Despite facing long odds, Senate Republicans on Tuesday voted to begin debate on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The bill, also known as the SAVE America Act, is a deeply controversial proposal that civil rights groups say could disenfranchise millions — particularly Black Americans — by creating new barriers to the ballot box. The […]
Elections
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
For Black Texans, Primary Election Results in High Stakes for November
Texan Algenita Davis headed into her state’s primaries Tuesday with a clear sense of what she wanted the outcome to be. “You want to make sure that you put people in office who are going to make the most difference — who are going to fight,” said Davis, 75, a retiree who lives in the […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues
The Alabama Town That Blocked Its First Black Mayor Now Has Another
Read Capital B’s continuous coverage on Newbern, Alabama, and the first Black mayor’s fight to serve. The rural Alabama town that once ousted its first Black leader has now appointed its second Black mayor and first woman to hold the office. The historic appointment of Barbara Patrick in Newbern on Feb. 1 comes after Patrick […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues, Voting
Sapelo Island’s Gullah Geechee Community Fights Back and Wins
In a win for Gullah Geechee residents on Georgia’s sea islands, voters this week rejected an ordinance that doubled the allowed square footage for homes in Sapelo Island’s Hog Hammock district. Many Black residents feared the change would lead to higher property taxes, gentrification, and displacement. Unofficial results on Tuesday showed 19% of 10,000 registered […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues
Black Women Sweep Local Elections in Small Towns
Deondreze Young hadn’t planned on a career in politics. But, when seats opened up on her hometown city council, her father encouraged her to run, and she did, in hopes of making change in Wadley, Georgia. Young’s roles and position in the community — as a cosmetology instructor, nail technician, substitute teacher, and mother — […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Virginia’s History-Making Governor’s Race Win Is About More Than Representation
ARLINGTON, Virginia — Democrats secured victories in key races in Virginia on Nov. 4. Abigail Spanberger, 46, won the governor’s race and will be the first woman to enter the state’s Executive Mansion in the role. She defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, 61. And Jay Jones, 36, overcame a scandal involving violent text messages. He defeated […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Black Alabama Mayor Once Blocked by White Town Leaders Wins Reelection
NEWBERN, Ala. — On a quiet, sunny morning, Gabrielle Cook and her 20-year-old son Mark Cabil walked into their town hall to cast their ballots in an election that would decide the future of their rural Alabama town. For the first time in Newbern’s history, the citizens of this majority-Black town got to participate directly […]
Posted inEconomy, Elections, Politics & Policy
PG County Has Long Been a Bastion of Black Wealth. Now It Faces an Uncertain Economic Future.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — As a special education teacher, Ivan Johnson can’t stop worrying about what might lie in store for his students. President Donald Trump has long vowed to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Though he says that his administration won’t slash funds for students with disabilities, teachers and advocates worry that […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Black Milwaukee Voters Say No to Musk, Yes to Reproductive Rights
It was a frigid spring day shortly before polls closed in Wisconsin. Chanita Edwards and her daughter, Chamari, left their polling place in Milwaukee’s North Side with two concerns: Elon Musk and reproductive rights. “I voted because I’m a woman and those rights are very important to me, especially abortion rights, and I’m a student,” […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Black Women Made A Mark on Election Night
Election night marked a historic day for Black women in politics, despite Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks have been elected as the fourth and fifth Black women to win a Senate seat. It will be the first time in history that two Black women will serve in the […]
