Underground Railroad museum sues, HBCUs and Black wellness study, 'You, Me & Tuscany'
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What I’m Reading
Why going to an HBCU might be better for Black students’ health, The Guardian
The Guardian’s Adria Walker reported on a study that finds attending an HBCU as a young person might be better for long-term wellness for Black Americans. The study found that HBCU attendees in their 60s had better memory and cognitive function than those who attended a predominantly white institution.
The ‘In Living Color’ effect, The Atlantic
Geoff Bennett’s new book, “Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy From Vaudeville to ’90s Sitcoms,” was published this week. He explored how “In Living Color” shaped the Hollywood that we know today in this excerpt from The Atlantic.
Please go support Geoff’s book! He’s been on an amazing press run, from appearing on the TODAY Show to a author talk at the DC Public Library that will air on C-SPAN in a few weeks (moderated by me!).
Imagining a future for Langston Hughes’s Harlem brownstone, The New York Times
The exterior of the brownstone at 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, where Langston Hughes lived the last 20 years of his life is falling apart. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is working to save the historic building.
In a series of tweets, award-winning filmmaker Nina Lee urged Black audiences to show up for Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page’s forthcoming film, “You, Me & Tuscany.” The film will hit theaters on April 10. Watch the trailer here.
“1. Met with a studio about my already shot romcom and they won’t buy it until they see how ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ does,” Lee explained. “2. Met with an exec about a romance script I have, they won’t buy it until they see how ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ does.” Haniyah Philogene of the Grio explains why showing up for the film matters.
Brooke Obie slammed Hollywood for gaslighting Black audiences again, explaining that there will “never be a high-enough opening weekend or a diverse enough audience or enough history-making achievements” for Hollywood executives to care about Black stories.
What’s In The News
Across America
Arizona: The Phoenix Police Dept. won’t discipline any officers for their roles in a scheme after officials invented a fake gang and then falsely charged protesters as members…
California: There’s always a ton of bad media news to go around, but I want to take a moment to spotlight something positive: the Sacramento Observer, a legacy Black-owned newspaper that is growing and expanding its coverage into Stockton, California…
District of Columbia: The Go-Go Community Health Fair and Colorectal Cancer Awareness event will be held in Anacostia on March 28…
Georgia: The state promised to pay the wrongfully convicted. 46 claims have been filed under the law so far. Only three people have been awarded compensation…
Illinois: Cahokia Heights, a Black community in Illinois, has E. Coli in its drinking water. Congress just cut infrastructure funding, Adam Mahoney reports…
Indiana: Black Humanities in the Midwest is a new initiative at Indiana University focused on studying Black culture, arts and history…
Kentucky: Federal prosecutors are pushing to get the charges against two officers accused of falsifying the warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s killing dismissed…
Louisiana: Prosecutor Hugo Holland compared a Black child to a dog and withheld evidence in death row cases. Now he’s running for judge…
Maryland: Morgan State wrestling is “a lighthouse” for Black wrestlers. They hope others will follow…
Massachusetts: More than two years after resigning, ex-Harvard President Claudine Gay is returning to the university…
Michigan: Jarvis Butts, the man convicted of the murder of 13-year-old Na'Ziyah Harris, was found dead…
Mississippi: Department of Public Safety officials discovered Ku Klux Klan items while cleaning out a closet…
Nebraska: Photographer Abiola Kosoko went through 100,000 of his images over the last 15 years to share insight into Black life across Omaha…
New Jersey: A new historic marker honoring Timbuctoo, once home to some of the first free Black Americans in South Jersey, has been placed in Burlington County…
Oklahoma: Key civil rights organizations will not be allowed to file an amicus brief in support of Creek Freedmen descendants, Deon Osborne reports…
Pennsylvania: Monumental Baptist Church in West Philadelphia recently celebrated its 200th anniversary…
Texas: Prairie View, the first all-Black trail ride, is an 80-mile, week-long trek that takes horseback riders to a Houston rodeo…
Virginia: The University of Virginia saw a 14.58 percentage-point decrease in Black students’ offer rates, according to the Cavalier Daily…
What’s Happening
Shay Taylor worked as a janitor for 10 years at Yale New Haven Hospital. Soon, she will return as a doctor. Watch the video above…
An Underground Railroad museum in upstate New York is suing the Trump administration, claiming it unlawfully terminated its federal grant on the basis of race…
The United States is one of three countries to vote against a United Nations resolution that called slavery a “crime against humanity”…
Descendants of the 19th-century enslaved artist David Drake talked with The New York Times about the battle over his legacy…
Top civil rights attorney Kristen Clarke has joined the NAACP as the organization’s new General Counsel…
Over 600 students, alumni and community leaders attended a town hall hosted by Pomona College’s Black Student Union’s town hall to address rampant anti-Black racism on campus…
Dallas officials erased multiple Black Lives Matter crosswalks in the city. Some residents say its an attempt to erase the community’s identity…
The University of Southern California canceled a gubernatorial debate after backlash over the criteria that excluded candidates of color in the crowded 2026 race…
A pregnant Georgia woman planned to have two doulas with her as she went into labor in Georgia. Police instead escorted them out, the doulas told Capital B’s Alyssa Johnson…
The Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, led by Reverend Dr. Howard-John Wesley, made a $1 million donation to prevent evictions for families living in public housing…
Black students are more likely to succeed when they have counselors who look like them. But only 8% of school counselors were Black last year, according to the American School Counselor Association…
Howard University, the only HBCU Division I swimming program, made history by winning the women's championship for the first time…
Health inspectors found thawed seafood stored in buckets, leading to the temporary closure of Mama Tina’s Gumbo — Tina Knowles’ gumbo booth, according to Houston Health Department records…
Entertainment News
Usher told Forbes’ Jabari Young that he has nothing negative to say regarding Sean Diddy Combs, explaining his “experience was not what the world has seen and how he’s been misrepresented.” Watch the full interview above…
Freer Records just released what it called the first-ever album made by a woman behind bars. The artist, who only goes by B. Alexis out of fear of retaliation by prison officials, raps about watching her son grow up from prison, trauma and more…
Jay-Z has kept his thoughts to himself for the better part of the past decade. But he spoke with GQ’s Frazier Tharpe for a rare interview…
In case you missed it: Tank and Tyrese battled head to head for their Verzuz battle this week. Watch it in full here…
The “Real Housewives” franchise has been a gold mine for memes for two decades…
Meghan Hall chatted with Megan Thee Stallion about her Broadway debut, her support of Angel Reese, and more...
Simone Ledward Boseman, the wife of the late Chadwick Boseman, sat down with TODAY’s Craig Melvin to talk about raising awareness about colon cancer…
The work of longtime choreographer Brooke Payne is being highlighted through the tour featuring New Edition and Boyz II Men…
The New York Times reviewed “Everybody’s Fly,” a new memoir from Fab 5 Freddy that explores his life and impact on the culture…
VIBE’s Preezy Brown remembered the heyday of the iconic — and sometimes notorious — Bronx roller rink Skate Key…
Jill Scott spoke with NPR’s Tonya Mosley about the release of her first full-length album in more than a decade…
Musical stars from Doja Cat to David Byrne are all championing Alice Coltrane’s experimental sound…
Jonathan Abrams talked with 2 Chainz about his next act — a memoir…
A civil jury found that Bill Cosby was liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972 and awarded her nearly $60 million…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 25 seconds…
I made a TikTok about cherry blossoms in Washington, DC…
Hazel’s Best Day, a children’s book about disability pride, accessibility, and community, is out! The author is Adiba Nelson and the book was illustrated by DeAnn Wiley…
ASALH is partnering with the African American Museum of Dallas to offer FREE classes on African American history…
The 2nd annual HBCU Film Festival is approaching, and Jasmine Guy is attending as a special guest. It will be held at Emory University in Atlanta on April 10…
Thanks for sharing! 🤗