Author: Dorcas Onasa

The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, once again became a gathering point for voting rights advocates on May 16, 2026, more than six decades after the marches that helped secure those protections for Black Americans. Activists and organizers returned to the bridge to push back against redistricting efforts led by Republican controlled state legislatures across the South. The demonstration, organized under the banner All Roads Lead to the South, responds directly to the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 2026 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. Essence reported that the decision threatens majority Black voting districts throughout the region by weakening protections…

Father’s Day can stir up more than celebration for many people. While some mark the day with joy, honoring the fathers who shaped their lives, others carry grief, longing or unresolved pain tied to the holiday. For some in the Black community, that grief is compounded by the reality that Black men in the U.S. tend to have shorter life expectancies than other groups, making the time spent with fathers feel painfully brief. Others mourn an idealized version of fatherhood they never experienced, the kind once portrayed in television sitcoms. This year also arrives after a string of high profile…

For more than five decades, New York Knicks fans have waited through heartbreak, near misses and years of rebuilding for a moment just like this one. That wait finally came to an end. The Knicks claimed their first NBA championship since 1973, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Frost Bank Center in Texas, and the man who carried them there point guard Jalen Brunson could barely hold himself together as the final buzzer sounded and the reality of what had just happened began to sink in. Brunson, 29, was visibly overcome…

The football world is mourning the loss of former NFL standout Aldon Smith, whose remarkable talent on the field was matched by years of personal struggles away from the game. The San Francisco 49ers announced Saturday that Smith had died at the age of 36. The organization did not disclose a cause of death. Smith burst onto the NFL scene as one of the league’s most feared pass rushers after being selected by the 49ers with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Over his first two seasons, he put together numbers unlike any player before him, earning…

In June 2026, Boston announced it would commit $1 million annually to confront a problem that rarely shows up on a map but plays out in everyday life. At the city’s first Black Men’s Health Activation Summit, officials revealed that Black men in Boston live roughly nine years less, on average, than every other group in the city, according to WGBH. Boston is far from alone. Across the country, Black life expectancy continues to trail most other racial and ethnic groups, and the reasons behind that gap are complex, layered and largely tied to conditions far beyond individual control. How…

Shannon Hart, the wife of New York Knicks guard Josh Hart, has developed an unusual coping mechanism for one of the most stressful moments of any basketball game. Ahead of Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Saturday, June 13, against the San Antonio Spurs, she opened up about the habit that has become part of her game day routine. The ritual began at Villanova Shannon’s superstition traces back to her husband’s college days at Villanova. At the time, she would do small hand gestures, often called spirit fingers, whenever Josh stepped to the free throw line. The habit…

A new scientific review is adding to growing evidence that even modest alcohol consumption may come with health risks, particularly when it comes to cancer. Researchers analyzed hundreds of studies spanning six decades and found that drinking alcohol was associated with a higher risk of all 10 cancer types examined in the review. The findings suggest that even people who consume less than one alcoholic drink per day may face an increased likelihood of developing certain cancers. The large scale review, led by researchers at the University of Washington, evaluated the relationship between alcohol use and 20 major health outcomes.…

Maurice White built one of the most celebrated catalogs in American music history. But behind the horn arrangements, the spiritual lyrics and the relentless optimism that defined Earth, Wind & Fire, there was a man quietly carrying wounds that never fully healed. A new HBO documentary from Questlove the Grammy winning drummer, filmmaker and cultural chronicler sets out to tell that fuller story, and what it uncovers is as moving as anything the band ever recorded. The documentary, titled Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World), premiered at the Tribeca Festival before its…

Apple TV+ could make entertainment industry history this weekend as the streaming platform heads into the Tony Awards with a chance to complete one of the most coveted achievements in show business. If the Broadway adaptation of Schmigadoon! secures a victory during the 2026 Tony Awards ceremony, Apple TV+ would earn the final piece needed for an EGOT, joining a select group of entertainment entities recognized across television, film, music and theater. The accomplishment would be particularly notable because it would make Apple TV+ the fastest streaming service to achieve the milestone. The musical enters the ceremony with 12 Tony…

Gabrielle Union is expanding her presence behind and in front of the camera with a new television project in development at HBO Max. The actress and producer is attached as an executive producer on Debbie and is also in discussions to take on the lead role in the upcoming legal drama. The series is being developed as a character driven procedural that explores redemption, justice and personal reinvention through the story of a once-prominent attorney whose life is turned upside down. A fallen legal star seeks a second chance At the center of the drama is Debbie Powell, a high…