French lawmakers are weighing a bill banning all types of hair discrimination

PARIS — French lawmakers are debating a bill Thursday that would ban discrimination over the texture, length, color or style of someone’s hair. Its authors hope the groundbreaking measure sends a message of support to Black people and others who have faced hostility in the workplace and beyond because of their hair. “It’s about time,” … Read more

Wales’ first Black leader is a testament to Britain’s political diversity, but racism persists

LONDON — LONDON (AP) — Vaughan Gething’s election as the next leader of Wales marks a milestone: For the first time, none of the U.K.’s four main governments is led by a white man. It’s a striking moment in a country still grappling with racism and the legacy of empire. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has … Read more

UK’s Conservatives say the party’s biggest donor made racist comments, but they will keep his money

LONDON — A minister in Britain’s Conservative government said Wednesday that the party does not plan to give back 10 million pounds ($12.8 million) it received in the past year from a donor who made comments about a Black lawmaker that have been condemned as racist. The government is under pressure from some of its … Read more

New Zealand tour operators told to pay $7.8 million in fines and reparations over volcanic eruption

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Tour booking agents and managers of a New Zealand island where a volcanic eruption killed 22 people in 2019 were ordered Friday to pay nearly $13 million (US$7.8 million) in fines and reparations. The holding company of the island’s owners, a boat tour operator and three companies that operated helicopter tours … Read more

Brazil, facing calls for reparations, wrangles with its painful legacy of slavery

RIO DE JANEIRO — The executive manager for institutional relations at a Brazilian state bank took the microphone before roughly 150 people at a forum on slavery’s legacy in his country, which kidnapped more Africans for forced labor than any other nation. “Today’s Bank of Brazil asks Black people for forgiveness,” André Machado said to … Read more

Peter Magubane, a South African photographer who captured 40 years of apartheid, dies at age 91

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Peter Magubane, a fearless photographer who captured the violence and horror of South Africa’s apartheid era of racial oppression, and was entrusted with documenting Nelson Mandela’s first years of freedom after his release from prison, has died. He was 91. Magubane died Monday, according to the South African National Editors’ … Read more

A Ghana reparations summit agrees on a global fund to compensate Africans for the slave trade

ACCRA, Ghana — Delegates at a reparations summit in Ghana agreed Thursday to establish a Global Reparation Fund to push for overdue compensation for millions of Africans enslaved centuries ago during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Accra Reparation Conference adds to the growing demands for reparations after about 12 million Africans were forcefully taken by … Read more

UK village marks battle towards US Military racism in World Struggle II

BAMBER BRIDGE, England — The village of Bamber Bridge in northwestern England is pleased with the blow it struck towards racism within the U.S. navy throughout World Struggle II. When an all-Black truck regiment was stationed within the village, residents refused to simply accept the segregation ingrained within the U.S. Military. Ignoring strain from British … Read more