Kamala Harris and NABJ, Sean Combs arrested, Marcellus Williams fight
Friday, September 20, 2024.
What I’m Reading
Kamala Harris sits down with the National Association of Black Journalists
Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with the National Association of Black Journalists for a wide-ranging interview on key issues like the war in Gaza and the 2024 election. The interview, which was held at WHYY Studios, gave viewers their first clear look since her campaign began in July at how she might handle the topic of reparations for descendants of enslaved people.
“I’m not discounting the importance of any executive action,” Harris told moderator Gerren Keith Gaynor of The Grio. “But ultimately Congress, because if you’re going to talk about it in any substantial way, there will be hearings, there will be a level of public education and dialogue.” Watch the entire conversation here.
Related: WHYY reporter and NABJ member P. Kenneth Burns was in the room for both Harris’ interview, and former President Donald Trump’s in Chicago. Here are his thoughts.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is arrested
Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, was arrested this week after he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. He has been charged with sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
He pleaded not guilty, and will continue to be held without bail. I obtained the full indictment when it was released, and Meghann Cuniff has the latest on Combs’ criminal case.
Democrats can’t rely on the Black church anymore, The Atlantic
As Black churches continue to lose membership, the Democratic Party also loses a reliable way to reach Black voters, historian Daniel K. Williams explains in The Atlantic. According to him, “the path to winning the Black vote no longer runs through the church door.”
Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable, ProPublica
ProPublica told the stories of two women, Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, both of whom were unable to access legal abortions and timely medical care in Georgia due to the state’s draconian abortion bans. A maternal mortality review committee found that Thurman’s death was preventable and pointed to the delay in care as a primary factor.
Her mother spoke out for the first time during a live-streamed event for Harris hosted by Oprah Winfrey, telling the audience “I want you to know Amber was not a statistic.”
What’s In The News
Across America
California: Members of the California Legislative Black Caucus listened to frustrated residents upset that the State Assembly failed to bring up two reparations bills for a floor vote…
Colorado: A paramedic convicted in the death of Elijah McClain has been released from prison after a judge reduced his sentence to probation…
District of Columbia: Two police officers have been sentenced to prison after a deadly chase and a cover-up that led to protests…
Georgia: Ahmaud Arbery's family is still waiting for a former prosecutor's misconduct trial after three long years…
Michigan: Before his Detroit concerts, Usher stopped by a local Boys & Girls Club to stress the importance of quality after-school programming…
Minnesota: Rep. Jeff Dotseth allegedly said he would own slaves if it were allowed today and called his then-stepson “Kunta Kinte,” according to a 2008 affidavit…
Mississippi: The Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable has traveled around the state for “boot camps” aimed at better mobilizing Black women to get out the vote. It has been an uphill battle…
North Carolina: Out of all the institutions that gutted diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s administration cut the most…
New Jersey: Newark Council President LaMonica McIver won the special election for the 10th congressional district, keeping the seat last held by the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr…
South Carolina: Freddie Owens is set to die by lethal injection on Friday. The person whose testimony helped send him to prison said he lied under pressure from police to save himself from the death chamber…
Tennessee: In Memphis, Elon Musk’s secretive AI data center has about a dozen generators steadily pumping toxins into Black communities…
Texas: Texas Southern University is offering a new class this semester in partnership with Nikole Hannah-Jones…
Wisconsin: From WPR — Black voters in Milwaukee turned out big for Obama. Will they do the same for Harris?...
What’s Happening
Marcellus Williams, a Missouri man set to be executed on Sept. 24, asked the Supreme Court this week for a stay of execution. He has long maintained his innocence. I previously wrote about Williams in my newsletter…
Mark Robinson, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in North Carolina reportedly made extremely racist and explicit posts in a porn forum, calling himself a “black Nazi” and supporting slavery. The NAACP called on him to drop out, but Robinson said he will remain in the race…
The family of Javion Magee and their attorneys spoke publicly after a nearly two-hour meeting with investigators about the truck driver's death…
The Chairman of the National Black Caucus of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters told CNN's Eva McKend that he’s questioning the decision of his union’s senior leadership to withhold a presidential endorsement…
Over 50 HBCU ex-football players and coaches, including several Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVP's, announced their endorsement of Harris…
Black Voters Matter has launched a $15 million campaign to rally Black voters across key battleground states…The NAACP also plans to spend $20 million encouraging Black Americans to turn out to vote…
Black men make up roughly a quarter of students at HBCUs, a major drop from years past, according to a new report…
A hospital sued Terry Belk, a car salesman in Charlotte, after his wife’s death of breast cancer left him with tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt that he couldn’t cover even after selling his home…
The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into a Mississippi sheriff's department whose officers tortured two Black men…
Speaking of HBCUs, President Joe Biden announced an additional $1.3 billion investment for the institutions during the HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia…With that being said, HBCU leaders are hesitant to offer Harris or Trump broad support…
The family of Justin Robinson, the violence interrupter who was shot and killed by police in Southeast D.C., is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate his death…
Jonathan Holloway, Rutgers’s first Black president in its more than 250-year history, is stepping down after a tumultuous tenure…
Congressman Steven Horsford and attorney Ben Crump are still pushing Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, Ashlee Banks reports…
HBCU applications surged last cycle, and enrollments are up this fall. But can the institutions handle the interest?...
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. made a $2 million pledge to St. Jude for Sickle Cell research…
Entertainment News
Jason Parham talked digital archiving and Hollywood with the one and only Maya Cade of the Black Film Archive by Maya S. Cade…
Kevin Hart’s vegan chain Hart House has abruptly closed all of its locations…
The Nation reviewed Courtney Thorsson’s “The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture,” which examined how intimate gatherings played a role in the golden age of Black women’s writing…
A Queen Latifah biopic is reportedly in the works, the first of a slate of hip-hop biopics…
The conservative Turning Point Action is attempting to “woo young Black voters with rap shows in cities that Trump has falsely accused of cheating him out of victory in the 2020 election,” Ja'han Jones reports…
Say it ain’t so: Nelly is facing a lawsuit from his St. Lunatics groupmates over his 2000 album “Country Grammar”...
Jordan Chiles is asking Switzerland’s Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that stripped her of a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics…
Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross and Rashida Jones are set to star in Netflix’s upcoming season of “Black Mirror”...
Kevin Liles will step down from his role as chairman and CEO of 300 Entertainment at the end of September…
“The Piano Lesson” is a family affair, with the new adaption produced by Denzel Washington, directed by his son Malcolm, and starring his other son John David. Denzel’s wife Pauletta plays a role, and his daughters Olivia and Katia are involved as well…
At 65, Nora Langdon struggled to climb stairs. Today, she's one of the top senior powerlifters in the world…
Third Ward's Kindred Stories is becoming the spot for Black celebrities that have become authors…
Obituaries
Tito Jackson, one of the brothers in the legendary musical group the Jackson 5 and a musical talent in his own right, has died at the age of 70…
Hundreds gathered to pay respects to Rich Homie Quan at his funeral at the World Changers Church in College Park…
Genealogist Frazine Taylor, who died in July, is being remembered for her decades-long work uncovering Black Americans' family histories and filling in the holes in family trees…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute and 18 seconds…
If you’re in Michigan, the Men's Health Event will take place on Sept. 21 from 9 am to 3 pm at Ford Field in Detroit. There will be free health screenings, mental health counseling and more…
This Sunday, my friend Rhiannon Walker and a group of queer women of color from across the DMV area are hosting their first event, the Cuff It Day Party: All Queer WOC Day Party, on Sept. 22 from 5 pm to 9 pm at Metrobar in D.C. The event is free to attend…
The Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington will take place on Sept. 24 at 11:00 am on The National Mall. The march will also feature performances by Ledisi, Doug E. Fresh and Lloyd…
The Webby Awards and the NAACP are hosting “Black & Viral,” a virtual panel featuring insights from Black content creators, on Sept. 26 at 12 pm EST. Register here…
YouTube video essayist Crystal Alejandro has shared her first feature documentary “Black Teen Revolution: The Dance Pioneers of the Internet,” which highlights Black youth dance movements like “Crank That,” and “Chicken Noodle Soup”...
Thank you so much for publishing this newsletter! It reminds me of the old Jet magazines!