Alecia 🌻

Several said Black liberals don’t bail on the Democratic Party when its members make racist statements. Dennis said Joe Biden still got support after saying African Americans who refuse to vote for him aren’t truly Black. atlanta.capitalbnews.org/trump-obama-...

Stevie Wonder’s Battle for MLK Day and the New Challenges to King’s Legacy Forty-five years after Stevie Wonder helped to galvanize support for the holiday, historians warn that King’s legacy is being undone.

I wrote about how MLK Day was won, how Stevie Wonder helped to make it happen, and how King's legacy is being undermined today. capitalbnews.org/stevie-wonde...

Hey folks! For @capitalb.bsky.social I’m working on a story about how Black Americans are preparing for wage garnishment for public student loans. Those 270+ days past due could face up to 15% garnishment. Looking for those who may be impacted. Feel free to email me: Alecia.taylor@capitalbnews.org

More Maryland foster kids are staying with family Research shows that foster kids adjust better and are more likely to be reunited with the parents when they stay under the care of loved ones.

Maryland is boosting the share of foster kids living with family&loved ones, progress experts lauded, but the state still lags behind the national average. Have a story to share in Maryland foster or kinship care? I'd love to talk with you: maya.lora@thebanner.com www.thebanner.com/community/fa...

How Atlanta’s Beltline Turned Toxic Brownfields Into Green Corridors - Capital B News - Atlanta By removing pollutants from old rail corridors, the project has helped to revive communities burdened by contamination for generations.

By removing pollutants from old rail corridors, the project has helped to revive communities burdened by contamination for generations. https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/atlanta-beltline-cleanup-revival/

MIAMI (AP) — FIFA slashes price for some World Cup tickets to $60 for teams’ most loyal fans after global backlash.

Image of Susie Wiles. Text below the image reads: "Trump’s chief of staff: 
‘The punchers are women’ The president attacks women reporters because he’s “a counterpuncher,” Susie Wiles said."

Trump has long maligned journalists and dismissed news coverage he views as unfair to him as “fake news.”

Recently, he’s ratcheted up his insults directed toward respected veteran women reporters in particular, drawing concern and pushback from press freedom advocates. https://bit.ly/456fA4v

Black Colleges Enhance Security in Response to Bomb Threats In wake of past and recent threats, HBCUs are investing in cameras, technology and mental health counseling.

In light of the shootings at Brown and Kentucky State, my reporting on HBCUs investing grant dollars in safety and mental health hits close to home. I spoke with students and admins about preparing for terrorist threats. Thank you to @opencampus.org for the collab!

capitalbnews.org/hbcu-bomb-th...

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Join | Capital B Capital B is supported by people like you. Support Capital B today.

I’m proud to be part of @capitalb.bsky.social because our work doesn’t just report problems — it helps change people’s circumstances. We have a three-year plan to have more of that impact. To support the future of Black news:
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Republicans Allege Discrimination at George Mason, but the Data Tells a Different Story A 50-page report from House Republicans claims the head of the university violated civil rights with his diversity hiring plans.

Republicans accuse George Mason’s president of bias in diversity hiring. Students say little has changed and their professors are still majority white.

capitalbnews.org/george-mason...

New Emails Show What Happened Before a Texas A&M Professor’s Firing Emails obtained by <i>The Chronicle</i> show that Mark A. Welsh III, then the university’s president, was closely involved in managing a viral controversy over teachings on gender and sexuality.

In September, a Texas A&M professor was fired after a viral video depicted a heated exchange with a student in a children's literature course. New public records shed light on how the situation escalated.

Inside Blexit’s Bid to Win Over Young Black Voters at HBCUs This is the third year the grassroots conservative group has gone on tour during HBCU homecoming season.

Last week I attended BLEXIT’s tour stop at Bowie State University. The organization, which is an extension of Turning Point USA, said they weren’t there to change minds, just challenge people’s way of thinking.

capitalbnews.org/blexit-bowie...

Black Virginia School Board Member Censured After Turning Point USA Clash Weeks after a heated debate over the possibility of starting a high school chapter of deeply conservative Turning Point USA, a Black Virginia school board vice chairman has been censured for “unbecomi...

A Virginia school board voted to censure a member over his “unbecoming” conduct toward another board member who supported students starting a high school chapter of Turning Point USA

capitalbnews.org/virginia-sch...

Federal Layoffs Put Head Start, FAFSA, and Civil Rights Investigations at Risk As the government shutdown continues into its third week, more Department of Education workers were terminated.

This started as a story about education programs impacted by the shutdown. It turned into a stark warning from experts: if this continues, the consequences could be far worse.

capitalbnews.org/government-s...

North Carolina A&T’s ‘One Big Family Reunion’ During Homecoming Week Generations of the Robinson family will join tens of thousands of people flocking to the HBCU this weekend.

My first story about @ncatsuaggies.bsky.social Homecoming is up!

Generations of the Robinson family will join tens of thousands of people flocking to the HBCU this weekend. I’ll be on the ground capturing more of the Greatest Homecoming on Earth!!!

capitalbnews.org/north-caroli...

In LA, Olympic Dreams Lead to Nightmares for a Historic Black Community A federal investigation exposed a shady deal that has bigger ramifications for one of the metro area’s disappearing Black enclaves.

NEW: The LA Clippers claimed to fight climate change, but their tree-planting partner vanished while their superstar pocketed millions for doing nothing. Trees or no trees, it feels like smoke and mirrors for a city still losing its air and its children.

capitalbnews.org/clippers-int...

My First Byline: Aallyah Wright Rural issues reporter, Capital B

Capital B reporter Aallyah Wright is featured in the newest edition of @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social's Your First Byline. yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...

What a beautiful face behind those beautiful words 🥹🤩

The Black Women Driving a Food Revolution in Rural Mississippi From grocery stores to food distribution services, Black women are leading efforts to feed their communities.

From opening grocery stores to launching online delivery services, I traveled to rural Mississippi to highlight the work of two Black women who are reimagining how their communities eat and thrive.

This is part of the RNN's "Sowing Resilience" series.

capitalbnews.org/black-women-...

This high-stakes Johnson County trial could reshape abortion access in Kansas In a trial that started Friday in Johnson County, abortion providers are challenging Kansas laws that they say are designed to scare and shame women out of terminating pregnancies.

In a trial that started Friday in Johnson County, abortion providers are challenging Kansas laws that they say are designed to scare and shame women out of terminating pregnancies.

Black Students Confront Right-Wing Visitors as HBCU Security Tensions Grow Tennessee State University said students were respectful and the group, ‘Fearless Debates,’ did not provide advanced notice of their arrival.

Some of you may have seen the news about the MAGA group that tried to debate Tennessee State students early this week.

I wrote about the incident, the uni’s history of being underfunded and the calls to protect HBCUs from the far-right.

capitalbnews.org/maga-protest...

Black Professors on Turning Point’s Watch List Face Harassment On and Off Campus Black professors open up about being on the Professor Watch List started by the organization Charlie Kirk co-founded.

Black professors have been a target for the far-right since before Charlie Kirk’s death. I spoke to a few professors about their experiences being on Turning Point’s Professor Watch list.

capitalbnews.org/black-profes...

Newsletters We write the untold stories of Black America. Sign up now for Capital B's national, Atlanta, Gary and Everything's Politics newsletter emails.

I traveled across rural MS to learn how Black women are feeding their communities. The story is part of a series in collaboration with 8 other newsrooms and the Rural News Network.

My story publishes on Monday, but you can catch a preview in tomorrow’s newsletter.

capitalbnews.org/newsletters

In This Black Louisiana Town, Forests are Browning and Animals are Dying After the industrial explosion in rural Louisiana town, the EPA still says there is no health threat.

NEW: The trees in Roseland are turning brown. A month after an oil plant explosion coated this small Black town in toxic soot, experts say the forests are sick. If the land is poisoned — what about the people who call it home? capitalbnews.org/roseland-oil...

Chicago’s Black Immigrants Face New Wave of ICE Arrests and Uncertainty Nearly 70,000 immigrants from African countries live in the city, making up 5.2% of the population according to 2023 U.S. Census data.

Black Chicagoans are divided on how to respond to Trump’s renewed immigration crackdowns.
Some see echoes of overpolicing in their own communities.
Others say: “It’s not us against them.”
Here's what’s happening when I went on the ground to Chicago last week: capitalbnews.org/trump-ice-ra...

Trump Shifts $435M to HBCUs As Other Minority-Serving Colleges Lose Funding The Department of Education announced the funding boost just days after cutting $350 million from other grants.

The DOE will shift millions of dollars from MSIs to HBCUs + tribal colleges.

The UNCF said HBCUs are deserving of the money because they educate Pell grant-eligible students more than any other group in higher ed.

capitalbnews.org/trump-hbcus-...

At South Florida’s Only HBCU, a Leadership Feud Ends in Court Florida judge sides with board of trustees of Florida Memorial in fight over selecting the university’s next president.

South Florida’s HBCU drew some attention to itself when the Board of Trustees made their disagreements over the interim president public. A local judge put an end to it this week.

capitalbnews.org/florida-memo...

How a $5 Billion Federal Project Could Sink the Lower Ninth Ward For Good Decades after Betsy and Katrina, the community faces another threat — a canal proposal promising “progress” that could threaten its survival.

I spent six months walking the Lower Ninth Ward, speaking w/ dozens of neighbors, + combing through 6,000 pages of FOIA docs. My latest reveals what recent documentaries left out. If Katrina’s legacy moved you, don’t miss what’s happening to the community now capitalbnews.org/katrina-anni...

HBCUs Remain on Lockdown After Terrorist Threats Hampton University and Virginia State University were the first to report Thursday, but the list grew quickly.

Several Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country were on lockdown Thursday after a series of “terrorist threats.”

capitalbnews.org/hbcu-receive...