Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

Politics

Politics

Dear White People Cast, Crew Create Jordan Edwards Scholarship Fund

The cast and crew of the Netflix series Dear White People are honoring the life and legacy of Jordan Edwards with a scholarship fund created in partnership with Jordan’s family and the Black Alumni Association. The Jordan J. Edwards Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund was conceptualized “to promote the education of deserving undergraduate students who enroll…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

January 20, 2018
Politics

Hey, Democrats: MLK Was Talking About You, Too

Today, on social media, I’ve seen quite a few white Democrats admonish Republicans not to pretend to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on MLK Day if those same Republicans haven’t spoken out against Donald Trump’s racist “shithole” statement. This is a valid, necessary point; conservative hypocrisy should be called out at every…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

January 15, 2018
Politics

Rosa Parks, Recy Taylor and Gertrude Perkins Are Mothers of the #MeToo Movement

In 2016, former Oklahoma City Police Officer and rapist Daniel Holtzclaw was sentenced to 263 years in prison for the rapes and sexual assaults of seven black women and one black girl, ranging in age from 17 to 58. He was found guilty of 18 of 36 charges, including four charges of first-degree rape, one…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

January 8, 2018
Politics

Black Women’s Lives Matter: A Discussion With BLM Co-Founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Author Asha Bandele [Retracted]

RETRACTED (6/12/18): This story has been removed because we have discovered it was in breach of our editorial standards. If you’d like to know more, you can read an editor’s note here. A cached version of the story is available here for transparency.

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

January 8, 2018
Politics

Erica Garner: ‘I’m in This Fight Forever’ [Retracted]

RETRACTED (6/12/18): This story has been removed because we have discovered it was in breach of our editorial standards. If you’d like to know more, you can read an editor’s note here. A cached version of the story is available here for transparency.

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

December 31, 2017
Politics

Erica Garner, Daughter of Eric Garner, Still Fighting for Life After Sustaining Brain Damage: Report

Updated Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, 4:55 p.m. EST: Erica Garner is still fighting for her life after suffering brain damage, following a heart attack over the holiday weekend. The activist remains in grave condition on life support, and the family is holding on and clinging to “a glimpse of hope,” the New York Daily News…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

December 28, 2017
Politics

Kwanzaa: Revisiting Maulana Karenga’s Legacy

Kwanzaa, like black America, was birthed in struggle and chaos, then bathed in blood. It was born in the freedom movement, against the backdrop of the Watts rebellion, the rise of the Black Panther Party, the FBI’s COINTELPRO and the assassination of Malcolm X (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz). Maulana Karenga, professor and chair of Africana studies…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

December 28, 2017
Politics

The Top Criminal-Justice Wins of 2017

There’s no other way to put it: 2017 was bleak. Bleak because the country’s top public health organization is now prohibited from using the term “science-based.” Bleak because we’re surprised that a man accused of sexually harassing and assaulting young girls—and who extols slavery—lost an election. Bleak because the president of these United States stood in…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

December 25, 2017
Politics

#JailBedDrop: Los Angeles’ Fight Against a Multibillion-Dollar Jail

This Christmas Eve, JusticeLA is “dropping” beds outside shopping centers across Los Angeles County—from Inglewood to Calabasas—to encourage a public conversation about the fight for abolition. We are demanding an end to mass incarceration in the U.S. and our county’s investment in policing and jails. JusticeLA was formed on Sept. 26, 2017; we are a…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

December 24, 2017
Politics

Our Elected Officials Must Give Children 2nd Chances

Just last week, 71-year-old Henry Montgomery found out he would spend yet another Christmas behind bars in Louisiana. He has spent more than 50 Christmases there, but he thought this year might be different. The parole board was set to hear his case for release, but on the day of the hearing, the board delayed…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

December 21, 2017