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Should Black Voters Form Their Own Party? Too Late, Someone Already Did
“Aight, bet.” While that colloquialism may seem innocuous to many people, in Black communities across America, those two words are both a threat and a promise. It is the most acceptable answer to the question “What are you gonna do about it?” and is roughly translated as: “I can show you better than I can…
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Black Athletes Donate $100,000 to Help Pay Debts of Former Felons in Florida So They Can Vote in 2020
Black athletes and entertainers are standing up in a major way to make sure the voices of Black people matter in this year’s elections. More Than A Vote, a group founded by LeBron James and others in June to fight against voter suppression, says it will donate $100,000 to help pay the outstanding debts of…
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Honoring a Nation’s ‘Conscience’: How Will Lawmakers Pay Tribute to Rep. John Lewis’ Legacy?
It is hard to sum up civil rights icon and longtime congressman John Lewis’ legacy—much less find suitable ways of honoring it. But as the country grapples with losing one of its most esteemed public servants, ideas have poured forth on how to properly pay tribute to the life and deeds of a man frequently…
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Mississippi to Vote on Changing Jim Crow Era Voting Law
Voting laws in this country are generally crafted to favor white people at the expense of everyone else. Whether it’s gerrymandering districts to the point where a court has to step in or closing down polling stations in predominantly Black areas, it’s sadly not uncommon to see the Black vote undermined. In Mississippi, voting rights…
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Beyoncé, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Mothers of the Movement Call Out 'Modern-Day Voter Suppression,' Urge Senate to Pass HEROES Act
Today, June 25, marks the 7th anniversary of the Shelby County v. Holder case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court found that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional. As we continue conversations surrounding voter suppression, especially given the issues surrounding the recent Democratic primary election in Kentucky, it is time to take…
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Make It Count: Stacey Abrams on Why the 2020 Census and Fighting Voter Suppression Go Hand in Hand for Black Americans
“When we are not counted, we do not count. And when we do not count, we do not improve our communities.” —Stacey Abrams text In 2018, Stacey Abrams ran for governor of Georgia as the first black woman to be nominated by a major party. Despite gaining more votes than any Democrat ever during a…
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Taraji P. Henson Wants Us To Change How We Talk About Mental Health
Can we talk for a minute? And no, I’m not trying to know your name. I want to talk about mental health in the black community. Brothas, how y’all feeling? Sisters, y’all alright? In the black community discussing mental health is a privilege. We have a tendency to not call a thing a thing. We…
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Ava DuVernay on When They See Us and How the Press Failed the Central Park Five
There are few things more difficult to watch than the abuse, mistreatment and manipulation of innocent young black and brown people. In her four-part Netflix series, When They See Us, award-winning director Ava DuVernay takes us into the story of the Central Park Five—a case that had the media in a frenzy in the late…