Election Day is here. For some voters, it’s already a nightmare. Shantae Martin is a lifelong Virginian who cast her first ballot for Barack Obama. But the 37-year-old recently found out through a notice in the mail that her voter registration had been canceled, supposedly because she’s a noncitizen. “I was confused, to be honest. […]
Virginia
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues, Voting
The Powerful, Unsung Role Black Rural Voters Can Play in Our Elections
For years, Garrett Snuggs questioned why the predominantly white town council of Wadesboro, North Carolina, didn’t reflect its population — 69% of which is Black. In the rural town of 5,000, about 52 miles away from Charlotte, he noticed that many Black folks, particularly youth and men, were disengaged from the political process. That changed […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity, Partner Content, Rural Issues
Rural Communities of Color Across the U.S. Find New Ways to Get the Health Care They Need
Haywood Park Community Hospital was the closest hospital for many in Brownsville, Tennessee, a rural city in the western part of the state. Some residents believe it kept their loved ones alive. But others in this majority-Black city said they drove to a hospital miles away or skipped care completely. The facility eventually closed in […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
Acquitted of Murder Decades Ago, Virginia Man Serving Life Fights for His Freedom
This story originally published in 2024, but has been updated to reflect former President Joe Biden’s final clemency action in the days before he left the White House. The “Waverly Two” are among those set to be released this week. Terence Jerome Richardson and Ferrone Claibone were in the midst of an evidentiary hearing to […]
Posted inEverything's Political, Politics & Policy
Everything’s Political, Including the Name of a School
Welcome back to Everything’s Political, Capital B’s weekly news, culture, and politics newsletter! In this edition, learn about two Virginia schools renamed after Confederate generals, a Texas county’s fight for a fair voting map, the killing of a Black airman in Florida, a Black mayor’s fight to govern his Alabama town, and the Trump campaign’s […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Black Voters Flex Political Power in Some Key States
Tyronne Walker is working overtime to let Black voters know what’s on the line in Louisiana. The Urban League of Louisiana and its partners recently hosted a statewide registration day for Black and brown voters. Walker told Capital B that he and his colleagues’ primary goal is “to position [Black communities] to show their collective […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Irvo Otieno’s Death Hits Home For Another Virginia Family
Princess Blanding and her family have endured the pain of losing two relatives experiencing a mental health crisis to police violence within a five-year period. The trauma of watching body camera footage of the minutes before her “brothers” died is acute. And the recent death of Irvo Otieno in Virginia is reigniting her call to […]