URL Weekly 01/26

Next-level reporting. Innovative Black & Brown publishers.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Reading this from an email forward or elsewhere on the internet?

Subscribe.

Hey

Today is Friday, and we’re highlighting stories from across the URL Media network about the future of DEI in the wake of Claudine Gay’s resignation from Harvard earlier this month, Haitian villagers appealing to city officials to relocate them before demolishing their homes, and the untold stories of migrants who vanish.

In tomorrow’s newsletter, we’re taking a look at how Black women are embracing the “soft life” trend. — Alicia Ramirez

Uplift. 🙌🏼 Respect. 💯 Love. 💛

🗳 What to look for — and be wary of — this upcoming election season: During this election season, it’s crucial that voters understand how narratives centered on personal grievances can be used to mislead and manipulate them. Epicenter-NYC has more here.

More: Ahead of the N.H. primary, CNN opinion writer Roxanne Jones joined WURD Radio to talk about Nikki Haley’s strategy. (🎧 WURD Radio)

🧳 Thousands of refugees have arrived in Detroit in recent weeks. The city wasn't equipped to shelter them: Detroit was already struggling to provide adequate shelter for more than 8,500 homeless residents when temperatures dropped. Then it saw an influx of newcomers arrive in town. Outlier Media has more here.

👩🏽‍🏫 Claudine Gay and future of DEI: Harvard’s first black president, Claudine Gay, resigned on Jan. 2 following several controversies over the past few months. But the real issue, as host of Immigrantly Saadia Khan sees it, is that conservatives have been denouncing Gay as a “diversity hire.” 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

More: Harvard's first Black woman president Claudine Gay resigns (URL Media)

Join us in celebrating the launch of URL Media’s new hub for independent journalism by Black and Brown publishers! Discover the stories and perspectives that matter. Check it out here.

📃 Will immigration reform be approved after the election?: Despite being one of his central campaign promises in 2020, President Joe Biden failed to push through a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform when he assumed his presidency. But could a bipartisan solution be on the horizon? La Noticia has more here.

🚨 ‘Cop City’ racketeering trials slowed with teen activist’s delayed proceedings: The anticipated racketeering trial of a 19-year-old activist, Ayla King, has faced another delay, prompting legal and public scrutiny from ‘Cop City’ protesters. Prism has more here.

More: This Black mayor’s stance on ‘Cop City’ reinterprets Black history. (PushBlack)

✊🏽 How would MLK address the issues of today?: Black and BIPOC communities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, are navigating turbulent times, which led The Oklahoma Eagle to ask community members how they felt Martin Luther King Jr. would handle the city’s issues today. Read more here.

🏫 Minn. school district halts enrollment slide by listening to immigrant communities: For the first time in six years, St. Paul Public Schools’ enrollment decline was barely noticeable, mainly due to the district’s investment in cultural programs that cater to local immigrant communities. Sahan Journal has the story here.

🏠 Haitians cry out after the city marks their homes for demolition: Several residents of a Cap-Haitien neighborhood are pleading with the city to do more to help them relocate before demolishing their homes as part of a construction project to rebuild an irrigation canal. The Haitian Times has the story here.

⚖️ Bronx lawyer arrested for defrauding immigrants and US government: Federal authorities charged a Bronx attorney this week with carrying out a “large scale” immigration scheme to defraud the U.S. government, prosecutors alleged. Documented has the story here.

🎨 This artist’s solo show symbolizes the loneliness of immigration: Yuri Yuan, a Chinese American artist who grew up in Singapore and the U.S., creates art that reflects her journey as an international citizen. She says her art reflects the loneliness of neither belonging here nor there. AsAmNews has more here.

🏛 Field Museum, others cover Native American displays to comply with new regulations: As new federal law requirements went into effect last week, museums holding Native American human remains and artifacts scrambled to understand and implement new changes. Native News Online has more here.

🏈 Heisman hero Jayden Daniels honored at home: In 2019, Jayden Daniels graduated early from Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California, to play football at Arizona State University. This month, he returned to his hometown as a Heisman Trophy winner. Black Voice News has the story here.

✍🏼 Why Myriam Gurba doesn’t believe confessional art is inherently cathartic: Writer Myriam Gurba shares the familial roots of her irreverence, the surprising response to her viral critique of “American Dirt,” and the work she did to make herself whole in the aftermath of an abusive relationship. 🎧 Listen to the full interview from Latina to Latina here.

🕊 The untold stories of the migrants who vanished: This investigative series sheds light on the untold stories of migrants who have vanished and reveals an undercount of the missing by governmental institutions that fail to assist in the searches and provide answers to the families. palabra. has more here.

More: Last week, we shared the story of a citizen journalist pursuing legal action against her city officials. This week, palabra. reported that she lost the fight. Read more here.

What the Oscars snub of ‘Barbie’ and ‘Origin’ tells us

URL Media CEO and Co-founder Mitra Kalita ruminates on the cultural impact of these two films, their women directors, and what the failure of the Academy to recognize these things tells us about how it defines greatness. Read more here.

Sara Lomax-Reese, CEO of WURD Radio, media entrepreneur for almost 30 years, served as Program Lead for the inaugural Facebook BIPOC Sustainability Accelerator and is a former John S. Knight Fellow.

S. Mitra Kalita, former SVP at CNN Digital, current CEO & Publisher at Kalita Mukul Creative Inc., which publishes Epicenter-NYC, The Unmuted and The Escape Home has worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and has launched brands like Mint and Quartz.

Share