National News - Page 138

Harriet Tubman Monument Unveiled in Newark’s City Square

By Claretta Bellamy A monument to African American pioneer Harriet Tubman was unveiled in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday, taking over a space where a statue of Christopher Columbus stood until the summer of 2020. During the ceremony in what is now downtown Newark’s Harriet Tubman Square (formerly Washington Park), Mayor Ras J. Baraka explained Newark’s connection with Tubman, who helped  “shepherd folks out of slavery into freedom,” he said. The city, which is now 48% Black and 37% Latino, according to the U.S. Census, was a known stop along the Underground Railroad, which was a network of routes escaped slaves followed

Historic Moment: Three Black Women Lead White House Briefing

By Jessica Washington The White House press briefings have never had so much melanin, and we’re kind of living for it. Karine Jean-Pierre made history last May when she became the first Black person to serve as White House Press Secretary. But she’s not the only Black woman to dominate the White House briefing room. Last week, the podium was graced by three Black women, Jean-Pierre, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, and Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, Cecilia Rouse. The trio (who are all the first Black women to occupy their positions) presented President Joe Biden’s

Michelle Obama Opens Up on Pressure as First Black FLOTUS

By Shawna Mizelle  Former first lady Michelle Obama said her family felt an enhanced sense of responsibility during their time in the White House as the first Black first family in American history. “It was no accident that the administration was scandal-free. It was no accident that … our children had to show up right in the world. They carried a burden of making sure they weren’t messy, because it wouldn’t have been laughed off. It wouldn’t have been just, ‘Oh, it’s youthful, whatever.’ It would have been some bigger statement about the soul of Black folks,” Obama said in her

Why More Black Families Are Turning to Homeschooling

By Athena Jones Tracie Yorke grew concerned about the quality of education her son was receiving after his school moved to remote learning during the pandemic in 2020. Yorke, of Hyattsville, Maryland, described her fourth grader’s Zoom classes as chaotic – it looked as if teachers had not been trained in virtual instruction, she said. That summer, the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a national racial reckoning. With only one Black teacher at the school and none past the fourth grade, Yorke said her son Tyce, who is now 13 years old, had no one he could

Jury Awards $8.25M to Black Family Detained at Starbucks

By David K. Li A federal jury found that sheriff’s deputies wrongly detained a Black family at a Northern California Starbucks and ordered compensation of $8.25 million. Aasylei Loggervale and her two daughters had pulled into a Starbucks in Castro Valley, about 25 miles southeast of downtown San Francisco, in September 2019 when Alameda County sheriff’s deputies handcuffed them in connection with a string of auto thefts, according to their federal lawsuit. Jurors found in the plaintiffs’ favor this month and set damages at $2.75 million for each of the three. “This is vindication and validation for the Loggervales that they’ve

Insulin Costs Drop, But Black Diabetes Care Gaps Remain

By Claretta Bellamy The news last week that the drugmaker Eli Lilly will cap out-of-pocket costs for its insulin at $35 per month brought relief to some. But what remains are systemic problems with insurance coverage and misdiagnosis that continue to challenge many with diabetes. Mila Clarke, 33, is among the 12% of Black Americans who have been diagnosed with diabetes, the second-highest rate behind Native Americans. After she was told by her doctor that she had Type 2 diabetes, Clarke familiarized herself with insurance copay cards and patient programs that provide assistance from insulin manufacturers. If she hadn’t, “I would have walked out

USPS Honors Toni Morrison With New Forever Stamp Release

By Jalen Brown The US Postal Service is honoring the late author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison with her own Forever stamp. “It’s a privilege to represent the 650,000 men and women of the Postal Service, as we honor Toni Morrison with one more tribute — our new stamp that will be seen by millions and forever remind us of the power of her words and the ideas she brought to the world,” Pritha Mehra, USPS chief information officer and executive vice president, said in a statement. Morrison, who died in 2019 at 88, explored Black American life in her work with a

Mississippi Senate Advances Jackson Policing Power Bill

The majority-white and Republican-led Mississippi Senate voted Tuesday to pass its version of a bill that would allow an expanded role for state police and appointed judges inside the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, which is led by Democrats. “It is vastly improved from where it started, but it is still a snake,” Democratic Sen. John Horhn of Jackson said of the bill during Tuesday’s debate. Critics say that in a state where older African Americans still remember the struggle to gain access to the ballot decades ago, the bill is a paternalistic attempt to intrude on local decision-making and

Report: Uber & Lyft Deactivate Drivers of Color More Often

By Candace Mcduffie Data that was recently released by Rideshare Drivers United and the Asian Law Caucus revealed that two-thirds of Lyft and Uber drivers in California had experienced deactivation by the respective apps. Additionally, the deactivation affected people of color disproportionately. Of the drivers surveyed, thirty percent said that they were never given a legitimate reason as to why they were let go. Around forty-two percent of the drivers said the app cited customer complaints. Asian Law Caucus lawyer Winnie Kao, who worked diligently on the report, told NBC News: “This reality is that now app-based drivers can be fired, not even by a human

Tyre Nichols Case: 16 Memphis Staff Charged in Fatal Beating

By Minyvonne Burke More than a dozen Memphis fire and police department employees have been charged in connection with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a city official said Tuesday at the end of its investigation into Nichols’ death in January. Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink said both agencies have been conducting administrative investigations to determine whether any employees violated department policies. Four Memphis Fire Department personnel were charged, Sink said at a presentation before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee. Three of the employees were fired, Sink said, and one was suspended. It’s not clear what their exact charges are.

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