A ‘Curative’ Gene Therapy Changed Rickey’s Life. Here’s What That Word Actually Means.
The call came the day before Thanksgiving. A nurse told Dr. Lametra Scott, a pharmacist, that her newborn didn’t have sickle cell disease. He had only the trait, the same as her and her husband. It was welcome news, and for about three months, it held. Then a caseworker from the health department called with […]
The Vanport, Oregon Flood That Erased a City of 40,000
The Vanport, Oregon flood destroyed a city of more than 40,000 people in a single afternoon on May 30, 1948, and most people today have never heard of it. Walk the ground now and you’ll find a public golf course in North Portland — quiet, unremarkable. Eighty years ago that ground held the largest wartime […]
Race for a Kidney: Pastor Steven Mills’ Fight to Survive
Pastor Steven Mills has already survived two cancers. The treatments that saved his life left him in complete kidney failure, and now he’s racing to find a living donor before time runs out. His fight also points to a wider problem: kidney transplant wait times for Black patients are longer than for white patients, often […]
Survival Isn’t Healing: Marsha Evans on Taking the Cape Off
Black women are taught to wear a cape — to push through the stress, hold the family together, and keep going no matter what. But survival isn’t healing, and Marsha Evans has spent years watching that cape get mistaken for strength, until the body forces a different conversation. She’s a licensed professional counselor, sound healing […]
Living With Sickle Cell: Kalynne Wilson’s Story
Living With Sickle Cell: What Kalynne Wilson Wants You to Understand One in 365 Black births in the United States comes with a sickle cell diagnosis. According to the CDC, sickle cell disease affects an estimated 100,000 Americans, and more than 90 percent are Black — yet most people who don’t have the disease couldn’t […]
Jerry Pinkney’s Granddaughter Shares Life in His Studio
Jerry Pinkney’s granddaughter grew up inside his art studio — and for years, I had his books on my shelf without even knowing his name. Jerry Pinkney illustrated more than 100 children’s books over nearly six decades. He was the first solo Black illustrator to win the Caldecott Medal, the highest honor in children’s book […]
HeirSound Photo: Preserve Family Voices for Under $40
What Is a HeirSound Photo — and Why Does It Matter? An HeirSound Photo is a printed photograph with one powerful addition — a small audio QR code that plays the voice of the people in the image when scanned. I built my first one for under $40 using Canva and Google Drive. No subscription. […]
Cataract House Underground Railroad — Freedom’s Secret Hotel
Why Journalism Could Not Tell the Cataract House Underground Railroad Story By Esther Dillard | ERASED: The Untold American Story This piece explores the fascinating history of the Cataract House Underground Railroad. The Sound of the Falls The Cataract House Underground Railroad is a remarkable untold story in American history. I grew up thirty minutes […]
MLK III Interview: People, Legacy and Perfect Timing
I quietly prepared for this MLK III interview but much of it took me by surprise. Some conversations you prepare for, some you pray over. And some — if you are honest — you walk into with a quiet mix of excitement and terror that no amount of experience ever fully takes away. My conversation […]
NJ Black History Law: 5 Things Every Educator Needs to Know
In 2002, New Jersey passed an NJ Black history law that most Americans — including many New Jersey educators — have never heard of. It made the history and contributions of Africans and African Americans mandatory across every subject, every grade level, all year long. Not just in February. All of it. Dr. Patrick J. […]
What Did Your Father Teach You?
Why Documenting Family Stories Cannot Wait A few weeks ago I took a photo holding my mother’s picture. It was for a special my news team was producing — a reflection on the women of the Black Information Network and what Black Motherhood means to us. It was a professional assignment. But sitting there holding […]