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Fla. school shooting survivors hoping to be catalyst for tougher gun laws
Bodies of the dead were still inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when the teenage survivors of the Valentine’s Day massacre began speaking out about gun violence.
30 members of Congress make pilgrimage to civil rights sites
About a dozen Democrats and Republicans prayed and sang “Amazing Grace” during a solemn ceremony last Friday at the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated nearly 50 years ago. The ceremony marked the start of a three-day congressional “pilgrimage” to sites with ties to the Civil Rights Movement in the South.
Justice Dept. opens investigation into Gray’s death; officers charged
There’s an uneasy quiet in Baltimore after six police officers were charged last week in the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while he was in their custody. Underneath the calm simmers apprehension and anger in the African-American community — ready to erupt again at any moment — if there’s another incident of police brutality against a black man in the town known as “Charm City.” That grim reality was clear Monday afternoon when angry community members and officers in riot gear quickly converged in West Baltimore after an erroneous TV report stated police had shot and perhaps fatally injured a young African-American man who was seen running away from pursuing officers.
Say her name
City of Louisville to pay the family of Breonna Taylor $12M to settle the wrongful death lawsuit filed after she was shot to death by police during a late-night raid of her home
Months after the police killing of Breonna Taylor thrust her name to the forefront of a national reckoning on race, the City of Louisville agreed to pay the Black woman’s family $12 million and reform police practices as part of a settlement announced Tuesday.
Harris team blindsided by Vogue cover
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has landed on the cover of the February issue of Vogue magazine, but her team says there’s a problem: The photo of the country’s soon-to-be No. 2 leader isn’t what both sides agreed upon, her team says.
Expanded Medicaid, more time for recess among new state laws
Hundreds of new Virginia laws went into effect Sunday, July 1.
Fidelity launches teen accounts
Looking to draw in the next generation of investors, Fidelity Investments is launching a new type of account for teenagers to save, spend and invest their money.
Meghan and Harry expecting
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex are expecting. The news set Twitter alight Monday as Kensington Palace confirmed speculation that had been rampant in recent British tabloids and announced that the royal couple will welcome their first child next spring, around a year after their glittering wedding injected Hollywood glamour and African-American style into the British royal family.
Ella Mai sweeps 2018 Soul Train Awards
British singer Ella Mai won big at the 2018 Soul Train Awards, dominating in three categories during Sunday night’s telecast and taking honors for best R&B/soul female artist, and song of the year and the Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award for “Boo’d Up.”
Grieving with Pittsburgh
Families of the 11 people killed in the synagogue massacre Saturday begin to bury the dead amid a national outpouring of support
Pittsburgh’s Jewish community began burying its dead following Saturday’s synagogue massacre. Funeral services were held Tuesday for a beloved family doctor, a pillar of the congregation, and two middle-aged brothers known as the Rosenthal “boys.”
First family celebrates Easter at historic black church
President Obama and the first family attended Easter service at a historic African-American church that traces its origins to the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. The Rev. Howard-John Wesley, pastor at the 198-year-old Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria’s Old Town, welcomed back the Obamas, whom he described as “the gorgeous family.” The Obamas also visited the church last Easter.
Alex Trebek remembered for grace that elevated him above TV host
Alex Trebek never pretended to have all the answers, but the “Jeopardy!” host became an inspiration and solace to Americans who otherwise are at odds with each other.
George Washington professor, who claimed to be Black, comes clean about her racial background
George Washington University is investigating the case of a history professor who allegedly admitted to fraudulently pretending to be a Black woman for her entire career.
State’s second medical marijuana dispensary opens in Richmond
Virginia’s second medical cannabis processor has opened in Richmond.
Backlash supreme
Demonstrations around the country continue as President Trump names U.S. Supreme Court nominee, bans Muslims from U.S.
Just two weeks have passed since his inauguration, and despite a torrent of action, disruption, protests and lawsuits, President Trump has been on a tear to keep campaign promises, uplifting his legions of supporters and dismaying his legions of opponents.
Obamas break ground for $830M presidential library
After five years of legal battles, gentrification concerns and a federal review, Barack and Michelle Obama dug shovels into the ground Tuesday during a celebratory groundbreaking on their legacy project in a lakefront Chicago park.
’Empire’ star Taraji P. Henson hailed for mental health work
“Empire” star Taraji P. Henson has enjoyed wealth, celebrity, a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination. But behind the scenes, she has battled anxiety and depression.
Tragedy in Vegas
Sunday’s bloody mass shooting outside casino is the worst massacre in recent U.S. history
The mystery and motive behind mass killer Stephen Paddock — gambler, accountant, auditor and real estate investor — continues to baffle federal authorities and law enforcement officials in Las Vegas who were working on Wednesday to discover what drove the 64-year-old to commit the worst mass murder in modern U.S. history.
Bruce Boynton, who inspired 1961 Freedom Rides after Richmond arrest, dies at 83
Bruce Carver Boynton, a civil rights pioneer from Alabama who inspired the landmark “Freedom Rides” of 1961, died Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. He was 83.
