What I’m Reading
Lonnie Bunch protected the Smithsonian from more than Trump, The Atlantic
Lonnie Bunch announced this week that he will step down as head of the Smithsonian Institution by the end of the year, following intense criticism from Trump. In a new essay, Sebastian Smee argues that — from 2019 to 2026 — Bunch has been the glue holding the world’s largest museum complex together.
Geoff Bennett recently spoke with Bunch prior to his retirement announcement about his last stand and the legacy he’s trying to leave behind.
At Motown’s front desk, Sonya Harris witnessed music history, Bridge Detroit
As a Detroit native, I am always happy to feature a story from my hometown. For Bridge Detroit, Micah Walker spoke with Sonya Harris, who worked as a receptionist and switchboard operator at Motown Records from 1968 to 1972. She witnessed music history alongside the likes of Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and Diana Ross.
A series of hanging deaths has Black families demanding answers, Capital B News
At least 10 Black people have been found hanging from trees over the past year, with some ruled as suicides. Many Black families and observers have questioned the investigations, with some reminded of the history of this country’s racist violence. Read this important story from Alecia Taylor and Dalila-Johari Paul.
Related: The Jackson Police Department is investigating the death of Tasia Fortune as a homicide.
I recently reported that BET Digital permanently removed all its digital news articles from its website to “prioritize video content.” Several former writers and freelancers for BET News spoke out, with some saying they couldn’t save all their stories. My colleague Taiyler Mitchell wrote about how Paramount obliterated much of BET’s journalism record with this move.
The Internet Archive saw my report and immediately began preserving more than 199,000 BET articles. Now, those articles can be accessed through its Wayback Machine and a new pilot explorer. I went on Angela Rye’s podcast to explain what happened.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: The Black Men’s Chess League started as a casual meetup in Oakland. It has now evolved into a thriving, intergenerational community...
District of Columbia: Georgetown University scrapped an identity-focused pre-orientation program amid Trump’s attacks on DEI…
Florida: Delray Beach is spending $59 million to completely rebuild Pompey Park in the historically Black “The Set” neighborhood…
Illinois: Nearly a year after the federal immigration raid in South Shore forced him from his home, Darren Hightower is still homeless…
Kansas: A group of prisoners at the Norton Correctional Facility came together to pay down a school district’s unsettled lunch debt…
Louisiana: Essence Fest and New Orleans leaders are exploring what’s next after the festival’s contract with the city expired…
Maryland: Will Jawando, the Democratic candidate for Montgomery County executive, is recovering after suffering a heart attack during a pickup basketball game…
Michigan: Dr. Chris and Taisha Shreve have become the first to take wedding photos on the new bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada…
New York: New York City recently released its legally mandated racial equity plan, which is geared toward shaping how budgets invest in Black New Yorkers…
South Carolina: Hilton Head Island’s Gullah-Geechee community is fighting for their land, legacy and future on the island. If you are in or near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, show up to the town’s Sept. 16 meeting and make your voice heard...
Tennessee: Adria Walker spoke with the residents of Memphis, who supported each other during a massive storm that left hundreds of thousands without power…
Texas: Prairie View A&M University President Tomikia P. LeGrande will receive the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Educational Leadership Award…
Wisconsin: For generations, Black families in the state have buried babies at rates far higher than their white neighbors…
What’s Happening
The Joint Center recently released The State of the Black Labor Market, which analyzes U.S. labor market data for Black workers from January to August 2026…
The Emancipator: “Laura Loomer’s racist tirade against five college-educated Black women occupying some of the most powerful political positions in the country takes a page from an old playbook: weaponize ugly stereotypes to distract from and degrade policy differences”…
Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, also known as the “Plant Pastor,” has a growing network that allows Black congregations to use their land, purchasing power and community ties to address hunger while strengthening Black farmers and local food systems…
More: “The role of urban farms has evolved over time, becoming a strategy for cultural survival, food security, and food sovereignty. However, urban farms face a host of challenges today”…
Academics say they “won’t be erased” as colleges and universities cut Black studies programs amid Trump’s anti-DEI attacks…
Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon is fighting Republican book-banning schemes by opening a bookstore…
For Capital B News, Alecia Taylor reported on how HBCUs are building new support systems for Black male students…
Ashleigh Fields reported on how Rep. Yvette Clarke is leading the Congressional Black Caucus in the age of Trump…
Coppin State University is offering a $50,000 grant for employees to buy homes in West Baltimore…
Trump officials reportedly removed language from a memorial marker and website at Arlington National Cemetery that criticized slavery and the Confederacy…
For The New Republic, King Kenney wrote about how in 2020, “Black was insight, credibility, perspective, access, urgency, and, in certain rooms, capital. Then it wasn’t”...
The Grio’s Kay Wicker: Black students are sacrificing basic needs to afford college at a time when costs are climbing…
Entertainment News
After a long wait, the trailer for the final season of “P-Valley” is out. It will premiere December 4…
My colleague Njera Perkins spoke with Gail Bean about stepping into Wanda’s shoes again to lead the next chapter of “Snowfall”...
Ahead of season 6, Quinta Brunson talked with Entertainment Weekly about what fans should expect…
Director Paul Schrader said he plans to turn to AI to generate his racist film after Black actors refused to act in it…
Chris Rock sat down with Variety for a wide-ranging interview on therapy, his upcoming film “Misty Green”, and the Oscars…
T-Pain is suing Akon’s Konvict Entertainment over nearly $500,000 in unpaid royalties…
Sherri Shepherd will be the “first woman to ever play the genie” in Disney’s “Aladdin” Broadway production…
Actor Mahershala Ali and Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown spoke with one another about their faith, frustrations, and fearlessness for a new Hollywood Reporter video series…
The Estate of soul icon Wilson Pickett has entered into a deal with an independent music publishing company…
Jill Scott revealed that going independent led to a $19 million record label lawsuit...
NPR Code Switch explored the rise of Lauryn Hill and the intense pressures that pushed her out of the spotlight…
WIRED: “The ‘Black Panther’ character Killmonger’s hairstyle has become a default for Black video game characters because it’s easy to code. Danielle Udogaranya is changing that”...
Arionne Nettles writes that Ye is unrecognizable from the ‘Old Kanye’ we fell in love with…
New York Times: Marian Anderson’s “importance as a barrier breaker in classical music has sometimes overshadowed the power of her artistry”…
Kirk Franklin announced that he’s entered a partnership with Uptown Records…
Megan Thee Stallion spoke with InStyle in one of her first interviews in some time...
Diarra Kilpatrick spoke with Variety about her popular “Diarra From Detroit” series, and why centering Black women’s stories is “inherently political”...
Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless recently filmed a reunion show, Front Office Sports reports…
TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins is recovering after an acute “sickle cell crisis” that sent the rapper to the hospital…
Obituaries
Latimore, the R&B singer who became a sensation in 1974 with his hit song “Let’s Straighten It Out” and was “so hip that he only needed one name,” has died. He was 86…
William G. Anderson, a doctor who set aside his medical practice in Albany, Georgia, in 1961 to become a civil rights leader, has died. He was 98…
Renardo Haynes, a vocalist with the Philadelphia soul group Blue Magic, has died. He was 71…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 56 seconds!...
The A’Ja Wilson Foundation is hosting a free resource fair for diverse learners on Sept. 19 in Columbia, South Carolina…
The Chocolate City Market, an all-Black farmers and vendors market, will take place on Sept. 19 in Southeast DC…
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is celebrating its 10th anniversary from Sept. 24 to 27…
The grand opening of the Jim Crow Museum will take place on September 30 and October 1 in Big Rapids, Michigan…
Melissa Kimble curated a book list inspired by “The Drop: A Snowfall Series”...
Cedric Tayuhe was found in Harrisburg NC. I live in Concord NC and nothing is being talked about, the Sheriff's office determined it was suicide and no medical examiners report has been received. The Sheriff only spoke to the news source below, he wouldn't make a statement with mainstream media. We are still asking questions in NC! https://thencbeat.com/cedric-tayuhe-found-hanging-harrisburg-nc/