University of Florida drops DEI, last chance for Tulsa survivors, IKTR podcast
Friday, March 8, 2024.
What I’m Reading
Trump supporters target black voters with faked AI images, BBC News
As election season gets underway, Trump supporters are creating and sharing AI-generated fake images of Black voters in an effort to encourage Black people to vote Republican. Black Americans are disproportionately targeted by misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Make sure that you can recognize the tell-tale signs of an AI-generated image — which sometimes can include extra arms or fingers.
Racial Turnout Gap Has Widened With a Weakened Voting Rights Act, Study Finds, The New York Times
In 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated a core part of the Voting Rights Act. Chief Justice John Roberts argued that pieces of the law’s protections against racial discrimination were no longer necessary. Well, it turns out he was wrong. Since that decision, the gap in turnout rates between white and nonwhite voters “grew almost twice as quickly in formerly covered jurisdictions as in other parts of the country with similar demographic and socioeconomic profiles,” a study found.
Black historical interpreters act to keep history alive as some work to erase it, NBC News
“With more attempts to tamp down entire chapters of America’s past, Black historical interpreters and re-enactors — some professionals, others amateurs — are embodying icons like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass to bring history to life,” Donna M. Owens reports for NBC News.
Wall Street’s DEI Retreat Has Officially Begun, Bloomberg
Wall Street is retreating from diversity, equity and inclusion as a framework, and programs once meant for minorities and women are now open to all. One former executive said she’s had white women ask what opportunities their sons will have if Wall Street focuses on promoting underrepresented groups. (Uh, the same opportunities as always?)
Related: Why white leaders were painfully quiet this Black History Month
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: The federal government is investigating whether the Alabama Department of Transportation and other local officials violated the civil rights of Black residents…
California: “The largest Black public art project in the United States” is set to launch in Los Angeles this spring…
Colorado: A paramedic has been sentenced to five years in prison in a rare prosecution of medical responders following the killing of Elijah McClain…
Georgia: The family of a man killed by a sheriff’s deputy, three years after he was exonerated and freed from prison, has filed a federal lawsuit against the sheriff’s office and the deputy…
Louisiana: How much will Gov. Jeff Landry’s crime laws cost the state? It could take years to know…
Michigan: The family of a 70-year-old man who died after a Detroit police officer punched him in the face is seeking $50 million for alleged civil rights violations…
Missouri: A married middle school principal who hired a friend to kill his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child has pleaded guilty to the plot…
New York: A decade after the flamboyant prosperity preacher Reverend Ike’s death, his son writes about his impact on the Black church…
North Carolina: A right-wing conspiracy theorist who called the civil rights movement "crap," said climate change is based on "junk science," and much, much more, is projected to win the GOP primary for North Carolina governor…
Oklahoma: In April, the state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments from the last living 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre survivors…
Ohio: Ohio University has paused the awarding of race-based diversity scholarships following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action…
South Carolina: Those who want to make South Carolina the next-to-last U.S. state to pass a hate crimes law are running out of time…
Tennessee: The death of Ramon McGhee — who was found malnourished and covered in bed bugs, lice and feces in his cell at the Shelby County Jail — has brought national attention to the jail's deplorable conditions…
What’s Happening
The University of Florida has eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion offices, firing its full-time employees and ending DEI contracts with outside vendors. Florida, alongside a number of other states, have introduced or passed more than 100 bills to either restrict or regulate DEI…
The recent review of an Ohio police department’s pattern of ticketing from February 2023 through the end of the year shows officers cited Black drivers in 69% of their stops…
Thousands of voters in a newly formed congressional district created to increase Black voting power in Alabama received postcards with the wrong voter info ahead of Tuesday’s primary…
The New York Times: Projects to digitize enormous troves of once difficult-to-access records are giving African American families opportunities to recover more of their lost past and offering historians the potential to enrich and rewrite the history of slavery…
Folks, it’s time to let it go: Michelle Obama's office said the former first lady “will not be running for president” in 2024…
The Philadelphia rowhouse once owned by John Coltrane will be restored through funds provided by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, as a part of a new initiative to preserve Black history…
A St. Louis TV station apologized after facing backlash for describing Black homeowners as "colored" during a broadcast…
Accused cult leader Eligio Bishop, known as “Nature Boy” online, has been sentenced to life without parole…
Black women are venting their frustrations with their hair stylists on TikTok and Instagram — and it has even led to at least one lawsuit…
After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Lamont Mitchell founded Know Your Numbers to encourage Black men to get tested for major illnesses…
An incarcerated man donated all $17.74 of his 13-cent-an-hour janitorial wages to help civilians in Gaza. Then hundreds donated to him…
Maxcel Hardy, a Detroit-based chef known for his commitment to community and fighting hunger, has died. He was 40…
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has reintroduced the “Protect Black Women & Girls Act,” which, if approved by Congress, would create a federal task force to examine the conditions and experiences of Black women and girls nationwide…
Writers Doreen St. Félix and Nikki Giovanni said that they would no longer take part in a talk at the Brooklyn Museum, criticizing the institution for its stance on Palestine…
A 114-year-old Houston woman has become the oldest living person in the United States…
Pulitzer Prize winner Mitchell S. Jackson followed Al Sharpton around the country to find out why he keeps going, what he’s still doing, and where his place in history will be…
For the first time, dancers at Tennessee State University are eligible for scholarships…
“The barbershop is a cornerstone in the Black community. It's where many of us young Black men get to relax and talk about sports, music, relationships and whatever else is on our mind,” Bryce Huffman reports for Bridge Detroit…
Entertainment
I talked with Essence’s Brooklyn White about Wendy Williams and her legacy…
Top talent agency CAA has signed Tareasa “Reesa Teesa” Johnson, the creator of the 'Who TF Did I Marry?' TikTok series…
Wendell Pierce has been cast as Perry White in James Gunn’s “Superman”...
The “Daria” spinoff that was set to feature Tracee Ellis Ross as the voice of the main character has been dropped…
Janice Burgess, the creator of the hit Nick Jr. animated show “The Backyardigans,” has died. She was 72…
CBS is developing a soap opera about a rich family that could become the first daytime TV drama with a predominately Black cast in over 30 years…
Jamie Foxx is ready to talk about his recent health scare but wants to do it in a “funny way”...
Sinbad made a virtual appearance at the "A Different World" HBCU tour kick-off in Atlanta, and it’s good to see him after he suffered a debilitating stroke…
Grandma Scrivens, a social media star who went viral for her hilarious reactions, has died, according to a post from her granddaughter…
Do you know Rajah Caruth? Learn how the D.C. native made the leap from computer racer to NASCAR national series winner…
Russell Simmons, who has been accused of rape and sexual misconduct by multiple women, praised his “baby bro” Usher for his “generosity” during the singer’s visit to Bali…
André 3000 has a workwear brand that is coming…
Congratulations! Ayesha Curry is pregnant with baby number four…
Black artistry is woven into the fabric of country music. It belongs to everyone, Rhiannon Giddens writes in The Guardian…
Vince Staples’s self-titled Netflix show is a probing look at celebrity culture, Hollywood, and the pitfalls of being only kind of famous…
The Oscars are this Sunday, March 10 at 7 pm EST. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is up for an Oscar for her role as Mary Lamb in “The Holdovers.” She talked with NPR’s Brittany Luse about it…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 49 seconds…
I joined my colleague Taryn Finley on her IKTR podcast, where we discussed the current state of journalism and the misinformation to look out for in 2024…
The “Reading Rainbow” documentary is coming soon to theaters…
Actress Malinda Williams has launched a new coding boot camp for women at HBCUs…
Are you Blacker than ChatGPT? Let’s find out…
Check out these three 3 Black nutrition experts who are working to inspire healthy living, one recipe at a time…
Applications for the 1619 Education Impact grant are open! This opportunity is open to education professionals working in the K-12 space “who are interested in engaging their communities with themes and resources from The 1619 Project”…
The New Republic is hiring a breaking news writer, and “Black, brown, queer, and other marginalized folks are highly encouraged to apply”...
