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Worst Fears Confirmed in Hip-Hop Editor’s Death

by richard0212

Worst Fears Confirmed in Hip-Hop Editor’s Death:
Explanation for James Bernard’s 17-Month Absence
N.Y. Times Denies It Held Story at Trump’s Request
Stephen A. Smith Defends ICE Agent in Shooting

(Homepage photo credit: Revolt magazine)

Explanation for James Bernard’s 17-Month Absence

The death of James Bernard (pictured), widely admired co-founder of the pioneering  hip-hop magazines The Source and XXL, “is being treated as a suicide,” a spokesman for the Burlington County, N.J., prosecutor’s office told Journal-isms Monday.

“His body was discovered on December 29, 2025, by hunters in a wooded area of Pemberton Township,” said public Information officer Joel Bewley.

“The conclusion is based on a determination from the medical examiner’s office.”

The revelation comes after the journalist had been reported missing more than 17 months ago, according to New Jersey records. It appeared that Bernard died at the beginning of that time period. Born Aug. 5, 1965, he would have been 58 then.

As reported Saturday, the missing-persons website websleuths.com said Bernard was “Last seen on 03/17/2024 walking away from his residence wearing a blue sweatshirt, gray pants with a bookbag on his back. Likely headed to wooded areas of Pemberton Township.”

Tributes from the hip-hop and journalism communities came quickly after family members passed the word of Bernard’s passing last week to some who knew him.

The musician, filmmaker and activist Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (pictured) wrote on Instagram, “James helped shepherd hip-hop from skepticism to seriousness, from novelty to culture. This loss hits deep for everyone who learned how to listen through his words. Rest In Beats Sir.”

Tim Wise (pictured, below), who has written about antiracism from a white perspective, attended ​high school with Bernard in Nashville. He posted a​n 1,111-word rumination on Facebook.

“I want us to think seriously about the burdens of Black genius, and first child pressures (especially for men who were coming up in the 70s and 80s, and especially for Black men),” Wise wrote.

“ I want us to think about how being built up and praised, even as I have praised him in my comment . . . can be a double edged sword for anyone — a hard standard to live up to — but especially for Black folks in a society that has so rarely made space for their full humanity, including both their brilliance AND their frailties and weaknesses. I fear that James never felt he had accomplished all he was meant to accomplish, despite all that he DID in fact, accomplish, and not just professionally but as a father and husband and friend.

“And I fear that we all bear a small part of responsibility for that, because we didn’t allow him the space, perhaps, early on, to experience self-doubt and pain and fear and anxiety, all of which are part of what make us all human.

“So as we remember James, let us also take care to see everyone in their fullness. None of us are as together and amazing as we seem in our better moments, nor as shitty and scattered as we are in our weaker ones. We are complex. James was complex. And when I say I loved him, I mean in all of his humanity.”

While no one but Bernard himself would know fully what prompted ​his action, the National Alliance for Mental illness says on its website:

“According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness and feeling like everything is an effort. Black adults living below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress than those with more financial security.

“Despite the needs, only one in three Black adults with mental illness receive treatment. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Facts for African Americans guide, they are also:

  • “Less likely to receive guideline-consistent care
  • “Less frequently included in research
  • “More likely to use emergency rooms or primary care (rather than mental health specialists)”

Bernard, whose given name was Harold James Bernard, came from a family of achievers. His own father​, Dr. Harold O. Bernard, was a distinguished Nashville physician​, ​and the ​journalist-to-be attended Harvard Law School.

No funeral arrangements have been announced.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. 800-273-TALK (8255)

N.Y. Times Denies It Held Story at Trump’s Request

New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn (pictured) says the paper did not withhold a story on the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at the Trump administration’s request, maintaining that the paper had not verified details about the operation before it transpired. (Photo credit: Fox News Digital)

Max Tani reported for Semafor Jan. 3  that “The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops.”

“Contrary to some claims, however, The Times did not have verified details about the pending operation to capture Maduro or a story prepared, nor did we withhold publication at the request of the Trump administration,” Kahn told a reader, as relayed Monday via the Times’ “The Morning” column by Sam SIfton.

Kahn also said, “While not relevant in this case, The Times does consult with the military when there are concerns that exposure of specific operational information could risk the lives of American troops.

“We take those concerns seriously, and have at times delayed publication or withheld details if they might lead to direct threats to members of the military. But in all such cases, we make our editorial decisions independently. And we have often published accountability and investigative stories about military and intelligence operations and national-security decision making that government officials pressed us to withhold.”

Thousands of protesters march across the United States against the ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. (Credit: CNBC-TV/YouTube)

Stephen A. Smith Defends ICE Agent in Shooting

“Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most-well known sports commentator in the country. But the outspoken ESPN commentator’s perspective outside the sports arena has landed him in a firestorm,” Greg Braxton reported Friday for the Los Angeles Times.

“The furor is due to his pointed comments defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman driving away from him.

“Just hours after the shooting on Wednesday, Smith said on his SiriusXM  ‘Straight Shooter’ talk show that although the killing of Renee Nicole Good was ‘completely unnecessary,’ he added that the agent ‘from a lawful perspective’ was ‘completely justified’ in firing his gun at her.

“He also noted, ‘From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did he have to do that?’

“Smith’s comments about the agent being in harm’s way echoed the views of Deputy of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good ‘engaged in an ‘act of domestic terrorism’ by attacking officers and attempting to run them over with her vehicle.

“However, videos showing the incident from different angles indicate that the agent was not standing directly in front of Good’s vehicle when he opened fire on her. Local officials contend that Good posed no danger to ICE officers. A video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good talking to agents before the shooting, saying, ‘I’m not mad at you.’  . . .”

Top Hip-Hop Editor Had Been Missing Since 2024

Jan. 10, 2025

James Bernard Co-Founded the Source, XXL
‘Deteriorated’: Conditions for Press in Venezuela:
200 Journos Stranded in Neighboring Colombia
Some Ask, What About the Black Man Killed by ICE?
Disappointment in Star Tribune Opinion Page
CBS Said to Slow Down Piece on White South Africans
No Blacks on Washington Post ‘Intelligence Councils’

Passings: Charles Robinson, Dwight Chuman, Lisa Treadwell,John King Jr.,Thomas H. Watkins

Short Takes: Karl Bostic, Black journalist covering Israel; John Yang; NABJ Black News & Views; MTV; Andrew Sherry; Adam Harris; Wiley Price; Joy Reid vs.Erika Kirk; Israel threatens foreign media outlets; Israel and Spanish-language journalists; “The political aspirations of African descendants in the Americas”; Black U.S. women in Mexico City; violence against the press in Peru.

Homepage photo: The Source’s James Bernard and Reginald C. Dennis with Sean “Puffy” Combs and “Biggie” Smalls in the early ’90s.

 

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James Bernard Co-Founded the Source, XXL

The death of James Bernard, a celebrated co-founder of the early hip-hop magazines the Source and XXL, whose passing was reported this week, comes after the journalist had been reported missing more than 17 months ago, according to New Jersey records.

His whereabouts over those 17 months could not immediately be determined. Bernard would have turned 60 last Aug 5 if he were alive then.

Bernard’s death was first reported Wednesday by All Hip-Hop magazine, lacking his age and the day, place and cause of death.

“ No further information regarding the cause of death is currently available,” Janeé Bolden reported Thursday for the Grio. “There is also no public information about Bernard’s age or date of birth.”

However, the journalist, whose full name is Harold James Bernard, is listed by the state of New Jersey’s missing persons list under his given name.

One website says Bernard was last seen in Burlington, N.J., on March 14, 2024.

Another says he was “Last seen on 03/17/2024 walking away from his residence wearing a blue sweatshirt, gray pants with a bookbag on his back. Likely headed to wooded areas of Pemberton Township.

“Harold has several tattoos, On right arm a black and white tattoo of a young female (his daughter) wearing a dress with a spear on left hand wearing a crown. Left arm a black and white tattoo of a dragon, and above a black and white tattoo of a firearm scope with a black silhouette in a circle (Public Enemy symbol). Inner left elbow area a black and white ninja male/bear in a karate GI.”

On that site, websleuths.com, a friend who called himself a mentee recalled texting Bernard in late April and early May 2024 and receiving no response, The writer, identified as forjames, reported, “I was hopeful that maybe he was just overseas and he was just busy.” 

Chuck Creekmur wrote for All Hip-Hop, “Bernard was a central figure in the rise of Hip-Hop journalism during the late 1980s and 1990s, a period when rap music was emerging as a dominant cultural and commercial force.

“He is best known for his work at The Source, where he rose to become co-editor-in-chief and helped establish the magazine as the most influential Hip-Hop publication of its era.

“At The Source, Bernard played a key role in developing an editorial approach that treated Hip-Hop as both an art form and a social force. Under his leadership, the magazine blended music criticism with political commentary, investigative reporting, and cultural analysis, helping to legitimize Hip-Hop journalism within mainstream media while remaining rooted in the culture.

“In 1994, Bernard was among senior editors who abruptly left The Source following internal disputes over editorial independence and business practices. The departure became one of the most significant moments in Hip-Hop media history and marked a turning point in the magazine’s leadership and direction.

“Following his exit, Bernard co-founded XXL alongside fellow editor Reginald Dennis. Launched in 1997, XXL quickly became The Source’s chief competitor and established its own identity through long-form journalism, in-depth artist profiles, and a broader editorial lens that connected Hip-Hop to fashion, politics, and popular culture. Bernard’s role in shaping XXL’s early vision helped solidify the magazine as a long-running institution in Hip-Hop media.

“Author and journalist Rob Kenner said, “He took a stand for editorial integrity and journalistic independence— values that are still under threat to this day.”

In a 2018 piece for Pitchfork magazine headlined,  “How a Group of Journalists Turned Hip-Hop Into a Literary Movement,”  Dean Van Nguyen wrote:

“Harvard makes for an unlikely rap landmark, but it was there that The Source made its debut in 1988. It was first published as a photocopied newsletter by two white students David Mays and Jonathan Shecter, and two Black students, James Bernard and Ed Young (the latter coming on board soon after its inception). Just a couple of years after that initial issue rolled out, the title was uprooted from Massachusetts to New York, encouraged by Def Jam’s Russell Simmons and Tommy Boy CEO Tom Silverman, who bought ads to help facilitate its rise.

“ ‘We used to say every issue was like an album,’ Bernard tells me over warm whiskey and cold beer in the Bell House, a Brooklyn bar and venue that the now-entrepreneur is a silent partner in. ‘We saw it as a work of art.’ (Photo credits: websleuths.com)

Asked what his fellow journalists should know most about Bernard, Dennis gave Journal-isms three choices: “Pick any of the below: rare, medium, well done.

“His brilliance was only matched by his compassion.”  “This Huxtable shit has always been and will always be a lie.”  “He was a real nigga in a world of frauds; the tallest man in every context and conversation.”

Creekmur wrote for All Hip-Hop, ”James Bernard is remembered as a foundational figure in Hip-Hop journalism and an editor who helped build the standards, language, and infrastructure. His life’s work continues to shape how the culture is reported and understood, especially with AllHipHop. His influence endures in generations of writers, editors, and platforms that followed the path he helped create.”

‘Deteriorated’: Conditions for Press in Venezuela

 

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Translation:

#EneEl colleague Carlos Julio Rojas has 20 months arbitrarily detained. He represents the voice of communities, today unjustly silenced. 🎤But he’s not the only one: in Venezuela, 21 communicators remain behind bars simply for doing their job of reporting.Our position is clear: Without real justice, no democratic transition is possible. Journalism is not a crime; it is a fundamental pillar of freedom.From @cnpcaracas we demand: ✅ Immediate freedom for Carlos Julio Rojas. ✅ Freedom for the 21 detained press workers. ✅ Stop the harassment of journalists. ✅ Freedom for all political prisoners.#LibertadYa #Democracia #LiberenALosPresosPoliticos CarlosJulioRojasFreePressHumanRights Venezuela NoMoreCensorship

200 Journos Stranded in Neighboring Colombia

“After years of repression and strict control over information under Nicolás Maduro’s government, conditions for journalism in Venezuela have deteriorated even further following the illegal U.S. military action of January 3 and the ensuing institutional instability,” the press freedom organization Reporters Without Border said Thursday.

“Journalists now face heightened and unpredictable risks in an increasingly fragmented environment where volatility prevails. Intimidation, direct threats, phone searches, and forced deletions of journalistic content — practices that became widespread after the 2024 elections — are now compounded by new dangers. These threats no longer originate from a single, identifiable state authority but from multiple actors, significantly increasing insecurity for media professionals.

 

A Tweet on X Saturday from the Venezuelan National Press Syndicate (SNTP) reports that Bolivarian National Police (PNB) officers detained a Telemundo Network team for 20 minutes near the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, forcing them to delete recorded material, and condemns this act as censorship. 

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“Around 200 foreign journalists are currently stranded in Cúcuta, Colombia, awaiting authorization to enter Venezuela, according to RSF,” the French acronym for “Reporters Without Borders.” “Per Colombian journalists living in Cúcuta who spoke to RSF, who prefer to remain anonymous for security reasons, even those holding valid work permits may be unable to cross the border, as access depends largely on the discretion of individual soldiers. Many of those who manage to enter the country are subsequently deported.

“At the same time, the Venezuelan government provides virtually no official information, while independent media outlets remain severely weakened by political pressure, economic hardship, and exile. This has created a profound information vacuum. Social media platforms are increasingly flooded with disinformation and manipulated content, much of it generated using artificial intelligence — including fabricated videos of Venezuelans celebrating the U.S. attack and deepfakes depicting American soldiers alongside Maduro.

“At this key moment for the world to understand what is happening in Venezuela and the consequences of the U.S. intervention, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the authorities to allow foreign journalists to enter the country and to stop restricting the work of local media. . . . “

Advocates say that before Keith Porter was shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent, he fired gunshots as part of a New Year’s Eve celebration. (Credit: KABC Los Angeles).

Some Ask, What About the Black Man Killed by ICE?

“When Adrian Metoyer first heard government officials describing his best friend as an ‘active shooter’ and threat to his community, he was furious,”James Queally,, Libor Jany and Christopher Buchanan reported Jan. 3 for the Los Angeles Times.

“Keith Porter Jr. was a lot of things: a jack of all trades who worked dozens of jobs, a proud ‘girl dad’ to his two daughters, an avid fisherman, a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan and a ‘performer’ who loved to drive a room to laughter with his ‘goofy’ antics, friends and relatives said.

“But, they contend, Porter wasn’t the threat Trump administration officials claimed he was after an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed him in Northridge on New Year’s Eve.

“ ‘That is far from the truth. I can’t even fathom that idea of him being looked at in a negative light. Calling the officer a hero, before any investigation had been conducted … this is ridiculous,” Metoyer, 45, said. . . .”

Sound familiar?

Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier added for Word In Black, a consortium of Black print-news outlets, “What should have been an arrest and possible citation has turned into a death sentence and potentially cold-blooded murder from an ICE agent who was not equipped to handle the situation,” said Jamal Tooson, the Porter family’s attorney, claiming that multiple people at the complex were firing guns, but ‘only one was murdered.’ ”

In a reference to the fatal shooting  by an ICE agent in Minneapolis of citizen and mother Renee Nicole Good, Courqut-Lesaulnier added, “Some folks are saying to themselves that if this can happen to a white woman, none of us are safe. Which … exactly. Safety for anyone in a system steeped in anti-Black racism and use of deadly force is, and always has been a mirage.”

Wayne Washington wrote for The Root Thursday under the headline, “Why ICE Fatally Shooting a White Woman Will Make All the Difference In the World.”

Separately, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday, updated Thursday, “a Dallas Morning News analysis of immigration enforcement data: During the first nine months of Trump’s second term, 62% of those arrested by agents in the Dallas office had not been convicted of crimes.”

And in Chicago, former mayor Lori Lightfoot has launched an “ICE Accountability Project,” “an independent initiative she said would collect and document federal immigration agents’ alleged criminal or abusive conduct during Operation Midway Blitz,” Rebecca Johnson reported Thursday for the Chicago Tribune.

Lightfoot said residents could send videos, audio, photos or other information to reporticenow.com. The accounts will be published on the website and serve as a “centralized, permanent archive.”

. . . Disappointment in Star Tribune Opinion Page

“For three decades I worked as the #2 editor in charge of the Star Tribune editorial pages,“ Jim Boyd (pictured below) wrote Thursday on Facebook, commenting on the fatal shooting of citizen and mother Renee Nicole Good, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

“We were (mostly) fearless in our effort to speak truth, especially when it was most difficult to do so.

“The editorial page of my newspaper today is a disgrace. There is no editorial speaking for the newspaper as an institution, no condemnation of Trump and Ice. The opinion editor wrote a milquetoast, hand-wringing column that carries the lede: ‘We must not rush to judgment.’ This is not the institutional leadership we need from Minnesota’s largest newspaper.

“I am told that because of weather and because the paper now is printed in Des Moines, early deadlines were in effect yesterday. And early deadlines now are …….. 4 p.m.! Still, there was lots you could have said in an institutional editorial at 4 p.m. without getting too far out over your skis. Try this on: The death of Ms. Good was the inevitable result of the unjustified, reckless war Trump is waging on Minnesota.

“That Strib leadership chose not to weigh in as an institution was a choice, a bad one.

“And then there is the online version of the newspaper, which can be updated through the night, or virtually any time. Many a night we were in our offices into the wee hours to ensure we provided readers with up-to-date information when they woke the next morning.

“Institutional cowardice is what I see when I look at the Strib editorial pages today.

“BUT, can we also stipulate that the Strib news staff is doing a helluva job on this. They deserve our praise and support.”

Neiher the Star Tribune nor editorial page editor Philip Morris (pictured, above) responded to a request for comment.

CBS Said to Slow Down Piece on White South Africans

For CBS’ “60 Minutes,” “According to people familiar with the matter, Anderson Cooper (pictured) has for months been working on a piece examining the Trump administration’s decision to accept refugees from South Africa, a move rooted in Trump’s embrace of the debunked conspiracy theory that a ‘white genocide’ is taking place in the country,” Oliver Darcy reported Thursday for his Status newsletter. “The segment is all but guaranteed to provoke Trump and inflame his MAGA base.

“The piece, Status has learned, has been subjected to an intense level of editorial scrutiny. [The newsmagazine’s executive producer, Tanya] Simon first screened the piece in December and sent it back with suggested revisions, according to people familiar with the matter. Then [CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari] Weiss personally screened it and responded with extensive editorial feedback, the people said. One person described the level of review as abnormal. Another strongly contested that.

“In any case, the prolonged process has left producer Michael Gavshon — a well-regarded journalist who has worked at ’60 Minutes’ for more than three decades — exasperated, Status has learned. As with the CECOT story, it remains unclear when the piece will ultimately air. Given it hasn’t been publicly announced, it is possible that it never will. . . .”

The fields covered are energy and climate, global security and AI and tech.

No Blacks on Washington Post ‘Intelligence Councils’

Less than three weeks after the National Association of Black Journalists met with leadership at the Washington Post to raise “urgent concerns about the environment” for Black journalists there, on Oct. 18 the Post published an announcement touting the Washington Post Intelligence Councils, filling five pages in the print edition and featuring 45 people. It appeared to include not one Black person.

The Post repeated the ads on Dec. 8 and again on Wednesday.  Again, no Black people.

Members of the invitation-only councils are described as “senior executives who want to engage in industry-shaping discussion and high-level networking.” The fields covered are energy and climate, global security and AI and tech.

Post spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment on Oct. 18 or on Friday.

Passings

Charles Robinson

Some 300 people attended services Dec 30 for Charles Robinson of Maryland Public Broadcasting in Catonsville, Md. “It reached a point of standing room only where younger people relinquished their pew seats to some older folks who had to stand,” Benjamin Davis of Morgan State University told Journal-isms. ‘It was a sad occasion filled with lots of smiles because it was like a reunion of sorts for many black journalists. “That man was loved by so many people in journalism and outside. It was beautiful.” Robinson died Dec. 15 at 69.

Dwight Chuman, center, testifies before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians in Washington, D.C. in July 1981. (Credit: Densho Digital Repository, Paul Bannai Collection)

Dwight Chuman

“Dwight Chuman, former editor of The Rafu Shimpo and co-founder of the Asian American Journalists Association, died on July 25 at the age of 77,” theJapanese-English language newspaper based in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo reported Dec. 12. “His passing and the circumstances surrounding it came to light only recently.

“According to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, Chuman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Burbank residence. . . . ”

:

Lisa Treadwell

The “CBS Evening News” delivered a tribute to longtime stage manager Lisa Treadwell on Jan. 2.  Born in 1958, she had been battling cancer. At her retirement, CBS produced this segment.


KHOU 11 photojournalist John King regularly covered the Houston Texans. The team paid tribute to him by placing his photo and flowers at his regular workspace at NRG Stadium. (Credit: X)

John King Jr.

John King Jr., 43,  a videographer who worked at  KHOU-TV in Houston and before that at News4 (WOAI) and FoxSA (KABB) in San Antonio, died Dec. 29. ”Early December 2025, John was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that rapidly worsened,” according to Legacy.com.  He was also a drummer “known as ‘Chunky,’ a name given to him by the Funk Train Drum Line,” Legacy said.

Thomas H. Watkins

“Thomas H. Watkins built a daily Black newspaper in New York City when few believed it could survive and even fewer wanted it to succeed,” Stacy M. Brown reported for the National Newspaper Publishers Association newswire.

“Watkins, who died in December at 88, founded the New York Daily Challenge and made it the first Black-owned daily newspaper in the city’s history. From its headquarters in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the paper delivered sustained, unapologetic coverage of Black political power, economic interests, and community life, produced and controlled by Black ownership. . . .”

Karl Bostic reports on how Palestinians marked Christmas in Bethlehem while navigating life during conflict. (Credit: YouTube)

Short Takes

  • If you watched the “PBS News Hour” over the holidays, you might have seen a Black journalist reporting from Israel. That was producer Karl Bostic (pictured), a veteran who has been reporting from Europe and the Mideast. Asked whether were any other journalists of color doing what he was, and how his background affected his reporting, Bostic replied. “The first answer is none that I know of. The 2nd question is a long conversation. . . . I can only say covering this war has brought out the best in people and the worst in people.”

  • NABJ Black News and Views, a newsletter that provided journalists with an addiitonal  Black-focused freelance outlet, published its last issue on Dec.  31. No reason was given, but board members of the National Association of Black Journalists cited the newsletter at their last meeting as they discussed how to trim expenses amid financial challenges. “The last 3.5 years have been exhilarating,” editor Melanie Eversley wrote. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is continuing its counterpart, Palabra.
  • Andew Sherry, who has led communications for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association, has moved on from both roles. “I finished my assignment as NAHJ’s fractional comms director at the end of the year. I’m continuing for a month as a consultant,” Sherry messaged. In July, he said, “My contract with AAJA ended last month, they’ve ‘graduated’ with Yi-Shen Loo doing a great job as comms manager.” A former vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sherry said his company plans to continue to work with journalism and other organizations.
  • “The Atlantic is announcing that Adam Harris is returning to staff to host and develop a new weekly video podcast, which will be the third recent video podcast from The Atlantic,” the publication announced Wednesday. “Adam was a staff writer at The Atlantic for six years covering higher education and national politics, and remained a contributing writer when he joined New America in 2024 as a senior fellow with the Education Policy program.”

  • St. Louis American photographer Wiley Price is retiring after more than 40 years at the American, part of the Black press. Locally, “Wiley’s work has filled scrapbooks, family albums and social media pages,” and more broadly, “Wiley has recorded history in the making, from the moment President Barack Obama received blessings from religious leaders to the fires of Ferguson following the death of Michael Brown. His photograph of President Obama is displayed in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and he has photographed every U.S. president from Carter to Biden,” said editor Rod Hicks.

  • Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, responded to criticism from Joy Reid (pictured) during one of Kirk’s appearances at the recent Turning Point USA conference, AmericaFest, Christopher Rhodes reported on Christmas Eve for Blavity. “ ‘Joy Reid probably needs a really, really good hug, and honestly, I’m here for it if she needs it,’  Kirk said to the America Fest crowd. ‘I’ve got a good hug for you, good hug for you. I’ll even touch the back of your head,’ she continued, referencing Reid’s  criticism of her hugging Vice President J.D.Vance. . . . ‘Dear young lady, I don’t need a hug from you,’ Reid replied. First of all, I would never let you get close enough to hug me ’cause I don’t trust you,’ Reid explained. ‘And second of all, I don’t know if anybody ever told you – you’re pretty young – but don’t be offering to touch Black women’s hair. We don’t allow it.’  Reid noted, ‘This is not the 19-teens. It’s not the 1920s or the 1930s. You cannot come up to me, touch me, or touch my hair. I don’t allow it.”

  • A project from El Pais English is headlined, “The political aspirations of African descendants in the Americas.” A Dec.10 piece by Lorena Arroyo in Colombia has the subhead “In the early 2000s, a group of Afro-Colombians went to Washington to pressure their president, who was negotiating a free trade agreement.They wanted to ensure that Black people would be appointed to the Colombian government. Now, Black women’s collectives are paving the way for political inclusion in Latin America.” (Photo credit: El Pais English).
  • “Black women, in particular, are flocking to Mexico City,” Suzette Hackney wrote Dec. 21 for USA Today. “The reasons vary: a lower cost of living; more affordable housing, health care and medical procedures compared to the United States; a desire to live abroad; and America’s political climate. Perhaps a deeper  reason is that unlike their U.S. counterparts, the so-called American dream and its measure of equity and financial freedom has always been more difficult to achieve – and oftentimes out of grasp − for Black women. . . .”

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