Raphael Warnock wins election to become Georgia’s first Black senator
As the New York Times eloquently pointed out, the election in Georgia “was also a rare chance for one Senate barrier breaker to pass the torch to another.”
Racial justice
This archive tracks real progress on racial justice — from landmark court rulings and policy reforms to community-led initiatives that expand rights and opportunity. Stories here document what’s working, where, and how, drawing on reporting from the U.S. and around the world.
MLB retrospectively elevates Negro Leagues to major league status
The move grants recognition to some of baseball’s pioneers from 1920 to 1948 and immediately rewrites the game’s record books.
New Jersey passes bill to protect poor communities from pollution
The New Jersey Law will require the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to deny permit applications for a new project if it determines it will have a disproportionate impact on a certain community already facing environmental or health stressors.
Dictionary.com implements 15,000 changes to minimize prejudiced language
Dictionary.com is making major changes to more than 15,000 of its definitions, from capitalising Black to updating entries about sexual orientation, aiming to foreground people over “clinical language”.
A merger creates the world’s first Black-owned bank with more than $1 billion in assets
The first Black-owned bank to reach $1 billion in assets has been created, due to the merger of City First Bank of D.C. in Washington and Los Angeles-based Broadway Federal Bank. The newly created lender will focus on housing, small businesses, and nonprofits.
NBA, WNBA, and MLB games called off as players boycott in response to police shooting of Jacob Blake
All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice.
Record number of women of color running for U.S. Congress in 2020
At least 266 Black, Latinx, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern and North African women are running for the House and Senate, shattering 2018’s numbers.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signs sweeping police reform bill
The law institutes a new statewide watchdog for police misconduct, bans “chokeholds” in most instances and puts limits on the ability of police departments to withhold officers’ disciplinary records. It also allows individual officers to be held financially liable in civil suits over their actions.
Senate passes veto-proof bill that removes Confederate names from Army bases
President Donald Trump has threatened to veto a version that renames the military bases, but that looks less likely after the Senate passed its version 86 to 14, well above the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Pentagon issues de facto ban on Confederate flag at U.S. military bases
Defense Secretary Mark Esper has issued a policy ushering in a de facto ban on displaying the Confederate flag at U.S. military installations around the world by authorizing only certain flags that promote unity.