Jamil Smith

Minneapolis is in a state of chaos. Racist immigration policies are to blame | Jamil Smith What is happening in Minnesota is proof that racist ideas lead to racist policies – and it produces bad, dangerous governance

My first column for @us.theguardian.com is live. I wrote about the ongoing ICE siege in the Twin Cities and how it demonstrates (yet again) that racism leads to bad governance.

This work grows out of questions I’ve been reporting on and wrestling with for years. I’m thankful to my editors at @us.theguardian.com for welcoming me aboard — and to my partner, family, and friends who gave me the push I needed.

The Guardian announces Jamil Smith as new columnist A renowned commentator and media critic, Smith brings more than 25 years’ experience shaping public discourse on the intersection of politics, culture and identity

I’ve joined @us.theguardian.com as a columnist. I’ll be on my usual beat, covering power, identity, and culture — with an eye on how people advance civil rights outside of electoral politics. I'm looking forward to the work ahead.

Minneapolis is in a state of chaos. Racist immigration policies are to blame | Jamil Smith What is happening in Minnesota is proof that racist ideas lead to racist policies – and it produces bad, dangerous governance

Hatred cannot govern a country effectively. Prior to this morning's arrest of journalists for doing their jobs, I wrote about this government using fear as policy in the Twin Cities, and why racist governance is bad governance. My first column for @us.theguardian.com.

Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested on charges connected to Minnesota church protest Lemon’s lawyer said he was taken into custody after attending protest in which demonstrators disrupted a church service earlier in January

“Lemon’s arrest under a bogus legal theory is a clear warning shot aimed at other journalists… The unmistakable message is that journalists must tread cautiously because the government is looking for any way to target them.”

Don’t say this is “un-American.” If journalists are being arrested for doing journalism, then we are not the America we claim to be.

That just means we have work to do.

I stand with Don Lemon and Georgia Fort and those demanding their immediate release.

Indeed. We and our forebears have been sounding this warning for generations.

My final article as @theemancipator.org’s Editor-in-Chief, with contributions from @renee.bsky.social, @victorerikray.bsky.social, and many more who have helped make this magazine what it has been. Please read and share.

I took this job because I fervently believe that we as journalists need to take new approaches to how we cover race and racism. @theemancipator.org is moving to Howard without its staff, so I wanted to be sure to make this point now. Please read and share. theemancipator.org/2025/06/12/t...

Racism is an emergency. Why don’t enough journalists and media outlets treat it as such? For my final article as @theemancipator.org’s Editor-in-chief, I addressed the need for our industry to do better, and quickly. theemancipator.org/2025/06/12/t...

If like any sane, moral person you think this administration's immigration policy is cruel, inhumane, and brutal, there are probably better ways to spend your time than lecturing the people harmed by that policy about patriotism and proper decorum when protesting what's being done to them.

Homan recently said Newsom hasn't done anything yet to warrant arrest and Trump making it clear he wants his political opponents jailed.

Law enforcement is violently targeting press at protests around Los Angeles, from easily recognizable "mainstream" outlets to freelancers and independents. ALL press have explicit legal protections in California. #JournalismIsNotACrime.

This evidence thread may get graphic. 🧵👇

Since the AG doesn't seem to be getting ethics guidance from her team these days, I wanted to make sure she has the rule in the Justice Manual in front of her, which expressly prohibits this.

DOJ as we have known it, as a place where prosecutors from the AG on down do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way, is over.

Trump preparing large-scale cancellation of federal funding for California, sources say | CNN Politics The Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding to California, an effort which could begin as soon as Friday, according to multiple sources.

not enough said about how, by turning the national government against states on the basis of ordinary political disagreement, trump is undermining the idea that the union is worthwhile. www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/p...

The tactics Trump used with Zelensky don’t shock Black USians because the gov has always used the same with us:

1) Be respectful/“professional” even if they aren’t.
2) To get help, expect to give up resources.
3) Be thankful/grovel for crumbs or be punished.
4) Say/do what they want or expect rage.

How would that solve anything? Or help Gazans?

Literal villainy. I suspected this may have been at least one motivation behind the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Standing alongside Netanyahu, Trump made it plain.

Can we please remember that very recently South Korea showed us all what we should do when the president does illegal shit

Note for fellow journalists reporting or commenting on this story.

It’s time for class! Leah Barlow @Dr. Barlow’s Intro to Af-Am, an African American Studies professor at North Carolina A&T State University, went viral on TikTok when she shared course syllabus and r... TikTok video by The Emancipator

Dr. Leah Barlow, an African American Studies professor, went viral on TikTok when she shared course syllabus intended for her undergraduate students. To her surprise, "HillmanTok University," a free virtual educational community, was created.

www.tiktok.com/@the_emancip...

Follow the thread, read the op-ed. Grateful that @victorerikray.bsky.social published this with us in @theemancipator.org.

One consequence of abortion no longer being a right is that it sets Trump and Project 2025 free to do everything they can to eliminate family planning and increase unwanted pregnancies and abortions along with pregnancy-related deaths.

The growing inequality in life expectancy among Americans To deliver on pledges from the new Trump administration, policymakers will need to close gaps in longevity among racial and ethnic groups.

Americans’ health has long been unequal, but a new study shows that the disparity between the life expectancies of different populations has nearly doubled since 2000. Via @kffhealthnews.bsky.social theemancipator.org/2025/01/24/t...

'Dawn’s Early Light': Kevin Roberts’ vision for America is a dark rejection of pluralism Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts’ vision in “Dawn’s Early Light,” argues for a homogenous America defined by conservative values.

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts' message is, in the end, resolutely anti-American. "According to him there is but one way to structure your household, one way to pray (and one God to worship), only one way to live," culture critic Tope Folarin writes.
theemancipator.org/2025/01/24/t...

The jarring juxtaposition of Trump’s inauguration on MLK Day A civil rights scholar reflects upon the unfortunate synchronicity the nation experienced on January 20th.

Civil rights scholar Peniel Joseph reflects upon the unfortunate synchronicity the nation experienced on Jan. 20th. "In an Orwellian display of dissemblance, President Donald Trump’s inaugural address tried to claim parts of King’s legacy."
theemancipator.org/2025/01/21/t...

MAGA shaman, Vance, Mike Johnson and Musk on stage with a smug Trump crowning himself Napoleon style. Off stage, hungry supplicants Bezos and Zuckerberg look on amidst cheering MAGA crowd waving guns, tiki torches, and a noose

It’s coronation day on the hill, brilliantly depicted by the inimitable @jeremywins.bsky.social for @theemancipator.org

How can Black and Brown communities combine their collective might for the fight ahead? As Donald Trump retakes office, activists, lawmakers, and academics build on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of community organizing.

Martin Luther King Jr. and a multiracial coalition of other leaders recognized shared struggles against racial and economic injustice. More than 30 activists, scholars, and leaders told us how Black and Brown communities can build a modern-era coalition. theemancipator.org/2025/01/20/t...