When Trayvean Scott was a college basketball player at Southern University in the 2000s, he says, he was never asked to throw a game in return for a payout. But more than 20 years later, he worries that the lack of a uniform policy about student athletes getting paid for their name, image or likeness […]
Culture
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
The Supreme Court Fight That Could Unravel Who Gets to Be American
With birthright citizenship — which was enshrined in the 14th Amendment to clarify the legal status of Black Americans following the Civil War — on the chopping block, civil rights groups are on high alert for threats to all rights, even those long seen as safe. There’s concern that a decision undermining birthright citizenship “could […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
After Breaking Barriers, Fisk Is Ending Its Gymnastics Program
When Liberty Mora stepped into the gym at the Super 16 gymnastics meet in Las Vegas with her Fisk University teammates to compete for the first time in 2023, the crowd rose to its feet before they even began. For a moment, the significance hit all at once: They weren’t just competing — they were […]
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
U.S. Votes No as UN Calls Slave Trade ‘Gravest Crime’ and Backs Reparations
The United States joined Israel and Argentina on Thursday in voting against a Ghana-led resolution that declared the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans the “gravest crime against humanity” and urged countries to pursue reparations. The nonbinding measure, backed by more than 120 nations, calls for formal apologies, compensation, and other forms of reparatory justice for […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
Howard’s Men’s Basketball’s March Madness Run Ends as HBCUs Make History
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The day after Howard University’s men’s basketball team had its first-ever NCAA tournament win, students on the campus were hoping for more. But the Bison’s dreams came to an abrupt end on March 19, as the team lost to the University of Michigan 101-80. Howard kept the game close, trailing by just […]
Posted inCulture, HBCUs, Sports
At Howard, Athletes Must Stand for the Anthem or Stay in the Locker Room
For years, Howard University’s women’s basketball team has been taking a knee to protest the mistreatment and brutalization of Black Americans by law enforcement. But on Wednesday night, at a game between Howard and South Carolina State University, that tradition – which had been a source of pride for many players and students – came […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Culture
Inside BlerdCon, Where Black Nerd Culture Takes Center Stage
ARLINGTON, Virginia – William Beal II drove his prized possession, a 2016 Dodge Charger R/T, through a small makeshift entrance on South Clark Street and parked it with the other cars arriving at BlerdCon, a convention centering Black folks who are into geek culture. Wrapped in the Black Panther colors of black and vibrant purple, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Culture, History
More Than a Singer: How Sam Cooke’s Family Built a Legacy After His Death
CLARKSDALE, Mississippi — Nicole Cooke-Johnson loaded her car full of children’s books and traveled to her grandfather’s hometown, Clarksdale, Mississippi, for the first time in her life. It was a journey as old and as common as the Great Migration. But her grandfather, Sam Cooke, was no ordinary man. Cooke, an iconic, groundbreaking recording artist […]
Posted inHealth, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy
If PrEP Coverage Disappears, Georgia’s Black Communities Could Be Hit Hardest
Cullen Smith takes an HIV preventative medication every day for “added security” and “peace of mind” after he thought he may have contracted the disease from a partner last year. “Once that situation came up, if I wanted to keep my current health, I needed to take other actions,” said Smith, an Atlanta resident. “I […]
Posted inCulture, History, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy
As Chicago Celebrates Jesse Jackson’s Life, Those He Inspired Confront What’s Next
Jeanette Taylor, the alderwoman of Chicago’s 20th Ward, first met the Rev. Jesse Jackson in 2012. At the time, she was an organizer with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, and her executive director insisted that she meet him. Taylor was nervous: She knew his national stature, his speeches, his mystique — and “sometimes when you […]