When the earth caved in eastern Congo last week, more than 200 Congolese miners were buried alive. Those who survived spent the next several days pulling hundreds of bodies from the red clay that has become increasingly essential to powering the evolution of technology within the U.S. The collapse came less than a month after […]
Donald Trump
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Chemical Plants Keep Exploding, but Trump’s EPA Is Rolling Back Safety Rules Anyway
In September 2023, sirens blared again across Hopewell, Virginia, after oleum, commonly known as fuming sulfuric acid, leaked from the AdvanSix chemical plant. The plant, one of many big polluters in the predominantly Black city, had at least 66 violations of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act at the time. And this […]
Posted inEconomy, Employment, Health, Politics & Policy
Trump Touts Success in State of the Union as Black Communities Reflect on Hard Year
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address opened with an uproar. A few minutes into Tuesday’s program, Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Green of Texas was escorted from the chamber for breaking decorum rules after holding up a sign that read, “Black People Aren’t Apes!” It was a rebuke to a racist video that Trump […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
The Black Conservatives Still Riding with Trump
The black GMC Yukon pulled up outside the National Republican Club of Capitol Hill on Wednesday night, blasting a song featuring Nicki Minaj. As the lyrics spilled out, five young Black conservatives, a group of political influencers and rising activists, hurried inside for the Black Americans for Trump Trailblazer Reception. “We had to play MAGAMinaj,” […]
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
Philadelphia Wins Court Fight Over Slavery Exhibit Removal
After a weekslong battle, Black Philadelphians and their allies have notched a victory: A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore a slavery exhibit at the President’s House Site in the city. Without warning, National Park Service workers in January removed panels about slavery from the President’s House Site, where George Washington […]
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health Equity
The U.S. Government Now Says Climate Change Doesn’t Harm Human Health
In one sweeping move, President Donald Trump on Thursday erased the scientific and legal foundation of America’s clean air protections and modern climate policies. For the first time in a generation, the U.S. government no longer officially recognizes carbon pollution as a danger to public health. Black people are exposed to more pollution, on average, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Culture
Bad Bunny’s Cultural Reach Extends From Stadiums to Syllabi
For Bijou-Elyse Wallace, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance will represent more than just music. Wallace, a Howard University student and devoted fan of the Puerto Rican superstar, is getting ready to host a Super Bowl watch party for the first time ever alongside Changó, the Afro-Latin association at Howard, and the university’s student association. In […]
Posted inFederal Overhaul, Politics & Policy
Black Diplomats Say Trump’s Moves Are Pushing People Out of Public Service
Federal Overhaul is a multipart series that explores the impact of the Trump administration’s restructuring of the federal government on Black communities. Pamela L. Spratlen knows all too well how elusive diversity has long been within the U.S. Foreign Service. Her father, as a young man, applied to join the Foreign Service. But this was […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Capital B Condemns Arrests of Journalists Over Minneapolis Coverage
Capital B stands in solidarity with journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who were arrested today in connection to their coverage of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest earlier this month at a Minneapolis church — an act of journalism unequivocally protected by the First Amendment. We join statements by the National Association of Black […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A City-by-City Breakdown of Trump’s Immigration Raids and Troop Deployments
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis is finally coming to an end after two fatal shootings and thousands of arrests. Border czar Tom Homan said coordination with local law enforcement and the success of immigration enforcement have contributed to the end of Operation Metro Surge. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that […]