Convicted ex-cop Derek Chauvin seemed genuinely stunned to learn he actually will be held responsible for the murder of a Black man
For an instant, Black America and Derek Chauvin aligned in a singular emotion: disbelief. It flashed in Chauvin’s eyes while thousands of Black folks had the weight of decades of “not guilty” verdicts lifted off their shoulders and placed on the murderer’s, where it had always belonged. The convicted killer cop couldn’t conceive that a jury would dare hold him accountable.
Neither could many of us. Chauvin will wait eight weeks for sentencing. Our relief was much briefer. The verdict hadn’t even been read before a Columbus, Ohio, cop killed Ma’Kiah Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, in front of her…
Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three counts and the nation is stunned
Across the nation, people hollered, wept, and honked horns. They stopped what they were doing to observe and to tune in to any television, livestream, or social media around 5 p.m. EST— all to hear the verdict in the case of Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd.
Minneapolis braced for violence, its very leadership used to the legal backlash that happens when police officers hardly ever pay any significant price for the murder of Black and Brown people. Truth be told, nearly every major city braced — fully expecting a not guilty verdict as…
Giving the police the benefit of the doubt undermines the victims
Protesters took to the streets after hearing the news. A Brooklyn Center officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Many wondered how this could happen again. Another unarmed Black man lost his life from a police encounter. Wright died a few miles away from Minneapolis, where George Floyd’s death played on repeat. The jury has yet to deliberate Derek Chauvin’s guilt, though that day will soon arrive. The physical and thematic proximity of these cases shocked an already grieving community. Kim Potter, a 26-year-old veteran of the force, and the police chief have since resigned from their positions. But, before…
THIS WEEK IN RACISM
Your weekly dose of racist news to know
This week’s look at the race and racism stories you may have missed offers plenty of examples of how the effects of racism permeate everything from the air we breathe to the roads on which we travel — but there are some glimmers of hope on the horizon. And this week’s bit of good news is proof that the mass movement against police brutality and for Black lives is bearing fruit.
When racism is in the polluted air we breathe: The Environmental Protection Agency’s new chief, Michael Regan, is ordering the department to use the “full array of policy and…
This week in racism
Also, turns out race-based hostility can happen when working remotely
It’s been a hell of a week. We’ll start with a trip to the underworld courtesy of Lil Nas X, learn what space travel has to do with the descendants of enslaved Africans in Brazil, and finish up with the next piece of Black Girl Magic that Marsai Martin is blessing us with. Here are some of the race- and racism-related stories you might have missed in the last week.
Good takes on hellscapes: Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video continues to leave a trail of controversy in its wake, from the moral panic of Christians…
How we frame a trial sets the stage for expectations
Last year, George Floyd’s death sparked a new wave of advocacy. Athletes continued to kneel on one knee, companies made diversity pledges, and everyday Americans protested. They made signs, printed shirts, and posted blacked-out squares on social media. Yet it all comes down to this moment, which arguably could last a few weeks — if not months.
The long-awaited trial started on Monday.
Rep. Cori Bush’s tweet at the outset of the court proceedings provided some much-needed context: “Derek Chauvin is on trial. America is on trial. Our criminal-legal system is on trial. George Floyd is not on trial.”
It’s…
Keep Close Watch
Stop explaining away Black people’s justified skepticism of vaccines
Here are the racist (and anti-racist) news headlines you might have missed in the past week. We’ll start with the ongoing water crisis that might have escaped your attention because it’s not in Flint, Michigan, and finish with anti-racist muppets. How’s that for a contrast?
One of America’s Blackest cities doesn’t have safe water: A few weeks ago, I mentioned the thousands of folks in the overwhelmingly Black city of Jackson, Mississippi, who were still without drinking water weeks after back-to-back winter storms knocked out their service. But like a pimple that lies painfully under the skin before erupting, Jackson’s…
Let’s Unpack This
A weed tax provides up to $10 million in payments
The case for reparations for Black descendants of slavery in America is, for some, a controversial subject. Those who oppose the idea repeatedly question where the money will come from. Now, a Chicago suburb has provided a blueprint, but the question is: can and will other cities do the same?
Evanston, Illinois will likely make history as the first city to pay reparations to its Black residents. Robin Rue Simmons, a 5th Ward Alderman there, is spearheading the charge. Simmons, who is Black, describes her measure as one that will help “burdened” families“get some relief.” …
Here’s how Nsé Ufot and the New Georgia Project are fighting the state GOPs’ latest attempt to suppress Black and Brown voters
“Nsé Ufot has been fighting efforts like this to suppress Democratic and, in particular, minority voter turnout since 2014, when she became CEO of the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan organization focused on registering Georgians to vote and helping them be engaged in the civic process. The group was prolific during the 2020 election, knocking on 2 million doors, making more than 7 million phone calls, and sending about 4 million texts. Their efforts paid off: The organization helped add more than half a million young people and people of color to Georgia’s voter rolls.” — Andrea González-Ramírez
Read the…
