Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Steven Horsford said Black Caucus members want every Republican withholding a blue slip to disclose their reasoning. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images Tensions are escalating between Senate Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus over the arcane tradition that gives a single senator veto power over President Joe Bidenâs judicial picks. The
Critics hit Academy for snubbing Black actors 8 years after diversity movement: #OscarsSoWhite
April 20, 2023 by
Activist April Reign created the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag in protest of the underwhelming diversity at the Academy Awards in 2015, sparking conversation across the web that trickled into the film industry. Eight years later, the hashtag is back again. Snubs against Black actors and directors â including for films like “Till,” “Nope,” and “The Woman King” […]
Tennessee Silencing Black Politicians Is Not New for the South
April 8, 2023 by
Get more news and opinions in the twice-daily Beast Digest newsletter. Donât miss the next big story, sign up here.On Thursday, two Black members of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis, were expelled after they participated in protests at the State Capitol. A third representative, Gloria Johnson
Nine Dead After Army Black Hawks Crash
March 30, 2023 by
The nine service members who died when two U.S. Army helicopters crashed in Kentucky on Wednesday night were conducting nighttime medical evacuation drills, officials say. The deaths came when two HH-60 medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) Black Hawk helicopters flown by the 101st Airborne Division were taking part in what was described as a âroutine training missionâ
Russian fighter jet collides with US drone causing it to crash into Black Seaâ
March 15, 2023 by
âUS accuses Russia of âunsafe and unprofessionalâ intercept of MQ-9 Reaper drone over waters west of Crimea A Reaper drone. The US said a Russian fighter struck the Reaperâs propeller causing US forces to bring the aircraft down in international waters. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images A Russian fighter has collided with a US Reaper drone, […]
Georgia county home to Atlanta approves task force to study reparations for Black residents
March 11, 2023 by
A county government in Georgia approved $250,000 to fund a reparations task force. The funding was approved during a Jan. 18 Fulton County Board of Commissioners meeting in a  4 to 3 vote, according to a Fulton County press release. Fulton County is home to Atlanta. The reparations task force will provide recommendations “to the […]
Idris Elba fires back after receiving backlash for saying he stopped describing himself as a ‘Black actor’
March 10, 2023 by
Idris Elba is standing by his statement that he no longer identifies himself as a “Black actor.” On Saturday, the “Luther” star took to Twitter to further explain his reasoning behind his recent comments, which received some backlash online. “There isn’t a soul on this earth that can question whether I consider myself a BLACK […]
Conservative guest clashes with CNN over claim DeSantis banning Black history, calls out CRT: ‘It’s a joke’
March 2, 2023 by
Many on the left have continued to push the narrative that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., wanted to ban an Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course outright, as he continues to fight back against critical race theory in the classroom. But critics are pushing back on that portrayal, arguing the governor was specifically objecting […]
Alabamaâs First Black Poet Laureate Makes Words Her Weapons in the Fight for Social Change
February 26, 2023 by
This is an excerpt from the book The Moment: Changemakers on Why and How They Joined the Fight for Social Justice, edited by Steve Fiffer and published by NewSouth Books. The author of more than a dozen books, Fiffer most recently collaborated with the late civil rights icon Dr. C.T. Vivian on his memoir, Itâs
McClellan elected as Virginiaâs first Black woman in Congress
February 22, 2023 by
Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan is the vice chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and a former gubernatorial candidate. | John C. Clark/AP Photo Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan overwhelmingly won a Tuesday special election for a vacant Richmond-based congressional district, making her the stateâs first Black woman elected to Congress. McClellan led 68
Police settle Louisiana lawsuit over 2020 beating of Black man
February 1, 2023 by
A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by a Black man who said police officers in a Louisiana city threw him to the ground, slammed his face into the sidewalk and detained him in a mental health unit in retaliation for criticizing the police. Terms of the settlement between Brandon Kennedy and officials […]
OR woman to get $1M in damages after gas station worker tells her âI donât serve Black peopleâ
January 27, 2023 by
A jury has awarded an Oregon woman $1 million in damages after finding she was discriminated against by a gas station employee who told her, “I donât serve Black people.” The Multnomah County juryâs award this week to Portland resident Rose Wakefield, 63, included punitive damages of $550,000. Wakefieldâs lawyer, Gregory Kafoury, said she stopped […]
Florida Explains Why It Blocked Black History Classâand Itâs a Doozy
January 21, 2023 by
Florida Explains Why It Blocked Black History Classâand Itâs a Doozy The Florida Department of Education was concerned with the class teaching students about activism and reparations without providing a âcritical perspective or balancing opinion.âUpdated Jan. 20, 2023 8:26PM ET / Published Jan. 20, 2023 8:23PM ET Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThe Florida Department of Education says it banned AP African
New Orleans’ Democrat Mayor Claims Economy Flights Not Safe for Black Women
November 17, 2022 by
The Democrat mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, said this week economy flights are not safe for black women. In addition, LaToya Cantrell has said she would not repay money spent on a first-class trip from Washington Dulles Airport to Switzerland over the summer, Meaww reported Sunday. âMy travel accommodations are a matter of safety, not
Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman’s Campaign Removes Black Lives Matter Paragraph from Website
November 10, 2022 by
The U.S. Senate campaign for Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman has removed a Black Lives Matter reference from its websiteâs âIssuesâ page. A version of the webpage that was archived on July 15 touted Fettermanâs support for Black Lives Matter under a sub-heading entitled âWhat John believes.â âBlack Lives Matter. John served as mayor of a city
Inflation Surges Higher in Importance for Black and Hispanic Americans
November 6, 2022 by
Inflation is increasingly important to a broadening super-majority of Americans even as the Federal Reserveâs efforts to slow down price hikes have driven up interest rates at the fastest pace in decades. Seventy-four percent of American adults rate the inflation issue as âvery important,â according to a recent poll from the Economist and YouGov. The poll
Elie Mystal: Herschel Walker Is ‘Minstrel’ Playing Black Tommy Tuberville
October 8, 2022 by
The Nationâs Elie Mystal Friday MSNBCâs âAll Inâ that Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker was a âminstrelâ playing a black version of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). While discussing a report Walker allegedly paid for a womanâs abortion, which Walker denied, Mystal said, âThe interrogation, really, isnât about Walker, who is a minstrel who has been sent…
John Fetterman in 2013: ‘I Did the Right Thing’ Pulling Gun on Unarmed Black Jogger
October 5, 2022 by
Pennsylvania Democrat senate candidate John Fetterman said he âdid the right thingâ pulling a gun on an innocent unarmed black jogger in 2013. On Wednesday, a video of a 2013 local report went viral on social media that featured Fetterman defending his misdeed on camera. At the time, Fetterman had been serving as mayor for…
Vanessa Williams to Sing ‘Black National Anthem’ for PBS’ Capitol Fourth Celebration
July 4, 2021 by
NEW YORK (AP) â When Vanessa Williams hosts this yearâs televised Capitol Fourth celebration, she will not only honor the nationâs traditional independence day, but also the countryâs newly designated holiday â Juneteenth. Williams, who was the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America, will sing âLift Every Voice and Sing,â which has served…
Daytime Emmy Awards Mix Up 2 Black Actresses During ‘In Memoriam’ Tribute
June 27, 2021 by
The 48th Daytime Emmy Awards experienced a major embarrassment Friday when the broadcast confused two black actresses during the In Memoriam tribute, prompting a public apology from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Fridayâs awards telecast misidentified the late The Young and the Restless star Marguerite Ray, who died last year at 89, during…
Federal Judge: Joe Bidenâs Loan Forgiveness for Black Farmers Discriminates Based on Race
June 25, 2021 by
Federal Judge Marcia Morales Howard in Florida issued a preliminary injunction against President Joe Bidenâs plan to offer loan forgiveness to black and other minority farmers but not to indebted white farmers, and said it is an attempt to address discrimination while practicing discrimination. Howard, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, wrote…
CNN’s Cuomo: ‘The Party of Trump’ Would Have Gone Crazy if a Black Guy Behaved Like Capitol Rioters
June 25, 2021 by
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said Wednesday on his show âCuomo Prime Timeâ that Republicans, which he referred to as âthe party of Trump,â would be going crazy if a black guy treated the police the way White guys did at the Capitol on January 6. Cuomo said, âI have more evidence that the party of Trump…
Report: Congressional Black Caucus Blocking Black Republican Byron Donalds from Joining
June 10, 2021 by
Freshman Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has been blocked from joining the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), according to a report. The caucus has been blocking the black Republican from membership, according to a source familiar with the CBCâs plan who told BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed noted that it had been nearly six months since the new freshman class…
âThe Bigotry Of Low Expectationsâ: Horace Cooper Dismisses Bidenâs Claim That Black People Canât Hire Lawyers, Accountants
June 6, 2021 by
Project 21 Chairman Horace Cooper said Saturday that President Joe Biden is guilty of âthe bigotry of low expectationsâ by claiming black people canât hire lawyers or accountants and be successful entrepreneurs. Biden made the remarks Tuesday during a speech to mark the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. WATCH: âIâm black. Iâm a…
NYT: Black Lives Matter Support Has Dropped Back to 2019 Levels
May 24, 2021 by
Adrian Kraus / Associated Press Support for Black Lives Matter (BLM), the movement that alleges âsystemic racismâ in policing in the United States (and in general), soared after the death of George Floyd but has fallen back to levels last seen in 2019, the New York Times reports. According to an essay by academics Jennifer Chudy and…
Rep. Donalds Rips Journalist Calling Him âThe Other Black Republicanâ
May 15, 2021 by
Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds snapped back at Salon journalist Sophia Tesfaye for calling him âthe other black republicanâ on Friday. Donalds slammed Tesfayeâs comments about Republican Utah Rep. Burgess Owens, who had written a letter to the Department of Education about critical race theory and how it might violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act.…
âShe Speaks For White Liberalsâ: Black Leaders, Entrepreneurs Slam Stacey Abrams Over Georgia Boycott
May 12, 2021 by
A coalition of black community leaders and business owners called out former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams during a press conference Tuesday for promoting misinformation about Georgiaâs election law that led to boycotts of the state. The press conference, hosted by the Black Americans for a Better Future Education Fund and the Georgia Black Republican…
Oregon Black Parent Union Offers âBlack Student Graduation Ceremonyâ
May 12, 2021 by
The Beaverton Black Parent Union (BBPU) in Beaverton, Oregon, in conjunction with the Black Student Union, is offering a âBlack Student Graduation Ceremonyâ at the end of June, separate from the school districtâs high school graduation. According to an email sent to parents of the district and obtained by the Daily Wire, BBPU said the…
Michelle Obama: I ‘Fear’ My Daughters Will Be Treated Differently Because They’re Black
May 10, 2021 by
During an interview that aired Monday on CBSâs âThis Morning,â former first lady Michelle Obama voiced her concern for her daughters as they grow up and enter the world. Host Gayle King noted that Malia Obama, 22, is graduating college. Obama said she is âexcitedâ to see Malia enter the next chapter of life, but…
Pelosi Tweets Wrong Photo Of Black Baseball Player In Failed Attempt To Wish Willie Mays Happy Birthday
May 8, 2021 by
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted a happy birthday message to Hall of Fame baseball player Willie Mays for his 90th birthday on Thursday. âHappy 90th Birthday to an all-American icon, Willie Mays. A trailblazing, record-breaking baseball player, civil rights leader, and champion for youth sports and well-being, Willie Mays is a civic legend and national…