NABJ Trump trainwreck, RIP Erica Ash, Simone and Sha’Carri
Friday, August 2, 2024.
What I’m Reading
Five Wild Moments From Trump's Trainwreck NABJ Interview, HuffPost
I’m currently in Chicago for the National Association of Black Journalists convention, which, up until several days ago, I thought would be a pretty standard conference — seeing longtime friends, attending seminars, going to the career fair. When it was announced that former President Donald Trump would attend a Q&A with journalists at the convention, I found myself preparing for the inevitable trainwreck.
I was in the room as Trump avoided the questions of ABC News’ Rachel Scott, and instead attacked her directly. We listened to him lie about “saving HBCUs,” abortion and that he’s done more for the “Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.” Many NABJ members have openly expressed frustration with the entire debacle, which has caused internal strife. I went on MSNBC and BBC to break down what happened. Tia Mitchell, who helped organize the Trump event, talked about the debacle on CNN with Laura Coates. Karen Attiah wrote about why she stepped down as NABJ convention co-chair.
Prisoners fight against working in heat on former slave plantation, raising hope for change in South, AP News
“Beneath the blazing summer sun on a former slave plantation, Lamont Gross and fellow prisoners stooped in long rows, picking vegetables by hand under the watchful eyes of armed guards on horseback.” Incarcerated men are fighting against working in extreme heat at America’s largest maximum-security prison, and a federal judge sided with their fight.
Related: Forced prison labor is keeping slavery alive in America today. Advocates are campaigning for change.
Black Sororities and Fraternities Line Up Behind Kamala Harris, The New York Times
Maya King explored the ready-made coalition backing Vice President Kamala Harris: the more than two million members of Black Greek-letter organizations who have quickly united to mobilize Black voters nationwide.
Related: Kamala Harris is energizing Gen Z voters who had planned to sit out the 2024 election.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: Here’s how Black and people of color-led run clubs are fostering community and inclusivity in Los Angeles…
Georgia: The state superintendent said he believes a new AP course in African American Studies violates the state’s law against teaching divisive racial concepts…
Mississippi: This guide offers details about the state’s disenfranchisement laws and how you may still be able to vote from jail, even with a conviction…
New York: A New York judge who was caught on camera threatening to shoot four Black teens could face removal from the bench…
Ohio: Vincent Belmonte’s family has spent the last three years mourning his killing by a police officer in East Cleveland, and fighting for accountability from the police department…
Texas: The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum chronicles American military history through the experience of the Black soldiers…
Wisconsin: Since May, Malaika Jabali has surveyed dozens of Milwaukee residents about how they plan to vote in November…
What’s Happening
The officer who killed Sonya Massey didn’t see her “as the mother of two teenagers, or a ‘daddy’s girl’—as her father described her—or a woman who simply needed help,” Jenisha Watts writes in The Atlantic. “Her humanity was invisible to him.”...More: Senate Democrats are pushing for police reform legislation following the fatal shooting…James Wilburn spoke to reporters after the death of his daughter…The Illinois sheriff whose deputy shot and killed Sonya Massey apologized to the community, but opposed the family's call for his resignation…
The Biden administration says it has doled out more than $2 billion in direct payments for Black and other minority farmers discriminated against by the Department of Agriculture…
Columbia Journalism Review: "The Biden campaign would seem to have taken advantage of Black talk radio’s hospitality—and exploited the power it held over these small stations”...
Jessica Norwood, the founder of financial innovation firm RUNWAY, announced the launch of a $50M fund solely dedicated to the economic empowerment of Black business ecosystems despite the attacks in the venture capital space on Black people…
Alternative crisis response teams are gaining popularity across the country. The Marshall Project talked to experts about whether they're on track to fundamentally change public safety…
“Fifty years after Shirley Chisholm ran for the presidency, we find ourselves yet again questioning the durability of outmoded presumptions about race and gender,” Jelani Cobb writes…
There is a troubling rise in suicide deaths among young Black Americans. One of the drivers of that crisis is an acute shortage of mental health providers…
Wood pellet production boomed to feed European demand for electricity. But it's come at a cost for Blacks in the South where pellets have made people sick and worsened air quality…
Project 2025’s dismantling of our public schools isn’t just the plan if Trump is reelected — it is already happening…Joy Reid aired a “Project 2025 Exposed” segment explaining the right-wing agenda…
From Christina Carrega and Madeline Thigpen of Capital B: Misconceptions about Kamala Harris’s prosecutorial record fuel skepticism, but where she stands on criminal justice reform isn’t always clear…
New efforts are underway to help you (re)discover New York City’s Black history…
Ten years after Eric Garner’s murder, City Hall and the NYPD have gone back to business as usual when it comes to investigating police misconduct, writes Errol Louis…
Meet Kamala Harris’ pastor, civil rights leader Amos C. Brown of Third Baptist Church of San Francisco…
The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo came to Los Angeles, and brought cowboy culture back to Southern California…
Dwight McBride is now executive director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity at the Washington University in St. Louis…
Entertainment News
Olympics! Simone Biles led Team USA back to the top of the Olympic podium, winning a gold medal in the team final…Sha'Carri Richardson won her opening-round heat of the women's 100 with a time of 10.94 seconds…Lauren Scruggs has become the first Black American woman to win an individual medal in fencing…Flavor Flav helped pay for Olympian Veronica Fraley’s rent after she posted online…
Have you heard of Brown Sugar? The streaming service highlights some of the finest movies starring, and often directed by, Black artists…
James Baldwin was arguably the most evocative Black writer of his generation. So why don't we see more of his works on the big screen?...
In the New Yorker: “The elaborate diving technique known as slicing is more than a summertime flex for the men in Zaire Love’s new documentary short “Slice” — pools become community hubs that celebrate Black boy joy”…
In the new book, “A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune,” author Noliwe Rooks discusses the iconic figure’s powerful legacy…
Keke Palmer and SZA’s buddy comedy has filled out its cast with Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, Janelle James, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and more…
“Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” will arrive in movie theaters in September for a limited run…
For the first time in over two decades, Ramona Holloway — longtime co-host of WLNK-FM’s old “Matt & Ramona Show” — is not working in a job for a radio company…
Charm La’Donna, the celebrated choreographer behind Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ video, is clearly passionate about dance. But her journey hasn’t always been easy…
In North Carolina, the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse hosts "Memorable Proof," an installation by artist Letitia Huckaby as part of the "Harriet Jacobs Project”...
Leslie Uggams has been a familiar face in the entertainment industry for decades. She talked with The Root about her newest role, and how difficult it was to play her most iconic character in “Roots”...
Obituaries
Erica Ash, who stood out on the BET reality spoof “Real Husbands of Hollywood” and the Starz comedy-drama “Survivor’s Remorse,” has died. She was 46…
Alma Johnson Powell, a civic leader and the wife of the late Secretary of State Colin Powell, has died. She was 86…
Winzell Kelly, a longtime member of the legendary Motown music group The Dramatics, has died. He was 71…
Gail Lumet Buckley, daughter of Lena Horne and author whose body of work included two books about the history of her Black middle-class family, has died. She was 86…
Chino XL, a rap veteran whose “bold lyricism and relentless fearlessness garnered both respect and controversy throughout his career,” has died at 50…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 2 minutes, 37 seconds…
The LOX has a new NPR Tiny Desk available to stream right now…
Dr. Laura Portwood-Stacer will host a webinar with Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans for scholarly authors who want to learn how to write in ways that center mental health and wellness. The event will be held virtually on August 16 from 1-2pm EST…
Tatyana Ali’s quilt line Baby Yams is partnering with Birth Future Foundation to launch grants for those pursuing a career in midwifery…
Phil, I loved you on MSNBC!