Featured
The Black prosecutors taking on Trump know what they’re up against. By Paul Butler / Wash Post
From left, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Stefan Jeremiah/AP); Joshua Lott/The Washington Post; Jeenah Moon for The Washington Post)
Black prosecutors are having a moment in America.
Of the three prosecutors who have charged the former president of the United States with crimes this year, two of them — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani T. Willis — are African American. On top of that, Letitia James, New York’s Black attorney general, is pursuing a civil fraud case with the potential to crush the Trump Organization.
These are historic cases, and the race of the people bringing them shouldn’t matter — except it clearly matters to Donald Trump, who has lambasted them all using racist dog whistles. Read more
Related: With Plea Deals in Georgia Trump Case, Fani Willis Is Building Momentum. Richard Fausset and
Related: More than the law: Why Trump’s trials trigger him so much. By Chauncey Devega / Salon
Political / Social
Imagine Handing This F****d-Up World Back to Donald Trump. By Michael Tomasky / The New Republic
Democrats had better start making the all-too-obvious case that a return to Trumpism would do untold damage to a vulnerable world.
I can’t help but wonder at a time like this, with the world on fire again (maybe not quite the same as the 1930s, but definitely not as different as we’d prefer), why on earth so many people of this country seem prepared to hand the White House back to Donald Trump. We know about the perhaps irreparable damage a second Trump term would exact here in the United States. We talk about it all the time. But we don’t talk enough about the hideous consequences for the world and the United States’s role in it. Read more
The United States ranks 118th in the world for racial inclusion according to annual tally. By
The U.S. continues to underperform on an annual list that ranks inclusivity as experienced by marginalized groups in countries across the globe.
The Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley tallies every year an Inclusiveness Index after holistically analyzing the degree of inclusion and protections for marginalized groups across a range of social categories such as gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and disability. In addition to gender breakdowns in elected positions, researchers also considered violent attacks against particular groups, income inequality and how welcoming a country is to immigrants. Read more
A functioning democratic system would make Hakeem Jeffries speaker. By Danielle Allen / Wash Post
The solution to the leadership void in the House of Representatives is staring us in the face. We have three parties in Congress, not two: the Freedom Caucus Party, the Old Republican Party and the Democrats. The last one has the most members, so it should have the House speakership.
Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has been winning the most votes on each speakership ballot because he commands the biggest party. So he would be the speaker if our political system were functioning properly. Read more
Related: The quiet vindication of Hakeem Jeffries. By Greg Sargent / Wash Post
As Texas bans diversity and equity offices at public colleges, Rice University’s inclusion efforts march on. By Kate McGee / Texas Tribune
Over the past year, the term diversity, equity and inclusion has become a lightning rod for debate in American higher education. In Texas, Republican lawmakers banned DEI offices at public colleges and universities starting next year, arguing they emphasize divisions between different racial or ethnic groups and force liberal ideology onto students.
But Rice, located in Texas’ largest city that is celebrated for its diversity, is moving in the opposite direction. The prestigious private research institution is doubling down on its support of equity for all students regardless of their background or lived experience. Read more
Related: DeSantis’s War on “Woke” Colleges Gets Even More Absurd—and Dangerous. By / The New Republic
Jacksonville struggles to overcome a racism ‘baked into our culture.’ By Lon Rozxa / Wash Post
The plastic has long since fallen off, leaving the bronze figures honoring the “Lost Cause” visible to anyone passing by. Like so many aspects of Jacksonville, they symbolize the challenges that Florida’s biggest city continues to face in reckoning with its racist past. Seven weeks after the fatal shooting outside Dollar General in Jacksonville, memorials remain for the three Black residents who died. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post)
Past and present keep colliding in wrenching ways here. In late August, three Black people were fatally shot by a White man with a swastika-decorated assault rifle who had targeted a Dollar General store in a Black neighborhood. The attack came a day shy of the 63rd anniversary of the violence known as Ax Handle Saturday, when a local White mob beat Black residents protesting segregation. Read more
Rash of violence has not deterred Black parents from keeping their kids at HBCUs. By Curtis Bunn / NBC News
More security measures are needed, they say, but “the power of the experience is too important” to deny.
HBCUs were traumatized by on-campus shootings over a 12-day stretch this month. On Oct. 3, four students were shot on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, prompting the cancellation of the homecoming ceremony. Five days later, about 40 miles away at Bowie State University, two students were shot during homecoming weekend. And on Oct. 15, Jackson State University student Jaylen Burns was shot and killed on school grounds in Mississippi. But seven Black parents interviewed by NBC News said that, despite the emotion and fear brought on by the violence, they leaned toward providing their children with an HBCU experience rather than remove them from school. Read more
Related: Morehouse debts cleared: Activists purchase former students’ balances. By Alia Wong / USA Today
Millennials and Gen Z Are Tilting Left and Staying There. By Jamelle Bouie / NYT
The evidence comes from a new Wall Street Journal analysis of the latest data from the General Social Survey, a comprehensive examination of American attitudes and beliefs, conducted since its creation in 1972 by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
The case of millennial voters is where things start to get interesting. As children of Sept. 11, the war on terror and the 2008 financial crisis, millennials — born between 1981 and 1996 — entered the electorate much more Democratic than their immediate predecessors. But while they have gotten a little more conservative in the years since, it has been at a much slower rate than you’d expect. What’s more, the gap in the number of millennials who identify as Democrats rather than Republicans is huge, with more than twice as many self-identified Democrats as Republicans. Read more
New SAT Data Highlights the Deep Inequality at the Heart of American Education. By Claire Cain Miller / NYT
New data shows, for the first time at this level of detail, how much students’ standardized test scores rise with their parents’ incomes — and how disparities start years before students sit for tests.
One-third of the children of the very richest families scored a 1300 or higher on the SAT, while less than 5 percent of middle-class students did, according to the data, from economists at Opportunity Insights, based at Harvard. Relatively few children in the poorest families scored that high; just one in five took the test at all. In the wake of the Supreme Court decision ending race-based affirmative action, there has been revived political momentum to address the ways in which many colleges favor the children of rich and white families, such as legacy admissions, preferences for private school students, athletic recruitment in certain sports and standardized tests. Read more
Meet the Black woman who argued South Carolina’s redistricting case before the Supreme Court. By Donna M. Owens / NBC News
During Leah Aden’s first oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in a redistricting case that critics have branded “textbook” racial gerrymandering, several justices peppered the attorney with rapid-fire, probing questions about South Carolina’s contested congressional map. Yet Aden, senior counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, or LDF, didn’t flinch.
“I’ve always wanted to do impact work,” said Aden, who argued Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, a case whose outcome will determine South Carolina’s congressional map and could have larger implications on the 2024 election. “I’ve lived with this case from the ground up.” Read more
Video shows a struggle before Georgia deputy shoots exonerated man. By AP and NBC News
Leonard Cure was pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving. Relatives suspect he resisted being arrested because of psychological trauma from spending 16 years imprisoned in Florida for an armed robbery he didn’t commit.
“I believe there were possibly some issues going on, some mental issues with my brother,” Michael Cure said of his slain brother. “I know him quite well. The officer just triggered him, undoubtedly triggered him. It was excitement met with excitement.” Read more and watch here
Ethics / Morality / Religion
The evil of holy wars. By Mark Silk / RNS
In his initial response to the rampage of slaughter in Israel by Hamas, President Joe Biden said, “There are moments in this life — and I mean this literally — when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world.” What Hamas did, he reiterated, was “an act of sheer evil.”
But how does this evil come to be unleashed? Calling Hamas “a terrorist organization” begs the question. Any adequate explanation must reckon with the organization’s religious character and motivation. We might call what motivates Hamas “spiritual irredentism,” a drive to restore territory to one’s own real or imagined prior religious control. This species of motivation is hardly restricted to Islam. The Crusades were holy wars created to redeem territory — the Holy Land — once under Christian control. Read more
Related: Palestinian Americans rally, pray and organize amid crisis in Gaza. By Kathryn Post / RNS
Antisemitism and the Jewish Identity. By Mike Cooper / The Bulletin Christianity Today
Why hatred of Jews persists in a pluralistic world.
In this special episode of The Bulletin, host Mike Cosper sits down with rabbi Meir Soloveichik, one of the world’s foremost Jewish leaders, to discuss the roots of modern antisemitism and how Jews respond to this hatred. The two talk about Jewish disdain in the ivory tower, the core of Jewish identity, and the importance of understanding the Jewish God as we navigate the complexities of the current Israel-Hamas war. Read more and listen here
Documentary on Black millennials depicts wide range of religion, rebellion. By Adelle M. Banks / RNS
We show the pluralistic nature of the African American religious experience,’ said creator Teddy Reeves, ‘from those who are of some formal faith tradition to those who are not.’
A new documentary,“gOD-Talk,” from the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores the range of faith and spiritual expressions of Black millennials and the choices they have made to reject — or embrace — the religious rituals of their childhood. The film is set to screen at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature in November, and museum officials plan to show it more widely next year in this country and in Europe. Read more and listen here
Trump pledges to turn away those who don’t like ‘our religion.’ By Phillip Bump / Wash Post
Donald Trump is not understood to be a particularly religious person. When he launched his candidacy for the 2016 Republican nomination, he would insist that the Bible was his favorite book (edging out “The Art of the Deal”), although he was unable to identify a favorite passage or, at times, demonstrate much familiarity with it.
Trump, speaking in New Hampshire on Monday evening, went further, as he is wont to do. “If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel,” he continued, apparently ad-libbing, “if you don’t like our religion — which a lot of them don’t — if you sympathize with the jihadists, then we don’t want you in our country and you are not getting in. Right?” This is not sophisticated political rhetoric; quite the opposite. It’s demagoguery. But it is also revealing. After all, what is “our religion” in this nation built by people seeking freedom of religious expression? We all know the answer, but let’s explore the question as if we don’t know. Read more
Historical / Cultural
“Black AF History” author on whitewashing the past: “They have tried every way possible to erase us.” By D. Watkins / Salon
“When people know, they can never forget,” author Michael Harriot says about reclaiming true American history
Harriot is most known for his column at The Grio and MSNBC and CNN commentary. His new book “Black AF History” details America’s history in the most true and unapologetic way possible. You can watch my “Salon Talks” episode with Michael Harriot here or read a Q&A of our conversation below to learn more about new episodes of the “Drapetomaniax” podcast, the real history of America and the future of book banning. Read more and watch here
Black Reconstruction in the Twenty-First Century. By Lacey P. Hunter / AAIHS
Peniel E. Joseph’s The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century is one of the most poignant books of our contemporary historical moment.
Unfolding political battles over citizenship, voting rights restrictions, educational censorship, and violence across the United States, in the last year, gives profound clarity and credence to his central argument that the nation is in its third Reconstruction period. Read more
History Behind the Right’s Effort to Take Over Universities. By Lauren Lassabe Shepard / Time
New College of Florida, the small liberal arts college historically ranked among U.S. News and World Report’s top 75 institutions, has fallen 24 places. Now it risks dropping out of the top-100 category entirely. This double-digit tumble is due in part to Governor Ron DeSantis’ overhaul of the school to transform it into a decidedly right-wing institution
This type of college takeover is a new, more sinister development in a longstanding conservative practice. The right has spent decades creating parallel and competing structures in areas including political news, social media, and even consumer goods. This time, instead of offering students a conservative alternative in higher education, DeSantis and his allies are gutting an existing institution from the inside. And they hope this is just the beginning. The right-wing activists behind New College’s transformation are encouraging other governors and administrators to replicate their example, stressing that all public colleges can be “captured, restructured, and reformed” if conservative leaders embrace their model. Read more
Why Tupac Never Died. By Hua Hsu / The New Yorker
It’s because the rapper’s life and work were a cascade of contradictions that we’re still trying to figure him out today.
He was a folk hero, born into a family of Black radicals, before becoming the type of controversy-clouded celebrity on the lips of politicians and gossip columnists alike. He was a new kind of sex symbol, bringing together tenderness and bruising might, those delicate eyelashes and the “fuck the world” tattoo on his upper back. Read more
Richard Roundtree, Star of ‘Shaft,’ Dies at 81. By Anita Gates / NYT
While indelibly tied to the role that made him famous in 1971, he remained active for more than four decades afterward.
Richard Roundtree, the actor who redefined African American masculinity in the movies when he played the title role in “Shaft,” one of the first Black action heroes, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81. “Shaft,” which was released in 1971, was among the first of the so-called blaxploitation movies, and it made Mr. Roundtree a star at 29. Read more
Idris Elba and Considerations of Black Actor Identity. By Anique John / AAIHS
Idris Elba OBE (Order of the British Empire), born of Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian parents in London’s East End, has not only gone from being an “underground” DJ in London in the 1990s, but he has also become a world-famous actor whose work has been recognized by many including English royalty.
Elba’s preference to be identified as simply an “actor” rather than a “Black actor,” has provoked surprise and some backlash, as highlighted by numerous publications in recent months including, Entertainment Weekly, Variety Magazine, and Independent UK among several other news and media outlets. His declaration is particularly concerning, in light of the fact that Black Americans have a tradition of taking pride in their achievements in various fields, particularly as African Americans have had to “fight” for inclusion and recognition across various industries for centuries. Read more
How the Surveillance of Black Hair Can Kill a Child’s Spirit. By Nia T. Evans and Arianna Coghill / Mother Jones
Mother Jones spoke with Dr. Bettina Love, a professor of education at Columbia University and author of Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal, to learn more about how school systems in the United States codify policies that ultimately force students of color to assimilate to whiteness.
“It’s important to note this story isn’t just about hair. It’s about anti-Blackness. Black people’s hair is such an important symbol of our identity. It’s about who we are and how we express ourselves. It’s an easy signifier to go after but these suspension policies are about us as human beings. Sometimes when we think about racism, we just think about policy. What we miss is how the body is attacked. Our hair is one of the biggest reflections of our blackness and so it is always going to be under attack.” Read more
Sports
LeBron James Teams Up With Barack Obama to Develop Mega Project With $180 Billion Worth Co. By Dhruv Shastry / Essentially Sports
NBA icon LeBron James and former President of the United States Barack Obama are teaming up for an intriguing venture.
They are entering the realm of entertainment in a pioneering relationship that spans sports and politics. With the global impact of the 4x NBA champion, people across the world are surely excited to witness this spectacle. And the powerful collaboration between sports and politics is already creating massive hype among the fans. Read more
Interview: Caster Semenya on Memoir ‘The Race to Be Myself.’ By Precious Adesina / New York Magazine
In her memoir, Caster Semenya details how she has coped with being banned from the sport she loves.
When Caster Semenya was 12 years old, she introduced herself to her cousin’s friends as Thabiso, a boy’s name. “I could tell they thought I was a boy, so I figured I would go along with it,” she writes in her new memoir, The Race to Be Myself. “I was swimming without a shirt on, and I had no boobs. I looked tough like they did. My voice sounded like theirs, too.” The little white lie was corrected once school started and, wearing a dress, she introduced herself to the class as Caster. It was perhaps the first — but definitely not the last — time she realized people could be confused about her gender. Read more
Bucks ink Giannis Antetokounmpo to three-year, $186 million extension. By Ben Golliver / Wash Post
Giannis Antetokounmpo was ready to recommit to the Milwaukee Bucks after all.
The Bucks agreed to sign Antetokounmpo to a three-year maximum contract extension worth $186 million Monday, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, in a deal that removes any lingering speculation about the two-time MVP’s future. Read more
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