Morgan State shooting, Tupac in the news, Roy Wood Jr. exits “Daily Show”
Morgan State shooting, Tupac in the news, Roy Wood Jr. exits “Daily Show”
Friday, October 6, 2023.
What I’m Reading
Wesley Lowery sat down with 109-year-old Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Massacre. It is impossible for Fletcher to forget what she witnessed that night. The district she knew and had loved had been set ablaze, and planes dropped explosives from above. Today, more than 100 years later, she has become a key witness for the reparations movement.
Viola Fletcher waited 102 years for reparations. She’s still waiting, The Washington Post
Edward Blum strikes again: An appeals court has ordered a Black venture capital firm to pause grant apps supporting Black women founders. The American Alliance for Equal Rights, Blum’s conservative group, sued the Fearless Fund, alleging racial discrimination for only helping Black women.
Appeals court pauses Atlanta VC fund grant for Black women, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a growing movement across the country of educators, civil rights activists, and church leaders pushing to teach Black history in the wake of a nationwide crackdown on Black scholars and diverse lesson plans. It has become an “underground railroad” of sorts, with churches holding history classes during Bible study and Black historians reading passages from banned books in local parks.
Black history 'Underground Railroad' forms across US after DeSantis, others ban books, USA TODAY
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: A federal court ruled that residents will cast ballots in the 2024 congressional elections using a map that includes a second district designed to empower Black voters…
California: An ex-San Francisco Republican official made a name for himself as an advocate for men who said they were falsely accused of sexual harassment. He is now accused of murdering his fiancée, whose dismembered body was found on a California shoreline…
Florida: Tampa authorities are investigating thousands of dollars worth of damages caused to artwork depicting African American history at a local park…
Illinois: Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order creating Chicago’s first chief homelessness officer position…
Maryland: Four students and another person were shot outside a homecoming event at Morgan State University in Baltimore. The university has canceled the celebration for the first time in school history…
Residents of Federalsburg, a small town in Maryland, elected their first Black lawmakers in the town's 200-year history…
Michigan: An online personality who amassed a large following for posing as a young girl on the internet as he reportedly aimed to catch sexual predators was killed in Michigan after confronting two teens…
New York: “If anyone was caught off guard, then they had to be living under a rock,” NYC Mayor Eric Adams said in response to criticism about his office’s late response to a major storm…
Philadelphia: Anthony “Dappa” Samuels lives a unique double life. When the Philly rapper isn’t spending late nights in the studio or traveling from one tour stop to the next, he’s running a daycare…
Tennessee: State Rep. Justin Jones filed a lawsuit against Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and other officials in the state House for expelling and silencing him in the legislative body…
What’s Happening
ICYMI: I was invited on “Sommer Time” to speak about how I get the news and what the future of journalism looks like. Check it out!...
The man who police and prosecutors say masterminded the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas made his first court appearance on a murder charge…
A new data tool has mapped out 184 climate risks in more than 70,000 U.S. communities. You can check your area here…
A new report by Prison Policy found that, on average, U.S. states lock up Black people at six times the rate of white people…
A Florida man was severely beaten by Jacksonville sheriff’s officers after a traffic stop and suffering from severe injuries as a result…
Black patients are 31% more likely to be placed in restraints than white patients, according to a new study…
Historic firsts: Harvard University inaugurated new president Claudine Gay, the first Black person and second woman to lead the university. And Melissa Gilliam will lead Boston University as the school's first Black and first female president…
Dr. Yves Duroseau, head of Lenox Hill’s emergency department in New York City, and his dinner party guests were hosed down by a white neighbor who decided their event needed to come to an end…
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Tesla for allegedly allowing widespread racist harassment of Black employees and retaliating against Black workers who spoke out…
Babies and toddlers in the United States are disproportionately at risk of eviction, a new study found…
Entertainment
Big loss: Roy Wood Jr. is not returning to his position as a correspondent on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” since the network hasn’t offered him the job as permanent host of the show. Here’s his statement…
She can’t stop winning: Simone Biles won her 20th world championship gold medal, playing a key role in a historic victory for the U.S. in the women’s team final on Wednesday…
The Academy has replaced Hattie McDaniel’s long-missing Oscar, and officials presented Howard University with the award in a ceremony…
Beyoncé has unveiled a full trailer for a forthcoming concert film based on her blockbuster 2023 Renaissance World Tour. It will hit theaters Dec. 1…
Tracy Oliver, the writer behind “The Blackening,” talked to Angelique Jackson about why the microbudget horror-comedy's box office success felt so empowering…
Chris Rock is in talks to direct a biopic on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. for Universal…
Toni Braxton talked with Angela Johnson about living with lupus and how to encourage others with the chronic disease to be advocates for their health…
Issa Rae has been named creative director for the 2024 American Black Film Festival…
Krayzie Bone has posted a positive update about his health on Instagram, saying that he has “won the battle this time”...
“Hell’s Kitchen,” a musical inspired by Alica Keys’ teenage years in New York, is set to open Off Broadway…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 43 seconds!...
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has acquired a four-page manuscript of a poem handwritten by Phillis Wheatley — the only existing copy…
Please share: The Washington Association of Black Journalists is accepting applications from DC-area college students for scholarships. Each is worth $2,000. The deadline for applying is October 22 at midnight EST…
Harvard University has curated the Black Teacher Archives, a free digital portal that makes “public the intellectual, political, and cultural contributions of Black educators during the Jim Crow era through the Civil Rights era”...
You can sign up for "A Black History of Electronic Dance Music," a lecture series that will take place at Harvard beginning on October 17. Here's a link with more details...