by Daniel Johnson

January 19, 2025

President Biden Visits Charleston’s Royal Missionary Baptist Church On Final Trip

Biden delivered his remarks at the service at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

On Jan. 19, President Joe Biden attended services at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, as part of his last presidential trip before ceding the office to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

According to The Hill, Biden delivered remarks at the service in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day before he and first lady Jill Biden went to the International African American Museum, where he spoke and met people who attended an event in honor of King.

Biden chose to visit South Carolina because the state played a pivotal role in putting him in the White House during the 2020 election, following South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s endorsement, which helped breathe new life into his campaign.

In January 2024, Biden visited Mother Emmanuel AME, the site of a violent massacre by white supremacist Dylann Roof in 2015, and acknowledged that it was the hard work of the Black community nationally and in South Carolina that won him the presidency.

Like much of the latter half of his presidency, criticism of his handling of the ongoing genocide in Palestine lingered over that appearance, and his speech was interrupted by pro-Palestine protestors.

According to WCSC, Biden recalled his appearance at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church during his 2020 campaign.

“I prayed with you here in February of 2020 when I was running for president,” Biden told the crowd. “My final full day as president, of all the places I wanted to be, was back here with you.”

He also thanked the crowd, presumably a stand-in for South Carolina’s Black community at large, saying, “I owe you big. You’re the guys that brought me to the dance. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Biden also told the congregation that whenever he spends time in a Black church, he thinks about “hope,” tying his remarks to the crucifixion of Christ, who in the Black Baptist tradition arose on a Sunday morning.

“We know the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing,” Biden said. “But faith teaches us the America of our dreams is always closer than we think. That is the faith we must hold onto for the Saturdays to come. We must hold the hope. We must stay engaged. We must always keep the faith in a better day to come.”

Rep. Clyburn, a key Biden surrogate, introduced President Biden and remarked that although Biden is underappreciated (his approval rating in January is 40%), history will be kind to him.

“So I want to say to you, good friend, very little appreciation has been shown recently but feint [sic] not. History will be very proud of you,” Rep. Clyburn said.

He also echoed this sentiment ahead of Biden’s appearance, telling WCSC, “On substance, there’s no president since Lyndon Johnson that’s produced what Joe Biden has. Stylistically, he doesn’t fit the time within which we live. He’s not the soundbite guy. He is much more the substance guy.”

by Daniel Johnson

January 19, 2025

Dawn Staley Secures Record $25M Deal, Becoming Highest-Paid Women’s Basketball Coach

Staley's base salary sits at $4 million per year.

“Louis Vuitton” Dawn got a brand new bag on Jan. 17 when the University of South Carolina pulled the trigger to give the basketball coach a contract extension to keep her in Columbia through the 2029-2030 season.

According to The Athletic, Staley’s base salary sits at $4 million per year. After allowing for her signing bonus, annual increases, and other performance bonuses, the total contract value is over $25 million.

Per a report from WISTV, Staley received a $500,000 signing bonus and an annual performance escalator of $250,000.

This payment structure sweetens the pot for her, while the NCAA’s recent approval of payments to women’s programs that reach the Women’s Final Four will be a boon to the university. Barring an upset, this South Carolina team should reach the Final Four and be a No.1 seed in the tournament.

While this is a lucrative contract by women’s basketball standards, Staley’s new deal lags far behind the salaries of men’s basketball coaches and even the head football coach at her university, Shane Beamer, who made $6.4 million during the 2024 season.

This contract extension went much smoother than her last negotiation, partly because the university’s new athletic director, Jeremiah Donatti, values what Staley and the Gamecocks have contributed to the university’s portfolio.

In a statement responding to her extension, Staley, the three-time national champion, was grateful to the university for recognizing her value.

“I’m proud to represent the University of South Carolina and of its investment in women’s basketball,” Staley told The Athletic. “What we’ve been able to accomplish on the court is a testament to what can happen when you bring together the right people from a team perspective but also have the right commitment from the university, the athletics department and the community to providing that team with everything it needs to be successful.”

Staley continued, “I appreciate every person who has been part of our journey -– player, staff member, University President and leadership, Board of Trustee member, athletics director, athletics department employee and fan. I look forward to continuing to be an example of how an investment in women’s basketball is one that will pay off for everyone.”

In a statement, Donatti made it clear why he was giving Staley a market resetting extension.

“Dawn Staley is a once-in-a-generation coach who has made a tremendous impact on the University of South Carolina,” Donati told The Athletic. “She has elevated the sport of women’s basketball on the national level and here on campus and I am excited that she will be representing our University for many years to come.”

Staley’s last contract negotiation, during the 2020-2021 season, under the school’s previous AD, Ray Tanner, was marked by contention, including Staley halting her agent’s negotiations and hiring a lawyer to argue for equal pay with the university’s then-head men’s basketball coach, Frank Martin.

Staley was vocal about her displeasure with how the negotiation was handled, essentially telling The Athletic in 2022 that she believed she should have set the tone for the market during those negotiations.

“These three words always come up: fair market value,” Staley explained. “So, where’s the market for the type of coach I am? Where is it? How can it be fair market value? I’m a Black coach, I’m a woman, I’m pretty successful. We built our program. We’re entrenched in the community. We’ve got something special here. Like, who are you comparing me to? Who’s my comp? So, I’m just like, I don’t settle. I’m not going to settle. You’re not going to use those three words.”

Dave, Chappelle, Netflix, special, Charlie Kirk

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 19, 2025

Dave Chappelle Wishes Donald Trump ‘Good Luck’ In SNL Opening Monologue

Chappelle asked Trump to "do better" in his opening monologue.

Dave Chappelle tried appealing to incoming President Donald Trump during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.

Chappelle hosted the show’s Jan. 18 episode ahead of Trump’s inauguration. The controversial comedian initially expressed his hesitation to host SNL during this time. However, he changed his mind upon realizing he could use the platform to urge the President for decency in his second term.

During the monologue, the comedian emphasized that all eyes are on Trump as he ascends to the presidency. However, before he spoke directly to and about Trump, Chappelle mentioned another President and how his actions inspired him.

Chappelle spoke on the late President Jimmy Carter and how he traveled to Palestine to see its people despite security concerns.

“And man, Jimmy Carter went anyway. I will never forget the images of a former American president walking with little to no security while thousands of Palestinians were cheering him on,” said Chappelle. “And when I saw that picture, it brought tears to my eyes. I said, ‘I don’t know if that’s a good president, but that right there, I am sure, is a great man.’”

He related the story to Trump, stating that “the presidency is no place for petty people.”

Chappelle shared that regardless of which voters supported Trump in the election, they are all his citizens now. Chappelle pleaded with the President to do right by his country.

“[Whether people] voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you. Whether they like you or not, they’re all counting on you. The whole world is counting on you,” expressed Chappelle. “I mean it when I say this: Good luck. Please, do better next time. Please, all of us, do better next time.”

He added, “Do not forget your humanity and please have empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine.”

Chappelle also spoke on other high-profile controversies, including poking fun at Diddy’s legal issues and infamous parties, per Variety. SNL proceeded with GloRilla as a musical guest. However, the impactful monologue remained a highlight of the episode.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Trump, ballroom, DC Hillbillies

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 19, 2025

The List Of Democratic Figures Ditching Trump Inauguration Continues To Grow

Most notably, former first lady Michelle Obama has announced that she will not be in attendance.

Ahead of Trump’s ascension to the presidency for his second term, these public figures have declared that they are formally ditching the inauguration.

Trump will officially assume office during his inauguration on Jan. 20, with the event taking place on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Typically, most political figures in the country and beyond attend a presidential inauguration, including past presidents and their first ladies. However, some Democratic figures have decided to forego tradition by hitting decline on their RSVP.

Most notably, former first lady Michelle Obama has announced that she will not be in attendance. Mrs. Obama’s office confirmed the news on Jan. 14. However, they declined to share a reason for her impending absence.

“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” said a statement issued by the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama.

According to People, the former first lady refused to fake her feelings toward Trump. A source says she remains unwilling to engage with him regardless of protocol.

“There’s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” the source says. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”

Furthermore, Obama missed out on late President Jimmy Carter’s funeral due to a reported scheduling conflict. On the other hand, her husband was present at the service, sitting right next to President-elect Trump. The two engaged in what many presumed to be a friendly conversation, leading Trump to comment that they appeared to like one another.

Obama will also attend the inauguration with other former heads of state. However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also decided to opt out of the event. Pelosi’s move remains unsurprising given her tension with Trump, who called her a “crooked person” during his campaign last year.

Several congressional members, including Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Ilhan Omar, and Steve Cohen, will join her. Rep. Cohen cited Trump’s intentions to pardon some Jan. 6 prisoners at the inauguration as the reason for skipping out.

“[Trump] has said he is going to pardon some of the January 6 prisoners at his inauguration, and as one who was in the gallery and then locked in my office in the early morning as the insurrectionists tried to overthrow our government and beat police, some to the point of death, I cannot be a part of that spectacle,” Cohen told Axios.

While these U.S. politicians will miss the occasion, President Biden will attend. This move sharply differs from Trump’s decision not to attend Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 19, 2025

As TikTok Goes Dark, Black Creators Are Flocking To New App

Black Note, a community of Black creators, has already found traction on the Rednote app

As the TikTok blackout finally comes true, creators are already on the prowl for a new social media app to take its throne.

According to Forbes, the ban finally went into effect in the late hours of Jan. 18, stripping users of their scrolling hours before the next-day deadline. The app began warning its massive U.S. base, comprised of 170 million, of its impending shutdown. That evening, upon opening the app, users faced a message from its owners restricting its operations.

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S,” explained the app. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

The message also stated that they are “fortunate” for Donald Trump. They say he will work on a solution to restore its operations.

They added, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”

Trump will officially begin his second term on his Jan. 20 inauguration. Ahead of the event, which takes place on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the newly-elected GOP leader has hinted at granting the app a 90-day extension to sell to a U.S.-based owner while revealing that the announcement would probably come that Monday. He has not confirmed his action on the matter.

TikTok had become a beloved source of entertainment and income for many, with Black creators like Keith Lee and Tabitha Brown becoming household names and building brands through the app. Now, social media lovers have flocked to a new app to get their trending videos amid the ban.

Rednote, another Chinese social media app, features videos as its main source of posts. Unlike Instagram Reels, a video-based subset of Instagram, Rednote is deemed a better alternative to TikTok. The app, considered a blend of TikTok and Pinterest, allows users to find reviews and tips from travel to beauty. The only catch is that the app’s language is in Mandarin.

However, this is not stopping U.S. users from building their own spaces there, including Black creators. Black Note, a community of Black creators, has already found traction on the app.

Although TikTok’s pause may be resolved as Trump assumes office, users are finding their own way to stay connected and find internet fame.

by Daniel Johnson

January 19, 2025

MLK Day Falls On Inauguration Day, Some Set To Honor King With Community Service

There have been three times the two events aligned.

For only the third time since President Ronald Reagan declared Martin Luther King Day a federal holiday in 1983, the presidential inauguration and MLK Day will fall on the same day, the other two presidents were Bill Clinton (1997) and Barack Obama (2013).

According to NPR, Trump’s rhetoric has convinced many Black activists and some Democratic lawmakers to skip his inauguration to honor MLK Day in their own ways.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) told NPR that she would skip the inauguration in favor of something she felt was more in line with the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.

“I plan to spend the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in my district at community events that feed our collective soul and re-commit us to building a future rooted in love,” Rep. Pressley said.

In December, the daughter of the late Dr. King, Rev. Dr. Bernice King, warned people to pay attention to what President-elect Donald Trump would set out in his inauguration, even if they deeply disagreed with him and his political leanings.

“l certainly understand the desire to tune out rhetoric, ideology, and policies with which we passionately disagree and which contradict the spirit of the Beloved Community,” King wrote on Instagram. “However, we must pay attention to what President-Elect Trump speaks on that day, even if by transcript and video later.”

According to Reuters, King, the CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, recently called on Americans to honor her father’s work and fight for the America he believed could be possible.

“We [have] an opportunity to take seriously what my father has been saying to us as a nation — to hold strong to those ideals that he taught us,” King told the outlet. “Don’t forget that they showed us that it is possible to keep moving forward and fighting for freedom, justice, and democracy — cultivating it, protecting it, and advancing it.”

On social media, her brother, Martin Luther King III, exhorted Americans to follow his father’s example and serve others.

“MLK Day is a reminder to move from reflection to action,” King III wrote as he shared an article about the overlapping dates. “My father’s legacy was rooted in service and action. My mother envisioned a ‘day on,’ not off — an opportunity to serve and engage in building the Beloved Community.”

by Daniel Johnson

January 19, 2025

Maryland Black Caucus To Support Commission Studying Reparations

Maryland has not yet acknowledged or made amends for consequences of the systematic economic exploitation and mistreatment of Black people.

On Jan. 16, Maryland’s Legislative Black Caucus indicated that its members would support legislation creating a commission to study reparations. This announcement closely follows the start of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session.

According to Fox 45 News, Delegate Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County) said, “The commission will carefully examine and evaluate a range of reparations that will not only consider financial restitution but will also explore strategies to support and uplift vulnerable communities that continue to suffer the lingering and invasive effects of discriminatory practices rooted in systematic racism. We will confront our shared history to move closer to building a Maryland that truly lives up to its promise of fairness and equality.”

In 2024, a bill that would have established a reparations committee failed in the general assembly. The bill would have allowed Maryland to “develop and administer a program to provide compensatory benefits to the descendants of individuals enslaved in the state.”

Maryland, according to McCaskill’s comments at the press conference, has not undergone any major statewide attempts at either acknowledging or making amends for the consequences of the systematic economic exploitation and mistreatment of Black people due to the interlocking systems of slavery, Jim Crow, and other discriminatory practices.

According to ABC3340, the 2024 bill would have used an increase in marijuana’s taxation rate to fund the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, which is expressly designed to direct funds to low-income individuals and disproportionately impacted areas.

Sen. Jill Carter, who sponsored the bill at the time, said Maryland had just started looking into legalizing marijuana.

“We are just in the beginning stages of our process of legalizing marijuana and we have made some great strides, like when we created the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, which is designed to put money back into, to prioritize communities of color that have most been negatively impacted by the war on drugs that unfortunately was a war mainly on poor and Black people. What this bill would do would help to infuse that fund with more money, and it’s not too much of an ask, because in doing the research for this bill, I learned we use the lowest taxation rate of any state in the country that has legalized marijuana,” Sen. Carter said.

According to The Maryland Daily Record, the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus is pushing for the study of reparations because voters have indicated it is a top priority. Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins, the chair of the Caucus, said in a press conference that Black Marylanders have told them what they need to address.

“This is one of the issues that, when we go across the state, we do town halls, we do various events, that we hear from Black Marylanders and community members that they want to see repair of the harm and the impacts of enslavement in our state,” Wilkins said.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 19, 2025

Nelly Defends Inauguration Ball Performance: ‘I’m Clueless On A Lot Of Things’

He justified the move by saying he's not political by nature.

Nelly was recently announced as a performer during Trump’s inauguration festivities, drawing backlash from his diverse fanbase.

However, the “Hot In Herre” rapper shared his reason behind doing so. The father, who recently welcomed a son with singer Ashanti, went on Willie D Live to explain his choice. He justified his inauguration ball performance by saying he’s not political by nature.

“We tend to sometimes make a quick… response to something that on the surface may seem [effed] up because we don’t agree…” he began his defense. “I’m not political. I’m not out here trying to tell anyone who they should vote for. This is not a campaign trail.”

He then revealed that he’s “clueless” on many issues. Given this, he thinks everyone should “do their homework” before supporting any politician and doesn’t consider his performance an explicit endorsement of Trump.

“…I’m clueless on a lot of things when it gets down to it,” he shared. “So what I tend to say is, yo, do your homework and make your own decisions about it.”

However, Nelly emphasized that he does respect the office of the President.

“But what I will say about it is that I respect the office,” he noted. “This isn’t politics, the politics for me is over, he won. He’s the President; he’s the commander-in-chief. What I would like to say is that this is the best country in the world.”

Nelly began by detailing his background in St. Louis and how he comes from a military family. He then expanded on the sacrifices of servicemen and women who fought for the country no matter who took office. He also stated that he’s “honored” to perform for Trump, sharing that no other president has ever asked him to do so.

“If these people can give their life for the office, Nelly can perform,” he exclaimed. “It is an honor for me to perform for President of the United States, regardless of who is in office.”

The backlash does not phase Nelly. Instead, he alluded that his true fans will stick beside him for his charitable efforts and love of his music.

“If politics is above and beyond anything other than what that person stands for, [or] what that person has done, then I apologize if I quote-unquote let you down,” said Nelly, who then referenced the good work he has done for the community. “If you follow what I do, then this shouldn’t even be an argument.”

The interview lasted for 50 minutes, where Willie D. challenged Nelly with a series of questions regarding Nelly’s viewpoint and the optics of his performance. However, Nelly made clear that the issues fans may take will not dissuade him from taking the stage for Trump.

Robert E. Lee, Martin Luther King, holidays

by Daniel Johnson

January 19, 2025

Mississippi And Alabama Still Celebrate Confederate General Robert E. Lee Alongside MLK Day. Why?

Robert E. Lee Day was originally celebrated by states in the South for decades following the Civil War, but was abandoned by most after President Ronald Reagan designated the third Monday in January MLK Day.

Mississippi and Alabama are the only two states that still celebrate Confederate Gen.Robert E. Lee’s birthday alongside the federal holiday set aside for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Every other state that formerly celebrated Lee, including Lee’s home state of Virginia, has dropped those recognitions.

According to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, several attempts have been made to separate the holidays in Mississippi, but they failed in 2023 and 2024.

Mississippi State Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus) submitted another bill to separate the celebrations on King’s birthday, Jan. 15.

In 2018, after introducing the bill, Karriem told the Columbus Commercial Dispatch that he believed the two men’s celebrations needed to be divided.

“Both men had impacts on our history, and I think it’s time to separate the holiday so that King can be observed for the civil rights icon he is,” Karriem said. “I think this change is long overdue.”

The bill proposes a Mississippi state holiday to “exclusively recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday on the third Monday of January.”

According to WBHM, Robert E. Lee Day was originally celebrated by Southern states in the years and decades following the Civil War but eventually was abandoned by most after President Ronald Reagan designated the third Monday in January a federal holiday in 1983 to be Martin Luther King Day, a commemoration of King’s birthday on Jan. 15.

However, Alabama’s efforts to separate the commemoration of Robert E. Lee from that of King has met the same fate as Rep. Karriem’s bill in Mississippi.

Despite bipartisan support of a Senate bill that proposed to move the date of Alabama’s Lee Day commemoration to the date of his death, Oct. 12, the bill, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures in 2020, died before it could make it out of committee.

In 2023, House Bill 360, filed by Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), would have completely eliminated Lee’s holiday from the calendar. However, it died after it was introduced for a vote by Democrat Kenyatté Hassell on April 20.

Unlike the other two Gulf Coast states, Louisiana decoupled the two diametrically opposed holidays in 2020 after Louisiana state legislators removed both Lee Day and Confederate Memorial Day from its roster of holidays.

State Sen. Jay Luneau (D-Alexandria) praised the signing of the bill eliminating the two holidays as “an important step in the right direction” and proof that Louisiana is “ready to do the right thing ” regarding reckoning with its history of racism.

It appears, if things hold to their current patterns, that neither Alabama nor Mississippi are ready to make that particular conciliatory gesture as it relates to their history with racism, which is quite literally soaked with blood.

Trump, journalists, Voice of America, fired

by Mary Spiller

January 19, 2025

Damon Wayans Reveals He ‘Purposely’ Got Fired From SNL

Wayans purposefully went off script during a live segment.

Damon Wayans revealed in the new Peacock docuseries “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” that he “purposely” got himself fired from “Saturday Night Live” by going off script during a sketch.

Wayans was a standing cast member on Season 11 of the TV comedy program. According to reports, it was considered SNL’s “weird year.” This season, Lorn Michaels hired a completely new lineup of cast members of well-established comedy stars. The change brought the now 64-year-old Wayans to attempt to turn around a series of poor ratings.

According to Variety, Wayans explained that he wasn’t nervous at all initially about being on the show because “I felt like I was born to be on ‘Saturday Night Live.’”

He was supported by former SNL cast member Eddie Murphy, who gave him advice before he joined. He recalled, “Eddie’s advice to me was, ‘Write your own sketches. Otherwise, they’re going to give you some Black people sh*t to do, and you ain’t gon’ like it.’”

He stated that eventually, he noticed the SNL writers kept rejecting his ideas.

“I could feel something was wrong and that’s why I was like, ‘Hey, give me the ball. I know what this needs,’” he said on the docuseries.

“Everything Eddie said came true,” Wayans said. He remembered that he was repeatedly written into other sketches that involved him playing stereotypical and offensive roles. He refused to participate numerous times because his mother was watching the show.

Wayan’s frustration finally came to a head when he participated in a live sketch called “Mr. Monopoly.” Although the sketch was not as strong as his own idea, it was chosen over his own.

Wayans then intentionally performed all his lines in Mr. Monopoly in a different voice on live television. “I snapped. I just did not care,” Wayans admitted. “I purposely did that because I wanted [Lorne Michaels] to fire me.”

“Damon starts doing his lines like a very effeminate gay guy,” fellow comedian and actor Jon Lovitz recalled.

The episode’s host, Griffin Dunne, said Wayans was fired shortly after the episode ended.

Lovitz said, “I thought it was weird, but people still laughed. And then Lorne fired him pretty much as soon as he walked off the stage.”

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