Greg Gipson walked out of a federal appeals court in Louisiana last week feeling a bit more hopeful about a case that was dismissed in Mississippi over his historic neighborhood’s designation. Gipson and other residents drove 93 miles from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to New Orleans to persuade a panel of federal judges to reconsider whether their […]
Money
Posted inBlack Businesses
Where to Find Black-Owned Bookstores Across the U.S.
Black-owned bookstores are popping up around the country, offering spaces and access to books that may not be on the shelves at chain bookstores. Larger corporations like Amazon and Target sometimes sell books at a lower price compared to independent Black bookstores. Five bookstore owners told Capital B their stores provide community, something large corporations […]
Posted inClimate Change, Housing, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues, Wealth Gap
This Mississippi Delta Home Could Collapse Before Help Arrives
SIDON, Mississippi — Malissa Whitehead is known for making tea cakes and blueberry pies during the holidays — but as Christmas approaches, she’s uneasy about baking anything in the house she’s lived in for 40 years. The kitchen ceiling wood is peeling, revealing small holes and chipped paint. On the outside, the roof is covered […]
Posted inAgriculture, Black Farmers, Environmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Food Access, Rural Issues
In a N.C. Town With Almost No Grocers, One Farmer Is Expanding Local Food Access
Most days, Patrick Brown kneels in the red clay of Warren County, North Carolina, running the soil through his fingers. His roughly 300 acre farm has been in his family since 1865 and has survived crisis after crisis. Now it has another important job to do — affordably feeding families in one of the state’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Employment
‘Clean Slate’ Laws Could Help Millions of Black Americans Clear Their Records
The 11th day of April means more to Elvina Smith than her daughters will ever know. For 17 years, a shoplifting conviction that led to six days in a Wayne County, Michigan, jail and a year of probation impacted every aspect of Smith’s otherwise law-abiding life. From 2006 to 2007, Smith traveled for miles outside […]
Posted inEconomy, Employment, Food Access, Health, Politics & Policy
Government Shutdown Ends, Offers Relief for Black Federal Workers
It’s over. The longest government shutdown in history — and one that disproportionately impacted Black Americans — formally ended Wednesday after a handful of Democratic senators broke ranks with the party to advance a deal. The Senate passed the measure on Monday, and the House followed on Wednesday; President Donald Trump signed the funding bill late […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Food Access, Politics & Policy
Black-Owned Farms Fill Gaps Left by SNAP Funding Delays
Cherie Jzar, a North Carolina farmer, has become a lifeline for area residents as the Trump administration has delayed funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Many of her customers are seniors — who often live on fixed incomes and rely on SNAP. With the rising costs of food, she said, it has been difficult for […]
Posted inEquity, History, Wealth Gap
Will Zohran Mamdani Make New York the First City to Confront Its Debt to Slavery?
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 […]
Posted inEconomy, Employment, Politics & Policy
Employment and Health Care Take Center Stage in Virginia Governor’s Race
ARLINGTON, Va. — Sequoia Ross was stunned when she saw the price of groceries during a recent trip to the store. Items ought to be more affordable, said the single mother of four and eighth grade English teacher, who lives in Amelia County, located in Virginia’s Richmond metropolitan area. “And I don’t mean through stipends […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
From Mississippi to Maryland, Black Communities Are Taking On Big Tech
When word spread through Bessemer, Alabama, earlier this year that a tech giant was eyeing hundreds of pine-covered acres at the city’s edge, Benard Simelton’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing. The longtime NAACP leader had fielded calls about toxic air and shuttered steel mills before, but this, he said, was new to him. At first, the […]