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Melvin Van Peebles, Champion of New Black Cinema, Dies at 89
Melvin Van Peebles, known as the godfather of modern Black cinema and a trailblazer in American independent movies, has died. He was 89. A Renaissance man whose work spanned books, theater and music, Mr. Van Peebles is best known for his third feature film, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.” Mr. Van Peebles’s fiercely independent legacy can be seen in some of the most notable Black films of the past half-century.
Read More12 Years A Slave’ Director Steve McQueen Remembers Michael K. Williams: ‘He Lifted Everybody’ On Set
Actor Michael Williams was found dead in his apartment on Sept. 6. Many members of the film industry paid tribute to Williams and his work. Director Steve McQueen of the Academy Award winning film 12 Years a Slave opens up about what is was like to work with Williams.
Read MoreDigital records from 19th Century give Black families a glimpse of their ancestry
By Curtis Bunn, NBCBLK After more than 20 years researching her family’s origin in America, Nicka Sewell-Smith found the name of an uncle who had filed a complaint about having his horse stolen. Another notation said he had shopped for bacon, a broom and tobacco in “Short’s Place” in Louisiana about seven months before the 13th…
Read MoreDOJ Announces New Limits on Chokeholds and No-Knock Warrants
By Rachel Pilgrim, TheRoot.com The agency acknowledged that the tactics lead to unnecessary deaths but doesn’t outright ban them in the new directive. In the past year, the calls to end fatal encounters with law enforcement have only gotten louder. Many of the physical restraints and apprehension tactics that result in the unnecessary deaths of Black…
Read MoreHe Taught About White Privilege and Got Fired. Now He’s Fighting to Get His Job Back
In his Contemporary Issues class that day at a Tennessee school, social studies teacher Matthew Hawn led a discussion of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha WI. Over the next several months, Hawn, 43, used the news cycle to show students, almost all of whom are white, how systemic racism is an indisputable element of American life. When he got fired, Hawn became one of the first casualties from the nation’s debate this year over “critical race theory” and whether or how teachers should acknowledge racism in class.
Read MoreMaia Chaka Makes History as the First Black Woman to Officiate an NFL Game
By Rashad Grove, Ebony.com Maia Chaka made history by becoming the first Black woman to officiate an NFL game on Sunday, Sporting News reports. Making her debut as a line judge during the New York Jets vs. Carolina Panthers game, Chaka is only the third on-field female official in the history of the NFL. She joins Sarah Thomas,…
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Lawsuit Filed Over Century-Old Confederate Statue in the Majority-Black City of Tuskegee, Alabama
Macon County officials covered the base of a Confederate statue, Friday, June 12, 2020, in Tuskegee, Ala., after it was vandalized with spray-painted obscenities. The Alabama county is seeking to remove the statue that sits in a town square. Photo: Kim Chandler (AP)
Read MoreGeorge Marshall Clark: Unmarked Grave of Milwaukee Lynching Victim Gets Headstone After 160 Years
Nearly two centuries after his brief life and brutal death were entered into public record as the only recorded lynching in Milwaukee history, George Marshall Clark’s unmarked grave was memorialized with a granite headstone during a special ceremony at Forest Home Cemetery on September 8. The moving event was sponsored by ABHM and Forest Home Cemetery.
Read MoreOlympia LePoint, An Engineer Who Helped Launch 28 NASA Space Shuttles, Explains Why It’s Crucial That More Black Women Enter STEM Fields: ‘ We Offer New Insight’
Successful Black scientist Olympia LePoint explains why hiring more Black women in STEM fields is critical for advancing scientific pursuits.
Read MoreOn Labor Day, we remember the Black women who helped win labor rights
Many black women throughout the history of the United States have fought for labor rights. Nannie Helen, an African-American, played a crucial role.
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