s story about how cocky and confident Black women in rap changed her life.
Black America Has Always Seen Juvenile, HuffPost
Mother Jones took aim at Florida’s new K-12 curriculum standards on Black history: “The implication that Black communities should be held accountable for resisting murderous white mobs bolsters a phony “both sidesism” and flies in the face of the self-defense rights white Floridians love to champion.”
A Black prosecutor was elected in Georgia – so white Republicans made their own district, The Guardian
In Mississippi, serious mental illness or substance abuse can land you in jail — even if you haven’t actually been charged with a crime. ProPublica found that at least 13 people have died in county jails since 2006 as they awaited treatment for mental illness or substance abuse.
They Needed Treatment. Mississippi Threw Them in Jail Without Charges, ProPublica
Mother Jones took aim at Florida’s new K-12 curriculum standards on Black history: “The implication that Black communities should be held accountable for resisting murderous white mobs bolsters a phony “both sidesism” and flies in the face of the self-defense rights white Floridians love to champion.”
How Florida Undermined the “Benefits” of Newly Free Black People, Mother Jones
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Since the era of the civil rights movement, annexation has been a tool for Southern cities seeking to dilute the black vote. The city of Mobile recently used it again to shrink the white-black voter gap by thousands…
California: Many people are unaware that Santa Monica, the coastal enclave now known for its beaches, star residents and hot real estate, was once home to a thriving Black community…
District of Columbia: Dozens of HBCU students, alumni and allies met this month in Washington for an event launching a new initiative to support Catholic students at historically Black schools…
Florida: The family of Ajike Owens, who was shot through a closed door and killed by her neighbor in Florida, is calling on the Justice Department to consider hate crime charges…
Florida’s new Black history standards have drawn backlash. But who wrote them?...
Georgia: Lake Lanier has claimed more lives. A man is dead after officials say he jumped into the lake and was electrocuted. Another person died, and another is missing. You can read about the lake’s terrifying history here...
A missing Georgia woman’s torched SUV was found in southwest Atlanta, almost 30 miles away from where she was reported missing…
Louisiana: In broiling cities like New Orleans, the health system faces off against heat stroke. Medical teams cover patients with ice to lower their core temperatures and administer IV fluids for rapid rehydration…
New York: O'Shae Sibley, the Brooklyn dancer killed after he was reportedly attacked by men who said his voguing offended their faith, is being remembered as an advocate for social justice. More in the New York Times…
South Carolina: Surging interest from visitors is contributing to a more honest telling of Charleston’s role in the American slave trade. But tensions are flaring as the state’s lawmakers restrict race-based teachings…
A Black fisherman said his neighbors who confront him will often resort to calling the police. If he wasn’t recording the incidents, he said, they “could have been worse”...
Tennessee: Two Democratic reps who were expelled from the state's GOP-controlled House over a gun control protest have won back their seats...
Texas: The Frisco, Texas, police chief issued an apology after a family headed to a basketball tournament was mistakenly pulled over in a “high-risk stop”...
Texas A&M University reached a $1 million settlement with a Black journalism professor whose hiring was sabotaged by backlash over her past work promoting diversity…
Features
For the past seven summers, Kwaneta Harris has lived in solitary confinement without air conditioning—where cells regularly reach 110 degrees…
For months, Stop Cop City organizers fought tirelessly against constructing an 85-acre police training facility. Even though the budget passed, the tough loss was a masterclass in what it means to lose strategically…
In an exclusive interview, Cornel West sat with The Nation to discuss church, state, prophecy—and politics…
A recent search warrant in Las Vegas has revived conspiracy theories surrounding the murders of Tupac and Biggie…
Hair Braiding Camp not only celebrates the art of hair-braiding but also instills crucial skills in entrepreneurship and self-love…
For millennia, human beings have engineered what they eat. Have we finally gone too far?...
The promise of economic stability that comes with higher education has not materialized for Black women, who are paid less than their counterparts even after earning a degree…
What’s Happening
Henrietta Lacks’ living relatives reached a historic settlement with the multi-billion-dollar biotech company accused of stealing her cells without her consent…
Trump has been charged under civil rights law used to prosecute KKK violence…
After Carlee Russell: An Alabama GOP lawmaker plans to introduce legislation making faking an abduction a felony and mandatory restitution requirements for the full cost of resources expended by law enforcement…
Building on the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Tuskegee NEXT program is launching high-achieving students on a path to aviation…
Gary Tyler, an artist wrongly incarcerated for 41 years, gets his first solo show…
Home testing kits for colorectal cancer can be fundamental in the prevention of the disease, especially as cases are rising among younger people and disproportionately affecting the Black population in America…
Beyoncé has paid tribute to O'Shae Sibley, who was killed in a homophobic attack while dancing to one of her songs…
Police are using more drones in response to 911 calls, raising concerns about surveillance and privacy…
Pay attention: A group founded by the right-wing activist behind the Supreme Court’s decision to reject affirmative action has sued a venture capital fund that supports Black women who own small businesses, accusing it of unlawful racial discrimination…
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who opened a wide-ranging investigation into Donald Trump and his allies’ efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election result in Georgia, said she is on track to deliver a decision on charges by Sept. 1…
MORE: Trump was charged this week under a civil rights law used to prosecute KKK violence…
Fewer than 20 Black women physicists in the U.S. have earned tenure. This scholar just joined the club…
Civil rights groups and other advocates denounced a concert series with Black performers dubbed “Soul Fest” being held at a Georgia park replete with Confederate imagery…
Sen. Tim Scott called out fellow 2024 GOP presidential contender Ron DeSantis over his state’s Black history curriculum: “There is no silver lining in slavery”...
Lawmakers are proposing solutions to help solve the Black male teaching shortage…
A new study found Blacks and Latinos make up half of the population in Los Angeles — but 80 percent of arrests…
Entertainment
Busta Rhymes, Method Man, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Common, and Wiz Khalifa are the cover stars of Men's Health Magazine’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop edition…
Angus Cloud, best known for his role as Fez on the HBO hit “Euphoria,” has died. He was 25…
Three of Lizzo’s former dancers have accused the singer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, according to a new lawsuit. The singer has denied the accusations…
Drake just bought the most valuable Hip-Hop artifact ever sold…
Solidarity: “G20” star Viola Davis is stepping back from the movie, even after it got the SAG-AFTRA waiver necessary to start production. And Snoop Dogg canceled his Hollywood Bowl show in solidarity with the striking actors and writers…
For CNN Style, Brooklyn White-Grier wrote about how "Soul Train" immortalized an exuberant era of Black style and culture…
The criminal battery investigation into Cardi B has been thrown out. See what I did there?…
Dylan Green wrote a review of Drake’s “It’s All a Blur Tour” for Vulture…
Jonathan Majors’ assault trial has been delayed as prosecutors said they were “not yet ready”…
Frances Tiafoe and Chris Eubanks are helping Black tennis stars rise at the DC Open…
ESPN has reportedly let go of former NBA head coach Mark Jackson…
Issa Rae is offering aspiring women directors a chance to shine on rebooted ‘Project Greenlight’ series…
Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is back on the website formerly or maybe currently known as Twitter…
Jean-Michel Basquiat is set to be the subject of a new feature documentary, “King Pleasure”...
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 1 second…
NPR’s Michel Martin spoke with keepers of Black history in Florida about the changes to the curriculum in the state…
Job opportunities: The American Black Film Festival is hiring. And the Department of African & African American Studies at Stanford University is searching for scholars who research and teach in the field of Black Studies in the Arts…
Tory Lanez's sentencing for shooting Megan Thee Stallion will take place on August 7 at 10:30 am PST…
An exhibition at the Alice Austen House in Staten Island showcases Jean Weisinger’s formidable body of portraiture — and finally tells the photographer’s story…
There’s a picture of a burger that looks like Steve Harvey. I can’t explain it any more than that…
A 17-year-old is sounding the alarm on the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, through the lens of young people…
I had some great fried okra the other day, and I came across Food & Wine’s Complete Guide to Cooking With Okra. It must be a sign to get some more…