WASHINGTON — On a recent summer day outside Dunbar High School, Jamiya and Jamiyan Simmons reminisced about early-morning Sunday rituals. The 17-year-old twins would wake up to go-go classics like UCB’s “Sexy Lady” and clean the house with the music blasting from their grandmother’s stereo. For nearly 50 years, go-go has been more than music […]
Washington
Posted inCulture, LGBTQ
How D.C.’s Ballroom Culture Is Pushing Back Against Anti-Black and LGBTQ+ Attacks
WASHINGTON — “The category is femme boys!” As Nicko Garçon announced the next field of contestants at the Equity Ball on Friday, participants in bold, metallic, futuristic dresses and military-inspired costumes stepped forward. A panel of the judges nodded in approval, handing out scores. The ball marked the first time Garçon worked as an emcee, […]
Posted inCommunity, LGBTQ
Your Guide to Black Pride Celebrations Across the Country This Summer
Every June, two liberation movements share the same month — Pride and Juneteenth. It’s the perfect time to celebrate Black queer joy. Across the country, as the days get hotter and the sounds of summer get louder, from kiki balls to parades to wellness events, there are Black Pride celebrations that go into the fall. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Culture, Juvenile Justice, Policing, Politics & Policy
Black Teens Called ‘Radioactive’ as D.C. Cuts Programs Meant to Help Them
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Youth advocate Kawana Billy nearly jumped out of her chair listening to the way a white D.C. Council member described Black youth in Washington. To him, they were “dangerous” and “radioactive,” and at one point, he alleged young people carry guns and scare residents. “It’s very interesting how folks are using these […]
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 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 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
Virginia Man Accused of Planting Pipe Bombs Before Jan. 6 Faces Federal Charges
Federal law enforcement has made its first arrest in connection to the planting of two pipe bombs outside the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national committees, officials announced last week. After a nearly five-year search, Brian J. Cole Jr. has been identified as a suspect. Cole was allegedly seen in surveillance footage […]
Posted inHistory, Politics & Policy
What’s Really in the Blacksonian. It’s Not How Trump Framed It.
Photographs by Kuwilileni Hauwanga/Capital B “Woke.” “Out of control.” “Nothing about success.” President Donald Trump on Aug. 19 took to his social media platform to post about what he believes are the failures of the Smithsonian Institution when it comes to depicting the experiences of Black Americans. He claimed that the Smithsonian — which includes […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Politics & Policy
Cashless Bail Helps Keep Families Together. Trump Wants to Shut It Down.
Criminal justice advocates warn that President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at ending cashless bail policies will disproportionately impact low-income communities. Black and brown people, who are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, will suffer the most, they say. Black Americans are already over 25% more likely to be held in jail pretrial with bail […]
Posted inHistory
Black Tourists Defend History as Trump Targets the Smithsonian
WASHINGTON — When Ronnie Underwood heard President Donald Trump’s claim this week that the Smithsonian Institution is “out of control” and focuses on “how horrible our country is,” he grew angry, he said. The way Underwood, 65, sees it, if we don’t know our past, how can we learn from it? He’s from Bessemer, Alabama, and […]
