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Jemele Hill: ‘I’m sort of all out of apologies.’

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Jemele Hill was featured at this year’s Annual Norm Brewer First Amendment Lecture. She had famously tested the limits of the First Amendment while at ESPN when she tweeted that President Trump was “a white supremacist who surrounded himself with other white supremacists.” The White House called for her immediate dismissal.

Published

7 years ago

March 16, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, Special to The New Tri-State Defender

There was no way the University of Memphis Journalism Auditorium was going to hold the crowd waiting to hear TV sports journalist and political lightning rod, Jemele Hill speak about the First Amendment. A quick shift to the University Center Ballroom solved that problem.

Despite a very public and controversial departure from ESPN, Hill brought the smoke. Hill is no shrinking violet and she continues to tell it as she sees it. She was engaging, unapologetic, and still controversial – a full-fledged champion of the First Amendment.

Hill was featured at this year’s Annual Norm Brewer First Amendment Lecture. She had famously tested the limits of the First Amendment while at ESPN when she tweeted that President Trump was “a white supremacist who surrounded himself with other white supremacists.” The White House called for her immediate dismissal.

But it was a separate Twitter post that sealed her fate. Hill blasted Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who told his players that anyone who kneels would not play. Hill said Jones had put African-American players in a difficult position, adding, “Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers.”

Given that ESPN broadcasts NFL games, network executives bought out her remaining $2.5 million contract to end the relationship.

“I could have stayed, but I knew it was time to go,” she said. “And they knew it was time for me to go. That’s just what it was.”

On Tuesday, Hill took on every subject, no holds barred. Students asked pointed questions and she answered them all without hesitation. Hill expressed concern for the direction journalism is going and urged students to push themselves.

“I am deeply concerned about journalism in this era,” she said. “It concerns me when being educated and well-read is called ‘being an elitist.’ I am disturbed when being dumb and not well-read is more desired.

“When I was in college, I did not read one book that was not assigned,” Hill continued. “Before college, I read everything. After college, I read. But while I was in college, I didn’t push myself, and I should have. Push yourself to be the best. Don’t just do enough to get by. Push yourself.”

When asked about the public’s right to know the details of Colin Kaepernick’s settlement with the NFL, Hill had this to say about “Kaep:”

“We do not have the right to know about his settlement because it was a labor issue,” she said. “Kaep defeated the NFL. He kneeled to protest the continuous killing of black men and boys. They blackballed him from the league, conspiring to shut him out.

“The NFL is known for pummeling people in court, but when they dealt with Kaep, they had to write a check. We don’t need to know the details because it was a labor issue. Kaep won. That’s all we need to know,” she said.

Some students expressed the desire to excel in sports journalism as “black women.” Hill told them that the career path comes with hate mail and death threats. “It comes with the job. You have to deal with it. That’s just how it is.”

Hill found life after ESPN at The Atlantic monthly print and digital news organ. Her political commentary, no matter how controversial, is widely celebrated.

“I like being at The Atlantic,” she said. “I’m a lot less apologetic. I’m sort of all out of apologies.”

Hill was named the 2018 “Journalist of the Year” by the National Association of Black Journalists.

The Norm Brewer First Amendment Lecture at the University of Memphis was founded by Professor Otis L. Sanford, author, columnist, TV commentator and holder of the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism. This was the lecture’s eighth year.

The event is named for Brewer, a political analyst and news commentator in Memphis – first at WMC-Channel 5 and later at WREG-Channel 13. Brewer passed away in 2010 at the age of 76.

“I think Jemele presented an appropriate message at a time in our society where women are speaking out, mobilizing, challenging the status quo and moving into more positions of authority and power than ever before,” Sanford said.

“Her comment that journalists should be disruptors is spot on. And I was thrilled to have her appear before such a warm and receptive audience. The UofM is a place that fosters relevant dialog and encourages critical conversations. Jemele’s lecture was an ideal example of that.”

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LIVE from the NMA Convention Raheem DeVaughn Says The Time Is Now: Let’s End HIV in Our Communities #2

Set against the backdrop of the NMA conference, Executive Officers from the National Medical Association, Grammy Award Winning Artist and Advocate Raheem DeVaughn, and Gilead Sciences experts, are holding today an important conversation on HIV prevention and health equity. Black women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV despite advances in prevention options. Today’s event […]

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Black women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV despite advances in prevention options. Today’s event is designed to uplift voices, explore barriers to access, and increase awareness and key updates about PrEP, a proven prevention method that remains underutilized among Black women. This timely gathering will feature voices from across health, media, and advocacy as we break stigma and center equity in HIV prevention.

Additional stats and information to know:

● Black women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, with Black women representing more than 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women in the U.S. in 2022, despite comprising just 13% of women in the U.S.

● Women made up only 8% of PrEP users despite representing 19% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2022.

● Gilead Sciences is increasing awareness and addressing stigma by encouraging regular HIV testing and having judgment-free conversations with your healthcare provider about prevention options, including oral PrEP and long-acting injectable PrEP options.

● PrEP is an HIV prevention medication that has been available since 2012.

● Only 1 in 3 people in the U.S. who could benefit from PrEP were prescribed a form of PrEP in 2022.

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TRUMP: “Washington, D.C. is Safe”

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — President Trump, who typically travels with a full contingent of high-level protection, insinuated that he finally felt safe enough to go to dinner in the District of Columbia. “My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years,” said the nation’s 47th president.

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

By Apriil Ryan
BlackPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent

“Washington, D.C. is safe,” President Trump declared from the Oval Office today. Those words came while Trump was hosting Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the question-and-answer session, which primarily focused on a peace deal in the Russian-Ukrainian war, Trump explained, “You did that in four days.” He was speaking of how fast the National Guard quelled the violence in what was once called Chocolate City.

The President deployed the National Guard to D.C. a week ago, to a city with reduced crime rates over the previous year. Violent crime dropped by 26%, marking the lowest level in 30 years. Homicides also fell by 11%.

President Trump, who typically travels with a full contingent of high-level protection, insinuated that he finally felt safe enough to go to dinner in the District of Columbia. “My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years,” said the nation’s 47th president.

Trump reinforced his claim about the newly acquired safety in D.C. by relaying that a friend’s son is attending dinner in D.C., something he would not have done last year.

After the president finished his comments, a reporter/commentator in the room with close connections to Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped into the high-level conversation to affirm the president’s comments, saying, “I walked around yesterday with MTG. If you can walk around D.C. with MTG and not be attacked, this city is safe.”

That reporter was the same person who chastised President Zelenskyy months ago during his first Oval Office meeting with Trump for not wearing a business suit. Zelenskyy, a wartime President, has been clad in less formal attire to reflect the country’s current war stance against Russia.

Without any sourcing, President Trump also said, “People that haven’t gone out to dinner in Washington, D.C., in two years are going out to dinner, and the restaurants the last two days have been busier than they’ve been in a long time.”

The increase in policing in Washington, D.C. is because a 19-year-old former Doge employee was carjacked in the early hours of the morning recently.

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Rising Energy Costs Weigh Heaviest on Black Households

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — For many African American families, the cost of keeping the lights on and homes heated or cooled is not just a monthly bill — it’s a crushing financial burden.

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

For many African American families, the cost of keeping the lights on and homes heated or cooled is not just a monthly bill — it’s a crushing financial burden.

A new national study from Binghamton University and California State University, San Bernardino, finds that Black households spend a far larger share of their income on energy compared to white households, even when income levels are the same. “We often say that African Americans suffer more, but we often blame it just on income. And the reality is, there is something more there,” study author George Homsy, associate professor at Binghamton University, wrote. “It’s not just because they tend to be poor. There is something that’s putting them at a disadvantage. I think what happened is it happens to be where they live.” The study, published in Energy Research & Social Science, analyzed 65,000 census tracts across the United States. It found that while the average American household spends about 3.2% of income on energy bills, households in the majority African American census tracts spend an average of 5.1%.

Homsy and researcher Ki Eun Kang point to the age and condition of housing stock, along with lower homeownership rates, as key drivers. Their research concludes that “energy burden is not simply a matter of income or energy cost but also race, which might be driven by place.” Older, less energy-efficient housing and high rental rates in Black communities mean residents often cannot make upgrades like improved insulation or new appliances, locking families into higher bills.

Tradeoffs and Health Risks

The consequences go beyond money. Families forced to spend 10% or more of their income on energy — what experts classify as “unmanageable” — may cut back on food, medicine, or other essentials. More than 12 million U.S. households report leaving their homes at unsafe temperatures to reduce costs, while millions more fall behind on utility bills. The health effects are severe. High energy burdens increase risks of asthma, depression, poor sleep, pneumonia, and even premature death. The issue is especially acute for African Americans, who are disproportionately exposed to housing and environmental conditions that amplify these risks.

Washington, D.C.: A Case Study

In Washington, D.C., the problem is particularly stark. A recent analysis by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) shows that SNAP-eligible households spend more than 20% of their income on energy bills. Across the metro area, nearly two-thirds of low-income households devote over 6% of their income to energy, and 40% face what researchers call a “severe financial strain,” paying more than 10%. Pepco, the District’s primary electricity provider, has implemented three consecutive annual rate hikes, pushing the average household bill to $114 per month as of January 2025. Shutoffs have followed — nearly 12,000 customers lost service in 2024, with disconnections doubling after a summer rate hike. Washington Gas has also sought a 12% rate increase and pushed a controversial $215 million pipeline replacement project, rebranded as “District SAFE.” The plan could ultimately cost D.C. households an additional $45,000 each over several decades, or nearly $1,000 annually added to bills.

Historical Roots

Researchers argue that these inequities are not accidental but rooted in history. The ScienceDirect study reveals that African American communities living in formerly redlined neighborhoods continue to face disadvantages today — from poor housing quality to higher climate risks. Homsy says policymakers must make targeted efforts. “It is harder to get to rental units where a lot of poor people live,” he noted. “We need to work harder to get into these communities of color.”