"Mini" Super Tuesday Primaries. Bodycam Clears Black Teen. Haitian Heritage Month. #TheBreakdown

Alabama's primary elections were complicated by an ongoing redistricting fight, resulting in a Supreme Court ruling that allowed the state to revert to a map with only one majority-Black district. This led to votes cast in several redrawn districts being voided and a second primary election scheduled for August 11th, directly impacting voter participation and representation.

Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Votes will be cast in Alabama on Tuesday in what will be the first of two different primary election days thanks to the ongoing redistricting fight in the state all across the south. A Supreme Court ruling this month that cleared the way for the state to revert to a redrawn congressional map that contains just one majority black district. While the primary will go on as previously scheduled, votes cast in several of the redrawn districts will be voided. Republican Governor KIV has called a second primary election on August 11th in those races and there will be no runoff election before the general election in November.

An 18-year-old Black teen, Dalon Brewer, was freed after body camera footage contradicted an Indianapolis police sergeant's claim that he pointed and attempted to fire a revolver at her. The judge dismissed all felony charges, citing the footage's inconsistency with the probable cause affidavit, highlighting the critical role of body cameras in police accountability.

A black teen in Indiana accused of trying to shoot a police officer is now free after body camera footage challenged the account originally given in the police report. It all started last month, April 12th, when 18-year-old Dalon Brewer was arrested on several felony charges. And according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, a sergeant stopped a car that went around a traffic block at the entrance of Riverside Park. The arresting officer, Sergeant Robin Frasier, wrote in her report that the teen pointed a revolver at her. She claimed Brewer made a gesture like he pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire. [...] A judge reportedly granted the defense's motion to dismiss all charges, citing bodywn camera footage does not support the allegation in the probable cause affidavit.

Haitian Heritage Month in May serves as a crucial period to celebrate Haiti's history as the first free Black republic and its significant cultural, artistic, and economic contributions globally. It counters prevailing negative narratives by showcasing Haitian pride, resilience, and the diverse professional roles of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. The 'We Belong' theme of the Haitian Culture Day parade in Brooklyn emphasizes their integral role in American society.

Haiti has been the richest colony of the world in the 19th century. So it was a French colony providing the three/4s of sugar in the world. So it was a very rich colony but it was the colony where we had the first black rebellion that succeeded. So in 1803 Haiti won a battle against the Napoleon army to become the first black republic in the world and the second republic in the hemisphere after the United States. [...] So, it's the month to remind the world that Haiti fought this war to become the first black republic in the world. And Haiti is not only country of disaster, it's a country of art, of culture. is a country of contribution in many areas in the world. [...] this year celebrating their pride, their contribution, their culture, their resilience. And this year, I wrote a story, a piece uh for the seventh annual uh Haitian culture day parade. They choose the theme the theme we belong just to it's a political statement from the organizers saying to all elected official decision makers in the United States that Haitians not only they're there as immigrants but they have a huge contribution to the US tapestry.

Principal Jamie Hendrickson of Meer Leven School of Performing Arts in Flatbush, Brooklyn, emphasizes using arts education to empower Black students. By fostering a 'brave space' in performing arts, students gain confidence, voice, and leadership skills that are then intentionally replicated in academic subjects like math and science, helping them overcome fear and thrive across all areas.

My students have voice uh much earlier on than normal. That is a key factor in my leadership. Uh getting my students to understand who they are, what feels good, what sounds good, what they're great at. [...] the courage and the risk that I take that I see performance take, performers take, we need to mimic that in the classroom. So my students are able to take leadership roles, they're able to collaborate, they're able to have academic conver conversations in the performing arts and we replicate that same experience and bring that to academics. So now my students hearing themselves speak academically are becoming much more comfortable with managing both worlds. So, it's critical that we take a look at what makes students step out and do things that they are not normally doing in performing arts. And we need to create that same type of brace in our science, math, and literacy classes.

Lindsay Lovingston, founder of Survive Her, highlights that triple-negative breast cancer, which disproportionately affects Black women, necessitates early detection, genetic testing, and proactive mammograms. Her organization addresses the lack of access and financial burdens by providing funding for screenings, co-pays, and transportation, and by educating communities on breast health.

It's so important that black women prioritize their breast health. It's important that you know your family history. So, I am genetically predisposed to breast cancer. I carry the Brockco one gene mutation which I learned after my diagnosis. It runs rampant on the paternal side of my family. So, in the black community, it's so important that we know our genetic status. That's number one. Number two, it's important that we are proactive with our mammograms. [...] our access pillar focuses on the financial component breast cancer is a very expensive disease so we work to fill in the gaps for uninsured and un underserved women paying for mammograms and for women in treatment, helping them with co-pays, rental assistance, whatever we can do to help lessen the burden.

Supreme Court rulings like Shelby County v. Holder, Bernovich, and Ka are systematically dismantling protections against racial vote dilution, leading to gerrymandered maps and voter suppression tactics reminiscent of Jim Crow. Senator Cory Booker and Roland Martin emphasize that this is an existential threat to democracy, requiring massive voter registration efforts and sustained investment in grassroots organizing, especially in Southern states.

They've been trying to erase black political power since reconstruction. Now the Supreme Court is helping them finish the job. First came Shelby County versus Holder in 2013. The ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act. Then came Bernovich in 2021. Another ruling, another piece torn away. Now comes Ka The case civil rights leaders warned could the last major federal protection against racial vote delusion. [...] The old Jim Crow used pole taxes and literacy tests. The new Jim Crow uses gerrymandered maps, voter role purges, polling place closures, and court rulings that make black communities politically invisible. [...] this moment requires the largest voter regist black voter registration since 65 voting rights act. [...] if you do not put money on the ground on the streets in communities with activists touching people and not September, October, no, it has to be January, February, March, April, May, year round because you got to educate folks on the issues.