National News - Page 132

Amanda Gorman Poem Banned, Students Show Support

By Angela Johnson Amanda Gorman made news and history as the youngest inaugural poet when she wrote “The Hill We Climb” for President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration. Two years later, her poem is back in the news as Daily Salinas, a parent of two children, had it removed from a Miami-area elementary school for including what she believed to be “indirect hate messages” and “references to critical race theory.” But while Gorman’s work is caught in the crosshairs of a conservative temper tantrum, students at Gorman’s former school are showing their support for one of their own. A group of 11 elementary school students

Louisiana Bill Targets Black Youth With Public Records

By Jessica Washington There isn’t a lot we can agree on in this country. But generally, the idea that the mistakes you make as a child shouldn’t necessarily haunt you for the rest of your life is one of them. Unless, of course, you’re a Republican lawmaker in Louisiana, and that child happens to live in a Black community. In that case, all bets are off. Louisiana’s Republican-led House just passed a law requiring certain parishes in the state to create an online portal where the criminal records of juveniles convicted of certain crimes can be viewed. But the catch

FBI Misused Surveillance in High-Profile Protest Inquiries

By Charlie Savage F.B.I. analysts improperly used a warrantless surveillance program to search for information about hundreds of Americans who came under scrutiny in connection with two politically charged episodes of civil unrest: the protests after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, a newly declassified court ruling shows. While the F.B.I. has tightened restrictions since then, the disclosure of the misuses is likely to provide fodder to critics of the program as the Biden administration seeks to persuade Congress to renew it. The surveillance program, known as Section 702, empowers the

Amanda Gorman Poem Moved in FL School Amid Book Ban Debate

By Dennis Romero Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first National Youth Poet Laureate, spoke out Tuesday against what she described as a book ban after access to the poem she recited at President Joe Biden’s inauguration was limited at a Florida school. Miami-Dade County Public Schools moved “The Hill We Climb” to the middle school section of the library after a parent filed a formal objection to the work, according to documents obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project and shared with media. The Miami Herald first reported the story. “Unnecessary #bookbans like these are on the rise, and we must fight back,” Gorman said

Memorial Day: Origins, History, and Modern Traditions

By History.com Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2023 will occur on Monday, May 29. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season. The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict

Kamala Harris Makes History as West Point Speaker

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By Emma Bowman and Juliana Kim Vice President Harris delivered the keynote speech at West Point’s graduation ceremony on Saturday, making her the first woman to give a commencement address in the military academy’s 221-year history. The watershed moment comes amid the 75th anniversary of two major turning points in the U.S. military — the beginning of women having a permanent place in the armed forces and the end of racial segregation in the military. “These milestones are a reminder of a fundamental truth,” Harris told graduates on Saturday morning. “Our military is strongest when it reflects people of America.”

IRS Admits Racial Bias in Audits, Cites Need for Reform

By Char Adams The Internal Revenue Service is increasingly acknowledging the presence of racial bias in the nation’s tax system — along with the years of work by pioneering researchers who’ve spent years highlighting the issue. In a letter sent last week to the Senate Finance Committee, the agency said Black taxpayers are far more likely to be audited than non-Black ones, exposing them to tax penalties. And in January, the Treasury Department revealed that a swath of tax breaks disproportionately benefit white people, leaving many Black people with hefty tax bills and little money left over. “We are deeply concerned by these

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Dies at 83 in Switzerland

By William Grimes Tina Turner, the earthshaking singer whose rasping vocals, sexual magnetism and explosive energy made her an unforgettable live performer and one of the most successful recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich. She was 83. Her publicist Bernard Doherty announced the death in a statement but did not provide the cause. She had a stroke in recent years and was known to be struggling with a kidney disease and other illnesses. Ms. Turner embarked on her half-century career in the late 1950s, while still attending high school, when

The Spinners Donate Stage Outfits to Motown Museum

Henry Fambrough had a musical homecoming of sorts Friday at “Hitsville U.S.A.” Fambrough, one of the founding members of the iconic R&B group The Spinners, took a tour of Motown’s Studio A in Detroit as part of a ceremony that included the donation to the Motown Museum of 375 outfits worn by the group during performances. It “was a long time ago,” Fambrough said of the 1960s, when he first walked into the studio. “I used to dream about this place.” He told reporters that he had to convince his wife that the studio was where he was going for

Rep. Cori Bush Demands $14T in Reparations for Slavery

By Jessica Washington The fight for reparations has been heating up in statehouses and city halls nationwide. And now, Representative Cori Bush (D-Mo.) wants to bring that fight to Congress. The Missouri Congresswoman is introducing the Reparations Now Resolution, urging Congress to provide at least $14 trillion in reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans. “We need to push this right now,” Rep. Bush told The Root. “It’s 2023, and the U.S. federal government still has not acknowledged the atrocities that came at the hands of this government.” Bush’s resolution estimates that this nation owes roughly $14 trillion in debt to African Americans. “Our bill breaks down the value of cotton

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