Author: Ariyanna Smith, DI

Digital News Intern, UnmutedCo. Black News Alerts University of North Carolina at Charlotte B.A. Communication Studies/Journalism 2021

Only six candidates made the cut to participate in this debate. This is an important time for the candidates as it is the last debate before the Iowa Caucus on February 3. What We Know: Former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Tom Steyer will face off for the seventh Democratic debate in Iowa. Some notable candidates like Andrew Yang and Sen. Cory Booker did not meet the qualifications to participate. These candidates weren’t able to secure the 225,000 total donors and…

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Cynthia Erivo will not be performing at the award show this year due to a lack of diversity in the nominees. What We Know: The Tony-award winning actress and star of the 2019 film Harriet explained her decision to The Associated Press. “I have a responsibility to represent women of color and people of color in film and TV. To perform… to celebrate something like that, that way, didn’t feel right,” she said. BAFTA’s director of awards, Emma Baehr, told The Hollywood Reporter that the academy would “have like to have seen more diversity in the nominations, it does continue…

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Elizabeth Warren tweeted her support for Byron Allen’s $20 billion racial discrimination lawsuit against Comcast. What We Know: The lawsuit was launched by Allen, who accused the company of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which prohibits racial discrimination when enforcing contracts. Allen sued the company after they refused to pick up channels from his company, Entertainment Studios. For a full breakdown of the case, visit this page. On Thursday, Warren quoted a Washington Post article about the case saying, “This is deeply concerning. If Comcast wins in their case before the Supreme Court, a key civil rights protection…

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The fictional home of Marvel’s Black Panther was removed from the free trade agreement partners list after being accidentally added. What We Know: Mike Illenberg, a USDA spokesman, told NBC News, “Over the past few weeks, the Foreign Agricultural Service staff who maintain the Tariff Tracker have been using test files to ensure that the system is running properly. The Wakanda information should have been removed after testing and has now been taken down.” Wakanda appeared alongside actual free trade agreement partners, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru until the mistake was caught.…

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Montel Williams, a military veteran and Emmy-winning talk show host, shared his take on footage of cadets at the Army-Navy football game flashing racist hand gestures. What We Know: Williams took to Twitter to weigh in on the Naval Academy midshipmen and West Point cadets in the video that many have branded as racists. He wrote, “So about the #ArmyNavy game and those hand gestures… Somehow and inexcusably, without a shred of evidence, too many in the coastal media have branded these kids racists…” Please someone tell me I didn’t see what I thought I just saw? #ArmyNavy #ESPN white…

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Michelle Obama and more encourage 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg after President Trump undercuts her on Twitter. What We Know: President Trump took a jab at the teenager on Twitter saying, “So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” He was responding to Thunberg being named Time’s 2019 Person of the Year. So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! https://t.co/M8ZtS8okzE — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2019…

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Last Friday, Tom Joyner signed off for the last time. What We Know: The renowned host of the “Tom Joyner Morning Show” is retiring after 25 years in radio. Joyner made history when he became an anchor on the first syndicated morning show with music in 1994. Joyner has had a successful career that garnered millions of listeners over the years. In addition to his accomplishments in radio, he has contributed to many social causes using his platform. In 1998, he founded the Tom Joyner Foundation to “support historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with scholarships, endowments and capacity-building enhancements”.…

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Video footage of 16-year-old Karol Sanchez being abducted on the street in the Bronx was staged. What We Know: A statewide Amber Alert was placed on the teenager after the alleged abduction. Just 12 hours after she was taken, Sanchez resurfaced unharmed near the same intersection where the kidnapping took place. Surveillance video shows the moment 16-year-old Karol Sanchez was grabbed and pulled into a beige sedan by a group of men, police say. Full story: https://t.co/a8rCvkI989 pic.twitter.com/wMERBDvveK — PIX11 News (@PIX11News) December 17, 2019 Tommy Feliciano, an eyewitness, told CBS New York that he spotted Sanchez on the street.…

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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is receiving major backlash for donating $2.5 million to the Sons of Confederate Veterans. What We Know: The SCV is dedicated to “remembering the bravery, defending the honor and protecting the memory of our beloved Confederate Veterans, which includes their memorials, images, symbols, monuments and gravesites for ourselves and future generations”. The group opposed the removal of the Silent Sam statue, a confederate monument, from the Chapel Hill campus. Raleigh’s News & Observer reported that the UNC System and its Board of Governors agreed to allow the SCV to take possession of…

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Scott Hammerstedt and Amanda Regnier of the University of Oklahoma have found evidence of a potential mass grave from the 1921 race riot in Tusla. What We Know: The researchers conducted an archeological survey in different areas of the city including Oaklawn Cemetery, The Canes, and Newblock Park. The Canes and sections of Oaklawn Cemetery showed signs of being a mass burial site. The 1921 race riot in Tulsa resulted in hundreds of casualties. It is believed that thousands of white Tulsans participated in the burning, looting, and murder of black Greenwood residents. 35 city blocks were burned, 300 were…

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