University of Florida axes diversity and inclusion office under GOP-led law aimed at ridding similar programs
The University of Florida is eliminating its chief diversity officer position, scrapping the programโs staff jobs and halting any contracts involving the subject because of a new law passed last year that was pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Memphis judge postpones state trial in Tyre Nichols death until end of federal trial
A judge has indefinitely postponed the state court trial of four former Memphis officers charged with second-degree murder in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols until after the conclusion of a federal court trial on civil rights violations.
In a rural California region, a plan takes shape to provide shade from dangerous heat
Elected officials, community leaders and farmworkers on Saturday launched a project to significantly increase the amount of shade in unincorporated areas in the Eastern Coachella Valley, a major agricultural area in southern California where temperatures routinely top 100 degrees in the summer.
Man charged with attacking police in Times Square, vilified in Trump ad, was misidentified, DA says
A Venezuelan man who became the subject of national attention for allegedly kicking a police officer in Times Square, then flipping off news cameras on his way out of court, was cleared of wrongdoing on Friday.
Paramedic gets 5 years in prison for Elijah McClainโs death in rare case against medical responders
A Colorado paramedic was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man whose name became part of the rallying cries for social justice that swept the U.S. in 2020.
Arizona's new voting laws that require proof of citizenship are not discriminatory, a US judge rules
A U.S. district judge has ruled Arizona legislators did not discriminate when they adopted laws requiring counties to verify the status of registered voters who havenโt provided proof of U.S. citizenship.
Man gets life in prison after pleading guilty in the sexual assaults of 4 women in their Texas homes
A man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in the attacks of four women who were sexually assaulted in their homes throughout the Dallas area, including three women who were alumnae of the same national Black sorority.
At conservative gala, Trump remarks show challenges in GOP Black voter outreach
A gala thrown by the Black Conservative Federation over the weekend drew condemnation from Democrats after its guest of honor, Donald Trump, addressed the largely Black audience with remarks that played to racial stereotypes about the criminalization of African Americans.
Chiefs parade shooting could be a new test of expanded 'stand your ground' protections
Court documents say the man accused of firing the first shots at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him.
UK Conservatives suspend a lawmaker after he accused London's mayor of being controlled by Islamists
The U.K.โs governing Conservative Party has suspended ties with one if its lawmakers after he accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war roil British politics.
Native American tribes gain new authority to stop unwanted hydropower projects
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected several proposed hydropower projects on the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. The commission has also created a policy that essentially gives tribes early veto power over such projects.
Trial to determine if Texas schoolโs punishment of a Black student over his hair violates new law
A judge has ruled that a Black high school studentโs monthslong punishment by his Texas school district for refusing to change his hairstyle does not violate a new state law prohibiting race-based hair discrimination.
Seattle police officer who struck and killed graduate student from India won't face felony charges
Prosecutors in Washington state said Wednesday they will not file felony charges against a Seattle police officer who struck and killed a graduate student from India while responding to an overdose call.
Attorneys for Georgia slave descendants urge judge not to throw out their lawsuit over island zoning
A lawsuit by Black descendants of slaves that challenges zoning changes affecting their island homes is before a Georgia judge, who must decide whether to allow lawyers to amend the civil complaint to avoid having it dismissed.
Fani Willis' testimony evokes long-standing frustrations for Black women leaders
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willisโ testimony about her relationship with a special prosecutor in Georgiaโs election interference case against former President Donald Trump was a familiar scene for many Black women.
Democrats and Republicans hold Black History Month celebrations with an eye on November's election
Black History Month was celebrated in the nation's capital with dueling events on Tuesday highlighting the divide between Democratsโ and Republicans' approaches to courting Black voters in the 2024 presidential election.
Dexter Scott King remembered during memorial as keeper of his father Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream
Dexter Scott King, the late son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has been memorialized as the protector of his familyโs legacy and the keeper of the dream during a service in Atlanta.
Finding meaning in George Floydโs death through protest art left at his murder site
For months after George Floyd was killed by police in May 2020, people from around the world traveled to the site of his murder in Minneapolis and left signs, paintings and poems to memorialize the man whose death reignited a movement against systemic racism.
New Mexico legislators seek endowment to bolster autonomous tribal education programs
New Mexico legislators want to create a unique educational endowment of at least $50 million to help Native American communities create their own student programs, including efforts to teach and preserve Indigenous languages.
Minneapolis settles lawsuit alleging journalists were harassed, hurt covering Floyd protests
The city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that journalists were subjected to police harassment and even hurt while covering protests over the police killings of George Floyd.
Stabbing of Palestinian American near the University of Texas meets hate crime standard, police say
Austin police say the stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American who advocates say was attacked near the University of Texas campus while riding in a car displaying support for Palestine merits the label of a hate crime.
Jussie Smollett asks Illinois high court to hear appeal of convictions for lying about hate crime
Actor Jussie Smollett has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to intervene in his yearslong legal battle stemming from charges that he staged a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied about it to Chicago police.
Brawl between migrants and police in New York's Times Square touches off backlash
A video showing a group of migrants brawling with police in Times Square has touched off a political furor and renewed debate over a long-standing New York City policy that limits cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.
Justice Department proposes major changes to address disparities in state crime victim funds
The Justice Department has proposed changes to rules governing state-run programs that provide financial assistance to violent crime victims in order to address racial disparities and curb the number of subjective denials of compensation.
Family of Black girls handcuffed by Colorado police, held at gunpoint reach $1.9 million settlement
A Black woman and a group of four young girls who were wrongfully forced out of their car, held at gunpoint and handcuffed by police in suburban Denver in 2020 have reached a $1.9 million legal settlement.
A woman stole a memory card from a truck. The gruesome footage is now key to an Alaska murder trial
The double murder trial of a man accused of killing two Alaska Native women is set to begin more than four years after a woman turned in a stolen digital memory card that authorities say contained gruesome recordings of one of the killings.
Prosecutors detail possible expert witnesses in federal case against officers in Tyre Nichols death
Court documents show that Memphis Police Department trainers are prepared to testify in the federal civil rights case against four former Memphis police officers in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols that the officers used force inconsistent with their training and failed to prevent their colleagues from hurting him.