Latest news with #anti-Blackness
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Far-left congresswoman revives ousted 'Squad' Dem's reparations push for Black Americans: 'We are awake'
A member of the House of Representatives' progressive "Squad" is reviving legislation aimed at giving reparations payments to Black Americans for slavery. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., reintroduced a resolution Thursday that, if passed, could give federal dollars to the descendants of enslaved people brought from Africa to the United States. Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who lost her 2024 primary to a more moderate Democrat, introduced the reparations bill in the last Congress. Bush's bill, unveiled in May 2023, called for $14 trillion to be put toward reparations payments for descendants of slavery in the United States, but it did not go anywhere. "We say to the rest of America: If you are truly committed to justice, as you try to say you are, you cannot look away. You cannot turn your back on the demand for reparations, because until there is repair, there will be no justice. And where there is no justice, we will continue to fight. We're not going anywhere. We are awake. We are organized, and we will win. Reparations now," Bush said alongside progressive Democrat Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., at Lee's announcement. House Democrat To Introduce Reparations Push, Declares 'Moral Obligation' To Send Trillions To Black Americans Pressley reintroduced a reparations bill during Black History Month this year with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., rejecting the "unprecedented onslaught against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the Trump Administration." Read On The Fox News App House Dems Reintroduce Reparations Legislation: 'We Refuse To Be Silent' "Trump's policies are nothing but anti-Blackness on steroids," Pressley said Thursday before adding, "This America wants to make America Jim Crow again, and then some." "Reparations are a necessary step towards true equity in our country, and a more just future. There is an opportunity for Congress to confront our nation's racist history of slavery and White supremacy. We must provide the descendants of enslaved Black families with the reparations they were promised," Tlaib added. It's an effort mounted by progressive Democrats every year, but one that has little chance of passing. That's especially true for the 119th Congress, which is controlled by Republicans while President Donald Trump is also in the White House. One longtime GOP lawmaker, House Science Committee Chair Brian Babin, R-Texas, even introduced legislation earlier this year to pull federal funding from state and local jurisdictions that enacted reparations policies. "We know there will be pushback," Lee said Thursday, adding, "Reparations are a proposal to level the playing field, but the only way we could ever have a level playing field is by remedying the harms that have been done by the system." But Lee signaled on Wednesday that the long odds would not deter her. "When we think about the debt that is owed through our country . . . the Trump administration and the Republican Party talks a lot about paying our debts. This is one of them," Lee told Fox News. The Pennsylvania progressive argued that the U.S. government crafted policies that intentionally disadvantaged Black Americans. "They were not theoretical, but they were harms from government policies and practices and laws. There were real laws that were on the book that caused systemic disadvantages. They created systemic advantages for other people. So you can never have equal footing until you remedy that," Lee article source: Far-left congresswoman revives ousted 'Squad' Dem's reparations push for Black Americans: 'We are awake'
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Four Evanston/Skokie D65 School Board members join, face cutting as much as $15 million
Four new school boardmembers were sworn into the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education at Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting and will immediately face a financial crisis. The new members, Patricia Anderson, Nichole Pinkard, Maria Opdycke and Andrew Wymer, replace more than half of the outgoing board. The previous four members declined to run for re-election after a turbulent pair of years that saw the district plummet into a financial deficit. The new board will be tasked with continuing the district's deficit reduction plan to cut between $10 million and $15 million in expenses for the next school year, likely continuing cuts in jobs, school closures and district-wide expense cuts. Outgoing members Joey Hailpern, Biz Lindsay-Ryan, Soo La Kim and Donna Wang Su gave a final testimony about their time on the board, wishing the next board well and encouraging members to take on the work of an unpaid and sometimes thankless job. 'Despite the difficult years: the pandemic, the post-pandemic return to schools, the barrage of angry emails and threats — many with racist rhetoric and coded anti-Blackness— the misrepresented budget numbers and feelings of betrayal… despite all that, I don't regret having served' on the board, Kim said. 'Because despite all the resistance and heat from the community, we did also manage to do some worthwhile things: Updating the curricula, social studies, literacy, math and science — I think we touched them all — to be more rigorous, inclusive and evidence-based; reducing the racial disproportionality in discipline, expanding social, emotional supports, closing the opportunity gap in our early childhood programs, committing to sustainability goals, supporting translation services throughout the district and expanding dual language to middle schools, and of course, returning a school to the 5th Ward,' she said. Lindsay-Ryan, who served on the board for 11 years, thanked the district's staff and her family for their support during her tenure on the board of education. 'We are navigating a world that wants to challenge so much of what we as a community hold dear. The level of external threat to the fundamentals of education is staggering, and the threat has been weaponized to attempt to stop us from caring for our most vulnerable,' Lindsay-Ryan said. 'We see educational institutions abandoning their values and in the process their constituents in an effort to mitigate the financial repercussions of having essential funding, only to have it withdrawn anyway. I urge our community and our next board to remain steadfast in its commitment to all out student success, to maintain an inclusive and safe environment where all students can thrive, and ensure that we prepare them to be global citizens that understand the realities of power, oppression and justice and how to engage in a world around them in ways that make everyone safe, respected, valued and included,' she said. In the week prior to the new board, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would investigate a complaint of alleged racial discrimination filed on behalf of a white elementary school drama teacher, who alleged the district used educational materials containing social justice advocacy to discriminate against white employees and students, among other things. Superintendent Angel Turner thanked the outgoing board members for their service to the board. 'Serving on the School Board is no small task. It requires time, thoughtfulness and a deep commitment to public service. Over the past several years this board has grappled with very complex and often difficult issues that have had a real impact on our students, our staff and families,' Turner said. 'Through it all, they have shown courage, compassion and a steadfast focus on what they believe is best for our children.' Board president prevails after challenge Board members Sergio Hernandez, Omar Salem and Mya Wilkins, who were not up for election this year, remain on the school board. Hernandez, the previous school board president, nominated himself to remain the board's president. 'I want to directly acknowledge that the past two years have presented some significant challenges, some of which I could have navigated better,' Hernandez said before a vote was called. 'Communication, both within our board and with the broader community, has not always met the standard our constituents deserve. I take full ownership and it is not fair to expect new board members to carry the weight of these complexities without clear leadership and structure.' 'I commit to making communication a top priority moving forward, ' he said. Salem nominated himself as a the board's president too. 'I really want to kind of be this bridge here… having been on the board for two years, we have four new folks coming on, and I really just want to kind of balance the way we've done things while also making sure we have some opportunity for change. I think the community has made it clear we need some change,' Salem said. 'My goal really is just to ensure that every single board member has the opportunity to be heard internally within our board, but also externally within the community.' In a 4-3 vote, Wilkins, Hernandez, Pinkard and Wymard voted for Hernandez to be the board's president. Pinkard was voted unanimously as the board's vice president, running unopposed. 'As we transition into a new era of leadership, District 65 faces significant challenges and opportunities to rebuild trust across our community. I believe that strong strategic and collaborative board leadership is essential to supporting the superintendent and advancing our mission of opportunity, equity and excellence for all students,' Pinkard said.
Buzz Feed
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
John Legend On Kanye West's Downfall
If you watch a Kanye West live performance from the early 2000s, it's possible that you might spot a young John Legend somewhere in the background. Yep, long before he was the EGOT winner he is today, John got his big break thanks to his close ties to Kanye, serving as his backing singer and keyboard player. For many years, John and Kanye were incredibly close, both professionally and personally, as were their wives, Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen. However, around the time Kanye first publicly endorsed Donald Trump in 2016, it seems a rift began to form between the two artists. In 2018, Kanye memorably shared a screenshot of a text exchange between himself and John where the All Of Me singer was encouraging him to 'reconsider aligning' himself with Trump. 'You're way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for…So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now because they know the harm that Trump's policies cause, especially to people of color,' one of John's messages read. 'Don't let this be part of your legacy.' At the time, Kanye said he shared the private texts online 'to show that there are people around [him] that disagree with [him] and voice their opinion.' As we know, Kanye's problematic behavior only got worse over the years, resulting in his divorce from Kim in early 2021. Since then, the rapper's vitriolic hate speech online has rightfully left his reputation in ruins. Now, commenting on his former collaborator's public downfall during a new interview with the UK Times, John considered the drastic changes in Kanye's personality since they first met as budding artists. 'Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him. He had so much optimism, so much creativity,' he said. 'I didn't see a hint of what we're seeing now, his obsessions with antisemitism, anti-Blackness, and it is sad to see his devolution.' The Oscar-winning artist also acknowledged how his proximity to Kanye in the early 2000s took his career to the next level after being 'turned down by labels everywhere.' 'Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z's album The Blueprint in 2001,' he said. 'Then he experienced a buzz as a solo artist and the whole time I was traveling with him, doing shows with him, getting exposure not only as his singer and keyboard player, but also as an artist myself. Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week, everyone wanted to know what was happening in our camp.' He added: 'All those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time round.' It's no secret that Kanye was deeply impacted by the death of his mother, Donda West, in November 2007. Notably, John weighed in on the widely theorized belief that 'there was definitely a difference' in Kanye from that point onwards in terms of his problematic behavior. 'His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently,' he said.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
John Legend calls Kanye West's downfall "Sad and sometimes shocking"
Grammy-winning artist has opened up about his former collaborator , calling the rapper and producer's transformation over the past two decades both "sad" and "sometimes shocking." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In an interview, Legend reflected on their creative partnership while making his debut album, ' Get Lifted ', released in 2004. West served as executive producer on the record, contributing alongside names like Dave Tozer, and Devo Springsteen. Released under West's GOOD Music label, Get Lifted sold over three million copies, earned three Grammy Awards , and helped launch Legend into stardom. At the time, West was also riding high on his own success, with his debut album The College Dropout establishing him as a boundary-pushing artist with a unique voice. Legend described West from that era as "passionate, gifted, and full of optimism," noting, "He had big dreams for himself and the people around him," as quoted by Deadline. However, the musician acknowledged a stark contrast between the Kanye he knew then and the version seen today. "It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now," Legend said during the interview. In recent years, West has faced intense scrutiny and backlash over a series of inflammatory public statements and controversial appearances. "West has encountered widespread controversy in recent years, from selling T-shirts adorned with swastika logos to wearing a black Klu Klux Klan hood in public. He has previously been banned from the platform X for some of his offensive statements," reported Deadline. Legend expressed his distress over the direction West's behaviour has taken, and said, "I didn't see a hint of what we're seeing now, his obsessions with antisemitism, anti-Blackness, and it is sad to see his devolution," as quoted by Deadline. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He suggested that a significant turning point may have been the death of West's mother, Donda West, in 2007, which Legend believes marked the beginning of a noticeable shift in West's demeanour. "I don't think we're qualified to psychoanalyse him, but after his mother passed in 2007, there was definitely a difference. His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently," he said. The interview comes as John Legend celebrates the 20th anniversary of Get Lifted with a commemorative tour. Reflecting on the album's themes, he shared that many of its lyrics were drawn from real-life experiences, though often dramatised for artistic effect. "I was 25 when the album was made. I had cheated, and felt guilty about it," he said of tracks like She Don't Have to Know, which narrates infidelity with a flair for melodrama. "It's a soap opera. I don't think my life was ever that interesting," Legend added, as quoted by Deadline.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why the Met Gala's celebration of Black dandyism matters for this moment
The theme for this year's Met Gala, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' was selected and announced weeks before the 2024 election that returned Donald Trump to the presidency. And yet, perhaps no motif could speak more sharply to MAGA's politics of grievance and erasure. The night is inspired by the figure of the Black dandy, whose sartorial influence traces all the way back to the early 19th century. Black dandyism is a fashion tradition that — while all about elegance, tailoring and personal flair — goes beyond mere clothing choice and into the realm of cultural resistance and defiance. It speaks to the ways Black folks have always used clothing not just to express individual style, but to redefine themselves in opposition to the all-too-often demeaning and degrading gaze of white supremacy. The theme feels appropriate and timely in a political moment weighted by anti-Blackness, in a country where a Black person in a black hoodie is often treated as a threat by authorities and fellow citizens. Black folks' fashion has always been, and will likely always be, both political and politicized. All that said, it would be absurd not to acknowledge the very glaring tensions at play. For all the cultural necessity of centering Black dandyism right now, the Met Gala remains one of the most exclusive and opulent events on the planet. The sheer amount of wealth displayed at the gathering, amid our perpetual race and class stratification, can sometimes seem less like tone-deafness and more like something approximating obscenity. (Seriously. Tickets for last year's invite-only attendees were $75,000 and are guaranteed to have risen since.) Heading into the bleakness of an increasingly likely recession built on the Trump administration's unforced errors, that sentiment is as present as ever. But this year is differently fraught. The second Trump administration appears dedicated to erasing Black history, quite literally going so far as to demand the removal of notable artifacts from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. It has taken aim at studies and other initiatives that used words including 'Black,' 'racism' and — incredibly — 'historically.' Pages for figures from Army Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers, the first Black Medal of Honor recipient, to Jackie Robinson, a baseball legend and World War II Army hero, were removed from the Department of Defense website and reinstated only after sustained outcry. And the U.S. Naval Academy purged nearly 400 books from its shelves, including a Maya Angelou classic widely read in high schools, but still made sure to save space for two copies of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf.' This administration is actively erasing Black historical contributions from public memory. Under that agenda, Black cultural expression — from school curricula to street murals to, yes, fashion — are cast not just as things to be dismissed, but as divisive and even un-American threats. Black history, in particular, is considered inherently offensive. And the Black dandy is, if nothing else, a historical symbol of defiance, an aesthetic rejection of white supremacy and an assertion of dignity through dress. Amid all this, this year's theme serves as a quiet refusal, much like Black fashion itself. With that in mind, it seems worth recognizing the Met's celebration of Black fashion and Black history as both overdue and necessary, while also acknowledging the event itself is generally defined by exclusion, wealth and whiteness — and has profited off of Black American creativity while gatekeeping access for actual Black American people. For what it's worth, the event is perhaps the world's most visible fundraiser, underwriting the Met museum's Costume Institute archives — which include Black dandy-related items, from late Vogue editor André Leon Talley's monogrammed Louis Vuitton luggage to an original Dapper Dan leather jacket owned by late rap legend Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC. The co-chairs of tonight's even include actor Colman Domingo — whose fashion bona fides have made him the red carpet embodiment of the Black dandy in recent years — as well as Pharrell Williams, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and, of course, Vogue's Anna Wintour. Guest curator Monica L. Miller, professor and chair of Africana studies at Barnard/Columbia, is the author of 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.' The 2009 book, which inspired this year's gala theme, charts the emergence of the Black dandy in 1800s England, alongside his more widely touted white dandy counterpart. (That's the sort of detail that will surely rile racists still recovering from Black Ariel and Black Doctor Who.) Though enslaved, Black dandies did no physical labor — a fact meant to signify the immense wealth of Britain's richest enslavers, who dehumanized them as the ultimate luxury items. A Black enslaved figure in clothes fit for a royal was regarded as a kind of visual satire among England's white aristocratic class. Likewise, two decades later in America, artist E.W. Clay's 1820s 'Life in Philadelphia' prints would express white resentment toward middle-class free people through drawings depicting them as garishly dressed failures at imitating white sophistication. Thus began a pattern that would recur across the country's history. Black folks, as a form of self-empowerment, create their own sartorial styles, which are first viciously mocked by white people, then embraced, then assiduously copied without credit. This holds from the era of zoot suits, as worn by a young Malcolm X, to Langston Hughes' Harlem Renaissance tweeds, to the berets of Black Panthers like Huey P. Newton, to Jidenna's contemporary classic man. And while the focus at this year's Met Gala is on menswear for the first time since 2003, it's also on Janelle Monáe's tailored suits, Missy Elliott's Afrofuturism and Grace Jones' avant-garde androgyny. It's there, too, in Black grandmothers wearing their most ostentatious hats to church, black uncles in suits with the pocket squares done just so. Those inspirations will echo in the Costume Institute's exhibition of over 200 pieces. Since 2020, the museum has acquired 'roughly 150 pieces by BIPOC designers' as part of an intentional effort toward 'diversifying our exhibitions' and making the institution more about 'inclusivity,' head curator Andrew Bolton told Vogue. What better way to address the reductive racism of MAGA's 'anti-DEI' campaign than with Black fashion — which now, as always, insists we are more than what you see. This article was originally published on
