New Yorkers rallied over the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and members of the first-ever women majority-led City Council gathered on Tuesday, May 3, to support women’s reproductive rights in light of a leaked Supreme Court opinion that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. New York state lawmakers quickly passed legislation to remove former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin from the June primary ballot amid investigations against him of campaign fraud. Shortly after, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her new running mate, U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado. A New York State Court of Appeals judge ruled that congressional and state senate maps that favored Democrats must be redrawn. Harlemites, friends and family in mourning gathered to honor one of their “fallen angels,” 27-year-old Brittani Nicole Duffy, who was a victim of domestic violence and shot by her boyfriend in 2021. Shakespeare’s classic “Macbeth” reigned on Broadway—having a rebirth at the Longacre Theatre on W. 48th Street with non-traditional casting along both racial and gender lines. Edward Adams Bagwell passed on Sunday, April 24. Bagwell worked closely with the Amsterdam News during the 1960s. The first hearing for former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores’ federal racial discrimination lawsuit suit against the National Football League saw the NFL’s legal representative, former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, inform Judge Valerie E. Caproni they would seek to either dismiss the case or move it to arbitration.
Tragedy struck Buffalo, New York on May 14 when 10 Black people were murdered by a white man who hates Black people. The victims were assaulted at a Tops Friendly Markets store and the victims ranged in ages from 20-86. Hotspots for fervent protests included Manhattan’s Foley Square and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. BLA fighter Sundiata Acoli was released after 49 years in prison. Incumbent Newark Mayor Ras Baraka won a third term during nonpartisan municipal elections. Karine Jean-Pierre was named to replace Jen Psaki as the next White House press secretary. Harlemites and Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan were vocal about their disapproval of the proposed One 45 development at 145th Street and Lenox Avenue. A documentary about the African Jazz Art Society & Studio, the artist collective that made the earliest documented contributions as an organization to what people now recognize as the Black Arts Movement, debuted at the Dwyer Cultural Center on Sunday, May 15. People came from all over the nation on Thursday, May 19, 2022, to celebrate what would have been the 97th birthday of Malcolm X, a.k.a. El Hajj Malik El Shabazz. Fans of late hip hop legend Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls came out to wish him a happy birthday on Saturday, May 21.
And more fans swamped Brooklyn subway stations with long lines in hopes of snagging a limited-edition Biggie MetroCard. National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. helped to eulogize Challenger Community News journalist Katherine Massey in Buffalo on Monday, May 23, telling the gathering at Pilgrim Baptist Church that the 72-year-old fought for freedom, justice and equality.