Supreme Court Halts Alabama Execution of Nathaniel Woods so It Can Review His Appeal

Accused of Calling a Black Juror ‘Aunt Jemima,’ Pennsylvania Judge Barred From Cases

A Pittsburgh area judge accused of making racist comments about a juror has been barred from hearing cases, according to a court order issued this week. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark Tranquilli is accused of repeatedly referring to a black juror as “Aunt Jemima.” Tranquilli made the racially-charged references during a conversation in his…

A Wrongfully Convicted Kansas Man Who Spent 23 Years in Prison Is Awarded $1.5 Million

A Kansas man who spent over two decades in prison for a double murder he didn’t commit will be awarded $1.5 million for his wrongful conviction, according to the Kansas State Attorney General’s office. Lamonte McIntyre was convicted and sentenced to two terms of life in prison for the murders of Donald Ewing and Doniel…

Where Trump’s Acquittal Fits Into the History of Impeachment, According to Historians

On Wednesday, the Senate ended President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial with a result that was momentous, if not surprising: with their vote not to convict him and remove him from office, he became only the third President in American history to reach that point. Trump was acquitted on charges of abuse of power and obstruction…

Joe Biden Says It’s Not Time to Panic. But His Campaign Is In Trouble.

After back-to-back dismal finishes, former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign is scrambling to sharpen its strategy as it heads into a do-or-die stretch. Biden advisers spent much of Wednesday on the phone with donors and supporters, seeking to reassure loyalists that it’s not time to panic. They told allies to look for more of Biden…

The Enduring Mystery of Malcolm X’s Assassination

Friday marks 55 years since Malcolm X, one of the 20th century’s most important black figures, was assassinated at age 39 while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York, on Feb. 21, 1965. In the more than half a century since, what happened that day has remained the subject of debate. Three members…

‘You Never Find Quiet Except Under a Tyranny.’ Congress Has Always Been Partisan and That’s a Good Thing.

In the throes of the worst crisis in American history, the Civil War, Democrats in Congress repeatedly attacked Abraham Lincoln as a “tyrant” and even his fellow Republicans questioned his competence and investigated his generals. Beleaguered though he often felt, Lincoln never claimed that Congress lacked the authority to challenge his actions or declined to…

These Overlooked Black Women Shaped Malcolm X’s Life

The anniversary of the Feb. 21, 1965, assassination of Malcolm X was surrounded by a renewed wave of interest in the black nationalist leader’s life and death — particularly with the release of the recent Netflix series Who Killed Malcolm X? and the subsequent news that the Manhattan District Attorney will review the investigation of…

How Black Lives Matter Is Changing What Students Learn During Black History Month

Freshman year can make anyone feel lost, but Seattle teen Janelle Gary felt especially lost when she entered high school in 2015. At home, she watched a wave of gentrification drive change in the historically black Central District neighborhood, and at school, where she was one of the few students of color in an honors…

President Trump’s Take on Parasite Echoes an Old Debate Over the Role of Non-American Films at the Oscars

Nostalgia has been a regular theme at rallies for President Donald Trump since before he was elected — he is, after all, the man who wants to make America great again. On Thursday night, at a rally in Colorado Springs, Trump directed that sentiment at the movie industry, dismissing the South Korean film Parasite, which…

American Women Won the Right to Vote After the Suffrage Movement Became More Diverse. That’s No Coincidence

When the woman suffrage movement first began in the mid-19th century, its champions had all become human-rights activists in the searing fires of the abolitionist movement. In 1838, Angelina Grimké, renegade daughter of South Carolina slave owners, laid down the basics of women’s rights, in her book, Letters to Catherine Beecher: “Whatever it is morally…

‘We Wouldn’t Be Having This Conversation.’ Henry Louis Gates Jr. on America’s Missed Opportunities for Racial Equality

Henry Louis Gates Jr., Emmy-winning historian and head of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University, tells TIME about the origins of modern inequality, America’s missed opportunities and where the fight goes next. How do you see the state of equality today fitting into the history of equality? One of…

Abraham Lincoln Healed a Divided Nation. We Should Heed His Words Today.

Abraham Lincoln repeatedly tops polls as our greatest and most revered president. But few people thought so on March 4, 1865, when he took the oath of office for the second time. On that day, America was still mired in the terrible war that the Republicans had been determined to wage. The refusal of Southern…

Everyone Knows About Hollywood’s Lack of Representation. This Woman Fought to Remedy It More Than 50 Years Ago

In 2015, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite went viral as a criticism of the lack of inclusion in Hollywood films. Not only was Selma‘s Ava duVernay missing from the best director category and its star David Oyelowo overlooked as a lead actor contender, every single performer in the acting categories was white. Now as we consider another…

The Coronavirus Outbreak Should Bring Out the Best in Humanity

Pandemics are perversely democratic. They’re nasty, lethal and sneaky, but they don’t discriminate. No matter your age, ethnicity, religion, gender, or nation, you’re a part of the pathogenic constituency. That shared vulnerability, and the resulting human collectivism—a universal response to a universal threat—is newly and vividly evident in the face of the now-global outbreak of…

The Education Reform Movement Has Failed America. We Need Common Sense Solutions That Work.

The education reform movement that started with George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind law is dead. It died because every strategy it imposed on the nation’s schools has failed. From Bush’s No Child Left Behind to Obama’s Race to the Top to Bill Gates’ Common Core State Standards to Trump’s push for school choice,…

Cory Booker Drops Out of 2020 Presidential Race

Cory Booker’s presidential campaign launched with a flashy video, driven by a biography rooted in an optimism that should have found fertile soil in Iowa. He followed up with grind-it-out work on the ground in New Hampshire, where he racked up endorsements and packed venues. A speech on civil rights in South Carolina at an…

Underdog Democrats Michael Bennet and Deval Patrick Say They’ve Got a Chance in Flinty New Hampshire

The two hardest-working candidates in New Hampshire this primary season haven’t yet made a dent in the polls—but both insist it’s too early to count them out. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet is drawing a dismal 0%, according to an Emerson College survey, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is a statistically insignificant hiccup higher, cornering…

As Race Tightens, Bernie Sanders Attacks Pete Buttigieg’s Billionaire Donor Connections

After an effective tie in Iowa and heading into a nail-biter of a New Hampshire primary, Senator Bernie Sanders went on the offensive Friday against his closest rival in the race, former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg. In an address to the Politics & Eggs breakfast—a New Hampshire tradition for visiting presidential candidates—Sanders criticized Buttigieg…

See All the Winners of the 2020 Grammy Awards

The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards took place this year under the shadow of major tumult at the Recording Academy. They also began just hours after news broke that NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his . daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles. Outside the Staples Center, arrivals took place on…

Lori Tan Chinn Is a Scene-Stealer in Awkwafina’s New Series. But the Role Comes After Decades of Harassment and Discrimination

The actor Lori Tan Chinn shared an onscreen kiss with Al Pacino. She had scenes opposite Diane Keaton and Hugh Grant, and roles in Orange is the New Black and Roseanne. Before she moved to New York and appeared in several Broadway productions, Bruce Lee opened for her dance troupe at a Seattle parade. But…

St. Louis Prosecutor Sues City, Claiming Racist Interests Tried to Forced Her Out

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner on Monday filed what she called an unprecedented federal civil rights lawsuit, accusing the city, the local police union and others of a coordinated and racist conspiracy aimed at forcing her out of office. Gardner, the city’s elected prosecutor, also accused “entrenched interests” of intentionally impeding…

How One Man’s Story Offers a New Way to Understand Slave Insurrection

Wager, also known by his African name, Apongo, was a leader of the largest slave rebellion in the 18th century British Empire. But long before taking his part in the great Jamaican insurrection of 1760– 1761, commonly called Tacky’s Revolt, he had been on a remarkable odyssey. Apongo had been a military leader in West…

Was Martin Luther King Jr. a Republican or a Democrat? The Answer Is Complicated

Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence on American politics and his views about policy issues are a perennial topic of discussion around the time of his January 15 birthday and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday. However, the civil-rights leader’s personal political party affiliation remains a mystery. His niece Alveda King, an Evangelical supporter…

Is It Unethical to Watch Football With Your Kids?

As another super bowl approaches, I keep thinking about a clear September afternoon at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants, and wondering if I’m a crappy dad. For the second straight year, I was lucky enough to take my 13-year-old son Will to a Giants game. We started the day running routes around…

Inside Jared Kushner’s Unusual White House Role

Jared Kushner’s White House office is a shrine to his own influence. Gold-framed accolades from his father-in-law hang on the walls, written in thick black Sharpie in President Donald Trump’s spiky hand. To Jared, Great job on Mexico. Thanks DAD, reads one. A limestone replica of the plaque marking the move of the U.S. embassy…

Thousands Gather for Women’s March Rallies Across the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday as part of the nationwide Women’s March rallies focused on issues such as climate change, pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration. Hundreds showed up in New York City and thousands in Washington, D.C. for the rallies, which aim to harness the political power of women,…

Rep. Ayanna Pressley Reveals Her Hair Loss as She Shares Her ‘Very Personal’ Alopecia Diagnosis

In a moving interview with The Root, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley opened up about living with alopecia and revealed that she has gone completely bald. Pressley, 45, said she decided to go public about her hair loss because she felt she owed an explanation to all the women of color who have reached out to…

With No Clear Frontrunner, Six Candidates Head Into The Democratic Debate in Iowa

The top tier of Democratic presidential candidates have gathered in snowy Des Moines for the final primary debate before the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Feb. 3, an event that many undecided voters in Iowa will be watching closely. Polls indicate that there are still four leading Democratic candidates vying for the win in Iowa: Sen. Bernie…

How David Stern Rescued the NBA and Turned Basketball Into a Global Force

David Stern’s worst day in his 30-year tenure as NBA commissioner was also his best. On November 7, 1991, Stern took an early plane from New York City to Los Angeles, to sit by Magic Johnson’s side at a press conference as Magic told the world that he was HIV-positive and retiring from basketball. Like…

The Secret Behind Amazon Package Delivery to West Africa

New York’s informal network of couriers with roundabout shipping routes.Arame Wade lives in Harlem and uses her great-aunt’s house in Dakar as a distribution center for the packages she transports.Credit...Roshni Khatri for The New York TimesPublished Dec. 30, 2019Updated Dec. 31, 2019In a building on West 147th Street, the mail carriers know apartment 1A. Boxes…