National News - Page 132

Oldest Black Schoolhouse Moved to Colonial Williamsburg

A building believed to be the oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children in the U.S. was hoisted onto a flatbed truck and moved a half-mile Friday to Colonial Williamsburg, a Virginia museum that continues to expand its emphasis on African American history. The original structure, built 25 years before the American Revolution, stood near the college campus of William & Mary. The pinewood building held as many as 30 students at a time, some of them free Black children studying alongside those who were enslaved. Hundreds of people lined the streets to celebrate its slow-speed trip into the heart of

New Pulse Oximeter May Solve Racial Bias in Readings

By Anil Oza During the COVID-19 pandemic, one measurement became more important than almost any other — blood oxygen saturation. It was the one concrete number that doctors could use to judge how severe a case of COVID-19 was and know whether to admit people into the hospital and provide them with supplemental oxygen. But pulse oximeters, the device most commonly used to measure blood oxygen levels, don’t work as well for patients of color. “There’s no doubt in my mind that this has led to people not getting care, not getting timely care, or even being sent home or

College Board Unveils AP African American Studies Course

By Nicole Chavez  The College Board released Wednesday the official framework of a new Advanced Placement course on African American Studies that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier denounced for imposing a “political agenda.” In recent months, the multidisciplinary course has been praised by academics and historians, all while becoming a target for lawmakers aiming to restrict how topics like racism and history are being taught in public schools. DeSantis had objected to some of the topics and authors that were initially part of the course; those topics – Black queer studies and Black feminism – are not in the official course

Florida School Requires OK to Learn Black National Anthem

By Kalyn Womack Elementary school students in Florida were sent home with permission slips to learn the lyrics to James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” according to ClickOrlando. The slip opened some conversation not only about the drama surrounding Florida’s anti-critical race theory legislation but also about why CRT regulations have been narrowly tailored to exile Black history. A Marion County Schools spokesperson said students in grades 3-5 would be participating in learning the song to recite in a performance for Black History Month, says the report. The activity was labeled as an extra-curricular acitivty allowing students to “participate in presenting historical facts regarding African-Americans and/or singing the Black

Florida Targets African American Studies, Mislabels CRT

By Leslie Kay Jones As a student growing up in Florida, I vividly recall my International Baccalaureate English teacher inviting students to read “Their Eyes Were Watching God” in their best voice impressions of a formerly enslaved Black woman. She smirked as they giggled out phrases like “de nigger woman is de mule uh de world” and peeked at me, one of the few Black students, for a response. When we read Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart,” my classmates offered to buy me for cowrie shells. None of these experiences were considered “teaching kids to hate each other.” Hate, it seems, only

Why More Black Families Are Turning to Homeschooling

By Char Adams On Martin Luther King Day in 2016, Tralandra Stewart asked her three children a simple question. She wanted to know what they had learned in elementary school in Cypress, Texas, about the civil rights pioneer. “They said, ‘I don’t know. I think he was a man who made a speech,’” she recalled them saying. “They couldn’t give me any information.” At that point, Stewart, a public school secretary, had already noticed gaps in her children’s education. The idea of home-schooling them — despite not even knowing where to start — was something the family had been considering.

Omega Psi Phi Revokes Officers Tied to Tyre Nichols Death

By Curtis Bunn David Allen Brown plans to leave Las Vegas after attending an Adele concert as part of his daughter’s 25th birthday next week, catch a midnight flight to Chicago, where he will hop on another plane to Richmond, Virginia, to attend the funeral of a friend and fellow Omega Psi Phi brother. “That’s what Omega taught me,” said Brown, who was initiated into the fraternity 40 years ago at Norfolk State University’s Pi Gamma chapter. “Brotherhood. Manhood. Respect. Not what you’ve heard about and seen from the tragedy in Memphis.” Three of the five officers who were arrested

Police BHM Cruisers Spark Criticism Amid Racial Tensions

By Claretta Bellamy At least two police departments — one in Columbus, Ohio, the other in Miami — are celebrating Black History Month in a way some observers are not happy with. The Columbus Division of Police unveiled its “History 1” cruiser this month designed in colors and symbols reflecting Black pride and culture. A short video shared by the department on Twitter shows the cruiser with red, black, yellow and green stripes behind the words “Black History Month” on the front and side and the Martin Luther King quote, “Be the peace you wish to see in the world,” on the rear

Yale Honors 9-Year-Old Bobbi Wilson for Insect Research

By Vanessa Romo Nine-year-old Bobbi Wilson may be in the fourth grade, but last month the Yale School of Public Health held a ceremony honoring the budding scientist’s recent work. The university entered Bobbi’s collection of 27 spotted lanternflies — an extremely invasive species that is harmful to trees and other plants — into the Peabody Museum of Natural History database. Bobbi was also presented with the title of “donor scientist” during the Jan. 20 ceremony. “We wanted to show her bravery and how inspiring she is, and we just want to make sure she continues to feel honored and

Biden, CBC Push for Police Reform After Tyre Nichols’ Death

By Rebecca Shabad President Joe Biden said Thursday that he hopes the death of Tyre Nichols prompts action on Capitol Hill to advance police reform as he met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus at the White House. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted members of the group in the Oval Office as they try to revive an effort to pass police reform legislation. Harris attended the funeral Wednesday for Nichols, who was fatally beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee, last month. Speaking to reporters before the closed-door meeting, Biden said he hopes what happened “spurs some action that

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