The Perfect Victim: Why were people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor vilified following their killings?
When someone is the victim of a crime, should their past or present unrelated circumstances determine how we react to their death? Do we have less empathy for those whose lifestyles donโt look like ours?
Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice
Bystanders who trained their smartphone cameras on an Alabama riverfront dock, as several white boaters pummeled a Black riverboat co-captain, couldnโt have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity.
Juneteenth Playlist: A curated list of tunes you need ahead of Freedom Day
In the spirit of Juneteenth, a holiday that is now celebrated throughout the entire United States, not just Texas, KPRC 2 has curated a playlist that will be perfect for any vibe. Rather youโre throwing something on the grill or sitting at home, this playlist will set the tone for the day. We hope you enjoy!
Houston nonprofit aims to send more than 2,000 Black youth to Astros games over summer
Sister 2 Sistah co-founders Rebecca Briscoe and Nakia Cooper are on a mission to bring the love of baseball back to African American households. It is a personal mission, after the two working mothers saw a lack of diversity on the fields and in the stands at Major League Baseball games. KPRC 2's Sofia Ojeda interviews Briscoe and Cooper about their organization's initiative.
In the shadow of Texas limits on voting rights and lessons about race in school, Juneteenth celebrates Black history, progress and families
Amid a rise in conservative efforts opposed to teaching the lingering impacts of slavery and racism, the descendants of formerly enslaved people are using the Juneteenth holiday to educate younger generations.
HBCU medical schools to tackle organ transplant disparities
A coalition including the four medical schools at the nation's historically Black colleges and universities has announced a new initiative aimed at increasing the number of Black Americans registered as organ donors and combating disparities among transplant recipients.
California reparations plan advances movement, advocates say
California took a big step this week toward becoming the first U.S. state to make some form of restitution a reality by tackling the divisive issue of which Black residents should be eligible to receive reparations for the atrocity and injustices of slavery and racism.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blames Democrats for low vaccinations among Black residents, but more white Texans are unvaccinated
In Texas, the vaccination rate among Black people is low compared with other racial and ethnic groups, but in terms of raw numbers, the biggest group of the unvaccinated is white people.
Local doctors study rare tongue disorder disproportionately affecting Black people
HOUSTON โ Doctors at UT Health School of Dentistry are hopeful an endowment will help them better understand a rare disorder affecting African American patients. The Katy mother of five is helping a group of oral surgeons at UTHealth better look at her DNA to figure out why her tongue enlarged back in 2017. AdA Florida man traveled to the Texas Medical Center last year for surgery after his tongue enlarged while being intubated in a hospital for COVID-19. โSecond was long-term intubations.โMelville said of the five patients he has seen with the rare disorder, all of them were Black. Melville said heโs in the process of contacting former Macroglossia patients to have their blood drawn for the lab analysis.
AP-NORC poll: 1 in 5 in US lost someone close in pandemic
In a Feb. 25-March 1, 2021 poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about 1 in 5 Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON โ About 1 in 5 Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to the coronavirus, highlighting the division between heartache and hope as the country itches to get back to normal a year into the pandemic. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research illustrates how the stage is set for a two-tiered recovery. The AP-NORC poll found about 30% of African Americans, like Parks, and Hispanics know a relative or close friend who died from the virus, compared with 15% of white people. AdThe poll found two-thirds of Americans say their fellow citizens nationwide havenโt taken the pandemic seriously enough.
The Latest: South Korea extends social distancing measures
People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus gather at a park in Goyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea is extending its current measures on social distancing for at least another two weeks as it struggles to slow coronavirus infections in the greater capital area. ___WELLINGTON, New Zealand โ New Zealand has removed remaining coronavirus restrictions on the city of Auckland after containing a small outbreak. ___WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden is planning to announce during his prime-time address Thursday night that heโll deploy 4,000 additional U.S. troops to support coronavirus vaccination efforts. Thursdayโs announcement from the Department of Corrections comes a year after suspending visits at prisons because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health panel expands lung cancer screening for more smokers
Lung cancer is the nations top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Lung cancer is the nationโs top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Usually, lung cancer is diagnosed too late for a good chance at survival. But "unfortunately, lowering the age and pack-year requirements alone does not guarantee increased equity in lung cancer screening,โ wrote Dr. Yolonda Colson and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital. AdOne recent study found just 14% of people eligible for lung cancer screening under the prior guidelines had actually gotten it.
Biden backs studying reparations as Congress considers bill
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with labor leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Washington. Biden backs the idea of studying the issue, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday, though she stopped short of saying he would sign the bill if it clears Congress. Even with Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, passing a reparations bill could prove difficult. Most Black Americans favored reparations, 74%, compared with 15% of white Americans. AdRep. Burgess Owens, a first-term Republican from Utah, argued against a reparations commission.
Black hospital faces vaccine mistrust from unlikely source
Dr. Rita McGuire, an obstetrician and infection control specialist at Roseland Community Hospital talks Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, with staff members about taking the COVID-19 vaccine. "Itโs not something that I trust right now,โโ says Bland, 50, who worries about how quickly the COVID-19 vaccines were developed. Many holdouts come from the mostly Black, working class neighborhoods surrounding the hospital, areas hard hit by the virus yet plagued with vaccine reluctance. She acknowledged "centuries of medical injusticeโโ against Black Americans but said COVID-19 vaccines resulted from years of solid research. Many workers โโhave not forgotten about those studies where they used us as experiments,โโ McGuire said, including the infamous Tuskegee research on Black patients with syphilis.
US jobless claims fall slightly to 793,000 with layoffs high
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)WASHINGTON โ The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to 793,000, evidence that job cuts remain high despite a substantial decline in new confirmed viral infections. The job market had shown tentative improvement last summer but then slowed through the fall and in the past two months has essentially stalled. Part of that increase likely reflects the processing of a rush of claims after the extension of two federal aid programs just after Christmas. Bidenโs proposal would extend, through August, two federal unemployment benefit programs that are set to expire in mid-March. Unlike the previous expiration of extended unemployment aid, which occurred on Dec. 26, the cut-off would be phased in between March 14 and April 11.
Emancipation Park has a history to tell
They decided to name the land Emancipation Park. From then on out, the community gathered at Emancipation Park every Juneteenth with festive celebrations that included music, food and dancing. For a while, Emancipation Park was the only park and swimming pool that African Americans could use since Texas was still a segregated state. In 2017, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, the OST/Almeda Redevelopment Corridors, Emancipation Park Conservancy, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department rededicated Emancipation Park after an extensive renovation process. AdPeople from different walks of life visit Emancipation Park, cherishing all of the amenities and honoring historical information that the park has to offer.
Community leaders help inspire children during Black History Month through virtual story times
Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan helps unleash the imaginations of children through the power of reading and storytelling, featuring children's books written by Black authors. HOUSTON โ Community leaders are playing a role in inspiring children during Black History Month through virtual storytimes. The Childrenโs Museum of Houston and Fort Bend Childrenโs Discovery Center have collaborated in this effort by inviting several community leaders, such as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan, Fort Bend Independent School District leaders and more, according to a release. The effort will feature childrenโs books written by Black authors, according to the release. The books will help explain the contributions of African Americans in their struggles for freedom and equality while explaining the nationโs history, the release stated.
Hank Aaron, civil rights leaders get vaccinated in Georgia
Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron waits to receive his COVID-19 vaccination on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Aaron and others received their vaccinations in an effort to highlight the importance of getting vaccinated for Black Americans who might be hesitant to do so. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)ATLANTA โ Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, former U.N. Ambassador and civil rights leader Andrew Young and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan got vaccinated against COVID-19 in Georgia on Tuesday, hoping to send a message to Black Americans that the shots are safe. Getting vaccinated โmakes me feel wonderful," Aaron told The Associated Press.
More US churches are committing to racism-linked reparations
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)NEW YORK โ The Episcopal Diocese of Texas acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder. Some major denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, have not embraced reparations as official policy. The Episcopal Church has been the most active major denomination thus far, and others, including the United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, are urging congregations to consider similar steps. This will include scholarships for students attending seminaries or historically Black colleges and assistance for historic Black churches. But Dietsche expects some funds will help congregations launch their own reparations initiatives, particularly if their churches had historical involvement in slavery.
Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, women
WASHINGTON โ A lone senator from Utah has singlehandedly blocked the bipartisan approval of two new national museums to honor American Latinos and women, arguing that โlast thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation.โRepublican Sen. Mike Lee objected Thursday to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian museums, stalling two projects that have been in the making for decades and enjoy broad bipartisan support. Senate approval would have sent the legislation approving the Latino museum to President Donald Trump for his signature. The Senate was attempting to pass the measures by voice vote, which requires every senator's consent. Lee said he sees an exception for museums dedicated to American Indians and African Americans that already sit on the National Mall. โWe have been systematically excluded, not because this senator said so but because the Smithsonian itself said so,โ Menendez said.
US lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment
FILE - This Nov. 29, 2011, file photo shows the signature of president Abraham Lincoln on a rare, restored copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, in Chicago. As ratified, the original amendment has permitted exploitation of labor by convicted felons for over 155 years since the abolition of slavery. Constitutional amendments are rare and require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate, as well as ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures. In Merkleyโs Oregon, voters in 2002 approved the elimination of constitutional language that prohibited Black Americans from living in the state unless they were enslaved. The prevalence of prison labor has been largely accepted as a means for promoting rehabilitation, teaching trade skills and reducing idleness among prisoners.
Historic African American cemetery restored in Conroe after 128 years
CONROE โ It has been over a century since an African American cemetery has been lost in Conroe. Over the past several years, The Conroe Community Cemetery Restoration Project has been working to clean up, restore and preserve the cemetery. It was simply known as the Conroe Cemetery, No-Name Cemetery or the Community Cemetery, among the older African Americans in Conroe. John Meredith, the treasure for the Conroe Community Cemetery Restoration Project, says theyโve discovered 38 marked graves and 111 unknown graves so far. To learn more about The Conroe Community Cemetery Restoration Project, visit here.
Harris pays tribute to Black women in 1st speech as Vice President-elect
FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2020, file photo, Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., listens during the vice presidential debate at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. They will be sworn in as president and vice president on Jan. 20. Harris' mother raised her daughters with the understanding the world would see them as Black women, Harris has said, and that is how she describes herself today. She attended Howard University, one of the nationโs historically Black colleges and universities, and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nationโs first sorority created by and for Black women. Her victory could usher more Black women and people of color into politics.
In South, most Black Senate candidates since Reconstruction
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison speaks at a campaign rally on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)COLUMBIA, S.C. โ In the battle for control of the U.S. Senate this year, the Deep South is fielding more Black candidates than it has since Reconstruction. Mike Espy and Adrian Perkins, meanwhile, are launching spirited bids for the Senate in Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively. The Senate currently has three Black members: Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California. โThe more competitive races are, and Black candidates win those competitive races, it diminishes this worry that Black candidates canโt win,โ Abrams recently told The Associated Press. In Mississippi, Espy is trying for a second time to become the stateโs first Black senator since Reconstruction with his challenge to Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Letters, texts, caravans, parades: Advocates mobilize voters
Voters have been ushered to the polls by fleets of minivans, with bicycle parades and on horseback in Indian Country. Often unable to knock on doors or chat in person because of virus concerns, advocates have had to adapt. A recent video on social media showed voters in Philadelphia dancing joyfully as they waited, alongside members of the Resistance Revival Chorus. Some voters are wary of catching the virus by voting in person, but they're also concerned about the mail-in option. Like Gehman in New Mexico, Radha Pyati in Philadelphia has devoted untold hours to writing letters as part of Vote Forward.
Black immigrants find camaraderie, divide amid protests
But amid the camaraderie younger Black immigrants like her feel with African Americans, they also see a generational divide in their communities. But these have largely been over tactics, said David Canton, a professor of African American history at the University of Florida. During some of their chats, older immigrants tell him they came to America to work and provide a better life for their children, not to protest about race. In fact, one of the co-founders of the original network of Black Lives Matter was Opal Tometi, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. "We are all one community across the diaspora, whether you are a Black American, raised on the African continent or youโre from elsewhere.โ
Group seeks to combat misleading information online
(AP Photo/Russ Bynum)RIO RANCHO, N.M. โ A group of U.S. Black scholars, activists and writers has launched a new project they say will combat misleading information online around voting, reparations and immigration, supporters announced Friday. The newly formed National Black Cultural Information Trust seeks to counter fake social media accounts and Twitter trolls that often discourage Black voters from participating in elections or seek to turn Black voters against other communities of color. The effort isn't meant to silence groups that are behind any hashtag but counter โbad actorsโ who are using the hashtags to disseminate false information, Aiwuyor said. The founders also took issue with the National Black Cultural Information Trust on Twitter after the announcement that the project would monitor the #ADOS hashtag for xenophobic comments and false information. But also to measure the plunder of the ADOS community from 1619 to today.โMembers of the National Black Cultural Information Trust plan to monitor social media posts and flag those spreading misleading and fake stories.
'Driving While Black' shows history of US Black motorists
Norton shows "Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights" by Gretchen Sorin. Norton via AP)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. โ A new film examines the history of African Americans driving on the road from the Great Depression to the height of the Civil Rights movement. โDriving While Black,โ which airs this week on most PBS stations in the U.S., shows how the automobile liberated African Americans to move around the country while still navigating segregation and violence. The free movement opened the window to migration across the land and away from Jim Crow, ushering in the modern Civil Rights Movement. The new HBO dramatic series, โLovecraft Country,โ centers around a young African American veteran who travels across the segregated 1950s U.S. in search of his missing father.
JPMorgan puts $30B toward fixing banking's 'systemic racism'
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ JPMorgan Chase said Thursday it will extend billions in loans to Black and Latino homebuyers and small business owners in an expanded effort toward fixing what the bank calls โsystemic racismโ in the countryโs economic system. โSystemic racism is a tragic part of Americaโs history,โ said JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in a statement. Citigroup announced last month it is committing $1 billion toward closing โthe racial wealth gapโ in the United States, including $550 million toward homeownership programs for racial minorities. He noted that thereโs a 30% gap between Black and white homeownership, amounting to about 4.5 million households. JPMorgan was one of 27 major New York-based companies that joined a program to recruit 100,000 workers from the city's low-income, predominately Black, Latino and Asian communities over the next 10 years.
Get the 411 about โ5th Ward: The Series,โ a drama set and filmed in Houston | HOUSTON LIFE | KPRC 2
Get the 411 about โ5th Ward: The Series,โ a drama set and filmed in Houston | HOUSTON LIFE | KPRC 2Published: September 30, 2020, 3:51 pmThe Urban Movie Channel's "5th Ward: The Series" is a show based on fictional characters living in Houstonโs Fifth Ward -- which is one of the city's 6 historic wards. Greg Carter -- who created, wrote and produced the show -- and veteran actor Reginald T. Dorsey, shared details about this production that just wrapped its second season and was filmed in Houston.
Biden makes push for voters on National Black Voter Day
Harris will speak about what's at stake for Black Americans in November and urge voters to register and make a plan to vote. National Black Voter Day was created this year as a collaborative effort by the National Urban League, BET and a number of civil rights organizations. Black Americans have also been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, suffering high rates of deaths and unemployment from its economic fallout. Bidenโs campaign, along with several other organizations marking the first National Black Voter Day, are channeling resources behind that effort. But Brown said the final days will be key toward connecting with some Black voters who feel Biden needs to do more to earn their vote.
Rosa Parks' home displayed in Italy as US race tensions rise
FILE - This Dec. 12, 2017 file photo shows the rebuilt house of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks in Berlin, Germany. In 2018, Brown University announced it would feature the house as part of a planned exhibition on the civil rights movement organized by its Center for Slavery and Justice. Earlier this year, Mendoza approached the Naples-based Morra Greco Foundation, where he had worked for a year in the 1990s. But now, โinstead of being rejected by the walls of the royal palace, itโs embraced and protected by these walls,โ he said. โPotentially thanks to the showing of the house in this way, America will allow the house to have a home.โ___Winfield reported from Rome.
GOP convention showcases rising stars, dark warnings
As Trump faces pressure to expand his appeal beyond his loyal supporters, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senates sole Black Republican, and former U.N. Scrambling to find a message that sticks, Trumps team tried out multiple themes and tactics over the course of the night. The opening night of the four-day convention reflected the rising urgency fueling Trumps push to reshape a presidential contest that he is losing, at least for now, with Election Day just 10 weeks away. In a tweet Monday night, Biden told supporters to stay focused.The emphasis on diversity at Trump's convention was an acknowledgement that he must expand his coalition beyond his largely white base. The fact that the Republicans gathered at all stood in contrast to the Democrats, who held an all-virtual convention last week.
Joe Biden launches new national ad aimed at Black Americans
DETROIT Joe Biden's Democratic presidential campaign has launched a new national ad focused on Black Americans, urging them to stand up to President Donald Trump the way their ancestors stood up to "violent racists of a generation ago." The one-minute ad, which was shared exclusively with The Associated Press before its digital and television release on Thursday, is meant to drum up support among Black Americans, a key constituency for Biden, ahead of November's general election. The ad, titled Better America, also takes a direct swipe at Trump, without mentioning the Republican president by name. The ad is part of the Biden campaign's planned $280 million digital and television ad buy that was announced Wednesday and will run through the fall. A campaign spokesman said in a statement that the ad is the start of a series of content aimed at Black voters.
Congress weighs kicking racist chief justice from Capitol
It was in that room that Taney, the nation's fifth chief justice, announced the Dred Scott decision, sometimes called the worst decision in the court's history. Lynne M. Jackson, Scott's great-great-granddaughter, says if it were up to her, she'd leave Taney's bust where it is. In Congress, Taney's bust was controversial from the start. "And an emancipated country will fasten upon him the stigma which he deserves.Funding for a Taney bust wasn't approved until almost a decade later. The first, John Marshall, is the only person to serve as chief justice longer than Taney and a revered figure in the law.
Voters to get say in dropping 'plantations' from R.I.'s name
PROVIDENCE, R.I. Voters will get another chance to strip the words and Providence Plantations" from Rhode Island's formal name after lawmakers approved a joint resolution to put the question on the November ballot. Although the word plantations in Rhode Islands name does not specifically refer to a place where slaves labored, it elicits such imagery, say sponsors of the bill approved Thursday. Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it ratified the Constitution in 1790, but the name dates to pre-Revolutionary times. Gina Raimondo last month signed an executive order to remove the phrase and Providence Plantations from some official documents and executive agency websites. The ballot question would make the change official in the states constitution if approved by a simple majority of voters.
Trump bristles at question about police killing Blacks
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump bristled Tuesday at a reporter's question about police killing African Americans and defended the right to display the Confederate flag as he continued to play into racial divisions in a pair of interviews. In one interview, Trump seemed taken aback when asked why African Americans are still dying at the hands of police. So are white people," Trump told CBS's Catherine Herridge. In the interview, Trump also defended the use of the Confederate flag, despite saying in 2015 that he believed the flag belongs in a museum. My attitude is freedom of speech," Trump responded.
Trump lags Biden on people of color in top campaign ranks
Twenty-five percent of the Republican president's senior staff are nonwhite, compared to 36% of Bidens senior staff. Along with adding more people of color to his campaign, Biden has promised an administration that looks like America if he is elected on Nov. 3. His campaign declined to discuss minority representation on the campaign staff. The Biden campaign said LGBTQ staff and staff of color hold such positions as senior advisers, deputy campaign managers, national coalitions director, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and national press secretary, among others. Trumps campaign defined its senior staff as senior leaders who meet regularly to make decisions.
COVID-19 pandemic hitting minorities harder, statistics suggest
HOUSTON In Houston, Hispanics are leading the numbers of coronavirus cases where the patients race is known. There are 10.5K Hispanics in Harris County and Houston who have COVID-19 and 4.7k African Americans with the illness. As the number of COVID-19 patients continues to tick upwards, experts say its clear the virus is taking a toll on minorities. One reason for the disparity, Milam said, minorities have a higher incidence of other health conditions. African Americans have a higher prevalence of diabetes, higher prevalence of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease all of those are risk factors for COVID-19, Milam elaborated.
Health panel may open lung cancer screening to more smokers
A U.S. health panel wants to widen the number of Americans offered yearly scans for lung cancer by opening the screening to less-heavy smokers. Lung cancer is the nation's top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Usually, lung cancer is diagnosed too late for a good chance at survival. Lung cancer screening is complicated -- not every hospital is equipped to offer it -- and few of those eligible today receive it, just 6% according to one study the task force cited. In contrast, 60% to 80% of those eligible for breast, colon or cervical cancer screening get checked.
What is #BlackoutTuesday and what are people during in support of the economic boycott?
HOUSTON Many people across the country are participating in an economic protest on Tuesday in wake of racial injustices in the United States. The initiative has been organized in response to the killings of George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. #BLACKOUTDAY2020 pic.twitter.com/XNpUisyK86 Tia'Jah Adair Siobhan Noelle (@edwards_tete) July 7, 2020Keep the dollars in ya pocket today or shop black. If you have to perhaps youll consider a black business. #BLACKOUTDAY2020 pic.twitter.com/h5rbn4Hk8C Rucker Game Attender (@RossSean177) July 7, 2020Let's do another black business thread today for #BLACKOUTDAY2020!
AP Explains: 5 key takeaways from a strong June jobs report
โTodayโs announcement,โ President Donald Trump declared Thursday after the report was released, โproves that our economy is roaring back.โMaybe. Even after superb hiring reports for May and June, the economy has regained only about one-third of the 22 million jobs it lost to the pandemic recession, according to Thursdayโs jobs report. Here are five major takeaways from a jobs report that was surprisingly robust yet may not fully reflect a fast-evolving employment market. Restaurants, bars, hotels and other leisure and hospitality businesses, hard hit by closures in the spring, added 2.1 million jobs in June. โJob gains in June were broad-based across 75% of the private sector,โ' noted Kathy Bostjancic of Oxford Economics.
A brief history of the black anthem โLift Every Voice and Singโ to be played at NFL games
Sing a song full of faith that the dark past has taught us. Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. He took his words to his younger brother, a classically trained composer named J. Rosamond Johnson, and "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" (as it is accurately titled) was born. Thatโs where the hymn debuted the following year, sung by 500 children at an event celebrating Black history. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught usSing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
AP-NORC poll: White Democrats grow more critical of police
While racial inequity has long been a focal point of African Americans, experts say many white Americans, particularly white Democrats, are now grappling with the longstanding impacts of systemic racism in ways they never have before. Trump on Sunday tweeted and later deleted a video showing one of his supporters chanting white power, a racist slogan associated with white supremacists. The increase is especially sharp 40 percentage points among white Democrats. Black Democrats are even more likely than they were in 2015 to say that, 87% vs. 71%. White Democrats are now more likely than they were in 2015 to say police more commonly use force with Black people, 87% vs. 62%.
AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter groups plan convention
The 2020 Black National Convention will take place Aug. 28 via a live broadcast. The first-ever Black Lives Matter convention was held in Cleveland in 2015. Convention organizers said this years event will pay tribute to the historic 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, which concluded with the introduction of a national Black agenda. Somewhat similarly, the Vision for Black Lives platform and its characterization of Israel as an apartheid state committing mass murder against Palestinian people drew allegations of anti-Semitism from a handful of Jewish groups, which had otherwise been supportive the Black Lives Matter movement. We dont just say Black lives matter and beg people to care.
5 things to watch for in Thursday's jobs report for June
Yet because Thursday's jobs report will be based on data gathered in the second week of June, it will still likely reflect an improving trend. Economists have forecast that employers added 3 million jobs in June and that the unemployment rate dropped to 12.3% from 13.3% in May, according to data provider FactSet. In short, the jobs report is more important than ever but in some ways harder to read. Had these people been properly classified, the unemployment rate would have been reported as 16.4%, not 13.3%. In May, even as most large U.S. industries added jobs, state and local governments cut 550,000 workers, after having slashed 950,000 in April.
After Floyd, raw talk, racial reckoning among US Muslims
American Muslims, Black and non-Black, are also having raw conversations like Makki's as they grapple with questions of racial equity, tensions and representation in their own faith communities. He and others have called for more Black Muslim speakers and not just to talk about race or only during Black History Month. Ubaydullah Evans, resident scholar for the American Learning Institute for Muslims, says hes experienced interpersonal racism," from some Muslims. Dozens of American Muslim organizations came together to demand police reform and pledged to support Black-led groups. He shared plans to send African American imams to different California mosques for a day.
NASA naming headquarters for 'Hidden Figures' engineer
WASHINGTON NASA is naming its Washington headquarters after Mary Jackson, the space agencys first African American female engineer whose story was portrayed in the popular film Hidden Figures.Jackson started her NASA career in 1951 as part of a segregated unit of female mathematicians at what is now Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Jackson was later promoted to engineer and retired from NASA in 1985. Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement Wednesday. Part of the street in front of NASA headquarters is called Hidden Figures Way" and a computer research facility at Langley is named for Katherine Johnson, another of the Hidden Figures mathematicians, who died in February. A NASA facility is also named for her in West Virginia, her home state.
Icons of 1960s civil rights movement voice cautious optimism
At front is civil rights worker Andrew Young, and at right, behind King is Rev. Young, a King lieutenant, marvels at both the sizes and the spontaneity of the protests. (AP Photo, File)CINCINNATI Bob Moses says America is at a lurching moment" for racial change, potentially as transforming as the Civil War era and as the 1960s civil rights movement that he helped lead. I dont think anybody has a notion of how big a change this is going to introduce.Moses remains cautious. Some Americans were shocked, it seems to me, to discover they had actually been swimming in this deep, deep sea and didn't understand it.___Contreras reported from Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Democrats: GOP police bill 'not salvageable,' demand talks
WASHINGTON Top Democratic leaders in the Senate say the Republican policing bill is not salvageable, as they signal an intent to block it and demand negotiations on a new, more bipartisan package in response to the killing of Black Americans. That's according to a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from the Democrats obtained by The Associated Press. This bill is not salvageable and we need bipartisan talks to get to a constructive starting point, write Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and the co-authors of the party's bill, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. The Republican legislation would create a national database of police use-of-force incidents, restrict police chokeholds and set up new training procedures. Congress is under enormous pressure to establish new oversight and accountability of the police as demonstrations spill into cities large and small nationwide.
AP-NORC poll: Politics drive divergent view of US economy
The economy is in terrible shape and improving rapidly, said Harvard University professor Jason Furman, formerly the top economist in the Obama White House. Overall, 63% of the country says the economy is in poor shape, down somewhat from the 70% who felt that way in May. The change was driven by increasingly optimistic Republicans, only 43% of whom described the economy as good a month ago. Forty-two percent of white Americans say the same. Thirty-four percent of Hispanics, 29% of African Americans and 20% of white Americans said someone in their household has been laid off.
Beyonc drops surprise single 'Black Parade' on Juneteenth
LOS ANGELES Beyonc did not let Juneteenth pass without dropping one of her signature surprises a new single called Black Parade.Im going back to the South, Im going back where my roots aint watered down," Beyonc sings, opening the track. Black joy is your right, the message said. We got rhythm, we got pride, we birth kings, we birth tribes, Beyonc sings toward the end of the nearly five-minute song. The release of Black Parade is the singers latest philanthropic effort. In 2013, Beyonc released the self-titled album Beyonc, also without any notice.