Feature
La. residents believe police treat Black people worse, LSU survey finds
Policing was the only issue where a majority of Louisiana residents — including a majority of White residents — said Black people face discrimination. […]
News
Education
SU College of Ag hosts recruitment fair, March 24
The Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS) is inviting high school juniors and seniors, Southern University students, and students interested in transferring to Southern to its’ virtual recruitment fair at 6 […]
Feature
Impacted by winter storm? Time to complete damage reports
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is encouraging Louisianans impacted by winter storms are urged to fill out the Louisiana disaster preliminary damage self-report. This includes anyone who received damage due to […]
Events
Feature
Walmart pharmacies to administer free COVID-19 vaccines
Free COVID-19 vaccines are being administered at Walmart and Sam’s Clup pharmacies in Louisiana thanks to the U.S. Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Eligible customers can schedule a vaccine appointment via the Walmart and Sam’s Club websites once appointments are available, […]
News
La. Democratic Party endorse Christophe for Congress
“Apart from being a remarkable candidate capable of bringing people together, Candy embodies Louisiana values. We’re excited to see her sworn in as the first African-American female member of Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation,” party leaders said. […]
Feature
Cedric Richmond affirms: ‘You’ve got a friend in President Biden’
In the first of what is expected to become subsequent White House briefings with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, White House Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Cedric […]
Community-La
Additional cases of COVID variant found in Southwest La.
The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed two additional cases of the COVID-19 variant, in Southwest Louisiana. This brings the state’s total number of confirmed cases of the variant to five. Two identified in Region […]
Education
Musician PJ Morton becomes Dillard’s artist-in-residence
“I’m so excited to be partnering with Dillard University,” said multi-Grammy Award winner PJ Morton who was recently named the new artist-in-residence at Dillard University. “As both an HBCU graduate and a New Orleanian, it’s […]
Feature
COVID-19 testing expands to B.R. Black churches, centers
Black churches and community centers are key to overcoming COVID testing reluctance and increasing the number of residents tested. Testing begins Feb. 10 at 16 new sites, six days a week through April, thanks to a $1.8 million grant. […]
Education
Drink maker endows $10 million to Grambling, Xavier, Dillard, others
Grambling, Dillard, and Xavier have received part of a $10 million funding to change the complexion of the beverage alcohol industry […]
In the Issue
Meet Louisianans for the community, for justice, for health, for education, for culture. Meet the People for 2021
Internationally, 2020 was a year of medical, social, political, racial, and economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 7,000 Louisianans died while 173,000 were unemployed and all 710,000 K-12 students and teachers were […]
National
5 Louisiana Congressmen voted to overturn Biden’s Presidential Win.
Five of the six Republican members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation sided with President Donald Trump on Wednesday night, Jan. 6, in an attempt to stop President-elect Joe Biden taking office. Sen. John Kennedy and Reps. […]
National
AME church sues Proud Boys after racist attack, burning BLM flag
A legal organization specializing in civil rights cases announced Monday that it was suing the Proud Boys and one of its founders, Enrique Tarrio, over vandalism of a historically Black church in Washington, D.C. In […]
Baton Rouge
NBR’s Renoir District earns cultural district designation from state
The Renoir Arts and Cultural District in North Baton Rouge has been certified as a “Louisiana Cultural District” by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. The new district includes the encompassing communities of East […]
News
Renters looking for homes can find help with Housing Heroes initiative
In light of the dire need for quality, safe, affordable, and accessible housing, Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said the city has joined the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Louisiana […]
News
Life Source Hospice celebrates their chaplains
SUBMITTED NEWS Life Source Hospice recognized and celebrated their Pastoral Care/Bereavement Department, in honor of Spiritual Care Week/Pastoral Care Week 2020, with an Oct. 27 luncheon. This year’s theme is “Collaborative Healthcare: Chaplains Complete the […]
News
Read your ballot, Louisiana
Intense get-out-the-vote momentum is growing for November third, the day we Americans will cast our votes and “claim” who we want to serve as our 46th president. For first time voters, the day has more […]
News
LSU president urges students to test monthly for COVID
In a letter to all LSU Students, interim president Tom Galligan wrote: I write to you today with a very specific request: I’m asking each of you to get tested for COVID-19 at least once a month at […]
News
Locate loved ones who’ve evacuated
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has launched “Connect,” a way for families to locate loved ones who evacuated from Hurricane Laura to state-provided hotel rooms. The number to call is 225-342-2727. Alternatively, […]
News
Federal disaster assistance available for Hurricane Laura survivors
State and federal officials are encouraging Louisiana residents affected by Hurricane Laura to register for disaster assistance with FEMA as soon as possible. Disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Louisiana to […]
In the Issue
Parenting during this pandemic requires an ‘anointing,’ says Baton Rouge counselor
With today’s coronavirus pandemic, parents and grandparents are facing a crisis never before seen. From dealing with health fears, sharp shifts to virtual learning, job losses, and political protests, parenting youth today–in a world that’s […]
News
Back to school giveaway with SU Athletics, Care South hosted this Say
CareSouth, SU Athletics hosting Back-to-School Supplies Giveaway and COVID-19 Drive-thru Community Testing in Baton Rouge, also raffling off tablet computers and a $100 gift card, Saturday Aug. 8 CareSouth Medical and Dental along with […]
News
City of Baker announces condemnations, demolitions
The following properties located in Baker, Louisiana were approved for demolition at the Baker City Council meeting by the Baker City Council on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in accordance with Baker Municipal Code Article VIII […]
News
SU Ag Center to discuss emergency preparedness for older adults
SU Ag Center set to discuss Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Ag Center will host the third session of its Facebook Live Series on Emergency Preparedness in the Wake […]
Baton Rouge
EBR schools announces reopening plan
The superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Parish School system, Warren Drake, has released an updated about the school system’s reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. On Friday a message was sent out to […]
Baton Rouge
Thirteen awarded the Nu Gamma Omega Chapter Debutante Award
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – Nu Gamma Omega Chapter proudly presented awards to the 2020 Coterie of Debutantes at the Louisiana Old State Capitol. The theme for the event was, “A Renaissance of […]
Baton Rouge
Life Source Hospice gives thanks, feeds Frontline workers
Life Source Hospice held an event, ‘Feeding the Frontlines’, to say thank you, and to show appreciation to all Frontline Workers, on Thursday, June 25, 2020, 3pm – 6pm at 11605 Southfork Avenue, Baton Rouge, […]
News
BRCC to eliminate fees, offer aid for fall semester
The community college has eliminated non-resident fees, suspend online fees this fall, and offer several institutional aid awards. There will also be changes to placement testing […]
News
EBR Schools to change Lee High name, seeks suggestions
“The East Baton Rouge Parish School System is dedicated to ensuring every child receives a high-quality education in an inclusive, equitable, and enriching learning environment. Guided by our organization’s core mission, we stand by our families and our […]
News
EBR Library; ‘There’s something for everyone with the online summer reading program’
The East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s 2020 Summer Reading Program, Imagine Your Story!, began Monday, June 1, and runs through Saturday, August 15. But it’s Summer Reading, Re-Imagined as the library transitions to a new online program! The traditional summer […]
Commentary
Floyd’s death is ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back; All systems are broken for Blacks
We are the children of the sixties and we have been tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, had horses chase us, and waterhoses shot on us. We are with the protestors; we just can no longer run. […]
News
BR youth invited to experience aviation at home
The Baton Rouge Youth Aviation Experience invites Baton Rouge area youth to participate in virtual aviation programs throughout the country. Due to COVID-19 the experience will not include trips to Atlanta or Denver. However, through […]
News
State accepting public comments on 2016 floods action plan
The Louisiana Office of Community Development is accepting public comments on Action Plan Amendment 14, which modifies program budgets to help stabilize housing stock and provide critical assistance in areas impacted by the Great Floods […]
News
Virtual Discussion of “The Hate U Give” film
Kickoff your Juneteenth celebration with a virtual discussion of the film “The Hate U Give,” facilitated by LetreceG. The Zoom session will take place Friday, June 19th at 7:00 pm. For more details, visit www.LetreceG.com. […]
Community-La
P-EBT cards arriving in plain white envelopes; Don’t toss!
As the first round of Louisiana Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) cards arrive this week, recipients should be on alert for plain white envelopes with an Austin, Texas, return address. The envelope will include the household’s P-EBT card along with […]
News
2020 Youth Peace Olympics goes virtual
2020 Youth Peace Olympics Goes Virtual The First Virtual Opening Ceremony Coming May 30th The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE), along with the Together We Are More Adolescent Health Collaborative, is excited to announce […]
Baton Rouge
Charles R. Kelly Community Center, Councilwoman Green’s District 5 office to remain closed
In adherence to the COVID-19 CDC Guidelines and the Governor John bel Edwards’s Phase One Plan, the District Office of Councilwoman Erika L. Green and the Charles R. Kelly Community Center will remain closed to […]
News
Our Daily Bread of Tangipahoa awarded $10,000 donation
Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance announce a $10,000 donation to Our Daily Bread of Tangipahoa – nominated by Shae Crain of Blumberg & Associates – as part of an Emergency Community Support Grant to help […]
In the Issue
Community news at your door. Claim your free subscription
Residents and small businesses in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, and Tangipahoa can claim a free subscription to The Drum. Click and start your subscription today.
News
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Striking the right balance
The current pandemic has permeated our peripherals and has become the focus of how we see the world. The way we greet each other, the way we shop, and how we communicate have evolved in ways that were unimaginable only a few months ago…Our daily actions now will have a lasting impact on the days to come. […]
News
URGENT: State seeks public comments on plan to create affordable rental program
The formal public comment period for APA 13 runs from April 1 to 5 p.m. April 14, 2020. […]
News
ICYMI: Closures extended, well wishes, elections, text system alerts, National Guards deployed
CLOSURES CONTINUE: Gov. John Bel Edwards extended his stay-at-home order until April 30, as Louisiana works to slow the spread of COVID-19, which extends the length of time that schools and some businesses are closed and continues […]
News
Louisianans push USDA to open emergency food reserves
Together Louisiana has begun a petition asking the US Department of Agriculture to allow Louisiana’s food banks to access non-perishable food reserves the USDA stores throughout the state for emergencies. Louisiana is experiencing the fastest spread of […]
News
Jaguar Nation partners to help on-campus students move amid coronavirus concerns
An emergency fund has been created to assist students in moving off campus and travel home amid coronavirus concerns. […]
News
Tangipahoa Parish schools provides school update
According to the Tangipahoa School Systems, teachers will not take any grades or attendance during the next four weeks. The instructional materials tey system provides are OPTIONAL for students. […]
Community-La
You can dial #-1-1 for more services nationwide
Short dial codes ending in 1-1 are convenient ways to quickly call for assistance and services nationwide. Remember these numbers and their use. 2-1-1 is a free confidential service that connects callers to information and services in times […]
News
LED launches site to share resources for impacted businesses
Louisiana Economic Development has launched a resource page as individuals and the state’s business community adjust to the coronavirus pandemic. This information focuses on useful resources for businesses and individuals. Information includes links to the […]
Community-La
What therapists tell patients who are anxious about Coronavirus
If the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting your mental health, therapists provided The Huffington Post with eight suggestions for managing anxiety. […]
Community-La
Misconceptions Blacks have about Coronavirus
BlackNews.com reports the top 11 most common misconceptions that many in the Black community have: #1 – Black People Can’t Get It: This is simply not true. To date, at least three African American NBA […]
News
Edwards holds meeting on coronavirus, task force
Gov. John Bel Edwards presided over Louisiana’s first Unified Command Group meeting about the state’s response to the coronavirus(COVID-19) on Monday and announced the creation of a COVID-19 Task Force of key state and federal […]
News
Southern University Law Center launches mental health teletheraphy app
Southern University Law Center has become the latest institution of higher learning to offer the META mental wellness program to students. META, a teletherapy app, offers mobile counseling to help college students gain easy access to mental […]
News
Congress passes historic anti-lynching legislation
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) called lynchings racially-motivated acts of violence and terror that represent a dark and despicable chapter of our nation’s history.
“They were acts against people who should have received justice but did not. With this bill, we can change that by explicitly criminalizing lynching under federal law,” noted Harris, who suspended her presidential campaign late last year.
[…]
column
LETTER: Community meeting on Exxon fire more than just talk
Dear Editor, As Chief Executive Officer of the East Baton Rouge Council On Aging, I was compelled to attend the Emergency Called Community Meeting, held by Senator Cleo Fields on February 19, 2020. This meeting […]
News
SU Ag Center set to host its 77th Annual State Livestock Show
Meat purchases are available Nearly 120 youth from 26 parishes will come to the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Arena with the hopes of having their animals named state champion during the Southern University Ag Center’s […]
News
Fathers Incorporated partners with the US Census for ‘Black Dads Count’
Fathers Incorporated officially launched Black Dads Count, an awareness campaign to advance a conversation and civic engagement amongst Black Dads and the 2020 U.S. Census on MLK Day, January 20, 2020. Black Dads Count has partnered […]
Crime
Professor presents ‘When Law and Injustice Become Bedfellows,’ Feb.3
On Monday, February 3, 2020, Southern University Law Center professor Angela Allen-Bell will give a presentation entitled “When Law & Injustice Become Bedfellows: Justice Becomes the Business of the People” during SUNO’s Charles Frye Memorial […]
Education
Melanin Origins offers Black History curriculum
The founders of Melanin Origins, a children’s book company that publishes biographies about African-American leaders, are offering their English-Language Arts Black History Curriculum for 99-cents through February 29, 2020. Since 2016, Melanin Origins has provided […]
Drum Roll
Marshall named vice-chancellor of the SU Ag Center and associate dean of the College of Ag
Renita W. Marshall, DVM, has been appointed the Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Services at the Southern University Ag Center/ Associate Dean of the Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences. Marshall […]
News
National
Census 2020: For all to count, all must be counted
While every Census faces challenges and even controversies, the count remains important because it’s the federal government’s very first responsibility to the U.S. Constitution, the cornerstone of the nation’s representative democracy and America’s largest peacetime […]
News
DrumRoll! Congratulations to Tapo, Branson, Stewart, Plummer, Harris, and Golden
Attorneys Taryn Branson and Joyce Marie Plummer received the Joyn M Clemons Award for Outstanding Legal Work during the 2019 Louisiana NAACP State Convention in Marksville. Plummer was also recognized as a life member of […]
Baton Rouge
Invisible Illness on full display through Picture of Health
For someone who began capturing photos at seven years old, seeing life through a lens is second nature. And, using photography for the purpose of storytelling is a skill Baton Rouge photographer and journalist Leslie […]
Baton Rouge
Registration opens for 5th Annual Open Talks Health Conference; Reynolds to keynote
Don’t miss Open Health‘s 5th Annual Conference, Open Talks on Friday, October 18 at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge. The conference theme this year is health equity and will feature presenters from across […]
News
‘Coffee and Conversation’ presents legendary civil rights attorney Johnnie A. Jones Sr.
The Louis A. Berry Institute for Civil Rights and Justice requests your presence at “Coffee and Conversation” with the legendary Johnnie A. Jones, Sr. Johnnie A. Jones, Sr. was the first student to graduate from […]
Baton Rouge
Mayor Broome Announces Community Development Grant Awards
EBR Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced 33 grant awards to 23 local non-profits, supportive service organizations, and community developers from the City-Parish’s federal Community Planning and Development dollars. Approximately $7.2 million was made available through […]
History
NAACP leads largest delegation of Blacks to Ghana for the Year of Return
Nearly 300 Americans reconnected with their African roots in the journey of a lifetime marking the 400th Anniversary of the Transatlantic Slave Trade […]
Drum Roll
Myra Richardson to receive NAACP’s advocacy award
Myra Richardson will be presented the NAACP’s Prestigious Montague Cobb Health Advocacy Award, July 22, 2019 during the annual convention. This award was established to honor individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact […]
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge NAACP leaders challenge parish’s plan of governement
Leaders of the Baton Rouge Branch of The NAACP have announced the organization will launch an investigation into the proposed changes to The East Baton Rouge Plan of Government. On June 12, 2019. After 18 months, […]
Baton Rouge
Seed to Stomach: Grow Baton Rouge’s Food Cubes, other innovations tackle hunger
For organizers and volunteers of Grow Baton Rouge, the fight against food deserts in North Baton Rouge is beyond the “last mile” of getting fruits and vegetables to the community. “We are committed to resolving this […]
Baton Rouge
‘Not Charity Lord, but a Chance’
On the heels of winning an international People’s Choice Award for her aromatherapy pillow business, Condoleezza Semien, 13, shared a poem during the Baton Rouge African American History Museum’s Juneteenth celebration on June 3. She was […]
News
The Bail Project to bring fathers home for Father’s Day
OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY FROM THE BAIL PROJECT AND THE BATON ROUGE NAACP CHAPTER Cash bail should not be something that keeps someone from being a productive member of society, and their inability to […]
News
Donaldsonville kicks off Juneteenth Celebrations, June 1
The Dville Music Festival Celebrating Freedom will be held on Saturday, June 1, 11am – 7pm at the Frank Sotile Jr. Pavilion, 2162 Thibaut Drive, Donaldsonville, LA. The line-up includes Rev. Cleveland Washington, Bright Morning […]
News
Jackson’s anti-abortion bill moves forward; Edwards says he will sign ‘heartbeat’ bill
During his monthly radio show, Gov. John Bel Edwards said he will sign a bill banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, if the legislation arrives on his desk. Lawmakers are nearing the final […]
Baton Rouge
Youth Literacy, pre-IWE Festival, event continues to BRCC May 30
The public is invited to the 2019 IWE Festival, Saturday, June 8th at Southern University A&M College. It is an urban culture festival that boosts a vibrant array of creativity, art and culture through […]