When Tony Powers was selected as Decatur’s first black mayor earlier this month, the moment carried the weight of history. For the first time since the city was founded more than two centuries ago, a Black man was chosen to lead it. The decision was made on 5 January 2026, when the Decatur City Commission […]
HUDSON, N.Y., A historic chapter in New York law enforcement opened on January 2 as Jackie Salvatore was sworn in as Columbia County sheriff, becoming the first Black woman ever elected to that role in the state’s history. The milestone event took place at the Columbia County Courthouse, where family, county officials, community members, and […]
Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican singer, songwriter, and actor whose work helped carry reggae to audiences around the world, has died at 81. His wife, Latifa Chambers, confirmed in a statement on Nov. 24 that Cliff suffered a seizure followed by pneumonia. “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed […]
Massachusetts is mourning the death of Setti Warren, the first Black person elected mayor of Newton and a prominent voice in public service. He was 55. Harvard University announced Warren’s passing on Nov. 2. The school did not disclose a cause or time of death. “Setti was a beloved member of our community, and we […]
Marcyliena H. Morgan, linguistic anthropologist and founding director of Harvard University’s Hiphop Archive & Research Institute, has died at 75 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Harvard and family colleagues said she passed on Sept. 28, 2025; the University has since renamed the archive in her honor. Born in Chicago in 1950, Morgan spent her career […]
