URL Weekly 6/16

Next-level reporting. Innovative Black & Brown publishers.

Friday, June 16, 2023

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Today is Friday, and we’re highlighting stories from across the URL Media network about a failed development in the heart of Tulsa, making music behind bars, and a school working to revitalize the Cherokee language.

Also, Happy Pride month 🏳️‍🌈! Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow for our special essay on why it’s more important now than ever to uplift, support, champion and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

— Alicia Ramirez

Uplift. 🙌🏼 Respect. 💯 Love. 💛

Prism is prioritizing coverage of the first constitutional youth-led climate trial: This week, Montana had to defend itself against claims that it aided the state’s fossil fuel industry and, in contributing to climate change, denied its residents their right to a healthy environment in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. This one-of-a-kind climate lawsuit has the potential to open doors for communities to take climate-focused legal action across the nation. Read more here from Prism.

Climate change is in the air: New York City experienced days of bad air quality last week as a result of wildfires in Canada. Though much has been said about the eerie images of thick smoke blanketing the city and the mayor's response, Epicenter-NYC argues that this might not be the last time this happens. Read more here.

Former President Donald Trump arraigned for a second time: Attorney Damon Tyler joined Wake Up With WURD’s Solomon Jones this week to talk about former President Donald Trump’s latest legal woes. 🎧 Listen to the full interview here.+: Dyana Williams, founder of the International Association of African American Music, discussed WURD's Black Music Month event, and how Black musicians paved the way for other American groups to create their own music. 🎧 Listen to the conversation. 

An island in search of a new source of light: Hurricane Maria damaged 80% of Puerto Rico’s power grid, and the subsequent outages, which lasted for months, contributed to the hurricane’s death toll. Six years and $14 billion in federal commitments later, the island’s central grid is still in disrepair, compelling community groups to look for alternative sources of power. palabra. has the story here.

The Evans-Fintube saga: What happened to a $68 million development plan in Tulsa: Over a year ago, City of Tulsa officials approved the bold plan to bring a sprawling center of retail stores, offices, residences, and a hotel to the heart of the Greenwood District in Tulsa. However, last week, PartnerTulsa, the organization responsible for bringing development projects to the city, informed Team Alchemy that they would no longer be working together. The Oklahoma Eagle digs into the issue here.+: Author and Oklahoma Eagle contributor, Victor Luckerson, was recently interviewed about his book "Built from the Fire," which chronicles what happened during the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921, while centering the stories of its survivors. 🎧 Listen to the full interview here.

A Q&A on maternal mental health: Black Voice News recently sat down with Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson, a licensed clinical psychologist and doula who specializes in multicultural psychology, trauma, suicide prevention, and maternal mental health to discuss maternal mental health conditions and more. Read the full interview here.More: URL Media co-founder Sara Lomax recently co-led a panel discussion on the Laura Flanders Show about the Black maternal mortality epidemic. Watch the episode here.

In Minneapolis, three-fourths of kids with elevated levels of lead are children of color: Lead levels among children peaked in the 1970s, when people pumped leaded gas into their cars and decorated their walls with lead-laced paint. Later that decade, legislation banned leaded paint and then leaded gas in the ’90s. By the early ‘00s, Minneapolis had only recorded nearly 500 cases of lead-poisoned children. But the story isn’t a complete success. Sahan Journal has more here.

Why some Latinos in N.C. don’t stand up to their landlords: North Carolina activists and lawyers warn that Latino tenants are vulnerable to abusive landlords. They say that when members of this community are faced with an eviction letter, they prefer to leave their homes, or self-evict, rather than appear in court. La Noticia breaks down why here.

Gun violence is our nation’s enduring public health emergency: On the latest episode of Our Body Politic, creator and host Farai Chideya focuses on the impact and intersections of gun violence in American life. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

Jaar sentenced to life in Moïse assassination, 10 others await fate: A federal judge this week sentenced Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean man, to life in prison for bankrolling and providing weapons used in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Ten others await their fate in the ongoing prosecution. Read more here from The Haitian Times.

Police are using new technology to surveil Black communities, but should they be?: In recent years, police have started using artificial intelligence for facial recognition, predictive policing, and gunshot detection. The new technology has already led to wrongful arrests and racial profiling. Now, a new study shows most police don’t even know how to use the systems. PushBlack has more here.

Artist Young Tali is making music by any means necessary: If you thought making music in prison is already difficult enough, imagine a small network of musicians circumnavigating prison restrictions, using phones and JPAY tracks to mix hip-hop.

Scalawag has the story here

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The Italian immigrant cops who fought the rise of the Mafia: A new book by Paul Moses explores the complex dynamics between the police and the Italian community in the early 1900s when the New York City Police Department formed a special unit called the Italian Squad as a response to public outcry against the Black Hand. Read more here from Documented.

Supreme Court affirms Indian Child Welfare Act: This week, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), stating that it does not discriminate on the basis of race and does not impose an undue burden on states, while protecting tribal sovereignty and the rights of Native American families in proceedings involving adoption and foster care for Native children. Read more about the ruling from Native News Online. 

Unveiling Media Storm: Boldly amplifying unheard voices: In this week’s episode of Immigrantly, host Saadia Khan talks with journalist Helena Wadia about her podcast “Media Storm,” which seeks to uncover underreported stories within marginalized communities. 🎧 Listen to the full interview here.

Not sure where to sit? Ask the Detroit Bench Freak: Detroit Bench Freak is an astounding display of nerdy obsessiveness. But the casual commentary, where Bobbi Baumez evaluates what does or doesn’t work about a particular bench, also has elements of playful urbanism. Learn more about the woman behind the catalog here from Outlier Media.

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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