Author: Kenne Lewis

Kenne Lewis is a Digital Intern at Black News Alerts from Detroit, MI but currently residing in Atlanta, GA. She has B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in New Media Journalism.

A Whataburger in Texas fired a Black employee after a white customer complained about her wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask. What We Know: The incident occurred August 4 when a white customer went to the Whataburger, which is located in a predominately Black neighborhood in Fort Worth. Ma’Kiya Congious was wearing her mask when the customer complained and asked her for the phone number to corporate. Congious says she interacted with the district manager earlier in the day and it didn’t pose as an issue. Congious asked the customer if she did something wrong and the customer replied,…

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A cartoon published by a national Australian newspaper of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris has been called out as racist. What We Know: The Australian is one of Australia’s most prominent newspapers. The cartoon the newspaper published shows Biden deferring to Harris and saying, “I’ll hand you over to this little brown girl while I go for a lie-down”. The cartoon sparked outrage online but the newspaper, owned by a conservative News Corp still went along with its publishing. Members of the left-leaning Australian Labor Party criticized the publication. One member, Andrew Leigh said…

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A brush fire north of Los Angeles has scorched more than 10,500 acres of land forcing 100 residences to evacuate. What We Know: There were at least three homes that received the bulk of the damage from the fires; the neighborhood is located on the eastern flank of the fire. More than 5,000 buildings were also threatened by the flames. According to NBC Los Angeles, there have been no injuries reported. After the fire spread, it is expected for strong winds to be in the area on Thursday. Sam DiGiovanna, fire chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy stated, “This creates…

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A man was beaten and robbed of $200,000 at a Huntington Park Bank parking lot in California last week. Police are currently looking for the suspect. What We Know: The suspect’s name is Francisco Cornejo. According to his attorney, Nathan Soleimani, Cornejo parked closely to the bank because he knew he was going to be leaving with a large amount of money. The suspect grabbed and beat him before he could even make it back to his car. Cornejo had just sold his home and was withdrawing everything he had from the bank. Soleimani stated to the police, “He was…

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Five North Carolina detention officers are seen on camera restraining an inmate in a cell who is saying, “I can’t breathe” before dying two days later. What We Know: The victim, John Neville, a 56-year-old Black man died in December 2019 at Forsyth County Detention Center in Winston-Salem. Five officers and a nurse were charged with involuntary manslaughter in Neville’s death. Officers checked on Neville after he had fallen from the top bunk of his bed resulting in injury. One of the officers involved in the incident told Neville that the doctors were going to check his blood pressure. Officers…

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Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor, says anyone who hosts large parties will be have their utilities shut off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What We Know: On Wednesday, August 5, the L.A. mayor has reports dozens of parties happening across the county amid the pandemic. Garcetti says these parties are in violation of the public safety orders set in place. He states, “These large house parties have essentially become nightclubs for the hills. By turning off that power, shutting off that water, we feel we can close these places down.” According to Garcetti, the order will go into effect on…

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The Los Angeles Time Show obtained records showing that Los Angeles County has paid out about $55 million in settlements indicating sheriff’s deputies belong to secret societies. What We Know: The records show deputies were associated with tattooed groups accused of glorifying an aggressive style of policing. Almost 60 cases were involved in the payouts in the dozens of lawsuits involving the deputies, some of which still aren’t solved. The document also states that the police have paid out $21 million in the last ten years in these cases. The deputies have operated out of several Sheriff’s Department stations and…

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Aurora police handcuffed a Black mother and three of her children after mistaking their SUV for a stolen motorcycle reportedly from another state. What We Know: The incident occurred in the shopping center off Buckley Road in Aurora, Colorado, on Sunday. Brittney Gilliam, her 6-year-old daughter, 12-year-old sister and 14- and 17-year-old nieces were in their car when police officers drew weapons on them. The officers handcuffed them while they checked to see if the vehicle was stolen. In a video posted to Facebook, it shows the children and Gilliam on the ground in the parking lot surrounded by the…

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Kevin Hart defends Ellen Degeneres after allegations have surfaced of her workplace culture. What We Know: Degeneres, 62 is the host of “The Ellen Degeneres Show” which is currently under investigation after multiple allegations have been brought to light about her show’s workplace culture. Hart posted to Instagram about his support of Degeneres during this time. He expresses how sad he is to see his friend going through this stating that Degeneres has been nothing but “nice” to his family since they met. In the post, Hart states, “I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that…

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Orange is the New Black star Danielle Brooks will star in The Mahalia Jackson Story on Lifetime alongside Robin Roberts and Kenny Leon. What We Know: According to Dateline, Lifetime has extended its partnership with Robin Roberts for four new movies. Brooks will be the iconic gospel legend and Leon will direct. The film will be distributed through Rock’n Robin Productions and Lincoln Square Productions. The film is centered around Mahalia Jackson, a New Orleans native who went on to become one of the most well-known gospel figures in U.S. history. Her sit song, “Move on Up a Little Higher”…

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