Constituents of Florida’s heavily Black 20th Congressional District must now navigate a volatile political moment, as U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat who represented the district since 2022, resigned on Tuesday. The surprise announcement came just ahead of a hearing when the House Ethics Committee was scheduled to formally recommend disciplinary action over an investigation […]
Congress
Posted inPolitics & Policy
2 Live Crew’s Uncle Luke Is Running for Congress and Calling Out Black Trump Supporters
The 2 Live Crew: Remember them? Led by Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, the hip-hop group pioneered the Miami bass genre and Southern rap more generally in the 1980s and ’90s, as they rattled car trunks and scandalized censors with lyrics that implored women to pop that … well, you know. Fast-forward a few decades, and […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Voting
‘Jim Crow 2.0’: Civil Rights Leaders Sound Alarm on SAVE America Act
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 […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Black Texans Head to the Primaries With More Than Just Ballots on the Line
Texan Algenita Davis isn’t just talking about the candidates as she heads into the March 3 primaries. She’s also talking about voting maps. From her home near the Old Spanish Trail and Cullen Boulevard in the Third Ward of Houston, she describes congressional lines that curve and stretch north and south across the city and […]
Posted inEconomy, Employment, Food Access, Health, Politics & Policy
Partial Government Shutdown Looms as Battle Over DHS Funding Persists
Large swaths of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are poised to shut down on Saturday, as Democrats and the White House remain locked in a standoff over the Trump administration’s immigration measures. Some 13% of the federal civilian workforce would be affected by a shutdown, according to the Washington Post. Operations would be disrupted […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy
Rep. Jasmine Crockett Enters Texas Senate Race as Allred Exits
This story was originally reported by Grace Panetta of The 19th. Meet Grace and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. A barn-burner of a race for U.S. Senate is underway in Texas. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a firebrand progressive Democrat who represents a Dallas-area district, filed paperwork to enter the race Monday, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
‘We Don’t Want Voices Silenced’: Black Voting Power at Risk in Redistricting Battle
When Marsha Mitchell’s racial solidarity organization, Community Coalition, participated in Day of the Dead celebrations this month, she honored her grandparents. They were born in the Jim Crow South, in Arkansas, and didn’t enjoy the same rights that she grew up with, like the right to vote. Mitchell, who lives in South Los Angeles, wanted […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education, Politics & Policy
Republicans Allege Discrimination at George Mason, but the Data Tells a Different Story
FAIRFAX, Virginia — Amani Banks, a George Mason University freshman, sat on the south side of the campus last week and pointed out that the student body is more diverse than her professors. When the college’s president, Gregory Washington, arrived on campus in 2020, he encouraged the hiring of more people of color through what […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
This District Built On Civil Rights Legacy Has Gone Months Without Representation
Uncertainty continues to hang over Texas’ 18th Congressional District. No single candidate secured 50% of the vote in the Nov. 4 special election, meaning that the race is heading to a runoff. The top two vote-getters — Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards — will compete at a date […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Calls for ‘New Blood’ Grow at Congressional Black Caucus Gathering
WASHINGTON — Twenty-two-year-old Dequavius Pitts was excited to be at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. The recent Georgia Southern University graduate is interning in the city, and curious to see how panelists discussed issues such as LGBTQ rights. Pitts can talk about his concerns with more seasoned Black members of […]
