Black firefighters who died in 9/11 are finally honored

Black firefighters, portraits, in uniform.

New York Firefighters joined forces with the Black Fire Brigade to honor Black firefighters and EMTs in Chicago who were killed on 9/11 when two planes crashed into New York’s World Trade Center. Most of the country’s newspapers ignored the fact that some of the 9/11 first responders were Black. Among the 343 first responders…

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James Earl Jones dies

Headshot of an older man with glasses.

James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars films, died this morning at his home in Dutchess County, NY. He was 93. He was surrounded by his family, said his longtime agent Barry McPherson. Mr. Jones was widely regarded as one of the world’s great stage and screen actors. He is one of…

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Kidney transplant victim dies

Black man in hospital bed, wearing a black jacket.

Richard “Rick” Slayman, who received the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically edited pig kidney, has died.  Massachusetts General Hospital, where the transplant occurred on March 21, made the announcement today. Slayman, 62, was living with end-stage kidney disease. The hospital discharged him on April 2. His treatment points to a major discrepancy regarding kidney transplants…

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