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Nationwide, Firefighters Escalated Claims of Discrimination, Racial Bias in 2020
Back in July, Black firefighters in Winston-Salem, N.C., protested outside Station 1 firehouse, demanding the termination of the current chief of the fire department and asking the city to seriously address years of racial and sexual harassment claims in the department. With little movement from the department or the city, those firefighters escalated their complaints…
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Carol Moseley Braun, the Nation's 1st Black Female Senator, Looks to Join Joe Biden's Cabinet
The first Black woman to serve as a U.S. senator, Carol Moseley Braun, has been out of public office for nearly 20 years. But she’s hoping to make a return to government—in President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet, nonetheless—with an unlikely position: Secretary of the Interior. Moseley Braun, who represented Illinois as a senator, expressed her interest…
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14-Year-Old Honestie Hodges, Handcuffed at Gunpoint by Michigan Police as a Child, Dies From COVID-19
In 2017, 11-year-old Honestie Hodges made national headlines after a horrific confrontation with Grand Rapids, Mich., police, in which they handcuffed the little girl at gunpoint at her home. The incident led to a new policy dictating how the department would interact with minors. A little less than three years later, Honestie has died from…
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Distrust in Government, Knowledge of Past Medical Abuses Fuels Black Americans' Aversion to Coronavirus Vaccine, Study Finds
High levels of distrust toward the federal government—as well as a knowledge of historic medical abuses in the Black community—can hamper efforts to get Black Americans to take a free coronavirus vaccine, should one be available, finds a new study. While several studies have come out in recent months gauging potential public responses to a…
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NC's 1st Black Female Supreme Court Justice May Lose Her Seat to the Most Conservative Man on the Court
North Carolina’s first Black woman to serve as the state’s chief justice is still fighting for her seat as a recount begins in a race where only 406 votes separate Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley from her challenger, Justice Paul Newby, after nearly 5.4 million votes were cast. As Slate outlines, the race could have…
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Louisiana Teen Quawan Charles Laid to Rest as Family Questions Police Decision-Making: 'They Could’ve Done More'
Quawan “Bobby” Charles, a Black 15-year-old boy who died under “suspicious” circumstances earlier this month, was honored with a funeral service on Saturday, as his family still searches for answers regarding his death. “You slowly have brought our family together to support one another, express our true feelings and connect on a more intimate level,”…
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Groundbreaking Superhero Show Black Lightning to End After 4th Season
All good things come to an end, they say, and it looks like it’s Black Lightning’s turn to fade into the night. The CW confirmed via press release Friday that the show—which was the first DC superhero series with a Black lead—will end after its upcoming fourth season, which will premiere early next year. Based…
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Va. Chemistry Teacher Suspended After Making a George Floyd Pun on a Chemistry Quiz
A Virginia high school is divided this week after a chemistry teacher was suspended for using a George Floyd pun for a student quiz, with students of color saying they felt unsafe as a result of the casual reference and white students complaining that the entire incident has been overblown. The quiz, given virtually on…
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On Transgender Day of Remembrance, Activists Center the Grief, Joy and Humanity of the Black Trans Community
It remains one of the most striking demonstrations from a year defined by protest: tens of thousands of people dressed in white t-shirts, wearing white face masks and white head wraps, from all backgrounds, all marching the streets in defense of Black trans lives. The summer march in Brooklyn, N.Y. was one of the largest,…
