Photographs by Kuwilileni Hauwanga/Capital B “Woke.” “Out of control.” “Nothing about success.” President Donald Trump on Aug. 19 took to his social media platform to post about what he believes are the failures of the Smithsonian Institution when it comes to depicting the experiences of Black Americans. He claimed that the Smithsonian — which includes […]
Brandon Tensley
Brandon Tensley is Capital B's national politics reporter.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Why Voting Is Becoming Harder for Black Americans in Southern States
Rod Sias remembers how deeply hurt he was when Louisiana lost its second majority-Black congressional district in the 1990s. Because of a federal court ruling, the 56-year-old Opelousas resident said, Black Louisianans were denied an opportunity to elect another U.S. representative who might advocate for them in Congress. Cleo Fields, the representative who had been […]
Posted inHistory
Black Tourists Defend History as Trump Targets the Smithsonian
WASHINGTON — When Ronnie Underwood heard President Donald Trump’s claim this week that the Smithsonian Institution is “out of control” and focuses on “how horrible our country is,” he grew angry, he said. The way Underwood, 65, sees it, if we don’t know our past, how can we learn from it? He’s from Bessemer, Alabama, and […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Texas Rep. Stays Overnight in Chamber to Oppose Map She Says Hurts Black, Latino Voters
The redistricting battle in Texas has taken a turn. After state House Democrats returned from their walkout, they were informed on Monday that they would need a police escort when they leave the chamber floor in order to prevent them from fleeing the state again before the House reconvenes on Wednesday. State Rep. Nicole Collier, […]
Posted inPolicing, Politics & Policy
The History of National Guard Deployments in Black Cities, and Why D.C. Is Different
Omar Wasow was studying race and politics at Stanford University when on April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted the police officers who beat Rodney King of almost all charges. For nearly a week, Los Angeles was on fire, as people raged against a verdict they viewed as unjust. Within a day of the decision, President […]
Posted inPolicing, Politics & Policy
Black D.C. Residents Say Trump’s Tactics Bring More Fear, Not Safety
WASHINGTON — As a young Black woman, Kaylei Thomas has always been urged by her parents to be careful when out in public. The 18-year-old has learned to avoid causing “unnecessary problems” that might attract the attention of the police. Thomas, a student at Howard University, was reminded of this warning earlier this week, after President […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
The Voting Rights Act Turns 60. Its Future Has Never Looked More Fragile.
Khadidah Stone will never forget the day in 2023 she learned that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld voting rights in her home state of Alabama. She was in a store when her phone buzzed, flooded with messages. “I was standing in the aisle crying,” she recalled. “And the guy at the front of the store […]
Posted inEducation, Federal Overhaul, Politics & Policy
Shuttering Civil Rights Offices Could Affect Students’ Ability to Address Discrimination
Federal Overhaul is a multipart series that explores the impact of the Trump administration’s restructuring of the federal government on Black communities. Black teenager Ja’Liyah Celestine said that last year at her Texas high school, an officer pepper-sprayed her, grabbed her by hair, and kneed her in her face. A federal civil rights complaint was […]
Posted inHealth
RFK Jr.’s Public Health Overhaul Could Disproportionately Put Black Lives at Risk
Alarm bells are ringing again for health advocates. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scrapped a meeting for a federal advisory task force charged with making recommendations for which preventive care treatments must be covered by insurance companies, including cancer screenings and tests for sexually transmitted infections. The future of the task […]
Posted inCourts, Politics & Policy
Justice Jackson Warns Supreme Court Is Hastening Democracy’s Downfall
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson continues to break the fourth wall as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. And she has made one thing plain: There are moments when she sees the majority opinion as an “existential threat to the rule of law.” Jackson has often been a unique voice of dissent when […]