Philly ski mask ban, Diddy's newest lawsuit, Toxic beauty care products
Philly ski mask ban, Diddy's newest lawsuit, Toxic beauty care products
Friday, December 8, 2023.
What I’m Reading
America’s Black attorneys general discuss race, politics and the justice system, The Associated Press
The United States is at a record number of Black attorneys general as race, accountability, the rule of law, and public safety move to the center of public debate. Associated Press reporter Matt Brown spoke with six sitting Black attorneys general about leading a system they also seek to reform.
What Deion Sanders learned from his first losing season as a college coach, Fast Company
After jumping to an exciting 3-0 start, Deion Sanders’s Colorado football team has lost eight of its last nine games, but here’s why Coach Prime believes the Buffaloes will ultimately be ready for prime time.
What’s In The News
Across America
Florida: A Tampa Bay area senator proposed a Florida constitutional amendment that would ban reparations for descendants of slavery…
Georgia: A woman attempted to burn down Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home in Atlanta and was arrested…
Illinois: Dorothy Tillman, a 17-year-old from Chicago’s South Side, has just earned a PhD. She’s hoping to create a space for future generations to dream big…
Michigan: Detroit is close to recording its fewest yearly homicides in nearly 60 years, data show…
Minnesota: Natalie Hudson was recently sworn in as the twenty-third Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, making her the first Black person to serve as Chief Justice in the state’s history…
New York: New York State has a new law that requires all cosmetology schools in the region to make natural hair education a part of the general curriculum…
North Carolina: A Tuskegee Airman from Charlotte who vanished during WWII was laid to rest this week in Charlotte…
Oregon: Descendants and surviving Black Portlanders who were forced out of their homes in the Central Albina district in the 1960s and 70s filed the lawsuit in Dec. 2022…
Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia City Council passed a controversial bill banning ski masks in certain public spaces…
Tennessee: Fisk University is bringing together six gymnastics teams coached by Black women to compete…
Texas: The Texas Historical Commission removed books on slavery from plantation gift shops after an amateur historian sent several angry emails…
What’s Happening
THANK YOU to the Washington Association of Black Journalists for recognizing me as the 2023 WABJ Young Journalist of Excellence at their gala last weekend…
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are urging Congress to support a bill that would declare December 1 “Rosa Parks Day,” a federal holiday…
The Fulton County District Attorney’s office has grounds to seek jail time for a Chicago publicist after she posted a video which seems to target an ex-poll worker at the center of Georgia’s election subversion case, according to legal experts…
A Texas high school sent a Black student back to in-school suspension for refusing to change his hairstyle, renewing a monthslong standoff over dress code policy…
CiCi Adams spoke with formerly incarcerated people who were finally able to seek justice after being assaulted in the notorious Rikers Island jail complex…
A new report dispels stereotypes about the fertility of Black people. Doctors say chronic illness and misinformation add to fertility issues…
High-ranking members of Atlanta’s police department have been using Signal, an encrypted phone app, to communicate about “Cop City”...
Schools across the U.S. are sending kids to the ER for psychiatric evaluations in response to behaviors prompted by bullying or frustration over assignments, advocates say. Black students and students with disabilities are more frequently subjected to these removals…
The College Board has released an updated framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course…
Aallyah Wright drove for miles across the South to reach some of the region’s most rural communities, where about 40% of Black households don’t have home internet…
North Carolina Black and Latino voters sued in federal court, hoping to strike down congressional districts drawn this fall by GOP state legislators that they argue weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution…
Marvin Haynes has denied any role in the deadly 2004 Minneapolis flower shop robbery that sent him away for life when he was a teen. After nearly two decades behind bars, he has a shot at freedom…
Entertainment
Sean Combs, ex-Bad Boy President Harve Pierre and a third man have been accused of taking a 17-year-old across state lines and raping her at Combs' recording studio in 2003, according to a new lawsuit. Combs has made a statement on the recent allegations, but who are the former Bad Boy employees speaking out as well?...
Ashanti is pregnant with her first child after rekindling her romance with Nelly, Us Weekly reports…
Ellen Holly, the first Black actress to be cast as a recurring cast member on daytime TV, has died. She was 92…
André 3000 talked with Donovan X. Ramsey about where he’s been, his unexpected artistic evolution, and only doing what “feels good”...
Taelor and Sydni Scott, the daughters of late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott, celebrate their father through the annual Boo-Yah event for cancer research…
Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles took home the major awards at the USA Track and Field Night of Legends…
In USA TODAY: Dez Bryant came for ESPN’s Malika Andrews over Josh Giddey coverage. Mike Freeman says the ex-football player missed the mark…
Norman Lear, the legendary TV writer and producer behind shows such as "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons", has died. He was 101. While celebrating Lear’s legacy, it’s worth mentioning Eric Monte, a Black screenwriter who was blacklisted after he was frustrated with the direction of “Good Times,” and sued Lear…
Marvel Studios’ “Blade” has faced several delays since its initial announcement, but Mahershala Ali recently shared an optimistic update…
Lenny Kravitz has clarified comments he made in an interview with Esquire about how he has been treated by Black award shows…
Will Smith has confirmed he is making a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi “I Am Legend,” and is working on it with Michael B. Jordan…
Jonathan Majors’ misdemeanor assault trial began this week…
Jeannette Reyes, the D.C. anchor who has been delighting people on the internet by sharing her heartwarming family moments, is now stepping away from her job…
Jamie Foxx opened up about his health scare during a recent emotional award acceptance speech...
“Riches,” the popular Prime Video series about a wealthy Black British family, has been canceled, along with one of my favorite Apple TV shows, “Swagger.” Prime Video renewed “Harlem” for a third season…
From Njera Perkins: Blue Ivy Carter didn’t have to prove anything on the Renaissance tour. She did it anyway…
“The Price for Freedom,” which will be Mario Van Peebles’ latest work, tells the story of civil rights pioneers Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore, who were instrumental in advancing the cause for Black voters in Florida…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 43 seconds…
Pharrell is seeking a lead female role for a new musical motion picture being developed by Universal Pictures. More details here...
Author Mark Anthony Neal reviewed Bethonie Butler’s book, “Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television From Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond,” which surveys five decades of groundbreaking television…
The Urban Journalism Workshop is back! We are currently accepting applications for 2024. We teach D.C. area high school students the fundamentals of print, broadcast and digital journalism. Tell your students or loved ones to apply!...
The Associated Press is hiring an intern to cover race and ethnicity. The deadline to apply is December 15…
There is an urgent need for more diverse arts writers and critics in the industry. Consider applying for The National Critics Institute, a two-week workshop for those interested. The deadline is December 18, 2023…
Are you a student interested in the entertainment industry? Check out the Peter Roth internship program. The deadline is January 16…
“Luther: Never Too Much” is a highly-anticipated documentary about the career of Luther Vandross, directed by Dawn Porter. It will premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in January…
Vox asks in a new podcast: Can Black churches lead the way on teen mental health?...