O.J. Simpson dead, Dawn Staley supremacy, J. Cole's big apology
O.J. Simpson dead, Dawn Staley supremacy, J. Cole's big apology
Friday, April 12, 2024.
What I’m Reading
Can the UAW Finally Organize the South?, The Nation
The postwar failure to organize the South entrenched racism and corporate greed, setting the civil rights movement back a decade. D.D. Guttenplan writes in The Nation that he is excited to see United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain commit to organizing the South.
Related: The Southern Gap — “In the American South, an oligarchy of planters enriched itself through slavery. Pervasive underdevelopment is their legacy.”
Black Residents Battle Against Tennessee GOP's Effort to Ban Reparations, Capital B News
Soon, Tennessee lawmakers will vote on banning local municipalities from studying or disbursing reparations. For Capital B, Aallyah Wright and Brandon Tensley wrote about Black residents' battle against Tennessee Republicans' efforts to ban the restitution.
J. Cole’s Kendrick Flip Is Giving Us Cognitive Dissonance, Vulture
The hip-hop world exploded after J. Cole called his Kendrick Lamar diss “7 Minute Drill” the “lamest shit I ever did in my fuckin’ life.” Cole explained that by releasing the track, he moved in a way that spiritually felt bad and disrupted his peace. For Vulture, critic Craig Jenkins wrote about how J. Cole regretting his diss feels like cognitive dissonance and suggests Cole has lost control of the narrative.
Vocalo Radio gave some of Chicago’s biggest stars their start. It will go off the air next month, Block Club Chicago
Vocalo Radio, Chicago Public Media’s radio station, gave some of Chicago’s biggest stars — Noname, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Jamila Woods and more — their start. It will shut down next month. “We built relationships and championed artists,” said Ayana Contreras, a former director of the station. “It’s a loss for Chicago culture.”
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Tuskegee University received a $20 million gift from an anonymous donor to support the institution’s STEM programs and more…
Georgia: The Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta History Center are honoring Hank Aaron’s legacy with a huge exhibit that opened to the public this week…
Idaho: Groups came together in Coeur d’Alene to show their support for the Utah Women’s Basketball team and speak out against racism…
Illinois: In Chicago, one neighborhood is fighting gentrification and climate change at the same time…
Florida: Calvin Riley, the man whose arrest footage went viral in Florida last week, was found guilty Monday of driving under the influence…
Maryland: The Caucus of African American Leaders unanimously voted to ask that when the Francis Scott Key Bridge is rebuilt, it no longer bears the name of the national anthem’s author…
Minnesota: Nearly four years after protests inspired by the killing of George Floyd, police misconduct complaint outcomes have finally been released…
Mississippi: After men near Jackson were buried without their relatives’ knowledge, the Justice Department said it will help the city’s police revamp policies for performing next-of-kin death notifications…
Ohio: Fewer Black babies live to see their first birthday in Ohio in comparison to white babies, the state Department of Health’s most recent report shows…
Philadelphia: Philly has a fraught history with stop-and-frisk policing. Will Mayor Cherelle Parker expand its use?...
South Carolina: A federal lawsuit filed against Horry County Schools claims a Black high school student left school after she was “immediately beset with racial discrimination”…
What’s Happening
More than 200 chemical plants nationwide will be required to reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer, the EPA said, a move that will affect majority Black areas…
The Biden administration has issued a proposal aimed at reducing or eliminating student loan balances for millions of borrowers. Here’s what Black student loan borrowers should know about Biden’s new ‘Plan B’ for debt relief…
Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, is set to fly into space at 90 years old on Blue Origin’s next launch…
Akron, Ohio police have released video of an officer shooting a 15-year-old boy who was holding what his family says was a toy gun…
Cornel West selected university professor and Black Lives Matter activist Melina Abdullah as his running mate for his long-shot presidential bid…
States across the South are passing new restrictions on how votes are cast. Civil rights activists say it will reduce turnout among Black voters…
Danielle Johnson, the mother who fatally stabbed her partner and pushed her kids out of a moving car before killing herself in a car crash, was an astrology influencer who warned others about the “spiritual warfare” of the solar eclipse…
Two right-wing grifters who used a robocall campaign to try to discourage Black New Yorkers from voting in the 2020 election will pay up to $1.25 million for their actions, the NY state AG’s office announced…
The New York Times: “A quest to find living descendants of 36 enslaved people has transformed into a project that gives Black residents new clues to their ancestry, wherever it may lead”…
Six Mississippi law enforcement officers have been sentenced on state charges for the torture of two Black men during a no-warrant home raid…
Ralph Yarl, the Missouri teen who was shot in the head after ringing the wrong doorbell, is coming to grips with how the shooting has changed his life…
When Kameenah Bronzell was just 15, she started an Instagram page to honor Philadelphia’s gun violence victims. Then her brother became one…
David Walker left Virginia at 19 to join the Navy, and was one of 50 Black mess attendants killed at Pearl Harbor. He was identified 83 years after serving in the segregated Navy during WWII…
It’s Black Maternal Health Week in the Tampa Bay area. Florida officials must prioritize the well-being of Black mothers amid a Black maternal health crisis statewide, according to a guest column in The Tampa Bay Times…
Home sale deeds for some Pittsburgh subdivisions barred the sales of those properties to Black buyers. Though the racial covenants are unenforceable today, the effects echo on…
Entertainment
With the South Carolina Gamecocks’ victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes, Dawn Staley has become the first Black coach in Division I college basketball to complete an undefeated season (38-0). And she’s just getting started…
Jonathan Majors was sentenced to probation but avoided jail time for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a high-profile case that derailed the once-promising star’s career…
In case you weren’t already feeling old, LeBron James’ son Bronny has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft…
Film news: A “Black Samurai” film seems to be in the works at Warner Bros. And Nia DaCosta is in talks to direct the second part of the upcoming "28 Years Later" trilogy…
There’s a lot happening in the music world: As expected, Beyoncé debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with “Cowboy Carter,” marking the biggest sales for an album so far in 2024…Cardi B sparred with an influencer over colorism and brand deals…Missy Elliott will embark on her first headlining tour ever, with Busta Rhymes, Ciara and Timbaland as support…
Two great profiles in GQ: Frazier Tharpe II spent a day with JB Smoove and Bradford William Davis profiled prolific YouTube entertainer Mark Phillips…
Six members of the 1950s Tennessee State University basketball program finally got their visit to the White House, and met with Vice President Kamala Harris…
If you saw the photo of Terrance Howard in a wig, it was not photoshopped. He detailed his claims of inadequate pay against the Creative Arts Agency during an interview that recently went viral…
We should leave some things alone, but the “Scary Movie” franchise is getting a reboot…
Megan Thee Stallion talked with Women's Health Magazine about her new music, her workout routine, and more…
The Internet’s favorite niece, Jabria, appeared on this week’s episode of “Abbott Elementary”!...
A conversation in Frieze introduces the prolific writer, essayist and founding father of the Black arts movement Larry Neal to a new generation…
Through her new haircare line, Beyonce is investing in one of America's oldest Black-owned beauty schools…
Obituaries
O.J. Simpson, the football Hall of Famer who was acquitted of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friend in 1995, has died. He was 76…
Robert J. Dale, a pioneering Black ad executive, business leader and mentor, has died. He was 80…
Rev. Cecil L. 'Chip' Murray, an influential pastor and civil rights leader who guided Los Angeles through the 1992 civil unrest, has died. He was 94…
Mister Cee, a pioneering hip-hop DJs and HOT 97 radio personality who played a key role in the Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, has died. He was 57…
Clarence “Frogman” Henry, known as New Orleans’ old-time R&B singer behind the hit “Ain’t Got No Home,” has died. He was 87…
Albert Heath, a legendary jazz drummer known for his collaborations with John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Nina Simone and Herbie Hancock, has died. He was 88…
Margaret Tynes, an American soprano whose talents were acclaimed in Europe but ignored in the United States during the 1960s, has died. She was 104…
Read this amazing tribute of the late actor Louis Gossett Jr. from his biographer and cousin in The Washington Post…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 29 seconds!!...
Seton Hall University is hiring an assistant professor of Hip-Hop Studies…
The Black Minds Leadership Summer Program, a FREE 5-week mentorship program for young boys in Detroit, is coming this summer…
For those interested in entertainment: The Tyler Perry Studios Dreamers Internship has released its application. The Paramount Writers Mentoring Program is now accepting applications! The deadline is May 1.
Are you in Atlanta? There’s a casting call for background actors in the hit Starz series “P-Valley”...
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Jelani Cobb discuss the attack on Black history for The New Yorker’s Radio hour…