Friday morning, the Raphael Warnock for U.S. Senate campaign announced a new round of endorsements from state officials, including members of the Metro Atlanta delegation inside the State Capitol. Included in the endorsements are House Minority Whip William Boddie and Minority Caucus Secretary Pat Gardner. Thursday, five Atlanta City Council Presidents, including current President Felicia […]
Posted inEducation
150 faculty members sign open letter to Georgia State University president for more diversity
Over 150 Georgia State University faculty members signed an open letter to the school’s president, Mark Becker, regarding a greater push for diversity and inclusion within its faculty. GSU’s student body is 75 percent non-white, while nearly 70 percent of its faculty members are White. The letter reads as follows: Dear President Becker, We are […]
Posted inFeatured Stories
Starbucks bows to pressure; allows employees to rep Black Lives Matter
As the outcry to “replace Starbucks” regained momentum this week, Starbucks announced on Friday it would allow employees to wear apparel supporting the Black Lives Matter movement after suffering from an intense social media campaign. Reportedly, the coffee maker will make 250,000 shirts of their own. Earlier this week, the coffee company informed their employees […]
Posted inEntertainment
ABC casts first black ‘Bachelor following outcry for diversity
Following a petition urging ABC to address a lack of diversity on its enormously popular reality dating franchise, ABC has cast the first black “Bachelor.” Matt James will be the star of the 25th season of “The Bachelor.” James, 28, was a popular contestant on Season 16 of “The Bachelorette” and is the best friend […]
Posted inSpecial Coverage
The partisan chasm over ‘systemic racism’ is on full display
The throngs of protesters demanding systemic changes in policing are marching directly into one of the deepest chasms between the two political parties. The belief that widespread racism is no longer a problem in American society has become one of the core convictions uniting the modern Republican coalition, especially in the Donald Trump era, polls […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Alarming rise in virus cases as states roll back lockdowns
States are rolling back lockdowns, but the coronavirus isn’t done with the U.S. Cases are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could intensify as people return to work and venture out during the summer. In Arizona, hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst. […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Coronavirus survivor in US receives double lung transplant
Surgeons in Chicago have given a new set of lungs to a young woman with severe lung damage from the coronavirus. Northwestern Medicine on Thursday announced the procedure, which took place last Friday. Only a few other COVID-19 survivors, in China and Europe, have received lung transplants. The Chicago patient is in her 20s and […]
Posted inEntertainment
HBO Max removes ‘Gone With the Wind,’ will add context
HBO Max has temporarily removed “Gone With the Wind” from its streaming library in order to add historical context to the 1939 film long criticized for romanticizing slavery and the Civil War-era South. Protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death have forced entertainment companies to grapple with the appropriateness of both current and past […]
Posted inElection Central
Why Donald Trump’s ‘Juneteenth’ speech will be a disaster
Donald Trump will return to the 2020 campaign trail on June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a move freighted with racial symbolism and one almost certain to end poorly for the incumbent president. The selection of Tulsa as the place where Trump returns to the stump and the date on which he is choosing to do […]
Posted inElection Central
Press secretary claims Juneteenth is a ‘meaningful day’ to Trump but others see racist play
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Thursday that President Donald Trump will resume campaign rallies on Juneteenth, a holiday marking the emancipation of slaves, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city with a history of a racial massacre. She claimed Trump will “share some of the progress that has been made” for black Americans — […]
Posted inElection Central
Jon Ossoff wins Georgia US Senate Democratic primary after major voting delays
Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff won the Democratic primary for a US Senate seat, CNN projected Thursday, becoming a standard bearer for a party increasingly hopeful of taking the Republican Southern stronghold in 2020. Ossoff garnered over 50% of the vote, avoiding a runoff despite fierce competition from other Democrats. He will now face incumbent Republican […]
Posted inElection Central
LeBron James and other athletes start organization to help African Americans vote
NBA superstar LeBron James has partnered with other black athletes and entertainers to start a group aimed at protecting the voting rights of African Americans, The New York Times reported. The organization, called “More Than a Vote,” will pair up with other voting organizations and work to help get African Americans to register to vote […]
Posted inFeatured Stories
Nike joins the companies making Juneteenth an annual paid holiday
Nike is adding June 19, a holiday called Juneteenth, to its list of official, paid company holidays. The sportswear giant joins a growing number of companies that announced this week they are making Juneteenth, the oldest known US celebration of the end of slavery, an annual company holiday. Twitter, Square and Vox Media also plan […]
Posted inSports
Ex-NFL star Emmanuel Acho ‘honors’ actor Matthew McConaughey for fronting up to talk about race
“How can I do better as white man,” actor Matthew McConaughey recently asked Emmanuel Acho as part of the former NFL star’s YouTube series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.” “You have to acknowledge there is a problem,” former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Acho advised McConaughey. “So you can take more ownership for the problem. “Individually […]
Posted inSports
49ers CB Richard Sherman calls for more diversity in NFL
Richard Sherman believes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement condemning racism was a good start to dealing with the issue. But the San Francisco 49ers’ star cornerback called on the league to do a lot more that just talk in the coming weeks and years to confront a problem that hasn’t gone away despite years of […]