HBCU First LOOK Film Festival announces 2024 âI Aspireâ 100 2nd Annual Festival returns to Howard University November 8-10, 2024
Recently, the second annual HBCU First LOOK Film Festival (HBCUFLF), announced its 2024 festival dates, November 8 â 10th and the premiere of the 2024 HBCU First LOOK âI Aspireâ 100. (2024 HBCU First LOOK 100) The HBCU First LOOK âI Aspireâ 100 is a curated collective of notable HBCU alumni who are inspiring the next generation of content creators across film, television, and digital platforms. This yearâs list includes MSNBC President Rashida Jones (Hampton University); former NFL player and sports commentator Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State University); actress and singer Fantasia Barrino Taylor (Central State); actors Lynn Whitfield (Howard University), Anthony Anderson (Howard University)
Stacey Abrams and Michael Steele Discuss the State of American Politics and the 2024 Elections at Howard University
By Larry J. Sanders Stacey Abrams, former minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives and Howard Universityâs inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics, hosted a wide-ranging conversation with Michael Steele, former chair of the Republican National Committee and the Universityâs 2023-2024 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy. Inside a packed auditorium at the Howard University School of Social Work, the political luminaries with vastly differing ideologies joined forces to extol the virtues of camaraderie and bipartisanship, especially in the current electoral climate. They shared their expertise on topics including the
HBCU Students and Staff Have a Lot to Say About That Fiery Presidential Debate
By Phenix S. Halley You can always count on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to keep it real and cut through all the BS. So when it came down to how the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris went, you better believe that students and staff at the nationâs most prominent HBCUs had a lot to say on the subject. Itâs no secret that Black Americans are skeptical of the U.S. government. In fact, a Pew Research Center study found 67 percent of Black Americans donât trust U.S. politics. But Trump appears to have made a
Democrats cautious to claim election victory after Harris debate
By Alex Gangitano Democrats in Washington, flying high after Vice President Harrisâs sharp debate performance this week, are also forcing themselves back to earth in the face of a stark political reality: The race for the White House is still neck and neck, and plenty of work remains if they hope to keep former President Trump from winning a second term. Despite what many saw as a slam dunk for Harris on debate night, those in her party are cautious to claim victory just yet. âI donât think this electionâs over,â said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), the head of the House Democratsâ
Black women are quickly joining forces to support Kamala Harrisâ presidential bid. Hereâs what that looks like
By Niquel Terry Ellis Jotaka Eaddy was sitting on her parentsâ porch in South Carolina on Sunday afternoon when she got a text from an activist friend with a link to President Joe Bidenâs letter announcing he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Eaddy said she started texting in a group chat with other Black women political organizers, where she learned that Biden was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Eaddy, founder of the grassroots group Win With Black Women, immediately jumped into organizing mode. If Harris had a chance to become the nationâs first Black female president, Eaddy said,
Mixed-race voters say Donald Trumpâs attacks on Kamala Harrisâ race are painfully familiar
By Char Adams After Donald Trump told journalists on Wednesday that his presidential opponent Kamala Harris âturned Blackâ for political gain, Trumpâs comments have impacted the way many multirace voters are thinking about the two candidates. âShe was only promoting Indian heritage,â the former president said during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention last week. âI didnât know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.â âIs she Indian or is she Black?â he asked. Sheâs both. Harris, whose mother was Indian
The Democratic Partyâs downfall is deeper than Harris or Biden
By Jeremy Etelson The storm on the Democratic Partyâs electoral horizon was never limited to President Biden staying in the race. Bidenâs mental infirmity and the concerted denial surrounding it, while governmentally dangerous, were merely amplifying the severity of the partyâs imminent political reckoning. Vice President Kamala Harris has now officially replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee. But this succession does little to address the underlying challenges facing the political viability of the party. Democrats have lost their 5-point lead in national voter identification over the last three years, which was already a smaller margin than it had been at the beginning of the Obama era.
Trump says he’ll skip an ABC debate with Harris in September and wants them to face off on Fox News
By Meg Kinnard  Donald Trump says he is pulling out of a scheduled September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC and wants them to face off on Fox News, making it increasingly unlikely that the candidates will confront each other on stage before the November election. In a series of Truth Social posts late Friday, the Republican nominee and former president said his agreement to a Sept. 10 debate on ABC âhas been terminated” because he will no longer face Democratic President Joe Biden, who ended his campaign last month after a disastrous performance in their first debate. Trump now says he
Harris picks Walz as her running mate
By Mike Willis Vice President Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz introduced themselves to a full house with plenty of applause in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. Harris praised Walzâs accomplishments and set him up for a lightning-fast campaign: He âreally does shine a light on a brighter future that we can build together.â She offered his credentials to a crowd that roared in approval at times. And Walz drew raucous applause for his support of Harris but also his sharp attacks on the Trump-Vance campaign. Harris ended weeks of speculation Tuesday by choosing Walz as her running mate. âTim is a
The ways Trump has gone after Harris’ race and gender
By Amanda Terkel In the roughly two weeks since President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to take his spot at the top of the ticket, Donald Trump has increasingly gone after his new opponent’s race and gender. Harris, whose mother was Indian and father is Jamaican, would make history if she is elected president. She’d be both the first female president and the first Asian American president. Trump no longer has another older white man to run against. At 59, Harris is roughly 20 years younger than Trump and has already been trying