racial justice
‘They are important to us’: Remains of Sisseton Wahpeton children returning home
Amos La Framboise and Edward Upright didn’t know that they’d never see their homes and families again. The boys, of the Spirit Lake and Lake Traverse bands of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, set off to Pennsylvania in 1879 to attend the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. They didn’t know they would die at the school before […]
States urged by Biden administration to rectify underfunding of land-grant HBCUs
States engaged in decades of underfunding land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities, leading to a more than $12 billion disparity with comparable white institutions, leaders of the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our nation’s distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities to […]
Hopkinsville police to undergo diversity training after video stirs controversy
In the wake of an officer’s controversial social media post that drew both support and outrage from community members and tens of thousands of TikTok users, Hopkinsville Police Chief Jason Newby says he’s coordinating plans for all officers to undergo diversity training. Officer Jerimiah Kline came under fire early this month after posting a TikTok […]
Kentucky researchers to examine neighborhood health
LOUISVILLE – Eighteen months from now, Kentucky researchers hope to know how to diagnose neighborhoods in much the same way doctors diagnose illnesses in the human body. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant of $500,000 will fund a Louisville-based neighborhood study, featuring researchers from Simmons College of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, leaders from […]
Kentucky politicians mark Juneteenth as Beshear calls on legislature to make it a state holiday
Kentucky leaders on both sides of the political spectrum celebrated Juneteenth by discussing African American history and calling the holiday a mark of progress toward equality. Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation recognizing Monday as Juneteenth National Freedom Day in Kentucky in the Capitol Rotunda. Those who joined Beshear included Senate Minority Floor Leader Gerald […]
Study reveals staggering toll of being Black in America: 1.6M excess deaths over 22 years
Research has long shown that Black people live sicker lives and die younger than white people. Now a new study, published last week in JAMA, casts the nation’s racial inequities in stark relief, finding that the higher mortality rate among Black Americans resulted in 1.63 million excess deaths relative to white Americans over more than […]
Louisville won’t see meaningful change until the city quits defending police use of force
Mayor Greenberg, when will you listen to us? In May 2020, my city came alive in unity and in pain asking, once again, to be heard. Sparked by the unjust murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, hundreds of Louisville residents gathered in peaceful demonstrations to protest police violence against Black people. In our collective […]
Senate advances bill criminalizing ‘sexually explicit’ drag shows around minors
FRANKFORT — After a floor debate spiked with references to foot fetishes and sadomasochistic bondage attire, the Kentucky Senate on Friday approved a bill aimed at limiting venues for some drag shows. Senate Bill 115 would criminalize “sexually explicit” drag performances by “male or female impersonators” on publicly-owned land or in front of children. It […]
Sponsor says drag show bill is pro-children not anti-LGBTQ
FRANKFORT — A Kentucky bill that would criminalize “sexually explicit” performances by “male or female impersonators” on publicly-owned land or in front of children passed a Senate committee Thursday. Members of the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 115, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield. A chant of […]
CROWN Act stalls in legislature
FRANKFORT — Supporters gathered on the Capitol steps Wednesday to cheer on a bill that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of braids, locks and twist hairstyles in Kentucky. Hours later the Senate passed over the bill for the fourth time. Senate Bill 63, also known as the CROWN Act, appears to have stalled in […]
Racialized notions of ‘beauty’ hazardous to health
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here. ATLANTA — Perched in a stylist’s chair at Yaya’s Natural Hair Boutique, Akeyla Peele-Tembong teared up as she recalled how, when she was a […]
Humana supports prenatal care for Black moms with $120,000 in grants, goal is ‘health equity’
To “improve access to quality prenatal care in Kentucky for Black moms,” Humana announced Tuesday it will give $120,000 in grants to three organizations. Humana’s Healthy Horizons made the move in response to a March of Dimes report last year that awarded Kentucky a failing grade on key indicators of maternal health. The commonwealth was […]