On Friday, the Associated Press changed its style guide to capitalize the “b” in “Black” in cases in which that word refers to people in a “racial, ethnic or cultural context, weighing in on a hotly debated issue.”

The Washington Post is creating newsroom positions that will focus on race. The new roles will include a managing editor for diversity and inclusion, “a senior leadership position with responsibilities such as convening regular coverage discussions focused on race and identity and the identification and recruitment of candidates.”

After facing financial setbacks that almost led to

At The Nation, Jamaal Bowman writes that it’s time to make Juneteenth a national holiday. The National Archives has located the original Juneteenth order, a handwritten military letter freeing slaves in Texas. At the New Yorker, Annette Gordon-Reed remembers childhood celebrations of the holiday, and Jelani Cobb observes that “Juneteenth exists as a counterpoint to the Fourth of July; the latter heralds the arrival of American ideals, the former stresses just how hard it has been to live up to them.” At the New York Times, Jamelle Bouie writes about “Why Juneteenth Matters,” and authors and

At Literary Hub, Willow Curry reflects on the connection between activism and art. “There has been no modern freedom struggle without its painters and poets, storytellers and speakers and songwriters,” she writes. “The radical artist’s work in absorbing the nature of the world around them and translating that into tangible objects is vital in helping people make order out of what can seem like chaos.”

The Community of Literary Magazines and Presses announced the finalists for its Firecracker Awards yesterday. Nominees include Trisha Low’s Socialist Realism, Carley Moore’s The Not Wives, and

The International Center of Photography and the Black Press Freedom Fund are working together to offer grants for personal protective equipment to Black photojournalists who are documenting the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. “There are an incredible number of talented, gifted, and brave black storytellers on the frontlines, many of whom are risking their personal safety to document the historic protests currently taking place over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless other Black Americans who have suffered police brutality and systemic

Over one hundred UK authors have formed a new group to address inequality in the publishing industry. In an open letter, members of the Black Writers’ Guild—including Bernardine Evaristo, Candice Carty-Williams, and Kit de Waal—asked the Big Five publishers to make the publishing process more transparent and to hire more black editors and employees, among other recommendations. “Publishers have taken advantage of this moment to amplify the marketing of titles by their black authors and release statements of support for the black communities who have been campaigning for equality for decades,”

At least six members of the National Book Critics Circle’s board of directors have resigned following the publication of an internal email written by board member Carlin Romano, in which he responded to the board’s collective effort to publish a letter stating its support of writers of color. Among other things, Romano wrote, “I resent the idea that whites in the book publishing and literary world are an oppositional force that needs to be assigned to re-education camps.” Poet and board member Hope Wabuke tweeted portions of Romano’s letter. She has resigned, stating: “It is not possible to

Nieman Lab is collecting tweets from journalists of color detailing their experiences of workplace racism and discrimination. “Many journalists have shared their stories on Twitter, often risking job security and violating NDAs to do so,” they write. “One story is one story, but as the stories pile on top of each other, it becomes obvious that racism in news media is institutionalized across the United States.”

At The Guardian, Queenie author Candice Carty-Williams asks why the work of Black writers is still considered to be outside the “mainstream.” “For all its workshops and meetings, the

For Nieman Lab, journalist Wendi C. Thomas details the ways in which the Memphis Police Department has been spying on Black journalists and activists and how that surveillance has changed her reporting. Thomas found out she was being surveilled when she was reporting on a suit brought by the ACLU of Tennessee against the MPD for spying on residents “for political purposes.” “I’d long suspected that I was on law enforcement’s radar, simply because my work tends to center on the most marginalized communities, not institutions with the most power,” she writes. “My sin, as best I can figure, was

At The Atlantic, Keisha N. Blain looks back at the long tradition of Black women’s activism and organizing.

Anna Wintour has sent a memo to staff admitting that Vogue has published material that is “hurtful and intolerant” and that her magazine “has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators.” Meanwhile, The Wrap reports on current and former Condé Nast employees’ reactions to a town-hall meeting on diversity held yesterday. CEO Roger Lynch claimed that the company was unaware of staff concerns about a lack of diversity

In the New York Times, Michelle Alexander reflects on the continuing protests across the nation and offers her thoughts on how we can learn from history and envision a new system. “In part, we find ourselves here for the same reasons a civil war tore our nation apart more than 100 years ago: Too many citizens prefer to cling to brutal and unjust systems than to give up political power, the perceived benefits of white supremacy and an exploitative economic system,” she writes. “If we do not learn the lessons of history and choose a radically different path forward, we may lose our last chance

James Bennet has resigned from his position as editor of the New York Times Op-Ed page. In a staff letter announcing Bennet’s departure, publisher A. G. Sulzberger wrote, “Last week we saw a significant breakdown in our editing processes, not the first we’ve experienced in recent years.” The resignation followed the publication of an op-ed by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, which drew sharp criticism from readers, and led some New York Times staffers to demand Bennet’s dismissal.

Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (Beacon Press), published

A day after defending the decision to publish senator Tom Cotton’s New York Times op-ed, “Send in the Troops,” editorial-page editor James Bennet told staff members that he didn’t read the article before it was published. Soon after, the paper issued a statement: “This review made clear that a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an Op-Ed that did not meet our standards. As a result, we’re planning to examine both short-term and long-term changes, to include expanding our fact-checking operation and reducing the number of Op-Eds we publish.” On Thursday, the article had been