Capital B’s Tweets

Jan 31

🚨Big news: Capitalbnews.org and atlanta.capitalbnews.org are here! Local and national news for Black people, done by Black journalists. We are so hype and so ready to serve you.

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1,117

The Trayvon Generation: 10 Years After His Death, Classmates and Teachers Reflect on the Impact |

@SimonesNews

via

Trayvon Martin: The moment that launched the Black Lives Matter movement

capitalbnews.org

People who knew Martin were “blindsided” by the racial justice movement his death sparked. But is America any different, 10 years later?

Trayvon Martin: The moment that launched the Black Lives Matter movement

21h

People who knew Trayvon Martin were “blindsided” by the racial justice movement his death sparked. But is America any different, 10 years later?

@SimonesNews

reports:

capitalbnews.org

People who knew Martin were “blindsided” by the racial justice movement his death sparked. But is America any different, 10 years later?

23h

During our launch event, we discussed why Black people seem to be predisposed to disaster, premature death, and environmental injustices no matter where they live.

@tamaraity

of the Environmental Grantmakers Association had this to say:

1:28

283 views

Feb 27

During our launch event,

@MorganEliseJ

of The TRiiiBE spoke with

@diallo

, who explained how important it is for his show, South Side, to portray a Chicago that is true to the lived experiences of its residents.

1:16

269 views

Feb 26

During our launch event, we hosted a panel about eviction. U.S. Rep

@AyannaPressley

shared her experience growing up with the fear of eviction present throughout her childhood.

0:54

7.9K views

Topics to follow

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Feb 26

In this clip from Friday, Feb. 25,

shares advice for young people who are interested in becoming involved in the media industry during his one-on-one conversation with Capital B Atlanta editor

@writegavinwrite

1:09

208 views

Feb 25

We hope you’ve enjoyed #CapitalBLive as much as we’ve enjoyed introducing you to it. If you liked the past two days of programming, consider supporting

by becoming a member and following our work at capitalbnews.org. See you again soon!

capitalbnews.org

Capital B is a Black-led, nonprofit local and national news organization reporting for Black communities across the country.

In closing,

reminds us that we’re alive only because people fought for something they might never see, and presses us to do the same. “You work to build a better world because someday someone will, and because there are people who did that for you.” #CapitalBLive

’s

highlights the diversity of Black stories.

@ClintSmithIII

says that the power is in the expansiveness of Black stories. "The beauty and the joy and the rebellion and the pain, all of those things matter." #CapitalBLive

He continues, “We know that symbols aren't just symbols. They're reflective of the stories that people tell and ... those narratives shape public policy. And public policy shapes the material conditions of people's lives.”

Inspired by the removal of Confederate statues in 2017,

@ClintsmithIII

's “How the Word Has Passed” explores Black people's relationships to slavery across the U.S. and in Senegal, and how we can reconcile that history while living among symbols of white supremacy. #CapitalBLive

Getting our pens ready for this chat between “How the Word Has Passed” author

@ClintSmithIII

and

@wellreadblkgirl

creator

@guidetoglo

! We know these two are going to drop some gems.

asks the all-important question: What advice do you have for young people who want to make unapologetically Black content? “Shoot it,”

@diallo

says. “Shoot it yourself, edit it, get it tight, post it, and just keep going.” #CapitalBLive

With South Side,

and his team go out of their way to create fun, chaotic personalities that remind you of the people you find in Black enclaves across in the U.S. “These are the colorful characters that when you’re growing up in these communities, you meet.” #CapitalBLive

figured he would do “serious” writing. But after a suggestion from his mom, he and his friends formed Cleo’s Apartment, a sketch comedy group that included Bashir Salahuddin, Robin Thede, Wyatt Cenac, South Side’s Nefetari Spencer, & Euphoria’s Nika King. #CapitalBLive

went down a lot of paths before settling in as a storyteller. Looking back, he says storytelling is the first thing that he did. “I figured out very early on that I wanted to tell stories. What got confusing was the kind of stories that I wanted to tell.” #CapitalBLive

UP NEXT! We’re stoked to have South Side creator

@diallo

on the agenda. He’s going to get into the show with

@MorganEliseJ

, but first, did you know he used to moonlight as a DJ in Boston and LA? He’s still getting gigs! #CapitalBLive

Their personal manifesto, Tia says, is that they both write and produce for Black people. “Everything I write is for us, for Black women specifically. Whoever loves it outside of us, I'm so excited for that. But it is a gift for us specifically.” #CapitalBLive

“The George Floyd story in the mainstream became less and less about Black people who were historically the victims of a racist criminal justice system and more about the discovery that white people were going through in the moment.”

For

, she chose to start Capital B after two decades as an accomplished journalist just as George Floyd protests were sweeping the country in June 2020.

Tia notes how hard it was for people to take her novels seriously, because they weren’t about Black suffering. “If characters aren't getting over the trauma of Blackness to find happiness, [mainstream] didn't understand us in any other context.” #CapitalBLive

“If you were a Black kid interested in makeup, you had to be a scientist and get a bunch of stuff from the drugstore and figure it out yourself. I was always translating what I was consuming, but from a Black perspective.” - Tia Williams #CapitalBLive

They dive in by talking about Tia’s storytelling from two different angles, as a beauty journalist and also as a novelist. She had early obsessions with fashion magazines and romance novels, but didn’t see herself reflected in them. #CapitalBLive

A convo between two sisters who took different paths to telling Black stories, feat our

@laurenwilliams

and her sister, former beauty editor + bestselling author Tia Williams, who inspired Lauren to be a journalist. Sign up: crowdcast.io/e/55f72ly4/reg

Black journalists:

says if you are thinking about making a change or creating your own path: Don’t wait, start. Now is the time for your big idea. If not you, then who?” #CapitalBLive

“Who are we talking about when we're talking about rural voters, educated voters, faith voters, right? Why not quote someone from an HBCU every time we want to talk to somebody from a college? These are choices we can make.”

The * in

logo is a nod to the people who remain unseen in democracy. And that’s where

@emarvelous

says all her work lives, platforming unheard voices regardless of the topic. #CapitalBLive

It’s a big deal to make a jump from an established newsroom to a startup.

@akoto_oa

asks

@emarvelous

what made her take the leap. “Political journalism was still way too white and way too male. The real risk felt like *not* trying to do something different.” #CapitalBLive

It wouldn't be a Friday in the pandemic without some technology issues. Thanks to everyone for sticking with us during some streaming issues. We're going to try to reboot the stream, so please stand by.

Up next:

, editor-at-large, founding mother and political reporter

@19thnews

and our co-founder

@akoto_oa

chop it up about the need to center Black stories in journalism. Register here so you don’t miss their chat: crowdcast.io/e/55f72ly4/reg

His advice for the next young Black storyteller: Set a goal and don't do anything that doesn't serve you getting to that goal. Learn more about ownership, and become more independent so you don’t have to worry about who isn’t letting you in. #CapitalBLive

About that history-making studio. It’s the first ever major studio owned by a Black person.

@writegavinwrite

notes that the industry more broadly doesn’t seem to understand his influence. “Because I'm Black. If I were a white man, it would be a much different story.”-

…I didn't see that in New Orleans unless we were serving. To feel the pulse and energy of a place where Black people were welcome thriving, and running the city.”

“I came to party and I'm looking around going, ‘Wait a minute. Black people live there, they're going to movies, restaurants...’ (CON’TD)

So what brought

from New Orleans to Atlanta, home of his history-making 300-acre studio compound? It was Freaknik. #CapitalBLive

If you know a Madea fan, you know they stay 10 toes down for

’s work. His big tip for cultivating loyal audiences: “Super serve your niche, whatever the niche is. Super serve it. And I mean uber focus on them and everybody else will come. That's what I did.”

Not everyone understands his work or the audience

is serving, and to him, that’s fine. “I have learned a particular speak with my audience. Part of that is just being Black, and also it's being from the South. I know who I'm talking to."

starts off with a question about Madea and the character’s humor as a vehicle through which