URL Weekly 10/20

Next-level reporting. Innovative Black & Brown publishers.

Friday, October 20, 2023

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Today is Friday, and we’re highlighting stories from across the URL Media network about a plan to abolish prisons in New Zealand, the key to a good joke (from a legendary actor), and what Detroit architects think about the city’s buildings.

In tomorrow’s newsletter we’ll take a look at how members of the disability community are creating inclusive spaces and highlighting the need for more. — Alicia Ramirez

Uplift. 🙌🏼 Respect. 💯 Love. 💛

🚌 Texas bus trips are still fueling migration to NYC and other sanctuary cities: Gov. Abbott’s political strategy of busing tens of thousands of migrants across the U.S. has cost the state $75.5 million. This month, Texas officials sent more than 2,000 migrants to New York City in just one week. Documented, in partnership with El Paso Matters, has the story here.

More: NYC Mayor Eric Adams recently returned from a trip to Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador, but what did he accomplish there? Epicenter-NYC has more here.

🇵🇸 Jewish activists, Palestinians, and allies protest Palestinian genocide: Protests calling for an end to Israeli apartheid of Palestinian peoples and U.S. government funding to the occupying state took place over the weekend and throughout the week as Israeli airstrikes against Hamas continue in Gaza. Prism has more here.

More: Read about the seven ways Haiti is connected to Israel and Palestine here from The Haitian Times.

⛓ A plan to abolish prisons means challenging colonial norms: Last month, Te Pāti Māori, New Zealand’s Indigenous rights political party, announced its revolutionary plan to establish a Māori Justice Authority and abolish all prisons by 2040. PushBlack has more here.

🎭 From struggling high school student to selling out theaters: Legendary actor Chris Tucker recently joined Wake Up With WURD to talk about his career as a standup comedian ahead of his performance this week at The Met in Philadelphia. 🎧 Listen to the full interview here.

🎬 Creativity, culture and storytelling that transcends boundaries: Immigrantly host Saadia Khan speaks with Kuwaiti filmmaker Omar Al Dakheel about his transformational journey from scholarship days in Miami to producing a film like ‘Al Imam.’ 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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.

🗳 The impact of redistricting battles: Our Body Politic guest host Karen Grigsby Bates talks about newly redrawn maps in Alabama and how the redistricting effort shook up the Los Angeles City Council. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

💊 Combatting overdose on Calif. college campuses: A new state law requires California community colleges and California State Universities to stock fentanyl test strips at campus health centers in an effort to combat the increasing rates of overdose on college campuses. Black Voice News has more here.

📱 Is social media declaring war on the media?: Social media platforms can influence how billions of users interact and perceive reality. However, in their quest to keep users scrolling, these networks can endanger users and democracy. La Noticia has more here.

🗽 New York museum unveils repatriation overhaul after ethical awakening: A New York museum that tribal representatives call one of the worst offenders of federal repatriation law has announced plans to double down on repatriation efforts for the skeletal remains of approximately 12,000 individuals it currently has in its collection. Native News Online has more here.

🎶 Popular dance, and music scene, unifies Somalis in Minn. — and beyond: In Minnesota, a new nonprofit is hoping Dhaanto, a popular Somali dance, will continue to bring the Somali community together and bridge Somali and Western cultures. Sahan Journal has more here.

🏗 Detroit architects’ favorite Detroit buildings: The variety of buildings in Detroit is awe-inspiring: majestic Art Deco skyscrapers, ornate Gothic structures and serene modern buildings. But what buildings do the city’s architects love the most? Outlier Media has their answers 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.

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