URL Weekly 12/1

Next-level reporting. Innovative Black & Brown publishers.

Friday, December 1, 2023

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Today is Friday, and we’re highlighting stories from across the URL Media network about the impact of social media and the pandemic on Latina teens, high school students learning how to administer anti-overdose medication, and two celebrations honoring survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

In tomorrow’s newsletter, we’re looking at the impact night markets have on small businesses and the proposed federal regulation that could harm them. — Alicia Ramirez

Uplift. 🙌🏼 Respect. 💯 Love. 💛

✊🏽 Mich. searches for environmental justice 10 years after Flint water crisis: Flint’s public health crisis — caused by a series of government failures in 2014 to safely switch the source of the city’s water supply — exposed its residents to high levels of lead. A decade later, those impacted are still in search of justice. Prism has the story here.

📱 Social media, pandemic compound challenges for Latina teens: Teen girls across the country describe intense pressure from their peers and parents to look and dress a certain way while excelling academically. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found these pressures reached a crisis exacerbated by the isolation and trauma of COVID-19 and the unforgiving court of social media. palabra. has the story here.

🏫 Kansas school district to consider dress code policy after 8-year-old Native American student was forced to cut his hair: Later this month, a Kansas school board will consider updates to its dress code policy after an 8-year-old Native American boy was forced to cut his hair to attend school. According to the local ACLU, the district violated the child’s cultural and religious freedoms by requiring him to cut his long hair to conform to school policy. Native News Online has the story here.

More: Opinion: Why Native Americans consider hair sacred (Native News Online)

⛓ Former Obama adviser arrested for harassment, hate crimes against Halal vendors: On Nov. 7, former senior political officer in the U.S. State Department Stuart Seldowitz approached Q Halal Cart in New York City’s Upper East Side and launched into an Islamophobic tirade, attacking the operator’s faith and culture and accusing him of supporting terrorists. It was the first of several incidents. 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.

💔 The hidden toll of Hurricane Katrina on the mental health of Black survivors: It’s been nearly 20 years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, but Black survivors of the storm are still struggling with the lingering trauma caused by the hurricane and its aftermath. Scalawag has the story here.

More: Unpacking the importance of culturally competent mental health care (🎧 Latina to Latina)

💊 Minn. students are learning how to use anti-overdose medication: Starting this school year, Minnesota schools are required to have at least two doses of Narcan on hand. And since this October, students at one high school have been learning how to use it. Sahan Journal has the story here.

🎙 Taboos, sex, and feminism: Award-winning podcaster and sex educator Sangeeta Pillai talks about her long and rich journey from what she calls a “Mumbai slum” to becoming a powerful voice in the South Asian feminist movement in this week’s episode of Immigrantly. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Plus: Immigrantly recently secured an investment from American Public Media Group that will allow the organization to expand its podcast offerings, content licensing initiatives, and storytelling ventures. Read more.

🇱🇷 Liberia’s next president is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha’s first African chapter: At 78, Joseph Boakai, a seasoned political veteran, is poised to be the next president of Liberia following a narrow triumph in the West African country’s recent election. Boakai is also a member of the first African chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. Watch the Yard has the story here.

🗽 Aspiring designer leaves Haiti, fashions new life in the US with help from local YMCA: McKinley Louissaint immigrated to the United States in 2022 with dreams of pursuing a career in fashion. Through the New Americans Initiative at the YMCA in Brooklyn, Louissaint has received the support he needs to integrate into New York City life and begin pursuing his goals. The Haitian Times has his story here. (paywalled)

👏🏽 Okla. honors 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre survivors: The Tulsa community came together last month to celebrate the life of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors Hughes Van Ellis, who died in October, and the 109th birthday of Lessie Benningfield Randle. The Oklahoma Eagle has the story here.

🐴 New Yorkers find their happy place with horses in Queens: Studies have shown the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for everything from executive functioning skills to social interaction among children with autism and expressive language issues, and this New York City horse stable is providing a space for people to heal. Epicenter-NYC has the story here.

📰 URL Media partners with hyperlocal, solutions-journalism platform Trenton Journal

URL Media welcomes Trenton Journal, an independently owned and operated print and hyperlocal multimedia platform, to its growing network. Recognized for its commitment to bridging information gaps, Trenton Journal is a crucial source of community news and information for the nearly 90,000 residents in Trenton, New Jersey — the state’s capital city. 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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