Racial Justice
All the Wildest Things From the FBI’s 40-Year Aretha Franklin Investigation
The agency spent decades tracking the legendary singer’s movements—and repeatedly found nothing incriminating.
White Father and Son Accused of Chasing and Shooting at Black FedEx Driver
The case bears remarkable similarities to Ahmaud Arbery’s murder by white father-and-son vigilantes in south Georgia two years ago.
America’s First Black Billionaire Wants His Reparations Check, Now
The founder of BET is pushing a $14 trillion reparations proposal he says would provide enough to close the giant Black/white wealth gap.
A Year Ago, the ‘Big Three’ Record Companies Pledged $225 Million to Racial Justice. Where Did It Go?
Universal, Sony, and Warner have paid out just a portion of the money they promised to give, VICE found—revealing a disconnect between how they’ve publicly characterized their donations and what’s really happening behind the scenes.
New York’s Legal Weed Law Could Still Screw Over Black People
New York’s legal cannabis law is supposed to direct profits to Black entrepreneurs and neighborhoods torn apart by the war on drugs.
‘They Hand-Chose These Jurors’: Protesters in Minneapolis Don’t Believe the System Will Ever Convict Derek Chauvin
We talked to protesters outside the courthouse on Day One of the highly anticipated trial of the officer accused of murdering George Floyd.
This Doctor Says Black Americans Should Be Prioritized for COVID Vaccines
“You can think of the vaccine almost as medical reparations. It’s the ‘40 acres and a mule,’ but of 2021.”
The COVID Vaccine Rollout Is Leaving Black People Behind
Racial minorities were hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, they’re getting left behind by the vaccination effort.
Woman Arrested After Assault of Black Musician and His Son Caught on Video
Authorities say Miya Ponsetto, who was caught on tape attacking a 14-year-old Black boy in New York City last month, had to be forcibly removed from her car and arrested.
A Woman Attacked a 14-Year-Old Black Boy on Video After She Falsely Accused Him of Stealing Her Phone
The boy’s father said the woman “tackled and grabbed” his son.
Bad Deals Are Baked Into the Way the Music Industry Operates
We broke down the three most common types of contracts an artist might sign today, offering a window into how the “bad deal” isn’t an anomaly—it’s by design.
Black Artists Are Still Getting Ripped Off the Way Little Richard Was
The kind of egregious exploitation Richard faced in the 1950s might seem unthinkable today. But for many Black artists, not much has changed.