It’s the start of a new political era in Alabama. In November, Shomari Figures, a Democrat, won his race against his Republican rival Caroleene Dobson to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which had recently been redrawn to be majority Black after the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2023 that the previous map likely violated the […]
election 2024
Posted inCulture, History, Politics & Policy
How Music and Art Have Helped Black Americans Weather Troubling Times
In 1975, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes laid down a melodic mandate that applies to our times: “Wake up, everybody / No more sleepin’ in bed,” Teddy Pendergrass, the former lead singer of the group, commands. “No more backward thinkin’ / Time for thinkin’ ahead / The world has changed so very much / […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Why Has Qualified Immunity Excused Officers’ Misconduct for Decades?
The movement to increase accountability for police officers who use excessive force may have seen its most significant setback yet with the second election of Donald Trump as president. Trump has promised the nation’s police officers that he will grant them “immunity from prosecution,” a move that legal experts say would deal a severe blow […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Rural Issues
Some Black Rural Voters Feel Abandoned by Democrats
The election results didn’t shock Keith McCants, a 42-year-old welder in south Georgia. Leading up to Election Day, the chairman of the local Democratic Party had been door-knocking and engaging with voters across Bryan County, about 21 miles from Savannah. He even passed out Kamala Harris for President signs, but people “would take them down […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Rural Issues
Rural Black Americans Brace for Racism, Neglect Under Trump
Amanda David felt a wave of devastation as reality sank in that former President Donald Trump would lead the country again. Yet, the past four years have felt as if he had never left. She’s been battling ongoing violent threats, racism, and harassment from her white neighbor in Ithaca, New York. The college town and […]
Posted inMental Health, Politics & Policy
Strategies for Black Americans to Nurture Mental Health After the Election
As Black, immigrant, pregnant, and low-income people brace for the possible worst outcomes of a second Trump administration, many, maybe even you, are grappling with a flood of emotions – fear, anger, sadness, and a deep sense of grief. With the news cycle churning with reports of the potential for an administration that perpetuates anti-Black […]
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
5 Black Presidential Candidates Who Paved the Way for Kamala Harris
In 1848, Frederick Douglass was the very first Black candidate to receive a nominating bid for the American presidency. He received one vote. Over the next 100 years, Black presidential hopefuls — particularly those with connections to the two major parties — would eke out symbolic victories and break barriers. Their efforts paved the way […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Here’s What Black Swing-State Voters Care About This Election
As Americans go to the polls today, much of the nation’s attention will turn to the math of this historic election. How many votes have been cast — early or on Election Day — and of course, whether either of the major party’s candidates have amassed enough support in the right combination of states to […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
How the Electoral College’s Origins Manifest Today
As we get ready for the season finale of this presidential election cycle, what happens after the polls close Tuesday night is anyone’s guess. But what we know for sure is that the countdown to whether Vice President Kamala Harris or Trump becomes our 47th president all hinges on the Electoral College. It’s that slow […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
At a North Carolina HBCU, Black Students Get Out the Vote
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Standing in a manicured field near the edge of Johnson C. Smith University — an HBCU in Charlotte where his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and others display some of the symbols associated with their organizations – Kevin Napier explained just how large the election has loomed on campus in recent weeks. In […]