URL Weekly 11/17

Next-level reporting. Innovative Black & Brown publishers.

Friday, November 17, 2023

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Today is Friday, and we’re highlighting stories from across the URL Media network about a politician whose decade-old vendetta has taken on a new life, the historic all-woman city council of St. Paul, Minnesota, and a new comedy album from a New York-based Palestinian Muslim comedian, writer and podcaster.

In tomorrow’s newsletter, we’re taking a look at some surprising trends impacting the U.S. population. — Alicia Ramirez

Uplift. 🙌🏼 Respect. 💯 Love. 💛

👨🏽‍🏫 Teaching race in Ariz.: In 2010, Arizona Republicans passed a law banning a successful Mexican American Studies program at Tucson High School at the request of Tom Horne, the state's superintendent of public instruction at the time. Horne left office the following year, and a judge found the ban unconstitutional. Now, 13 years later, Horne is back and targeting the program again. palabra. has the story here.

Plus: 🎧 When Latinos fought the book ban (Pulso)

🗣 Workers say employers are retaliating against them for voicing support for Palestine: Complaints filed with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights advocacy organization, show that Muslim people have had their careers and livelihoods targeted for advocating for a free Palestine. Prism has the story here.

More: Since the Israel-Gaza war started, there has been a reported uptick in bias-related harassment directed towards Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans and other groups, but there are steps you can take to safely intervene. Epicenter-NYC has more here.

👩🏽‍💼 Historic all-woman city council elected in Minn.: A historic all-woman city council has been elected in St. Paul, Minnesota after Anika Bowie and Cheniqua Johnson were declared winners in their races Friday. The new city council will encompass six people of color, making it the most racially diverse St. Paul City Council in history. Sahan Journal has the story here.

More: Our Body Politic guest host Sayu Bhojwani and others discuss takeaways from last week’s Election Day. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

🎙 The missing girls of Americus: Lilly Workneh, chief content officer of URL Media partner PushBlack, recently joined WURD Radio to announce the outlet’s newest podcast series, “The Stolen Girls of Americus,” in collaboration with Accelerate Change and Audacy. The series, which premiered this week, transports listeners to the height of the Civil Rights Movement as it tells the story of 15 girls jailed for challenging segregation laws. 🎧 Listen to the interview here.

🏛 White House responds to gun violence by creating a new office: President Joe Biden’s new Office of Gun Violence Prevention claims to provide resources to grieving families affected by gun violence, partner with anti-violence organizations and implement gun reform measures. PushBlack has more here.

✊🏽 Philadelphia’s first Black woman mayor has a history of service: As the city’s 100th mayor, Cherelle Parker marks a historic victory as the first woman and the first Black woman to hold this esteemed position. But her commitment to service and sisterhood dates back to her time at Lincoln University where she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta. Watch The Yard has the story here.

📕 The queer survival and coming-of-age book I needed as a child: “All Boys Aren’t Blue” covers many topics, including Blackness, queerness and coming-of-age in a world that suppresses your presence. It also touches on a thing that plagues over 57,000 children in the United States: sexual assault. Scalawag has more here.

Content warning: This review contains mentions of sexual violence.

🇨🇴 Documentary captures humanity at Colombian, Venezuelan border: In the documentary “Esto es Frontera/At the Border,” directors Braulio Jatar and Anaïs Michel, follow the lives of two trocheros, people who know the geography of an area and help others navigate it. Filmed in Cúcuta, Colombia, the documentary depicts the crisis brewing at the Colombian and Venezuelan border. Documented has the story 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.

🎖 Calif. county honors veterans with green light display: Riverside County is part of the nation’s 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs in Operation Green Light, which signifies support and appreciation for veterans. Black Voice News has the story here.

🏥 Answers sought after hospital workers cut Lakota elder’s hair without consent: About 20 American Indian Movement members from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota traveled to Aurora, Colorado, to demand answers from a Colorado health system about why a Lakota elder’s waist-length hair was cut without his permission. Native News Online has the story here.

🏘 Black neighborhoods fall through the cracks: The city of Tulsa recently unveiled a new ranking of neighborhood conditions that fails to include several key Black neighborhoods for top priority for city resources. The Oklahoma Eagle has the story here.

🪴 Resilience as a life perspective: For the American Psychological Association, an important step toward resilience is to avoid viewing crises as a set of insurmountable obstacles. We must accept that change is part of life. La Noticia has more here.

🎤 Michaël Brun on his path from military school to medicine to music: In an exclusive interview with The Haitian Times, international DJ Michaël Brun talks about his journey of bringing Haitian and Caribbean culture to the world and how his Bayo diaspora festival is part of that mission. Read more here.

🇵🇸 Navigating identity with Palestinian Muslim comedian Atheer Yacoub: Immigrantly host Saadia Khan talks with Yacoub about her debut comedy album, “Denied Entry,” which offers a compelling glimpse into her upbringing, Palestinian identity, and the current political climate. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation here.

📖 A beginner’s guide to Octavia Butler: Octavia Butler has left an indelible mark on the literary landscape. Her works are groundbreaking for their imaginative scope and their incisive exploration of race, gender, power dynamics, and the human condition. Diving into her work can feel daunting, but Black Girl Times has put together a primer for those just starting out. Read more here.

📺 Haitian Times publisher featured in Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares

Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of URL Media partner The Haitian Times, was featured recently in an episode of Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay, where he stepped in to transform a family-run Haitian juice bar and restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y. Watch the segment here.

How Outlier Media covers democracy in DetroitDetroit-based URL Media partner Outlier Media is taking a different approach to election coverage — steering clear of play-by-play polling numbers and horse-race political coverage and prioritizing listening and responding to residents’ needs. 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.

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