Breaking News! History in the Making
Union will defend teachers in ‘critical race theory’ fights
One of the nation’s largest teachers unions on Tuesday promised to defend members who are punished for teaching an “honest history” of the United States. The AFT said it is adding $2.5 million to its legal defense fund in anticipation of local battles.
Two Iconic Writers Join Howard U. to Help Educate the Next Generation of Black Journalists
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Howard alumnus Ta-Nehisi Coates will join the faculty of HBCU Howard University.
The panic over critical race theory is an attempt to whitewash U.S. history
In the same week when Juneteenth became a national holiday, schoolteachers in Texas, where the commemoration originally marked the end of slavery in that state, could teach about these events only at their peril. An author of the original Critical Race Theory explains the consequences of “erasing” the truth about our country’s history.
‘Bring More Black Farmer Voices Together’: How the Black Farmers Collective Is Growing a Black-Led Food System Rooted in Black Liberation
Black farmers make up less than 2 percent of the overall farming population in the US and have been stripped of millions of acres of land in the last century. Even the USDA itself played a major role in financially bankrupting Black farm families. The US Dept. of Agriculture was to offer a multibillion dollar loan forgiveness program for farmers of color as part of COVID relief, but is on hold now due to white farmers’ claim of “reverse discrimination.”
Revealed: neo-Confederate group includes military officers and politicians
Leaked membership data from the neo-Confederate Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) organization has revealed that the organization’s members include serving military officers, elected officials, public employees, and a national security expert whose CV boasts of “Department of Defense Secret Security Clearance” violent neo-Confederate groups such as the League of the South (LoS).
Opinion: The cold truth about Republicans’ hot air over critical race theory
Christopher Rufo, a clever propagandist who has done more than anyone else to whip up the national uproar over critical race theory, tweeted out in March an explanation of how he was redefining the term.
ABHM Book Club presents Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
ABHM Book Club is reading A Long Walk to Freedom: the Autobiography of Nelson Mandela during June and July. Sign up for the free Book Club meetings here and learn more about the world-touring exhibition about Mandela currently at the Milwaukee Public Museum.
Black Workers Stopped Making Progress on Pay. Is It Racism?
African-American Employment in the United States has remained stagnant compared to their White counterparts. Economists determine why.
I’m happy Juneteenth is a Federal holiday–but don’t let it be whitewashed
An Op-Ed: We should be happy to popularize and celebrate Juneteenth. But we should celebrate it with the same fervor in which it was celebrated the summer of 2020, with protests, political education, and an understanding that the house of the slavemaster still stands, despite a fresh coat of paint. We must celebrate Juneteenth knowing the kind of force it took for enslaved Black people to attain emancipation – and the equivalent political force it may take to finally and absolutely uproot the American capitalist. Wisconsin celebrated it 50th Juneteenth in 2021 with a long parade up Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, complete with Civil War re-enactors, beauty queens and kings, and Black public servants, among them County Executive David Crowley and Congresswoman Gwen Moore. This city was one of the first in the nation to celebrate the holiday.
Special News Series: Rising Up for Justice! – Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday
The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery. The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday.
Why History Museums Are Convening a ‘Civic Season’
The Smithsonian Institute’s American History Museum decided to re-create the training experience of the nonviolent direct action workshops like those Reverend James Lawson had begun in 1959 in Nashville where he taught Ghandian tactics to eventual movement leaders like John Lewis and Diane Nash. Read about how complicated histories can be exhibited in museums in new, highly engaging ways and watch a 20 min. video of that play and audience participation.
Special News Series: Rising Up for Justice! – Black Lives Matter protesters make Palestinian struggle their own
BLM recently came out in support of Palestinians’ fight for liberation. A rally in New York City linking defunding the NYPD with ending aid to Israel highlights a growing awareness that these anti-colonial struggles connect us all.
Top UNC-Chapel Hill Candidate Turns Down Job Because the University Chose White Supremacy Over Nikole Hannah-Jones
It looks like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is finding out the hard way that bending to white fragility can come at a cost.
In Compton, a School That Paved the Way for Generations of Black Artists
A school in Compton allowed for generations of Black artists to express themselves despite setbacks.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – A Timeline of What Has Happened in the Year Since George Floyd’s Death
The country has both struggled to confront its history of racial division while continuing to succumb to it. Here’s a look back at all that has transpired since the killing of Mr. Floyd.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – George Floyd’s Family Meets With Biden Amid Negotiations Over Police Reform Bill
President Biden lauded the courage of George Floyd’s family after meeting with them on the first anniversary of his murder by a Minneapolis police officer, a killing that launched protests and calls for police reform nationwide.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – The fight to whitewash US history: ‘A drop of poison is all you need’
At least 15 states are trying to ban schools from teaching critical race theory and the 1619 Project. The reactionary movement stretches back to the 1920s and the KKK.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! -‘I allowed myself to feel guilty for a very long time’: the teenage cashier who took George Floyd’s $20
A year ago, Christopher Martin took an allegedly counterfeit bill. The police were called, and shortly after, Floyd would be dead.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – BLM Backlash: The nation’s racial reckoning meets bitter resistance at a high school in FL named for a Confederate
“This is not an isolated incident. This is happening to teachers across the U.S. And it’s not just about the teachers, it’s about the students and the chilling effect that these schools are having on their right to a quality education and a safe learning environment.”
Netflix’s ‘High on the Hog’ Retraces the Origins of Black Food Culture
Netflix’s ‘High on the Hog’ documentary traces how African food and traditions were transported to America, and how this culinary legacy continues to thrive in various U.S. food scenes.
Special News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Columbus city council approves $10 million settlement with family of Andre Hill
A $10 million settlement between the family of Andre Hill and the city of Columbus, Ohio, was approved in a city council vote on May 17th, formalizing a deal announced a week earlier.