YSL trial begins, Derek Chauvin stabbed, RIP Jean Knight
Friday, December 1, 2023.
What I’m Reading
Saving Praise Houses Before Their African Lineage Is Forgotten, The New York Times
In South Carolina and Georgia, you will find "praise houses" — tiny one-room structures that were used as places of worship by enslaved people on coastal plantations. The Gullah Geechee are fighting to preserve these historic cradles of the Black church before they are erased by development and climate change.
When Your Own Book Gets Caught Up in the Censorship Wars, The New Yorker
Robert Samuels, a staff writer at the New Yorker, wrote about the experience of discovering that his book, “His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” was banned from a Tennessee school district due to the state’s “Critical Race Theory/Age Appropriate Materials Law.” Officials hadn’t even read it.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: The Los Angeles County sheriff promised reform and accountability. Critics see neither a year later…
Colorado: The officer who placed Elijah McClain in a neck hold has been reinstated to the Aurora police department and will receive $200,000 in back pay, city officials said…
District of Columbia: After losing their children to gun violence, these moms turned their “pain into purpose,” performing in a play to empower and uplift other grieving women…
Florida: Ron Desantis’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo nabbed a tenured professorship at the University of Florida. But he’s rarely on campus and doesn’t do research, frustrating colleagues…
Illinois: An effort to memorialize the Illinois Black Panther Party has exposed a divide over how to preserve its legacy — and who should tell its story…
Louisiana: Off-the-grid schools have ballooned in the state since the pandemic. There is one school thst sells diplomas for $465, even if students never finished high school…
Maryland: Pat Warren, an anchor and reporter who spent much of her time at WJZ covering Annapolis and the legislature, has died…
Massachusetts: The city of Boston has paid $2.6 million to several Black police officers to settle a longstanding federal discrimination lawsuit over a hair test used to identify drug use…
Michigan: Families gathered at Lansing Mall to participate in the “Black Santa Experience”…
Mississippi: Natchez was once the largest slave-trading market in Mississippi before the Civil War, and one of the largest in the country. Today, the city is finally reckoning with its past…
Missouri: A Black student was hospitalized after being attacked by a white male student at Shawnee Mission East High School. The victim’s suspension has sparked outrage…
New York: Included with New York’s legalization of weed in 2021 was a promise to give back to communities most harmed by the war on drugs. State cannabis regulators have created a map from 1.2 million marijuana arrests as a guide to which neighborhoods qualify…
Oklahoma: Black Creeks’ quest for tribal recognition isn’t over yet, as the Muscogee (Creek) Nation appeals a decision that could open up a path to citizenship for hundreds of people…
Ohio: The eight Akron officers who shot and killed Jayland Walker didn’t violate police policies, the Akron Police Department concluded in an internal investigation…
Texas: Keith Lee gave strong reviews to resturants during his time in Houston, a stark contrast to the drama surrounding his time in Atlanta…
Virginia: Don L Scott Jr has worked his way from a felony conviction 30 years ago to becoming the first Black speaker of the Virginia house of delegates…
What’s Happening
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed and seriously injured by another inmate at a federal prison in Arizona. Officials have remained quiet about the incident…
A sheriff’s race in Louisiana remains unchanged following a recount, which means Henry Whitehorn still wins by a *single* vote…
In the United States, Black survivors are nearly invisible in the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis…
Conservative groups have sued to shut down the Abundant Birth Project, which provides 150 pregnant Black and Pacific Islander San Franciscans a $1,000 monthly stipend…
The Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike led to greater economic mobility for Black workers. Today, union activists are trying to capture some of that spirit…
Jordyn Foster is the youngest person ever — and the first woman — to hold the position of director of football operations at the North Carolina A&T…
When first-year corporate lawyer Rochelle Ballantyne is done working her day job, she’s working toward becoming the first Black female chess master…
For Refinery29, Black beauty journalist Natasha Marsh asks: With more and more companies partnering with BIPOC leaders, are AI and AR on the route to becoming woke?...
As the Biden administration moves closer to banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, major health organizations want Black smokers to know that help is available for those who want to quit…
Entertainment
After ten months of juror screenings and surreal courtroom antics, opening statements in Young Thug’s organized crime trial began this week. Make sure to follow
, who is covering the YSL trial. It has already gotten off to an interesting start…Jean Knight, the singer best known for the classic 1971 hit “Mr. Big Stuff,” has died. She was 80…
Diddy has stepped aside as the chairman of Revolt, the media company he co-founded in 2013…
Cave Canem, a Black poets’ collective that was founded in 1996, has nurtured the talents of writers who have gone on to win many of the most important accolades in poetry…
Jada Pinkett Smith says she and Will Smith are 'staying together forever' after their 2016 separation…
Fantasia Barrino teamed up with the Southern University Human Jukebox and Dancing Dolls for an amazing halftime performance during the 50th annual Bayou Classic…
LSU Tigers star Angel Reese has rejoined the team, head coach Kim Mulkey announced during a press conference…
While on the topic of HBCUs: North Carolina A&T’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine and Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South will compete in the inaugural Band of the Year competition hosted by ESPN in Atlanta…
Tirhakah Love wrote about the year that couldn’t break Megan Thee Stallion…
Netflix released the first official look at Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley”...
The New York Times has published four takeaways from the premiere of Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ film, which is out in theaters Dec. 1…
Chaka Khan went on CBS News Sunday Morning, where she discussed her friendship with Prince and how her music is being discovered by new generations…
Jason Weaver recently celebrated a new milestone from his performance in 1994’s “The Lion King”...
Laila Edwards has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Black woman to join the U.S. Senior National Hockey Team…
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson has revealed why she resigned from Vogue and how she is channeling her influence and energy to support the next generation of fashion talent…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 10 seconds…
Twitter user AishaaaMarie runs a program that offers safe and stable housing to young mothers in the DMV. For more information, send her a direct message on the platform…
Lauryn Hill has postponed her 25th anniversary tour celebrating “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” to 2024…
In the new HBO documentary “South to Black Power,” writer Charles Blow explores how moving to the south could lead to important political and societal change for Black Americans…
The Urban Journalism Workshop is back! We are currently accepting applications for 2024. We teach D.C. area high school students the fundamentals of print, broadcast and digital journalism. Tell your students or loved ones to apply!...
The Associated Press is hiring an intern to cover race and ethnicity. The deadline to apply is December 15th…