Federal immigration agents have begun stepped-up enforcement in Chicago, making the nation’s third-largest city the latest focal point in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. The details are few, but the endeavor — known as “Operation Midway Blitz” — is a part of President Donald Trump’s dispute with Democratic mayors and “sanctuary cities.” […]
Politics & Policy
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Soot, Sickness, and Silence: A Black Louisiana Community Is Still Struggling After an Explosion
ROSELAND, La. — For 11 days after an oil and lubricant factory blew up less than a mile from her home, Millie Simmons could not stand outside for more than 10 minutes at a time. “I could hardly breathe,” the 58-year-old child care worker said outside her home on Sept. 4. Soot and an oily […]
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 inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Politics & Policy
Cashless Bail Helps Keep Families Together. Trump Wants to Shut It Down.
Criminal justice advocates warn that President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at ending cashless bail policies will disproportionately impact low-income communities. Black and brown people, who are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, will suffer the most, they say. Black Americans are already over 25% more likely to be held in jail pretrial with bail […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Why Voting Is Becoming Harder for Black Americans in Southern States
Rod Sias remembers how deeply hurt he was when Louisiana lost its second majority-Black congressional district in the 1990s. Because of a federal court ruling, the 56-year-old Opelousas resident said, Black Louisianans were denied an opportunity to elect another U.S. representative who might advocate for them in Congress. Cleo Fields, the representative who had been […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Black Voters ‘Finally’ Get Win After Federal Judge Strikes Down Mississippi Map
In Dyamone White’s rural Mississippi town, churches long served as the gathering spot for community events. As a millennial, she recognized the need to bring those events elsewhere as a way to increase civic engagement and host important community discussions. Over the years, she’s seen the participation grow in Edwards and Bolton, towns near her […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Undocumented Black Communities Brace for Ripple Effects of Federal Takeover
As Washington, D.C., police are increasingly cooperating with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, Black immigration groups fear it will put Black and brown people in other sanctuary jurisdictions at risk of being arrested and possibly deported. Amid a federal takeover late last week, the Trump administration reversed course and agreed to leave the police […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Texas Rep. Stays Overnight in Chamber to Oppose Map She Says Hurts Black, Latino Voters
The redistricting battle in Texas has taken a turn. After state House Democrats returned from their walkout, they were informed on Monday that they would need a police escort when they leave the chamber floor in order to prevent them from fleeing the state again before the House reconvenes on Wednesday. State Rep. Nicole Collier, […]
Posted inPolicing, Politics & Policy
The History of National Guard Deployments in Black Cities, and Why D.C. Is Different
Omar Wasow was studying race and politics at Stanford University when on April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted the police officers who beat Rodney King of almost all charges. For nearly a week, Los Angeles was on fire, as people raged against a verdict they viewed as unjust. Within a day of the decision, President […]
Posted inPolicing, Politics & Policy
What Federal Control of D.C. Police Could Mean for Overpolicing in Black Communities
Once known as “Chocolate City” for its historically large Black population, Washington remains under partial federal control. The federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department under President Donald Trump marks the first time a commander-in-chief has seized control. Some 800 National Guard members were deployed to the city last week. Additionally, six Republican-led states — […]
