RICHMOND, Virginia — Within a week of leaving prison in 2024, Quadaire Patterson applied to have his right to vote restored. He waited for about two years, without success. But when he checked Virginia’s online portal this past August, there had been a big change. His status said “pending,” whereas before it had said “denied.” […] The post Black Virginians Are Fighting a Voting Barrier That Outlasted Jim Crow appeared first on Capital B News.

Less than 30 minutes into a Love Island watch party on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, all hell broke loose On Aug. 31, several Black student organizations had gathered in a small building to watch the popular reality TV show when a white man walked in, yelling racial slurs. […] The post Black UNC Students Say the University Failed Them After a Racist Attack appeared first on Capital B News.

Is the nation – from institutions to lawmakers — investing in the needs of Black women voters? A new, nonpartisan poll by The Highland Project and brilliant corners Research and Strategies that surveyed 700 participants found the answer is “overwhelmingly no.” The report focused on what researchers define as “the fulfillment gap,” whether Black women […] The post Black Women Are Sounding the Alarm About Voting Rights and America’s Future appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally reported by Candice Norwood of The 19th. For most of Kwaneta Harris’ life, menopause was not something she heard people talk about. She didn’t learn about much beyond hot flashes, night sweats and irregular periods in her nursing school training, or at any point during her decade-long career in the medical […] The post In a Texas Prison, This Black Woman Turned Scraps of Paper Into a Menopause Lifeline appeared first on Capital B News.

Of all the issues we asked Black Augustans about in a survey to understand their news needs — the economy, housing, education — one issue topped them all: how to be prepared for disasters. It’s not hard to see why. Augusta sits along the Savannah River and is still recovering from 2024’s Hurricane Helene. The […] The post Black Augustans Want Local News That Helps Them Prepare for the Next Disaster appeared first on Capital B News.

Sarah Bell had completed only one year of her two-year term on a federal committee to help farmers of color before she learned the work would be “on pause.” In 2024, Bell, an Asian American farmer in the South, was one of 15 appointees on the Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers. The committee was established […] The post A Key Voice for Farmers of Color at USDA Has Gone Silent Under Trump appeared first on Capital B News.

Historically Black colleges and universities will get a one-time $174 million investment in what the Trump administration has called keeping its pledge to support institutions that have played a role advancing opportunities for generations. “For nearly 200 years, HBCUs have been engines of opportunity in communities, advancing critical innovations and uplifting local industries across the […] The post HBCUs to Receive $174 Million Federal Funding Boost appeared first on Capital B News.

A federal appeals court in Missouri said the state must use a Republican redistricting map weeks after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled against the decision twice. On Sept. 21, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state to use a congressional map Republicans drew in 2025 that would split one of the state’s two […] The post Black Voters in Kansas City Face Divided District as Federal Court Sides With GOP appeared first on Capital B News.

Black neighborhoods will feel the brunt of the Trump administration’s recent move to end federal limits on carbon pollution from America’s power plants, residents and environmental advocates said. The Environmental Protection Agency announced earlier this month that it will repeal rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural […] The post Trump Moves to Strip Pollution Limits from Power Plants Near Black Communities appeared first on Capital B News.

Angie Nixon has spent more than two decades advocating for Black and working-class communities in Florida. But the Jacksonville native didn’t make a splash on the national stage until she stunned many in her bid to become the state’s first Black senator. The Democratic Socialist trounced her better-funded opponent Alex Vindman in Florida’s Democratic primary […] The post Angie Nixon Is Running to Make History While Facing Trial for Voting Rights Protest appeared first on Capital B News.

WASHINGTON — There’s a heaviness hanging over this year’s Congressional Black Caucus conference, as U.S. Rep. Troy Carter of Louisiana and other caucus members talk strategy ahead of the midterms just months away. “Be angry enough to fight. Angry enough to vote,” Carter said Wednesday, the first day of the annual convening in the nation’s […] The post How the Congressional Black Caucus Is Organizing to Protect Black Voting Power appeared first on Capital B News.

At 23, Omarion Calloway can’t remember life without caring for others. Before he was a teenager he was cooking for his family and navigating adults’ health care needs. By age 10, he was bathing his grandmother and managing her oxygen tubes. A few years later, instead of playing outside, he remembers his “little hands” helping […] The post Young Black Men and Boys Are Quietly Taking On a Caregiving Crisis Few People See appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally reported by Shefali Luthra of The 19th. Meet Shefali and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. The family of a woman who died after she could not get an abortion in Texas is suing doctors and state officials including Attorney General Ken Paxton. It is the first […] The post Family of Pregnant Woman Who Died After She Couldn’t Get An Abortion in Texas Sues appeared first on Capital B News.

As a child in the 1950s and ’60s, Regina Martin became so used to the oil pumpjacks near her home that she assumed every child lived beside them. Everyone was made “sick to [their] tummy” by the sulfurous, rotten-egg smell that never seemed to leave, she thought. Only until she was grown did she begin […] The post In LA, Some Black Residents May Soon Receive Environmental Reparations appeared first on Capital B News.

For Northwestern University alumna Keala Uchôa, the university’s recent decision to restructure its African Studies program and cut two staff positions is hardly surprising. The move isn’t isolated. Over the years, the university and students have clashed over protests, a faculty member has sued over not getting tenure, and some current and former students – […] The post The Slow Disappearance of Black Studies on College Campuses appeared first on Capital B News.

Decisions made in courts across the country are changing the rules of voting and shifting Black political power. Capital B is tracking the fight for voting rights to show who is affected, where power is shifting, and what the changes mean for Black communities nationwide. For voting rights stories from across the country, visit our […] The post Black Voters in Georgia Are Mobilizing as Voting Rights Face New Threats appeared first on Capital B News.

A federal appeals court has used a decades-long water crisis in one of the Blackest cities in America to rule that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee Americans the right to clean and safe drinking water. The Sept. 4 ruling came even after Jackson, Mississippi, residents alleged officials knew the water was contaminated and assured […] The post Federal Court Rules There Is No Constitutional Right to Safe Drinking Water appeared first on Capital B News.

Nia Gilliam proclaimed she’d never fly again after 9/11. The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, felt normal. The Atlantic Coast Airlines plane had no engine problems or mechanical issues. Passengers were seated. The 25-year-old co-pilot and her superior, Capt. Shye Gilad, were ready to depart Newark Liberty International Airport for Boston. The bright blue skies […] The post What 9/11 Took From Her, She’s Now Giving to the Next Generation of Black Women Pilots appeared first on Capital B News.

Americans don’t agree on much, but that’s not the case when it comes to data centers. ​Seven in 10 Americans oppose building data centers for artificial intelligence in or near their communities. Despite this, the federal government is moving to make it easier for them to be built. And in some places, residents won’t even […] The post Federal Government Moves to Limit Public Input on Data Center Projects appeared first on Capital B News.

This story discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to connect with trained counselors 24/7. A Kentucky family still awaits […] The post A Series of Hanging Deaths Has Black Families Demanding Answers appeared first on Capital B News.

Photographs by Kuwilileni Hauwanga/Capital B Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian Institution’s first Black secretary, is stepping down after more than a year of escalating attacks from the White House over how the institution presents U.S. history. “I have spent nearly half of my life working at and being part of the Smithsonian family, and […] The post Smithsonian’s Leader to Step Down Amid Trump Efforts to Reshape Black History appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program. COLUMBIA, South Carolina – Before heading to Howard University in fall 2021, Christopher Davis was determined to be the first Black man in his family to graduate from college. Not even a pandemic or financial insecurity could keep him from his […] The post HBCUs Are Building New Support Systems for Black Male Students appeared first on Capital B News.

Missouri voters will decide the fate of a Republican-drawn congressional map after the state Supreme Court unanimously blocked the new districts from being used in November. The map was drawn to improve Republicans’ chances of winning seven of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats by reshaping the Kansas City district represented by longtime Black Democratic U.S. […] The post Kansas City’s Black Voters Keep House Seat as Missouri Court Blocks GOP Map appeared first on Capital B News.

This story discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to connect with trained counselors. ARLINGTON, Virginia — Raised in a religious community […] The post As Lil Nas X Spotlights Black Queer Men’s Mental Health, Advocates Push for Healing appeared first on Capital B News.

Last month, Pierre Damas Bel started his first year at Wright State University with the kind of future his family had crossed borders to imagine. ​The 20-year-old, an honors graduate of Springfield High School in Ohio and JROTC member who emigrated from Haiti in 2024, planned to study neuroscience, play soccer, and eventually attend medical […] The post College Student Dies Amid ICE Crackdown on Haitian Immigrants appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally reported by Mariel Padilla of The 19th. In 2016, Candace Owens emerged as a leading conservative voice, the rare Black woman backing then-candidate Donald Trump. In 2017, she was hired by Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit co-founded by Charlie Kirk. In 2020, she announced that she’d be joining The Daily […] The post Candace Owens Has Won the Trust These Women Refuse to Give Politicians appeared first on Capital B News.

CLARKSDALE, Mississippi — Rumors of a potential data center had loomed over Voneshay Walker like a cloud for months. She’d heard the whispers and seen reports of other centers popping up in small towns across the South. She didn’t expect it to hit so close to home. Walker is a native of Tutwiler, Mississippi, a […] The post A Data Center Promises Jobs in This Black Town, but Residents Aren’t Convinced appeared first on Capital B News.

WASHINGTON — Shirley Lee traveled nearly 1,500 miles from Houston to the nation’s capital. Wearing a cowboy hat emblazoned with an American flag, she said that she wasn’t going to miss this year’s March on Washington. “It’s my 70th birthday on Sunday, so [being here] is my birthday present to me,” Lee told Capital B. […] The post Black Voting Power Is Under Attack, So Thousands Came to D.C. to Fight Back appeared first on Capital B News.

Across a rural pocket of cotton and soybean fields in northeast Louisiana, Meta, the eighth most profitable company in the world, is attempting to build America’s largest data center. The project, which is located in Richland Parish, an area home to three times as many residents as the national average, has seen its anticipated investments […] The post Meta’s Data Center Will Be the Biggest in the U.S., but No One Knows Who They’re Hiring appeared first on Capital B News.

With the midterm elections less than three months away, efforts to restrict access to the ballot box — efforts that could have major ramifications for Black voters — continue. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to move forward, at least for now, with its plan to restrict mail voting. For months, […] The post Trump Is Moving to Restrict Mail Voting Just Months Before the Midterms appeared first on Capital B News.

The “Queen of Country” Dolly Parton has died in Nashville, Tennessee, her family announced on Tuesday. The music icon was 80. “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” Parton’s publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said Tuesday. Parton’s death reverberated across her […] The post Dolly Parton Made an Undeniable Mark on Black Culture appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally reported by Jasmine Mithani of The 19th. Content warning: This story references incidents of domestic violence. Keshia Golden, a Black mother and survivor of domestic violence who says she accidentally killed her boyfriend in self-defense, accepted a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter that would allow her to avoid jail time. She […] The post Keshia Golden, Who Said She Killed Boyfriend in Self-Defense, Accepts Plea deal appeared first on Capital B News.

In the pews of a Memphis, Tennessee, church on Monday morning, the Rev. Earle J. Fisher wasn’t getting a headstart on next Sunday’s sermon, he was preparing a resource hub. “This can’t be my normal Monday because like so many others, we’re without power,” said Fisher, who teaches at LeMoyne-Owen College, an HBCU in Memphis. […] The post From Memphis to Gary, Black Communities Are Being Left in the Dark appeared first on Capital B News.

I’ve experienced dozens of power outages growing up in Gary. But usually an outage had boundaries. A neighborhood, a section of a city, or maybe part of a county. You could drive a few miles and eventually find light again. But last Tuesday, as my wife and I drove through Merrillville, Hobart, and Portage in […] The post I Grew Up in Gary. I’ve Never Seen a Power Outage Like This. appeared first on Capital B News.

The headlines about a Black British professor’s death in London and the plagiarism allegations about his work hit too close to home for Emmitt Riley. Jason Arday, the youngest Black professor in the University of Cambridge’s history when he was appointed in 2023, died Aug. 14 after weeks of intense scrutiny of his background and […] The post Black Academics See Their Own Struggles in the Death of a British Professor appeared first on Capital B News.

DeSOTO COUNTY, Mississippi. — Hester Jackson-McCray witnessed the beginning of the economic boom in this Mississippi Delta county when she moved south from Chicago in 1999. Year after year, she has watched the county attract newcomers and grow culturally and economically, cotton fields giving way to subdivisions and shopping centers. Other Black families like hers […] The post The Battle Over Black Representation in a White Mississippi County appeared first on Capital B News.

ROSELAND, Louisiana — As a young boy in the 1960s, almost every weekend Elbert McGee walked a half-mile with his father through the wooded streets of Roseland to the Tangipahoa River. There, he learned to swim and fish for bass, crappie, and the occasional catfish. ​“We had a good, good life as children,” McGee said, […] The post In Roseland, an Oil Disaster Leaves Black Parents Asking How to Keep Their Kids Safe appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally reported by Mel Leonor Barclay of The 19th. Florida Democrat Angie Nixon, a progressive who recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America, won Democrats’ nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in a stunning upset that gave progressives a win in a highly unlikely state. Nixon, a Florida state representative and community […] The post Angie Nixon Notches an Upset Victory in Florida’s Democratic Senate Primary appeared first on Capital B News.

A hip-hop icon. A former congresswoman accused of stealing disaster funds. A white longtime politician frustrating some Black voters. A Jamaica-born former mayor. A progressive educator. These are the candidates in the closely watched Aug. 18 Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which is heavily Black and leans Democratic. Beneath some of the drama […] The post A Congressional District Built for Black Representation Faces a Defining Election appeared first on Capital B News.

The National Association of Black Journalists handed out five Thumbs Down Awards at its annual convention in Atlanta on Saturday — the most in the organization’s history. One recipient created a big stir and overshadowed the others: Stephen A. Smith. The ESPN host and YouTube personality was singled out for his “recurring public pattern of […] The post NABJ President Explains Why Stephen A. Smith Got a Thumbs Down Award appeared first on Capital B News.

“I’ve got a feeling somebody’s trying to sneak in my house … Morehouse!” A boisterous crowd sang into the summer night air as they flanked a long line of young men dressed in white shirts and maroon ties as they exited King Chapel. It is with those words, sang by upperclassman and alumni, that Morehouse […] The post Before Classes Begin, Morehouse Gives Its Freshmen a Lesson in Belonging appeared first on Capital B News.

Housing has long been a strain on Black colleges, but this summer, several HBCUs flipped that narrative. They are breaking ground on new dorms and announcing housing developments just as enrollment climbs. HBCUs make up just 3% of U.S. higher education institutions, yet they educate more than 10% of Black Americans with college degrees, according […] The post Black Colleges Are Building More Dorms Amid Enrollment Growth appeared first on Capital B News.

Dominika Parry never stopped fighting for Jackson, Mississippi, residents even after the Trump administration terminated a multibillion-dollar program last year meant to help the Black city still reeling from a water crisis. For years, if water did flow out of Black households’ faucets in Jackson at all, it was often brown. It left elders and […] The post Trump Ordered to Release Billions in Climate Grants Meant for Black Communities appeared first on Capital B News.

This summer, it has felt like the flow of Black folks and families arriving at Deep Roots CPS Farm in Charlotte, North Carolina, has never let up, said Cherie Jzar, the farm’s managing director. They’re in search of something that has become harder to find in the grocery aisle: certainty. They’re asking about lettuce — […] The post After Cyclospora Outbreak, Local Black Farms See Rise in Support appeared first on Capital B News.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marcus Bruce leaned against the tables where he and his carpentry students paused to answer questions from local middle schoolers on a recent tour of the University of the District of Columbia’s workforce campus. The young students didn’t hold back: “What happens to student loans? Will they take it from your check […] The post A Free D.C. Trade Program Is Connecting Black Students to Higher-Paying Jobs appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally published in the Mississippi Free Press, a nonprofit journalism multimedia network reporting on the causes of and solutions to the social, political, and structural challenges facing all Mississippians and their communities. The woman whose body was found hanging from a tree behind a vacant Jackson, Mississippi, home is 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, […] The post Black Woman Found Hanging in Tree in Mississippi Has Been Identified as Tasia Fortune appeared first on Capital B News.

WILMINGTON, Delaware — Wearing his Sunday best, Corey Gordon Jr. drove 30 minutes to Shiloh Baptist Church in Wilmington, Delaware, to witness a historic event that would impact his fundamental right to vote. The 22-year-old graduate of the University of Delaware saw firsthand how anti-diversity backlash could unsettle a campus. Over the past year, the […] The post Delaware Gives Black Voters New Protections Against Election Discrimination appeared first on Capital B News.

Payton Arentt didn’t give an extra thought to an email from the Tuskegee University administration announcing a dress code and cellphone policy — but she did wonder why people weren’t talking more about the radio silence around financial aid and housing. As a rising senior, Arentt said there’s always been an understanding on campus about […] The post Tuskegee Students Say the Dress Code Debate Misses the Real Issues appeared first on Capital B News.

Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win Michigan’s Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat, concluding a bruising contest that became a national proxy battle over where the party is headed and how Black voters might shape that future. While many observers framed the race around whether El-Sayed could break through with Black Michiganders — who […] The post What El-Sayed’s Michigan Win Reveals About Black Voters and Democrats appeared first on Capital B News.

This story was originally reported by Mel Leonor Barclay of The 19th. Former Democratic Rep. Cori Bush will not be returning to Congress after failing to retake her old seat from Rep. Wesley Bell in the heated primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ. Bush was first elected to […] The post Cori Bush’s Primary Loss Further Hurts Black Women’s Chances for Representation in Congress appeared first on Capital B News.