Aallyah Wright

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Aallyah Wright

@aallyahpatrice.bsky.social

Rural Issues Reporter for Capital B 🌎 2022 Maynard Institute Fellow ✨ Mississippi 4eva.
https://capitalbnews.org/author/aallyah-wright/
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In Saturday's @capitalb.bsky.social newsletter, I write about Patrick Braxton and his perseverance to serve as the first Black mayor of Newbern, Alabama. He’ll finally be able to serve, according to a proposed settlement. Sign up here to read it tomorrow morning: capitalbnews.org/newsletter
Newsletters Archivecapitalbnews.org
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After a yearslong legal battle, Patrick Braxton will be reinstated as mayor of his hometown, Newbern, Alabama, according to a proposed settlement. After 60 years of no elections, the town has pledged to hold regular municipal elections beginning in 2025. capitalbnews.org/newbern-alab...
After Years of Litigation, First Black Mayor in Rural Alabama Town Gets to Servecapitalbnews.org Patrick Braxton sued the town’s former white administration for conspiring to keep him out of office. A proposed settlement now awaits a judge’s signature.
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For @capitalb.bsky.social #Maynard200 alum Aallyah Wright (@aallyahpatrice.bsky.social) examines a community in unincorporated Joliet, Illinois fighting with all their might (and money) to keep their homes as a company pushes for a truck stop. Read the full story: capitalbnews.org/joliet-illin...
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Residents in Joliet, Illinois, have been in a 6-year legal battle w/ Love’s to stop construction of a travel center in their neighborhood. They're drained. Damn near bankrupt from taking out loans for legal fees. All to protect their land and health. capitalbnews.org/joliet-illin...
Retirees Want Their Homes. This City Wants a Truck Stop.capitalbnews.org Love’s Travel Stop hopes to build a travel center in the middle of a community outside Joliet, Illinois. Residents sued to protect their land and health.
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The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) officially ended June 1 due to a lack of funding from Congress. The ACP provided discounts on internet service. Here's a piece I wrote in April on the importance of the ACP for Black households in the rural South: capitalbnews.org/affordable-c...
Millions May Lose Internet Benefits if Lawmakers Don’t Actcapitalbnews.org The Affordable Connectivity Program provided up to $30 discounts on internet service for low-income households.
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I just finished an interview with a pastor in a rural community. Before we got off the call, I asked if he had anything else to share. His response: "Now, I'm a baptist preacher if I talk any longer I got to take up an offering." Me: 😂😅😂
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Last year, I wrote about how dollar stores force grocers to close & exacerbate food insecurity in rural areas. This week, I spoke to a Black entrepreneur who opened a grocery store in her hometown in MS, despite the presence of a dollar store. capitalbnews.org/dollar-store...
Dollar Stores Force Local Grocery Stores to Close. This Woman Opened One Anyway.capitalbnews.org Such community stores can provide relief for people living in food deserts, but operating them can be challenging.
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One of my sources told me he wanted physical copies of my latest piece to pass out to folks in his community. I created a layout. Printed more than a dozen copies. And shipped it off today. This is more accessible for people without internet or lack digital literacy skills.
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From MS to NC, Black folks pay the price for having limited resources. In Saturday's @capitalb.bsky.social newsletter, I write about the unexpected impact that condemnation of properties has on our communities. Sign up here to read it tomorrow morning: capitalbnews.org/newsletters/
Newsletterscapitalbnews.org We write the untold stories of Black America
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Black residents in rural Kinston, North Carolina, alleged officials placed their properties on the city’s list for condemnation because they were Black-owned, even though white-owned properties were in worse shape. capitalbnews.org/kinston-nort...
This North Carolina City Wants to Raze Black Properties. Residents Say It Destroys Generational Wealth.capitalbnews.org The state Supreme Court will decide how a lawsuit by homeowners in Kinston will proceed.
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I'm working on a story about health care access (or the lack thereof) in rural Black communities. I'm focusing on areas in GA, MS, TN, and possibly AL and/or SC. If you've been affected by limited healthcare options or working on solutions, hit me up!
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After refusing to sell their land, a railroad company petitioned the Georgia Public Service Commission to allow the company to seize property from mostly Black landowners in rural Sparta to build a rail spur. The PSC ruled in the railroad company’s favor. NEW: capitalbnews.org/railroad-spa...
Rural Georgia Community Keeps Fighting Despite Railroad’s Win to Take Their Landcapitalbnews.org A hearing officer with the Georgia Public Service Commission says a private company can take land from 18 property owners in Sparta for a new spur.
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When Beyoncé announced "Cowboy Carter" it sent fans & naysayers into a social media frenzy — as if country music & rodeo culture isn't a part of Black culture. I spoke to real Black cowgirls & women in rodeo about it & their deep appreciation for the rodeo. capitalbnews.org/beyonce-blac...
The Legacy of Black Cowgirlscapitalbnews.org Ahead of Beyoncé’s release of “Cowboy Carter,” we spoke to Black women and girls making waves in rodeo.
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In Royal, FL, Black folks still live on the 40-acre plots they inherited after the Civil War. As the descendants fight for national preservation, they are also fighting developers, state & county officials from encroaching on, or taking, their land. capitalbnews.org/royal-florid...
The Fight to Protect One of America's Last Historic Black Communitiescapitalbnews.org Residents are facing threats to sell their land and development projects that could affect their mental and physical well-being.
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Shayla "Favor had 41% of the votes compared to 35% for Anthony Pierson and 24% for Natalia Harris," the Columbus Dispatch reported. Favor will go against Republican John Rutan in the general election for Franklin County District Attorney on November 5. capitalbnews.org/franklin-cou...
In This Ohio County, a Historic District Attorney Race Spotlights Police Killingscapitalbnews.org Franklin County, Ohio, went 22 years before a law enforcement officer was indicted for an on-duty death.
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Josephine Wright enjoyed the quiet & playing the piano at her home. Until her last breath, she fought tirelessly to protect her family’s land from developers. Two months ago, she passed away at 94. The lawsuit against her has reached a settlement. capitalbnews.org/josephine-wr...
A Year After Attempted Land Grab, Hilton Head Elder’s Case Is Settledcapitalbnews.org A family spokesperson says the developer must cease contact with the family and make improvements and repairs at Josephine Wright’s home.
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Rural America has an eviction crisis, and it disproportionately affects Black folks in the South. The crisis isn’t just about economics. It’s also about race. MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/black-rural-...
Rural America Has an Eviction Crisis, Toocapitalbnews.org New research using a national database found that Black rural households have eviction rates four times higher than white households.
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Martin’s arrest, conviction, and incarceration has sparked outrage from abolitionists and civil rights advocates.  The South Carolina chapter of the ACLU filed an appeal to get Martin’s conviction thrown out. Tap the link in our bio for the full story.  capitalbnews.org/incarcerated...
South Carolina Punished a Black Woman for Protesting. Her Supporters Demand Her Release.capitalbnews.org Brittany Martin’s attorneys with the state chapter of the ACLU are appealing her conviction.
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Last month, I became a 2x Anthem Awards Winner! I won the Silver prize in the news & journalism category under human & civil rights for my reporting on Mayor Braxton and his fight to serve in rural Alabama. I also won the Community Voice Award after receiving the most fan votes in my category.
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From 2017 to 2022, the U.S. lost 7% of all farms, while Black folks lost nearly 13%, the highest decline among all racial groups. The bleak outlook for Black farmers hasn’t stopped a new generation — despite land loss, racism, and discrimination. capitalbnews.org/black-farms-...
Young Black Farmers Energized Despite Land Loss and Racist Historycapitalbnews.org A recent report by the USDA shows a decline of Black farms and producers, but a slight increase in new farmers.
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In 1855, a white slave owner left land, money and freedom to the folks he enslaved, including a woman named Gracie, in his will. But, they never received any of it. Nearly 170 years later, her Black descendants are pursuing justice. MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/arnwine-desc...
‘We Owe it to Gracie’: A Look Inside This Family’s Quest for Reparationscapitalbnews.org Almost 170 years later, the Black descendants of an enslaved woman are in pursuit of land and money gifted in a will that their ancestors never received.
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2023 was big for me: I joined @capitalb.bsky.social as the national politics reporter, covering the impact of policies and political movements on Black Americans. Here are some highlights. I hope that you'll keep supporting the Black press in 2024! 🧵 capitalbnews.fundjournalism.org/donate/?camp...
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How do you navigate internet issues? Residents in Selma, Al. stop by the library to stream funeral services or watch grad ceremonies. The library staff takes laptops & hotspots to nursing homes so folks can watch church service or order groceries. capitalbnews.org/rural-intern...
How Black Rural Americans Navigate Internet Issuescapitalbnews.org Black rural Americans use community resources to stream funerals and order groceries due to the digital divide.
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What would you do if you couldn’t pay a bill online, complete school work, or search Google because you had inadequate internet service? This is the reality for Black folks in the rural South, where the digital divide is the greatest. NEW: capitalbnews.org/broadband-in...
Digital Redlining and the Black Rural Southcapitalbnews.org Across the region, about 38% of Black households don’t have home internet, a higher percentage than white people in the same area and the national average.