The Nov. 8 elections have the potential to be historic, as a record number of candidates are running to become the first Black woman or Black man to hold their office. With diverse faces on ballots nationwide — from governorships to school board races — Tuesday’s midterms could increase Black political power across layers of […]
Christina Carrega
Christina Carrega is the criminal justice reporter at Capital B. Follow her on Bluesky @chriscarrega.bsky.social.
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Voter Suppression Efforts Still Loom as Millions Turn Out for Midterms
In the lead-up to Election Day, incidents of voter intimidation and efforts to manipulate the vote count have been reported across the country. In Arizona, far-right groups and armed people have been spotted at ballot drop boxes. In California, residents have reported Republican door-knockers grilling them about their voting practices. And in Maryland, a Republican […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Will Voter Fraud Arrests Dampen Turnout for the Midterm Elections?
Even while he was caught up in street life on the South Side of Chicago, Aaron Smith knew he had a civic duty. The college graduate was misusing his business education to hustle heroin, but come election time, he would be filling out his ballot from top to bottom. “Local governments are really what’s going […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Five States Are Voting Whether to Outlaw Slavery (Yep, You Read That Right)
Update: Four states — Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon and Vermont — voted Nov. 8 to amend their constitution to close the “slavery loophole,” an exception clause that legalized the treatment of convicted individuals like slaves. Polling showed the measure failed in Louisiana, but the results were expected by voting rights activists, who were concerned that the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
The Push to Expand Voting Access for Incarcerated People
Colie Levar Long was just 18 years old when he committed one of the most “horrendous” crimes. At an age when many are preparing to start their lives, Long was starting a life sentence for the murder of a 14-year-old boy. He grew up in Washington, D.C., when many residents were in “survival mode,” he […]
Posted inCulture, History
The Black Diaspora’s Complicated Feelings About Queen Elizabeth’s Death
The death of Queen Elizabeth II has evoked mixed emotions in Black communities around the world. Some praised her 70-year reign as a rare woman in the class of predominantly male world leaders, while others celebrated her death and the prospect of Black countries severing their ties to the monarchy. The United Kingdom’s 14 commonwealth […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Groundbreaking Legislation Would Seal Criminal Convictions for Many Californians
Millions of Californians with criminal records will receive a second chance at normal lives after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a historic bill that seals their criminal convictions from the eyes of potential employers, landlords, and licensing agencies. The legislation, which eliminates certain felony convictions from background checks, could be revolutionary for California’s Black communities, which […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Homicides Committed by Black Women Are Rare. So What’s Going On?
This year has been marked by tragic moments of public violence, from a grocery store massacre in New York to a small-town school shooting in Texas. But three incidents this summer have stood out for an unusual similarity. In July, a shooter opened fire in a Dallas airport after threatening to blow up the facility. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Police Keep Failing to Report How Often They Use Force Against Citizens
For generations, Black families have passed down cautionary tales about harmful encounters with police — stories of racial profiling, planted evidence and excessive force that goes unchecked. The warnings are largely rooted in the anecdotes and life experience of elders. But solid data on American law enforcement’s racial biases has remained elusive. The Federal Bureau […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
The Buffalo Tops Supermarket Reopens 60 Days Later Despite Community Pushback
Tops Friendly Markets has reopened its Buffalo, New York, grocery store where 10 people were killed in a racist massacre in May, a decision that has outraged residents who hoped the location would be turned into a memorial. The predominantly Black community also has expressed dismay that the tragedy has not prompted officials to fulfill […]