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 […]
Congress
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
The Voting Rights Act Turns 60. Its Future Has Never Looked More Fragile.
Khadidah Stone will never forget the day in 2023 she learned that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld voting rights in her home state of Alabama. She was in a store when her phone buzzed, flooded with messages. “I was standing in the aisle crying,” she recalled. “And the guy at the front of the store […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Targets Medicaid, SNAP, and Student Loans
President Donald Trump’s nearly 900-page piece of legislation that he calls his “big, beautiful bill” will likely have major ramifications for Black Americans and other marginalized communities. Trump signed the bill last Friday, after Republicans muscled it through Congress. The president had given his allies on Capitol Hill the arbitrary deadline of July 4 to […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
Baby Born to Brain-Dead Mom Spurs Lawmaker’s Push to Protect Women’s Rights
Adriana Smith, the Georgia woman declared brain-dead in February and then kept on life support, has a new son. Chance, weighing just 1 pound and 13 ounces, arrived June 13. Smith’s family announced she was taken off life support on Tuesday. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Smith’s complex situation, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams […]
Posted inHealth, Politics & Policy
Medicaid Cuts Could Leave Millions of Black People Without Care
Arlita Walker lives a fairly quiet life in southwest Memphis, Tennessee. The 60-year-old grandmother was employed with Federal Express for 15 years while she also raised her daughter. But when the toll of lifting heavy packages started to harm her health, Walker had to quit; she’s been grappling with health challenges since 2013. Since then, […]
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Trump Is Giving 500+ Plants a Pass to Pollute More. Is Your Home at Risk?
Imagine if the billion-dollar companies that run oil refineries or chemical plants could ask the government for permission to spew more pollution into the air with less hassle than it takes to renew your driver’s license. That’s now a reality. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has created a shortcut for fossil fuel and chemical […]
Posted inBlack Businesses, Politics & Policy, Technology
With TikTok Ban in Limbo, Black Creators Face an Uncertain Future
The story has been updated. The original story was published on January 16. Lifestyle content creator Talia Cadet hasn’t quit her day job, but TikTok has changed her life, she says. The additional income generated from her viral lists of Black-owned products, books she loves, and local events has made “a huge difference,” especially as […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Rep. Al Green Accepts Censure Vote and Recalls Civil Rights Era Protests
Rep. Al Green of Texas thought about the Black liberation struggle of the 1960s on Thursday, as House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, prepared to read the resolution censuring the 77-year-old Democratic lawmaker. “I recalled when we were faced with adverse circumstances, we would sing a song that would inspire and encourage us to move […]
Posted inEducation, K-12, Rural Issues
Congress Failed to Renew a Critical Funding Program for Rural Schools
Majority-Black, rural school districts in Mississippi like the one where Jacqueline Brown has taught for 17 years cannot afford budget cuts. It’s already difficult to recruit a certified math teacher or offer additional incentives to retain experienced educators who are nearing retirement in a rural area, she said. One federal program that helps rural counties […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Louisiana’s Brand New Majority-Black Congressional District Is in Peril
ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. — Observing a joyous children’s holiday parade in the Louisiana parish she calls home, Clara LaFleur said that she isn’t surprised that the political power of Black Louisianans in her congressional district is in peril. After all, she told Capital B, it’s long seemed as if no one has been a […]
