Race And Racism

Oklahoma's highest court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by the last two known living survivors of the Tulsa race massacre in 1921 seeking reparations for the violence and destruction that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Black people.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld a judge's decision last year to dismiss the case, saying the state's public nuisance law could not be relied upon to address the lingering consequences of "unjust, violent, and tragic moments of our history."

Oklahoma's highest court tossed a lawsuit seeking reparations for two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of violence involving race that saw more than 300 Black people killed by a White mob and the destruction of Black Wall Street, a thriving Black district. 

The nine-member Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit of the last two survivors of the riot, ruling that the plaintiff’s grievances, although legitimate, did not fall within the scope of the state’s public nuisance statute.

President Joe Biden has sought to bolster his outreach to Black voters as polls show him with lower-than-usual support within that demographic.

In graduation remarks May 19 at Atlanta’s Morehouse College, a historically Black institution, Biden touted achievements for Black Americans that he said were reached during his presidency.

"Today, record numbers of Black Americans have jobs, health insurance, and more (wealth) than ever," Biden said. 

“All these big deviants are catching hell in 2024. It’s up for all of them. It don’t matter if you’re Diddy, or whoever…all lies will be exposed [sic],” the comedian Katt Williams confidently declared in a podcast with retired American football player Shannon Sharpe in January, discussing prominent rappers accused of sexual crimes.

MSNBC host Joy Reid wasn’t having it with Rep. Byron Donalds’ (R-Fla.) claim that critics are twisting his words on Thursday after his remarks that Black American families were “together” during the Jim Crow era of legal segregation.

″[They’re] saying I was being nostalgic or saying that Jim Crow was good for Black people, that’s all political spin, it’s a lie, it’s gaslighting and that’s truly unfortunate,” said Donalds, who made the comments Tuesday at an event for former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

MSNBC host Joy Reid in a Thursday interview pressed Rep. Byron Donalds over comments the Florida Republican made about how Black families were “together” during the time of racial segregation of the Jim Crow South.

Reid asked Donalds, “Is there a specific period between 1867 and 1968 that you thought was this golden era for Black families, or a time that was good for Black families?”

Things got rather heated when MSNBC host Joy Reid challenged Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) Thursday following his comments on whether life was better during the Jim Crow era.

Young Black Americans in town for a popular Philadelphia music festival went on the record to voice their displeasure with President Biden.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that it spoke to around thirty young Black voters at the "Roots Picnic" over the weekend, a popular music festival hosted by hip-hop group The Roots in the city. Most of the voters told the outlet don’t support Trump for president, but they also don’t want Biden.

A fifth-grade teacher in Massachusetts has been placed on paid leave after a series of incidents including holding a mock slave auction, using a racial slur, and calling out the student who reported the slur, a school official said.

Officials did not name the teacher at the Margaret A. Neary Elementary School in Southborough, a town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Boston.