Quinta Brunson is opening up about the new season of her hit show “Abbott Elementary.” 

The Emmy winner joined her “Abbott” co-stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph and William Stanford Davis at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, where she shared that the new season will feature a crossover episode. Brunson did not reveal which TV series will be featured on the show, but did say that it’ll be “interesting,” according to People. 

“I’m not gonna tell you with who, or with what, or where, or when, but it’s really exciting and I think it’ll change television as we know it,” she said on Saturday, July 27, about the upcoming crossover. 

Brunson later shared her inspiration behind the special episode, telling Variety that she loved the crossover episodes that featured cast members from “That’s So Raven,” “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” and “Hannah Montana” on the Disney Channel. 

“Those things are what reinvigorate TV viewers, TV watchers, and I think it’s always fun to find ways to reinvigorate our audiences,” she explained. “What’s important with ‘Abbott’ is we protect the show. Because it’s a ‘mockumentary’ we have to protect what we’re doing, but to find a way for it to still be possible to do something cool like that. It makes me really, really happy. It’s just like an ode to the medium.” 

“I just live for those kind of magic moments, and I’m excited to be able to bring one to TV with Abbott,” she added.

Brunson has had much to celebrate this year. The actress made history at the 75th Emmy Awards in January when she won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as Janine Teagues. Brunson is the second Black actress in Emmys history — and first in over 40 years — to win in the category, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

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“I love making ‘Abbott Elementary’ so much, and I am so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy,” Brunson said in her acceptance speech at the time. 

In July, Brunson was nominated for her third Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy. “Abbott Elementary” seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Hulu. The series’ fourth season will premiere on ABC on Oct. 9 at 9:30 p.m.

While Vice President Kamala Harris continues to make great strides with American voters and support for former President Donald Trump has increased since his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, there’s one group of Americans that neither candidate can truly get a hold of: Black men.

According to a PEW Research study, Black men vote at about ten percentage points less than their female counterparts, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke to the Root’s Editor-in-Chief to name the exact reasons why.

Moore said Black men are discouraged from voting in the political system that historically “has not always worked for us.” Although he told the Root Black men’s fear of political engagement is justified, he urged politicians to go out and “earn” their vote.

“To get Black men [to vote], you gotta go earn it,” he said. “Black men are not going to…vote a certain way just because.” In 2022, Moore made history becoming the first Black governor of Maryland and the third Black governor in American history. Despite the national attention on his gubernatorial election, even Moore said he still had to convince Black men in his own family to cast their ballots, which speaks to the ongoing disconnect between Black men and the American political system that he says Trump perpetuates.

We all remember when the GOP nominee took out ads in newspapers that read “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!” after the Central Park 5 were falsely accused of attacking a white woman. How about when Trump called the national guard during the peaceful 2020 George Floyd protests? With all this in mind, it’s no shock that Black men are disengaged, but Moore said this is why “having a vision” is so important.

“The vision that Donald Trump is offering is performative and is of caricatures,” he said. “I’m looking for a real vision for creating pathways for work, wages, and wealth.”

The Maryland governor said the difference between Trump’s antics and the Biden-Harris Administration is the latter has a comprehensive plan and strong track record to help Black men. “The truth is that since the start of the pandemic, we have seen how Black wealth has increased by 60 percent… under the Biden-Harris administration,” Moore said.

The Maryland governor is known for his unwavering support for President Joe Biden and VP Harris. During the interview, he went on to list “receipts” on just how impactful the Biden-Harris Administration has been for the Black community.

He continued saying “we have seen the fastest start in Black owned businesses— [and] startup by Black men in 30 years now under the Biden-Harris administration; the lowest unemployment rates on record for African American men.”

Comparing that to the Trump campaign, Moore told the Root “on the other side, you do have someone that’s talking about immigrants taking Black jobs and does not have a plan.”

It’s not just enough to cater to Black men, Moore insisted. Black women also acknowledge the ongoing struggle to not only protect Black men but to also empower them.

“They [Black women] want our Black men to know that there is a place in our society for them as well, and you know who understands that? The vice president,” he told the Root.

Last week, Moore endorsed Harris for president, according to the Baltimore Sun. Although many are looking at Moore as a potential candidate for Harris’ running mate, he insists he has no plan to join the ticket.

Vice President Kamala Harris will not attend the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago, a source with direct knowledge of negotiations told theGrio. The source was granted anonymity to discuss private discussions between Harris’s campaign team and NABJ.

The source told theGrio that Harris is unable to attend the convention, which begins July 31 and ends Aug. 4, due to planning and travels during the first days of the presumptive Democratic nominee’s nascent presidential campaign. Harris is also traveling to Houston to attend the funeral service of late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

The source also told theGrio that Harris’s campaign team worked very closely with NABJ leadership to find an alternative option. The NABJ team, according to the source, denied a request for the vice president to take part in a fireside chat virtually or schedule an in-person one with Harris at a later date.

When asked during the White House daily briefing on Tuesday about whether Harris or President Joe Biden, who traveled to Austin on Monday to commemorate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, would attend the convention in Chicago, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio, “The NABJ makes their own decision on guests.”

The Biden spokesperson referred other questions related to Biden and Harris and the NABJ convention to the vice president’s campaign.  

The news that Harris will not attend the convention came as NABJ is marred by controversy. The organization announced it is hosting a town hall on Wednesday with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. Three Black female journalists—Fox News host Harris Faulkner, ABC reporter Rachel Scott, and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba—will moderate the conversation.

Critics of NABJ’s decision to host Trump point out that, as president, he attacked a number of Black journalists and undermined the free press. The former president notably popularized the term “Fake News” when disparaging news coverage he did not agree with. 

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NABJ President Ken Lemon defended the decision to facilitate the Q&A with Trump. He explained that the non-partisan invitation is a years-long tradition and that it was not an endorsement of Trump.

“We invited both [Trump and Harris]. We got a yes from one of them,” Lemon said in video remarks posted on NABJ’s official X page. 

Lemon also shared that the organization is working to ensure Trump, known for telling falsehoods, is fact-checked during the conversation.

Since the news of Trump’s visit broke on Monday, backlash has ensued, including the resignation of the convention’s co-chair, Karen Attiah.

“While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format,” she wrote on X.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) on Tuesday called for NABJ to rescind the Trump invitation. The organization posted an altered version of the event’s digital graphic with the word “Condemned.”

A protest is scheduled for Wednesday morning just before Trump’s appearance at the NABJ convention at the Hilton Chicago. According to the Chicago-based digital news site The Triibe, the “Trump is not welcome in Chicago” demonstration is organized by Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)-Chicago, and US Palestinian Community Network.

As for Vice President Harris, three sources with direct knowledge about NABJ’s planning related to her now-scrapped appearance told theGrio that, similar to Wednesday’s talk with Trump, a panel of respected journalists was on standby to conduct the conversation. 

During Tuesday’s press briefing, Jean-Pierre said the Biden-Harris administration has “always been … very direct and very focused on speaking to both local and national Black-owned outlets.”

“We understand the importance of Black Americans [hearing] directly from this administration,” she added.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

My grandmother was a follower of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Every day at sunrise, noon and sunset, she rested all 128 pounds of her body weight on her 74-year-old, cartilage-depleted knees to thank her Lord and Savior for his mercy and grace. In exchange for his divine protection, she lived by the letter of the Mosaic law. She did not steal. She did not bear false witness. And no human being who ever had the honor of basking in the glorious presence of Marvell Harriot would use profanity in her company.

Until she gave her grandson a lesson on blessing, biblical cussing and — most of all — journalism. 

At 6 years old, I was either a juvenile storytelling prodigy or my mother’s mother was the most talented improvisational actress in history. Grumma listened patiently to every single word of my rambling childhood stories. She howled with laughter at my jokes and asked follow-up questions. Yet, when I briefly forgot about her anointing, I knew I was in trouble. “Goddamnit!” I yelled while performing a spot-on impersonation of my foul-mouthed uncle’s reaction to a bee sting. “Goddamn these goddamned bees done stung–”  

Freezing midsentence as my grandma’s guffaws transformed into shock, I hung my head as she stared at her heretofore favorite grandson. “You can say it,” said my grandmother, shattering the awkward silence. “Long as you ain’t bearin’ false witness. It’s not a sin if it’s the truth.” 

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I still wasn’t buying it.  Not only had I used the Lord’s name in vain, I might have killed my grandmother.  What if my obscene language penetrated Granny’s Holy Ghost deflector shield? Breaking two of the top 10 Commandments at once would surely send me straight to hell. But when she said: “Baby, yo ox in the ditch,” I immediately felt relief. She wanted me to be free.

Grumma was referencing Luke 14. According to the story, a guest at a Pharisee cookout suggested that Jesus was violating his daddy’s rules by healing a sick man on God’s designated day off. “What if your child or your ox falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day,” asked God’s vice president in charge of prayer relations “Would you let them die or would you pull it out?” While the Pharisees didn’t have an answer, if the National Association of Black Journalists wrote the Bible, the scripture would probably be different:

“F*ck them kids.”

— NABJ 3:16

Black journalists matter.

This is not an opinion piece.

It is a fact that Trump told the 2017 NABJ Journalist of the Year to “sit down” when theGrio’s White House Correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan confronted him about voter suppression. During a White House press briefing, Trump’s press secretary called for 2018 Journalist of the Year Jemele Hill to be fired. After 2020 NABJ Journalist of the Year Yamiche Alcindor caught him in a lie, Trump wondered why “you people act” so negatively, warning Alcindor to “be nice.” Yet those attacks pale in comparison to Trump’s tweets about Black journalist Don Lemon.

Apparently, none of that matters.

 “President Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America, will participate in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 12:00 PM CST,” read a press release by from the lying, aspiring dictator who levied racial attacks against NABJ members. “President Trump will engage in a Q&A with political journalists before an audience of registered convention attendees that will concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community. The event will be moderated by Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, anchor of The Faulkner Focus and co-host of Outnumbered on FOX News; and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor.”

Although Donald Trump describes all media as the “enemy of the people,” NABJ Political Journalism Task Force chair Tia Mitchell was technically correct when she claimed Trump’s appearance is “in line with invitations NABJ has sent to every presidential candidate for decades.” According to the age-old notion of “journalistic objectivity,” I believe we should treat all political candidates equally. But who cares about the rules of objectivity? The letter of the law is less important than the spirit of the law. Whether they serve as religious principles, moral codes or ethical guidelines, the most effective rules are created in service of an outcome, not just to regulate behavior. This universal concept is so simple that a 6-year-old storyteller, a septuagenarian grandparent and even the greatest nepo baby ever born can understand.

Even though I am a dues-paying NABJ member, my feelings about Donald Trump are inconsequential. It is not my opinion that Black journalists make up 6% of the profession.  It is not my opinion that ESPN, CNN and MSNBC did nothing to protect employees like Hill, Lemon and Tiffany Cross from racist attacks. As someone who attends the NABJ national convention every year and is also scheduled to lead a convention panel on Project 2025, my belief should not matter. However, NABJ’s stated purpose is “sensitizing all media to the importance of fairness in the workplace for Black journalists” is what matters. An organization that “advocates for Black journalists worldwide” matters. It is not my opinion that welcoming Donald Trump to a place created to protect Black journalists is like asking a slave catcher to the abolitionist’s meeting. Yet, behind the scenes, some of your favorite media icons are clamoring to bask in the orange glow of the biggest threat to democracy since the MAGA minions tried to disappear the ballots of Black voters and overthrow the country we built. 

And, for what?

If the greatest Black journalists who ever existed manage to expose Donald Trump for the vile, racist, wannabe dictator that he is, will we learn anything new? Even if they manage to achieve the most rigorous interrogation of the aspiring dictator to date, how many minds will they change? What are they trying to show us about this hate monger that we haven’t already seen? I thought we were going to “protect Black women”? How are we “saving democracy” while aiding and abetting the man who wants to destroy it? Whose minds are they trying to change anyway? Who are they trying to prove themselves to?

The answer is “white people.”  

White people are the reason the NABJ exists. We already know white people don’t trust our voices or care about us. If they did, we wouldn’t need an NABJ. If white people listened to Black people, Donald Trump wouldn’t be a presidential candidate in the first place. We are the only ones who believe in performatively following a set of arbitrary rules that we have the power to change. Ask the women who can’t get an abortion because Trump stripped them of their reproductive rights. Ask the “diversity hires” and the people who were victimized by the Trump-inspired rise in white supremacy.

Ask my grumma. 

God damn Donald Trump and the National Association of Black Journalists.

I would never use the Lord’s name in vain. Then again, it is not a sin if it is the truth. I want God to damn his presidential campaign. I want my ancestors to smite the false notion of appealing to white sensibilities that fosters an allegiance to ideas and rules created to harm Black people. I want us to protect Black women and ourselves. But more than anything …

I want us to be free. 

Michael Harriot is a writer, cultural critic and championship-level Spades player. His NY Times bestseller  Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America is available in bookstores everywhere.

On Tuesday, Watch The Yard announced an official partnership with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote in order to help reach the Black college students and alumni across the nation. 

When We All Vote is a national, nonpartisan, non-profit that brings together citizens, institutions, brands, and organizations to increase participation in every election. Launched in 2018 by co-chair Michelle Obama, When We All Vote is changing the culture around voting using a data-driven and multifaceted approach to increase participation in elections. The organization is committed to closing the race and age voting gap and empowering all eligible voters to cast their ballot by harnessing grassroots energy, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing digital organizing strategies.

“When We All Vote is proud to partner with Watch The Yard to empower Black voters across the country to make their voices heard in the 2024 General Election and beyond. Black voters have the power to determine elections across the nation, up and down the ballot, and as a leading destination for Black news, culture, and conversation online, Watch The Yard is uniquely positioned to help us ensure the Black community is represented and that their voices are heard this election. Together, we will mobilize, organize, and bring our power to the polls in November,” When We All Vote stated.

Watch The Yard has been a continued supporter of When We All Vote since 2020. As collaborators with When We All Vote, Watch The Yard worked on registering people to vote in the 2020 election and was a founding partner of Michelle Obama and Chris Paul’s When We All Vote VOTE LOUD HBCU Squad Challenge in 2022 for the midterm election.

“Watch The Yard is dedicated to assisting When We All Vote in spreading the word about registering to vote to our nationwide audience of Black college students and alumni,” stated Jonathan Rabb, founder of Watch The Yard. “With our reach of over 13 million people per month and over 2 million followers across our social media platforms, we believe we can significantly mobilize, amplify, and support the mission of increasing voter registration and participation in 2024. Our aim is to achieve this in an innovative and engaging way that resonates with our audience. Now is more important than ever.”

Through the partnership Watch The Yard has teamed up with When We All Vote to create a portal to make sure that people are correctly registered to vote. Click here to check if you are correctly registered and ready to vote.

Watch The Yard will also create and amplify content surrounding voter registration and highlight important updates, information and messaging around voting in the 2024 election.  

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team’s motto for the 2024 Paris Olympics is “Anything can happen.” This means all five athletes need to be prepared to compete if they’re suddenly called upon. It’s a reference to how Simone Biles’ withdrawal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics sent shockwaves through the team. During Tuesday’s team final in Paris, there were no such surprises as the USA took home gold in a decisive victory.

With gold on the line, the U.S. needed some Black Girl Magic to get the big win. Biles and her good friend/training partner, Jordan Chiles led the way with rock solid performances that reminded the world why they’re the best. Italy picked up silver and Brazil took the bronze.

After suffering a calf injury during the qualifying round, Simone came into team finals surrounded by questions. She quickly answered them all with her opening vault. In front of a star-studded crowd that featured fellow GOATs Serena Williams and Michael Phelps, she nailed her vault, putting everyone’s concerns to rest.

Honestly, from there it was pretty much business as usual for Team USA. Despite a few small mistakes, they were never challenged by the other teams. We know this is a team sport and everyone’s contributions helped get them the gold, but we also love that it was two extraordinary Black women who led this group to the top of the podium. Simone and Jordan competed in all four events, with Suni Lee on balance beam and uneven bars, while Jade Carey did vault. The team’s youngest member, Hezly Rivera did not compete, however, she still gets a medal.

After what happened in Tokyo, it’s understandable that the now five-time Olympic gold medalist was nervous before things got started. Once she got that first vault out of the way, she was able to relax and focus on the present.

“But after I finished vault, I was relieved. I was like, ‘whoo,’ because there’s no flashbacks (to the Tokyo Games) or anything,” she told reporters Tuesday. “But I did feel a lot of relief and as soon as I landed vault, I was like, ‘oh yeah, we’re gonna do this.’”

Up next, Biles will compete in the individual all-around alongside Lee, as well as event finals in vault, balance beam and floor exercise, which Chiles will also be in.

Maybe once she’s done with competition, she can finally get a real meeting with Snoop Dogg. On Friday, during NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony, Snoop Dogg and Hoda Kotb were interviewing Simone’s parents, Ron and Nellie, when her mom dropped the bomb that they’d previously met the rap legend. However, things didn’t go that great.

She revealed that back in 2010, she and her daughter met him in Times Square, asked for a photo, then he was gone in an instant. “You said, ‘Two minutes,’” Nellie said. “’One, two’ — and you were gone!”

Now Snoop is the one who wants a photo with Simone!

The White House just announced that on Wednesday, July 31, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks at Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.’s 60th International Biennial Boule in Houston, TX. The remarks are set to take place during the sorority’s public meeting.

According to the White House, Vice President Harris will also be in Houston on Thursday to deliver a eulogy at the Homegoing Service for the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Congresswoman Jackson Lee, who passed away on July 19th, was a prominent member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to which Vice President Harris also belongs.

Earlier this month, Vice President Harris spoke at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s Boule in Dallas. She also addressed Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s Grand Boule in Indianapolis last week.

This continued effort to engage Black sororities and fraternities shows her commitment to connecting with important community organizations as she navigates the campaign trail as a presidential candidate.