If you’re a basketball fan, you’ve been glued to the NBA Conference Finals like I have. I have something I need to admit to you. Even though I an L.A. girl tried and true, I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since all of the California teams were knocked out of the running, I’m sure you can figure out who I’m rooting for…the Indiana Pacers underdogs, of course!

Let me tell you, when Tyrese Haliburton shot that incredible shot (2-pointer, but he thought it was going to be a 3-pointer) that forced them to go into overtime with the New York Knicks during Game 3, it reminded me of how AfroLA reporters continue to set themselves up for success with precision and deliver excellent reporting.

Our shoe leather reporting earned us 10 nominations for L.A. Press Club’s SoCal Journalism Awards.

[[[[ Praise Break ]]]]]

*Using my best awards nominations presenter voice*

…And here are the nominations

For best multimedia package

Katie Licari, Dana Amihere, Alexandra Kanik, Alex Tatusian, Justin Allen, “Water and Power” 

For best tech reporting
* Ethan Ward, “The algorithm says crisis. The social worker says trust”

For best health medical reporting
* Elizabeth Moss, “How a decades-old domestic violence policy deters Blacks and Latines from seeking medical care” 

Eliza Partika, “How do we treat L.A.’s overwhelmed emergency medicine system?”

For best solutions journalism reporting
* Elizabeth Moss, “Is the blind removal model in child welfare scalable? It’s complicated”

* Eliza Partika, “Courtroom watchdog program holds Los Angeles judges accountable”  

* Ethan Ward, “The algorithm says crisis. The social worker says trust”

For best investigative reporting that is government related
* Katie Licari, AfroLA, “Water and Power”

For best gender and society reporting  
* Elizabeth Moss, “How a decades-old domestic violence policy deters Blacks and Latines from seeking medical care” 

* Ethan Ward, “The Black Church is embracing LGBTQ+ youth and reuniting faith with family. Will it help reduce homelessness?”

If you follow these reporters on social media, please congratulate them!

INSTAGRAM LIVE SERIES

Afro Latine children’s book authors

What's your favorite children's book?

Racial and ethnic representation has come a long way.

Not only are the children's book authors more racially/ethnically diverse, the characters are too. In recent years, we've seen an influx of Afro Latine kids centered in children's books.

For the past few weeks, communities reporter Marina Peña has been interviewing these authors as a part of a Instagram Live series that is shedding a new light on Afro Latine representation in children’s literature. Watch, like, comment and share these interviews on our YouTube channel. (Click below to watch a recording.)

Please let us know what you think. Email me at [email protected].

FEATURED STORY

2028 Olympics: L.A.’s ‘no-build’ promise faces housing crisis reality

By Ethan Ward 

Can Los Angeles keep its promise to hold a ‘no-build’ Olympic Games that won’t displace vulnerable residents?

The answer is up in the air.

Some people think history may repeat itself. City officials plan to invest nearly $7 million in infrastructure for the global event, with the goal of using existing facilities instead of building new ones.

But while this approach sets L.A. apart from past Olympic host cities and even the 1984 Games, related developments like the city’s $2 billion Transit Connector project have already displaced businesses and workers. Cleanup efforts could still disrupt housing stability.

Housing reporter Ethan Ward wrote about the complications of having a ‘no-build’ Olympics, how the city plans to do it and what a housing activists group believes will happen.

SUPPORT AFROLA

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For as little as $20 a month (5 bucks a week!), you could be a sustaining member of our fan club. Sounds like a plan?

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THE ROUNDUP

Harvard relents after protracted fight over slave photos 

By Clyde McGrady (New York Times) 

For years, a Harvard professor had used two 175-year-old daguerreotypes of enslaved African Americans to falsely prove a racist theory about Black inferiority. Tamara Lanier told the New York Times that she has been in a legal battle with Harvard for six years because she claims that she is a descendant of the enslaved people in the photographs. Now, after six years of fighting with Harvard, the photos will go to the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina where the two enslaved African Americans lived. Read more about this fascinating story here.

* * *

California interscholastic federation changes rules for track & field championships after Trump tweet 

By Cerise Castle (Capital & Main)

The California Interscholastic Federation stated that they would be changing their policy that qualifies athletes by allowing “biological girls” who may not have met qualifications to compete in championship games. This came after President Donald Trump threat to pull federal funding from California schools because of a transgender student athlete who was expected to complete in the state’s track and field championships. Read Cerise’s story for more information.

* * *

Why are Black neighborhoods underwater? Science points to the wealthy.

By Adam Mahoney (Capital B)

This month Nature of Climate Change journal published a new study that found that wealthy Americans are actually the reason why climate change disasters are disproportionately impacting communities of color. It all comes down to the emissions from wealthy communities, which has had a direct impact on heat waves and flooding. Adam Mahoney included a haunting reality in his report:

“Scientists say that the findings underscore an often overlooked aspect of the climate crisis — that those least responsible for global warming often face the most severe impacts of environmental change.”

Read the rest of the story for more.

* * *

Other stories I’m reading…

Clarksdale pushed for a screening of ‘Sinners’. They’re getting one this week. (Capital B)

Black church leader calls for electronic protest of Dollar General over DEI retreat (USA Today)

How ‘Forever’ on Netflix uses Black art and intentional design to tell a deeper story (home & texture)

The Trump administration is making the country less safe for domestic violence victims (The 19th)

Trump administration knew vast majority of Venezuelans sent to Salvadoran prison had not been convicted of U.S. crimes (ProPublica) 

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