Target boycott back and forth, Charles Burton spared execution, Oscars weekend
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What I’m Reading
You may have seen headlines that the nationwide Target boycott organized by faith leaders like Jamal Bryant has come to an end. Bryant, in a Wednesday press conference, said the boycott was “officially concluding.”
“We are effectively today closing this chapter because we have other fights that we have got to see and other things that we’ve got to tackle,” Bryant said, claiming the retailer has completed 97 percent of its $2 billion pledge to invest in Black-owned businesses, among other demands. Still, Target has not made changes to its DEI policy.
However, Minneapolis organizers Dr. Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullars-Doty and Jaylani Hussein disagree with Bryant’s statement, declaring the Target boycott is still on.
“We speak for us, and we will never sell out our community for crumbs or a seat at Target’s corrupt table. So we are asking people to continue to double down and hold Target accountable. The boycott continues,” lawyer and activist Levy Armstrong said in a press conference. Target’s headquarters is based in Minnesota, where the boycott is said to have started.
61 years after Bloody Sunday, we are entering a new era of voter suppression, The Nation
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, wrote a piece for The Nation explaining how a seemingly innocuous change to Postal Service procedure and the so-called SAVE Act could threaten to “erode the promise secured by the foot soldiers of Selma.”
Last year, Black women experienced unprecedented layoffs. Here’s what happened next, Harper’s BAZAAR
For Harper’s Bazaar, Minda Honey interviewed Black women about their experiences being among the 600,000 Black women who were pushed out of the workforce in 2025.
“Black women are not just impacted by these moments, we are navigating, rebuilding, and redefining our careers in real time,” author Minda Harts said.
Related: Maia Niguel Hoskin, a mental health therapist specializing in trauma, wrote about the exhaustion of the “strong Black woman” for Forbes…
Insurance crisis leaves Black homeowners one disaster away from homelessness, Capital B News
Adam Mahoney talked with Black families from across the country who are victims of “disaster capitalism.” Black households lose wealth after disasters and receive smaller payouts via the federal government and private home insurers, studies show.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles Burton to life imprisonment. Burton was not present in the store when victim Doug Battle was killed…
District of Columbia: The Go-Go Community Health Fair and Colorectal Cancer Awareness event will be held in Anacostia on March 28…
Illinois: The “Glory! Glory!” exhibit at the Zhou B Art Center is showcasing the history of America’s flag from the perspective of Black artists…
Michigan: Antonio Wiley’s mother vanished in Detroit when he was 14. It took three decades and an extraordinary effort by a missing persons detective to find her…
Mississippi: Rep. Bennie Thompson won the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating 34-year-old Evan Turnage in the primary…
North Carolina: Rep. Valerie Foushee narrowly won her race for a third term in Congress. Here’s what she said in an interview following the campaign…
South Carolina: Rep. James Clyburn announced he will seek reelection, ending speculation that he may retire after more than 30 years in Congress…
Tennessee: Megan Piphus, the first female Black puppeteer on “Sesame Street,” is providing the voice for Gabrielle, the puppet star of a new 30-second spot celebrating natural hair…
Virginia: Shiloh Baptist Church, a historically Black church in Alexandria, was awarded $360,000…
Washington: The Black Student Union at Gonzaga University is criticizing the school’s response to reports of racism directed toward its members…
What’s Happening
Nathan Martin, a substitute teacher and distance runner from Michigan, overtook Kenya’s Michael Kamau in a stunning victory that became the Los Angeles Marathon’s closest finish ever…
A fight for Black voters is breaking out in the Democratic primary race for Senate in Illinois…
For-profit colleges are deliberately targeting Black students and leaving them in debt, according to a troubling report…
An artifact from one of the first sunken slave ships ever recovered will soon be returned to its home museum in South Africa…
Ebony JJ Curry spoke with three Detroit-area women about the many ways religion shapes their homes, identities and community during Ramadan…
What are believed to be the earliest known photographs of enslaved Americans will remain at the International African American Museum in South Carolina following a long fight with Harvard over ownership…
Jenae Barnes wrote about the Black and Missing Foundation, which works with media and law enforcement to help find the missing or uncover what happened to them. ICYMI: My organization worked with the Black and Missing Foundation last year to create a media guide for missing persons…
New York Magazine’s Zak Cheney-Rice spoke with historian and author Ibram X. Kendi about the fame and criticism he’s experienced since writing “How to Be an Antiracist,” and why his new book should be judged on its own terms…
The latest from Lee Hedgepeth: Rocky Myers, a Black man, was sentenced to death after being represented by a court-appointed attorney long affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan…
The Kansas City Defender has hired two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Jon Jeter as the outlet’s first International Correspondent. Read his latest work here…
Rob Sneed is the new anchor/reporter at FOX13 News in Memphis, and of course, residents are giving him a warm welcome by completely roasting him…
Scalawag Magazine profiled William Hampton, the founder and curator of the Huntsville Revisited Museum…
Blavity Media Group is now the exclusive sales and activation partner for Black-owned social club The Gathering Spot, CEO Morgan DeBaun announced…
Historian Rhae Lynn Barnes traces the origin of minstrel shows in her new book “Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment”...
Entertainment News
Ahead of the Oscars this weekend, Maya Cade and Angelica Jade Bastién teamed up to explain why the Academy needs “Sinners” more than the film needs a win. Read the full piece in Vulture…
NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael talked with Raphael Saadiq about “I Lied To You,” his Academy Award nomination for “Sinners”…
“Sinners” star Jayme Lawson went on “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay” to discuss the hit film, award season and representation in Hollywood…
For the Guardian, PreciousFondren wrote about the familiar debate that tends to surface when Black women play morally ambiguous characters on screen…
The New Yorker is facing backlash for how it illustrated “Sinners” star Wunmi Mosaku…
Despite his Super Bowl halftime success, Jay-Z’s empire has become a mirror for collective cynicism about power and ascent, Justin Tinsley writes for Andscape…
Rashida Jones, the former president of MSNBC, will serve as CEO of Piers Morgan’s new media company Uncensored…
Angela Bassett and Solange Knowles are just some of the honorees at the upcoming Centennial Gala Celebration for the Schomburg Center on April 30…
T.I., Travis Scott, Killer Mike, and other rappers filed a brief with the Supreme Court, pushing back against using rap lyrics as evidence in James Broadnax’s death penalty case…
Houston composer Kaylen Prince is working to break down long-standing barriers in classical music while creating access for the next generation of young musicians…
Byron Allen has bought a significant stake in Starz from former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin…
Kerry Washington opened up about aging gracefully and her latest project, “Imperfect Women,” in a new Guardian interview…
The NBA has canceled the Atlanta Hawks’ Magic City promotion following backlash…
A FAMU middle distance runner went viral for his look towards fans while he was passing up a white runner in a race. Kirk Dawkins is clearing the air about that video…
Dash Lewis spent a few days in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to learn about the city that made J. Cole…
Jill Scott’s 2026 world tour will kick off June 4th with a two-night stand in Nashville…
Obituaries
Thaddeus Mosley, an internationally known sculptor who worked from a studio in Pittsburgh, has died. He was 99…
Lonise Bias, the mother of the late basketball star Len Bias, who turned her grief into support for the community, has died. She was 77…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 15 seconds…
The Williams-Franklin Foundation is offering twenty $5,000 scholarships to undergraduate students at HBCUs. Learn more here…
Mark your calendar: Howard University is set to host Morehouse College for their 2026 homecoming on Saturday, October 17th…
Janine Jackson interviewed American Prospect’s John Lewis writing fellow, Naomi Bethune, about anti-Black history…
Thank you to WayMaker Media for naming me to its top 50 list…
The Louis Carr Foundation provides up to 12 paid communications internships for undergraduate students of color during the summer immediately following their freshman, sophomore, or junior year of college. Apply here…
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