Lisa Cook latest, Tuskegee’s newest licensed pilot, RIP Joseph McNeil
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What I’m Reading
Why Black women are seeing job losses, The New York Times
There’s been a lot of conversation about Black women as the group most affected by Trump’s federal workforce cuts this year. For the New York Times, Erica L. Green explains why Black women are being impacted and what it might mean moving forward.
The excruciating question confronting Black college applicants, The New York Times
Law professor Justin Driver penned a guest essay for The New York Times examining the extra steps Black college students need to take while navigating the daunting application process for admission to America’s top universities.
"For striving Black high school seniors, the generalized essay anxiety arrives in a particular, acute form: Should my personal statement address race?"
What one man’s 45-year-old case tells us about the “Jim Crow Juries” haunting Louisiana, ProPublica
Louisiana has refused to reconsider the convictions of more than 1,000, mostly Black, men sentenced by split juries — even though the Supreme Court ruled that those convictions are based on an inherently racist law.
Baltimore’s Last Pigeon Men, Baltimore Magazine
Pigeon racing has been around for ages in Baltimore, but the competitive sport is struggling to survive. Meet the pigeon races who are fighting to keep it going.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Randall Woodfin was easily elected to a third term as mayor of Birmingham…
California: The Oakland Black Cowboy Association and its annual parade have been a staple of the East Bay community for over 50 years. Now, they’re asking for help…
District of Columbia: “The best counter to Trump’s authoritarianism is a renewed commitment to secure full representative democracy in Washington,” John Nichols argues in The Nation…
Florida: Two pastors were arrested in Saint Petersburg after praying over the city’s “Black History Matters” asphalt mural to protest its erasure…
Georgia: Emory is closing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices, and discontinuing DEI programs at the university…
Illinois: Chicago has the highest number of lead water service lines in the nation. Majority Black and Latino neighborhoods are disproportionately affected, according to a new analysis…
Kansas: A new exhibit focuses on Black Southerners affected by the Great Depression, a time when news outlets primarily featured photos of white families…
Louisiana: Donors gave enough money to keep one of the nation's oldest Black historical archives afloat for the next few years...
Maryland: A woman’s body was found amid the search for missing 19-year-old DaCara Rose Thompson, but police have yet to confirm the identity…
Minnesota: Prosecutors filed misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges against a woman caught on video calling a Black child a racist slur on a playground…
Missouri: Sumner High School is the first high school west of the Mississippi River to graduate Black students. Alumni are pushing for it to receive a National Historic Landmark designation...
Mississippi: Health officials declared a public health emergency after releasing data showing the state's infant mortality rate…
New York: YS Writes visited hip-hop historian Emad Rahim’s pop-up exhibit that honors Upstate New York’s contributions to the culture…
Texas: The African American Museum in Dallas has “secured $3 million to preserve and digitize its 50-year-old collection”…
Virginia: Justice Cleo E. Powell is set to become the first Black woman to lead the state Supreme Court in its history…
Wisconsin: A judge sentenced four former Milwaukee hotel workers accused of suffocating and killing a man to probation and time served, avoiding more jail time…
What’s Happening
The Justice Department has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, whom Trump is seeking to fire. Cook has denied the president’s allegations and sued him. Here’s a summary of what’s happening…
NBC News wrote about her journey: “Cook weathered racist attacks as a child and became a pioneer as a Black woman economist. Her latest fight is to keep her position on the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve”…
Washington, D.C, has sued to stop Trump’s deployment of the National Guard. The city’s attorney general says it is an “involuntary military occupation”…
Trump is eyeing New Orleans, Chicago and Baltimore — more predominantly Black cities — as his next targets for federal law enforcement...
Bryan Hooper Sr. is free after spending 27 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit...
For the first time in nearly 80 years, Tuskegee University has a licensed pilot — 20-year-old Isaiah Hand…
Uh oh: Florida is set to end all state vaccine mandates, the state surgeon general announced…
For Capital B News, Adam Mahoney reported on oil raining down on a Black town in rural Louisiana, where 60% of folks live in poverty…
How much do you know about the Chesapeake Bay’s unsung Black history? Kaila Philo has got you covered…
The block near where Fred Hampton Sr. was killed in Chicago has been designated “Chairman Fred Hampton Way” on what would have been the Black Panther leader’s 77th birthday…
Alena Allen, the first Black person to serve as dean of Louisiana State University's law school, claims she was forced out of her leadership role against her wishes…
Morgan State University is planning to launch its own medical school after securing a $1.75 million grant, the school announced…
One of Virginia's oldest Black communities recently held its annual reunion, bringing together current and former residents…
Cracker Barrel has quietly removed the DEI and Pride pages from its website after the restaurant came under fire due to its logo …
Sen. Cory Booker announced his engagement to girlfriend Alexis Lewis…
Entertainment News
“This Is How We Do It” singer Montell Jordan says that his prostate cancer has returned, and he’s encouraging men to get regular screenings…
The final season of "Bel-Air" is finally on the way. Here's everything you need to know…
Sheinelle Jones is returning to the Today show nearly four months after the death of her husband, Uche Ojeh…
Mavis Staples, the legendary singer and civil rights activist, is releasing her 14th studio album, "Sad And Beautiful World" on November 7th…
Paul Cornish is the Houston pianist shaping 21st-century jazz, according to Texas Monthly…
Lil Jon made his debut at the Muscle Beach championship in Los Angeles, where he earned third place in the Men’s Physique Master’s Over 45 category…
Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather have signed a deal to fight next spring, TMZ reports…
Michael Bivins, Johnny Gill, and Ronnie DeVoe of New Edition spoke with VIBE's Mya Abraham about their street naming ceremony in Roxbury, Massachusetts…
For Consequence, Kiana Fitzgerald interviewed David Joyner, the Black man who physically portrayed Barney for more than a decade...
Profiles aren’t dead: A day after Cardi B was cleared of all assault allegations by a California jury in a highly publicized $24 million civil trial, her Billboard profile dropped…W Magazine talked with Zoë Kravitz about her life lately, and The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the legend Regina Hall…
For the Ringer, Julian Kimble wrote about how Denzel Washington is only getting better with time…
Naomi Osaka eliminated Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open…Venus Williams’ tournament ended with a loss in the women’s doubles quarterfinals to Taylor Townsend…
"One Golden Summer," a documentary exploring the Jackie Robinson West Little League team's inspiring journey, will open the 61st Chicago International Film Festival...
Obituaries
George Raveling, a Hall of Fame college basketball coach who Michael Jordan credits with influencing him to sign with the sneaker brand Nike, has died. He was 88…
Joseph McNeil, one of the "Greensboro Four" who helped spark civil rights sit-in protests across the South, has died. He was 83…
Raymond Harper, a social media influencer and reality TV star better known as Rolling Ray, has died. He was 28…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 6 seconds…
Check out the first episode of “The Comic Shop,” a hilarious indie crowdfunded workplace comedy…
Meet The Dad Gang for the March of Dads, which will take place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Monument in Washington, DC, on Sept. 14th at 10 am…
The 110th annual meeting of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History will take place Sept. 24th - 28th in Atlanta...
Two book tours to watch out for: Comedian Roy Wood has announced the dates for his "The Man of Many Fathers" book tour… Author and sociologist Christina Cross is heading across the country for her "Inherited Inequality" book tour starting later this month...
Thank you for featuring my article in your weekly roundup, Phil! Your “what I’m reading” posts have been so helpful to me with staying informed about what’s going on 🙌🏾