Tag: Black Voices

The Supreme Court largely ruled on Wednesday for a group of Democratic Virginia residents in a racial gerrymandering case that could have a big impact on legal challenges to GOP-led redistricting efforts throughout the country.

In the wake of the 2010 census, Republican legislators in Virginia redrew 12 House of Delegates districts so that 55 percent of their population consisted of African-Americans of voting age. But a group of Democratic residents from those districts pushed back in court, arguing that the lawmakers focused too much on the race of the voters rather than other, race-neutral criteria for putting them in those districts.

The Constitution prohibits drawing legislative maps on account of race, a practice known as racial gerrymandering, whenever race is the “predominant” factor in redistricting decisions. But the Supreme Court has also recognized that state legislators should have some leeway to draw districts that take race into account to allow minority voters to have a shot at electing candidates of their choosing. 

In 2015, a three-judge federal court determined that 11 of the 12 Virginia districts didn’t amount to racial gerrymanders. But in a near-unanimous decision Wednesday, the Supreme Court asked the lower court to reassess those districts ― while declining to rule the maps unconstitutional outright.

“The District Court is best positioned to determine in the first instance the extent to which, under the proper standard, race directed the shape of these 11 districts,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, refusing to take the next step and pass judgment on how the districts were drawn.

Kennedy acknowledged that redistricting “is a most difficult subject for legislatures,” but reaffirmed the principle that lower courts should look at “racial predominance” when addressing racial gerrymandering ― a complex, fact-intensive test that considers the district’s shape, demographics and other “traditional redistricting criteria.”

Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine, characterized the ruling as “more of a punt than a major decision,” noted that the coming “fight will be over the details and application to particular cases.”

But Marc Elias, the Democratic lawyer who represented the Virginia voters and argued the case before the Supreme Court in December, said the ruling will have a bigger impact on the ground than commentators let on.

“Rick’s analysis ignores the vulnerability GOP maps have throughout the country under this ruling,” Elias wrote on Twitter, and predicted that similar challenges will pop up elsewhere as a result of Wednesday’s ruling.

Elias, alongside former Attorney General Eric Holder, is part of a Democratic coalition that’s seeking to use redistricting challenges to turn the tide of aggressive gerrymandering efforts in Republican-led statehouses across the country.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

In watching the press fawn over Trump’s performance in front of Congress, I wondered how collective journalistic amnesia could have so suddenly swept over even progressive journalists and pundits. I’m not talking about just “lowering the bar,” I’m talking about Trump himself telling us exactly how he would execute his con a year ago in Waterbury, Connecticut. He’s like a three-card monte swindler who tells us exactly how he’s going to take our money and yet we still reach for our wallets. It’s actually kind of breathtaking. However, if we don’t wise up and stay wised up, every June 14th, we’ll all have to stop what we’re doing at precisely noon, raise our right hand toward Washington and pledge allegiance to the Donald (June 14th is his birthday).

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Taser International released a new product this week that will automatically activate nearby police body cameras when an officer draws a gun.

A device called Signal Sidearm from Taser division Axon, which dominates the market for police body cameras, is a sensor designed to attach to most standard gun holsters. Whenever an officer’s firearm is removed, the device starts the officer’s body camera, as well as any other camera within 30 feet. Most Axon cameras already feature a 30-second buffer, which saves footage preceding the equipment’s activation.

“Gun drawn, camera on,” reads the tagline for the product, which goes on sale later this year.

As police body cameras become more commonplace, devices like this could reduce the potential for user error. Although body cameras are supposed to capture an objective record of police encounters, they can only do that when officers remember to turn them on. This can be especially difficult in tense or rapidly developing situations.

“When law enforcement officers must draw a weapon, the last thing they should worry about is their technology,” Rick Smith, CEO and co-founder of Taser, said in a statement.

Police body cameras have emerged as a rare point of agreement between law enforcement and activists pushing for transparency and accountability amid high-profile police killings of civilians, who disproportionately are black men. But public confidence in the devices has been tested by failures to record some controversial confrontations, including fatal shootings.

Questions swirled last year when police in Charlotte, North Carolina, shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man. An officer who responded was equipped with a body camera, though he reportedly didn’t switch it on until after shots were fired, leaving a critical gap.

Most police departments still have weak or nonexistent disciplinary rules for officers who fail to abide by body camera policies, which may make it harder to ensure that the devices are used correctly. Officers in many departments are still getting used to cameras, however, and some lapses may simply be legitimate mistakes or accidents.

But if law enforcement doesn’t show commitment to gathering the clearest possible documentation of an incident, body cameras won’t serve their purpose, civil rights groups say. They believe it’s fair to be skeptical in cases where officers have failed to properly activate their video equipment.

Last year, the ACLU and University of California, Berkeley, School of Law published a report encouraging state courts to instruct juries to disregard testimony given by an officer deemed to have deliberately attempted to conceal the truth by not recording an incident, or by tampering with footage. If the jury were to conclude that an officer’s failure to record was unreasonable or negligent ― but not malicious ― the court would instruct the jury to devalue that officer’s testimony and infer that the video would have been beneficial to the defendant.

It’s a roundabout legal solution for an emerging problem. If technology can help ensure officers have fewer opportunities to make mistakes ― and fewer excuses to violate policy ― police body cameras could become a more reliable tool for fostering public trust.

For now, Signal Sidearm will only help with incidents that involve officers drawing a weapon.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

Harvey Weinstein announced some long-awaited news during his annual pre-Oscars gala on Feb. 25: The film version of “In The Heights” is in the works, and Jay Z is reportedly on board to produce it. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the man better known as Beyoncé’s husband is indeed joining the “In The Heights” team, already helmed by producer Scott Sanders (whose company was behind Broadway’s “The Color Purple”). THR sources claim that the latest iteration of the “In the Heights” script ― based on “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical ― is complete, but casting has yet to begin.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Miranda suggested a casting choice of his own: Jordan Fisher, the current John Laurens in “Hamilton,” is his top choice for a “pretty good Benny.” Benny is, of course, the character Christopher Jackson played in the original, Tony Award–winning Broadway production in 2008.

As for any involvement in the film adaptation from Miranda himself, he made it clear he was more interested in a background role: “I don’t want to play the [lead] role if it feels like it’s not age-appropriate with the rest of the cast,” he told HuffPost. “But Chris Jackson and I can be in the background playing dominoes during ‘When You’re Home’ and that would be fucking great.” 

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

With all of the buzz around Remy Ma’s life-giving Nicki Minaj diss track, “shETHER,” you may have slipped up and forgot that there are other things the rapper has issue with than just Black Barbie.

In a video posted by Marie Claire on Wednesday, Remy drops some quick bars on the unnecessary nature of the men’s right movement ― which, bafflingly, is an actual thing. 

The “movement” cropped up in the 1970s as a reaction to the rise of women’s activism, and has since accomplished little beyond serving as an organizing space for misogyny. 

With verses like “I’m really having a hard time seeing what y’all arguing for,” Remy shares an understandable bewilderment as to why the movement even exists and segues into the disadvantages women routinely face.

“It’s crazy, my bank account is determined by body parts,” Remy rapped. “Breasts affects checks, ass affects cash.”

She also addresses misconceptions about women and dependency: “I’m not pressed for you to hold a door/I’m not stressed for you to marry me.”

Check out the full freestyle below:

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

With all of the buzz around Remy Ma’s life-giving Nicki Minaj diss track, “shETHER,” you may have slipped up and forgot that there are other things the rapper has issue with than just Black Barbie.

In a video posted by Marie Claire on Wednesday, Remy drops some quick bars on the unnecessary nature of the men’s right movement ― which, bafflingly, is an actual thing. 

The “movement” cropped up in the 1970s as a reaction to the rise of women’s activism, and has since accomplished little beyond serving as an organizing space for misogyny. 

With verses like “I’m really having a hard time seeing what y’all arguing for,” Remy shares an understandable bewilderment as to why the movement even exists and segues into the disadvantages women routinely face.

“It’s crazy, my bank account is determined by body parts,” Remy rapped. “Breasts affects checks, ass affects cash.”

She also addresses misconceptions about women and dependency: “I’m not pressed for you to hold a door/I’m not stressed for you to marry me.”

Check out the full freestyle below:

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Source: HuffPost Black Voices

The nation’s salad bowl has a surprising and growing problem.

California’s Central Valley produces almost one-third of the nation’s domestically grown fresh produce. But many of the region’s residents don’t eat much fruit or vegetables ― a fact reflected in the region’s heightened rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health concerns. 

This problem, of course, isn’t unique to the Central Valley — few Americans today eat as much fruit and vegetables as we should.

But the stark contrast between the food many of the farm-heavy region’s residents are harvesting in the fields and what they’re eating in their homes prompted researchers at the University of California, Merced, to ask people what motivates their food purchases.

The answers, UC Merced public health communication professor Susana Ramirez told HuffPost, were surprising. 

“The ‘where I can get it’ concern, at least in this community, is not as big of a concern as ‘how can I pay for it,’” Ramirez said.

Researchers began the study thinking that Central Valley residents’ limited consumption of healthy food was likely because a significant portion of the population live in “food deserts” that are at least 10 miles from a large grocery store.

But researchers soon discovered that access to healthy foods might not be the problem — at least not for the 79 Merced County residents they surveyed. The residents — who, like much of the Central Valley, are predominantly Latino and mostly lower-income — overwhelmingly said that they had “ample” access to fruits and vegetables in their neighborhoods, even if there were no traditional grocery stores.

Instead of supermarkets, the residents said fresh fruits and vegetables were available from farmer stands, farmers markets, mobile vendors and as gifts from neighbors.

“If you live in that community, you learn to adapt,” Ramirez said.

But ingenuity can only go so far in the face of crippling poverty. The latest census data show 25 percent of Merced County residents living below the poverty line.

According to the study, 65 percent of participants said fruits and vegetables were too expensive for them, even though more than 70 percent agreed that they had access to a “large selection” of healthy foods. The findings were in line with responses to the 2014 state health interview survey, the study noted. 

“They’re saying that the [fresh, healthy] food is there, but they can’t buy it — though they would like to buy it,” Ramirez said. “The problem in this particular community is the tremendous level of unemployment and poverty — and these factors can’t be compensated for in other ways.”

Of course, many staple fruits and vegetables aren’t particularly expensive. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s thrifty food plan and other resources outline how affordable foods can be part of a balanced diet.

But the cost for some families goes beyond the sticker price, Ramirez explained. Members of many lower-income families work multiple jobs and don’t have the time to shop without a car, then prepare foods, for example. And fresh foods spoil or might be shunned by children, risking wasting household resources.

“They’re saying that the [fresh, healthy] food is there, but they can’t buy it — though they would like to buy it.”
University of California-Merced professor Susana Ramirez

These factors can push people toward convenience foods like packaged and processed grocery staples and fast-food items to keep their families fed.

“If I can go to McDonald’s and I can get a chicken sandwich for $1 and a salad for $6, I’m going to have to think twice about” choosing the healthy option, one respondent told researchers. 

The study suggests that public health and food-access advocates focused on expanding supermarkets to so-called food deserts may be missing the point. 

While some research links the opening of a supermarket in a former food desert with healthier eating habits, other recent research contradicts that finding, suggesting a new supermarket had little impact on community members’ food purchases. 

Ramirez suggested that affordability is a key component of efforts to increase access to healthy foods in underserved communities, particularly at a time when the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could face cuts. 

Ramirez pointed to examples like Double Up Food Bucks — an initiative that allows customers using SNAP benefits to double their benefits when they buy fresh produce. Previous research shows such programs increase fruit and vegetable consumption among participating families. 

“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Ramirez said. “We already have really successful assistance programs that put money in peoples’ pockets so they can buy produce, and that’s what they do with it.”

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Joseph Erbentraut covers promising innovations and challenges in the areas of food, water, agriculture and our climate. Follow Erbentraut on Twitter at @robojojo. Tips? Email joseph.erbentraut@huffingtonpost.com.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

A new docuseries titled “Time: The Kalief Browder Story” explores what can happen when systematic inequality, the dismissal of mental health issues, over-policing and a fractured justice system collide. 

Airing Wednesdays on Spike TV, the six-part series is an in-depth look into the life of Kalief Browder, the young Bronx native who served three years on Rikers Island without being convicted of a crime and eventually took his own life in 2015.

Jenner Furst, who directed the series, told The Huffington Post that after reading about Browder’s gripping story in The New Yorker, he felt compelled to tell that story through a longer form visual piece.

“When the spotlights fade out and the evening news is over, [the Browder] family was sitting there and no one was talking to them and no one was following up with them about what they were going through,” he said. “And they were grieving but they were also trying to take over Kalief’s fight for justice. There was something about that chapter that hadn’t really been explored.”

Sixteen-year-old Browder was arrested in 2010 for allegedly stealing a backpack. He was unable to make bail and detained at Rikers Island for three years before the charges were dropped and Browder was freed. Following his release in 2013, Browder’s story started circulating in the media, which documented the abuse he faced in jail. Two years later, Browder killed himself, leaving his family to carry forward with his quest for justice.

Furst said his team spent about five or six months filming interviews and building “a very personal relationship” with the Browder family. They also uncovered surveillance footage from Rikers and combed through hours of outtakes from Browder’s interview with Nightline. Those candid on-camera moments, which included Browder’s “somewhat coy and awkward responses,” helped to accurately represent his character, Furst said. 

“We had to find every single second that had ever been recorded or that existed that was a testimony or was a photograph or was a memory of Kalief that we could because our protagonist, our lead character, is no longer with us,” Furst said.

While the show focuses on Browder, it paints a grim picture of the system at large. The series explores how one allegation of theft and the inability to make the $3,000 bail, set off a domino effect of problems from which Browder was never truly able to recover. As his trial was delayed on 14 separate occasions, Browder was languishing in jail. He was repeatedly thrown into solitary confinement and suffered violence from both correctional officers and inmates. Three years later, his case was dismissed.

“[Browder’s life] had every single example of systematic failure on behalf of poor, powerless and for the most part black and brown people in the United States,” Furst said. He argued that Browder’s situation could ultimately be traced back to poverty and economic inequality.

“I think justice is money, unfortunately, in America. If you have money, you get justice. If you don’t have money, you experience vast amounts of injustice,” he said.

Browder’s story has become a devastating symbol of the criminal justice system can impact America’s most vulnerable citizens. His predicament was complicated and messy, but as the docuseries shows, the systems that should have helped him, ultimately cracked under the pressure. 

“Kalief represents everything,” Furst said. “And that’s what’s powerful about him and what everyone responds to. I’m just lucky to have such a messenger.” 

“Time: The Kalief Browder Story” premiers Wednesday at 10 p.m. 

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HELLO to 741-741 for free,
24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please
visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database
of resources.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

José Alberto Gutiérrez is known as the “Lord of the Books” to the thousands of book-loving children he’s helped in Bogotá, Colombia.

The garbage collector, featured in an AJ+ video posted Monday, takes discarded books from wealthy neighborhoods and adds them to a makeshift library in his home. The collection of over 20,000 books is open to the kids in the low-income neighborhood where he lives on the weekends. 

“This should be in all neighborhoods, on each corner of every neighborhood, in all the towns, in all departments, and all the rural areas,” Gutiérrez told The Associated Press in 2015. “Books are our salvation and that is what Colombia needs.”

Gutiérrez started salvaging discarded books 20 years ago, according to the AP. He credits his work to his mother, who read to him every night despite not being able to afford keeping him in school. 

“The first book I found was Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and that little book ignited the flame and [set in motion this] ball that has never stopped rolling,” Gutiérrez says in the AJ+ video, which has over 4 million views. 

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices

A mom of three in northern California has turned a feminist battle cry into a work of art that is speaking to many parents. 

On Feb. 7, while the Senate considered Senator Jeff Sessions’ nomination for U.S. attorney general (which was later confirmed), Senator Elizabeth Warren attempted to read a letter Coretta Scott King wrote in 1986 that condemned Sessions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described Warren’s denied attempt with three sentences:

Privett told The Huffington Post she experienced perinatal depression while pregnant with her third child and postpartum depression after giving birth. During this, all of the hurtful remarks she’d heard over the years came flooding back to her. 

“All of those little words I’d heard transitioned into invasive thoughts and it overwhelmed me as it became part of my depression,” she told HuffPost. “I felt disconnected from everything and had trouble working through the steps necessary to do even simple things like change a diaper or make a sandwich.”

With medication and individual and group therapy, Privett was able to recover. She said she is lucky because she knows many moms don’t have the resources to do the same. That personal experience (as well as some suggestions from her Instagram followers) sparked her motivation to create a work of art for moms who persisted, “nevertheless.” She hopes her work can be an encouragement for both moms and dads.

“I’m hoping to encourage parents that it’s OK to do what is right for their specific situations, and also for all people to be more aware of how they speak to others,” she said. “Words matter, especially when directed toward vulnerable people.”

She also stressed the importance of asking for help and practicing self-care.

“There is nothing wrong with asking for help, especially if our mental health is at stake,” she said. “Self-care is as important as caring for our families, and we won’t be able to do the latter without the former.”

See more of Privett’s work on Instagram and Facebook. 

The HuffPost Parents newsletter offers a daily dose of personal stories, helpful advice and comedic takes on what it’s like to raise kids today. Sign up here.

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Source: HuffPost Black Voices