Tulsa Race Massacre probe, RIP John Amos, Sean Combs accusers
Friday, October 4, 2024. Shoutout to the reader who said this newsletter reminds them of JET Magazine!
What I’m Reading
DOJ opens first ever federal probe into Tulsa Race Massacre, The Black Wall Street Times
After more than a century, the Department of Justice has opened the first-ever federal review into the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, just months after the Tulsa County District Court and the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought on by survivors Viola Ford Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle.
The probe falls under the Civil Rights Division’s Cold Case Unit, which aims to release a public report detailing its findings by year’s end. “That the Department of Justice has decided to take this on and just look into it, it says that we are not forgotten. Our ancestors are not forgotten. The generations to come, they’re worth fighting for,” State Senator-elect Regina Goodwin, a descendant of massacre survivors, told Deon Osborne.
23andMe is on the brink. What happens to all its DNA data?, NPR
Chenedy Wiles, who decided to spit in a tube and send it off to 23andMe, said she did so because “as an African American, it’s very common for our heritage to get lost.” After she discovered her ancestry, she moved on.
Because of the one-and-done nature of the DNA testing experience, the genetic testing company is struggling for survival. It’s not really clear on what 23andMe plans to do with the DNA data of its 15 million customers.
I’ve Lived Through Three BioLab Fires in 20 Years. I Fear the Impact, Capital B News
Sydney Sims, a reporter with Capital B News, recently had to evacuate her home after a fire at a BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia, sent a toxic plume into the sky. This isn’t the first time — there have been at least three fires in the past two decades, Sims explains in her story. “The company’s turbulent history leaves residents in the majority-Black Atlanta suburb of Conyers weary of its continued presence,” she writes.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund Isn’t Afraid Of A Fight, HuffPost
New story from me! I wrote about the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit that has been advocating for students at HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions for nearly four decades.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Chickasaw, a small town near Mobile, has criminally charged nearly 200 residents due to its trash policy — and Black moms and people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted…
California: Reparations advocates say the bills signed into law recently do not go far enough to address generations of discrimination and violence against the state’s Black residents…
Florida: Democrats are hoping Kamala Harris creates a spike in Black voter turnout, that will push the party’s candidates to victories in down-ballot contests…
Georgia: “Georgia’s voting law has a larger impact on Black voters than white voters in several ways, state election data shows”…
Illinois: The funeral arrangements for Javion Magee, the 21-year-old truck driver who was found dead in North Carolina, will take place this Saturday in Maywood…
Kentucky: Federal prosecutors filed new indictments against two ex-Louisville police officers behind the warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s killing…
Nevada: In new audio obtained by HuffPost, a Nevada GOP candidate can be heard saying that he’s “not worried about Black people” in his bid for Congress…
New York: Byron Brown, Buffalo’s first Black mayor, announce that he is resigning and will accept the role as CEO of a gambling agency…
North Carolina: Here’s a list of ways to help flood victims in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene…Lt. Governor Mark Robinson didn't vote on the state’s Helene emergency declaration, records show…
Ohio: Cleveland police searched Black people over three times as much as white people during stops in 2023, even though authorities found contraband at similar rates…
Pennsylvania: A UPenn law school professor who questioned the academic performance of Black students, invited a white nationalist to speak and more, has been suspended for one year…
Tennessee: A federal jury acquitted two former Memphis police officers for violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols…
What’s Happening
On the campaign trail: Former President Barack Obama will begin campaigning for Harris this week…The Harris campaign has launched a tour across several HBCUs in battleground states this homecoming season…
The union representing thousands of striking dockworkers has agreed to suspend their strike until January to negotiate a new contract…
The moderators of the vice presidential debate failed to ask the two nominees more direct questions about racial inequality and Project 2025, Capital B’s Brandon Tensley wrote…
has a new video chronicling the many scandals, corruption, and federal investigations that led to Eric Adams’s indictment…Plus: Adams has turned to the Black church after his indictment…Authorities raided the offices of "Atlanta’s top veneer specialist," who is being charged with eight felonies including practicing dentistry without a license. His office ghosted my request for comment back in May…
The family of Medgar and Myrlie Evers announced that Nicole Evers-Everette was found safe…
From
: A New York Congressman is facing backlash for wearing blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume in college…WATCH: Ta-Nehisi Coates went on CBS Mornings to discuss his new book "The Message" and sharply navigated unusually aggressive questioning from a morning show host…
Two interesting stories from California: The Sunshine state has banned legacy admissions at all colleges…Learn about the ballot measure that could end forced prison labor…
Read these two stories from ProPublica: “As people move away from flooding and heat, new research suggests that those who remain will be older, poorer and more vulnerable”...A hospital kept a brain-damaged patient on life support to boost its statistics. His sister is now suing for malpractice…
The hike in prices for prescription pharmaceutical drugs have disproportionately made it difficult for Black people to afford them, according to a new report…
The Alabama pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers can move forward with his federal lawsuit…
Entertainment News
An attorney announced that 120 accusers have come forward to say they were sexually abused by Sean Combs and his associates. Several of those accusers were minors at the time of the alleged abuse…A lawyer for Al B. Sure! has sent cease and desist letters to Amazon and the author behind a "fake" Kim Porter memoir, demanding a stop to the book's sales…Amazon said it has pulled the book…
Nobody wins when the family feuds: Fugees co-founder Pras Michel is suing his bandmate Lauryn Hill for fraud and breach of contract…
The New York Times’ Jordyn Holman has the behind-the-scenes details of how the Beyoncé and Levi's partnership came to be…
Kamie Crawford has announced she will be leaving “Catfish: The TV Show” after six years…
Tevin Campbell said Stevie Wonder is going to write him a song…
Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its CEO…
Halle Bailey and DDG announce they have “decided to go our separate ways”…
Natasha Rothwell hopped on a call with her good friend Quinta Brunson to discuss, well, everything…
Over on TV: Kerry Washington’s “UnPrisoned” has been canceled after two seasons…The Mia Isaac and Adrienne Warren-starring “Black Cake” has been canceled after one season…
Questlove is directing a documentary on Earth Wind & Fire, set to come out in 2025…
NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearce: “LL Cool J and MC Lyte's new albums crack the comeback curse by embracing a need to pivot, without losing grip on what first made them great”...
Obituaries
John Amos, known to many as James Evans Sr. from "Good Times" and an Emmy-nominated star of "Roots," has died. He was 84…His daughter, Shannon, revealed she found out about his death through media reports…
Ken Page, a prolific broadway star and the voice of Oogie Boogie in "The Nightmare Before Christmas," has died. He was 70…
Richard Mayhew, a prolific abstract artist who said he uses “landscape as a metaphor to express emotion,” has died. He was 100…
Bill Lucy, a pioneering Black union leader who helped popularize the “I Am a Man” slogan as a demand for respect, has died. He was 90…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 41 seconds!...
Kamala Harris recently went on the "All The Smoke" podcast, where she talked with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson about her plans for the economy, her Bay Area background, and more…
Colin Kaepernick and his wife Nessa Diab spoke to NPR’s Michel Martin about their new children’s book, “We Are Free You and Me”…
Nikole Hannah-Jones announced the schedule for her forthcoming “1619 Project: A Visual Experience” book tour…
