UMich rolls back DEI, Black Panther cubs, RIP George Foreman
Thanks for reading!
What I’m Reading
What happens when the US declares war on your parents? The Black Panther cubs know, The Guardian
Sometimes, journalists read a story and wish they had thought of the idea so they could have written it. For me, this story in The Guardian is an example of one of those times. Ed Pilkington spoke to nine children whose parents were members of the Black Panther Party — and explored how their lives were forever changed.
The historic Black press and the attempt to criminalize journalists, Fortify
In her latest Substack, Morehouse journalism professor says she has “long thought about the potential for U.S. journalists to be jailed in America for doing our jobs. We should remember how the government came after Black journalists in the not-so-distant past.”
How Black Americans Can Fight Trump’s Plot to Capture a Generation of Minds, Mother Jones
The conservative war on public education is underway. Dr. Karida Brown, author of “The Battle for the Black Mind,” told Mother Jones’s that the right aims to capture a “whole generation" of Black minds. Here’s how Black communities can fight back.
ICYMI: I wrote about the University of Michigan Alumni Association ending the LEAD Scholars program, a merit-based scholarship that worked to improve enrollment for minority students. I hadn’t planned to publish it this week, but I learned Wednesday that the University of Michigan would be rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Expect more schools to follow.
I didn’t want people to miss the story, so I published it Thursday morning. Thanks to BET for citing my reporting!
What’s In The News
Across America
Arizona: The Phoenix officers who beat and arrested a deaf man with cerebral palsy will receive 24-hour, unpaid suspensions and more training as punishment…
California: A month after the Eaton fire destroyed thousands of properties north of Los Angeles, Altadena residents are fighting to keep luxury developers at bay…
Georgia: A campus organization at Morehouse College is pushing school leaders to describe what they would do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up to the college…
Louisiana: The Supreme Court heard an unusual case regarding a congressional map that includes two majority Black districts for the first time in decades…
Maryland: An entrepreneur started a juice bar in Prince George’s County in honor of her late father, who died of cancer…
Michigan: A Melvindale officer stopped Alica Cook over an expired tab and then tased her in front of her children…
Missouri: The YMCA has shuttered four Head Start programs for low-income kids in the Kansas City area…
Tennessee: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump donated $10,000 to Tennessee State University's hockey program, the first Division I hockey program at any HBCU...
West Virginia: A white couple who adopted Black children and forced them to work “as slaves” has been collectively sentenced to 375 years in prison…
What’s Happening
Keep an eye on this: Trump signed an executive order that "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology" must be removed from the Smithsonian Institution, and he singled out the National Museum of African American History and Culture…
The Trump administration’s attack on DEI is hitting unexpected targets: This time, a nationwide tree-planting effort is caught in the crosshairs…
Federal employees filed a class action complaint against the Trump administration, claiming they were fired because they aren’t white men…
A common blood test for ovarian cancer may miss some Black and Native American patients, a new study found… More: Black women’s hair products are in the safety spotlight. Kenya Hunter reports on what you need to know…
WATCH: Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Andrew Farmer had a heated confrontation at the state capitol during a committee meeting…
The Department of Defense has restored its article about Jackie Robinson’s military career. For the Nation, Dave Zirin explains that the baseball legend is still teaching us to not back down to bigots…
For Capital B, Aallyah Wright wrote about how the Biden administration's $42.5 billion program that helps Black communities in the South access the internet is now in jeopardy…
Greenwood, the financial tech startup founded by Killer Mike and Andrew Young, is moving from Atlanta to Tulsa under its new leadership…
Nicole Pulliam wrote an op-ed about the systemic failures women of color face in higher education…
Col. James H. Harvey III, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, remembers the historic unit’s fight for recognition while the Trump administration purges so-called DEI…
Entertainment News
The viral dating program “Pop the Balloon” is getting the Netflix treatment, with Yvonne Orji serving as host…
SZA wants to play the Marvel Comics character Storm in an origin story…
Lizzo is set to play the godmother of Rock n’ Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, in an upcoming Amazon MGM studios biopic…
Snoop Dogg will deliver the 2025 commencement address at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business graduation ceremony…
Barry Jenkins is set to direct Zendaya in A24’s “Be My Baby,” a Ronnie Spector biopic…
In West Philadelphia, where he was born and raised, Will Smith now has a street named after him…
Obituaries
George Foreman, a boxing legend and grill entrepreneur, has died. He was 76…
Mia Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, has died. She was 49…
Nona Faustine, a prominent photographer who used her work to highlight the “true lives” of Black women, has died. She was 48…
Algernon Ward, a historian and longtime community activist for Trenton, has died. He was 72…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute on the dot…
Mississippi Today is seeking an Education Reporter…
Photographers: The Black Women Photographers x Nikon Inc. Grants are accepting applications for 2025! Today is the last day to apply…
The Washington Association of Black Journalists is hosting a conference in April. Register now for the conference and its opening reception today...
The Black Bottom Archives is seeking applicants for a year-long fellowship to train Detroiters in preservation and storytelling. The deadline is May 16...
Strange Horizons' is calling for submissions for its special issue on AfroSurrealism. has more details…
Virginia Tech is hosting a celebration of the life of Nikki Giovanni on June 8…
Thank you for being YOU!!!
Thank you for all of this information!