Jordan Chiles’ inspiring mental comeback, Defending Doechii, Five years after Breonna Taylor's death
Plus, Black women are on the ballot for NYC mayor and Virginia governor, a community protects a Baltimore bookstore owner from harassment, gymnast Brie Clark makes history with the Biles I, and more.
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The Rundown
Jordan Chiles’ Hard-Won Comeback & Brie Clark Makes History With Simone Biles’ Iconic Move
Jordan Chiles has been through it all: Olympic heartbreak, relentless criticism, self-doubt, and the weight of expectations. Amid her ongoing battle to reclaim the bronze medal stripped from her at the Paris Olympics, the 23-year-old sank into a deep, private depression, she revealed in a recent Athletic profile. But she’s found her rhythm again, leading the UCLA Bruins to a championship (her viral Prince medley floor routine received a perfect 10). “I am still that girl and will forever be that girl. Period.” TIME Magazine agrees, having dubbed the 23-year-old one of their “Women of the Year.”
Fellow flipper Brie Clark has made history in her own right, becoming the first college gymnast to land the Biles I, a feat that earned the direct stamp of approval from Simone Biles herself. “I KNOW THAT’S RIGHT,” Biles wrote on Instagram, hyping up Clark’s record-breaking performance. “& closing out black history month! YES MA’AM”
Black Women on the Ballot
In New York, New York City Council speaker Adrienne Adams is making history with her mayoral bid, aiming to become the first woman to lead the country’s largest city. Though she only has $200,000 in her campaign account—far behind her opponents—the city’s attorney general, Letitia James, and other prominent leaders have already thrown their support behind Adams, signaling a powerful base of allies. Meanwhile, over in Virginia, as Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears sets her sights on the governor’s seat, she faces a Republican primary dominated by Trump’s MAGA faction and a general election where she’ll need to court moderate and independent voters wary of his influence. With Washington politics already rippling through Northern Virginia, the Jamaican immigrant and Marine veteran is confident that her particular brand of conservative leadership can defy the odds.
Five Years After Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor’s name became a global rallying cry for justice in 2020, after police killed the 26-year-old EMT in her home during a botched “no-knock” raid. Five years later, Taylor’s family and activists in Louisville, Kentucky are still demanding more. Metro Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright is leading a renewed push for The People’s Consent Decree, calling for accountability and transparency from the Louisville Metro Police Department. “If you’re working on those things, great,” Parrish-Wright said, according to ESSENCE. “Give us an update on what you’re working on and what you’ve done.” Because for many, justice for Breonna Taylor remains unfinished business.
Patrice’s Pick
Tia Hamilton’s story grabbed my attention this week—not just because of what she endured, but because of how her community responded. A Brooklyn native who put down roots in Baltimore, Hamilton founded Urban Reads Bookstore in 2019 as a space of empowerment, offering literature, resources, and a hub for advocacy. But recently, both Urban Reads and her magazine, State vs. Us, which amplifies stories of the wrongly convicted and formerly incarcerated, became targets of an online racist harassment campaign. “It’s like they had a Klan rally just for me,” she told The Baltimore Banner. “The gates of hell opened up.”
The attacks started online, flooding her social media with vile racist cartoons, slurs, and threats, including calls to destroy the store. Then came an unsettling in-person moment: three masked white men on dirt bikes circling past her store. Instead of retreating, Hamilton took her fight public, calling on her community—especially men—to show up. And they did. Members of the local grassroots group Tendea Family, known for their work in self-defense and conflict resolution, stepped in, alongside other neighbors and supporters. “You know how they say, ‘Protect Black women?’ That’s real for me,” Hamilton said. “This just shows me I’m not alone.”
Her fight isn’t an anomaly, but part of a pattern. Just look at Miracle Boyd, the activist whose TRiiBE story appears in this week’s “Under the Radar” section (below). A day after securing a settlement for being assaulted by a Chicago police officer in 2020, Boyd received a racist death threat. The letter’s opening line? “Miracle Boyd deserves to be knocked unconscious and be hanged from a tree.” These incidents aren’t happening in a vacuum. As the current administration continues to gut DEI initiatives and other constitutional protections—as seen with the detainment of activist Mahmoud Khalil, Black women are left with even fewer protections against systemic and individual acts of racial violence.
And yet, Hamilton’s story stands as proof of what’s possible when support isn’t just theoretical but tangible. The strong Black woman narrative has conditioned so many of us to endure alone, but she rejected that, publicly calling for help. The response she received is a model for how communities should rally for Black women: on our terms, without co-opting or diluting our fight.
Cultural Reset
Shutting Down Doechii Industry Plant Accusations
Doechii’s meteoric rise has been met with accusations that her success was manufactured, but as Carly Lewis-Oduntan notes for Unbothered, the term has lost all meaning in the age of social media. “Are people so affronted that she’s been able to thrive so freely in spite of her individuality, which in another lifetime could have easily worked against her?” Lewis-Oduntan asks. Doechii’s talent, boundary-pushing artistry, and refusal to conform have made her a target, but also an undeniable force.
Meghan Markle and the Question of Relatability
While some critics have slammed Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle show “Love, Meghan” as out of touch (some, even before it even aired), Black women have countered with their own show of support in op-eds at ESSENCE, Unbothered, and beyond. In response to criticism of the Duchess’ Le Creuset cookware, many posted their own collections online, questioning why Martha Stewart and Ina Garten aren’t subjected to the same scrutiny. “Why is anyone surprised or disturbed that she would have beautiful color-coordinated cookware?” MSNBC’s Michele Norris asked, as reported by Today.
Natasha Rothwell, Naomi Ackie, and the Fight for Unconventional Roles
Scene-stealers Natasha Rothwell and Naomi Ackie are expanding the kinds of roles Black women get to play. Rothwell’s return to “The White Lotus” comes with mixed emotions, as her own series, “How to Die Alone,” was recently canceled after one season. “What do I have to do to be worthy of airtime?” she asks in her Vulture profile.
Meanwhile, Ackie gets to embrace the weird and “unhinged” in “Mickey 17,” a sci-fi film where her character, Nasha, is a security agent with a wild streak (“Parasite” filmmaker Bong Joon Ho reportedly sought out the actress directly). “I love pieces of work that feel complicated,” she says in an interview, celebrating the rare opportunity to be a love interest who isn’t just kick-ass, but unpredictable, flawed, and deeply human.
Power Moves
Black Women Mobilize on Capitol Hill to Defend Democracy
The Grio reports on a coalition of Black women activists and leaders that gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to challenge Trump’s MAGA agenda and call out policies that disproportionately harm Black communities. Joined by “Sister Senators” Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks, they made it clear: they won’t stand by as voting rights, education, and healthcare are rolled back.
Angel Reese Speaks Out on Potential WNBA Strike
WNBA players are considering a strike if their demands for better pay and benefits remain unmet, Angel Reese revealed on her Unapologetically Angel podcast. Joined by fellow WNBA player and union rep Dijonai Carrington, she discussed how many players struggle financially despite their contributions to the league. As Blavity reports, the WNBPA has pushed for higher salaries, expanded health benefits, and long-term investments, emphasizing that the current business model undervalues them.
Building Black Futures in the Face of DEI Rollbacks
As corporate DEI initiatives disappear, Black leaders like Krishan Trotman, Dr. Lia Knox, and Rachel Noerdlinger are proving that Black ownership is the real path forward. From publishing to mental health advocacy, they’re investing in their communities and pioneering their futures on self-determined paths, Brea Baker writes.
Under the Radar
Miracle Boyd Faces Death Threat After Settlement Win
A day after securing a $280,000 settlement for being assaulted at 18 by a Chicago police officer in 2020, activist Miracle Boyd received a racist death threat at her organization’s headquarters, TRiiBE Chicago reports. The first line of the letter read, “Miracle Boyd deserves to be knocked unconscious and be hanged from a tree.” Boyd, who is expecting her first child, says she’s being targeted for her advocacy of victims and survivors of police violence through GoodKids MadCity.
YouTuber Alysha Burney Dies During Birthday Trip
Social media personality Alysha Burney tragically passed away while celebrating her 25th birthday with in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She suffered a fatal asthma attack in her sleep, according to her brother Charles Burney, who was also on the trip. Known for her viral Bad Girls Club parodies, Alysha built a massive following with 2.5 million TikTok fans and 1.27 million YouTube subscribers.
Pauli Murray’s Legacy Scrubbed from National Park Service Website
The National Park Service is under fire for allegedly erasing references to the LGBTQ+ identity of Rev. Pauli Murray—the first black female Episcopal Church priest—from its website. The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice condemned the move, stating that the federal government “disabled” at least one webpage and altered language acknowledging Murray’s queer and transgender identities.
A Hidden Skin Disease That Disproportionately Affects Black Women
Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS), an autoimmune skin disease, is often misdiagnosed—especially in Black women, a group at higher risk—leading to severe complications, Fox5 Atlanta reports. The painful condition, which causes boil-like lumps and abscesses, is frequently mistaken for infections or STDs, delaying crucial treatment. Dermatologists warn that without proper care, HS can lead to permanent scarring and, in rare cases, skin cancer.
Black Women’s Forgotten Fight for Fair Wages During the Great Depression
In the 1930s, various groups of Black women workers throughout Memphis risked everything to demand fair wages, striking without support from labor unions, which that prioritized skilled trades and overlooked their jobs. Nut shellers at the Memphis Pecan and Walnut Company, for instance, walked off the job to protest exploitative wages paid on a piecework (per nut shelled) basis rather than hourly, MLK 50 recalled. Largely unrecognized in history books, their life-risking resistance helped spark broader labor movements across the city.
Taylour Paige Opens Up About Her Battle With “Violent” Endometriosis
Actress Taylour Paige shared an intimate look at her struggles with endometriosis, a condition that left her in debilitating pain for years. In a candid Instagram post reported by The Grio, she revealed she underwent a four-hour surgery in 2023 on her colon, bladder, and rectum, reflecting on the toll the disease took on her body and mental health. "The worst is how much you gaslight yourself," she wrote. "It’s almost like there’s no way you’re hurting this much."
Missing Persons
Please visit Black and Missing Foundation on Instagram and their website to view more flyers. Email newsletters have a character limit, so we cannot include them all and there are, unfortunately, far too many missing Black girls and women.
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Camp Lucky Girl 2025
Hosted by Lucky Girl Rose founder Akilah Releford-Gould at her family’s Bloom Ranch in Acton, this year’s retreat blends brand-building, relationship insights, and industry connections, all over great rosé. (I recently featured Akilah in an ESSENCE essay on Black women in home and lifestyle.)
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Studio Symoné Residency at Sip & Sonder
Beauty media platform Studio Symoné, founded by journalist and artist Darian Symoné Harvin, teams up with Black women-owned coffee house Sip & Sonder in L.A. for a multidisciplinary residency. Expect co-working sessions, DJ sets, and exclusive Studio Symoné beauty newspapers. Oh, and try the Symoné Sip!