Kat Stafford

Mourners line up for blocks in Chicago to honor civil rights icon Jesse Jackson Memorial events honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson began in Chicago, drawing elected officials, advocates and community members to celebrate a man whose decades-long act...

“It's been beautiful to see the outpouring of love," said Yusef Jackson, Jesse Jackson’s youngest son. "We're dealing with a level of personal grief and loss that is a big gap in our household. He was our father, he was our minister and he was also our leader." www.reuters.com/world/us/mou...

House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Trump's rhetoric against Tlaib and Omar was "xenophobic" and "disgraceful. Muslim advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations also said Trump's comments were racist.

Trump says Muslim lawmakers Omar, Tlaib should be removed from US after speech clash President Donald Trump said Wednesday that two Muslim Democratic U.S. Representatives, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, should be "institutionalized" and sent back to "where they...

President Trump said Wednesday that U.S. Reps, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, should be "institutionalized" and sent back to "where they came from," a day after they had a heated exchange with him during his State of the Union address.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

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Amid tributes to civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, advocates see test for US race relations Among an outpouring of tributes following the death of U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, rights advocates vowed to continue his fight for racial justice and an inclusive democracy amid escalatin...

"We're in a moment where the fabric and the social compact of America, which included rights, could be unraveled and we could be on the brink of a long period of division and hate in America," said National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial.
www.reuters.com/world/us/ami...

‘He gave me my wings’: Jesse Jackson opened doors for Black women in politics Jackson, who died Tuesday, worked to diversify the electorate and brought Black women into Democratic politics who ascended to positions of power.

Spent today talking to just a few of the Black women who credit Jesse Jackson with their start in national politics. By inviting them in, he ensured they would help shape democracy for years to come. My latest on the coalition he built as part of his towering legacy: 19thnews.org/2026/02/jess...

Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and US presidential hopeful, dies at 84 Jesse Jackson was an eloquent Baptist minister raised in the segregated South who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Charismatic U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, an eloquent Baptist minister raised in the segregated South who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, has died at age 84. www.reuters.com/world/us/jes...

I’d even go a step further to say it’s beyond a retrenchment and an erasure of our voices from prominent roles in legacy newsrooms — early career, veterans, across the board. More than half a century since the Kerner Commission report and we have yet to address much of what was laid bare in it.

Thank you for flagging @clancyny.bsky.social. This truly should concern everyone.

Jill Scott’s new album was right on time.

Omg yes! I had no business listening to this but this was my jam. A WJLB classic. Miss those Detroit days.

Trump Nominates an Apostle of ‘White Erasure’ for the State Department

White House stands by State Department nominee who complains that "white Americans are increasingly second-class citizens," warns of "white erasure" and says "the Jews love to see themselves as oppressed." @camcgrady.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/u...

Yes it’s Valentine’s Day. But it’s also the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass who was born in 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped from slavery & rose to become the most eloquent and forceful voice for the abolition of slavery & for Black voting rights in the U.S.

Someone please remind me again of the status of those 2020 promises?

This is upsetting on so many levels. Getting your hair braided goes beyond the act of braiding itself. It’s such a deep cultural practice for Black girls and women. It’s community. It’s a safe space. It’s art. It’s so much.

I really want to dive back into reporting on the intersection of race + health and health inequities. DM me story tips, ideas and what you’re seeing on the ground in your communities. Email in bio, too.

Harmful chemicals lurk in extensions and braiding hair marketed to Black women, study finds Researchers at the Silent Spring Institute found compounds linked to cancer and other health harms in both synthetic and human hair samples.

The same chemicals found in pipes, pesticides and floor tiles are also present in some wigs, braiding hair and hair extensions, a new study published Wednesday in the journal Environment & Health found. www.nbcnews.com/health/women...

Washington Post layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, preliminary Guild data shows "We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization."

“The numbers tell a painful story. The impact on journalists of color is staggering and devastating,” the Post Guild said in its statement on Friday. “We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization.”

www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...

US appeals court rejects challenge to Trump's efforts to ban DEI A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to a move by President Donald Trump's administration to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and businesses with gove...

New: A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to a move by President Donald Trump to ban DEI programs at federal agencies and businesses with government contracts. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

"Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable," said Derrick Johnson, national president of the NAACP, a civil rights group, in a statement. "Voters are watching and will remember this at the ballot box."

CONTEXT: Trump has a history of sharing racist rhetoric and long promoted the false conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. In December, Trump described Somalis as "garbage" and has referred to other nations as "shithole countries."

Trump shares racist video depicting Obamas as apes U.S. President Donald Trump shared a video on social media depicting Democratic former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, invoking racist imagery long used to dehumanize peo...

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump shared a video on social media depicting Democratic former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, invoking racist imagery long used to dehumanize people of African descent.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

The rapid erasure of race coverage & beats focused on inequities at a time where this coverage is needed more than ever, reflects not just a deep retrenchment & reversal of promises made by newsrooms. It also reflects a deep disconnect between journalism and communities long excluded from coverage.

What an absolutely dark day for journalism.

It’s an apt time to note the historical legacy, significance and impact of attempts to suppress, target and attack Black journalists and the Black press throughout U.S. history. There are a litany of examples.

Statement via Lemon's attorney that was posted on his social media accounts: "The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable."

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested, official says Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested, a Justice Department official familiar with the situation said on Friday.

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested, a Justice Department official familiar with the situation said on Friday.
www.reuters.com/world/us/for...

‘We’re not safe right now’: Woman’s dramatic ICE arrest ignites fear in Maine’s immigrant communities - The Boston Globe When ICE arrested Fátima Lucas Henrique, the video of her screaming as agents pulled her from her vehicle resonated across the state.

Read this story:

As Fátima Lucas Henrique was arrested by ICE agents, her terrified, piercing screams were captured in a video that has since been widely circulated on social media.

“We’re not safe right now,” said a close friend of Henrique.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/28/s...

Trump's immigration approval drops to record low, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds American approval of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy fell to its lowest level since his return to the White House in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, with a majority of Americans saying his ...

NEW: American approval of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy fell to its lowest level since his return to the White House in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, with a majority of Americans saying his crackdown on immigration has gone too far. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...