Actor Jharrel Jerome, perhaps best known for his role in “Moonlight,” recalls walking to school a few years ago in his native New York City, worried about an upcoming test, when he was stopped by two police officers. “Stop! Can I see your bag?” one asked him. He immediately froze in fear. What did he […]
Posted inSports
NFL announces new social justice recipients
As part of its ongoing Inspire Change platform, the National Football League today announced this morning that eight social justice organizations are receiving grants, as approved by the joint NFL owner-player working group. The grants, which total nearly $2 million, are part of a $20 million commitment from the NFL and its teams to social justice organizations […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Spike Lee to present Denzel Washington with AFI Award
Spike Lee will honor Denzel Washington’s career by presenting his friend and collaborator with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. AFI said Tuesday that Lee will present the actor and director with the honor at a gala Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Lee has directed Washington in four films, including “Malcolm X” […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Barry Jenkins to direct film about choreographer Alvin Ailey
Barry Jenkins will direct a film based on the life of choreographer Alvin Ailey. A spokesperson for Fox Searchlight on Monday confirmed that the studio is developing the project, with the “Moonlight” filmmaker directing. Jenkins last helmed the Oscar-nominated James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Raised in segregated rural Texas, Ailey became a […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Appeals court grants Meek Mill a hearing in ’08 conviction
Meek Mill’s lawyers will get a chance to argue the rapper’s 2008 conviction on gun and drug charges should be overturned. Pennsylvania Superior Court granted Mill a hearing in his long-running appeal, his legal team announced Tuesday. Arguments are scheduled for July 16 in Philadelphia. Mill has been trying to get his conviction overturned because […]
Posted inElection Central
Report: Blacks, Latinos at risk of undercount in 2020 census
Emily Bonilla is worried her district in metro Orlando will be undercounted during next spring’s once-in-a-decade headcount of everybody in the United States because of who lives there: new arrivals, immigrants, the poor, renters and rural residents who sometimes regard government with suspicion. “We’re growing so fast that I know we have more people in […]
Posted inNews
Atlanta transit agency proposes timeline for big projects
Atlanta’s public transit agency has laid out a preliminary timeline for new construction projects that puts off some highly anticipated items to 2035 and later, a newspaper reported. The plan by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority calls for launching two bus rapid transit lines and making other bus improvements by 2025, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution […]
Posted inElection Central
Stacey Abrams to go to Hollywood as fears grow over GA abortion ban
After Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp postponed a trip to Hollywood amid fallout over the abortion ban he signed into law, his Democratic rival Stacey Abrams is planning to go instead. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Abrams will meet with Hollywood figures June 11 alongside the president of an abortion rights group. An invitation obtained […]
Posted inVoices
‘Black’ or ‘African American?’
In a recent televised commentary, Dr. Greg Carr, chair of Howard University’s Department of Afro-American Studies kick-started a stirring conversation that has mostly taken place inside the confines of Black communities around the country. Carr tackled the sometimes-uncomfortable topic of identifying as Black versus African-American. “Despite the dictionary definitions, there is no term that truly […]
Posted inSpiritually Speaking
Washington: ‘You can’t handle or hide from the love’
Have you ever gone someplace and come back with an impression of the experience etched into your psyche, seated into your memory banks? You vividly remember the smell, the feel, maybe the pain or the pleasure of the experience. As time goes by, reminiscing about it means re-experiencing that impression as if it was actually […]
Posted inFood
Culinary world, civil rights activists mourn loss of Leah Chase
Legendary New Orleans chef Leah Chase always had problems when customers asked if she served “soul food.” Well, that would depend on where your soul was, she’d say. If it was in China, she couldn’t really help you. But if your soul was in New Orleans, well that was different. “If your soul is in […]
Posted inAtlanta United
Josef Martinez scores twice, Atlanta wins once again
Josef Martinez scored twice Saturday night to give Atlanta United a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire in front of 67,502 people at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Martinez scored his ninth and tenth goals of the season. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan recorded his eighth clean sheet of the season, tying the team record set in 2018. “I feel […]
Posted inMoney
Invesco to expand its global headquarters in Atlanta
One of the world’s leading investment managers has announced plans to expand its global headquarters in Atlanta. Gov. Brian Kemp, in a news release, announced Invesco’s expansion Thursday. The company, which has been headquartered in Atlanta since 2007, plans to add 500 jobs and invest $70 million as part of the project. To accommodate the […]
Posted inVoices
Simmons: ‘Prevent long hot summer of violence in America’
Across the nation and throughout the world, millions of people are still morning the tragic and senseless killing of our Brother Nipsey Hussle. We are again reminded of the terrible sickness of violence in communities across the United States. We should not wait for another one of our heroes to be killed before we stand […]
Posted inEntertainment
Migos’ Offset has charges in phone-slapping case dismissed
Police in suburban Atlanta have dropped a felony charge against the rapper Offset, who was accused of knocking a cellphone out of a fan’s hands. Sandy Springs police Sgt. Sam Worsham told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that “all parties involved were able to come to an agreement.” The property damage charge stemmed from an […]