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BET •

Majority White Legislatures Taking Control Of Predominantly Black Cities In Emerging Pattern

Earlier this month, a group of angry but peaceful protesters gathered near Capitol Hill after a Republican-led effort in Congress nullified Washington, D.C.’s criminal code reform bill.

Many of the activists were part of the Hands Off DC coalition of more than 50 organizations that demand autonomy for the district and advocate for a range of other issues, including voting rights and criminal justice reform.

“Congress overturning the bill and Biden allowing that to happen have set a dangerous precedent when it comes to justice and safety in D.C., and specifically, Black self-governance for D.C. And now they're trying to overturn another law, which is a police reform bill,” Makia Green, a co-founder of the social justice group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, told BET.com...
BET •

Could Florida’s College Anti-Diversity Bill Harm Black Sororities And Fraternities?

Florida A&M University student Robert Tucker was one of several Black fraternity and sorority members who appeared at a state legislature meeting March 13 to oppose passage of a controversial bill that many consider a existential threat to Black Greek life on college campuses.

Tucker, speaking on behalf of Omega Psi Phi founded in 1911 at Howard University, explained that Black Americans created their own Greek-lettered organizations, known as the “Divine Nine,” more than a century ago when White organizations wouldn’t allow them to join. Since then, Black sororities and fraternities have worked to uplift the Black community and engaged in the struggle for racial equality.

Many universities and colleges in Florida – both HBCUs and predominantly White institutions – have collegiate chapters of the organizations on their campuses.
BET •

Justice Department Adjusts Longstanding Drug Policy On Crack, Powder Cocaine To End Racial Disparities

For decades, civil rights activists have demanded an end to the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine that have targeted the Black community for mass incarceration in the so-called War on Drugs.

A recent Department of Justice announcement could signal a turning point as Senate lawmakers try to hammer out a deal to ensure a permanent change.

In a memo, Attorney General Merrick Garland instructed federal prosecutors on Friday (Dec. 16) to end charging and sentencing disparities in cases involving crack and powder cocaine.
BET •

A New Focus On Africa: 3 Takeaways From The US-Africa Leadership SummitTube

The Biden Administration hosted 49 African leaders for a three-day summit in Washington D.C. that began on Dec. 13. President Joe Biden told the delegates that America “is all in on Africa’s future,” signaling a renewed interest in Africa as the United States competes with China across the continent.

It has been eight years since former President Barack Obama organized the first U.S.-Africa summit. The three-day gathering in the nation’s capital was the largest event that any U.S. president held with African leaders...
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Biden Signs Landmark Respect For Marriage Act To Protect Same-Sex, Interracial Marriage

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law at a White House ceremony on Tuesday (Dec. 13). The landmark legislation enshrines marriage equality into federal law, codifying protections for same-sex and interracial couples.

“Deciding whether to marry, who to marry is one of the most profound decisions a person can make,” Biden told a large crowd of supporters gathered at the White House lawn for the signing ceremony.

He added: “I mean this with all my heart. Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that. The law recognizes that everyone should have a right to answer those questions for themselves without the government interference.” ...
BET •

‘Just Sheer Joy:’ Biden Senior Advisor Keisha Lance Bottoms Recalls White House Reaction To Brittney Griner’s Release

For a lot of reasons, Thursday (Dec. 8) was a great day at the White House. Early that morning, White House staff heard the news that WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison on drug charges after 10 months and was enroute to U.S. soil.

“You could hear the applause,” White House Senior Advisor Keisha Lance Bottoms told BET.com. “It was just sheer joy and excitement.”
BET •

Organization Builds Black Business Ecosystem While Breaking Systemic Barriers To Black Prosperity

In early November, more than 70,000 people from the global tech industry gathered for the annual Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, a tech conference that drew leaders in the field from all corners.

Kelly Burton, the co-founder and CEO of Black Innovation Alliance, brought a large delegation from the United States to network toward BIA’s efforts to build a sustainable ecosystem for Black entrepreneurs.
BET •

New York Lawmakers To Renew Reparations Efforts For State Residents Who Descended From Slaves to YouTube

Over the past several years, attempts to pass federal legislation for reparations have failed repeatedly. In February, a House bill to create a commission to study reparations for Black Americans was gaining steam. But with the GOP preparing to take control of the House for at least the next two years, it appears unlikely to advance.

However, for reparations supporters, there seems to be hope. At the city level, Evanston, Ill., a Chicago suburb, in 2021 became the first city to make reparations available to Black residents...
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2022 Midterm Elections: Black Georgia Voters Turning Out In High Numbers Despite New Restrictive Laws

Georgia election officials are patting themselves on the back for record turnout, so far, in the 2022 midterm election, suggesting that its wave of voting restriction laws have not suppressed the Black vote.

“As of Tuesday morning (Nov. 1), Georgia continues to break records with 1,638,286 voters casting their ballot during Early Voting, with 130,413 showing up on Monday, October 31st,”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger touted, adding that there were no “substantial delays” statewide, even in the metro-Atlanta area.

What’s more, Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that a higher share of Black voters and older voters have turned out in Georgia’s early voting period.

“It’s the work of our Elections Division and the county election directors that have gotten us here,” he added. “Voting in Georgia is safe, secure, and accessible – and Georgians know that.”

But voting rights groups see it differently. They do say Georgia has seen record turnout, but it’s despite the new obstacles to ballot access.
BET •

How Treating Gun Violence Like A Disease Helps Stem The Rise In Deadly Shootings

Night after night, even as the number of shootings have increased in central Brooklyn neighborhoods, a group of violence interrupters, armed only with the respect they have in the community, try to quash potentially deadly confrontations before they erupt.

Some of Elite Learners Inc.’s violence interrupters are formerly incarcerated gang members. They’ve turned their lives around and are now using their street savvy and connections to mediate conflicts and mentor high-risk young men in the New York City borough’s high-crime areas...
BK Reader •

Owner of Bklyn's First Chick-fil-A Uses His Business to Inspire, Teach Financial Literacy to Young Staff

As a lifelong entrepreneur, Brandon Hurst has developed the ability to recognize and nurture the business potential of others.

In 2014, the owner of Brooklyn’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant was just 26 when he opened his first location in Baltimore. Back then, there was an ambitious high school junior on his team who faced similar life challenges as Hurst did growing up in Atlanta. Hurst took the young man under his wing, and today, he’s a college graduate and one of Hurst’s business directors.
BET •

How Descendants Of James Madison’s Montpelier’s Enslaved Gained Shared Governance Of Historic Plantation

Bettye Kearse has always wanted to feel connected to her ancestors, who were among the hundreds of slaves at Montpelier, James Madison’s vast estate in Orange County, Va., who served the nation’s fourth president.

She first visited the estate, which is now a National Trust Historic site, in 1992 while researching her family’s history. According to their oral tradition, Kearse descended from an enslaved cook named Coreen and Madison.

“When I first arrived at Montpelier, I felt like I belonged there, and that all of my ancestors wanted me there and had something to tell me,” she recalled at a meeting in April with a group of other Montpelier descendants and their lawyer, as they battled for co-stewardship of the site.
BK Reader •

The Gentlemen’s Factory: A Men's Social Club Serious About Black Business. Seriously.

In 2018 and 2019, news began to percolate around the growing number of social networking spaces emerging across the country for and by people of color.

In New York City, for example, there was “Roll Call,” a meetup for Black Theatre-goers; “The Black Mastermind Group” for entrepreneurs; the “Black Baby Boomers Who Just Wanted to Have Fun;” and far too many more to list here.

However, there was one Brooklyn-based group that seemed to grab the most media attention: The Gentlemen’s Factory.
BET •

Rotimi Talks About First Time Fatherhood And His Journey To Become An International Superstar

Building on the success of his steamy single “In My Bed (feat. Wale),” which earned an RIAA gold certification, he dropped his first studio album, All or Nothing, on Aug. 27.

One month later, Rotimi, 32, and his 33-year-old fiancée Vanessa Mdee, a Tanzanian singer/songwriter, welcomed their first child into the world. The proud parents announced the birth of their son, Seven Adeoluwa Akinosho on Instagram.
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