Featured
Hope is not the same as optimism, a psychologist explains − just look at MLK’s example. By Kendra Thomas / The Conversation
On April 3, 1968, standing before a crowded church, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. painted his vision for justice. “I’ve seen the Promised Land,” he said. “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”
Twenty-two hours later, he was assassinated.
King’s prophetic words express the virtue of hope amid hardship. He was not optimistic that he would reach the “Promised Land,” yet he was hopeful about the ultimate goal.
In conversation, “hope” and “optimism” can often be used as synonyms. But there’s an important gap between them, as psychology research suggests. Read more
Political / Social
Why We Can’t Stop Arguing About Whether Trump Is a Fascist. By Andrew Marantz / The New Yorker
Is he a racist? Sure, by many definitions. Is he a sexual abuser? Yes, according to at least one jury. Is he corrupt? Cartoonishly so. Would he like to be a “dictator”? Perhaps, if you take him at his word, although, on second thought, his word is famously unreliable.
Among the nonadmirers, the debate continues. Not about whether all of this is no-good, very bad news but about how, exactly, Trump and Trumpism are bad—how to put the man and the movement in historical context. “He is an authoritarian personality devoid of any commitment to the rule of law, political tradition, or even ideology,” the emeritus Columbia historian Robert O. Paxton wrote, in 2017, in Harper’s Magazine. “Are we therefore looking at a fascist? Read more
Related: Trump’s Backers Are Determined Not to Blow It This Time Around. By Thomas B. Edsall / NYT
Related: The former Trump aides who would rather not see him on the ballot. By Mariana Alfaro / Wash Post
Trump Wants to Strengthen Anti-Racism Protections … for White People. By Hafiz Rashid / The New Republic
If Donald Trump is elected to a second term in November, his allies plan to end this country’s long-standing oppression of a major marginalized group in America: white people.
Trump’s supporters inside and outside his campaign are making plans to use civil rights laws to counter what they perceive as “anti-white racism,” Axios reported Monday. These include programs that seek to combat racism within the government and corporate America, such as those that provide economic opportunities to marginalized and minority groups. Some of these programs began after the pandemic and racial justice protests of 2020, while others go back decades. Read more
We’ve been talking about diversity, equity and inclusion all wrong. By Candace Moore / The Grio
Diversity is something to celebrate not run away from. DEI is not a boogeyman; it’s actually a superpower. It brings together the collective genius of communities that have been built from different experiences, challenges and traditions.
No matter where I’ve worked, I’ve always been driven by a passion for upholding fairness and justice. To connect people. To form a bridge between what communities need and what opportunities and resources they can access. It’s on this bridge where concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion serve as our guides, helping to ensure fairness in how we get to our destination. However, lately, that bridge has been under attack and the number one target: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Read more
New Study Sheds Light On The Impact Of Racism On Black Male Suicides. By Daniel Johnson / Black Enterprise
Study reveals alarming suicide ideation among rural Black men in Georgia.
According to a new study from the University of Georgia, one in three Black men who live in rural areas in Georgia have thought about death or suicide in the last two weeks. Their experiences with racism during childhood may play outsized roles in the pattern. As UGA Today reported, the study illuminates that coming of age in an environment with limited resources and experiencing racism while growing up makes it difficult to have deep and fulfilling relationships with others. Feelings of mistrust and an abundance of caution towards relationships can lead to feelings of isolation, which leads to thoughts of death and suicide. Read more
A biased test kept thousands of Black people from getting kidney transplants — it’s finally changing. By AP and NBC News
A widely used test overestimated how well Black people’s kidneys were functioning, in some cases delaying diagnosis of organ failure.
Jazmin Evans had been waiting for a new kidney for four years when her hospital revealed shocking news: She should have been put on the transplant list in 2015 instead of 2019 — and a racially biased organ test was to blame. As upsetting as that notification was, it also was part of an unprecedented move to mitigate the racial inequity. Evans is among more than 14,000 Black kidney transplant candidates so far given credit for lost waiting time, moving them up the priority list for their transplant. Read more
World News
U.N. Chief Calls on World Leaders to Carve Out Reparations for Slavery and ‘Help Overcome Generations of Exclusion and Discrimination.’ By Ike Morgan / Atlanta Black Star
United Nations officials are continuing calls for reparations for Africans and people of African descent in an effort to render justice.
During its International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the U.N.’s leader advocated for reparations for slavery, deeming it essential to combat systemic racism. “We call for reparatory justice frameworks to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a March 25 statement, according to a NBC News. Read more
Biden’s Increasingly Contradictory Israel Policy. By Isaac Chotiner / The New Yorker
A former State Department official explains the Administration’s sharpening public critique of Israel’s war and simultaneous refusal to “impose a single cost or consequence.”
For months, the White House has criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with President Biden himself calling the offensive “over the top” and the bombing “indiscriminate.” But the President has continued to insure that Israel is supplied with weapons and aid. This mixture of rebuke and support has led to increasing confusion about what exactly his Administration is trying to accomplish. Read more
Related: Anti-Muslim bias reports skyrocket after Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. By Jason DeRose / NPR
Related: Israel’s Brutality Is Increasing—and So Is Its Denialism. By Linah Alsaafin / The Nation
African Deep Thought. By M. Keith Claybrook, Jr / AAIHS
The African American Studies Department planning committee at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1973 (Wikimedia Commons/William Boyd)
The recent increased attention given to understanding racism, critical white studies, and anti-racist politics must also include an investigation and critique of European thoughts and behavior as it relates to theories and approaches in academia in general and critical thinking more specifically. African Deep Thought, an African-centered approach to critical thinking, is an alternative to European and Euro-American theories and approaches to critical thinking. Read more
How Black American Migrants Are Faring in Mexico. By Adam Mahoney / Capital B
Tolu Familoni quit her job and moved to Mexico City last year. She is one of thousands of Black Americans who’ve made the move in recent years. (Adam Mahoney/Capital B)
Since the 1990s, with a major uptick over the past few years, Americans have moved to Mexico by the tens of thousands every year. While neither Mexico nor the U.S. tracks racial data concerning American migration, from the coastal destinations like Playa del Carmen to the bustling city centers such as Merida, Black enclaves have popped up. Facebook groups like “Brothas & Sistahs In Mexico City” and “Black Expats in Mexico (drama free)” have amassed thousands of members. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
The Church of Trump: How He’s Infusing Christianity Into His Movement. By Michael C. Bender / NYT
Ending many of his rallies with a churchlike ritual and casting his prosecutions as persecution, the former president is demanding — and receiving — new levels of devotion from Republicans.
Long known for his improvised and volatile stage performances, former President Donald J. Trump now tends to finish his rallies on a solemn note. Soft, reflective music fills the venue as a hush falls over the crowd. Mr. Trump’s tone turns reverent and somber, prompting some supporters to bow their heads or close their eyes. Others raise open palms in the air or murmur as if in prayer. Read more
Related: Trump Is No Savior. By David French / NYT
Realities of US racism demand deeper commitment from bishops, say Black Catholics. By Brian Fraga / NCR
Nearly seven years after the U.S. Catholic bishops formed an Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism amid rising white nationalist activity, the United States continues to wade through a troubled chapter in its centuries-long history of racial injustice.
Black people are still killed by police officers at a rate disproportionate to their percentage of the population. New laws in some states limit how racism can be taught in public schools. Attempts to address systemic racism in recent years have been dismissed by right-wing activists as “wokeness,” and reframed as examples of reverse racism against white people. Read more
Related: DC’s Cardinal Gregory criticizes Biden’s ‘cafeteria’ Catholicism. By Brian Fraga / NCR
Poll: Muslims most discriminated group in US, but Jews not far behind. By Yonat Shimron / RNS
The poll, taken in February, reflects changing attitudes toward U.S. Jews in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the fierce, now 6-month-old war in Gaza.
The survey of 12,693 U.S. adults conducted by the Pew Research Center finds that the number of people who say there is a lot of discrimination against Jews has doubled in the last three years, jumping from 20% in 2021 to 40% today. Muslims still top the list of religious and ethnic groups facing discrimination in the view of American adults, with 44% of those surveyed saying Muslims face a lot of discrimination, up from 39% in 2021. The share of the overall U.S. public saying Jews face a lot of discrimination is now identical to the share saying the same about Black people (40%). Read more
When Faith Meets Fascism. By Laura Flanders / The Nation
Producer Rob Reiner and director Dan Partland discuss the rise of Christian nationalism and their new film God & Country.
Mix religion up with a macho, messianic form of white nationalism, and you get a toxic brew—one that’s dangerous not only to the very idea of secular democracy but also to Christianity itself. History has seen crusades before, but today’s Christian nationalism is posing a real and immediate threat. In God & Country, a new documentary based on the book The Power Worshipers by Katherine Stewart, director Dan Partland and producer Rob Reiner look at the phenomenon of Christian nationalism, with insights from scholars and activists as well as Christian leaders like the Rev. William Barber of the Poor People’s Campaign. Read more
Historical / Cultural
“They Don’t Want to Teach Black History.” By Frances Madeson / Mother Jones
Not far from a birthplace of the Black Lives Matter movement, a school district convulses after Black history and literature classes are canceled.
The protests and student walkouts have stopped as an uneasy calm settles over St. Charles County, Missouri, after the community’s all-white school board threatened to eliminate both a Black history class and Black literature class, saying the curriculum contained elements of critical race theory. As community outrage drew national media attention, the board retreated and said the curriculum would be reviewed, rewritten to be “largely political neutral” and brought back in time for the next school year. Read more
Last remaining Tulsa Race Massacre survivors argue for appeal in reparations lawsuit dismissal. By Steve Osunsami and Dhanika Pineda / ABC News
The survivors are looking to appeal their lawsuit’s dismissal.
Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher, both 109 years old, went to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon to appeal the dismissal of their lawsuit against the City of Tulsa for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Read more
The Tragic Details Surrounding Marvin Gaye’s Death at the Hands of His Father on the 40th Anniversary of His Slaying. By Nicole Duncan-Smith / Atlanta Black Star
As the world sits back and reflects on the life and tragic death of Motown crooner Marvin Gaye 40 years ago, many are shocked to learn that his father shot him in his home a day before his 45th birthday on April 2, 1984.
Gaye’s life was complicated. At one point of his career, he was the shining star of Motown, gifting the world with love ballads like “Let’s Get It On” and “I Want You,” as well as socially conscious anthems such as “Mercy, Mercy Me” and “What’s Going On.” Yet, there were other moments where he grappled with drug addiction, womanizing, and dark demons, evident in songs like “Troubled Man.” Read more
Beyoncé’s ‘Blackbiird’ breathes new life into a symbol that has inspired centuries of Black artists, musicians and storytellers. By Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc-Smith / The Conversation
Prior to the release of “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé explained that her album’s links to country were motivated by industry gatekeeping. She was likely referencing the hostile reception she experienced after her performance of “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks during the 2016 Country Music Awards.
One of the songs, “Blackbiird,” is a rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” from their 1968 White Album. The Beatles’ “Blackbird” has a folk bent, but they were certainly influenced by country and other American genres, especially Black rhythm and blues. All of this musical history comes together in Beyoncé’s cover of “Blackbird,” whose composer, Paul McCartney, has a producer credit. Read more
Black Business Excellence: The Top Black Celeb Billionaires. By Stephanie Holland / The Root
LeBron James, Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and Jay-Z top Forbes’ list of celebrity billionaires.
We live in a world with an extraordinary wealth gap. The Grand Canyon sized chasm between the super rich and the rest of us seems to grow larger every day. And for Black folks, that wealth gap only gets bigger. According to Bloomberg, in 2022, single Black women who’ve never been married hold “eight cents for every dollar in median wealth owned by a White man.” That’s a staggering wealth divide for Black women, but sadly unsurprising. Despite changing opinions on the uber rich, we’re still fascinated by billionaires. We’re particularly interested in celebrity billionaires. Read more
Sports
Black Student-Athletes Tired of Being the ‘Odd One Out’ at White Schools. By Niles Garrison / Capital B
HBCUs offer a “second curriculum” for some on how to be Black in America.
When Ronald Davis III was deciding where to attend college in 2021, he was drawn to Eastern Washington University. He was recruited by the small school as defensive back, and being a kid from Seattle, staying home on a good football scholarship was all he could ask for. But once he got there, he felt detached from campus life outside of athletics. He felt out of place — at Eastern Washington University, the student body is 62% white and just 4% of students are Black. When it came time to choose an undergraduate school, he landed on Morehouse College, which he felt might better serve him as a student. Read more
The NCAA women’s tournament is better than the racist, misogynistic press coverage it receives. By William C. Rhoden / Andscape
The only narrative should be competition, not a manufactured morality play of old tropes
Sports are often used as a morality play, especially when a high-profile team made up of Black players competes against a team with a white star. In the case of LSU vs. UCLA, a mostly Black team goes against a team whose virtues — in the view of the writer — stand in contrast to those of the team with more white players than LSU. Read more
Related: Governor threatens scholarships after LSU women miss anthem at NCAA tournament. The Guardian
Lakers’ LeBron James on his NBA future after win over Nets: ‘I don’t have much time left.’ By Jovan Buha / The Athletic
LeBron James isn’t sure when he’s retiring — but he knows it’s approaching soon.
After scoring 40 points and tying his career high with nine 3-pointers in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Sunday, James was asked how long he plans to continue playing in the NBA. “Not very long,” James said. “Not very long. I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill. I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.” Read more
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