WRIIT - KOLUMN Magazine

Everything you need to know about the cancer cluster in Houston’s Fifth Ward | Houston Chronicle

February 5, 2020February 5, 2020Environmental Activism

State authorities have identified a part of Houston’s Fifth Ward as a cancer cluster, a designation found where creosote was used since 1997 by Union Pacific. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Creosote is a chemical used to treat wood railroad ties, which were treated by Houston Wood Preserving Works in the nearby Englewood Rail Yard. The chemical has […]

The 15th Amendment Was Ratified 150 Years Ago, but the Fight to Protect Black Voters Continues | Teen Vogue

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020African American History

OG History is a Teen Vogue series where we unearth history not told through a white, cis-hetero-patriarchal lens. In this edition, Jameelah Nasheed explains how the fight for Black voters’ rights has changed in the 150 years since the 15th Amendment was ratified. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] On February 3, 1870 — 150 years ago today — […]

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates review – time traveller on the Underground Railroad | The Guardian

February 3, 2020February 5, 2020African American Author, Black Author ...

Magical realism meets real life in the acclaimed journalist’s debut novel about American slaves escaping to the north [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] A former national correspondent for the Atlantic magazine, Ta-Nehisi Coates is among the most revered and widely read intellectuals in the US. His bleak but scintillating book about race, We Were Eight Years in Power […]

How To Spend A Day In Black-Owned Paris | Travel Noire

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020African American Travel

If you are looking to spend a day exploring “Black-Owned” Paris here is a rundown of places to eat, visit, and shop. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world where people often think of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Champs Elysees to visit for their next trip. […]

Trump allies are handing out cash to black voters | Politico

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020African American Politics, Black Vote ...

Organizers have begun holding events in black communities where they lavish praise on the president while handing out thousands of dollars in giveaways. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Allies of Donald Trump have begun holding events in black communities where organizers lavish praise on the president as they hand out tens of thousands of dollars to lucky attendees. […]

African American Miniature Museum Founder and Artist Karen Collins Has”Greensboro Four” Piece Highlighted by Google to Kick off Black History Month | Good Black News

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020African American Art

Sixty years ago, four African American college students sat down quietly at a whites-only Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] They received no service, only requests to leave, but they kept waiting for hours. And the next day, they returned and waited again. Within three days of their protest, more than 300 […]

8 black composers who changed the course of classical music history | Classic FM

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020Black History

From Scott Joplin to Florence Price, the music of these brilliant composers has too long been neglected in Western classical music tradition. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] We’re celebrating the most famous and influential black composers in classical music history. Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745 – 1799) Dubbed ‘le Mozart noir’ (‘Black Mozart’), the Chevalier de Saint-Georges […]

A look at the Casual Killing Act of 1669 that made it legal to kill a slave at will | Face2Face Africa

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020Slavery

What escapes many people is that the whimsical killing of enslaved Blacks in the U.S. during slavery, and even after by white folks without punitive consequence is based on laws passed by white politicians, who happened to be plantation owners as well. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] One such devious law is the Casual Killing Act of 1669 […]

A goal to ‘dismantle bigotry and racism.’ Miami’s 5000 Role Models honors top students | Miami Herald

February 1, 2020February 1, 2020African American Commuities

In eighth grade, Alexander Sanchez’s life was in turmoil. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] His grandmother had passed away after battling dementia. A buddy from his football team was shot to death at a park in Homestead. Alexander stopped caring about his grades and was hanging out in Brownsville, “getting into trouble,” he recalled. But at the urging […]

Meet the child genius who became world’s youngest orchestra conductor at 11 | Face2Face Africa

February 1, 2020February 1, 2020African American Art, African American Music

At just 11 years old, Matthew Smith could play four instruments. He could play the guitar, drums, piano and viola. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] But what brought the child music prodigy to the limelight was when he led Nottingham Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus in April 2017. This made him the world’s youngest conductor […]