National News - Page 55

32 Mississippi school districts still under federal desegregation orders

There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s assistant attorney general said Thursday. Enforcing the open desegregation orders fit into a broader body of civil rights work launched in Mississippi that is examining jails, police departments and hate crimes in the state, according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country, she said the Justice Department is ensuring school districts provide Black students in Mississippi

Bill Lee, Father Of Famed Director Spike Lee, Has Died At 94

By Keenan Higgins Losing a parent is never an easy thing to deal with, and unfortunately famed director Spike Lee is currently understanding that feeling immensely following the death of his dad, Bill Lee. In addition to helping give birth to a superstar or two, the late 94-year-old was also a respected jazz composer in his own right that worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte and even on Spike’s hit films Jungle Fever and Do The Right Thing. Born William James Edwards Lee in Snow Hill, Alabama, the late musician found a niche for jazz by way of many prominent

Students at Amanda Gorman’s Alma Mater Fight For Her Banned Poem

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 House Passes Bill Outing Juvenile Records In Black Communities

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

F.B.I. Violated Surveillance Program Rules After George Floyd Protests and Jan. 6 Attack

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

Florida school limits access to Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem and other books after parent’s complaint

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

The History and Meaning of Memorial Day

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

VP Harris becomes the first woman to give a West Point commencement speech

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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.”

A Black professor has long said what the IRS now admits: The tax system is biased

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, Magnetic Singer of Explosive Power, Dies at 83

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

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