Featured
Black civil rights organizations are rallying to counter anti-DEI rhetoric. By Curtis Bunn / NBC News
National Urban League President Marc H. Morial says: “We’re going to fight. We’re going to battle because this is also about the soul of America.” National Urban League President Marc H. Morial in Washington in 2020.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file
An unofficial coalition of civil rights, political and advocacy groups are launching a multifaceted counter to the growing cries to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion efforts stoked by billionaires like Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, among others. The quests to abolish DEI “are a literal slap in our face,” Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League, told NBC News. “We’re up against an effort to contort and misrepresent what DEI really means.” Read more
Political / Social
The Challenges of an Aging President. The Editorial Board / NYT
A remarkably broad swath of the American public — both Mr. Biden’s supporters and his detractors — have expressed increasing doubts about his ability to serve for another five years because of his age.
Because of his age and his determination to run for a second term, President Biden is taking the American public into uncharted waters. He is the oldest person ever to serve as president, is the oldest ever to run for re-election and, if he is successful, would be 86 at the end of his tenure. Ronald Reagan, by comparison, was an unprecedented 77 when he ended his second term in 1989. Read more
Related: The Question Is Not If Biden Should Step Aside. It’s How. By Ross Douthat / NYT
Related: Laughing at a diminished Donald Trump won’t diminish the MAGA threat. By Chauncey Devega / Salon
The Supreme Court and the Risks of January 6, 2025. Jeannie Suk Gersen / The New Yorker
The Justices seem to want to avoid a major decision about whether Trump can serve as President—but if they do so they may set off a national crisis.
At oral arguments on Thursday, the courtroom seemed to vibrate with the historical significance of the moment. The Justices seemed to accept that responsibility, certainly enough to resolve the issue of the former President’s disqualification, but perhaps not quite enough to head off the feared danger. After oral arguments, there is little reason to doubt that the Court will decide in Trump’s favor. The suspense is over the grounds of the decision, which will carry enormous consequences for how the next year unfolds in this country. Read more
Warn Voters About the Radicalism Beyond Trump. By Nancy MacLean / The New Republic.
The Republicans are plotting to literally rewrite the Constitution to eliminate core rights and protections.
Lurking behind the full-frontal assault by Donald Trump and his enablers lies a more far-reaching threat. If the Republicans gain control of both Houses of Congress, expect a state-authorized Constitutional Convention to eviscerate core rights and protections most Americans hold dear. Imagine living in a country without Social Security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, the right to organize a union, civil rights enforcement, and clean air and water protections, let alone action to stop climate collapse. The Constitutional Convention, in the plain language of the leading organizer for it, aims “to reverse 115 years of progressivism.” Read more
Trump co-defendant accuses Georgia prosecutors of lying about when relationship started. By Holly Bailey and Amy Gardner / Wash Post
In a Friday motion, an attorney for Mike Roman, a longtime Republican operative who worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign, said that special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner will testify that Willis and Wade’s romantic relationship began before he was named to the case.
The filing pressed Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, to move forward with a Feb. 15 evidentiary hearing on Roman’s motion to disqualify Willis, Wade and the district attorney’s office. Read more
Needed: An Unprecedented Pitch to Voters of Color. By Cornell Belcher / The New Republic
In order to win reelection, Biden must worry less about working-class whites and more about the increasing share of Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters.
Tactically, the campaign will need to spend the lion’s share of its resources differently than campaigns of the past. You are not reaching younger voters of color on broadcast; the campaign will need to take the fight against Trump to the digital and social media space like never before. It will need to flood the zone day and night across all social media platforms. Our polling data shows the least motivated Black voters are hearing more negative than positive information about Biden on social media. That must change. Read more
The Political Perils of a Black-Jewish Rift Over the War in Gaza. By Charles M. Blow
“There’s no alliance more historic, nor more important, than the alliance between Black Americans and Jewish Americans.”
That’s what Marc Morial, the president of the National Urban League, said in 2020 during his organization’s Black-Jewish Unity Week joint event with the American Jewish Committee. But, Morial told me this week, that alliance is “being tested” by diverging views about the Israel-Hamas war. And that divergence could influence the way the two constituencies — both of which traditionally support Democrats — approach this year’s elections. Read more
Open Season – Written by: Ben Crump. Legalized Genocide of Colored People.
Genocide—the intent to destroy in whole or in part, a group of people.
As seen on CBS This Morning, award-winning attorney Ben Crump exposes a heinous truth in Open Season: Whether with a bullet or a lengthy prison sentence, America is killing black people and justifying it legally. While some deaths make headlines, most are personal tragedies suffered within families and communities. Worse, these killings are done one person at a time, so as not to raise alarm. While it is much more difficult to justify killing many people at once, in dramatic fashion, the result is the same—genocide. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
In ‘Gospel’ docuseries, Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores Black church’s music, ministers. By Adelle M. Banks / RNS
The interplay between song and sermon — and the importance of both in Black churches — is the focus of a new docuseries created by scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.
“Gospel” premieres on PBS stations on Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 12 and 13) and is preceded by a related concert that premieres this week on Friday on public television. Read more
Related: Gospel music brings Black witness to Catholic liturgy. By John Barnes / NCR
Black Churches in Georgia Unite to Mobilize Voters in a Key Battleground. Nick Corasaniti and
Two of the largest Black church groups in Georgia are formally uniting for the first time to mobilize Black voters in the battleground state ahead of the November presidential election
The two congregations, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, plan to combine their resources and their more than 140,000 parishioners in the state for the get-out-the-vote program, which they are set to announce on Monday at the Georgia Capitol. Read more
With bans in schools, Florida churches are teaching Black history instead. By Char Adams / NBC News
At least 290 churches now hold their own Black history lessons to combat statewide attacks on race-inclusive education.
Some 100 people — Black and white, from elementary school-aged children to adults in their 80s — filed into the Agape Perfecting Praise and Worship Center in Orlando in October. They were there for a lesson in Black history from LaVon Bracy, the director of democracy at Faith in Florida, an Orlando-based religious nonprofit. Bracy, who has a Ph.D. in education, spoke to the crowd about the forced journey enslaved Africans took from their homeland to America during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Read more
America’s Becoming Less Religious. Is Politics to Blame? By Samuel L. Perry / Time
America is secularizing. The evidence is clear. The question of why is a little more murky. And for American Christians, one likely cause should be sobering—especially during election season.
First, the facts. According to data from Gallup, Pew, and PRRI, the percentage of Americans who identify with any religion is in steady decline, as are those who believe in God, the devil, Heaven, Hell, or angels; who say religion is a very important part of their life; maintain membership in a church or synagogue; or attend church regularly. In fact, Americans are increasingly aware of religion’s waning cultural authority. Since 2010, Gallup shows nearly 74% of Americans on average believe religion is losing its influence on American life. Over the previous ten years, that average was closer to 55%. What’s driving religion’s declining influence? Read more
Historical / Cultural
Charlotte Forten Describes Life on the Sea Islands. By Charlotte Forten Grimké / The Atlantic (May 1864 Issue)
A young black woman describes her experience teaching freed slaves during the Civil War.
To THE EDITOR OF THE “ATLANTIC MONTHLY.” — The following graceful and picturesque description of the new condition of things on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, originally written for private perusal, seems to me worthy of a place in the “Atlantic.” Its young author—herself akin to the long-suffering race whose Exodus she so pleasantly describes—is still engaged in her labor of love on St. Helena Island. — J. G. W. Read more
Charlie Kirk’s racist Black pilot comment, meet the Tuskegee Airmen. By Mike Freeman / USA Today
Charlie Kirk: “I’m sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”
I first read about the Tuskegee Airmen when I was about 10. They were the first Black military aviators in what was then the equivalent of the Air Force. They fought during World War II and might be the most brilliant aviators in the history of combat flying. They were nicknamed the “red tails” because of the red markings on the tail of their fighter craft. Read more
Watch: The first ‘Negro Kiss’ on film and its impact in ‘Keeping Black History Alive.’ By The Grio Staff
A silent short shot in 1898, “Something Good – Negro Kiss” is the first film featuring footage of African Americans showing affection.
“Something Good – Negro Kiss” is the first known film with footage featuring African Americans showing love. A short film shot in 1898, it shows two vaudeville performers, Gertie Brown and Saint Suttle, enacting a scene of affection and joy. For audiences back then, this was quite daring and bold. During that time, they could only experience Black performers through minstrel shows. Read more and watch here
Usher Drops New Album 48 Hours Before Super Bowl, Says His Halftime Show Is “My Residency on Steroids.” By Kia D. Goosby / Vanity Fair
The Grammy Award winner reflects on fitting his 30-year career into a 12-minute Super Bowl set and releasing a brand-new album before he takes the stage.
We are living in the year of Usher. With just two days to go before he takes the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show, the king of R&B has released his ninth studio album, Coming Home, his first solo record since 2016; it comes, of course, on the heels of a successful residency in Las Vegas and a newly announced tour set to commence this summer. A jam-packed schedule is nothing new for the hitmaker, who told Vanity Fair that preparing for Sunday’s halftime show has “really been a process.” Read more
The Crime Novelist Who Was Also a Great American Novelist. By S. A. Cosby / NYT
Chester Himes was on par with Ellison, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, S.A. Cosby writes.
When I was 12 years old, my uncle gave me a copy of “The Real Cool Killers,” by Chester Himes. For a nerdy kid who cut his crime fiction teeth on Chandler, Hammett and both Macdonalds (Ross and John D.), seeing this book written by a Black man about Black people — Black cops and con men, Black madams and Black ministers — this unapologetic zenith of Black identity was a revelation in every sense of the word. Read more
Sports
Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl ad takes direct aim at hate in America. By Mike Freeman / USA Today
Robert Kraft looks at America, the nation he loves, and is scared about what he sees.
“I don’t recognize parts of this nation,” he said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t like where we’re headed. I’m worried about our country right now.” Kraft has always been more than the owner of the Patriots. He’s a proud Jew who has dedicated large swaths of his life to fighting antisemitism and fostering racial togetherness, particularly between Blacks and Jews. Kraft, like many others, has watched the steady increase of anti-Jew hate and believes the country is at a perilous moment in its history. One way Kraft wants to help prevent the spread of Jewish hate, he says, was the purchase of a 30-second advertisement that will play during the Super Bowl. Read more and watch here
Patrick Mahomes helps Black quarterbacks keep Super Bowl foothold. By Mike Freeman / USA Today
During the 1987 season, Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl. It was a remarkable moment. But what’s often forgotten is what happened after that.
It would take 12 years for another Black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl. That was Tennessee’s Steve McNair in the 1999 season. That’s a long time. After that it took another five years for a Black quarterback to start in the game and that was Donovan McNabb in the 2004 season. Then Colin Kaepernick started eight years later in 2012. We are in the Patrick Mahomes Era. A Black quarterback has a dynastic, championship foothold, something we’ve never seen before. This is Mahomes’ fourth Super Bowl appearance and he’s just 28. Read more
Related: Super Bowl records come and go. Jerry Rice’s endure. By Scott Allen / Wash Post
Lamar Jackson wins 2023 NFL MVP: How Ravens QB won for second time. ByLarry Holder and Jeff Zrebiec / The Athletic
The Ravens extended Jackson’s contract last April on a five-year deal worth $260 million, with$185 million guaranteed. The investment paid off with Jackson looking far more like his MVP self of four seasons ago in 2023.
Lamar Jackson capped off his stellar season by picking up the 2023 NFL MVP award Thursday at the NFL Honors ceremony. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback became the 11th player in league history to win the award for a second time after he captured his first MVP honor in the 2019 season. Read more
Interview: Stereotyping Native Americans in Sports is Wrong. By David Masciotra / The Progressive
Rhonda LeValdo, founder of Not In Our Honor, speaks about the cultural appropriation by Super Bowl competitors the Kansas City Chiefs. Not In Our Honor protests the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020
Not In Our Honor, a Native American advocacy organization, is demanding more focus on Kansas City’s professional football team for an entirely different reason—its racist and vulgar appropriation of Native American ritual and symbol. Founded in 2005, Not in Our Honor is dedicated to eradicating the hateful cartoon of Indigenous names, mascots, and chants in professional and collegiate sports. Read more
Michael Jordan’s massive investment in University of Michigan payed off. By Nick Raguz / Sports Illustrated
The year was 2015 when the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), Michael Jordan, decided to take a chance on collaborating with the Michigan Wolverines on an apparel deal. The school’s previous shoe deal had just ended and it was fortuitous that the Jordan Brand was looking to enter the college football market.
The two sides eventually agreed on a 15-year, $173.8 million deal to make the Jordan Brand the school’s exclusive apparel sponsor. The deal was much talked about then as it was the largest apparel deal in college football. It has since been surpassed by the 15-year, $252 million deal Ohio State signed with Nike. Read more
Lakers honor Kobe Bryant with statue outside Crypto.com Arena. By Jovan Buha / The Athletic
The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue to honor Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena in a ceremony Thursday. The bronze statue is 19 feet high and 4,000 pounds.
Bryant is the seventh Lakers legend commemorated with a statue in Star Plaza, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, announcer Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West. Read more
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