If your social media timelines look anything like mine, you’ve likely seen a video of Rep. Jasmine Crockett presenting Chris Brown with a Congressional Record recognition for his “artistry” during his and Usher Raymond’s Dallas show on their joint tour. As a journalist who has a duty to hold power to account, I joined in on the chorus of critique for Crockett. I believe her authority and resources as a public servant were wasted on adorning an individual who has a well-documented record of being violent, particularly to women, and whose music largely reduces women to being for his sexual pleasure.

Judge Penny Brown Reynolds has dedicated her life to justice and civil rights. She says she didn’t know it at the time, but everything in her life was leading to her run to be Georgia’s next secretary of state. She began her career in Georgia politics as chief of staff and then as executive counsel to Governor Roy Barnes beginning in 1998, making her the first African American to hold both positions. She then worked on the Fulton County bench as a trial court judge for eight years. Over time, she developed a reputation for fairness, with none of her criminal rulings ever overturned. She credits her career success to her deep devotion to her faith, having been under the tutelage of civil rights leaders and ministers Rev. C.T. Vivian and Dr. Joseph Lowry.

Soon after he began his second term, President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. Programs and roles in the federal workforce were eliminated. Fearing legal repercussions, private companies followed suit, reneging on diversity commitments.

At the start of this year, Ruth-Ann Briscoe filled her calendar with different churches to try each Sunday, determined to find a community to call home. Belonging to Generation Z, Briscoe’s story is one anecdote in the flood of media and ecclesial narratives about young people and religious revival.

A teacher who wouldn’t cast her as a princess in a kindergarten skit shaped Kimberlé Crenshaw’s views. So did her efforts to diversify the hiring process and courses at Harvard Law School while she was a student. So, too, did the appointment of Clarence Thomas as the second Black Supreme Court justice in 1991, and the erasure of Black girls and women in the 2010s who were victims of police brutality. Crenshaw’s successes as one of the leading voices on law and equity have come against a backdrop of interpersonal and systemic racism and sexism. In the foreground have been resolute Black women who have molded, guided and inspired her work. All of this, said Crenshaw, a legal scholar and professor who just released a memoir, “Backtalker: An American Memoir,” shaped her analysis on race, class and gender in the United States. And together, they show how ignoring the injustices of Black women contributes to the erosion of our democracy altogether.

In 2013, when Kate Regan was a senior in high school, she became fixated on health and nutrition. She found content from online creators who made “what I eat in a day” videos inspiring. What she didn’t realize at the time was that this curiosity was masking a developing eating disorder.  Soon, the algorithm made that kind of content pervasive on her social media feeds.

This story was produced in partnership with Teen Vogue and reprinted with permission.  Christopher Cade wants to be president someday. His inspiration largely comes from family members, who have been involved in local politics and activism since long before he was born. But policies from the Trump administration and the Ohio Legislature are complicating his college experience — and his plans to become a politician. Cade is a student at Ohio State University double-majoring in public policy ana...

Christopher Cade wants to be president someday. His inspiration comes largely from his family, which has been involved in local politics and activism since long before he was born. But policies from the Trump administration and the Ohio legislature are complicating his college experience — and his plans to become a politician.

Despite being born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, I was unfamiliar with most of the colorfully rich Black music history the city holds until fairly recently, when I came across a blurb about its role in the Chitlin' Circuit on the town's website. As I learned more about the historically Black neighborhood I often passed through, heading to my favorite downtown spots, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the district's multi-decade history of being a booming, self-sufficient community

Hours after his Jan. 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump rescinded a 2011 policy that limited where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can make arrests. Advocates say safe havens, like houses of worship and schools, have already become increasingly vulnerable, with raids reported across the country.

That's why some Black women are doing away with the product-heavy, ultra-complicated routines they're seeing on their FYPs and instead going back to basics — proving that viral beauty trends aren't "one size fits all" and sometimes we know our own hair best.But as the digital space has expanded, more mixed-race creators and others with looser curl patterns have begun to profit from natural hair content.

As countless Christians have expressed their disappointment with the results of the presidential election, many have heard in response platitudes such as “God is still on the throne” or “God is not Republican or Democrat.” Zach Lambert has heard those messages before. But as lead pastor of Restore Austin, he and his Texas team took a different approach. Instead of trying to “turn eyes heavenward,” his team worked to remind their church that God was with them in their grief and struggle.

For faith activists and leaders committed to continuing their work to oppose and resist Christian nationalism, President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House is disappointing but not a sign of total defeat. Ahead of Inauguration Day, many activists are continuing their coalition-building efforts and sounding the alarm on specific policies they believe Trump may sign executive orders on, day one in office. Amanda Tyler, the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religiou...

When Kahwit Tela, 25, thinks of the male influences in his upbringing, his father is top of mind. Tela’s Congolese dad taught him and his brother principles like putting faith into action by helping others, centering care and empathy — principles that Tela now believes are the true cornerstones of masculinity.

An unbiased breakdown of where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on the most important issues.

When Angelica Nwandu launched The Shade Room on Instagram in 2014 its main focus was to platform cultural issues of interest to Black audiences. Now, a decade later, the media company has expanded to also cover hard news and politics.

In April 2024, the Supreme Court announced it would not hear the Mckesson v. Doe case—which determined whether a protest leader can be held legally responsible for injuries inflicted by another person's "violent" act—and instead, chose to uphold the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling already in place. Since 2016, notable Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson has been in a persistent battle with an unnamed officer who holds him responsible for being hit with a "rock-like" object at a prot...

As Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz continue to campaign across the country, pastors and organizers in Minnesota are reflecting on their work with the governor, saying that he has displayed an authentic willingness to collaborate with faith and community leaders over his tenure.

Sign up for our free newsletter and start your day with in-depth reporting on the latest topics in education.What began as a virtual book club for Black St. Louis men to maintain community at the start of the pandemic has now transformed into an organization dedicated to combating the city’s youth literacy crisis.

As a first-time in-person attendee at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, my excitement was through the roof to gather in this space by and for Black journalists. But when the organization announced less than 48 hours before this year’s convention kicked off in Chicago that former president Donald Trump would be making an appearance, delight turned to dread for myself and countless others.