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The Revolutionary Act of Black Love

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The Revolutionary Act of Black Love

By Alexis Taylor, Word in Black 

“My eye soon caught her precious face, but, gracious heavens! That glance of agony may God spare me from ever again enduring! My wife, under the influence of her feelings, jumped aside; I seized hold of her hand while my mind felt unutterable things, and my tongue was only able to say, we shall meet in heaven!”

Henry “Box” Brown knew it could lead to a lashing, but it would be worth every drop of blood.

There was no price to be put on the final moments he would ultimately ever spend with his wife, Nancy, and their children, who were sold on the auction block while he worked.

“My agony was now complete, she with whom I had travelled (sic) the journey of life in chains, for the space of twelve years, and the dear little pledges God had given us I could see plainly must now be separated from me for ever, and I must continue, desolate and alone, to drag my chains through the world,” recounts Brown in his autobiography, the “Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown.” 

The year was 1848. And in a final act of resistance, a final act of love, Brown did the only thing he could do: he walked side-by-side with his wife, holding her hand as she moved closer to her fate on a North Carolina plantation.

“I went with her for about four miles hand in hand, but both our hearts were so overpowered with feeling that we could say nothing,” recounts Brown. “And when at last we were obliged to part, the look of mutual love which we exchanged was all the token which we could give each other that we should yet meet in heaven.”

Woven through the tales of horror are unmatched stories of bravery, perseverance, persistence, and, yes, even love.

Brown would go on to become known around the world as the formerly enslaved man who “mailed himself to freedom.” And while he never laid eyes on his family again, the love of his children and his wife is palpable to this day.

I often wonder why people shy away from the stories that come from the period of chattel slavery in American history.

Is it troubling to read how our ancestors were brutally enslaved and transported during the Atlantic Slave Trade? Absolutely. Is it hard to watch Brown’s skin split under the crack of a whip on screen? Without a doubt. But woven through the tales of horror are unmatched stories of bravery, perseverance, persistence, and, yes, even love.

Time and time again, we see this repeated throughout history — the courage of love, men and women risking their lives and even paying the ultimate price — to fulfill the basic human needs of connection and intimacy.

I remember reading this passage more than a decade ago and becoming overwhelmed with emotion. Against the agonizing backdrop of slavery were parents, friends, and lovers who had the audacity to form bonds. There were people who eked out happiness even under the grimmest of circumstances and at the threat of having it all disappear in a moment.

The Library of Congress went to extensive lengths during the 1930s to record personal accounts of slavery in America from the mouths of the people who survived it. “Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves” includes beautiful stories that show how love flourished during some of the darkest periods of American and human history.

“Hit wus in de little Baptist church at Neuse whar I fust seed big Black Jim Dunn an’ I fell in love wid him den,” reckoned Lucy Ann Dunn, of Raleigh, N.C. “He said dat he loved me den too, but hit wus three Sundays ‘fore he axed ter see me home.”

Dunn was 90-years-old when she told her love story on Aug. 4, 1937.

Against the agonizing backdrop of slavery were parents, friends, and lovers who had the audacity to form bonds.

What began as love at first sight bloomed into a courtship.

“We walked dat mile home in front of my mammy an’ I wus so happy dat I aint thought hit a half a mile home. We et cornbread an’ turnips fer dinner an’ hit wus night ‘fore he went home. Mammy wouldn’t let me walk wid him ter de gate I knowed, so I jist sot dar on de porch an’  sez good night,” recalled Dunn. “He come ever’ Sunday fer a year an’ finally he proposed. I had told mammy dat I thought dat I ort ter be allowed ter walk ter de gate wid Jim an’, she said all right iffen she wus settin’ dar on de porch lookin’.”

Dunn detailed her life before and after Yankee soldiers arrived on the plantation she worked with her parents and four siblings. Her love story takes place just two years after gaining her freedom. I often wonder what the ancestors would think of today’s “relationship goals.”

At a time when so many had their relationships controlled, many dared to love who they wanted — an act of defiance punishable by death. I often fear we take so many things for granted — the right to unabashedly love who we want being one of them.

During this month of flowers, chocolates, teddy bears, and whispered sweet nothings, I say let’s not forget those who went before us and dared to engage in one of the ultimate protests: the revolutionary act of Black love.

Remember When the U.S. Sterilized Black People? Here’s Why it Matters Today

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Remember When the U.S. Sterilized Black People? Here’s Why it Matters Today

By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black 

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) recently released a public apology for its participation in eugenics — a scientific movement in the early 1900s that discriminated against groups of people based on their ethnicity and physical features — and other instances of scientific harm.

The apology comes after the organization published a 27-page report detailing its past and its pivot toward better ethics in recent decades.

“This time of reckoning with history is overdue, but it forms the foundation for a brighter future,” ASHG President Brandan Lee said in a statement.

In the January report, “Facing our History — Building an Equitable Future Initiative,” the organization revealed that many of its early leaders advocated for or participated in eugenics. Some even held leadership positions in eugenics associations prior to joining ASHG, which was founded in 1948.

Through the 1970s, Black women living in poverty were forced and coerced into having hysterectomies or tubal ligations, preventing them from conceiving children.

Eugenics is founded on the immoral theory that deems groups of people as “unfit” human beings based on their genetics. Scientists — many of whom were white men — who adopted this idea used it to affirm preexisting prejudices about Black people and others held in society.

This led to the forced sterilization and genocide of Black people, immigrants, people with physical and mental disabilities, unmarried mothers, sex workers, those of lower economic status, and others.

Throughout the 20th century, 32 states adopted forced sterilization laws and participated in federally-funded sterilization programs.

“However, after World War II and the realization of how American eugenic policies inspired the atrocities of Nazi Germany, public popularity of eugenics collapsed,” the ASHG report states.

The collapse led to the founding of ASHG, according to the organization.

But eugenics has had a long-lasting impact on medical beliefs in the United States.

The “Mississippi Appendectomy” is one example of how eugenics attempted to limit the reproductive power of Black people.

Through the 1970s, Black women living in poverty were forced and coerced into having hysterectomies or tubal ligations, preventing them from conceiving children. In 1961, Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist from Mississippi, was given a non-consensual hysterectomy by a white doctor. The violation took place while she was undergoing surgery to remove a uterine tumor.

As recent as 2013, a report revealed that 148 female prisoners in California were sterilized between 2006 and 2010 without proper consent.

And in a 2016 survey, 40% of first and second-year medical students admitted to believing that “Black people’s skin is thicker than white people’s.” Others reported believing that Black people are not as sensitive to pain as white people. As a result, the trainees were less likely to properly treat Black patients’ pain.

The report and its findings are painful and document a history that must be told and taught so we can prevent its resurgence.

BRANDAN LEE, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HUMAN GENETICS PRESIDENT

As the science and medical industries face the aftermath of racist and prejudiced policy, ASGH has announced a plan for rectifying its contributions.

The organization is suspending the use of individual names for its professional awards that are affiliated with eugenics or other harms.

It also plans to prioritize equity in its scientific and training initiatives, sustain advocacy for research diversity, and continue building inclusivity of its leadership, to name a few goals.

“The report and its findings are painful and document a history that must be told and taught so we can prevent its resurgence,” Lee said.

“The human genetics research community is deeply committed to realizing a future in which all people benefit from this knowledge, and this promising research depends on full and equitable participation. By acknowledging our history and apologizing for wrongs, the Society seeks genuinely to form a stronger foundation for trust and inclusion.”

What ls Climate Justice?

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What ls Climate Justice?

By Maya Richard-Craven, Word in Black 

Narratives surrounding climate change are often cloaked in whiteness.

For years, it’s been presented as a “white” issue, further perpetuating the idea that Black folk are removed from the environment, despite experiencing the brunt of its impacts.

The legacy of colonization, and its role in climate change, has also been long overlooked.

Thankfully, in 2022, a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was founded by the United Nations Environment Programme, listed colonization as a main contributing factor in the rapid changes our climate is experiencing.

This is a huge development for the future of the environment. By identifying the legacy of colonization in relation to climate change, people will be encouraged to acknowledge the pain and suffering Black folk have experienced, and continue to experience, due to climate change.

The term climate justice has come to the forefront as extreme changes in weather patterns — and a lack of governmental response to them — continue to affect Black folks across the diaspora.

Climate justice, and the movement that surrounds it, acknowledges how people of color are disproportionately affected by climate change, while cementing that progress in addressing the climate crisis begins at the structural level.

How Climate Change Impacts Black People

From air pollution to oil drilling, the impact of climate change on Black folks is far-reaching.

Research shows, for example, that formerly redlined communities have about twice as many oil and gas drilling sites as non-redlined, white communities — posing serious public health concerns.

Forcing Black folks to live in such close proximity to hazardous areas is a clear example of environmental racism and can lead to health problems including, but not limited to, asthma, nose bleeds, and respiratory cancer. Sadly, low-income Black communities are rarely given the proper resources to recover from these experiences.

Access to clean water is also an environmental issue, prompting things like water boil down orders in cities with large Black populations like Houston, Jackson, and Philadelphia.

Despite Joe Biden’s recent efforts to provide clean water to all Americans, through Waters of the United States (WOTUS) — an expansion of protections surrounding the nation’s water — having access to clean water and basic sanitation is still a dream for many Black people in underserved communities.

What You Can Do

Don’t get discouraged — You can do a lot to fight for climate justice.

  1. Get in touch with environmental organizations on both the local and national (see the Black Environmental Justice Network’s website) levels.
  2. Attend webinars and talks to learn more about climate justice and how it might impact your community.
  3. Support organizations and institutions, like HBCUs, advocating for climate justice.
  4. Improve community resiliency by supporting family, neighbors, and friends when extreme weather strikes.
  5. Most importantly, educate yourself and hold policymakers and leaders accountable for addressing the impacts of climate change in Black communities.

Solving the climate crisis may feel like an uphill battle, but Black folks remain resilient — as always.

A Time to Learn: The Importance of Cherishing Black History

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A Time to Learn: The Importance of Cherishing Black History

By Frances Toni Draper AFRO Publisher

Over 110 years ago, Booker Taliaferro Washington penned this letter to my great grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr. – AFRO founder and publisher– urging him to encourage the schools of Baltimore City to teach Black history. Washington, the first president and chief architect of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University), understood that a people ignorant of its history is a people doomed to failure.

As Dr. Tony Evans said when he was interviewed by Relevant Magazine in 2011, “Growing up in urban America during the Civil Rights Era in a Christian context of racism, segregation and an incomplete historical education didn’t give me an opportunity to know who I really was. In my all-Black classrooms, I learned about white culture and white history. I read about Paul Revere and his midnight ride. But what my teachers failed to mention was that on the night of Paul Revere’s ride, another man—a Black man named Wentworth Cheswell—also rode on behalf of our nation’s security. He rode north with the same exact message.”

Evans went on to say, “Without an authentic self-awareness, African Americans often struggle as we seek to play on the same team toward the same goal in the body of Christ. But my White brothers and sisters also need to be aware of who we are, and who God has created and positioned us to be at this critical time in our world. Black History Month gives us an opportunity to intentionally familiarize ourselves in such a way that will enable us to embrace our diversity to its fullest, putting unity to use for good.”  Amen.

The editorial below (Making Black History Month Truly Meaningful) by Dr. John Warren, publisher of the San Diego Voice and Viewpoint Newspaper, also emphasizes the importance of teaching and knowing our history:

“It’s not enough that Black History Month is the shortest month in the year; or that many capitalize on it with lip service and faint recognition. By this we mean the commercialization of ‘Black History Month’ by some, while others are attempting to erase us by banning books that speak to our history and struggle.

“When we personally stop and reflect or read the accounts of what people like James Weldon Johnson and his brother did in writing the ‘Negro National Anthem’ over 123 years ago; when we consider that this was done in the midst of a segregated society with much open race hatred, it’s a testimony to the personal and family commitment to a people that you not only identity with, but are proud of.

“To make Black History meaningful to us individually and to our people, we must first get reacquainted with our history. For example, it is embarrassing to be in a Black History program calling for the singing of ‘Lift Every Voice & Sing’ (the Negro National Anthem) and watch people struggle to sing one verse or fumble while looking for the words in a program. The act of meaningful engagement with our history must be year-round and based on a commitment to who we are collectively and how much we care for our own heritage.

“Let’s start by learning the words to the song and studying the meaning for what it tells us about those who came before us. Let’s be able to sing the song from our hearts just as the people of South Africa do with their national anthem. Because the South African people care and identify with their song, we can feel the depth of their emotions.

“When we re-enter that space for ourselves, we will no longer have to be concerned about what others do or say about us. The words to the song will rekindle our desire to revisit what our ancestors have done both for us and this nation. Let’s make Black History every day.”

Booker T. Washington, Tony Evans, John Warren and countless others have sounded and are sounding the alarm about the importance of teaching the young (and not so young) the importance of Black history.  And, in this edition – thanks to our talented editorial team led by Managing Editor Alexis Taylor and Special Projects Editor Dorothy Boulware– we have lifted up and highlighted people and causes that everyone, regardless of race, should know about.  We should not spend any more time defending the value of our history. We must insist that it be taught not as an elective, not as afterthought, but intentionally as a part of every elementary, middle and high school throughout the United States. Black history is American history.  Black history is world history – the good, the bad and the ugly must be taught– the Ron DeSantises of the world be damned.

___

Relates posts: Making Black History Month Truly Meaningful

5 Memphis Officers Plead not Guilty in Death of Tyre Nichols

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5 Memphis Officers Plead not Guilty in Death of Tyre Nichols

By ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Five former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder and other charges in the violent arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, with his mother saying afterward that none of them would look her in the eye in court.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith made their first court appearances with their lawyers before a judge in Shelby County Criminal Court. The officers were fired after an internal police investigation into the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died in a hospital three days later. His beating was caught on video.

At a news conference after the hearing, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, said that the officers didn’t have the courage to look her in the eye, but that “they’re going to see me at every court date — every one — until we get justice for my son.”

“I feel very numb right now,” Wells said. “And I’m waiting for this nightmare basically that I’m going through right now, I’m waiting for somebody to wake me up. I know that’s not going to happen.”

The officers pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. They are all out on bond. Their next hearing was scheduled for May 1.

The Nichols case is the latest to prompt nationwide protests and renew an intense public discussion about police brutality. Nichols, 29, was Black. All five officers charged in his death also are Black.

Addressing the courtroom, Judge James Jones Jr. asked for everyone’s “continued patience” and ”continued civility,” stressing that “this case can take some time.”

“We understand that there may be some high emotions in this case, but we ask that you continue to be patient with us,” Jones said. “Everyone involved wants this case to be concluded as quickly as possible. But it’s important for you all to understand that the state of Tennessee, as well as each one of these defendants, have an absolute right to a fair trial.”

Bean’s attorney, John Keith Perry, spoke with reporters afterward, saying Bean was doing his job at that time and “never touched” Nichols. That assertion is contradicted by video footage.

Protester Casio Montez talked over Perry, saying Nichols’ death was murder: “You represent a murderer, bro.”

Blake Ballin, the attorney for Mills, said the process must be “based on the facts and the law, and not the raw emotions that our country is experiencing.” The public should be patient and cautious in judging his client, he said.

“Justice for Mr. Nichols will not be achieved at the expense of justice for Mr. Mills,” Ballin said.

Ballin also said the nation’s grief over Nichols’ death “absolutely should be channeled into demanding change in the way that we police our communities.”

“It’s also vital that we extend these demands to the way that we treat minorities and people of lower incomes in our criminal justice system,” Ballin said. “Let’s not forget that my client is a Black man in a courtroom in America.”

Nichols’ mother and stepfather, Rodney Wells, were in court along with their lawyer, civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Nichols was stopped by police for an alleged traffic violation and was pulled out of his car by officers who used profanity, with at least one brandishing a gun. An officer hit Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols ran away toward his nearby home, according to video footage released by the city.

Officers who were part of a crime-suppression team known as Scorpion caught up with Nichols and punched him, kicked him and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

After the beating, officers stood by and talked with one another as Nichols struggled with his injuries on the ground, video showed. One officer took photos of Nichols as he was propped up against an unmarked police car, video and records showed.

Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the site of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video footage. Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers’ response. She disbanded the Scorpion unit, which she created in November 2021, after Nichols’ death.

One other white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. An additional officer who has not been identified has been suspended.

Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were present at the site of the arrest have been fired. Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies who also were there have been suspended without pay.

Nichols’ family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Memphis Police Department on issues related to traffic stops, use of force, transparency and other policies.

Some of the relatives and lawyers have praised Davis and the department for the swiftness of their response and said it should be the standard for other investigations into police brutality.

Gov. Wes Moore Issues Executive Order Regarding MBE Program

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Gov. Wes Moore Issues Executive Order Regarding MBE Program

By Tashi McQueen and Alexis Taylor, Afro News 

The 70 agencies beholden to state requirements aimed at increasing minority business contracts have 60 days to report on their procurement dealings since July 1, 2022.

Gov. Moore has signed an executive order requiring agencies affiliated with the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) program to report their progress in reaching the minority business procurement goal of 29 percent.

The Moore administration reports that some agencies have yet to submit the reports that were due last July. In the latest data, from 2021, only nine of 70 MBE participating agencies have met that goal.

“I’ve said this before and I will say this again, I am data driven and heart-led; the data shows that we are not meeting the mark in our Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) program, and so my heart is saying we must do everything we can to not only meet our goals but exceed them,” said Governor Moore. “Our administration has the most diverse cabinet in history, and it’s critical that we take the first step forward in delivering more access and opportunities to our minority-owned businesses in order to create a more economically competitive and inclusive state.”

The executive order states that participating agencies will have to report on the number of procurement bids they have put out and the value of those bids. The governor is also expecting businesses to disclose the cumulative dollar amount related to contract awards, contract modifications and contract renewal options.

The state government exclusively holds control of procurement.

Detailed reports are expected, as the executive order states that MBE’s participating agencies must provide reports that detail “the quantity of contract awards with MBE goals” along with “the number of contracts modified that had MBE goals; the number of contracts that met their MBE goals at the time of the modification” and “the number of contracts that did not meet their MBE goals at the time of the modification.”

According to the executive order, the MBE goal has not been met since 2013, “hereby depriving Maryland’s MBE communities of meaningful opportunities to participate in State procurement activities and to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in procurement awards.”

Moore is the first governor to release an executive order regarding the MBE program- and he’s using every resource in his power to hold participating agencies accountable.

The executive order also requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), which oversees Maryland’s MBE certifications, to put together a report on the exact number of certified minority businesses in each of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions.  To further understand who is really being affected, the executive order is requiring DOT to also lay out, by jurisdiction, how many of those businesses are owned by African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, women or disabled entrepreneurs.

The Moore administration says that this data is key because when goals are aimed at all races in the “minority” category, African Americans often finish last.

“A lot of the times when legislation and opportunities get casted in a general way, African Americans get the shorter end of the stick. This is the first time the Governor is actually taking an action in this space about minority and women owned businesses,” said Acting Maryland Secretary of Commerce Kevin A. Anderson. “This is where we have to make sure our leadership stays accountable and transparent. That’s the start, we’ll get our arms around everybody, and be clear about our intentions and what we plan to do.”

“To African American businesses I say, Tie your shoes up and get going. We will help you get there but you will have to do the work,” said Anderson.

The secretary made sure to highlight that the governor is not trying to point fingers– they want to get clarity on how to move forward and meet the MBE goal.

“However embarrassing the results, we will get them and deal with it,” said Anderson.

Rev. Willie B. Tripp benefited in the MBE program with his former business, Tripp’s Office Supply Corp.

“It opened up doors for me to be a participant in large government contracts, in areas that would be ordinarily hard to get into because of majority control,” said Rev. Tripp. “A percentage of the contract had to be for MBE entities and that gave us exposure to different government agencies throughout the state of Maryland.”

“Government contracts open us up to more exposure,” continued Rev. Tripp. “Public venues choose to deal more with certified vendors more often as, we’re considered less of a risk factor.”

The MBE program ensures minority businesses are given access to the state’s procurement and contracting opportunities.

Meet Taylor Wilson, the Youngest Employee for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence

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Meet Taylor Wilson, the Youngest Employee for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence

By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer

At 20 years old Taylor Wilson became the youngest person to work for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), an oversight agency for U.S. intelligence organizations.

The Woodlawn, Md. native was hired in 2021 while working as a security information specialist for the National Security Agency (NSA). She was offered the opportunity to engage in a joint duty assignment with the senior-level ODNI.

“I felt like I served as an inspiration for others, especially for Black people and Black women who are interested in getting into the career field that I’m in,” said Wilson. “It felt very surreal. I never would have expected myself to have gotten to that level of accomplishment.”

Wilson began her journey in the intelligence community during her senior year of high school at Western School of Technology and Environmental Science (Western Tech) in Baltimore.

She was a part of the high school work study internship program and took a position with NSA.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in the public sector, specifically in the government. I just didn’t really know exactly what I wanted to do. The recruiters actually came to my high school, and I thought it was a really cool opportunity,” said Wilson.

“I thought because I wanted to be in the government that would have been a good starting point for me, so that’s what inspired me to jump into the internship program, but I never anticipated that it would have actually turned into a career for me.”

After graduating from high school, NSA offered Wilson a permanent position with the agency, and shortly after she took it, she was offered the joint duty assignment with ODNI.

Wilson not only worked with the agency, but she was also a full-time student at George Mason University. In the mornings, she would wake up and head straight to work.

After her shift was over, she would travel back to campus for classes, and in the evenings, she led a student organization called the Intelligence Community Network, through which she exposed her fellow students to pathways and career opportunities in the U.S. intelligence community.

Wilson graduated from George Mason University and obtained a degree in public administration last May. Now 22, she currently works for NSA and mentors new personnel for the agency.

In the future, Wilson said she would like to shift her focus to policy and security within the intelligence community.

“I absolutely recommend a work study program with NSA or even with the other agencies throughout the intelligence community because NSA isn’t the only agency that has these opportunities,” said Wilson. “I’d recommend them because I feel like it has not only advanced me professionally, but it has allowed me to grow personally.

Megan Sayles is a Report for America Corps member. 

Biden Hosts Screening of Film about Lynching of Emmett Till

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Biden Hosts Screening of Film about Lynching of Emmett Till

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday hosted a screening of the movie “ Till,” a wrenching, new drama about the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till, who was brutally killed after a white woman said the Black 14-year-old had made improper advances toward her.

“History matters,” Biden said in brief remarks before the lights in the East Room came down on invited guests, including members of Till’s family. He noted that while some might want to ignore the nation’s history, “Only with truth comes healing and justice.”

Biden said he’s come to learn that “hate never goes away,” and that the only thing that stops it is for the entire country to condemn it.

“There’s only one thing that stops it: all of us,” Biden said. “Silence is complicity.”

Among the members of Till’s family was a cousin who is suing in federal court to force a Mississippi county sheriff to serve a recently discovered 1955 arrest warrant on the now nearly 90-year-old woman who complained about the young man.

Biden did not comment on the suit, but thanked members of Till’s family for “never, ever, ever giving up” in the pursuit of justice.

Others attendees included actors Danielle Deadwyler, who stars as Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley; Jalyn Hall, who plays Emmett; Whoopi Goldberg, who had the supporting role of Emmett’s maternal grandmother; and Chinonye Chukwu, the Nigerian American filmmaker who directed “Till.”

Also in the audience, where popcorn and candy were passed out and a pack of tissues placed on each seat, were students, civil rights leaders, historians and families of victims of hate-fueled violence.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said this week that it was important to the president to host the screening during Black History Month “to lift this movie up” and to make sure that Till’s story is not forgotten.

Last March, Biden signed legislation named for Till that made lynching a federal hate crime. Congress had first considered such legislation more than 120 years ago.

Hours before the screening, Biden signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to conduct annual reviews aimed at increasing access by disadvantaged communities to federal programs, services and activities.

Biden also held a White House summit last year on violence inspired by hate.

“There’s still a lot more work to be done. The work is not done,” Jean-Pierre said. “But the president is going to do everything that he can in his power at — in the federal government, in this White House, to make sure that we address issues like this.”

She declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The torture and killing of Till in the Mississippi Delta became a catalyst for the civil rights movement after his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago to show his mutilated body to the world. Jet magazine published the photos.

Till’s cousin, Priscilla Sterling, and her lawyers said they planned to try to deliver copies of the suit to the Justice Department on Friday.

Till family members, including Sterling, said Thursday at an appearance in Washington that they will appeal to the department to reopen the investigation into his death. Lawyer Malik Shabazz said the investigation was unfairly narrow. “A movie is nice. Justice is much better,” he said.

Last June, a team doing research at the courthouse in Leflore County, Mississippi, found an unserved 1955 arrest warrant for Carolyn Bryant, listed on that document as “Mrs. Roy Bryant.”

Sterling filed the suit last week against Ricky Banks, the current Leflore County sheriff, seeking to compel Banks to serve the warrant on Bryant, who now goes by Carolyn Bryant Donham after remarrying.

Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi in August 1955. Donham accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store in the small community of Money. A cousin of Till who was there has said Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippi’s racist social codes of the era.

Evidence indicates a woman, possibly Donham, identified Till to the men who later killed him. The arrest warrant against Donham was publicized in 1955, but the county sheriff at the time told reporters he didn’t want to “bother” her since she was raising two young children.

Weeks after Till’s body was found in a river, Roy Bryant, Donham’s first husband, and his half-brother J.W. Milam were tried for murder and acquitted by an all-white jury. Months later, the men confessed in a paid interview with Look magazine.

Now in her late 80s, Donham has lived in North Carolina and Kentucky in recent years. She has not commented publicly on calls for her to be prosecuted.

Sterling said she would plead the Tills’ case to Biden.

“The family has been waiting 68 years for Carolyn Bryant to be prosecuted,” she said. “Will he do it? Will he help us prosecute Carolyn Bryant while she’s still alive?”

The Justice Department announced in December 2021 that it had ended its latest investigation into the lynching of Till, without bringing charges against anyone.

After researchers found the arrest warrant last June, the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said there was no new evidence to try to pursue a criminal case against Donham. In August, a district attorney said a Leflore County grand jury had declined to indict Donham.

Tiger Woods brings Buzz to Riviera, Homa takes Early Lead

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Tiger Woods brings Buzz to Riviera, Homa takes Early Lead

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The scene was similar to the last time Tiger Woods played against the world’s best, minus the size and the history. Fans packed onto every balcony on every level of the Riviera clubhouse Thursday, all of them straining for a glimpse.

Woods made the Genesis Invitational feel like must-see golf in his first competition since the British Open at St. Andrews last summer.

That meant missing another California native, Max Homa, close out his round with three straight birdies for a 7-under 64 and a one-shot lead among early starters.

Jon Rahm opened with a 65 as he bids to return to No. 1 in the world, while Matt Kuchar opened with a 30 on the front nine and settled for a 66.

Hardly anyone was watching them, which was to be expected considering Woods was playing. He has commanded all the attention for the last 25 years, and now Tiger sightings are rare, given his legs that have been battered by knee surgeries (left) and a car crash (right).

The space behind the first tee at Riviera was crammed so full that Seamus Power had to squeeze his way through fans to get to the putting green. Fans began chanting Woods’ name when he arrived. The applause when he was announced wasn’t quite as loud, mainly because so many people were holding phones high above their heads to get a picture.

Woods played with his son in the 36-hole PNC Championship in December while riding a cart. Previously it was The Open at the home of golf, where thousands of fans packed every hotel balcony, peaked out windows and filled every seat in the grandstand as he crossed the Swilcan bridge for likely the last time.

Woods opened with a good pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the par 5, the easiest hole at Riviera, and he followed with two more pars before missing the green and then a par putt from 10 feet on the long par-3 fourth.

As for his legs, there was a noticeable limp as he descended a steep cart path from the first tee, and they will be tested at the end of his five-hour round when he has to climb the 52 wooden steps that lead to the clubhouse.

Homa won at Riviera two years ago and called it the coolest thing he had ever done in golf, and for good reason. He grew up about 30 miles away and used to attend this tournament as a fan. He also won when his beloved Dodgers and Lakers were world champions. Oh, and Woods is the tournament host and presented him the trophy.

Victories are not routine for Homa, but he is getting used to them. He already has won twice this season, most recently three weeks ago down the coast at Torrey Pines.

He began his round on the 10th, regarded as the best short par 4 in the U.S., went long of the green, hit a flop shot into the back bunker and then holed out for birdie.

The finish was even better. The wind that made Riviera feel like Alaska on Wednesday was mostly gone, giving way to mild weather. Homa hit wedge to 4 feet on No. 7, another wedge to 2 feet on No. 8 and finished with an 8-foot birdie on No. 9.

That gave him a one-shot lead over Rahm, who won his first two starts of the year in Hawaii and the California desert. Rahm had a chance to get back to No. 1 last week in Phoenix — that went to Scottie Scheffler — but has another opportunity this week.

California’s Rep. Lee Files to Seek Feinstein’s Senate Seat

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California’s Rep. Lee Files to Seek Feinstein’s Senate Seat

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee filed federal paperwork Wednesday to enter the race for the California seat held by long-serving Sen. Dianne Feinstein, potentially adding another Democrat and a nationally recognized Black woman to a growing field that already includes two other House members.

Though Lee has not made a formal announcement, her entry into the contest is widely expected. She filed paperwork creating a Senate fundraising committee one day after Feinstein — at 89 the oldest member of Congress — announced she would step down after her term ends next year.

Lee “is filing preparatory paperwork and her announcement will come before the end of the month,” spokeswoman Katie Merrill said.

Lee would join Democratic U.S. Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff in the contest, who earlier announced their candidacies for the seat that Feinstein has held for three decades.

Lee, 76, is perhaps best known for being the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of military force after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

She is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to the House Democratic leadership, serving as co-chair of the Policy and Steering Committee.

She has long been on outspoken defender of abortion rights. In 2021, she was one of several members of Congress who shared personal testimony about their own abortions during a congressional hearing.

Lee became pregnant at age 16 in the mid-1960s. Abortion in California was illegal at the time, so a family friend helped send her to a “back-alley clinic in Mexico,” she said at the time.

She had no ill effects from the procedure, but she said many other women weren’t so lucky in that era.

“In the 1960s, unsafe septic abortions were the primary killer — primary killer — of African American women,” Lee said.

Biden Takes New Steps to Address Racial Inequality in Gov’t

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Biden Takes New Steps to Address Racial Inequality in Gov’t

By JOSH BOAK and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered the federal government to do more to address racial inequality as the challenges and complexities of systemic racism are again drawing the public’s attention.

The order, signed during Black History Month, requires that an initial review into long-standing disparities in government services and treatment that he ordered on his first day in office become an annual requirement for federal agencies. The reviews are aimed at increasing access to federal programs, services and activities for disadvantaged communities. The new order also directs federal agencies to have equity teams and name senior leaders who would be accountable for increasing equity and addressing bias.

“My Administration has embedded a focus on equity into the fabric of Federal policymaking and service delivery,” Biden wrote in the order, adding that, “By advancing equity, the Federal Government can support and empower all Americans, including the many communities in America that have been underserved, discriminated against, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”

Last month, Tyre Nichols, a Black man, died several days after he was severely beaten by five police officers following a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols was one of several Black men across the United States who died after encounters with police recently. The problem also extends to racial disparities in wealth, housing, crime and education that reflect decades of discriminatory policies.

Chiraag Bains, the president’s deputy assistant for racial justice and equity, said that the new order shows Biden is “doubling down” on the commitment he made on his first day as president “to put equity at the center of how this government operates.”

The order institutionalizes Biden’s pledge that government be open and accessible to all and “is a recognition that achieving equity is not a one- or a two-year project. It’s a generational commitment,” Bains told The Associated Press.

Federal agencies would need to improve the quality and frequency of their engagement with communities that have faced systemic discrimination. And it formalizes Biden’s goal of a 50% bump in federal procurement dollars that go to small and disadvantaged businesses by 2025.

Under the order, agencies must also focus on new civil rights threats, such as discrimination in automated technology and access for people with disabilities and for those who speak languages other than English. It also includes a push to improve the collection, transparency and analysis of data to help improve equity.

How do Blood Tests Work? Medical Laboratory Scientists Explain the Pathway from Blood Draw to Diagnosis and Treatment

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How do Blood Tests Work? Medical Laboratory Scientists Explain the Pathway from Blood Draw to Diagnosis and Treatment

By Rodney E. Rohde and Nicholas Moore, The Conversation 

Medical laboratory testing is the heartbeat of medicine. It provides critical data for physicians to diagnose and treat disease, dating back thousands of years. Unfortunately, laboratory medicine as a field is poorly understood by both the public and health care communities.

Laboratory medicine, also known as clinical pathology, is one of two main branches of pathology, or the study of the causes and effects of disease. Pathology covers many laboratory areas, such as blood banking and microbiology. Clinical pathology diagnoses a disease through laboratory analysis of body fluids such as blood, urine, feces and saliva. The other branch of pathology, anatomic pathology, diagnoses a disease by examining body tissues.

We are public health and medical laboratory scientists who specialize in microbiology and infectious diseases. There are a lot of steps between when your doctor orders a blood test to establishing a diagnosis. From the bedside to the lab bench, here’s how laboratory testing works.

It all starts with a specimen

When you see a doctor, sometimes a physical exam and detailed medical history are enough for them to make a diagnosis, offer recommendations or prescribe medications for your condition. There are many instances, however, where your doctor may need additional information to make an accurate diagnosis. This information is often obtained from procedures like imaging scans or blood tests.

The first step involves getting your blood drawn through a practice known as phlebotomy. A health care professional, typically a phlebotomist or a nurse, inserts a needle into a vein to collect a blood specimen.

Multiple tubes of blood may be needed, as certain tests are only performed using certain types of blood specimens. For example, one test commonly used to diagnose anemia requires blood to be collected in a chemical that prevents the blood from clotting. Patients being evaluated for a clotting disorder, on the other hand, often have their blood collected in a tube containing another anticoagulant.

Testing pathways

Specimens then make their way to a clinical laboratory. Laboratories can be found within hospitals, reference labs or physician offices, or they can be located in a public health setting such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or a state public health laboratory. In 2021, there were more than 329,000 laboratory professionals working in the U.S. in more than 320,000 federally regulated laboratories. An estimated 14 billion laboratory tests are ordered annually in the U.S., on top of over 1 billon COVID-19 tests during the pandemic. With such a large volume of specimens to test and examine, various sections of a laboratory are automated.

Laboratory tests examine the biological, chemical and physical properties of the cells and molecules that make up a blood specimen. The first step is often to centrifuge a blood specimen into separate components. This divides the sample into one portion that contains solid components, such as cells, and another that contains liquid components and dissolved solutes, known as serum or plasma.

Analyzing the serum or plasma portion of a blood specimen measures the levels of different substances within the body. One of the most common is your blood sugar, or glucose concentration. For the doctors of more than 37 million Americans with diabetes, knowing how high their patient’s blood glucose is helps them establish a new diagnosis or ensure their condition is under control.

If your doctor suspects you have an infection, they will collect specimens to test for the presence of a pathogen. For example, they might collect a throat swab for strep throat or a urine sample for a urinary tract infection. Scientists incubate these samples to screen any organisms that grow and resemble pathogens of interest. They may perform additional testing to identify the microbe. Once an organism is identified, the medical laboratory professional can then test a variety of antimicrobial agents against it to inform your doctor what the best treatment would be against your infection.

Evolution of medical laboratory testing

The first hospital clinical laboratory in the U.S. was established in 1894. Some of the methods laboratory professionals use to analyze samples have been in use for over a century.

One such staple, the Gram stain, was introduced in 1882. It uses two different dyes and exploits differences in the bacterial cell wall to discriminate between two different groups of bacteria. This helps lab scientists identify the correct antimicrobial therapy to use against an infection.

Another commonly used technology, the Coulter Principle, was developed in the 1940s to identify and sort individual cells based on physical size and resistance to an electrical current. Medical laboratory professionals routinely use this technique to conduct complete blood count tests, which measure unusual increases or decreases in the number of different types of blood cells that could provide insights into a disease or condition, such as cancer or sickle cell anemia.

In 1986, scientists devised the Nobel Prize-winning polymerase chain reaction method to amplify, or rapidly produce, multiple copies of the DNA of a pathogen present within a sample. PCR is widely used to diagnose infections, identify genetic disorders and monitor cancer progression.

An explosion of modern laboratory tools to research and diagnose disease followed PCR. To name a few of these cutting-edge tools, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, or MALDI, is one of the most commonly used techniques to identify microbes that are difficult or impossible to culture. Genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9 give scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA, aiding in identifying pathogens and detecting dysfunctional genes by adding, removing or altering genes of interest. Next-generation sequencing has become a powerful modern tool to determine the sequence of the genetic material in biological samples and has been extensively used to identify variants and wastewater surveillance of pathogens like the virus that causes COVID-19.

Challenges and solutions

One of the most critical challenges in laboratory medicine is understanding and interpreting test results, because errors can occur throughout the testing process. Specimens must be properly collected and transported to the lab for accurate results. Likewise, at-home tests need to be properly stored. Clinicians and patients need to take into account the chances of false positive or negative results by considering the limitations of the test alongside the patient’s individual case.

Collaboration between clinicians and medical laboratory professionals could help reduce errors in diagnosis and treatment. Laboratory data can and often is extremely useful to patient care, but a holistic approach that takes into account a patient’s medical history, genetics and health habits, among other factors, is necessary for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. While powerful, a laboratory result should not be used in isolation. Clear and accurate communication on laboratory testing is critical for effective patient care.

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