RICHLAND PARISH, Louisiana — Seen as far as 2 miles away, a white cross — the size of a 12-story building — welcomes you to this largely forgotten stretch of Delta country. While cotton no longer runs supreme here, every road, ballot measure, and industrial promise still has to pass the faith test that once […]
Adam Mahoney
Adam Mahoney is the climate and environment reporter at Capital B. He can be reached by email at adam.mahoney@capitalbnews.org, on Bluesky, and on X at @AdamLMahoney.
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Criminal Justice, Violence Against Women
How ‘Is God Is’ Is Changing the Conversation About Black Women and Domestic Violence
NEW ORLEANS — When Gretta Gordy Gardner was a prosecutor, she asked a domestic violence victim’s mother why she had testified for the man who hurt her daughter. The answer stopped her cold: It’s better to have a man who beats you than no man at all. “That made me understand the survivor so much […]
Posted inBlack Migration, Housing, Wealth Gap
The Black Suburban Dream is Now Leading to a New Wave of Gentrification
When Caleb Roberts moved from Milwaukee to Texas, he knew the story of Black people in Dallas being pushed out for generations. In Milwaukee, he helped to stop a $1 billion highway project that threatened to gentrify his neighborhood after he had already seen it happen across the country. During the 20th century, across Dallas, […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather
Black Americans Face Heightened Risk in Record-Breaking Heat
Karen Leader has lived in public housing in Brooklyn, New York, for over 30 years, so she is no stranger to the “unbearable” heatwaves that have spread across the city and her housing complex. But this year, the 71-year-old retiree tried to get ahead of the curve. The sticker price of $300 to $800 for […]
Posted inCourts, Culture, Politics & Policy
World Cup Joy Gave Way to Deportation Fears for Haitian Families
For one night this past Wednesday, Miami’s Little Haiti forgot to be afraid. Haiti was on the field — its first World Cup appearance in more than half a century — and the neighborhood came alive in the way it used to: loud and together, Ruth Jeannoel recalled. Then Thursday arrived. The U.S. Supreme Court […]
Posted inHealth
Historic Gene Therapy Gives Young Louisiana Man a New Shot at Life
On Monday morning in New Orleans, 23-year-old Daniel Cressy rang a bell inside Manning Family Children’s hospital and stepped into what he calls “Life 2” — a life, for the first time, free of sickle cell disease. His treatment using Casgevy’s CRISPR/Cas9, a gene-editing technology, makes him the first patient in Louisiana and the Gulf […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
In America’s Poorest State, Unhoused People May Soon Be Jailed
NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana Gov. Landry has signed into law what the National Homelessness Law Center says is “one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country.” As the Louisiana state Senate debated what the National Homelessness Law Center says is “one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country,” more than 50 mainly Black […]
Posted inMental Health
Young Black Men Are Now Dying by Suicide at a Historic Rate
This story discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises involving Black men and boys. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to connect with trained counselors 24/7. […]
Posted inExtreme Weather, Sports
The World Cup’s Biggest Opponent This Summer Might Be Extreme Heat
On a Saturday morning in August 2020, when the temperature was climbing toward 111 degrees, John and Valerie Thomas watched their son Shane finish soccer practice from a shaded area near the field. He looked fine. He was joking with his coaches. Then he didn’t come back. His teammates found him unresponsive near the batting […]
Posted inCommunity, Culture, Economic Development, History
Black Burial Grounds Are Disappearing as Families Fight to Protect Them
The first time Terry O’Neal walked into an old cemetery, she found splintered coffins pushed up by storms and time, with “skeletons sitting outside of caskets.” In Chloe, Louisiana, the acre that holds generations of Black, Creole, and Indigenous families looked more like an abandoned field than a resting place, she recalled. The neglect in […]
