Examining the Target boycott, Black Maternal Health Week, Uncle Charlie tour
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What I’m Reading
The Quiet Deletion of Black History Within Federal Agencies — and the Fight to Stop It, Capital B
You’ve probably seen examples of the nefarious attempts to scrub Black history from federal websites. I’ve written about the attempts myself. For Capital B, Brandon Tensley spoke with the Black Americans fighting to stop the quiet deletions from taking place and their efforts to preserve our history.
“When you start to fiddle around with history, that isn’t what makes a country great. It makes us weaker,” one historian said.
Am I Still Allowed to Tell the Truth in My Class?, The Atlantic
Phillip Atiba Solomon is chair of the African American Studies Department at Yale University. For The Atlantic, he expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s recent executive orders and how they aim to muzzle professors seeking to teach their students the truth about our country’s history.
Inside The Target Boycott: How Black Consumers Are Using Their Economic Power To Demand Change, Forbes
There’s a lot of conversation online about the Target boycott. For Forbes, Richard Fowler examined the boycott and how Black consumers have decided to use their economic power to voice displeasure with companies that acquiesce to Trump’s agenda.
More: Al Sharpton met with Target’s chief executive officer this week, and he called the conversation “very constructive and candid”…
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: The Trump admin announced it was terminating a settlement aimed at improving wastewater treatment services for Black Alabama communities harmed by raw sewage…
California: has been following four Black Altadena families whose lives were changed forever by the Eaton Fire...
Connecticut: The state’s education commissioner is refusing to sign the Trump administration's DEI compliance order…
Louisiana: has the latest on a civil rights lawsuit that accused St. James Parish officials of allowing industries to place toxic plants in majority-Black communities…
Maryland: The Maryland General Assembly has passed a package of bills aimed at reforming the criminal justice system…
Michigan: Trachelle Young and her son, Curtis Young, are celebrating becoming the first mother-and-son law firm in Genesee County…
Mississippi: The state’s library commission is deleting two research collections: the race relations database and the gender studies database…
North Carolina: A federal, multi-year grant for the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice in Durham has been terminated, a “major” loss for the center…
Ohio: Ohio University’s Black alumni decided to plan their own reunion after concerns over DEI stopped the school from hosting it…
Pennsylvania: At Black Dragon, a Black-owned Chinese takeout spot in West Philly, the fortune cookies offer wisdom from Black proverbs…
Tennessee: Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup has installed far more gas turbines than permitted at its data center in Memphis, an advocacy group said…
Texas: Karmelo Anthony, the 17-year-old charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a teen at a track meet, has been released from jail on bond…
Wisconsin: After paying nearly $8,000 to reserve burial space at Graceland Cemetery, a Milwaukee family discovered thousands in extra fees that they say weren't disclosed. Tamia Fowlkes investigates…
What’s Happening
Harvard University announced earlier this week it will not comply with the Trump admin’s demands to dismantle its diversity programming. Trump responded by going after the school’s tax-exempt status and freezing billions in funds…Here’s how other universities can escape Trump’s trap…
From for The Emancipator: “For generations, Black land dispossession has robbed people of life and land. The current political climate could yield a repeat”…
WBEZ’s Alden Loury: There's more to Black men's stories than bleak statistics…
for The Baltimore Banner: It’s been a decade since Freddie Gray died. His twin reflects on her brother, not a martyr…
It’s Black Maternal Health Week. Check out these two stories: She nearly died during pregnancy. Now she's helping other Black expectant moms get the support they deserve…An Ohio father is advocating for Black maternal healthcare after his fiancée died…
KTLA, a Los Angeles-based news station, recently met with the National Association of Black Journalists after it posted a racist slur to its social media accounts…
Read an exclusive excerpt from Harold Jackson’s memoir, “Under the Sun: A Black Journalist’s Journey.” A Black journalist, the AIDS crisis, and a bleak reminder of the hidden pain behind double lives…
A Mississippi man has been charged in connection with an ATV crash that killed Jordan Hill, a 10-year-old boy…
Two Tennessee families are planning to sue the Knox County Sheriff's Office over excessive force and wrongful death…
Students and teachers at a Mississippi flight school spoke with CNN about Trump’s anti-DEI campaign…
Jackie Robinson Day was celebrated on April 15. The Guardian published a piece on the little-known relationship Jackie Robinson had with Japanese-American families in Southern California…
Entertainment News
The New York Times did a deep dive into Sean Combs’ life at the Brooklyn detention center as he awaits trial, which is set to begin next month…
Leslie Odom Jr. will return to “Hamilton” as Aaron Burr for a limited time this fall…
For Harper's Bazaar, spoke with Mariah Carey about "The Emancipation of Mimi" for its 20th anniversary…
Fisk University gymnast Morgan Price continues to make history after she recently repeated as national champion…
Juliana Ukiomogbe made her debut in Vogue by speaking with Amy Sherald about her new exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art…
Jelani Cobb sat down with Ryan Coogler to discuss why the director “set ‘Sinners’ in the South, the mythology of the blues, and how he made a vampire story his own”…
Drake has added Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance to his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group…
The unc’tion! Charlie Wilson announced the "Uncle Charlie’s R&B Cookout Tour" with Babyface, K-Ci Hailey and El DeBarge…
Nearly three decades after “Martin,” the hit 90s show is getting a spinoff titled “Varnell Hill,” starring Tommy Davidson…
Sheinelle Jones, a beloved co-host of “Today's” 3rd hour, has been taking time away from the show “to deal with a family health matter,” and will return as soon as she can…
Obituaries
Kyren Lacy, a former star wide receiver for Louisiana State University, has died. He was 24…
Eddie Shed, a Mississippi church deacon who “saved others from harm" during a shooting at an Easter egg hunt, has died. He was 39…
George Russell Jr, a pioneering Baltimore attorney and the first Black American to sit on the Circuit Court of Maryland, has died. He was 96…
George Bell, who was once the tallest man in the U.S. at 7 feet, 8 inches, has died. He was 67…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 19 seconds…
Very timely: BlackPast has a comprehensive list of Black history museums across the country…
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has unveiled its new AP African American Studies Guide…
Consider subscribing to new newsletter , which aims to take a “critical yet constructive look at nonprofits and the broader philanthropic sector’s challenges, contradictions, and the urgent need to turn good intentions into real impact.” Black voices are often underrepresented in this space…
Great round up as always, and thank you so much for mentioning my newsletter! It means a lot 🙌🏾
It’s been two months haven’t been to Target and saved money