An Illinois jury convicted former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson of second-degree murder in the 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who had called 911 for help. Grayson, who claimed he feared being scalded with hot water, was acquitted of first-degree murder, angering Massey’s family and supporters who say the verdict shows the justice system’s failure to protect Black lives.
Category: National News
Posted inHealth
Medicaid cuts in Republicans’ spending bill threaten rural hospitals, disaster preparedness
The 47th president’s spending bill is preparing to slash Medicaid, putting millions of Americans at risk of losing health insurance and threatening the survival of rural hospitals that rely on Medicaid reimbursements. Experts warn that the cuts, combined with reductions to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, could leave rural communities less equipped to handle both everyday emergencies and natural disasters.
Posted inAfro Briefs
A North Carolina man is charged with 4 murder counts after telling authorities he killed his kids
A North Carolina man, Wellington Delano Dickens III, has been charged with four counts of murder after telling authorities he killed his children. Deputies found human remains in the trunk of a car at his home in Zebulon, N.C. Dickens’ surviving 3-year-old son was found alive inside the house. Investigators believe the victims—three of Dickens’ biological children and his 18-year-old stepchild—were killed in May.
Posted inBUSINESS
Meet the leaders combatting heat, pollution and inequity in urban areas
Black-led environmental justice organizations like WE ACT for Environmental Justice and Green Scheme are tackling pollution and extreme heat to protect underserved communities and improve their health and living conditions.
Posted inBUSINESS
Pastor Jamal Bryant launches digital protest of Dollar General
Pastor Jamal Bryant has launched an electronic protest of Dollar General, calling attention to the company’s practices in Black communities. Bryant says the chain contributes to health disparities and food insecurity. Rather than call for a full boycott, he is urging a digital protest to demand change without harming those who rely on the store.
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
US warship docks in Trinidad and Tobago, amid rising tensions with Venezuela
The U.S. warship USS Gravely docked in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, for joint military exercises, heightening pressure on Venezuela amid tensions with President Nicolás Maduro. The visit, supported by Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has drawn criticism from local activists and follows a U.S. Embassy warning about potential threats to Americans in the country.
Posted inWord In Black
Could Emmett Till’s coffin be erased from the Smithsonian?
By Liz Courquet-LesaulnierWord in Black If history can be rewritten, then objects, no matter how sacred, can be put back into a shed, hidden in a basement or destroyed. Seventy years on, the task remains what it was in 1955: to look unflinchingly at racism, at the brutality it inflicted on a child and to […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica and threatens to be the island’s strongest recorded storm
Hurricane Melissa intensified into a Category 5 storm as it neared Jamaica, threatening catastrophic flooding, landslides, and widespread destruction. The storm, already blamed for six deaths across the Caribbean, could be the strongest to ever hit the island.
Posted inWord In Black
Inside the soon-to-open Obama Presidential Center
The Barack Obama Presidential Center, set to open on Chicago’s South Side in spring 2026, will be a first-of-its-kind presidential library and community hub. The 19-acre campus will feature green spaces, a library branch, a podcast studio, and areas for public events, while the museum building—shaped like four hands coming together—will house exhibits on Obama’s presidency and the foundation’s programs.
Posted inStop Killing Us
What to know about the murder trial of an Illinois sheriff deputy who killed Sonya Massey
By John O’connor A jury was seated Oct. 20 in the murder trial of an Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with killing Sonya Massey, a Black woman shot in her home last year after calling police for help. Opening statements took place on Oct. 22 in the case against Sean Grayson after a jury of 10 […]
Posted inHBCU
Shooting at a historically Black university’s homecoming fest in Pennsylvania kills 1 and wounds 6
A shooting during Lincoln University’s homecoming festivities late Oct. 25 left one person dead and six others wounded, turning a night of celebration into tragedy at the historically Black university in Pennsylvania. Authorities detained one person with a firearm and are investigating whether more than one shooter was involved. Officials say there is no ongoing threat to the campus as state police and the FBI assist in the investigation.
Posted inEducation
Pell Grant cuts helped lower Black college enrollment, report says
A new report links cuts and inconsistencies in Pell Grant funding to a nearly half-million drop in Black college enrollment over the past decade, with Southern HBCUs hit hardest. Researchers urge federal and state leaders to stabilize Pell funding to ensure equitable access to higher education.
