Even while he was caught up in street life on the South Side of Chicago, Aaron Smith knew he had a civic duty. The college graduate was misusing his business education to hustle heroin, but come election time, he would be filling out his ballot from top to bottom. “Local governments are really what’s going […]
Politics & Policy
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Five States Are Voting Whether to Outlaw Slavery (Yep, You Read That Right)
Update: Four states — Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon and Vermont — voted Nov. 8 to amend their constitution to close the “slavery loophole,” an exception clause that legalized the treatment of convicted individuals like slaves. Polling showed the measure failed in Louisiana, but the results were expected by voting rights activists, who were concerned that the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why the LA City Council Scandal Is About More Than Racist Slurs
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday that his office will investigate the Los Angeles City Council’s redistricting process following the release of an audio recording in which council members hurled racist insults about Black, Jewish, and Mexican indigenous communities. On Wednesday, City Council President Nury Martinez resigned her seat, three days after the release […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voices of Change
Meet the Activist Who Is Starting a War Against Climate Disinformation
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Capital B is talking to newsmakers across the country who want to reshape American politics or galvanize Black voices in government. Our “Voices of Change” series will update periodically with insights from the candidates, activists, lawmakers, and political insiders whom you should know. Voting apathy is real for America’s youngest […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Officials Withheld Funds Over an Abortion Ban. Black Louisianans Are Most At Risk.
Sitting in the Louisiana Senate chambers last week, Democratic Sen. Jimmy Harris received a text alert: A brewing storm heading toward his New Orleans district had prompted a flood advisory. Moments later, the state’s all-male bond commission voted 7-6 to temporarily block a $39 million loan that New Orleans planned to use for a power […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voices of Change
Meet Maxwell Frost. He May Be the First Member of Gen Z in Congress.
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Capital B is talking to newsmakers across the country who want to reshape American politics or galvanize Black voices in government. Our “Voices of Change” series will update periodically with insights from the candidates, activists, lawmakers, and political insiders whom you should know. Progressive activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost wants to […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
The Wrap Up: How The Last Round of U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Affect Black People
The U.S. Supreme Court’s most momentous session in recent history ended June 30, leaving many Americans — particularly Black and brown people — in a state of shock and dismay. The panel of nine justices handed down life-altering rulings that transformed the landscape on reproductive rights, restricted government action on climate change and limited recourse […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Highlights from ‘Capital B Fest: Day 1’
Black Mayors, Black Cities In our opening conversation, Capital B Politics Reporter Chauncey Alcorn spoke with khalid kamau, mayor of South Fulton, Georgia, and Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. In this panel discussion, kamau and Woodfin spoke about the challenges Black mayors face, and the importance of growing Black businesses and homeownership in their […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy
Democracy in America Is a Rigged Game
This story is part of a special Juneteenth project with Vox which explores the ongoing struggle for freedom for Black Americans. For six years, at the height of Southern leaders’ massive resistance to desegregation, Derrick Bell held one of the most harrowing jobs in the legal profession. From 1960 to 1966, as an attorney with […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voices of Change
Meet the 24-Year-Old Climate Activist Trying to Shake up Los Angeles Politics
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Capital B is talking to newsmakers across the country who want to reshape American politics or galvanize Black voices in government. Our “Voices of Change” series will update periodically with insights from the candidates, activists, lawmakers, and political insiders whom you should know. LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Bryant Odega wanted […]
