What I’m Reading
Jim Crow returns…one congressional district at a time, Mother Jones
Because of the Supreme Court, majority-Black voting districts are disappearing across the South. What will that mean for November’s election?
Related: Reuters published a project exploring what redistricting means for Tennessee voters…
Capital B’s Brandon Tensley reported on Tennessee’s new map and how Black Memphis is fighting again for representation…
E.J. Dionne Jr. asked in the New York Times: Could Mississippi elect its first Black senator since Reconstruction?...
Black unemployment hints at a job market in worse shape than it seems, The New York Times
When unemployment for Black workers rises sharply, it can be an early signal of trouble for everyone. Talmon Joseph Smith talked to Gena Pemberton and other Black professionals about the disappearance of diversity, equity and inclusion positions nationwide…
What “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” can teach us about arguing over Black art, Salon
Candice Frederick wrote about the documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” and the “virtually lost art of Black cultural debate in today’s social media era.”
Related: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is partnering with NEON to present free screenings of “Once Upon a Time” on October 24 and 25…
It’s More Than a Crown: What It Means to Be HBCU Royalty, Capital B News
During homecoming season, students competing for the titles of “Miss” and “Mister” are crowned at more than 90 HBCUs. Several HBCU students shared what earning that title means to them with Alecia Taylor.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the sentence of Toforest Johnson, who has long proclaimed his innocence...
Arkansas: Chris Jones could become the first Black person the state has ever sent to Congress…
California: An exhibition dedicated to the music of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” has opened at the California African American Museum…
District of Columbia: Thousands of DC residents are homeless. The 51st spoke to five writers about how they’d solve the housing crisis…
Illinois: The late civil rights leader Al Raby was recently honored with a street dedication in Woodlawn, Nicole Jeanine Johnson reports…
Indiana: Voters will decide whether to give judges broad new powers to keep suspects in jail without bail before trial…
Kansas: The state’s only Black-owned bookstore is fundraising to stay open…
Maryland: The Supreme Court will hear a case arising from a lawsuit claiming a program in Montgomery County schools unlawfully seeks to boost Latino and Black enrollment…
Michigan: Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sat down with The Root’s publisher to discuss why Black voters should trust his record… Barack Obama will appear with El-Sayed and other Democratic candidates during a campaign rally in Detroit on Saturday….
Mississippi: The police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley as he sat in his mother’s lap in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia “was justified,” the state Attorney General’s Office announced…
New York: Investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones pressed schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels for systemwide school integration plans…
North Carolina: The city of Wilmington will host a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the 128th anniversary of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre on Nov. 10…
Pennsylvania: Michael G. Knight is the president-elect of the nation’s oldest and largest group representing Black doctors…
South Carolina: The International African American Museum recently launched a new exhibit that seeks to reclaim the narrative and the identities of enslaved Black people…
Tennessee: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor went to Memphis to learn about state representative Justin J. Pearson’s run for Congress…
Texas: “Black Austin Matters,” the podcast celebrating the voices, experiences and culture of Central Texas’ Black community, has won silver at Signal Awards…
Virginia: Police in Hampton Roads saturated Black and low-income neighborhoods with Flock-style cameras, a study found…
What’s Happening
Gary Tyler, a quilt artist who spent decades on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, now has his first solo exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan…
Trump critic and Virginia State Sen. L. Louise Lucas surrendered to authorities to face charges, the Justice Department said…
A Black MAGA content creator said she “cannot believe the disrespect” after she was removed from a San Antonio rally hosted by GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton…
A New York couple is suing after reportedly receiving a text message from a real estate agent while searching for an apartment that said, “ugh they are black”…
“Black voters are not political pawns. We are not faceless masses waiting to be packed and cracked into districts that most efficiently benefit either party. We are not a means to an end,” the Legal Defense Fund’s Todd Cox writes…
Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock says Democrats are doing “barely enough” in the South. Not long after, the Senate Majority PAC announced a new $1 million ad buy in Mississippi in support of Democrat Scott Colom…
The family of Koran Irvine is demanding answers after the retired police detective who shot and killed him was charged with manslaughter...
Black congressmembers on the House Financial Services Committee signed a letter backing Rep. Maxine Waters’ bid to remain as the panel’s Democratic leader…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is sending $1 million to Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’ gubernatorial campaign, POLITICO reports…
For the first time in Morgan State University’s 159-year history, enrollment has surpassed 12,000…
“Black women collectively are growing exhausted with this expectation that they will be unwavering in our support of people and systems that couldn’t care less about them”, Sierra Lyons writes…
Louisiana ripped Corey Best’s son from his life two decades ago. Today, he is crafting new solutions to help families in crisis…
11-year-old Peyton Stewart wants to someday become CEO of the Louisiana hospital where he received treatment for a rare gene mutation…
Entertainment News
A new exhibit in Washington, DC, examines how Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and others used Shakespeare’s work to help tell their own stories. Geoff Bennett spoke with exhibit curator Patricia Akhimie above…
Following the release of his new album, “Happiness Anytime,” Esquire caught up with Leon Bridges for a wide-ranging interview…
Zach Nunn wrote about Jalen Hurts’ injury and the disposability of Black bodies at work…
Coco Jones responded to an unexpected racist encounter in the streets of New York...
Taryn Finley wrote about the growing number of Black millennials investing in fine art and the larger impact that could have on the industry for WayMaker Media’s Money Issue...
The Root penned a listicle of everything you’ve missed at Howard University’s homecoming this past weekend…
Southern coach Marshall Faulk revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease…
Quinta Brunson shared an update on the Betty Boop film she is developing and starring in…
Adria Walker spoke with W Jason Miller, author of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” a new book that explores the little-known friendship between Langston Hughes and Nina Simone…
Howard and Tennessee State will play in the 2027 edition of the NBA HBCU Classic, putting two Duke alumni against each other as head coaches....
Samuel L. Jackson is getting his own “Tulsa King” spin-off series based in Frisco, Texas, this December...
For The Guardian, Charles Burnett and Maya Cade spoke about his 1983 film “My Brother’s Wedding” and their years of creative partnership…
Jay-Z has chosen himself to headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show, according to a report…
William E. Ketchum III attended Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway’s one-night-only set of performances at New York City’s Blue Note jazz club...
Obituaries
Dr. Richard E. Holmes, the first Black student to enroll at Mississippi State University, has died. He was 82…
DJ Sam Chatman, the Chicago legend known as the Godfather of Steppin’, has died. He was 85…
Lorenzo Washington, a devoted caretaker of Nashville’s rich Black music legacy, has died. He was 83...
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 37 seconds…
I am a board member with DMV Does Good. Please help us support veterans experiencing housing and food insecurity. Purchase essentials from our Amazon wish list…
T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Enterprises is looking for a temporary social media manager for a reality dating show. Please send resume and portfolio to employment@nappyboyent.com by Oct. 25 to be considered…
Slip-n-Slide Records, known for discovering artists like Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross and Plies, is seeking a social media manager…
The California Black Studies Curriculum Teacher Fellows Program is looking for California high school teachers to integrate Black Studies curriculum into their classrooms…