“You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.” This essay from Toni Morrison really hits as I reflect on these last months, freelancing, contracting, consulting, juggling. www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...

I founded #NBCBLK in 2015 & ran it for 3 years. It was crushing to see NBC eliminate the verticals and editors, all who served solid storytelling, hired unknown but talented writers, & provided a missing & nuanced lens to general news coverage. My take: @thewrap.com www.thewrap.com/nbc-news-div...

(1/2) It's a great honor to win the 2025 American Society of Journalists and Authors Opinion/Op-Ed award for "The Black press democratized America," a @theemancipator.org piece I wrote from Morehouse College in the days following the 2024 presidential election. open.substack.com/pub/nicolefc...

What a powerful experience to present w/ Robert Johnson at @medillschool.bsky.social Midwest Solutions Journalism Summer Summit. A far cry from the Hill Correctional Center interview room. Thank you @debofficially.bsky.social + @amberpayne.bsky.social. And esp to Robert for sharing his survival.

Ms. Payne, quoting “the poignant and prophetic words of Audre Lorde: “‘To refuse to participate in the shaping of our #future is to give it up. Do not be misled into passivity either by false security (they don’t mean me) or by despair (there’s nothing we can do). #Militancy no longer means…. ‘”

All the flowers for the wonderful @amberpayne.bsky.social, who played a central role in reviving an abolitionist newspaper and expanding how we think, talk about, and report on race in profound ways. 💐💐💐

Leading this team has been a transformative journey these last 4 years but it’s time to take what I’ve learned & do something new. My last day is 6/30. Grateful for this opportunity & my incredible colleagues for their support & dedication to this critical work. theemancipator.org/2025/06/26/f...

“Elon Musk purchasing [Twitter] is an act of war.” — @meredithdclark.bsky.social ​ Read the full interview here: theemancipator.org/2025/06/05/t...

What to eat in STL? Lemme know!

Heading to St. Louis for @edwriters.bsky.social Seminar! I’ll be on a panel tmrw at 1:45p “How I Did the Story: School Segregation” - sharing how we put together a series on the 50th anniversary of the Boston busing ruling. ewa.org/events/upcom...

What can 1963 in America teach us about 2025 in America? How did a nation pivot so much closer (or further away) from true democracy and racial equity in only one year?

Some Black state attorneys general, including Letitia James of New York and Keith Ellison of Minnesota, vowed on Thursday they will ensure police are held accountable in their states. theemancipator.org/2025/05/21/s...

Days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the Justice Department announced it is dismissing lawsuits against the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments.

Fact Check: Are White South African ‘refugees’ fleeing racial persecution? (Answer: Nope) theemancipator.org/2025/05/20/s...

In a precursor to the highly anticipated showdown over birthright citizenship, the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh whether lower court judges have the legal right to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders from going into effect.

Blessed to have 2 little ones bt I recognize and respect that Mother’s Day can be a very painful or traumatic day for some women. Grateful to @chandelis.bsky.social for sharing her story of coming to terms with the difficult but life saving decision to undergo a hysterectomy in her early 30s.

Do better #UVA

"The crowd chants 'Don’t take the mother!' over and over again as the daughter keeps trying to get back on the hood of the car. More Worcester cops arrive, all helping the ICE agents carry out their rotten senseless work." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Nike’s campaign for A’ja Wilson’s signature shoe has sparked praise for its authentic Black storytelling. The films — featuring a reimagined childhood clapping game and a lyrical ode to Black girlhood — celebrate Wilson’s impact while centering Black cultural nuance. www.tiktok.com/@the_emancip...

Black Dandyism doesn’t exist without the barbarous conditions responsible for its creation. Nor should it — especially in a predominantly White environment rife with individuals who routinely benefit from Black plight.

This year’s Met Gala was an opulent and exuberant exploration of Black style, and more specifically, Black Dandyism.

“The original Black Dandies — they weren’t dressing up for TikTok aesthetics or a Met Gala theme. They were using their style to reclaim power in spaces that told them that they had none.” — @ashley94.bsky.social #BlackDandyism #MetGala

Trump’s immigration and tariff policies complicate disaster response ahead of hurricane season 🖊️By Kendra Pierre-Louis

The Trump administration has painted a picture that these first 100 days have been an unprecedented start to an era of peace and prosperity that will enhance the quality of life for all Americans. This is far from the truth. ✍️ @chandelis.bsky.social theemancipator.org/2025/04/29/s...

Colorado football breakout star Shedeur Sanders’ belated selection by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft is an example of the racialized double standard applied to Black athletes. 🖊️ @chandelis.bsky.social 🧵

“Sinners” stands in sharp contrast against the current Trump administration’s racist attempts to whitewash the historic and cultural contributions of Black and Brown people. The movie is a homily for all of us as modern-day keepers of memory. theemancipator.org/2025/04/26/t...

Admission to Africana studies, Asian studies, data analytics, disability studies, Middle East studies, philosophy, religious studies, Spanish and women’s and gender studies programs has been suspended starting with the 2025-26 school year “in compliance with SB1." 19thnews.org/2025/04/univ...

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all of the staff that had distributed $1.7B annually in Social Services Block Grant funds, which many states had depended on for their child welfare, foster care and adoption systems.

As I recently wrote for @theemancipator.org , as a descendant daughter of the Mississippi Delta, Ryan Coogler’s new film “Sinners” touched an ancestral chord in my spirit. (Spoiler alert) 🧵 theemancipator.org/2025/04/26/t...

A headline from Hell. @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04...

‘Sinners’ and the beautiful struggle to belong and survive 🧵 🖊️@domesticpolichick.bsky.social

It’s our anniversary ✨

Been saying we’re covering white supremacy & we don’t know how to reckon with it… Re-upping this March conversation on The Great Resegregation and a lot of other relevant topics w @victorerikray.bsky.social @amberpayne.bsky.social @ibramxk.bsky.social and me: nicolefcarr.substack.com/p/on-dangero...

Over 100 Black mayors from across the country converged in Washington, D.C., last week to strategize how to best tackle issues impacting their communities as the Trump administration rescinds funding for crucial projects and targets diverse populations through regressive social policies.

Ryan Coogler’s smash hit, “Sinners,” has piqued moviegoers’ interest in many ways during the film’s successful opening weekend. Content creators took to social media to start conversations and decipher some of the movie’s messages about belonging to a community. #Sinners

Saw ‘Sinners’ last night. 🤯. Wow. 🔎now out here searching for the deconstructions and hot takes. Also, I loved that every employee I interacted with - ticket guy, popcorn guy - rejoiced when I told them what I was seeing. “And it’s Michael B. Jordan’s for the price of one!” Popcorn guy said.

"This false security and liberation is not worth a lifetime diet of bootlicking, and certainly not worth the continuous subjugation of others that we are required to turn a blind eye to." - via @ourobororoboruo.bsky.social theemancipator.org/2025/04/22/s...

After a historic federal agreement to address the state’s sewage crisis is scrapped, Black residents in Lowndes County are left exposed to raw waste.

meanwhile, prominent pundits continue to deny that there the administration adheres to a segregationist ideology

Black farmers have historically endured generations of discrimination in land ownership. 🧵 Read more here: theemancipator.org/2025/04/17/t...

“What is at stake are legitimate concerns for their health & their rights to humane living conditions. Revoking those promises based on disfavored buzz words is arbitrary, inhumane, & ignores the substance and purposes of the Agreement.” via @insideclimatenews.org theemancipator.org/2025/04/15/s...

Hungry for up-to-date knowledge and literature, Daniel Pirkel is frustrated by the state correction department’s sense of disregard for incarcerated people’s desire to belong to the world many of them will one day return to.

THREAD: Under a new law, thousands of prisoners in Louisiana have been cut off from ever getting a chance at parole. Why? Because an algorithm said so. 1/

We’re live! Join us now for our #BlackMaternalHealth panel with #RoomToGrow, featuring The Emancipator's @amberpayne.bsky.social along with an incredible lineup of panelists: us02web.zoom.us/j/8965136068...

I’m honored to moderate this critical conversation for #RoomToGrow to kick off #BlackMaternalHealthWeek tomorrow! Join us at 10am in person or on the livestream. www.roomtogrow.org/talks

Jennifer Neal has penned a travel memoir that steers clear of the glorification of exotic climes trope and, instead, interweaves personal stories, observations, and research on how Japan, Australia, and Germany have historically treated Black people. theemancipator.org/2025/04/09/t...

Take note law firms and universities.

Harriet Tubman’s family responds to abolitionist’s removal from National Park Service website 🧵 By @chandelis.bsky.social