Breaking News! History in the Making
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Protests push amendment to remove ‘slavery’ from Utah’s constitution
The recent protests against racial inequality could push legislation on policing to passage on Utah’s Capitol Hill, as well as a proposed amendment that officially repeals “slavery” from the state constitution.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – King Leopold statues removed in Belgium
Introduction To This Series: This post is one installment in an ongoing news series: a “living history” of the current national and international uprising for justice. Today’s movement descends directly from the many earlier civil rights struggles against repeated injustices and race-based violence, including the killing of unarmed Black people. The posts in this series…
What each of us can do to end racism
By Diana Diaz-Granados, La Crosse Tribune The recent killings of black Americans that have sparked protests around the country are not anomalies: Before George Floyd was Eric Garner; before Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down by three white men, James Byrd Jr was beaten, chained and dragged behind a pick-up truck by three white men; and…
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Houston Bids Goodbye to George Floyd
George Floyd’s funeral and the public viewing that preceded it a day earlier have been a counterpoint to the fury that his death touched off in cities across America.
Special News Series: Rising Up for Justice! – Know Their Names
This is the first of a series of posts serving as a timeline of the uprising that began on May 26, 2020, the day after a Minneapolis police officer killed an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by kneeling on his neck. Here are four stories of the senseless killings of unarmed African Americans that have brought unprecedented national awareness to the ongoing demand to truly make Black Lives Matter in this country.
The day police bombed a city street: can scars of 1985 Move atrocity be healed?
Eleven people, including five children, died and a Philadelphia neighborhood burned down in the airstrike against a black liberation group. Now an effort at reconciliation is under way By Ed Pilkington, the guardian.com Frank Powell, a Philadelphia police officer who in 1985 was chief of the city’s bomb disposal squad, remembers vividly the moment he was given…
Trump Believes Giving Black Voters Access to Voting Is Stealing the Election
Are you only allowed to vote if you are a Black republican?
REGGIE JACKSON: WHEN WHITE PRIVILEGE COMES UP AGAINST A PANDEMIC
During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, does the demand for a haircut and a bowling lane outweigh the need for social distancing? Some governors and protestors say it’s time to be liberated from lock-down.
Why the Virus Is a Civil Rights Issue: ‘The Pain Will Not Be Shared Equally’
The COVID-19 infection and death rates in the Black community reflect systemic racism in all aspects of American society: healthcare, employment, education, VA benefits, home mortgages/credit, etc.
Why I don’t feel safe wearing a face mask
Black men are feeling conflicted about wearing masks in the time of COVID-19. Wear a mask and risk being mistaken for a thief and possibly killed. Not wearing a mask and risk contracting and dying from the virus.
Republicans tried to suppress the vote in Wisconsin. It backfired
Despite a US Supreme Court decision not to postpone elections, Wisconsin voters braved the cold and coronavirus to elect a democratic supreme court justice.
Stop Blaming Black People for Dying of the Coronavirus
America continues to blame Black Americans for whatever ills may befall them. The coronavirus is another example of blaming the victim instead of systemic racism, that permeates all aspects of society.
The Real Uncle Tom, Josiah Henson, is a Black Hero
Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom’s Cabin was based on a real person, Josiah Henson. The “Uncle Tom” in Beecher Stowe’s novel is a pale imitation of Josiah Henson who went on to free his family and help 118 others to freedom.
House passes historic anti-lynching bill after Congress’s century of failure
After 200 failed attempts to make lynching a federal crime, the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act recently passed with a 410-4 vote.
Black kids and suicide: Why are rates so high, and so ignored?
The suicide rates for black youth continue to rise with little concern shown by those in charge of overseeing the nation’s health.
Gullah Geechee Community Finally Credited with the Song “Kumbaya”
Some song’s origins remain a contested mystery but the Gullah Geechee community has finally been credited with the song “Kumbaya.”
Why black athletes run from black identity
Black athletes who speak out about racial inequities are often viewed as trouble makers and risk losing their careers and livelihoods.
Early Novel Written By Free Black Woman Called Out Racism Among Abolitionists
My Nig tells another side of the enslaved story. The book relates the same torture and inhumane conditions as in the south but added the silence of the Abolitionists in Milford, New Hampshire.
Introducing Black Hair Defined
If you’re Black, wearing your hair natural can get your fired, suspended from school, barred from sports and denied your chance to walk across the stage at graduation. In California, the CROWN Act was passed to prevent discrimination against natural hair.
The 120th Anniversary of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing
February 12, 2020 marks the 120th anniversary of the poem Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, an influential and epic description of Black Life originally intended to commemorate Abraham Lincoln.
Barnes And Noble Scrapped A Plan To Put “Diverse” Faces On The Cover Of Classic Books After Backlash
Barnes & Noble has a new way to celebrate Black History Month. Let’s put black faces on the covers of “classic young adult novels” written by white authors. In what universe is this a good way to “champion diversity in literature?