FROM BIRTH TO DEATH: I spent the past year exploring how the legacy of racism in America has laid the foundation for the health inequities Black people face from their first breath to their final moments.

Five stories. Five families and communities.

apnews.com/article/from-b… This series is deeply personal to me. Growing up in Detroit, I saw my neighbors, my own family grapple with the topics we explored in every story of this project:

-Infant & maternal mortality
-Childhood asthma
-Mental health of teens
-High blood pressure
-Alzheimer's

A career first: A Republican state legislator in Tennessee introduced a resolution Thursday in response to our AP investigation of racism in the U.S. military. He accused us of “incendiary journalism” & wants the legislature to “reprimand the AP.” We stand by our reporting. Racism and extremism within the military has been well documented over several decades. Countless studies have been done — and the military itself has acknowledged the problem. We told much of our series through the perspectives and experiences of service members and veterans.

NEW AP investigation w/@JimLaPorta: The Pentagon has pledged to stamp out extremism for decades. Yet, it doesn't outright ban troops from being members of hate groups like the KKK. And the military’s judicial system has no explicit category for hate crimes.apnews.com/article/busine… This is the final story in our year-long series about racism & extremism within the military.

The first story examined a deep-rooted culture of racism & discrimination that the DoD has failed to eradicate. "A lot of us suffer in silence," a veteran said.apnews.com/article/us-mil…

NEW @AP investigation: Current & former enlistees & officers in nearly every branch of the armed services say the military has a deep-rooted intractable culture of racism & discrimination that has festered, despite repeated efforts to eradicate it. apnews.com/article/us-mil… Key findings:
-The military’s judicial system has no explicit category for hate crimes, making it difficult to quantify crimes motivated by prejudice.

-The Defense Department has no way to track the number of troops ousted for extremist views, despite pledges to root them out.

A case study to be taught in every journalism school and newsroom: Journalism is not stenography. We must verify everything — including “official” police accounts.

https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1384622849562873856

Language matters: Stop using police jargon, too. Phrases like “officer involved shooting.” Vague suspect descriptions. State what you know plainly. State what you don’t know. Be judicious.

“America refuses to acknowledge that America is not a country without the labor of and the blood, sweat and tears of Black people. Until America values those contributions, it will never value Blackness as a life form.” apnews.com/article/breonn… “We’re constantly turning on the TV, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and seeing people that look like us who are getting murdered with no repercussions. It’s not normal to see someone get murdered by the click of a video on your phone, yet it has become the norm for our people.”

A white neighbor displayed a KKK flag in a window facing a Black neighbor in a suburb near Detroit. "I was furious. How dare he feel comfortable putting a symbol of hatred, violence & domestic terrorism at his window facing my house? How dare he.” google.com/amp/s/amp.free… I know y’all remember what I’ve been saying about Michigan’s dark history of racism that folks try to gloss over and deny. Guess what? Racism is still a problem here. Everywhere.

NEW: Communities of color are disparately impacted by environmental & climate issues. But philanthropic funding rarely goes toward environmental & climate justice groups led by Black, Indigenous & other POC.

There's a growing movement to change that.

apnews.com/article/us-new… Stunning: A 2020 study by the Tishman Environment & Design Center at The New School found between 2016 & 2017, 12 national enviro grant makers awarded $1.34B to orgs in the Gulf and Midwest regions.

Just $18M — 1.3% — was awarded to groups dedicated to environmental justice.

NEW:

Flint mother Ariana Hawk struggled to find words.

Bittersweet came to mind, as did frustrated when she learned charges were forthcoming in the Flint water crisis.

And repairing the physical & emotional scars of Flint residents could take years.apnews.com/article/flint-… You may remember Ariana Hawk's story. Her son, Sincere Smith, was two when his picture, captured by the talented @reginahboone, made the cover of Time magazine in 2016. Sincere suffered painful, severe rashes & dry patches because of Flint's water --A trauma impossible to forget.

DETROIT (AP) — The AP has learned ex-Michigan Gov. Snyder and others have been told they’re being charged in Flint water scandal. Follow my AP colleague @DavidEggert00 for more info:

https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00/status/1349077799445929995

NEW: Black policy leaders will play a pivotal role in President-elect @JoeBiden's transition, marking one of the most diverse agency review teams in history. My latest for @AP:
apnews.com/article/joe-bi… Of the 500+ team members announced, more than half are women -- & Black men & women are leading more than one-quarter of the teams.

Diversity is significant: The teams will be responsible for evaluating the operations of federal agencies that have a broad impact on Americans’.

Michigan AG Dana Nessel has filed felony charges against two well-known out-of-state Republican operatives for allegedly orchestrating robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the Detroit area. detroitnews.com/story/news/pol… From the story: The calls were made in late Aug to nearly 12K residents with phone numbers from the 313 area code. They stem from a false robocall that discouraged mail-in voting by saying their personal info would be part of a public database used by police if they vote by mail.

Sen. @KamalaHarris stops in Flint at Magnificlips- a local downtown barber shop owned by Earl Jones and Tim Tyler. Due to the pandemic, their business was forced to shut down for a period of time one week after opening. Harris was greeted by Senator Debbie Stabenow, who is wearing a black Biden/Harris face mask. Hard to hear but Harris talked to them about the challenges minority businesses owners face.

I think often of how reporters are told to work their way up in newsrooms by starting out on a night cops shift/covering police. Breaking news is seen as an entry level, easy to do gig. But it's not. Nor is it a throwaway beat, it's an integral part of community coverage. Why do many newsrooms treat it as if it doesn't require a certain level of expertise? Expertise that really is required on all fronts: Not just in learning how to cover a police department but more specifically the community that the police department is supposed to serve.

I'm encouraged to see so many newsrooms today publish internal diversity numbers & acknowledge that most don't reflect the communities they cover. But please remember, it's not enough to hire Black/POC journalists. These plans must include retainment & career advancement. As you lay out hiring plans, ask yourself these questions: What sort of environment will these journalists be brought into? Will their voices be heard? Are they only being hired in entry level roles? Or in prominent beats and management roles?

This narrative is a double-edged sword. Black women have consistently show up & show out at the polls in higher numbers than just about every other demographic, ushering along families & friends. Many argue it's time for someone else to shoulder that unfair burden & expectation.

https://twitter.com/jorge_guajardo/status/1295556454473256961

Let's stop placing a burden at the feet of Black voters. Yes, they're vital. Yes, their votes count. But we know how that supposed adoration can quickly turn into blame. I.E. the narrative after 2016.

Michelle Obama: "... Here at home as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and a never ending list of innocent people of color continue to be murdered, stating the simple fact that a Black life matters is still met with derision from the nation's highest office." #DemConvention Michelle Obama: "Kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another ... They're looking around wondering if we've been lying to them this whole time about who we are and what we truly value." #DemConvention

My latest: @JoeBiden naming @KamalaHarris as his running mate wasn’t just historical.

It represented a full-circle moment for Black women, who for generations have fought for their voices to be heard.

“It tells Black girls that they can be president." apnews.com/46ef207f32a089… Harris’ selection is historic in many senses, according to the nearly dozen of political strategists, voters and experts I interviewed. It also notably marks the first time a person of Asian descent is on the presidential ticket.

NEW: More than 100 Black male leaders sign letter demanding Joe Biden pick Black woman as VP. “Failing to select a Black woman ... means YOU WILL lose the election ... Black women are defining the future of politics so it's time you let one define the future of your campaign.” Who signed onto the letter:

Tom Eckerle is on Leelanau County's Road Commission in Michigan. A colleague asked him why he wasn't wearing a mask. Using a racial slur, he blamed the pandemic on Detroit -- a 78% Black city: “Well, this whole thing is because of them n-----s in Detroit."washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08… No one should be surprised. I'm not. Michigan is home to several sundown towns. Racism exists in Michigan. Yes, its home to "progressive" college towns like Ann Arbor. Guess what, racism exists there, too. Trust me, I covered many of these communities.

Kanye West does not = Black voters. These takes are just flat out wrong. If anything, this moment is showing the deep disconnect the media has in truly understanding Black voters/people. Potential young Black voters who are in the streets protesting for their lives, pushing for systemic change/end of structural racism & mourning the lost of loved ones( COVID-19) will be moved vote for Kanye West? If that’s the take away, you’re not truly hearing their cries.