The Root under new ownership, Sean Combs sentencing, NABJ-WaPo meeting
Get ready for another packed newsletter! Thank you for your continued support.
What I’m Reading
Calls for ‘New Blood’ Grow at Congressional Black Caucus Gathering, Capital B News
The Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference took place this past week, and Brandon Tensley spoke with attendees who believe veteran Black lawmakers are out of touch with their constituents and aren’t prepared to lead the most important civil rights battles of today.
Related: Gerren Keith Gaynor of the Grio attended a panel at the conference that focused on the power of Black mayors.
A Shop for Black Women Who Love Women Who Love Books, The New York Times
Dodai Stewart attended the grand opening of Gladys Books & Wine, a Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn-based bookstore and wine bar catering specifically to Black lesbians. As Black residents have been increasingly pushed out of the area, owner Tiffany Dockery is aiming to create a renewed sense of community.
Dads need love, too: the men creating ‘a vulnerable space’ to be with their kids, and each other, The Guardian
spoke with several Black fathers in Los Angeles who have created safe spaces for men to fully let their guards down, from coffee clubs to meditation groups with self-affirmations.
What’s In The News
Across America
Florida: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University appears to have expelled a prominent student organizer for protesting the school’s new MAGA-backed president…
Georgia: The state Supreme Court sided with Black landowners in a “fight over zoning changes that weakened long-standing protections for one of the South’s last Gullah-Geechee communities”…
Illinois: Masked ICE agents descended on a Chicago apartment building and detained “Black people in one van, and the immigrants in another van,“ witnesses said…
Iowa: ICE agents arrested Ian Roberts, the first Black superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, authorities said…
Louisiana: The family of Caleb Wilson, a Southern University student who died during hazing involving the university’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, filed a wrongful death lawsuit….
Maryland: The Maryland Park Service is developing a new state park to tell the story of Enoch George Howard and the Black community he fostered…
Massachusetts: Two Black men wrongly accused of killing a pregnant white woman in a 1989 case in Boston received a $150,000 settlement from the city…
Mississippi: Aallyah Wright traveled to rural Mississippi to highlight the work of two Black women who are reimagining how their communities eat and thrive…
Missouri: Former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush may be gearing up for another run against Congressman Wesley Bell…
New Hampshire: The Shonda Rhimes Hall, set to open in the fall of 2028, will be the first Dartmouth building named after a woman or a Black person…
Ohio: The family of Christian Black, who died after being restrained in jail, said they have reached a $7 million settlement agreement with the county…
Tennessee: A 10-foot statue of Tina Turner was unveiled in her hometown of Brownsville, and people have thoughts…
What’s Happening
The Root is returning to Black ownership for the first time in a decade after Ashley Allison acquired the flailing media outlet from G/O Media…
I was quoted in an Associated Press story by Jaylen Green about the firing of Karen Attiah by the Washington Post and what it means for representation in journalism…I also attended a meeting with the Washington Post and NABJ leadership to raise concerns about the shrinking number of Black journalists in their newsroom…
ICYMI: The Washington Association for Black Journalists and Black and Missing Foundation’s media guide for reporting on missing persons is in BET…
Amid the government shutdown, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will remain open to the public at least through Monday, Oct. 6…
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook — allowing her to stay in the role for now…
Since 2023, youth as young as 13 have been held in solitary confinement units for weeks or months inside Shelby County’s juvenile detention center in Tennessee…
Eric Adams announced he’s dropping out of the New York City mayoral race…The New York Times reported on what his exit means for Black political power in New York…
The FBI has reportedly fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in 2020…
Black babies die suddenly and unexpectedly in their sleep at 14 times the rate of white babies in Illinois’ Cook County, according to a new report…
For Capital B News, Alecia Taylor talked with Jackson State University alumni who believe leadership instability is costing the school its future…
After Rev. Howard-John Wesley’s viral sermon that mentioned Charlie Kirk, the threats started pouring in. Still, Alfred Street Baptist has his back…More: “Foreign bots were spewing much of the racist rhetoric that followed Charlie Kirk’s killing. And yet it gained traction only because there is plenty of homegrown racism to exploit,” Kali Holloway writes for the Nation…
Authorities said Trey Reed took his own life on the campus of a small college in northwest Mississippi. Clyde McGrady traveled to the state to report on how his death rocked the school, and the nation…
Organizers of a Florida book festival said the supermarket giant Publix pulled its sponsorship for the event at the last minute. The company, however, said it was never a sponsor…
A second mistrial was declared in the case of a white University of Cincinnati officer who killed an unarmed Black motorist during a traffic stop, in what is the “latest racially charged police shooting case to show the reluctance of U.S. jurors to convict officers.”
talked with USA TODAY about the freedom that comes with being on a digital platform and covering topics like the Charlie Kirk killing…
Entertainment News
Sean Combs deserves at least 11 years in prison when he is sentenced today, federal prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be sentenced Friday at 10 am ET…
The “Reading Rainbow” reboot will be hosted by librarian and TikTok star Mychal Threets…
Lena Waithe announced that “The Chi” will conclude with season 8…
Uncle Nearest Inc. is preparing to sell off non-core assets as part of efforts to stabilize the whiskey company under court-appointed receivership…
For NPR, Rodney Carmichael wrote about the death of the BET Hip Hop Awards…
At Atlanta’s BEST Academy, a small group of students is making history as the first all-Black high school polo team in the United States…
The Royal Academy of Art in London is showing “The Histories,” the largest survey of Kerry James Marshall’s work in Europe…
Read this oral history of Satchel Paige’s last pitching performance, which left a lasting impact on players, fans and family who were there in Kansas City 60 years ago…
One of the most anticipated movies of the year from a prolific filmmaker shouldn’t be suffering from lackadaisical marketing, my colleague Njera Perkins writes about “Highest 2 Lowest”…
FAMU band announcer Joe Bullard apologized for calling Alabama State’s plus-sized dance team “the new face of Ozempic”...
Terence Crawford was detained by police in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, hours after a victory parade in his honor for defeating Canelo Alvarez…
Tyler Perry will star opposite Taraji P. Henson for the upcoming Netflix comedy, “Why Did I Get Married Again?,” a sequel to his 2007 hit…
Obituaries
George Hardy, the last of the Tuskegee Airmen’s World War II combat pilots, has died. He was 100…
Lawrence Moten, one of the greatest players in Syracuse basketball history, has died. He was 53…
Myron Lowery, a former journalist, interim mayor and longtime civic leader, has died. He was 78...
Marcyliena H. Morgan, the founding director of the Hip Hop Archive & Research Institute at Harvard University, has died. She was 75…
Joshua Allen, who won season 4 of “So You Think You Can Dance,” has died. He was 36…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 45 seconds!...
The inaugural Missy Lane’s Block Party takes place this Saturday in downtown Durham, North Carolina…
I was honored to write the foreword for Jan Buckner Walker’s “BlackCrosswords: In Our Own Words,” coming out in October…
The Brown Girl Collective is hosting a conversation with author Susana M. Morris about the life and times of Octavia Butler on Monday, October 13 at 8 PM…
Join the Webby Awards and NAACP for the “Black & Viral: The Webby 30 Edition” virtual event on October 16…
The tickets for the WABJ’s 50th anniversary scholarship and awards gala on Nov. 8 are now on sale! This is my first gala as chapter president. If your company is interested in sponsoring, please contact us at info@wabjdc.org…
The Broccoli City Exchange is headed to Los Angeles on Nov. 9. Half block party, half marketplace, make sure you come out for live music, food and community…
All students ages 6 to 18 (grades 1-12) are invited to apply for the annual Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest right now…