Reparations for slavery and historic discrimination against African Americans once seemed like a pipe dream. But momentum for it has been building in the past five years in cities across America, including New York City, which has deep ties to slavery and has become an important testing ground of whether America is ready to make […]
Culture
Posted inLGBTQ, Partner Content
Legendary Transgender Activist Miss Major Dies at 78
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a legendary transgender activist, was known for many things in her community. As a caretaker, she was known for getting Black trans women off the street and housed when they faced poverty and violence. As a fierce advocate for trans rights, she was known for demanding that LGBTQ+ people focus on protecting […]
Posted inCulture, HBCUs
Inside North Carolina A&T’s Homecoming: When Greensboro Turned Blue and Gold
Photos By Cameron Smith GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Historically Black colleges and universities’ homecoming season vibes just hit different — and it’s off to a memorable start. From the fashion to the plethora of events, these annual homecomings can’t be replicated. The diversity of HBCU culture is on full display. HBCU homecomings’ roots go back […]
Posted inCulture, HBCUs
For This North Carolina A&T Family, Homecoming Traditions Span Generations
GREENSBORO, North Carolina — David Myles Robinson barely remembers his first homecoming as a 1-year-old, but he points out an old photograph of his father holding him near an escalator at a Sheraton Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the late 1990s. North Carolina A&T State University’s homecoming was like a holiday for the Robinson […]
Posted inHistory
Founded by Freedmen, Forgotten by Textbooks: The Men Reviving Mound Bayou
MOUND BAYOU, Mississippi — On an early summer morning, Hermon Johnson Jr. walked the halls of the former band hall of the John F. Kennedy High School surrounded by archival photographs and rotating exhibits. The historical records tell the story of Mound Bayou, Mississippi. The small but mighty town is one of America’s first all-Black […]
Posted inLGBTQ
Black Transgender Youth Weren’t Getting Help So These Parents Stepped In
Editor’s Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this discussion, Capital B has chosen not to use last names to protect the families’ safety. WASHINGTON — Milissa’s parents initially didn’t embrace her identity when she came out as transgender about 10 years ago, when she was still a preteen. Instead, they told her to love […]
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
Ghana’s President Calls Slave Trade ‘Greatest Crime,’ Pushes U.N. for Reparations
In a first coordinated African-led effort at the United Nations, leaders have declared the Transatlantic Slave Trade as “the greatest crime against humanity” and called for reparations. African leaders recently took the global stage at the U.N.’s General Assembly in New York, where Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama, announced plans to submit the first formal […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Culture, Higher Education
Hazing Death Prompts Soul-Searching for Divine Nine
The calls, texts and emails have been pouring in. Since news broke in late February that a 20-year-old student at Southern University died in what police called “a fraternity hazing incident,” messages and voicemails continue to fill the inbox of filmmaker Byron Hurt. Hurt heard from some of these same people three years ago, when […]
Posted inCulture, Economic Development
Georgia’s Highest Court Sides With Sapelo Island Residents to Put Land Battle on Ballot
In a win for Black landowners, Georgia’s highest court unanimously sided with Gullah Geechee communities in a long-standing zoning battle on Sapelo Island. On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that had stopped a referendum to consider repealing a revised zoning ordinance passed by McIntosh County officials two years ago. A […]
Posted inCulture, History
Mississippi Festival Puts Black Blues Elders in Spotlight
CLARKSDALE, Mississippi — On a summer Saturday in the Mississippi Delta, Australia “Honey Bee” Jones sat calm and reserved in a chair on the MLK Park Stage in downtown Clarksdale. The weather was mild. A light wind blew, but the sun shone brightly, making it feel hotter than the actual temperature of 90 degrees. It was […]