Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, dies at age 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87.
Student brings loaded gun to elementary school, police say
The Richmond Police Department announced a student brought a loaded gun to Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School on Tuesday, following reports of a gun on school property.
AMC Theatres issues apology, talks with Barber, will meet next week in Greenville after he was forced to leave over chair
AMC Theatres has issued a statement of apology and will meet with Bishop William J. Barber II after he was escorted out of its Greenville theater when he was not allowed to use his own chair to watch a movie, according to WNCT 9 television in Greenville, N.C.
UR presents African Film Weekend
Mati Diop was initially disappointed when she, by reading a news article, discovered that she was the first Black female filmmaker in the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious competi- tion in its 72-year history.
Master gardeners to celebrate pollinators at June events
The Henrico County office of Virginia Cooperative Extension and Henrico County Master Gardeners will offer activities and events throughout June to celebrate pollinators and promote the vital role they play in healthy ecosystems.
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Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ shoes sold for millions
Sotheby’s auction house announced April 11 that a pair of Air Jordans worn by Michael Jordan during his final championship run with the Chicago Bulls has sold at auction for $2.2 million, surpassing the record for the most valuable sneakers ever sold, reports CBS News.
‘Good trouble’
Civil rights leader John Lewis to be featured on postage stamp
Civil rights giant and former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who spent decades fighting for racial justice, will be honored with a postage stamp in 2023. The U.S. Postal Service recently announced that the John Lewis stamp “celebrates the life and legacy” of the leader from Georgia, who risked his life protesting against segregation and other injustices in the violent Jim Crow-era South.
Byron Allen buys $100 million home
Media mogul ByronAllen just became the first African-American to pay $100 million for a home in the United States.
UR removes name of former slaveholder from law school
Thomas C. Williams’ name has been removed from the University of Richmond’s school of law, following a vote by the university’s board of trustees last week and as part of a larger effort to disassociate the legacy of slavery and racism from the campus.
Petersburg policeman found not guilty in tasing incident
A Petersburg Police officer was acquitted on Aug. 4 of misdemeanor assault charges for using a taser twice last October on a resident who allegedly walked around the city openly carrying firearms.
Vice President Kamala Harris tests positive for COVID-19
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House announced, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus even as the United States eases restrictions in a bid to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Ishmael Reed among Anisfield-Wolf Award winners
Author, playwright and longtime champion of multiculturalism Ishmael Reed is receiving a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to literature.
Pope Francis calls for Easter truce in Ukraine
Pope Francis opened Holy Week on Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to “make some sacrifices for the good of the people.”
National Urban League finds State of Black America is grim
ATLANTA The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9 percent of the American pie white people enjoy.
Will Smith gets 10-year ban over Oscar slap
The motion picture academy has banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years following his slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
Incoming U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson celebrated at White House ceremony
“In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.” With those words, incoming Justice Ketanji Brown Jack- son acknowledged both the struggles and progress of Black Americans in her lifetime.
Pressure grows for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving Jan. 6 insurrection probe
Suspicions are growing that the lone Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court used his
Collins 1st GOP senator to support Judge Jackson for U.S. Supreme Court
Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday that she would vote to seat Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering President Joe Biden a bipartisan vote for his first high court nominee.
Singer Traci Braxton of ‘Braxton Family Values’ dies at 50
Singer Traci Braxton, who was featured with her family in the reality television series “Braxton Family Values,” died at age 50 on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
Obama, Emhoff test positive for COVID-19
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Tuesday.
Youngkin rolls back diversity, inclusion efforts in education, calling them ‘divisive concepts’
Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin’s administration has rescinded a series of policies, memos and other resources related to diversity, equity and inclusion that it characterized as “discriminatory and divisive concepts” in the state’s public education system.
Bill to allow marijuana resentencing killed by GOP lawmakers
A Republican-led panel of House of Delegates members on Monday blocked a bill that would have allowed people incarcerated or on probation for marijuana-related crimes to ask a court for a modified sentence.
Black female WWII unit to be recognized with Congressional Gold Medal
The only all-female, Black unit to serve in Europe during World War II will be honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.
Dr. Paul Farmer, global humanitarian leader, dies at 62
Dr. Paul Farmer, a U.S. physician, humanitarian and author renowned for providing health care to millions of impoverished people worldwide and who co-founded the global nonprofit Partners in Health, died Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. He was 62.
Tear-gassed protesters reach settlement with Richmond Police
A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by demonstrators who were tear-gassed by Richmond Police during a social justice protest in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police.
Askia Muhammad, dean of The Final Call editorial staff, dies at 76
Askia Muhammad, a renowned journalist, photographer, poet and columnist who served as an editor of The Final Call, died Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 76.
White House responds to HBCU bomb threats; Black leaders decry ‘domestic terrorism’
Black leaders are calling the recent series of bomb threats against several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) campuses “terrorism.” There have been threats to more than a dozen HBCUs so far this month, many of which occurred only in the past two days. The matter is so alarming that civil rights lawyer and attorney for the family of Ahmaud Arbery, Lee Merritt, who also is a graduate of Morehouse College, said that he believes the Biden administration should form a task force to get to the bottom of the threats and identify the source of the ongoing threats. As the news of the HBCU bomb threats over the past two days was making headlines, in the White House brief- ing on Tuesday, Feb. 1, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reporters, “We take these threats incredibly seriously. Our Homeland Security adviser is in close touch with law enforcement authorities at a federal and local level, and we are assessing what we think the origin, the reasoning, the motivation behind it is.” The Biden administration affirmed its continued support for HBCUs in this moment that is being characterized by leaders as domestic terrorism. “We are absolutely behind these HBCUs. We want to make it very clear that we take these threats seriously and we deeply value their contributions. But it’s important for law enforcement authorities and others to make an assessment before we make any determinations about next steps,” said the presidential spokesperson. On the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Congressional Black Caucus plans to engage with the Department of Justice on actions to be taken to address the threat of danger against HBCUs. Meanwhile, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, To- bacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are investigating the matter. “ATF is aware of bomb threats received by some Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We take all potential threats seriously and we regularly work with our law enforcement partners to determine the threat credibility,” ATF said in a statement. “This is a fluid situation with ongoing investigations, and we can’t comment on the specifics at this time.” White House Press Secretary Psaki said, “I would not call it irony, but I would say that it is scary. It is horrifying. It is terrible that these students, these faculty, these institutions are feeling under threat.” She added, “We don’t know more details at this point in time, and I don’t want to get ahead of law enforcement authorities ... but certainly, given the history you referenced, you know, this is something we’re very mindful of, and that is why we’re so focused on providing regular updates and seeing what our law enforcement team assesses.”
Janet Jackon doc, despite criticism, a hit for Lifetime
Janet Jackson’s four-part documentary on Lifetime was the network’s most-watched non-fiction show since “Surviving R. Kelly” three years ago, and viewership is continuing to grow.
Pharrell Williams calls for economic equity during MLK event
Singer and music producer Pharrell Williams is challenging corporate America to “do more” by supporting entrepreneurs of color and adopting economic equity measures.
’Who We Are’ offers a searing view of racism in U.S.
“If you’ve ever owned a slave, please raise your hand,” Jeffery Robinson asks a live audience at the beginning of “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” a searing documentary based on a lecture he has spent a decade perfecting.
Civil rights lawyer, legal scholar and professor Lani Guinier dies at 71
Lani Guinier, a civil rights lawyer and legal scholar whose nomination by President Bill Clinton to head the U.S. Justice Department’s civil rights division was pulled after conservatives criticized her views on correcting racial discrimination, has died. She was 71.
Democratic AGs continue fight seeking recognition of ERA
Three Democratic attorneys general on Monday sought to persuade a federal appeals court to revive a lawsuit to force the federal government to recognize Virginia’s 2020 vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and add it to the Constitution.
Wanda Young, member of Motown’s The Marvelettes, dies at 78
Wanda Young, a member of Motown’s chart-topping The Marvelettes, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, in suburban De- troit. She was 78.
Herring sues Town of Windsor, alleging discriminatory policing
The police department in Windsor, a small southeastern Virginia town located in Isle of Wight County, has operated in a way that led to discrimination against African-Americans and violated their constitutional rights, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring alleged in a lawsuit filed last week.
bell hooks, writer and groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69
NEW YORK bell hooks, the ground- breaking author, educator and activist whose explorations of how race, gender, economics and politics intertwined helped shape academic and popular debates over the past 40 years, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
Fire destroys former governor’s home
A Wednesday fire destroyed the Northern Virginia home of former Virginia Gov. and U.S. Sen. Chuck Robb and his wife, Lynda, who is the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Recount results in GOP control of House of Delegates
A three-judge panel overseeing a recount in a close House of Delegates race upheld the Republican candidate’s victory last Friday, a decision that also reaffirms the GOP’s takeover of the chamber and completes the party’s sweep of last month’s elections.
Youngkin inaugural plans include pricey dinner, music acts
Incoming Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin is planning a celebratory inaugural weekend that will include a mix of high-dollar ticketed events and other functions open to the public, according to a program that also touts an appearance by an unspecified Grammy-winning musical artist.
Charlottesville’s Lee statue to be melted down for new art
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protests to Charlottesville will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public art by an African-American heritage center.
Grand jury clears officer who shot and killed Pharrell Williams’ cousin
A special grand jury found that a Virginia Beach police officer was justified in fatally shooting a man armed with a gun during a chaotic night of violence on the city’s oceanfront this spring, authorities said late last month.
French honor for Josephine Baker stirs conflict over racism
On the surface, it’s a powerful message against racism: A Black woman will, for the first time, join other luminaries interred in France’s Pantheon. But by choosing a U.S.-born figure/entertainer Josephine Baker—critics say France is continuing a long tradition of decrying racism abroad while obscuring it at home.
Fashion designer Virgil Abloh dies of cancer at 41
Virgil Abloh, a leading designer whose groundbreaking fusions of streetwear and high couture made him one of the most celebrated tastemakers in fashion and beyond, has died of cancer. He was 41.
Egypt unveils renovated ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’ in Luxor
Egyptian authorities unveiled Nov. 25 a renovated ancient promenade in the city of Luxor dating back 3,000 years, the latest government project undertaken to highlight the country’s archaeological treasures.
Former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek of Florida being remembered
Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek, who died Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, is being remembered as a trailblazer, a descendant of a slave who became one of the first Black Floridians elected to Congress since Reconstruction.
Trailblazing golfer Lee Elder, the first Black to play in the Masters Tournament, dies at 87
Golfer Lee Elder played through the scourge of racism. He broke down enormous barriers. He carved a path for Tiger Woods and others to follow.
Jason Mott, Tiya Miles win National Book Awards
Jason Mott’s “Hell of a Book,” a surreal meta-narrative about an author’s promotional tour and his haunted past and present, has won the National Book Award for fiction—a plot twist Mr. Mott did not imagine for himself.
Virginia Supreme Court picks 2 special experts for redistricting
The Supreme Court of Virginia has selected two outside experts from a pool of nominees put forward by lawmakers to help it complete its task of drawing new legislative districts to conform with the 2020 Census.
Refunds, rate reduction expected for Dominion customers
Virginia regulators have approved a settlement that will bring to a close a review of the rates of the state’s largest electric utility and result in modest refunds and a rate reduction for Dominion Energy Virginia customers.
‘They tried to ban one. We’re coming back with a hundred’
Hundreds of pastors both rallied and prayed last week outside the trial of three white men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. They gathered in response to a defense lawyer’s bid to keep Black ministers out of the courtroom.
Two men exonerated in assassination of Malcolm X after more than 50 years
More than half a century after the assassination of Malcolm X, two of his convicted killers were exonerated last week after decades of doubt about who was responsible for the civil rights icon’s death.
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