Defense Department’s Joint Task Force North said the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota was “conducting aviation operations” near Rio Grande City, Texas before crashing.
President Biden’s southern border crisis continues to spiral out of control. The latest comes as a reconnaissance helicopter monitoring a group of migrants illegally crossing the border crashed on Friday afternoon, killing two US National Guard members and a Border Patrol agent and injuring a fourth person.
A statement from the Defense Department’s Joint Task Force North said the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota crashed around 1450 local time while it was “conducting aviation operations” near Rio Grande City, Texas.
On X, Fox News’ Bill Melugin posted horrific images of the mangled helicopter that appears to have fallen out of the sky.
BREAKING: Per sources, there are “multiple fatalities” after a federalized National Guard helicopter w/ 3 National Guard soldiers working under federal Title 10 orders and a Border Patrol agent on board crashed in the RGV in La Grulla, TX this afternoon. They were not working… pic.twitter.com/axsHqMXFwr
For the pilots out there, when a mechanical failure occurs, autorotation can be applied as a last-ditch emergency maneuver to glide the helicopter to the ground. However, altitude is needed.
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Melugin also posted on X a video of what appears to be Mexican cartel members laughing as the helicopter crashed.
BREAKING: Per Border Patrol source, cartel members were watching the helicopter on their drone when it crashed, then they zoomed into the crash site and laughed about it. Posted on cartel social media. The La Grulla area sees frequent cartel activity via drug & human smuggling. pic.twitter.com/WC9IhFolat
No fewer than 15 people have been abducted after an incursion into an Islamic school located in the Gidan Bakuso community of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The incident, which occurred early Saturday morning, had the assailants invade the precinct of the Tsangava school, the proprietor of the school, Liman Abubakar said.
Abubakar told the press on Saturday that there are indications of fatalities as the armed men shot one and abducted one from the community.
The incident is a sequel to the abduction of over 480 people from Borno and Kaduna State earlier in the week.
The Federal Government, while sympathising with the affected families, had directed the security chiefs to investigate the incidents and rescue all abducted victims unhurt.
SOKOTO: Armed Men Invade Islamic School, Abduct 15 Students is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas rebutted the unfounded theory that the Biden administration is allowing migrants to illegally enter the U.S. to increase the Democrats’ chances of winning elections.
“Is it the policy of the Biden administration to allow as many migrants to come across the border in order to change the political dynamics, the electoral dynamics of America?” CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash asked Mayorkas on March 3.
“Of course not, and the facts indicate that that is absolutely false,” Mayorkas said, citing his agency’s deportation statistics as evidence. “Since May of last year we have removed or returned more individuals than in any year since 2015 and we haven’t even run 12 months.”
Bash cited comments from former President Donald Trump, who said during a campaign rally that “Biden’s conduct on our border is by any definition a conspiracy to overthrow the United States of America,” and that Biden wants to “nullify the will of the actual American voters.”
“Over the last three years we’ve removed, returned, or expelled more people than in all four years of the prior administration,” Mayorkas continued. “You know, the facts matter. And the rhetoric, we should brush aside.”
Facts matter to PolitiFact, so we fact-checked Mayorkas’ comments. We found that his cautious wording — focusing on specific metrics — accurately reflected the available data. But someone hearing his claim might conclude that he meant all sorts of deportation efforts. And it’s not true, looking more widely, that the past nine months of data exceeded any single year since 2015. Fiscal year 2022, during the Biden administration, would have been the highest, because it included a public health policy that allowed quick expulsions of migrants.
Here’s an overview of deportation jargon, the numbers over the past few years and their context amid increasing illegal immigration.
What ‘removed or return’ represent and how it’s flowed over the years
The federal government classifies deportations as the removal of noncitizens from the U.S. It tracks it in a few different ways:
Removals: When people are sent out of the U.S. via an official court order and often penalized for illegal entry. This can include people who have lived in the United States for years and people who recently arrived.
Returns: When people are returned to their home countries without legal penalties and without being placed in formal removal proceedings. This happens at the border.
Title 42 expulsions: These happened from March 2020 to May 2023 under a public health policy. Some people arriving at the border were not let into the United States and were expelled without legal penalties.
Mayorkas was careful with his terminology. He is on track that there have been more returns and removals in the past nine months than in any full fiscal year since 2015, according to DHS data.
From May 2023 to January 2024, the latest available data, there have been 520,000 returns and removals. The next highest number is the 518,000 returns and removals in fiscal year 2019, under the Trump administration.
But to someone who is unfamiliar with deportation metrics and jargon, it could sound as if the past nine months of returns and removals exceeded any full year since 2015. If we include Title 42 expulsions, the numbers change.
From fiscal years 2015 to 2024, “returns” and “removals” were the lowest in 2020 to 2022, because most people encountered at the border were turned away under a different enforcement strategy — expelled under Title 42. In 2020 — removals, returns and Title 42 expulsions added up to 608,000, and increased to 1.4 million in 2022.
A time frame Mayorkas focused on in his comparison — the past nine months — did not include any Title 42 expulsions. The administration stopped those expulsions in May 2023. Title 42 expulsions also weren’t available for the majority of the fiscal years Mayorkas included in his comparison.
Removals and returns have increased, but so have encounters
Since the public health expulsion policy ended, removals and returns under Biden have increased. But so have Border Patrol encounters with people trying to cross the U.S. border. As a result, returns and removals are low as a proportion of the total number of these stops.
For example, in fiscal year 2015, there were about 592,000 apprehensions and 453,000 returns and removals. From May 2023 to January 2024, there were 520,000 removals and returns but 2.6 million encounters. (DHS started using the term “encounters” in March 2020 to include apprehensions under immigration law and expulsions under Title 42).
We asked immigration experts why returns and removals haven’t kept up with the increase in encounters, and what that disproportion tells us about the Biden administration’s efforts to remove people who are here illegally.
The rise in returns and removals under Biden’s administration shows “increased effort, even if appropriations ultimately set a hard limit on how high it can go,” said David Bier, associate director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute. He said absolute return and removal numbers matter more than their proportion to encounters because “DHS has no control over the number” of people who show up at U.S. borders.
Congressional appropriations determine return and removal capacity
The numbers tell us only part of the story, immigration experts told us.
The mismatch between returns and removals, and encounters under Biden’s administration is “primarily a reflection of the mismatch in resource allocation by Congress, which has failed to adequately fund the immigration system in its entirety,” said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.
That removals and returns have not kept up with the increase in encounters shows that “there are hard limits to the amount of enforcement that can be carried out absent additional funding from Congress, changes in the laws, or changes in international diplomacy,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, an immigrant-rights advocacy group.
Migrants’ nationality influences how easily they can be deported
Under Biden, the nationalities of people encountered at the border have increased, the Migration Policy Institute wrote in a January report. And to deport people, the U.S. needs a working relationship with their countries of origin.
China, for example, does not take back its citizens, even if U.S. authorities order their removal. People from countries that don’t cooperate with removals must be released because they legally cannot be indefinitely detained.
Mexico also plays a key role in the U.S. government’s ability to remove Venezuelans and people from other countries who would otherwise be difficult to deport from the U.S. because of fraught diplomatic relationships.
Mexico has agreed to take 30,000 Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans or Haitians a month who arrive at U.S. borders and are removed.
“Without this collaboration, the U.S. would severely struggle to implement returns and removals at the current rate,” Putzel-Kavanaugh said.
Our ruling
Mayorkas said, “Since May of last year we have removed or returned more individuals than in any year since 2015.”
He’s right about this precise data. Over the past nine months, immigration officials have carried out 520,000 returns and removals, more than the previous high of 518,000 in fiscal year 2019.
But someone who is unfamiliar with deportation jargon could conclude that the past nine months have accounted for the largest number of times people have been sent out of the country since 2015. That’s not the case when accounting for expulsions under a public health policy that lasted from March 2020 to May 2023. In fiscal year 2022, people were removed, returned or expelled 1.4 million times.
Mayorkas’ statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. We rate it Mostly True.
On Feb. 22, the Warriors were 27-26 and in 10th place.
Three weeks later, the Warriors are 33-29 … and in a virtual tie for 10th place.
Thursday’s 125-122 loss to the Bulls was a double whammy for the Warriors. Above them in the standings, the Mavericks, Kings and Suns each won. It was a snapshot of how a cluttered play-in picture has made it difficult for the Warriors to progress.
Even after turning around their season with an 11-3 February and going 6-3 since the All-Star break, the Warriors remain staunchly in the play-in round. Their playoff probability has risen only modestly since the break, from 48.6% to 58.9% — from a coin flip to sitting in the dealer seat at a blackjack table.
They control their own destiny, but just barely. Per Basketball Reference’s playoff probabilities report, the Warriors have a 12.5% chance of escaping the play-in round of seeds seven through 10.
The severity of Steph Curry’s ankle injury threatens to further complicate the team’s stated goal of snatching the No. 6 seed. But no matter how healthy their superstar is, the parity at the bottom half of the Western Conference will be a serious obstacle.
“This is the deepest that I’ve ever seen either conference, I would say,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said this week. “Because night after night, it feels like you’re swimming upstream. Everybody’s good.”
The teams seeded six through 10 the Warriors are competing with are the Mavericks, Suns, Kings and Lakers. Of those teams, only the Warriors and Kings (5-3) have played over .500 ball since the All-Star break. But none have bottomed out.
“I think we won like 13 out of 16 and we’re still in 10th,” Kerr said. “Maybe we moved up from 11th? Maybe when this run started we were further back? But we have made up a lot of ground, and we are within striking distance of a lot of teams. We feel good about that, but we’ve got to keep playing at a high level if we want to make more ground up.”
For much of the past decade, the West has been a better overall conference than the East. But that dynamic is typically cyclical, if not random. Kerr has a few theories as to why this year’s Western Conference is so deep.
The new play-in postseason format, instituted in 2020, incentivizes more teams to compete rather than tank for a draft pick. Any team that gets in the top 10 now has a puncher’s chance at making a run; just last year, the Lakers went from the play-in to the conference final.
Then at the top of the standings, teams like Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Denver and the Clippers are either in their top stage or an ascending point in their roster building. They either have young stars (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards) or superstars in their prime (Nikola Jokic and Kawhi Leonard) to build around.
Then there’s the style of play. More teams are shooting more 3-pointers than ever before, which can be a great equalizer. The influx of international stars like Jokic and Luka Doncic has also made the league’s talent pool as impressive as it’s ever been.
“There’s just a lot of really talented players,” Kerr said. “The style of play with 3-point shooting, with the pace, it’s hard to guard a lot of these players, lot of these teams. There’s a lot of really great coaches in this league. I think the level of play is really high right now.”
Hit-aheads
— Per multiple reports, the initial results of Steph Curry’s ankle injury were better than feared, and he’s not expected to miss significant time. The Warriors have two games against the Spurs and road games in Dallas and Los Angeles upcoming.
The Warriors aren’t alone among the West in dealing with injuries. Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns underwent knee surgery that will sideline him until at least the playoffs, and Suns guard Devin Booker has been out with an ankle sprain. Russell Westbrook has also been unavailable for the Clippers and Memphis’ season was derailed by Ja Morant’s injury (as well as his early suspension).
— Kevon Looney’s impressive Iron Man streak of games played ended on Thursday night when he was left out of the rotation. He logged 290 consecutive games including the playoffs, a stretch that spans back to March 20, 2021.
“We’ve all always said that Loon is the ultimate professional,” Draymond Green said. “Obviously no one wants to see the streak get broken, but the reality is streaks are made to be broken. And whenever his number’s called, you know he’ll be ready.”
— After missing what would have been a game-tying reverse layup late in the Bulls loss, Brandin Podziemski keeled over with his hands on his knees. He later sat alone on the Warriors’ bench for a moment. The rookie has been extremely hard on himself in rare moments of struggle this year, but told Michael Wagaman of NBC Sports Bay Area that he’s not going to dwell on the miss.
“In the NBA you have to (move past it),” Podziemski said. “You look at it, obviously a whole bunch of things contribute to a win or loss, and it’s not just one moment. I know that. I’m just going to look back at what I could have done better throughout the whole course of the game, not just in that moment. I’ll improve on it and be ready for Saturday.”
Steep challenges remain, but Black people — and allies — must create space for change and demand justice.
by Ashanti Bryant
On Dec. 31, my family and I rang in the new year watching movies, eating pizza, playing board games and talking. Yet something about the arrival of 2024, and all that faces Black America in the year ahead, was sobering.
From growing white extremism and backsliding on democracy to the demolition of affirmative action and destruction of Black history in schools, our community stands at a crossroads in our collective journey toward the American dream.
Without a doubt, 2024 presents a number of opportunities to reflect on the state of our kids and families — including the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling and 10 years since a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The impacts of systemic and individual racism on the Black community are devastating. Yet while we work to disrupt the status quo, we cannot minimize nor neglect creating spaces that foster listening, healing and new narratives for how we relate in our communities.
Since 2017, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has sponsored the annual National Day of Racial Healing, a time to contemplate our shared values as Americans and create a blueprint on how Black people can heal from the effects of racism.
This year, we shared new tools and platforms where participants can share stories with new allies, take advantage of new initiatives and work with institutions, corporations and legislators renewing their commitment to advance racial equity.
Despite setback after setback, Black Americans maintain an enduring vision of possibility for racial healing in this country, yet they also yet carry lingering skepticism that meaningful, lasting social change will ever occur. Therefore, authentic racial healing must be rooted in justice, restitution and even reparations.
If American society is a landscape interconnected by bridges, the one representing the historical journey of Black Americans is near collapse. Anchored in slavery, systemic racism and economic disparity, the supports are weak and in constant disrepair.
Racial healing, then, must be a collective, determined effort to repair and upgrade this bridge by engaging individual hearts and minds, breaking down systemic racism — one person at a time. It means demanding justice, restitution and acknowledgment of harm, and calling for the allocation of resources to ensure safety and equality for all.
This repaired bridge to Black America must become a symbol of unity and equal access.
The support, nurture, protection, and affirmation of Black children is fundamental for a strong, healthy sustainable Black community. To ensure this, we must not only address historical injustices but make investments for future generations.
As such, this repaired bridge to Black America must become a symbol of unity and equal access. It must be a pathway where the weight of the past no longer hinders progress, and where Black children — in every community across this country — has an unhindered path toward “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
To power this work, we must leverage philanthropic, corporate, and individual investments and harness the brilliance and creative power of Black communities. We must imagine a new level of Black joy, excellence, health, possibility, and holistic prosperity. And we must remember that achieving this goal will be a source of pride — and a tribute to our ancestors who, through pain, labored to build this country and believed in its promise.
As Cornel West one said, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.”
Ashanti Bryant is a senior program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Multiple unmanned aerial vehicles targeted several Russian regions during the night.
The Russian military intercepted 47 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight, the Defense Ministry said on Saturday morning. No fatalities were caused, according to local officials.
The ministry said one UAV was shot down over Belgorod Region, two over Kursk Region, three over Volgograd Region, and 41 over Rostov Region.
Vassily Golubev, governor of Rostov Region, wrote on Telegram that local air defense units had repelled a large-scale assault. Several UAVs were destroyed while approaching the city of Morozovsk. He added that there were no deaths resulting from a bombardment of the city of Taganrog, according to preliminary reports. One Emergencies Ministry employee who was clearing debris on the ground was injured and hospitalized, but his life is not in danger.
The governor of Kursk Region, Roman Starovoyt, used social media to report that debris from a downed Ukrainian drone had damaged the roof of a hospital in the main city of the province, Kursk. No casualties were reported. Starovoyt said that due to an explosion risk, patients from the intensive care unit of a neighboring building were evacuated to other medical institutions in the city.
Voronezh Region Governor Aleksander Gusev has also confirmed that three UAVs were destroyed over his region, with no casualties reported so far. He said the threat of further attacks remains.
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All of the regions, except for Volgograd, border Ukraine and have regularly been targeted by Kiev’s forces.
On Thursday the Defense Ministry reported that the Russian military had thwarted an attack by six Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, including in the Tula Region. It is located deeper inside Russia, some 200km from the Ukrainian border and adjacent to Moscow Region, which surrounds the Russian capital.
On Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone hit a fuel depot in Kursk Region some 100km from the border, causing a fire, the governor reported. Another crashed into a fuel and lubricant storage facility used by an ore refinery.
The management of Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, has appealed to the federal government to facilitate the rescue of the remaining twelve female students who have been in the hands of their captives.
Recall that the school has witnessed a series of abductions since last year.
According to the Dean of Students Affairs of the University, Dr. Lawal Saad, between April 2023 and January 2024, the university has recorded seven kidnappings by gunmen.
Saad was speaking during an interaction with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement on Safe School Initiatives, Sunday Adebayo, in Gusau, the state capital.
He urged both the government and the security operatives to redouble their efforts to prevent further occurrence.
Responding, Adebayo stated that the government was working towards ensuring that the twelve remaining abducted female students were rescued.
He appealed to their parents and management of the school to remain calm as the government was not sleeping over the matter.
The meeting was attended by the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wadatua Madawaki, representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other government officials
Rescue Remaining Abducted 12 Students, FUG Appeals To FG is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
As he has done on several occasions, President Joe Biden used the State of the Union address to tout his administration’s efforts to cut the federal deficit.
During his March 7 address to Congress, Biden said, “I’ve been delivering real results in fiscally responsible ways. We’ve already cut the federal deficit by over $1 trillion.”
Biden has presided over smaller deficits than former President Donald Trump’s administration saw in its final year. However, Biden’s remarks omit important context about the unusual federal spending that both presidents approved to stabilize the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
“President Biden has presided over declining deficits, but that’s because the deficit started staggeringly high because of the pandemic,” Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that tracks federal spending, told PolitiFact this month. “If you compare the deficit to pre-pandemic levels, they are incredibly high. Some of that is still residual effects from the pandemic response and higher interest rates, but it is also from increased spending and decreased revenues.”
What is the deficit? What is the debt?
The deficit isn’t the same as the debt, although the terms are related.
The federal deficit is calculated by subtracting federal spending from federal revenue, primarily tax collections, for a given year. If revenue exceeds spending, there’s a surplus for that year; if spending exceeds revenue, there’s a deficit. (There hasn’t been a federal surplus since 2001.)
The national debt is the accumulation of all past deficits, minus any surpluses.
A smaller deficit does not mean the federal debt has shrunk; only a surplus can do that. A smaller deficit means only that the debt grows more slowly than it did before.
So, the debt has continued to rise under Biden. When Biden entered office, the broadest measure of the federal debt stood a little below $27.8 trillion. Currently, it’s around $34.4 trillion, an increase of almost one-fourth in a little more than three years.
The debt also rose under Trump, by about $7.8 trillion over his four years in office.
How big has the deficit been in recent years?
Biden’s claim about the annual deficit, meanwhile, leaves out important context.
During Trump’s presidency, the deficit rose from $666 billion in 2017, his first year in office, to $984 billion in 2019, his third year.
But the coronavirus pandemic sent the annual deficit into record territory. In 2020, Trump’s fourth year, the deficit skyrocketed to $3.13 trillion, largely because of government stimulus payments, unemployment insurance expansions, business operation grants and increased funding for public health.
The deficit remained high in 2021, another significant pandemic year. That year, a newly elected Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act, which provided more money for the pandemic response. In 2021, the deficit fell but remained historically high, at $2.78 trillion.
The deficit declines were greater during Biden’s second and third years in office, as vaccines and therapies cut the risks associated with COVID-19 and the economy opened. The deficit was about $1.38 trillion in 2022 and $1.7 trillion in 2023.
The $1.4 trillion decline in the deficit from 2021 to 2022 was larger than any previous one-year reduction in the deficit. The decline from 2021 to 2023 was almost $1.1 trillion.
How much credit does Biden deserve for reducing the deficit?
Although Biden often touts the federal spending from bills he’s signed — including the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — he’s also tried to promote the argument that he’s been responsible with the public purse.
The White House told PolitiFact that Biden’s administration deserves some credit for successfully tamping down the pandemic, partly because it embraced and promoted vaccinations.
Also, White House officials say that key legislation Biden signed, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, was written in a way to boost federal revenue enough to balance out the spending increases. The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which Biden signed in 2023 as a negotiated way to lift the debt limit, included spending curbs that were designed to reduce deficits from 2024 to 2033 by a collective $1.5 trillion, according to Congressional Budget Office projections.
However, the pandemic was an extraordinary historical occurrence that provoked an aggressive, and temporary, government response. The other bills Biden signed, although large in dollars, are phasing in their spending over a decade.
The deficit, even at its reduced levels, remains higher under Biden than it was pre-pandemic. The deficit in 2022 and 2023 under Biden was higher than in each of Trump’s first three years, partly because of bills such as the 2021 American Rescue Plan.
The same pattern emerges when the deficit is compared with the U.S. gross domestic product, a common measure of the economy’s overall size. The deficit peaked at 14.7% of gross domestic product in 2020 and fell to 5.4% in 2022. That was still bigger than the highest pre-pandemic percentage under Trump, 4.6%.
Our ruling
Biden said, “We’ve already cut the federal deficit by over $1 trillion.”
The annual deficit did decline by $1.4 trillion on Biden’s watch, from 2021 to 2022. That was larger than any previous one-year reduction in the deficit. Looking at the two-year period from 2021 to 2023, the deficit declined by less, but still by almost $1.1 trillion.
However, the pandemic was an extraordinary historical occurrence that provoked an aggressive, and temporary, government response.
On Biden’s watch, even this reduced deficit is larger than any of the deficits on Trump’s watch. And the federal debt has kept rising, just more slowly than it did during the pandemic.
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Bow Wow, 37; Brittany Snow, 38; Matthew Gray Gubler, 44; Juliette Binoche, 60.
Happy Birthday: Don’t share personal information or secrets. You decide the changes you want to enforce this year, and turn your intentions into something that makes you proud. Use your imagination and test your skills and knowledge. A thirst for knowledge will help you expand your interests and friendships and carve a path that suits your needs. Make positive change a priority. Your numbers are 3, 12, 19, 25, 32, 38, 49.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keeping a low profile will allow you to get things done without interference. Focus on self-improvement, health, fitness and looking your best. Your attitude will take a positive turn and encourage new beginnings. Romance and personal gain are on the rise. Seek contentment. 3 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A watchful eye will reveal everything you need to know. Don’t feel obligated to share too much or to join forces with someone who doesn’t share your agenda. Rely on your instincts to point you in a direction that encourages positive change. 4 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take a pass if someone tries to lure you into something questionable. Your time and effort will improve if you are meticulous regarding your health, appearance and personal gains. A trendy look will boost your morale. 2 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Allocate your time wisely. Address your concerns and pay homage to the things you want to change. You can make a difference if you are true to yourself, honest about what you can do and willing to live up to your promises. 5 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Money, emotions and what to do next will cause stress and confusion. Be an objective observer and listener, and you’ll gain insight into the possibilities. Don’t act too quickly or get swept up in someone else’s dream. Make personal gain and romance priorities. 3 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s up to you to make things happen. A change will enlighten and stimulate you to resurrect some of the things you enjoy most. A partnership will promote a sense of belonging and encourage you to give your all to achieve your dreams. 3 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take an interest in what’s available and you’ll discover something that leads to positive change. Don’t feel you need to collaborate with someone else to succeed. Shared expenses and joint ventures will cost too much. Take care of yourself. 3 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Try to get out and indulge in activities and events that broaden your awareness and open your mind to new and exciting ways to use your skills, attributes and knowledge. Positive change is within reach; it’s up to you to make it happen. 5 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your friendly manner will make you a target for someone eager to take advantage of you. Pay attention to what’s happening around you and dodge any chitchat that leads you to believe you are missing an opportunity. Personal gain begins with you. 2 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Stick close to home, nurture what you have and only change what’s necessary and affordable. Invest in what makes you happy and brings you peace of mind. Set standards and guidelines that keep you on track and help you maintain a healthy and robust lifestyle. 4 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Leave nothing to chance or unfinished. Channel your energy, finish what you start and reward yourself with something meaningful. Say no to those trying to persuade you to be a follower. Be true to yourself and follow your dreams, and you won’t be disappointed. 3 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Use your skills to address issues holding you back. Get rid of what no longer works for you and start anew. Let your intuition guide you, and your intelligence will recognize what you need most to achieve the lifestyle you want to live. 3 stars
Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, responsive and insightful. You are original and entertaining.
1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.
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Films about Black students and schools tend to be full of stereotypes, but these four share challenges and solutions with heart.
by Aziah Siid
Racial prejudice and bullying, a lack of funding, inadequate mental health support, and inexperienced teachers — those are just some of the challenges Black students face in America’s K-12 public schools. We see some of these issues show up on television on “Abbott Elementary,” but representations of Black students and schools are a mixed bag on the big screen. Some films — we’re looking at you, “Dangerous Minds” — dive right into the stereotype of the white savior teacher who rescues bad Black kids from their terrible neighborhoods and families.
So where can teachers see accurate and empathetic representations of the struggles, successes, and joys of teaching Black kids in deliberately underfunded and disenfranchised schools?
And, most importantly, where are films that present possible suggestions and solutions for educators?
Here are four films every educator teaching Black students should watch. They’ll give folks an idea what the challenges are, what solutions people are trying, and sometimes they make us smile:
1. The Great Debaters
Featuring Hollywood A-listers like Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, and Kimberly Elise, the 2007 hit movie, “The Great Debaters,” is based on a true story about historical Wiley College’s first debate team.
Portrayed by Denzel Washington, professor Melvin B. Tolson inspires the 1935 team to perform at their highest level as they go through a nearly undefeated season. They Southern heat, a lynch mob, Jim Crow, and sexism, all the while working to tirelessly to make it to the championship match against Harvard University’s debate team.
Whether it’s opportunities not being presented, being judged harsher than their white counterparts, or simply the prejudice they receive from simply being Black, the film is a modern-day parallel to the challenges Black students, teachers, and coaches face when pursuing excellence.
2. Teach Us All
In 1957, nine African American students were escorted to the doors of Little Rock Central High School, three years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision deemed it illegal to segregate schools. During their first few attempts to enter, the students were spit on, blockaded, and forced out of Arkansas high school. But eventually, they would walk into the building.
Decades later, the discrimination and inequalities Black students faced then have taken on new shapes and forms all over the country. The 2017 documentary, “Teach Us All,” produced by Ava DuVernay’s film distribution company ARRAY, puts what happened in Little Rock as the backdrop to looking at education in three different cities – New York, Los Angeles, and Little Rock. The film looks specifically at the roles of teachers in creating educational change, as well as how the community and students themselves are demanding justice.
3. Ruby Bridges
Being the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school couldn’t have been easy in 1960 Louisiana? But that was the reality for 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, who had to be protected by federal marshals as she entered William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans.
The 1998 Disney-produced film about Bridges, who is now 69, was recently banned from a Florida school because a parent worried it would make her child feel guilty about racism. Given that school segregation jumped 35% from 1991 to 2020 in the 100 largest school districts, the depiction of Bridges’ journey is a reminder of the role teachers can play in counteracting disrespect and racism in schools.
4. Waiting for Superman
School choice has been helpful for some families, harmful for others, and life changing for a select few.
The 2010 documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” follows the five young New York City students during the high stakes lottery selection to get into one of the city’s charter schools. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim puts faces and names to education statistics, , and gives us a look at the education system from a parent and child perspective. It also sparks plenty of reflection on the lengths families will go to to ensure their child has access to an excellent education, regardless of societal or economic status.
