Last month, the museum acquired works from 80 artists, often through discounted sales. A new letter signed by more than half of the artists asks for substantive changes in the Whitney’s policies. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Black People”
50 Years Ago, They Did Something Rare in Gospel: Tied Music to Protest
By Gotham Rex on September 13, 2020
The Voices of East Harlem went from community stages to the Isle of Wight Festival, blending the soul-cleansing power of Christian songs with R&B, funk and rock on “Right On Be Free.” Source: New York Times
James Gordon Bennett Medal Is Renamed by F.D.N.Y.
By Gotham Rex on September 10, 2020
The James Gordon Bennett Medal will now be named for Chief Peter J. Ganci, who was killed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Source: New York Times
Daniel Prude Case: Grand Jury Will Be Set Up in Rochester Death
By Gotham Rex on September 5, 2020
The decision by New York’s attorney general comes more than five months after Daniel Prude died of suffocation after officers in Rochester, N.Y., placed a hood over his head. Source: New York Times
Black Man Died of Suffocation After Officers Put Hood on Him
By Gotham Rex on September 3, 2020
Relatives of the man, Daniel Prude, said the police officers involved in his death in March in Rochester, N.Y., should be charged with murder. Source: New York Times
7 Officers Suspended as a Black Man’s Suffocation Roils Rochester
By Gotham Rex on September 3, 2020
The man, Daniel Prude, who suffered from mental illness, died in March after police officers placed a mesh hood over his head. Source: New York Times
Black Man, Daniel Prude, Dies of Suffocation After Officers Put Hood on Him, Family Says
By Gotham Rex on September 3, 2020
Relatives of the man, Daniel Prude, said the police officers involved in his death in March in Rochester, N.Y., should be charged with murder. Source: New York Times
Why the Coronavirus Stalks Children of Color
By Gotham Rex on September 1, 2020
Cases are rising among children everywhere. But those in minority communities are much more likely to become infected and severely ill, new data show. Source: New York Times
Why Alyssa Cole Put Romance Aside and Wrote a Thriller About Gentrification
By Gotham Rex on September 1, 2020
“I wanted the characters to be more morally gray, where I could explore some darker areas,” the novelist said of her new book, “When No One Is Watching.” Source: New York Times
N.Y.C. to Pay $5.9 Million in Death of Layleen Polanco at Rikers
By Gotham Rex on August 31, 2020
Layleen Polanco had a fatal epileptic seizure while in isolation, an investigation found, spurring calls to end solitary confinement and close the jail complex. Source: New York Times
Dermatology Has a Problem With Skin Color
By Gotham Rex on August 30, 2020
Common conditions often manifest differently on dark skin. Yet physicians are trained mostly to diagnose them on white skin. Source: New York Times
After 90 Years, Columbia Takes Slave Owner’s Name Off a Dorm
By Gotham Rex on August 29, 2020
Samuel Bard was George Washington’s doctor and delivered Alexander Hamilton’s first son. He was also a “pretty significant slave owner.” Source: New York Times
Whitney Cancels Show That Included Works Bought at Fund-Raisers
By Gotham Rex on August 26, 2020
Black artists objected after they discovered their work had been acquired by the museum through discounted sales meant to benefit charities. Source: New York Times
Hot 97 Fires Rap Radio Veteran for Ties to Yusuf Hawkins Killing
By Gotham Rex on August 25, 2020
Employees of the radio station said they were shocked to see a colleague known as Paddy Duke in a new HBO documentary about the racist murder of a Brooklyn teenager in 1989. Source: New York Times
$1,000 ‘Baby Bond’ Proposed in N.J. in Bid to Narrow the Wealth Gap
By Gotham Rex on August 25, 2020
A plan would set aside money at birth for children in most families, giving them a financial lift when they reach 18 and enter adulthood. Source: New York Times