30th annual Essence Festival of Culture kicks off in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The City of New Orleans on Thursday officially welcomed thousands of people descending on the Big Easy for the Essence Festival of Culture. The celebration has been around for three decades — no easy feat, Essence CEO Caroline Wanga said Thursday during a news...

As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields

Amid blistering summer temperatures, a federal judge ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation, saying they face “substantial risk of injury or death.” The state immediately appealed the decision....

California budgets up to $12 million for reparations bills, a milestone in atoning for racist legacy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California plans to spend up to $12 million on reparations legislation under a budget signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, marking a milestone in the state's efforts to atone for a legacy of racism and discrimination against Black Californians. The...

Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Three federal judges are telling Mississippi to redraw some of its legislative districts, saying the current ones dilute the power of Black voters in three parts of the state. The judges issued their order Tuesday night in a lawsuit filed in 2022 by the...

Usher and Janet Jackson headline 30th Essence Festival of Culture

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The best of Black culture's policymakers, thought leaders, creatives, spiritual gurus, business movers and shakers, health experts and, of course, musical talent are poised to converge in New Orleans over the Fourth of July weekend as part of the Essence Festival of Culture. ...

Discipline used in Kansas' largest school district was discriminatory, the Justice Department says

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Educators in Kansas’ largest public school district discriminated against Black and disabled students when disciplining them, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which announced an agreement Tuesday that will have the district revising its policies. ...

Black farmers' association calls for Tractor Supply CEO's resignation after company cuts DEI efforts

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply's president and CEO Tuesday to step down after the rural retailer announced that it would drop most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts. The resignation demand emerged as Tractor...

Last known survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre challenge Oklahoma high court decision

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Attorneys for the last two remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday to reconsider the case they dismissed last month and called on the Biden administration to help the two women seek justice. Viola...

Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier denied parole for 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents serving warrants

Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison since his conviction in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents in South Dakota, has been denied parole. The U.S. Parole Commission said in a statement Tuesday announcing the decision that he won't be eligible...

Commission denies parole for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, convicted of killing FBI agents in 1975