Skylar Mitchell

Photographer Joshua Renfroe is meticulous in his approach to making images -- from the early conceptualization stage through to exhibition. His goal is to tell a story through the final pictures but also through the process of creating them.

His first book, "Black Boy Fly," released last year, is a captivating example of visual storytelling. Its subject is what he refers to as Black male joy, and throughout the book he depicts scenes of kinship, leisure, sport and dance. Since he first… Show more

Photographer Joshua Renfroe is meticulous in his approach to making images -- from the early conceptualization stage through to exhibition. His goal is to tell a story through the final pictures but also through the process of creating them.

His first book, "Black Boy Fly," released last year, is a captivating example of visual storytelling. Its subject is what he refers to as Black male joy, and throughout the book he depicts scenes of kinship, leisure, sport and dance. Since he first exhibited the work in Brooklyn, New York last Fall, the book attracted interest from other creatives who share a common interest in their desire to expand the veneers of Black representation.

Photographer and director Curtis Taylor Jr. is one such artist who, this year, collaborated with Renfroe on a limited edition reissue of "Black Boy Fly."

In what they call "a love letter to brothers everywhere," Renfroe, Curtis and a team of emerging Black artists are expanding the work into a short film, "What Flying Feels Like," coming this November. Show less

(CNN) Barbie sat down for a real talk about racism with her good friend Nikki in the Dreamhouse -- and nothing was off limits.

The pair unpacked White privilege, the struggles of racial bias and what it means to be a true ally in the latest episode of YouTube's "Barbie Vlogs."

A one-minute clip quickly went viral this week on Twitter, garnering 3.4 million views. Viewers were struck with how well the characters called out racism by name -- and demonstrated the importance of… Show more

(CNN) Barbie sat down for a real talk about racism with her good friend Nikki in the Dreamhouse -- and nothing was off limits.

The pair unpacked White privilege, the struggles of racial bias and what it means to be a true ally in the latest episode of YouTube's "Barbie Vlogs."

A one-minute clip quickly went viral this week on Twitter, garnering 3.4 million views. Viewers were struck with how well the characters called out racism by name -- and demonstrated the importance of validating others' experiences. Show less

(CNN) Through a new pilot program, approximately 150 lower-income Black and Pacific Islander pregnant women in San Francisco will receive a $1,000 monthly stipend in an effort to curb high rates of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth.

The reason: These two groups are most at risk for preterm births and infant and mother deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Expecting Justice said during last week's launch of the pilot program called Abundant… Show more

(CNN) Through a new pilot program, approximately 150 lower-income Black and Pacific Islander pregnant women in San Francisco will receive a $1,000 monthly stipend in an effort to curb high rates of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth.

The reason: These two groups are most at risk for preterm births and infant and mother deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Expecting Justice said during last week's launch of the pilot program called Abundant Birth Project.

They announced their plans to help lower-income Black and Pacific Islander women for the duration of their pregnancy and at least the first six months after their babies are born. Show less

(CNN)Some federal buildings in Louisville, Kentucky, will be closed this week and police will operate under a state of emergency as the city awaits an announcement by state Attorney General Daniel Cameron about his office's investigation into the killing of Breonna Taylor.

The Gene Snyder United States Courthouse will be closed to the public through Friday, September 25, according to an order by Greg Stivers, the chief US District Court judge for Western Kentucky. All scheduled in-court… Show more

(CNN)Some federal buildings in Louisville, Kentucky, will be closed this week and police will operate under a state of emergency as the city awaits an announcement by state Attorney General Daniel Cameron about his office's investigation into the killing of Breonna Taylor.

The Gene Snyder United States Courthouse will be closed to the public through Friday, September 25, according to an order by Greg Stivers, the chief US District Court judge for Western Kentucky. All scheduled in-court appearances will be continued or converted to videoconference proceedings at the discretion of the presiding judge, the order says. Show less

(CNN)Timothy Webb, Rashae Bey and Kayla Rogers hail from different parts of South Carolina, but their shared interest in helping people find homes led them to form a business together. The aim is to expand the market for affordable, safe housing for young Black professionals, college students and housing voucher recipients, who are among the least represented in real estate.

Webb and Bey, who are University of South Carolina graduates, recently purchased four duplexes and one… Show more

(CNN)Timothy Webb, Rashae Bey and Kayla Rogers hail from different parts of South Carolina, but their shared interest in helping people find homes led them to form a business together. The aim is to expand the market for affordable, safe housing for young Black professionals, college students and housing voucher recipients, who are among the least represented in real estate.

Webb and Bey, who are University of South Carolina graduates, recently purchased four duplexes and one single-family home in downtown Columbia, making them owners of 26 total units of rental property. They and Rogers, a Charleston, South Carolina-based real estate agent who has worked with the duo in the past, hope to provide potential tenants with the resources to make informed home-buying decisions. Show less

(CNN)LaShenda Williams beams with gratitude every time she enters the Inglewood, Nashville, Kroger store in Tennessee. This is her workplace and a symbol of the new life she is building for herself.

"Now, that is my home in there," she said, gesturing to the store. "Those are all my babies. I have the time of my life every day."
Williams once lived in the parking lot of this same Kroger, after losing two jobs and her home in 2019. For a time, while living out of her car at the grocery… Show more

(CNN)LaShenda Williams beams with gratitude every time she enters the Inglewood, Nashville, Kroger store in Tennessee. This is her workplace and a symbol of the new life she is building for herself.

"Now, that is my home in there," she said, gesturing to the store. "Those are all my babies. I have the time of my life every day."
Williams once lived in the parking lot of this same Kroger, after losing two jobs and her home in 2019. For a time, while living out of her car at the grocery store, she would come in during the day for food and conversation with the staff. When she'd return to the lot each night, she would move her car so that nobody would know the severity of her situation.
For Williams, homelessness was one more bout of adversity after a lifetime of challenges and failed systems. Show less

(CNN)If you have a cat, you may fall in one of five categories ranging from "conscientious caretaker" to "tolerant guardian," according to researchers at the University of Exeter in England.

Domestic cats fall on a spectrum based on their proclivity to hunting and roaming and the supervision levels of their owners can affect how the feline pets interact with their surrounding environments.

(CNN)Based on a well-received, one-sentence tweet, a University of Pennsylvania professor is preparing to lead a direct-action, walkout-style event over two days for educators and students to address racial violence and unjust policing.

"I would be down as a professor to follow the NBA and Strike for a few days to protest police violence in America," Anthea Butler tweeted last week, referring to the recent walkout by pro athletes over the police shooting of Jacob Blake and other Black… Show more

(CNN)Based on a well-received, one-sentence tweet, a University of Pennsylvania professor is preparing to lead a direct-action, walkout-style event over two days for educators and students to address racial violence and unjust policing.

"I would be down as a professor to follow the NBA and Strike for a few days to protest police violence in America," Anthea Butler tweeted last week, referring to the recent walkout by pro athletes over the police shooting of Jacob Blake and other Black men. Show less

(CNN) Shetara Sims lost her daughter in 2012 after a tragic murder, but remembers the kindness of the Kansas City Police Officers assigned to her case. After winning $100 on a lottery ticket, she repayed that kindness and donated her winnings to the family of an officer shot in the line of duty. Now, her community is crowdfunding to reward her generosity.

(CNN) - A college graduate from Maryland has been admitted to Harvard Law after continued adversity nearly made him abandon school altogether.