Nolan Wells autopsy, latest on redistricting, Oprah and Keke sit down
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What I’m Reading
In case you missed it, Ben Crump released the second autopsy for Nolan Wells during a press conference at the NAACP National Convention. The independent autopsy, performed by Dr. Roger Mitchell, found that the cause and manner of death are both undetermined, pending investigation. For the Grio, Haniyah Philogene broke down 7 key findings from the report — including why the medical examiner did not receive Wells’ throat with the rest of his body.
Related: The deaths of Nolan Wells and Kohen Wiley are symptoms of a nation retreating from any pretense of equal rights, Alain Stephens writes for The Intercept.
Lorena O'Neil went to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, for Nolan Wells’ funeral, where she heard his grieving parents tell his friends and supporters to continue to speak his name.
Black lands, Mexican bands: how a southern rural family built a Latino cultural hub | North Carolina, The Guardian
The land owned by Donal Gooch and his daughter, Caitlin, has been in their family since 1944, and they refuse to turn it into cul-de-sacs. Instead, they have built the area into a cultural landmark for the growing Hispanic community in Eagle Rock, North Carolina.
In North Carolina, a shooting victim pleads for his shooter’s release after 30 years, Bolts
Ramulus Mason shot Ricky Wilson three decades ago, and was sentenced to life in prison due to the state’s then-new three strikes law. Now, Wilson has become Mason’s loudest advocate for his release from prison.
What’s In The News
Across America
District of Columbia: Dozens of incoming Howard University students say they have been unenrolled from the school just weeks before the fall semester is set to begin. The school said it repeatedly informed students and their families of payment deadlines…
Illinois: 87-year-old Buritt Bulloch is still making doughnuts at Old Fashioned Donuts in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood…
Iowa: Toxic chemicals used in synthetic braiding hair are raising health concerns for Black Iowans…
Louisiana: Calvin Duncan held office for only 3 hours before a court allowed a hastily passed law to eliminate his role…
Massachusetts: Former state trooper Michael Proctor’s racist texts were revealed during the Karen Read murder case. The Boston Globe editorial board is asking who in leadership knew about them…
Michigan: Lawmakers are pushing a commission to study how discriminatory housing policies have contributed to racial disparities…
North Carolina: Karrie Dixon, the chancellor of NC Central University, did a Q&A with The News & Observer about what it takes to lead an HBCU…
South Carolina: Benedict College President Roslyn Clark Artis knows being a killjoy isn’t popular. She’s OK with that…
Tennessee: When Joseph Williams refused to leave the public park where he has lived for years, he was charged with a felony for camping and spent nine days in jail…
Texas: The family of Daniel Erving is continuing to raise questions about his death, which a medical examiner says was caused by an accidental drowning…
Wisconsin: Cellphone videos recorded the moment a police officer shot and killed a man near the state capitol this week…
What’s Happening
NPR: Trump’s redistricting efforts notably impact predominantly Black congressional districts in GOP-led states. Check out this map…
Black women who feel dismissed while seeking out healthcare options in the U.S. are traveling thousands of miles to South Korea…
The Trump administration has moved to end collection of demographic data on U.S. workers after six decades…
The late Lindsey Graham occupied the most racist Senate seat in U.S. history, according to a new analysis from The Emancipator…
Brea Baker wrote about a developer pushing to build a data center on a burial site with enslaved people’s graves, and the never-ending cycle of violence…
Louisiana has some of the highest toxic air pollution in the country — and the petrochemical industry fought efforts to expand air monitoring…
Black residents say construction projects are flooding their land and stripping protections as the Trump administration calls for more highways, Adam Mahoney reports for Capital B…
For the Boston Globe, economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman teamed up with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for an op-ed about how the attack on workers begins and ends with Black women…
The National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists are at odds over conflicting convention dates…
Erica Schwartz may soon become the first Black woman to lead the CDC. But she has “repeatedly dodged questions about how she would do so when facing pressure” from the Trump administration…
The Smithsonian is too focused on “oppressors and the oppressed,” according to House Republicans…
Dr. Aya Waller-Bey weighed in on the online discourse surrounding Detroit schools and where parents should send their children…
North Carolina’s oldest Black-owned bank is merging with a South Carolina bank, creating the largest Black-owned bank in the country…
After more than two decades, Michael Lomax will step down as president of the United Negro College Fund. He spoke with Danielle Douglas-Gabriel about the challenges ahead…
A historic Black school in a small North Carolina town is being reimagined as a “thriving community education and culture hub”...
An excerpt from “Black Crip Modern” invites you to study the work Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and other figures of the Harlem Renaissance through the lens of disability…
Louisiana Rep. Cleo Fields has announced he will not seek reelection following the Supreme Court’s ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act…
Don Lemon said he’s “totally serious” about considering a run for president in 2028…
Entertainment News
Oprah sat down with Keke Palmer for a wide-ranging conversation about her life and career. Watch above...
Colman Domingo is reportedly considering writing an original live-action feature about Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog”...
The War and Treaty, a talented husband-and-wife singing duo, has a new NPR Tiny Desk concert out....
ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark was laid off from the sports network as Disney trims jobs across the company…
For Variety, Angelique Jackson sat down with Travis Scott to talk about his appearance in “The Odyssey,” his new Paramount deal, and more...
Malcolm Jamal Warner and Chadwick Boseman’s families are entangled in legal battles over their respective estates…
Steve Lacy and his new album, “Oh Yeah?” are the subject of a new music review in the New Yorker…
“Love Island” season 7 couple Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe have broken up…
IMANI PERRY has revealed the cover of her children’s book debut, “Hope in a Classroom”...
A biopic about Snoop Dogg is set for the summer of 2027...
Marcus J. Moore wrote about Julius Eastman and how he challenged classical music’s conventions to become one of the 20th century’s most essential voices…
Racial and class diversity in TV and films can help children challenge biases, according to a new study…
Kerry Washington and Whitney White are heading up “The Whoopi Monologues,” a revival of Whoopi Goldberg’s 1984 solo show…
Obituaries
Johnny Brown, a longtime attorney and father of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, has died. He was 80…
Plas Johnson, a saxophonist known for his solo on “The Pink Panther” and for recording with Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, and other legends, has died. He was 94...
Clara Ester, a civil rights activist who was one of the last remaining witnesses to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, has died. She was 78…
Bigga Rankin, a notable Florida DJ, longtime community advocate, and godfather of Southern hip-hop, has died. He was 50…
Sylvia Bugg, a chief executive at PBS who shaped programming at the network for years, has died. She was 55…
John Baines, a singer and longtime community advocate in North Texas, has died. He was 73...
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 36 seconds!...
The New York Amsterdam News, New York City’s oldest Black newspaper, is seeking interns for the fall...
If you have an ambitious 18-24 year old in your life, tell them to apply for Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations, a fully-funded summit that brings together 350 of the most curious young people in the country. The application deadline is July 31…
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore is seeking a president...
More than 50 of your favorite Black authors will appear at Mahogany Books’ third annual Black Books Matter Fest on August 1 in Maryland...
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, Thelma’s Cafe and John Brown Farm State Historic Site are just a few of the historic sites that will receive grant funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund...