ABC suspended Whoopi Goldberg over comments she made regarding the Holocaust. She apologized shortly after. NFL Coach Brian Flores talked to the Giants about the vacant head coaching job. When Flores discovered racist hiring against practices Black coaches, he filed a lawsuit. The Justice Department decided not to reopen a probe into the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was killed by a white police officer in Ohio in 2014.
The veteran actor Michael K. Williams had died of a drug overdose in 2021; four people were charged this year for his death. Locals demanded more input ahead of the state’s vote on redistricting maps. The legal weed market began to take off in New York State as the mask mandate was set to expire. Josiah Walls became Florida’s first Black Congress member. Artist Snoop Dogg bought the iconic Death Row Records label that launched his career. U.S. speedskater Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win a speed skating gold medal. The trial of the three additional cops present at the murder of George Floyd continued. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at Super Bowl LVI. New York fired a slew of unvaccinated workers.
Community organizer Edward Gibbs was sworn in to New York’s State Assembly, the first person with a conviction record to hold office. Former police officer Kim Potter was sentenced to two years for killing Daunte Wright. The city was concerned about the rise in subway crime. Mayor Adams controversially pushed to then remove homeless people in the subway system. Ahmaud Arbery’s killers, three white men, were convicted of violating his civil rights and other charges. The “Wendy Williams Show” was set to end, beginning the uphill battle of Williams trying to legally hold onto her legacy amid health concerns. The city honored the 57th anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination and last year’s exonerations of wrongfully convicted Muhammad Abdul-Aziz (Norman 3X Butler) and Khalil Islam (Thomas 15X Johnson).
The Broadway play “Wicked” welcomed a Black lead actress, Brittney Johnson, as the good witch. First recorded Rikers Island inmate death of the year as number of deaths continued to rise in NYC jails. The National Action Network commemorated the 10th anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s killing. The amazing Broadway musical, “MJ: The Musical,” premiered.