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Lawsuit alleging environmental racism in Louisiana parish allowed to proceed, federal court says
NationalNews

Lawsuit alleging environmental racism in Louisiana parish allowed to proceed, federal court says

\ACK BROOKApril 11, 2025

By JACK BROOK Associated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A civil rights lawsuit alleging a south Louisiana parish engaged in racist land-use policies by placing polluting industries in majority-Black communities can move forward, a federal appellate court says. On Thursday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that a trio of faith-based community groups could proceed with a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in the petrochemical buildout in St. James Parish, a region in the heart of Louisiana’s heavily industrialized Chemical Corridor. It is often referred to by environmental groups as “Cancer Alley” for its

Henry Louis Gates Jr. goes from host to guest on PBS’ ‘Finding Your Roots’
EntertainmentNational

Henry Louis Gates Jr. goes from host to guest on PBS’ ‘Finding Your Roots’

MARK KENNEDYApril 9, 2025

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For 11 seasons, Henry Louis Gates Jr. has sat across from his guests on the popular PBS series “Finding Your Roots” and led them through secrets in their family tree. On Tuesday, it’s his turn. The Harvard scholar learns a long-buried puzzle about his great-great grandmother, Jane Gates, information which scrambles his ancestry and opens up a new branch that goes back to Ireland. “I was moved to tears,” Gates tells The Associated Press ahead of the airing. “I used to pass her grave at the Gates’ plot in Rose

Black Lives Matter Plaza’s end — like its beginning — is a barometer of the times
NationalNewsPolitical

Black Lives Matter Plaza’s end — like its beginning — is a barometer of the times

ASHRAF KHALILApril 7, 2025

BY ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It started as an ordinary D.C. intersection — a tourist destination with a modest white church on the corner, notable largely for an unobstructed view of the White House across Lafayette Park. Then, in the pandemic summer of 2020, it transformed. The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police turned the nexus of 16th and H streets into a focal point for decades-old grievances over police brutality and racial inequities. Even before it was named Black Lives Matter Plaza, thousands of protesters descended there daily, many staying around the

First-Ever Report on `Hate Incidents’ Released by LA County  
NationalNews

First-Ever Report on `Hate Incidents’ Released by LA County  

City News Service, Inc.April 4, 2025

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations today released its first-ever Hate Incident Report, showing reported non-criminal hate acts in the county grew 35%, from 609 in 2022 to 821 in 2023. Hate incidents are non-criminal occurrences motivated by prejudice or bias against a person or group’s actual or perceived identity. Such incidents can include verbal abuse, harassment and displays of offensive material. According to the survey, reported hate incidents taking place at schools, colleges and universities rose 234% — from 59 to 197. Incidents with white supremacist ideology increased 124% — from 33 to

Smithsonian African American Museum Director Placed on Leave
NationalNews (Business)

Smithsonian African American Museum Director Placed on Leave

Stacy M. BrownApril 2, 2025

By Stacy M. Brown BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent Kevin Young, the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), is currently on personal leave and not leading the museum, according to Smithsonian officials. The leave began on March 14 and will continue for an “undetermined period,” according to Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s under-secretary for museums and culture. Shanita Brackett, the museum’s associate director of operations, has stepped in as acting director. Young has served as director since January 2021, succeeding Lonnie G. Bunch III after Bunch became Secretary of the Smithsonian. Under Young’s leadership, the museum

Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath suspends 2026 run for governor, citing her husband’s cancer
NationalNewsPolitical

Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath suspends 2026 run for governor, citing her husband’s cancer

JEFF AMYApril 2, 2025

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath on Monday announced that she’s suspending her exploratory bid for governor in 2026, casting uncertainty on the Democratic field. McBath might still run for governor that year, spokesperson Jake Orvis said, but she needs to focus on her husband Curtis’ health right now after complications from a recent cancer surgery. “I’m so grateful for everyone who has stood by my family as we undergo this arduous period. I will be spending some time focusing on my husband’s health, and I cannot make a decision to run for

Senator Booker’s Historic 25-Hour Speech Sparks ‘Good Trouble,’ Pressures Democrats to Respond
NationalNews

Senator Booker’s Historic 25-Hour Speech Sparks ‘Good Trouble,’ Pressures Democrats to Respond

Nathan J. Lee, Contributing WriterApril 2, 2025

Senator Cory Booker, the senior Democrat from New Jersey, delivered the longest speech in U.S. Senate history, speaking from 7 p.m. on March 31 to 8:05 p.m. on April 1, 2025. In honor of the late civil rights leader and Representative John Lewis, he dedicated the 25-hour and 5-minute speech to the pursuit of “good trouble,” drawing national attention.

Will Smith gets a street named in the Philadelphia neighborhood where he was born and raised
EntertainmentLocalNational

Will Smith gets a street named in the Philadelphia neighborhood where he was born and raised

APMarch 28, 2025

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In West Philadelphia where he was born and raised, now there’s a street called Will Smith Way. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and city leaders honored the Oscar and Grammy winner on Wednesday, renaming a street next to Smith’s old high school. “Philly, I love you. I am yours. You are mine,” Smith said at a ceremony along a section of 59th Street that now bears his name. He reminisced about learning the values of hard work and education from his mother and father before hitting it big as an actor and rapper. “Nobody gets an easy ride,”

Former Utah Rep. Mia Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to the US House, has died
NationalPolitical

Former Utah Rep. Mia Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to the US House, has died

HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and MATTHEW BROWNMarch 26, 2025

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love of Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants who became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, died Sunday.\ She was 49. Love’s family posted news of her death on Love’s X account. She had undergone recent treatment for brain cancer and received immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at Duke University’s brain tumor center. Her daughter said earlier this month that the former lawmaker was no longer responding to treatment. Love died at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, according

Ilm Foundation Hosts its Annual ‘Humanitarian Day’: “A single day of giving can inspire a lifetime of change.”
EventLocalNationalNewsReligion

Ilm Foundation Hosts its Annual ‘Humanitarian Day’: “A single day of giving can inspire a lifetime of change.”

Nusaybah Al-Mansur, Contributing Writer

On Sunday, March 16th, 2025, Ilm Foundation hosted its 25th annual Humanitarian Day (HDAY), an event dedicated to aiding the underserved of Los Angeles. Held at Gladys Park in Skid Row, sponsors, vendors and volunteers gathered to provide essential items, as well as eye, dental and health screenings, to those in need.

One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen remembers struggle for recognition amid Trump’s DEI purge
NationalPolitical

One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen remembers struggle for recognition amid Trump’s DEI purge

MEAD GRUVER and THOMAS PEIPERTMarch 24, 2025

By MEAD GRUVER and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press AURORA, Colo. (AP) — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went