“Sinners” makes Oscars history, slavery exhibit taken down, RIP Gladys West
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What I’m Reading
Black women turn to one another as their career paths suddenly recede, The New York Times
New York Times reporter Jordyn Holman talked with Black women professionals who are turning to one another for pep talks and resume advice as Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives cast a chill on the job market.
Those who try to erase history will fail, The Atlantic
Clint Smith traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, to visit The Legacy Museum, which tells the story of the Black experience in America from enslavement to mass incarceration. He wanted to find out how museums like this one are working to tell the full American story in a time when the Trump administration is seeking to erase that history.
Related: The exhibits about slavery at the President’s House in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park have been removed amid pressure from the Trump administration. “I’m just following my orders,” one employee told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bernice King says her father’s legacy has been softened—and that’s dangerous, BET News
Bernice King, daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, spoke with BET’s Jasmine Browley about her feelings on the current state of America and what people can do today to honor her father’s legacy.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: A year after the devastating fires ravaged Atladena, survivors are facing pressure to sell their land. Experts are calling it “climate gentrification”...
Florida: A judge ordered one of Broward’s oldest churches to restore the membership and voting rights of more than 50 expelled parishioners...
Georgia: Mallerie Shirley let her 6-year-old ride his scooter to a nearby playground. A stranger reported her to child services…
Indiana: In South Bend, neighbors and small businesses rallied around Marcellus Riles, raising $10,000 in days after seeing his damaged truck…
Mississippi: State lawmakers in the Legislative Black Caucus filed legislation to create a state-level version of the Voting Rights Act…
New Jersey: Clark Township “systematically discriminated against and harassed Black and other non-white motorists,” a lawsuit alleges…
Oklahoma: An ex-Oklahoma Department of Corrections officer who was fired after a fight with a prisoner told Deon Osborne he was wrongfully terminated and he now can’t find work…
South Carolina: Orangeburg native Cecil Williams was honored at a reception celebrating the opening of his photography exhibit…
What’s Happening
The ICE agent who killed Keith Porter Jr. in Los Angeles has been identified, and a court filing raises claims that the officer previously abused his children and made racist remarks…
A federal judge reportedly rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to indict Don Lemon for covering an anti-ICE church protest…The White House posted a digitally altered image of Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of the protesters involved…
Voters rejected a zoning amendment that would have allowed larger homes to be built in the last Gullah-Geechee community on Georgia’s coast — and eventually lead to displacement…
Morris Brown announced that Dr. Kevin James has been reinstated as president of the college, one week after he was fired…
This week marks 50 years since the death of “the most dangerous man in America.” Author Howard Bryant writes about how Paul Robeson’s legacy has largely been forgotten…
A white man who went on a racist rant outside of a Social Security office in Norcross, Georgia, has been arrested…
The Black jobs deficit cost Black America $87 billion in 2025, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research…
The Supreme Court this week heard oral arguments in Trump v. Cook — a case some say crystallizes Trump’s ongoing tension with Black women leaders…
A bill in the Georgia State House seeks to name lemon pepper as the official chicken wing flavor of the state…
Nicole Boynton spent 23 years in prison for killing her abusive boyfriend after years of abuse. She was recently released under a new Georgia law that protects survivors of abuse…
Author Matthew F. Delmont discussed how Coretta Scott King pushed her husband toward peace activism during the antiwar movement…
The death of Black midwife Janell Green Smith following complications from giving birth has renewed difficult questions surrounding inequities in Black maternal health care…
New York Times: “Since 2013, Mississippi has skyrocketed on national tests, while blue states lag. What is it doing right?”...
One of the early architects of the reparations movement has largely been left out of history. Robin D. G. Kelley wrote about “Queen Mother” Moore in the Yale Review’s essay of the week…
Entertainment News
“Sinners” made history by leading all films with 16 nominations for the Academy Awards, the most in the history of the Oscars. Ryan Coogler was nominated for best director and best screenplay, while Michael B. Jordan earned his first Oscar nomination for best picture. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter also became the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history…
Ludacris has dropped out of Kid Rock’s “Rock the Country” music festival, with his spokesperson saying there was a “mix-up” concerning the rapper’s involvement…
Drake’s legal team has filed an appeal in his dismissed lawsuit against Universal Music Group, arguing that the judge issued a “dangerous” ruling that rap can’t be defamatory…
Father-daughter duo Aura V and Fyütch’s “Harmony” is nominated for a Grammy for best children’s music album…
ASAP Rocky sat down with the New York Times to discuss the whirlwind eight years — including three kids and two trials — since his last album release…
Rumors are swirling around Gayle King’s future at CBS once again, according to a new report...
AI “soul singers” are gaining popularity on streaming platforms. What precedent does the success of these Black women avatars set for an industry that’s consistently sought to exploit Black women, andrejgee asks…
Tina Knowles joined Vanderbilt University’s Beyoncé course and offered her perspective on her daughter’s musical legacy…
Netflix has canceled “The Vince Staples Show” after two seasons…
LeBron James’ new Nike shoes, meant to honor Martin Luther King Jr, missed the mark, Jason Jones writes for The Athletic…
Jesse Washington for Andscape: In a place like Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin could never escape the shadow of race…
Mississippi-raised singer-songwriter KIRBY sat down with NPR to discuss her latest album, “Miss Black America”...
Druski’s latest skit has sparked both laughs and a heated conversation about faith, money, and performance in the modern Black church, Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware writes for Word In Black…
Obituaries
Gerald Deas, a doctor who brought medicine to local television in New York, has died. He was 94...
Kianna Underwood, a former child star who appeared on Nickelodeon’s “All That” and “Little Bill”, has died. She was 33…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute…
Above: Watch the trailer for “Seeds,” Brittany Shyne’s documentary that follows Black farmers in the American South over the course of seven years…
I recently visited the new HBCU exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Check it out on my TikTok…
Jordyn Isaacs is seeking relationship experts who can speak to HBCU love stories and Black college relationships for a feature with EBONY Media. Send her a message…
The next “Meditation for Black Men Who Do Too Much” mass meditation event is taking place on Zoom at 11 am ET on January 24. If you need to take a moment to breathe, register here…
“LEGENDARY,” a new exhibit of original artwork by graffiti legend and pioneer Darryl “Cornbread” McCray, is on display at Paradigm Gallery + Studio in Philadelphia until February 15…
CEO and author Cheryl McKissack Daniel is sitting down with Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones to discuss her new book on her family and their legacy at the Tennessee State Museum on February 19…
The Department of African American Studies at Princeton is hosting “Black Studies Is For Everyone,” a day-long gathering of writers, journalists, scholars, and activists exploring the history, politics, and future of Black Studies. This event will take place on February 27…
A Roots Picnic Experience is heading to Los Angeles on June 27. Nas, T.I., Bun B, De La Soul, and more are expected to hit the stage. Tickets go on sale today at 10 am PT…
Excellent coverage as usual Phil Lewis! Sidebar: Black women have always turned to each other. And my home state of Georgia, particularly Atlanta, might as well make “Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings” the official state chicken wing flavor. You can roll into any Afro-Atlantan restaurant, Indian-Atlantan restaurant and Chinese-Atlantan restaurant and find a version of Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings on the menu.
Once again, thank you for your flow of information!