African Americans
Community Still Demanding Answers Weeks After Black Teen Found Hanging in Charlotte
Petitions, unanswered questions, and calls for a federal probe mark the aftermath of Juliana Nzita’s death
Kathleen Untalan June 30, 2026
Petitions, unanswered questions, and calls for a federal probe mark the aftermath of Juliana Nzita’s death
Sadly, not much has changed regarding how Black women are treated and viewed, as evidenced by the current Trump administration. However, there has been an alarming rise in Black femicide that has gone far beyond passing headlines and hashtags — it’s become a devastating crisis that can no longer be ignored.
Hundreds gathered at Bakersfield College on June 17 to commemorate Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States. Hosted by the Bakersfield College African American Initiatives, alongside the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce and the NAACP, the free public event brought together a diverse cross-section of Kern County over a shared breakfast to honor a pivotal chapter in American history.
Baltimore sweeps home series; Ohtani, Freeman power wins over Twins as LA sits 51-29 atop the NL West
BAKERSFIELD, CA — Bentley Bowl and Bako Sweet® have partnered to spotlight local collaboration, rising entrepreneurship, and the rich agricultural roots of California’s Central Valley.
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) condemns the continued gutting of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the broader assault on Black political power unfolding across the United States.
A week before the California Legislature was required to pass a balanced budget on June 15, and send it to Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Controller Malia M. Cohen urged lawmakers to exercise fiscal discipline to guard against ups and downs in state revenue and the risk of future budget shortfalls.
Monifa McKnight, 50, an entrepreneur and educator from Maryland, is the first non-United Methodist to sit on the executive board of Africa University (Tennessee) Inc.
California’s birth rate has fallen to its lowest level on record, dropping well below the threshold needed to maintain population growth and signaling a major demographic shift that could reshape the state’s economy, schools, workforce and political influence in the decades ahead.
In Los Angeles, visitors attending a Juneteenth weekend event at the A.C. Bilbrew Library were welcomed by a museum exhibit featuring a wall of faces — filmmakers and freedom fighters, Olympians and lawmakers — honoring Black women’s achievement and leadership.
The California State Senate and Assembly welcomed U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover Jr., a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut, to the State Capitol on June 18, honoring his achievements in space exploration and his role in the historic Artemis II mission.
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As a frontline healthcare worker, I know what happens when hospitals are stretched too thin: people wait for hours in crowded emergency rooms, nurses try to care for too many patients at once, families delay treatment because they’re afraid of the bill. In many Black and working-class neighborhoods, this isn’t a temporary crisis, it’s a daily reality, and without intervention, it’s about to get much, much worse.
On June 10, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the findings of a six-month investigation into the UC Davis School of Medicine admissions practices.
Julian Rojas didn’t grow up imagining himself as a school principal. He grew up imagining his students.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on May 29 aimed at strengthening protections for California elections, arguing that the measure is necessary to guard against voter intimidation, election interference and unauthorized access to voting systems.
Doctors across the United States say they are treating children for illnesses that routine vaccinations once made increasingly uncommon, raising concerns that years of declining immunization rates are beginning to reverse decades of public health progress.
After a day of impassioned debate, the California Assembly voted 60 to 19 to pass a $356 billion annual state budget on June 15 that includes $253 billion investment in the General Fund.
In honor of Juneteenth, Beale Library hosted a celebration of Black newspaper history in Bakersfield on the first Saturday in June. Held in the library’s Local History section, the event titled Telling Our Stories: The Legacy of Black Newspapers in Bakersfield featured two keynote speakers – Katherine Jordan Morris, a historical researcher, who spoke on the history of older Black-owned newspapers in Bakersfield, and James Luckey Jr., who discussed the 50-year legacy of the Bakersfield News Observer. The event was organized by Lynnet Kemmer, the Local History Librarian at Beale.
There are sounds you never forget once you have heard them. The slow crunch of gravel beneath a sheriff’s boots outside a voting station. The sound of a shotgun being cocked. The silence of Black citizens standing in line, afraid to make eye contact. The sound of a church mother whispering, “Baby, if I don’t come home tonight, tell your daddy I tried.”