#Medicaid pays for more than 40% of births in the U.S. and an even higher percentage in rural areas, according to KFF. Here are three things to know about signing up for Medicaid when pregnant.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Valentine's Day!

Gov. Kathy #Hochul has selected Adrienne Adams, New York City’s first Black woman City Council speaker, as her running mate in the 2026 gubernatorial race. Although having two women on the same ticket is not unheard of in other states, it’s unprecedented for #NewYork.

The 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) defending champions, Gotham FC, strengthened their attacking depth with the announcement that they had signed Florida State University forward Jordynn Dudley to a professional contract. #soccer #womenssoccer

Due out in mid-March, Court Queens: Celebrate the Players, Teams and History of Women’s Basketball (published by Black Dog & Leventhal, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group) is a love letter to the sport and the incredible players who have made their marks.

DOC commissioner Stanley Richards never actually applied for the job. He saw his work centered as service provider Fortune Society’s CEO and president, and felt particularly eager to partner with the city under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. bit.ly/4qtsUaZ 

#BlackHistoryMonth: Samuel J. Battle was the first African-American NYPD officer sworn in on March 6, 1911. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4ctkeOt 

Nurses and two major hospital systems in New York City have reached a deal to end a nearly monthlong strike over staffing levels, workplace safety, health insurance and other issues.

The Roots are having a Valentine’s Day performance this Saturday at the Brooklyn Bowl, with drummer Questlove providing DJ performances before and after the band’s live set.

Super Bowl LX was more than a championship game. On one of the world’s most watched stages, players with roots from #Colombia to #Mexico, #Venezuela to Panama, and Puerto Rico stood not as symbols, but as living testaments to #immigrant journeys. #Superbowl

BLACK NEW YORKER: Brother Elijah Shabazz has become well known to community members as a strong representation of the Nation of #Islam for more than 30 years in the community.

OP-ED: "Chancellor Samuels inherits a system of exceptional potential,yet one deeply constrained by outdated structures that distribute privilege with startling precision. Many educators, community leaders, scholars, and advocates greet his tenure with sober enthusiasm."

The head of a local #mentalhealth clubhouse plans to deliver a letter to Mayor Zohran #Mamdani calling for him to employ a voluntary state mental healthcare program as a solution to encourage unhoused individuals to voluntarily seek shelter during freezing temperatures.

#Trump’s administration is notably withdrawing from agencies that work for racial justice, human rights, and global development, such as the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, UN Women, UN Population Fund, and the UN Human Rights Council.

Only a handful players have scored more than 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds since the #NCAA started sponsoring women’s #basketball. Barbara Kennedy-Dixon was one, and she will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (#WBHOF) posthumously in June in the veteran category.

#BlackHistoryMonth: Dr. James Egert Allen was an educator, community advocate, civil rights activist, and author was an active promoter of African American studies in New York. He was the first president of the New York City Branch of the NAACP. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4rF4Ym6 

A report by the Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights dismissed roughly 90 percent of the more than 9,000 new complaints of discrimination. Read more: https://bit.ly/40c50WF 

Temperatures in New York City have consistently dropped below freezing since late January, leaving Mayor Zohran Mamdani scrambling to get the city’s most vulnerable New Yorkers off the streets and subways, amid criticism of how his administration is reacting to the temperature plunge.

EDITORIAL: "It is no understatement to say that Trump is an autocrat on steroids. Evidence of this appears with each passing day, and his recent halting of the Hudson Tunnel Project further demonstrates his determination to micromanage the nation’s infrastructure."

Wunmi Mosaku, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the film “Sinners,” spoke exclusively with the AmNews about working with fellow actor Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler.

DOC commissioner Stanley Richards never actually applied for the job. He saw his work centered as service provider Fortune Society’s CEO and president, and felt particularly eager to partner with the city under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. https://bit.ly/4qtsUaZ 

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BLACK NEW YORKER: Kelly Farrow manages her apartment building in Harlem, which has been a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HFDC) for four decades, and serves as its president.

On February 13, just one day before Valentine’s Day, hitmakers New Edition will be joined by Philadelphia soul icons Boys II Men and renowned singer Toni Braxton for an evening of smooth rhythm & blues.

#BlackHistoryMonth: Josephine Baker became the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture in the 1927 French silent film "Siren of the Tropics." Along with being an actress she was a singer, dancer and civil rights activist. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4041QEo 

Ever since a racist video was posted on President Donald Trump’s social media account, the White House has offered shifting responses.

Today we honor singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer D' Angelo on what would have been his 52nd birthday.

DIVINE NINE NEWS: Divine Nine Organizations united with community partners during a Day of Service event in honor of the memory and enduring legacy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we honor singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model Brandy on her birthday!

Today we celebrate singer, actress, and television personality Kelly Rowland on her birthday!

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation’s first and oldest historically Black athletic conference, is excited to again stage the CIAA Men’s and Women’s #Basketball Championship Tournament in Baltimore, #Maryland.

This year’s Black history #dance calendar finds dance everywhere all month. Check out these performances featuring works like @camilleabrown’s I AM at PEAK Performances, The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company at NJPAC, and more.

The arrests of several Black independent journalists, including Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, by federal #ICE agents have intensified the national outcry against the recent immigration enforcement measures.

COVER STORY: #NYC once had the second-largest enslaved population in the colonies, trailing only Charleston, South Carolina. Modern movements for reparative justice seek to address centuries of systemic harm rooted in colonial slavery.

NURSES STRIKE: “Nurses sacrificed their own pay and healthcare while on strike to defend patient care for all of New York. We helped galvanize a movement for worker and healthcare justice that reached beyond New York City.” - NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane

Antonio Delgado, New York’s Democratic lieutenant governor who launched a campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul for her seat in Albany, has suddenly dropped out of this year’s race, along with his running mate, India Walton.

BOOKS: “With Love from Harlem,” by ReShonda Tate, highlights love affair-turned-marriage of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Hazel Scott.

Former Sierra Club Foundation employee Pedro da Silva alleges that normal workplace interactions got twisted into an unfair harassment complaint that leaned on racist stereotypes about predatory Black men.

Today we honor opera singer Leontyne Price on her 99th birthday! Price become the first African American to be a leading perform for the Metropolitan Opera.

At the beginning of the 50th celebration of Black History Month, check out these Black-owned restaurants for NYC Winter Restaurant Week (ending February 12). #BlackHistoryMonth #restaurantweek

The number of unemployed Black workers reached a dangerous high in 2025. If other ethnic groups were posting #unemployment numbers like these, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies said in a recent analysis, the whole nation would be seen as facing an economic crisis.

The early part of the year brings not only cold weather in New York, but awareness for the “sneak thief of sight,” Glaucoma. The devastation that the disease can bring is particularly challenging for African Americans.

#NYC Comptroller Mark Levine found disparities persist in the city’s contracting of certified Minority and Women-owned Businesses (M/WBEs) according to a report released on January 30. He pointed to contract value, rather than procurement rates, as the key issue. #MWBE

EDITORIAL: "Recent Democratic victories in #Texas may not be a harbinger that things are about to change for Democratic races across the nation, but they are a sign that the far right’s hold on American politics could be cracking."

Woodie King Jr, actor and founder of the New Federal #Theatre, died at the age of 88. On hearing the sad news, the #theater community poured out their hearts as they shared their fondest memories of this great, humble man.

#BlackHistoryMonth: NYC once had the second-largest enslaved population in the colonies, trailing only Charleston, South Carolina. Modern movements for reparative justice seek to address centuries of systemic harm rooted in colonial slavery.

WINTER GAMES: Despite injuries before this season and one mid-season, Erin Jackson has medaled at two World Cup races. Heading to the Games, she said she was feeling good.

BREAKING NEWS: Nurses and two major hospital systems in NYC have reached a deal to end a nearly monthlong strike over staffing levels, workplace safety and other issues.

OP-ED: "The New York Junk Fee Prevention Act. The bill would require businesses to advertise the total price of goods or services upfront, banning the common practice of tacking on mandatory fees at the checkout counter." - Former Congressman Ed Towns

The number of unemployed Black workers reached a dangerous high in 2025. Unemployment among U.S. Black workers reached 8.2% in November, more than double the highest rate for white workers that month.