AFRICAN AMERICANS

California’s first-in-the-nation Black reparations task force is nearing the end of its historic work with a hefty list of recommendations for lawmakers to consider turning into action.

California’s historic reparations task force has voted to approve recommendations for possible payments to Black residents and a formal apology for the state’s role in perpetuating discriminatory policies.

A new report from the National Urban League is citing what the civil rights and urban advocacy group says are some of the top threats to democracy for Black Americans.

America’s employers added a solid 236,000 jobs in March, suggesting that the economy remains on solid footing despite the nine interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve has imposed over the past year in its drive to tame inflation.

The American Red Cross is urging African Americans to give blood right now, as blood from that race is running short and is used more frequently to treat sickle cell anemia.

Books can be magical - they can take you to far-off places, back in time, to fantasy lands, or even into the future. They can teach you something about yourself, or the world, and one thing that can make books even more powerful is if you can see yourself reflected in the pages. That’s what one local book lover wanted to see more of - African Americans in literature, so she started her own bookstore.

Congressional districts that a federal court panel said were unconstitutional because they dilute representation for Black voters in Alabama are nevertheless being used for the November election after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed them.

Ten months after Hurricane Ida damaged a museum celebrating New Orleans' African American parading culture, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is reopening.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday last year, but many African Americans have celebrated it for years. It marks the day when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they were free.

As the United States marks only the second federally recognized Juneteenth, Black Americans living overseas have embraced the holiday as a day of reflection and an opportunity to educate people in their host countries on Black history.

During a time of segregation in the US, there was one destination in Detroit where people from around the world, no matter their color or culture flocked to for a great time. That was “Paradise Valley,” where thousands of African Americans thrived and owned over 300 businesses. It was located in an area known as Black Bottom.

The federal holiday signifies the emancipation of African Americans who were enslaved in the country at one point.

California released an exhaustive report detailing how government laws and policies perpetuated discrimination against African Americans.

Statistics who that 85% of menthol smokers are African Americans. People are gathering together to create a FDA proposal to phasing them out.

The April jobs report provided mixed signals on the economic issue most on the minds of Americans: Chronically high inflation.

A coalition including the four medical schools at the nation's historically Black colleges and universities has announced a new initiative aimed at increasing the number of Black Americans registered as organ donors and combating disparities among transplant recipients.

On Tuesday, an announcement was made that some of Michigan’s oldest African American neighborhoods will be documented.

California took a big step this week toward becoming the first U.S. state to make some form of restitution a reality by tackling the divisive issue of which Black residents should be eligible to receive reparations for the atrocity and injustices of slavery and racism.

Scientists are getting their first peek at the genes of nearly 100,000 Americans in what's considered a uniquely diverse genomic database.

President Joe Biden is signaling an election year shift to the center to help protect fragile Democratic majorities in Congress, even as key voices across his party’s sprawling political coalition threaten revolt.

Throughout February Washtenaw Community College is celebrating Black History Month with several free events open to the public.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is drawing criticism for comments he made shortly before the GOP blocked a federal elections bill, when he said that “African American” voters cast ballots at similar rates to “Americans.”.

A trilogy by award-winning children’s author Kwame Alexander that tells the saga of an African family begins this fall with “The Door of No Return.”.

Current and former Black state lawmakers in Detroit have announced a pending lawsuit to block Michigan’s newly drawn congressional and legislative districts, contending they illegally dilute the voting strength of African Americans.

When Americans are asked by pollsters about their religious identity, the fastest-growing major group consists of those who don't affiliate with any organized religion.

A quilt exhibit at Jackson State University honors dozens of lives lost in the U.S. to racial violence.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says the state's redistricting commission should not have held a private meeting to discuss memos related to racially polarized voting and the federal Voting Rights Act’s requirement that people be able to elect minority candidates.

September wasn’t exactly the robust month for hiring that many had expected and hoped for.

The brick foundation of one the oldest Black churches in the United States has been unearthed by archeologists at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.

A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction and death sentence of a man on federal death row for the racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation.

Four law enforcement officers have detailed the racism and bigotry on display during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Stalled COVID-19 vaccination rates are causing concern in Michigan and across the U.S., particularly as the more contagious delta variant spreads throughout the nation.

Civil rights pioneer Gloria Richardson has died.

A Metro Detroit couple is suing the Michigan State Police after they said they were racially profiled during a traffic stop two years ago.

Here's what is happening for Juneteenth around Ann Arbor.

Juneteenth marks freedom, a second and final liberation for African Americans in the United States. It’s also an opportunity to focus on parts of the nation’s history that often go untold.

A first-in-the-nation task force in California to study and recommend reparations for African Americans met for the first time Tuesday.

LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and a slew of networks are among those releasing documentaries based on the tragic backstory of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.

President Joe Biden says the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism.

President Joe Biden says the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism.

A House panel has advanced a decades-long effort to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves, approving legislation Wednesday night that would create a commission to study the issue.

President Joe Biden’s difficult balancing act on policing was put on vivid display over the course of a few hours as he tries to navigate criminal justice and civil rights.

President Joe Biden’s difficult balancing act on policing was put on vivid display over the course of a few hours Tuesday as he tries to navigate criminal justice and civil rights.

Students at Clemson University who found an unkempt graveyard on campus last year sparked the discovery of more than 600 unmarked graves most likely belonging to enslaved Black people, sharecroppers and convicted laborers.

The FDA advisory committee that recommended the Pfizer vaccine largely agreed it was safe and effective. One of those No votes came from Dr. A. Oveta Fuller, a virologist and viral pathogen researcher at the University of Michigan. Ad“I was aware that there were not that many people of color, not very many African Americans and I remember thinking surely this is so fascinating. And so, with some help of others we founded a chapter of the National Technical Association, which is a stem across the organization of African Americans. This brings us back to her yes vote for the emergency use authorization for the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines and the no vote to Pfizer.

In a Feb. 25-March 1, 2021 poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about 1 in 5 Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – About 1 in 5 Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to the coronavirus, highlighting the division between heartache and hope as the country itches to get back to normal a year into the pandemic. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research illustrates how the stage is set for a two-tiered recovery. The AP-NORC poll found about 30% of African Americans, like Parks, and Hispanics know a relative or close friend who died from the virus, compared with 15% of white people. AdThe poll found two-thirds of Americans say their fellow citizens nationwide haven’t taken the pandemic seriously enough.

Japan has confirmed 345 cases of the more contagious new variants, mostly the kind first found in Britain, the health ministry said. ___WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has removed remaining coronavirus restrictions on the city of Auckland after containing a small outbreak. Ad___WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is planning to announce during his prime-time address Thursday night that he’ll deploy 4,000 additional U.S. troops to support coronavirus vaccination efforts. Thursday’s announcement from the Department of Corrections comes a year after suspending visits at prisons because of the coronavirus pandemic. John Bel Edwards has loosened his COVID-19 restrictions.

Lung cancer is the nations top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Lung cancer is the nation’s top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Usually, lung cancer is diagnosed too late for a good chance at survival. But "unfortunately, lowering the age and pack-year requirements alone does not guarantee increased equity in lung cancer screening,” wrote Dr. Yolonda Colson and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital. AdOne recent study found just 14% of people eligible for lung cancer screening under the prior guidelines had actually gotten it.

The year 2020 became a year of social justice movements. Was the call for change growing louder or were more people finally listening? The question that remain unanswered: Will the renewed quest for racial equality evolve into real lasting reforms? Watch the full report in the video above.

DETROIT – The Midnight Golf Program has done wonders for African Americans in a sport that’s dominated by White males; however, that’s something the program is hoping to change. “Midnight Golf started 20 years ago with only 17 students, and as of today, we’ve had 3,500 students,” said founder Renee Fluker. For 20 years, the Midnight Golf Program has been taking kids off the streets and placing golf clubs in their hands -- giving them a different alternative in life. Fluker said the program started when her son had a rough time being the only person of color on his high school golf team. AdThat’s when she started the program in 2001, not only to help young African Americans get involved in golf, but also to help them through college with 16 mentors to help.

For Black Americans, that drop is nearly three times worse. Read: US life expectancy drops a year in pandemic, most since WWIIAnthony says that the proof is in the numbers. Researchers at the CDC say the life expectancy for Black American populations declined by 2.7 years since 2019. The report essentially says Black Americans are expected to live until 72 years old, on average, the lowest life expectancy for the demographic since 2001. AdLatino populations in the U.S. reportedly have the second largest decline in life expectancy, falling 1.9 years since 2019.

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with labor leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Washington. Biden backs the idea of studying the issue, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday, though she stopped short of saying he would sign the bill if it clears Congress. Even with Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, passing a reparations bill could prove difficult. Most Black Americans favored reparations, 74%, compared with 15% of white Americans. AdRep. Burgess Owens, a first-term Republican from Utah, argued against a reparations commission.

Dr. Rita McGuire, an obstetrician and infection control specialist at Roseland Community Hospital talks Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, with staff members about taking the COVID-19 vaccine. "It’s not something that I trust right now,’’ says Bland, 50, who worries about how quickly the COVID-19 vaccines were developed. Many holdouts come from the mostly Black, working class neighborhoods surrounding the hospital, areas hard hit by the virus yet plagued with vaccine reluctance. She acknowledged "centuries of medical injustice’’ against Black Americans but said COVID-19 vaccines resulted from years of solid research. Many workers ‘’have not forgotten about those studies where they used us as experiments,’’ McGuire said, including the infamous Tuskegee research on Black patients with syphilis.

Before the virus erupted in the United States in March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession. The job market had shown tentative improvement last summer but then slowed through the fall and in the past two months has essentially stalled. Nearly 10 million jobs remain lost to the pandemic. Unlike the previous expiration of extended unemployment aid, which occurred on Dec. 26, the cut-off would be phased in between March 14 and April 11. “Additional fiscal stimulus and broader vaccine diffusion will eventually allow the labor market to heal,” Oxford Economics said in a note Thursday.

“For a few years this was the Black hospital in the city of Detroit,” Jordan said. Jordan said Sweet worked at Dunbar Hospital. READ: More Black History Month coverageIn 1925, Sweet bought a home in a white neighborhood, and a mob tried to force the family out. And one of the most recognizable faces of the civil rights movement is Rosa Parks. But many do not know that Parks continued her fight for civil rights in Detroit.

DETROIT – February is Black History Month -- a time dedicated to celebrating the achievements of African Americans in U.S. history. “Some people say to me, ‘Well, why Black History Month?’ Well, we just want equity and equality and appreciation,” Detroit historian Ken Coleman said. ”Black folk have played a significant role in what we call today, the United States of America.”READ: More Black History Month coverageDaniel Hirschman is a sociology professor at Brown University. “There’s no White history month because most white history is taught, or a version of white history -- so you see white people in statues, and books and textbooks,” Hirschman said. “White history month in America is everyday,” Coleman said.

WDIV-Local 4, the Graham Media Group owned NBC affiliate in Detroit, announced today their continuing commitment to honoring African American achievement through an initiative called Celebrating Black History Month. Anchor/reporter Priya Mann takes us on the Black Scroll Network History Tour and shows us how the tour of important places and people in Black History continues even through the pandemic. AdDevin Scillian, Steve Garagiola, Larry Spruill, and Nick Monacelli also will contribute to Celebrating Black History Month. Co-hosts Jason Carr and Tati Amare will join “Live in the D” reporters Kila Peeples and Michelle Oliver in celebrating Black History Month all throughout February. For more information about Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit’s Celebrating Black History Month programming and content, go to clickondetroit.com/blackhistorymonth.

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron waits to receive his COVID-19 vaccination on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Aaron and others received their vaccinations in an effort to highlight the importance of getting vaccinated for Black Americans who might be hesitant to do so. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)ATLANTA – Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, former U.N. Ambassador and civil rights leader Andrew Young and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan got vaccinated against COVID-19 in Georgia on Tuesday, hoping to send a message to Black Americans that the shots are safe. Getting vaccinated “makes me feel wonderful," Aaron told The Associated Press.

A view of the Charles H. Wright Museum for African American History in Detroit during a public visitation for Aretha Franklin on Aug. 28, 2018. (WDIV)DETROIT – Saturday is the first day of Kwanzaa -- a seven day holiday meant to honor the ancestral roots of African Americans. To celebrate, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will present the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The museum will stream songs, dances, stories, poetry and more every night at 7 p.m. through Jan. 1. The presentations will be live streamed on the museum’s official website here.

(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)NEW YORK – The Episcopal Diocese of Texas acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder. Some major denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, have not embraced reparations as official policy. The Episcopal Church has been the most active major denomination thus far, and others, including the United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, are urging congregations to consider similar steps. This will include scholarships for students attending seminaries or historically Black colleges and assistance for historic Black churches. But Dietsche expects some funds will help congregations launch their own reparations initiatives, particularly if their churches had historical involvement in slavery.

WASHINGTON – A lone senator from Utah has singlehandedly blocked the bipartisan approval of two new national museums to honor American Latinos and women, arguing that “last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation.”Republican Sen. Mike Lee objected Thursday to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian museums, stalling two projects that have been in the making for decades and enjoy broad bipartisan support. Senate approval would have sent the legislation approving the Latino museum to President Donald Trump for his signature. The Senate was attempting to pass the measures by voice vote, which requires every senator's consent. Lee said he sees an exception for museums dedicated to American Indians and African Americans that already sit on the National Mall. “We have been systematically excluded, not because this senator said so but because the Smithsonian itself said so,” Menendez said.

FILE - This Nov. 29, 2011, file photo shows the signature of president Abraham Lincoln on a rare, restored copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, in Chicago. As ratified, the original amendment has permitted exploitation of labor by convicted felons for over 155 years since the abolition of slavery. Constitutional amendments are rare and require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate, as well as ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures. In Merkley’s Oregon, voters in 2002 approved the elimination of constitutional language that prohibited Black Americans from living in the state unless they were enslaved. The prevalence of prison labor has been largely accepted as a means for promoting rehabilitation, teaching trade skills and reducing idleness among prisoners.

Vice president-elect Kamala Harris on Saturday paid tribute to the women, particularly Black women, whose shoulders she stands on as she shatters barriers that have kept mostly white men entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries. “I want us to be committed to the idea that representation is exciting and it’s worthy of celebration and also that we have millions of Black women who deserve a fair shot.”Harris is the second Black woman elected to the Senate. Harris' mother raised her daughters with the understanding the world would see them as Black women, Harris has said, and that is how she describes herself today. She attended Howard University, one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s first sorority created by and for Black women. Her victory could usher more Black women and people of color into politics.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison speaks at a campaign rally on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the battle for control of the U.S. Senate this year, the Deep South is fielding more Black candidates than it has since Reconstruction. Mike Espy and Adrian Perkins, meanwhile, are launching spirited bids for the Senate in Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively. The Senate currently has three Black members: Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California. “The more competitive races are, and Black candidates win those competitive races, it diminishes this worry that Black candidates can’t win,” Abrams recently told The Associated Press. In Mississippi, Espy is trying for a second time to become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction with his challenge to Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Voters have been ushered to the polls by fleets of minivans, with bicycle parades and on horseback in Indian Country. Often unable to knock on doors or chat in person because of virus concerns, advocates have had to adapt. A recent video on social media showed voters in Philadelphia dancing joyfully as they waited, alongside members of the Resistance Revival Chorus. Some voters are wary of catching the virus by voting in person, but they're also concerned about the mail-in option. Like Gehman in New Mexico, Radha Pyati in Philadelphia has devoted untold hours to writing letters as part of Vote Forward.

But amid the camaraderie younger Black immigrants like her feel with African Americans, they also see a generational divide in their communities. But these have largely been over tactics, said David Canton, a professor of African American history at the University of Florida. During some of their chats, older immigrants tell him they came to America to work and provide a better life for their children, not to protest about race. In fact, one of the co-founders of the original network of Black Lives Matter was Opal Tometi, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. "We are all one community across the diaspora, whether you are a Black American, raised on the African continent or you’re from elsewhere.”

(AP Photo/Russ Bynum)RIO RANCHO, N.M. – A group of U.S. Black scholars, activists and writers has launched a new project they say will combat misleading information online around voting, reparations and immigration, supporters announced Friday. The newly formed National Black Cultural Information Trust seeks to counter fake social media accounts and Twitter trolls that often discourage Black voters from participating in elections or seek to turn Black voters against other communities of color. The effort isn't meant to silence groups that are behind any hashtag but counter “bad actors” who are using the hashtags to disseminate false information, Aiwuyor said. The founders also took issue with the National Black Cultural Information Trust on Twitter after the announcement that the project would monitor the #ADOS hashtag for xenophobic comments and false information. But also to measure the plunder of the ADOS community from 1619 to today.”Members of the National Black Cultural Information Trust plan to monitor social media posts and flag those spreading misleading and fake stories.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – On Saturday, Oct. 17, a forum will take place at South Lillie Park addressing disparities among the Black community in Washtenaw County. At the “Getting Real About Race” community forum, activists and public officials will discuss issues in five different areas including education, housing, healthcare, employment and the criminal justice system. The forum is scheduled to take place from 2-6 p.m. Anticipated speakers include U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, Ypsilanti Mayor Lori Richardson, Washtenaw County Prosecutor-Elect Eli Savit and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, among many others according to the event page. South Lillie Park is at 4365 Platt Rd, Ann Arbor.

Norton shows "Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights" by Gretchen Sorin. Norton via AP)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A new film examines the history of African Americans driving on the road from the Great Depression to the height of the Civil Rights movement. “Driving While Black,” which airs this week on most PBS stations in the U.S., shows how the automobile liberated African Americans to move around the country while still navigating segregation and violence. The free movement opened the window to migration across the land and away from Jim Crow, ushering in the modern Civil Rights Movement. The new HBO dramatic series, “Lovecraft Country,” centers around a young African American veteran who travels across the segregated 1950s U.S. in search of his missing father.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – JPMorgan Chase said Thursday it will extend billions in loans to Black and Latino homebuyers and small business owners in an expanded effort toward fixing what the bank calls “systemic racism” in the country’s economic system. “Systemic racism is a tragic part of America’s history,” said JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in a statement. Citigroup announced last month it is committing $1 billion toward closing “the racial wealth gap” in the United States, including $550 million toward homeownership programs for racial minorities. He noted that there’s a 30% gap between Black and white homeownership, amounting to about 4.5 million households. JPMorgan was one of 27 major New York-based companies that joined a program to recruit 100,000 workers from the city's low-income, predominately Black, Latino and Asian communities over the next 10 years.

Garlin Gilchrist II chairs a state task force that is addressing virus-related racial disparities. "But thanks to the state of Michigan paying attention to this issue, prioritizing this issue — we have the most muscular response to racial disparities in the country — we can say that those disparities have flattened. In the most recent two-week period, the rate of new cases for Black people was about half that for white residents. The death rates for Black and white residents were about the same over those weeks. The rest were linked to universities and colleges, including Michigan State (1,295 cases) and Grand Valley State (811 cases.)

It’s happening across the board, but more so in communities of color and while organs are not matched based on race or ethnicity, it’s still important for minorities to donate. He was placed on the transplant list in August 2015. READ: Keeping hope alive for patients waiting for organ transplants“We need to donate. It’s a lot of us waiting on transplants," Love said. RELATED: Register: Michigan organ donors neededClick here to learn more about organ donation and join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry.

Harris will speak about what's at stake for Black Americans in November and urge voters to register and make a plan to vote. National Black Voter Day was created this year as a collaborative effort by the National Urban League, BET and a number of civil rights organizations. Black Americans have also been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, suffering high rates of deaths and unemployment from its economic fallout. Biden’s campaign, along with several other organizations marking the first National Black Voter Day, are channeling resources behind that effort. But Brown said the final days will be key toward connecting with some Black voters who feel Biden needs to do more to earn their vote.

NAPLES – The run-down, paint-chipped Detroit house where U.S. civil rights icon Rosa Parks took refuge after her historic bus boycott is going on display in Italy in a setting that couldn’t be more incongruous: the imposing central courtyard of the Royal Palace in Naples. It’s the latest stop for the house in a years-long saga that began when Parks’ niece saved the tiny two-story home from demolition in Detroit after the 2008 financial crisis. The family says Parks, who died in 2005, lived there with 17 other relatives. But now, “instead of being rejected by the walls of the royal palace, it’s embraced and protected by these walls,” he said. “Potentially thanks to the showing of the house in this way, America will allow the house to have a home.”___Winfield reported from Rome.

FILE - This Dec. 12, 2017 file photo shows the rebuilt house of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks in Berlin, Germany. In 2018, Brown University announced it would feature the house as part of a planned exhibition on the civil rights movement organized by its Center for Slavery and Justice. Earlier this year, Mendoza approached the Naples-based Morra Greco Foundation, where he had worked for a year in the 1990s. But now, “instead of being rejected by the walls of the royal palace, it’s embraced and protected by these walls,” he said. “Potentially thanks to the showing of the house in this way, America will allow the house to have a home.”___Winfield reported from Rome.

As Trump faces pressure to expand his appeal beyond his loyal supporters, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senates sole Black Republican, and former U.N. Scrambling to find a message that sticks, Trumps team tried out multiple themes and tactics over the course of the night. The opening night of the four-day convention reflected the rising urgency fueling Trumps push to reshape a presidential contest that he is losing, at least for now, with Election Day just 10 weeks away. In a tweet Monday night, Biden told supporters to stay focused.The emphasis on diversity at Trump's convention was an acknowledgement that he must expand his coalition beyond his largely white base. The fact that the Republicans gathered at all stood in contrast to the Democrats, who held an all-virtual convention last week.

DETROIT In this era of racial reckoning, an emotional documentary is coming to Detroit that peels back the layers of history. It deals with the 13th Amendment and what it did for African Americans and the stipulation that leaves a racist legacy that continues to echo today. Its those raw emotions, Lauren Stovall said anyone will experience after watching the documentary 13th. This documentary, really takes a look at history. I kind of approached Downtown Detroit Partnership about showing a viewing of specifically the film 13th. It means, that were gaining or trying to gain an empathy to one another.More information on the showing can be found here.

DETROIT – First Independence Bank, founded in May of 1970, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. And a lot of community activists, business leaders, got together and went through the process of getting a bank charter and formed First Independence Bank,” said Dimitrius Hutcherson, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Technology Officer at First Independence Bank. “We initially were targeting and wanted to be here to service, African American, African Americans and African American home business owners, but the bank grew and evolved. We are a full service bank with products to serve all of the Metro Detroit community,” he added. They want to see our bank in the community, and they want to do business with us.

SUTTONS BAY, Mich. – A northern Michigan county official was heard using a racial slur prior to a public meeting to describe African Americans in Detroit whom he blamed for spreading the coronavirus in the state. Road Commission Chair Bob Joyce told Eckerle that he couldn’t say that, to which Eckerle responded: “I can say anything I want. Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.”Joyce later rebuked Eckerle a second time. “There’s just no room for that kind of language here,” Joyce told the Leelanau newspaper. "This type of racial slur is flat-out unacceptable and ignorant.

DETROIT Joe Biden's Democratic presidential campaign has launched a new national ad focused on Black Americans, urging them to stand up to President Donald Trump the way their ancestors stood up to "violent racists of a generation ago." The one-minute ad, which was shared exclusively with The Associated Press before its digital and television release on Thursday, is meant to drum up support among Black Americans, a key constituency for Biden, ahead of November's general election. The ad, titled Better America, also takes a direct swipe at Trump, without mentioning the Republican president by name. The ad is part of the Biden campaign's planned $280 million digital and television ad buy that was announced Wednesday and will run through the fall. A campaign spokesman said in a statement that the ad is the start of a series of content aimed at Black voters.

It was in that room that Taney, the nation's fifth chief justice, announced the Dred Scott decision, sometimes called the worst decision in the court's history. Lynne M. Jackson, Scott's great-great-granddaughter, says if it were up to her, she'd leave Taney's bust where it is. In Congress, Taney's bust was controversial from the start. "And an emancipated country will fasten upon him the stigma which he deserves.Funding for a Taney bust wasn't approved until almost a decade later. The first, John Marshall, is the only person to serve as chief justice longer than Taney and a revered figure in the law.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. Voters will get another chance to strip the words and Providence Plantations" from Rhode Island's formal name after lawmakers approved a joint resolution to put the question on the November ballot. Although the word plantations in Rhode Islands name does not specifically refer to a place where slaves labored, it elicits such imagery, say sponsors of the bill approved Thursday. Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it ratified the Constitution in 1790, but the name dates to pre-Revolutionary times. Gina Raimondo last month signed an executive order to remove the phrase and Providence Plantations from some official documents and executive agency websites. The ballot question would make the change official in the states constitution if approved by a simple majority of voters.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump bristled Tuesday at a reporter's question about police killing African Americans and defended the right to display the Confederate flag as he continued to play into racial divisions in a pair of interviews. In one interview, Trump seemed taken aback when asked why African Americans are still dying at the hands of police. So are white people," Trump told CBS's Catherine Herridge. In the interview, Trump also defended the use of the Confederate flag, despite saying in 2015 that he believed the flag belongs in a museum. My attitude is freedom of speech," Trump responded.

Twenty-five percent of the Republican president's senior staff are nonwhite, compared to 36% of Bidens senior staff. Along with adding more people of color to his campaign, Biden has promised an administration that looks like America if he is elected on Nov. 3. His campaign declined to discuss minority representation on the campaign staff. The Biden campaign said LGBTQ staff and staff of color hold such positions as senior advisers, deputy campaign managers, national coalitions director, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and national press secretary, among others. Trumps campaign defined its senior staff as senior leaders who meet regularly to make decisions.

DETROIT – Adam Shakoor is a distinguished and rare longtime leader in the Motor City. He has always been a leader in the City of Detroit, once serving as chief judge of the 36th District Court, and even executive deputy mayor under former Mayor Coleman Young. As far as Detroit, the eyes of the world are on the Motor City. And Shakoor applauds the work of Detroit Police Chief James Craig. He says he specifically remembers when the chief was a rookie and he’s proud of the work that’s been done.

A U.S. health panel wants to widen the number of Americans offered yearly scans for lung cancer by opening the screening to less-heavy smokers. Lung cancer is the nation's top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Usually, lung cancer is diagnosed too late for a good chance at survival. Lung cancer screening is complicated -- not every hospital is equipped to offer it -- and few of those eligible today receive it, just 6% according to one study the task force cited. In contrast, 60% to 80% of those eligible for breast, colon or cervical cancer screening get checked.

While racial inequity has long been a focal point of African Americans, experts say many white Americans, particularly white Democrats, are now grappling with the longstanding impacts of systemic racism in ways they never have before. Trump on Sunday tweeted and later deleted a video showing one of his supporters chanting white power, a racist slogan associated with white supremacists. The increase is especially sharp 40 percentage points among white Democrats. Black Democrats are even more likely than they were in 2015 to say that, 87% vs. 71%. White Democrats are now more likely than they were in 2015 to say police more commonly use force with Black people, 87% vs. 62%.

The 2020 Black National Convention will take place Aug. 28 via a live broadcast. The first-ever Black Lives Matter convention was held in Cleveland in 2015. Convention organizers said this years event will pay tribute to the historic 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, which concluded with the introduction of a national Black agenda. Somewhat similarly, the Vision for Black Lives platform and its characterization of Israel as an apartheid state committing mass murder against Palestinian people drew allegations of anti-Semitism from a handful of Jewish groups, which had otherwise been supportive the Black Lives Matter movement. We dont just say Black lives matter and beg people to care.

Yet because Thursday's jobs report will be based on data gathered in the second week of June, it will still likely reflect an improving trend. Economists have forecast that employers added 3 million jobs in June and that the unemployment rate dropped to 12.3% from 13.3% in May, according to data provider FactSet. In short, the jobs report is more important than ever but in some ways harder to read. Had these people been properly classified, the unemployment rate would have been reported as 16.4%, not 13.3%. In May, even as most large U.S. industries added jobs, state and local governments cut 550,000 workers, after having slashed 950,000 in April.

American Muslims, Black and non-Black, are also having raw conversations like Makki's as they grapple with questions of racial equity, tensions and representation in their own faith communities. He and others have called for more Black Muslim speakers and not just to talk about race or only during Black History Month. Ubaydullah Evans, resident scholar for the American Learning Institute for Muslims, says hes experienced interpersonal racism," from some Muslims. Dozens of American Muslim organizations came together to demand police reform and pledged to support Black-led groups. He shared plans to send African American imams to different California mosques for a day.

WASHINGTON NASA is naming its Washington headquarters after Mary Jackson, the space agencys first African American female engineer whose story was portrayed in the popular film Hidden Figures.Jackson started her NASA career in 1951 as part of a segregated unit of female mathematicians at what is now Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Jackson was later promoted to engineer and retired from NASA in 1985. Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement Wednesday. Part of the street in front of NASA headquarters is called Hidden Figures Way" and a computer research facility at Langley is named for Katherine Johnson, another of the Hidden Figures mathematicians, who died in February. A NASA facility is also named for her in West Virginia, her home state.

DETROIT – Three Black fathers who are raising Black or biracial children in America spoke candidly about teaching their son to try to avoid racism and, quite frankly, just survive. All of the dads have incredible hope when it comes to social justice. He shared why he’s optimistic that things will get better in our country’s fight against racism. He, along with local musician Herb Harris Junior and Lucas Hagerty, are all raising Black or biracial sons. “I want to model that for them.”More: ‘Spirit of Detroit: Fulfilling the Dream’ SpecialExtended cut: Evrod Cassimy talks with fathers on raising Black sons in AmericaSpecial Section: Spirit Of Detroit Fulfilling The Dream

At front is civil rights worker Andrew Young, and at right, behind King is Rev. Young, a King lieutenant, marvels at both the sizes and the spontaneity of the protests. (AP Photo, File)CINCINNATI Bob Moses says America is at a lurching moment" for racial change, potentially as transforming as the Civil War era and as the 1960s civil rights movement that he helped lead. I dont think anybody has a notion of how big a change this is going to introduce.Moses remains cautious. Some Americans were shocked, it seems to me, to discover they had actually been swimming in this deep, deep sea and didn't understand it.___Contreras reported from Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

WASHINGTON Top Democratic leaders in the Senate say the Republican policing bill is not salvageable, as they signal an intent to block it and demand negotiations on a new, more bipartisan package in response to the killing of Black Americans. That's according to a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from the Democrats obtained by The Associated Press. This bill is not salvageable and we need bipartisan talks to get to a constructive starting point, write Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and the co-authors of the party's bill, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. The Republican legislation would create a national database of police use-of-force incidents, restrict police chokeholds and set up new training procedures. Congress is under enormous pressure to establish new oversight and accountability of the police as demonstrations spill into cities large and small nationwide.

The economy is in terrible shape and improving rapidly, said Harvard University professor Jason Furman, formerly the top economist in the Obama White House. Overall, 63% of the country says the economy is in poor shape, down somewhat from the 70% who felt that way in May. The change was driven by increasingly optimistic Republicans, only 43% of whom described the economy as good a month ago. Forty-two percent of white Americans say the same. Thirty-four percent of Hispanics, 29% of African Americans and 20% of white Americans said someone in their household has been laid off.

DETROIT Historian Ken Coleman said Detroit has a lot of Black history. Growing up in Detroit, I developed a passion for the citys history, especially the citys history that involves African Americans, Coleman said. READ: Juneteenth takes on new meaning amid push for racial justiceColeman said those 900 men left from the very spot in 1863 and headed down south. George Floyd particular, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He said Detroit is incorporating Juneteenth and local history into the K-12 curriculum, but again Detroit is just one school system.

LOS ANGELES Beyonc did not let Juneteenth pass without dropping one of her signature surprises a new single called Black Parade.Im going back to the South, Im going back where my roots aint watered down," Beyonc sings, opening the track. Black joy is your right, the message said. We got rhythm, we got pride, we birth kings, we birth tribes, Beyonc sings toward the end of the nearly five-minute song. The release of Black Parade is the singers latest philanthropic effort. In 2013, Beyonc released the self-titled album Beyonc, also without any notice.

Protesters march in a Black Lives Matter demonstration organized by the Dallas Black Firefighters Association on Juneteenth 2020 in Dallas, Friday, June 19, 2020. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure all enslaved people be freed, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Former President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, and it became effective the following Jan. 1. Word didnt reach the last enslaved black people until June 19 of that year, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. Kristi Noem proclaimed Friday as Juneteenth Day, but the proclamation does not make the day a state-recognized holiday.

FILE - In this March 22, 2020, file photo Vice President Mike Pence speaks alongside President Donald Trump during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington. Pence says the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is a cause for celebration, but a new poll finds more than half of Americans calling it fair or poor. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is a cause for celebration, but a new poll finds more than half of Americans calling it fair or poor. Among political independents, 57% rated the response as fair or poor, while 20% said it was excellent or very good. There was widespread agreement, however, on one point: By 88% to 11%, Americans want the government to negotiate the prices of coronavirus treatments with the pharmaceutical industry.

After rejecting a proposal to move the monument, Sanders said this week that African Americans became dependent during slavery and have had a harder time assimilating into American life as other groups who have been mistreated have. After rejecting a proposal to move a Confederate monument, a white elected official in Mississippi said this week that African Americans became dependent during slavery and as a result, have had a harder time assimilating into American life than other mistreated groups. In northeastern Mississippi's Lowndes County, supervisors voted along racial lines Monday against moving a Confederate monument that has stood outside the county courthouse in Columbus since 1912. The monument depicts a Confederate soldier and says the South fought for a noble cause. Three white supervisors voted against the proposal and two black supervisors voted for it. One of the two black supervisors, Democrat Leroy Brooks, said people were not trying to change history, but wanted to rechannel some things that are offensive."