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Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in, becomes 1st Black woman on Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 30, shattering a glass ceiling as the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court.
Ruth E. Carter becomes 1st Black woman to win 2 Oscars
Ruth E. Carter made history: The costume designer behind the “Black Panther” films became the first Black woman to win two Oscars.
Mitch McConnell stepping down as Senate Republican leader in November
Long before Sen. Mitch McConnell surprised colleagues Wednesday announcing he would step down as the Republican leader this fall, he knew the time had come.
A first: African-American marine promoted to 4-star general
The first African-American four-star general in Marine Corps history, Gen. Michael E. Langley, credited his father with telling him to “aim high” and predicted that his recent rank would have an impact on younger people.
Mandisa, Grammy-winning singer and ‘American Idol’ alum, dies at 47
Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album “Overcomer,” has died. She was 47.
Dexter Scott King, son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dies of cancer at 62
Dexter Scott King, who dedicated much of his life to shepherding the civil rights legacy of his parents — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King — died Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, after battling prostate cancer. He was 62.
Class of 2020 inspired by four-hour virtual ceremony headlined by the Obamas and Beyoncé
Former President Obama said in a commencement speech Sunday that the nationwide protests following the recent deaths of unarmed black women and men, including George Floyd in Minneapolis, were fueled from “decades worth of anguish, frustration, over unequal treatment and a failure to perform police practices.”
Angela Bassett to receive honorary Oscar
Angela Bassett may have gone home empty handed at the Oscars in March, but the two-time nominee will be getting a golden statuette this year after all — and in very good company too.
Gov. Northam signs ‘Breonna’s Law’ banning no-knock warrants
Two of Breonna Taylor’s aunts watched in Richmond on Monday as Gov. Ralph S. Northam ceremonially signed a statewide ban against police use of no-knock search warrants, a law named after Ms. Taylor, a Kentucky woman who was fatally shot when Louisville police broke down her door in the middle of the night.
Jeffrey Wright, shape-shifter supreme, sees some of himself in ‘American Fiction’
Jeffrey Wright has played Jean-Michel Basquiat, Martin Luther King Jr. and Muddy Waters. He’s played Colin Powell, a Dominican drug kingpin, Batman’s Commissioner Gordon and a longtime inmate nearing release. He’s played Bill Murray’s neighbor, a Civil War-era former slave, James Bond’s Felix Leiter, the nurse Belize in “Angels in America” and an android-human in “Westworld.”
Butler sworn in as third Black female senator in U.S. history, replaces late California Sen. Feinstein
Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler was sworn in as the newest member of the Senate on Tuesday, replacing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death and becoming only the third Black female senator in history.
A history of abuse, neglect and torture surrounds Black women’s maternity and mortality
For decades, frustrated birth advocates and medical professionals have tried to sound an alarm about the ways medicine has failed Black women. Historians trace that maltreatment to racist medical practices that Black people endured amid and after slavery.
Tiger at 40
Ten days after Tiger Woods turned 24, he picked up his 16th career PGA Tour victory by beating Ernie Els in an epic battle at Kapalua.
Kremlin says Griner swap must be discussed without publicity
The Kremlin said Aug. 5 that it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner, but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue. Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and an eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after police at a Moscow airport said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
Rapper Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest dies at 45
Phife Dawg, a masterful lyricist whose witty wordplay was a linchpin of the groundbreaking hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, died Tuesday from complications resulting from diabetes, his family said in a statement on Wednesday. He was 45. Born Malik Isaac Taylor, he was known as the “Five Foot Assassin” because he was 5 feet 3 inches tall.
Student loan forgiveness application website goes live
President Biden on Monday officially kicked off the application process for his student debt cancellation program and announced that 8 million borrowers had already applied for loan relief during the federal government’s soft launch period over the weekend.
Biden in State of the Union: ‘Finish the job’
President Biden exhorted Congress on Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Henrietta Lacks statue concept drawing unveiled in Roanoke
The future statue of Henrietta Lacks will depict the historical figure from Roanoke standing with arms folded in a blazer, long skirt and heeled shoes, according to a recently released drawing.
U.S. failed to stop fraud in COVID loan program, Clyburn says
The U.S. failed to take basic steps at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to prevent fraud in a federal aid program intended to help small businesses, depleting the funds and making people more vulnerable to identity theft, the chairman of a House panel examining the payouts said Tuesday.
