Inequitable algorithms: Facial recognition’s alarming pattern of misidentifying Black people sparks calls for reform
Recent research conducted by Scientific American Online supported fears that facial recognition technology (FRT) can worsen racial inequities in policing. The research found that law enforcement agencies that use automated facial recognition disproportionately arrest Black people. The report’s authors stated that they believe these results come from factors that include the “lack of Black faces in the algorithms’ training data sets,...
‘Major blow’: Trump-appointed judge bars EPA from enforcing civil rights protections
by Julia Conley A ruling in Louisiana by a federal judge appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump will make it even harder for communities to fight environmental racism and the establishment of “sacrifice zones,” said one advocacy group on January 23. U.S. District Court Judge James Cain, Jr., appointed in 2018, ruled in favor of Louisiana eight months after GOP Attorney General...
10,000 Fearless train church members on the importance of security
by Azizah Muhammad and Anisah MuhammadThe Final Call @TheFinalCall ATLANTA—As America descends into chaos and confusion, there are those who seek to attack religious houses of worship desiring to harm believers in God, by whichever name He is called. During the past few years, Black churches have been vandalized and parishioners have been attacked, and synagogues, and mosques and their...
Tyre Nichols remembered by family, friends one year after his death
by Zakiyyah Muhammad @zakiyyahmaryam_ MEMPHIS—Candles, framed photos of Tyre Nichols, and “Justice for Tyre” signs surround the exact spot where the young, Black man was brutally beaten by Memphis police. One year later, a vigil honoring Tyre Nichols was held on Jan. 7 at 6727 Castlegate Lane in the city. And, one year later his family and friends are still demanding...
Average liter of bottled water contains 240,000 ‘toxic’ plastic particles
by Olivia Rosane CommonDreams.org There are 240,000 plastic particles in the average liter of bottled water, the rough equivalent of two standard water bottles, a Columbia University-led study has found. The finding, published Jan. 8 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is especially concerning from a human health perspective because 90 percent of the plastics found were nanoplastics,...
U.S. push and shove with Yemen is not slowing down
Antiwar protesters rallying against the devastation and bloodshed in the Gaza Strip from over 100 days of war by the Zionist State of Israel are also mobilizing to condemn the United States’ bombing of Yemen and to demand the “U.S. get out of the Middle East.” The military forces of America and the United Kingdom, along with Canada, Australia,...
We Are From The Earth
Do you know how White folks got rich? Have you ever been to Macy’s? Gimbles? All of these big department stores, like Sanger-Harris in Atlanta? Did you ever go shopping for jewels at Kay Jewelers? You did? But you don’t even care who owns it, do you? How did they get it? Brothers and sisters, when the Jews came...
Federal judge orders CDC to release V-safe texts detailing COVID vaccine injuries
In a ‘huge win for transparency,’ a federal judge this month ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to disclose the entirety of 7.8 million free-text reports detailing adverse reactions submitted by COVID-19 vaccine recipients through the V-safe monitoring app. by John-Michael Dumais The Defender This article was originally published by The Defender—Childrens Health Defense News & Views Website on...
Family of deacon files lawsuit against city of Atlanta, police chief and former officer
ATLANTA—The family of Deacon Johnny Hollman Sr. comforted one another as attorneys announced the filing of a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and former officer Kiran Kimbrough, during a news conference held on Jan. 18. The 63-page complaint accuses the city, the police chief and the former officer of violating constitutional rights and...
Dr. Umar Johnson speaks on education over incarceration
Activist Bigga Dre, on right, presents gifts to Dr. Umar Johnson who spoke on January 12 in a Philadelphia suburb on issues relevant to the Black community. Photo: Michael Z. Muhammad PHILADELPHIA—Dr. Umar Johnson, noted educational psychologist, captivated those in attendance with his powerful presentation at the Clarion Hotel in Essington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, during the Martin Luther...