It’s the start of a new political era in Alabama. In November, Shomari Figures, a Democrat, won his race against his Republican rival Caroleene Dobson to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which had recently been redrawn to be majority Black after the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2023 that the previous map likely violated the […]
voting rights
Posted inPolitics & Policy
10 Questions Capital B Readers Have for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
There is a lot at risk for our communities in the 2024 presidential election, from access to the ballot box to reproductive justice to financial support for Black farmers. Borrowing a page from their Republican rivals’ book, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have framed the contest as a […]
Posted inNews, Rural Issues, Voting
After Years of Litigation, First Black Mayor in Rural Alabama Town Gets to Serve
Patrick Braxton is overwhelmed with gratitude. He’s been juggling a yearslong legal battle to serve as the lawful mayor of his hometown, Newbern, Alabama. After years of harassment, his rural town enters a new chapter: Its first Black mayor will finally get to serve. Braxton will be reinstated as mayor of Newbern, according to a […]
Posted inEverything's Political, Politics & Policy
Everything’s Political, Including TikTok
Welcome back to Everything’s Political, Capital B’s news, culture, and politics newsletter! Every Thursday, I’ll take a look at recent stories that seem particularly noteworthy. Here’s what I’ve got for you this week. TikTok Might Be on Borrowed Time The clock is ticking for TikTok. Pointing to alleged national security risks, President Joe Biden on […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
How We’re Covering the 2024 Election
Mission: Capital B’s journalism is rooted in people. This means that we center our election coverage around how political issues and policy decisions affect Black people in America. Too often, mainstream newsrooms gloss over or ignore what issues matter to Black communities, where there’s often the most to lose or gain when it comes to […]
Posted inEverything's Political, Politics & Policy, Voting
Everything’s Political, Including Your Voice
Welcome back to Everything’s Political, Capital B’s news, culture, and politics newsletter! Every Thursday, I’ll take a look at recent stories that seem particularly noteworthy. Here’s what I’ve got for you this week. Black Dissent Under Siege in the Deep South Exactly 60 years ago this month, organizers in Mississippi — including Fannie Lou Hamer, […]
Posted inEverything's Political, Politics & Policy
Everything’s Political, Including a Promise
Welcome back to Everything’s Political, Capital B’s news, culture, and politics newsletter! Every Thursday, I’ll take a look at recent stories that seem particularly noteworthy. Here’s what I’ve got for you this week. Biden’s Promise to Black America Janet Jackson put it best in 1986: What have you done for me lately? Today, Black voters […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Has Biden Kept His Campaign Promises to Black Americans? The Answer Is Complicated.
Black Americans were largely responsible for delivering the presidency to Joe Biden in 2020, and the debate over whether he’s delivered on his campaign promises is endless. Yet, with this year’s November showdown between him and former President Donald Trump steadily approaching, the options for us are limited. Skepticism, confusion, and even pre-election fatigue are […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Federal Court Strikes Major Blow to Black Voting Rights
A federal district court’s order on Thursday allowing South Carolina to use a racially discriminatory congressional map for the 2024 election cycle is a gut punch to Black voters. “For over a century, the NAACP has worked fervently to protect Black Americans’ access to the ballot box. Make no mistake — these discriminatory maps are […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Biden, Bloody Sunday, and the Ongoing Fight for Black Votes
Fifty-nine years ago on Thursday, white state troopers brutalized voting rights protesters as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Footage of the carnage — one officer cracked 25-year-old John Lewis’ skull with a billy club — enraged the country, and galvanized widespread support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, […]