WASHINGTON — On a recent summer day outside Dunbar High School, Jamiya and Jamiyan Simmons reminisced about early-morning Sunday rituals. The 17-year-old twins would wake up to go-go classics like UCB’s “Sexy Lady” and clean the house with the music blasting from their grandmother’s stereo. For nearly 50 years, go-go has been more than music […]
Culture
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Culture, Incarceration, Religion
The Legal Fight Over Locs in Prison Is About More Than Hair
A year after Brittany Martin was released from a South Carolina women’s prison, she obtained 11 videos from inside the facility that captured what she calls one of the most traumatic moments of her life. Prison guards can be seen pinning her to the ground in a video dated Jan. 23, 2023. As she remained […]
Posted inHistory, Inside Capital B
Why We’re Building a Black Oral History Archive
Today, Capital B is launching its biggest project ever. For the Record: A Black Oral History Archive is a collection of over 100 firsthand stories from Black Americans across regions, generations, and identities. Since last year, our reporters and partners have been gathering recollections from Black people that paint a vivid picture of resistance, resilience, […]
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 inArts & Entertainment, Culture
New Orleans Teens Are Keeping Jazz Alive Through the Trombone Shorty Academy
NEW ORLEANS — Tyler Stevenson, 17, stood in the spotlight for his solo on the same stage graced by James Brown and Buddy Guy decades ago at New Orleans’ historic nightclub Tipitina’s. This past spring was his final performance as a student of the Trombone Shorty Academy. After deepening his skills his senior year of […]
Posted inCulture, History
Meet the Man Who Created the Juneteenth Flag
This story was part of a special Juneteenth project originally published in 2022 with Vox that explored the ongoing struggle for freedom for Black Americans. As the Juneteenth holiday approaches, you’ll start to see various symbols of Blackness across the country. Front lawns, apartment balconies, and clothing with the pan-African flag, “Black Power” fist, and […]
Posted inCulture, LGBTQ
How D.C.’s Ballroom Culture Is Pushing Back Against Anti-Black and LGBTQ+ Attacks
WASHINGTON — “The category is femme boys!” As Nicko Garçon announced the next field of contestants at the Equity Ball on Friday, participants in bold, metallic, futuristic dresses and military-inspired costumes stepped forward. A panel of the judges nodded in approval, handing out scores. The ball marked the first time Garçon worked as an emcee, […]
Posted inCulture, Sports
Thirty Years After Olympic Gold, Dominique Dawes Is Still Changing Gymnastics
ROCKVILLE, Maryland — Thirty years ago this summer, Dominique Dawes beamed atop an Olympic podium in Atlanta, clutching a bouquet and waving to the crowd that had packed inside the Georgia Dome. Minutes later, she placed a hand over her heart as the national anthem played. She was celebrating a first: The 19-year-old from Maryland […]
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 […]
