What I’m Reading
The lights are back on in Gary, Indiana, The Atlantic
Jenae Barnes went to Gary after a two-week blackout to talk with residents who feel that “whatever efforts had been made to restore power had not been fast enough.” Some residents were throwing out maggot-filled food from their refrigerators, while others were using their cars for air conditioning.
Black journalists are still fighting. Karen Attiah just won a round, The Root
In my capacity as president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists, I teamed up with NABJ President Errin Haines for an op-ed explaining why Karen Attiah’s recent victory against the Washington Post is a victory for newsroom diversity more broadly.
ICYMI: An arbitrator ordered the Washington Post to reinstate Karen Attiah, who was fired after posting about “white men who espouse hatred and violence” following Charlie Kirk’s killing.
When Harvard University launched its Legacy of Slavery Initiative in 2022, the supposed goal was to find direct descendants of the 1,613 people enslaved by university officials. Four years later, it hasn’t contacted them. Watch this feature from the Boston Globe.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Tuskegee University honored the next generation of aviation professionals with a bomber jacket awarding ceremony…
California: The state may become the first in the nation to require corporations to declare under oath whether they or their predecessors profited from slavery…
Florida: Torey Alston has been dismissed as president of Broward College following strained relations with the board of trustees…
Georgia: For Decaturish, King Williams wrote about the demise of Atlanta’s New Black Wall Street...
Louisiana: The Louisiana State University NAACP claimed that the African American Cultural Center has closed. The university is pushing back against those claims…
Mississippi: Black voters have a chance to elect their first Black judge in DeSoto County, Aallyah Wright reports…
Missouri: The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority signed a secret three-year contract to harvest bus riders’ biometric data for AI training, while cutting routes for the poor…
Massachusetts: Errin Haines, Joy-Ann Reid, April Ryan and Christina Greer called out Trump’s repeated attacks on the press during a panel on Martha’s Vineyard…
New York: A Quogue board has denied a luxury developer’s bid to demolish a historic Black property…
North Carolina: Winston-Salem State University chancellor Bonita Brown spoke to Brianna Atkinson about her efforts to help make the HBCU stand out in a college-heavy state...
Ohio: Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey in her home, has died in prison…
Texas: A judge has rejected a bid for a new trial for Karmelo Anthony, who had been sentenced to 35 years in prison as a result of a fatal stabbing…
What’s Happening
Target has pulled a Halloween costume after backlash that it resembled caricatures from minstrel shows…
Keshia Golden, a survivor of domestic violence who said she accidentally killed her boyfriend in self-defense, accepted a plea deal and will avoid jail time…
Cudjo Lewis was one of the last survivors of the Middle Passage; he died in 1935 and never saw Benin again. His great-great-granddaughter just received citizenship from the West African country and talked with Adria Walker of the Guardian about what it means to her…
In Queens, a burial ground where nearly 300 freed Black people were laid to rest in the 1800s has been paved over and is now used by an NYPD contractor to store abandoned cars…
It’s not too late to celebrate Black August, a commemoration of Black revolutionaries and activists…
The BackBlack campaign is mobilizing small-dollar donors — who gave the majority of last year’s 130,000+ gifts under $100 — to support Black-led nonprofits overlooked since 2020…
Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, authorities are investigating after Demetrius Fleming was found dead in an apparent hanging...
The Marshall Project: “For those whose loved ones were killed in St. Louis, the investigative process could be improved with empathy, better communication, and frequent updates”...
For Latria Graham, “historically Black beaches are spaces shaped by refuge, joy, and quiet resistance”…
Salamishah Tillet penned a feature about the history of Jack and Jill for Town & Country…
Emmanuel Felton for The Lens: “In every corner of the now-scuttled 6th District, Black residents tell of deep connections through Louisiana history, food, and today’s struggles. But this spring, the nation’s highest court concluded that those voters share only race, not a cohesive culture”…
Smithsonian Magazine: These photos visualize the legacy of Peter Spencer, the founder of America’s first independent Black church…
Texas Roadhouse slammed online claims that employees are tampering with Black diners’ food, calling the allegations a hoax…
The Trump administration removed Kehinde Wiley’s painting of Dominicans from a U.S. embassy, calling it “very woke”...
A federal judge is examining the Justice Department’s case against Don Lemon months after his arrest…
Entertainment News
A former producer for Wendy Williams is heading up a three-part documentary about the TV talk show star for Peacock…
Jill Scott is Billboard’s 2026 R&B Hall of Fame honoree. She spoke with the outlet for a wide-ranging interview...
A “Bel-Air” spinoff starring Coco Jones as Hilary Banks is in the works at Peacock...
Check out this fun article about how volleyball is luring the greatest gathering of NBA daughters…
Gladys Knight is taking a step back from performing to focus on “transitioning into the next stage” of her life and career…
X-Men fans finally have their Storm in Maya Boyd…
Alice Coltrane’s artistic and spiritual practices are fertile ground for imagining what Black liberation can look like today, Ambre Dromgoole writes for Hammer and Hope...
Justin Tinsley talked with Tupac’s family amid the ongoing trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis...
André 3000 has officially joined the cast of “Scooby-Doo: Origins,” coming to Netflix in 2027…
The talented pianist Sullivan Fortner was recently profiled in the New York Times…
Dr. Dre’s comments about artificial intelligence set the internet on fire earlier this week. Jordyn Holman talked with him and Jimmy Iovine at his home…
Obituaries
Janie Bradford, the songwriter who co-wrote the Motown hit “Money (That’s What I Want),” has died. She was 87…
Jerome “Big Duck” Smith, a New Orleans civil rights icon and Freedom Rider, has died. He was 87…
Michael Wright, a talented actor known for his roles in “The Five Heartbeats” and “Sugar Hill,” has died. He was 70…
Samuel Monroe Jr., known for his role in “Menace II Society” and “The Player’s Club,” has died. He was 52…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 38 seconds!…
Dr. Michael Forde built a free searchable library covering Black history, racism, and health equity, backed by verified sources…
“March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote” is set to take place in DC on August 28…
The Washington Informer is seeking DMV-based content creators to join its Creator Studio...
Register to attend the Great Lakes African American Writers Conference. It will be held live and virtually on Sept. 5...
STARZ is accepting applicants for its #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive — a program seeking to provide mentorship to emerging TV writers. The deadline is Sept. 15…
Cudjo Lewis' story is beautiful.