Media
Louisiana churches are rebuilding after fires and this ex-NFL player wants people to know how they can help
April 15, 2019
Benjamin Watson may have retired from the New Orleans Saints, but these days, he's repping his community in other ways.
The former NFL tight end spread the word about fundraising efforts for the three historically black churches that burned down in Louisiana's St. Landry Parish in recent weeks.
St. Mary Baptist Church in Porte Barre was set on fire March 26, fo... Read more
Florida governor says 27 possible graves have been found near a controversial boys reform school
April 17, 2019
Nearly eight years after shutting its doors following a bone-chilling 111-year legacy of abuse, Florida's Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys is still unearthing dark secrets.
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote that "anomalies consistent with possible graves," were discovered at a site near the defunct Marianna, Florida, school during a recent ground pollution cleanup.
Un... Read more
Beyoncé's 'Homecoming' doc on Netflix is black excellence
April 19, 2019
In April 2018, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter stood in her full goddess glory and drawled, "Coachella, you ready?"
The music festival wasn't ready, nor was the world, for what the pop star turned out: two nights of performances that were as much about history as they were history in the making.
Thanks to Netflix, we now have some insight into the performance that la... Read more
Texas couple sentenced for enslaving Guinean woman for 16 years
April 24, 2019
A Texas couple have been sentenced to seven years in federal prison each for enslaving a Guinean woman for 16 years.
A federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, sentenced Mohamed Toure and Denise Cros-Toure each to two seven-year terms and one five-year term, all sentences to be served concurrently.
The Toures are the son and daughter-in-law of the late Guinean president Ahmed Sekou T... Read more
Florida police duo who slammed black teen's head suspended as outrage grows
April 25, 2019
Two Florida sheriff’s deputies who pepper-sprayed and punched a 15-year-old black student in the head during a violent arrest were beginning a paid suspension on Wednesday, amid growing calls for the officers to be fired.
Cellphone video of the incident, which has been widely shared on social media, also captured the two white officers body slamming the boy, Delucca Rolle... Read more
Color Me Shocked: 2 Virginia Police Officers Fired for Ties to White Supremacist Orgs
April 29, 2019
Frankly, the shock is not so much that two Virginia police officers from separate jurisdictions were caught tied to two distinct, respective white supremacist groups, but that they were fired after said affiliations became known.
For years, there has been evidence that law enforcement has been targeted and infiltrated by white supremacist organizations; something that should re... Read more
Louisiana Man Accused of Burning 3 Black Churches Faces Hate Crime Charges
April 18, 2019
Louisiana prosecutors have charged Holden Matthews with three hate crimes, one for each of the black churches he’s accused of burning down in St. Landry Parish.
The hate crime charges were added to several counts of arson involving a religious building, BuzzFeed News reports. Matthews, the son of a local sheriff’s deputy, pleaded not guilty on Monday to all the char... Read more
United Airlines Agent Accused Of Calling Black Customer A ‘Monkey’ Faces Charge
April 24, 2019
An employee of United Airlines accused of using a racial slur toward a black customer is facing a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
Houston police issued Carmella Davano a citation for disorderly conduct on Feb. 26, after United customer Cacilie Hughes alleged that the airline agent had called her a monkey ― a historically racist term when directed towa... Read more
Brothers implicated, then cleared, in Jussie Smollett case sue actor's legal team for defamation
April 24, 2019
The brothers accused of attacking actor Jussie Smollett, only to be cleared when prosecutors announced Smollett had orchestrated a hoax to advance his career, are suing his legal team for defamation, attorneys said Tuesday.
The federal lawsuit alleges defamation and false light by attorney Tina Glandian for saying, among other things, that brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundai... Read more
Clearwater's next emerging neighborhood? North Marina district
May 1, 2019
On May 4, a craft beer brewery, the Clearwater Brewing Company, will open in a newly renovated 1958 building that has been a Gulf service station, an auto detail shop, a carpeting store, and a stucco business over the years.
The four friends behind the brewery like the location in part because it was cheaper than property to the south in downtown Clearwater or north in downtown Dunedi... Read more