National News - Page 45

Florida elementary school temporarily bars ‘Ruby Bridges’ film following parent’s complaint

By Claretta Bellamy A Florida school district has temporarily barred students from viewing a historical film about real-life civil rights pioneer Ruby Bridges at an elementary school after a parent filed a complaint this month. The film “Ruby Bridges,” a historical drama about 6-year-old Bridges integrating a New Orleans elementary school in 1960, was shown at North Shore Elementary in St. Petersburg, Florida, to approximately 60 second grade students on March 2. Each child required a signed permission slip to view the film, according to the Tampa Bay Times.  The parents of two students declined to allow their children to watch the film,

Vice President Harris is visiting Africa next week, part of a pushback to China

By Ximena Bustillo Vice President Harris is leaving on Saturday for a week-long trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. She will be the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit the continent as the White House strives to deepen its outreach and counter Chinese influence there. Harris plans to meet with President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia — leaders she met with in Washington in December during the Africa Leaders Summit. The trip will also touch on a personal note for Harris, senior administration officials told reporters. She will visit Zambia’s

Arizona’s Panic Over Critical Race Theory Reaches New Heights

By Jessica Washington The panic over critical race theory is at an all-time high in one of the most likely places on earth, Arizona. The Arizona Department of Education launched a hotline last week for people to report any lessons that use “critical race theory.” We’re putting “critical race theory” in quotes above because, as people have explained time and time again, critical race theory (CRT) is not being taught in K-12 schools. For anyone needing a little refresher, CRT is a college-level framework acknowledging that racism is deeply embedded in our legal system and policies. CRT rant aside, what does the hotline actually do? Accordingto the DOE’s

Mississippi fails to confirm Black education secretary, angering some Democrats

Mississippi’s Republican-led Senate voted Wednesday against confirming veteran educator Robert P. Taylor as state superintendent of education, angering some Black Democrats who said the rejection was at least partly because Taylor is Black and wrote years ago about the state’s racist history. The state Board of Education — which has members chosen by the Republican governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker — conducted a nationwide search for a superintendent last year. Board members announced in November that their unanimous choice was Taylor, who had worked the past 30 years in North Carolina. “This whole confirmation was a political process, and I knew that

Black Voters Matter Head To Houston To Educate College Students About Critical Voting Issues

By Shannon Dawson Black Voters Matter (BVM) is heading to Houston ahead of HBCU All-Star Game to educate college students on critical voting issues. The “Take The Field” initiative, which is being spearheaded alongside the Transformative Justice Coalition, will inform students about social justice issues and educate them on their voting rights. The exciting event will be jam-packed with student panel discussions and engagement events, highlighting topics such as mental health, police violence, student loan debt and voter suppression, according to BVM’s website. “Students have always been a critical part of movement-building,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters

25% of Black women say they were denied job interviews because of their hair, survey says

By Claretta Bellamy A majority of Black women say they feel they have to change their hair just to be taken seriously for job opportunities and in professional settings, according to a survey commissioned by LinkedIn and Dove. Approximately 1,000 Black women ages 25 to 64, both part-time and full-time employees, took part in the CROWN Research Study. Some 66% of them said they had changed their hair for a job interview to lessen the chances of being passed over due to hair discrimination. Twenty-five percent of Black women said they believed they were denied a job interview because of

Harris faces painful Black history in emotional slave outpost visit

By Jasmine Wright  Vice President Kamala Harris emerged from the female slave dungeon at Cape Coast Castle visibly shaken. Inside the famous slave trading outpost’s dungeon, Harris set a bouquet of flowers down and placed her hand on the centuries-old wall, connecting herself physically to the sorrow of the Africans it once imprisoned. It was a rare show of emotion for the typically stoic barrier-breaking leader, often reticent to talk about her own plight as a Black woman in America. But at a makeshift podium in front of the cannons that stretch along the ocean, Harris’ voice broke as she

Vice President Harris pledges aid to Ghana amid security and economic concerns

With fears of terrorism and Russian mercenaries rippling through West Africa, Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday opened her weeklong trip to the continent by vowing support for Ghana, a democratic pillar in the region that’s being squeezed by an economic crisis and security concerns. The visit was a high-profile show of support for Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, who faces rising discontent over inflation after previously overseeing one of the world’s fast-growing economies. “Under your leadership, Ghana has been a beacon of democracy and a contributor to global peace and security,” Harris said during a joint press conference at the Jubilee House,

Texas officials will take over the state’s biggest school district, raising questions about who controls America’s classrooms

By Holly Yan The fate of nearly 200,000 American students’ education will soon be controlled not by locally elected leaders but by state-appointed managers yet to be named. The Texas Education Agency said it plans to appoint a board of managers to take over the Houston Independent School District – the largest in Texas and the eighth-largest in the country. The changes will not take effect until at least June 1. The move has raised major concerns among some Houston families – as well as questions about similar takeovers nationwide. Houston doesn’t have the worst schools in the state While Houston ISD is the

At least 3 children and 3 adults killed in Nashville elementary school shooting

By Nouran Salahieh Police in Nashville are still digging into the background and motivations of a former student who entered a Christian elementary school armed with AR-style weapons and detailed maps and opened fire, killing three children and three adults. If you are just reading in, here’s the latest on the shooting and investigation: The shooter: The person was identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale. Hale was shot and killed by police during the Monday attack, and left behind “drawn out” maps of the Covenant School detailing “how this was all going to take place,” Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. As police work

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