Breaking News! History in the Making

A black patient holds a visitor's hand

A biased test kept thousands of Black people from getting a kidney transplant — it’s finally changing

Some Black kidney patients are realizing they were kept off the transplant list because of a racist algorithm.

DRC Cobalt mine

Women and Girls Living in Cobalt-mining Communities in the DRC Report a “Staggering” Rise in Serious Reproductive Health Issues

A recent report shows the impact of cobalt mining on the nearby communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zach Van Harris

Meet Zach Van Harris Jr., the South Dakota Historian Unearthing the State’s African American History

by Jonathan Kelley and Lydia Moran, ArtsMidwest Zach Van Harris Jr. is a fountain of names. They come running out of him in a steady current.  There’s Oscar Micheaux, the versatile, resilient filmmaker whose early 20th century films countered prevailing narratives about Black life. There’s York, an enslaved man who joined Lewis and Clark on their expedition and helped build…

Richard Gere, left, and Louis Gossett Jr., in 'An Officer and A Gentlman' in 1982.Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

Louis Gossett Jr., Oscar-winning actor from ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Roots,’ dies at 87

Louis Gossett Jr., known for his roles in movies “Roots” and “An Officer and a Gentleman,” has passed away.

Museo de las Culturas Afromestizas

‘There are children here who do not want to be black’: one woman’s bid to save Mexico’s first Afro-Mexican museum

A museum dedicated to Afro-Mexican history faces closure if the single unpaid volunteer cannot find someone to follow in her footsteps.

Beyonce performs onstage at Rose Bowl, on Sept. 22, 2018. (Larry Busacca / PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment file)

Beyoncé Just Covered the Beatles In the Most Authentic Way: By Honoring Black History

Beyonce’s new album has surprised and enthralled fans while paying homage to this country’s undeniable black history.

An attendee at a redistricting public hearing in Detroit considers several options for new metro Detroit state House districts. Seven existing House districts were scrapped by a federal court, where judges determined the commission improperly used racial data to draw maps. (Bridge photo by Lauren Gibbons)

Michigan Redistricting: Court Finds New Detroit Maps Better for Black Voters

New Detroit-area state House district maps adhere more closely to county boundaries while increasing the number of majority-Black districts. The redistricting is fairer to Black voters and decreases racial gerrymandering. Six additional state Senate districts will be altered later this spring.

PAtrick Braxton

LDF Seeks Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Challenging Racial Discrimination in Newbern, Alabama’s Electoral Practices

Legal Defense Fund has launched a lawsuit several years in the making against an Alabama town that suppresses the vote of Black residents.

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Utah women’s basketball team ‘troubled and shaken’ as ‘disturbing’ details of alleged racist abuse directed at players emerge

Police are opening an investigation after multiple reports of hate speech thrown at women from Utah’s basketball team.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott talks with the media after a cargo ship ran into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

As Black Mayor Handles Bridge Tragedy, Racists Blow Dog Whistle

After the collapse of the Francis Scott Bridge on March 26, 2024, Mayor Brandon Scott’s response received a slew of racist comments online. Mayor Scott’s discussion with members of the media about the tragedy elicited an outpouring of hate speech from white supremacists on social media sites such as “X,” formerly known as “Twitter.”

Black nurse

Recruitment of nurses from global south branded ‘new form of colonialism’

A shortage of nursing professionals had lead to “poaching of staff” from places where health infrastructure is already precarious.

Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica was the site of Chief Takyi's revolt in 1760. (Dakarai Akil/The Guardian/Getty Images/Timestamp Media)

A Historic Revolt, a Forgotten Hero, an Empty Plinth: Is There a Right Way to Remember Slavery?

Vincent Brown, historian, discusses his book documenting Tacky’s revolt in Jamaica, as well as Black X, reggae, and the Atlantic slave trade. He shares his thoughts on the campaign to make Chief Takyi, or “Tacky,” a Jamaican national hero and explores the problem of placing a singular focus on one man despite the collective efforts of a community of people in the fight for freedom.

New study shows Black male students assigned to Black teachers are less likely to end up in special education. (Pexels Photo by RDNE Stock Project)

Black Teachers Help Keep Black Boys Out of Special Education

A new study finds Black male elementary students assigned Black teachers are less likely to be recommended for special education services. The joint team of University of North Carolina and University of California-Davis researchers showed Black male students have a lower likelihood of being misidentified with disabilities or disciplinary problems when paired with Black teachers.

Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro

Vinícius still a target for racial abuse ahead of Spain’s ‘One Skin’ game against Brazil

Brazilian soccer Vinícius Júnior expressed frustration over the lack of racism in his sport, including that from fans.

Sonali Kolhatkar

Cash bail is unfair and violates due process

American jails are full of people waiting for trial because they cannot afford cash bail, leading to disrupted lives and communities.

Regina King as Shirley Chisholm

Regina King says her biopic about Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 campaign is also a story about 2024

A Netflix movie about Shirley Chisholm created by sister duo Regina and Reina King is the result of a 15-year vision.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on February 15, 2024 in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Pool via Getty Images)

Fulton County DA Fani Willis Says ‘The Train is Coming’ for Trump and His Co-Defendants

Fulton County, GA district attorney, Fani Willis, says “the train is coming” in regard to her case against Donald Trump and 14 co-defendants. Willis avoided being disqualified from the racketeering case over her former romantic relationship with now-resigned lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade. She does not feel embarrassed by the relationship.

Ryan Gainer

‘A talented, goofy kid’: family of Ryan Gainer, autistic teen killed by police, speak out

The family of Ryan Gainer, who was killed by police earlier this month, remember his personality in wake of the tragedy.

The Black Boy painting

Liverpool museum appeals for information on subject of The Black Boy

A museum in England is appealing to the public for information of a portrait by painter William Lindsay Windus featuring a Black boy.

Amy Stelly, an artist, urban designer, and community activist, stands beneath the Claiborne Expressway on July 18. Stelly, who lives nearby, is working with Louisiana State University on an Environmental Protection Agency study of the noise and air pollution from the highway, and still supports moving this stretch of Interstate 10 away from the historically Black community. (DREW HAWKINS/GULF STATES NEWSROOM)

A New Orleans Community Confronts the Racist Roots of a Toxic Highway

Residents of one of the oldest Black neighborhoods, Tremé, New Orleans, fight to revitalize the once-bustling Claiborne Avenue community, struggling against the decades-long pollution of the Claiborne Expressway.

Stevenson's Freedom Monument Sculpture park in Montgomery, AL humanizes the experiences of enslaved people on plantations. (Strike by Hank Willis Thomas / Human Pictures)

Sculpture Park in Montgomery Will ‘Humanize’ the Experiences of Enslaved Africans

Bryan Stevenson’s Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, AL attempts to “humanize” the enslaved person’s experience on plantations. The sculpture themes vary: some represent strength and some, pain. All serve to honor the 10 million Black people enslaved in America.