Emmy award-winning journalist Brandi Kellam’s work has been featured on ProPublica, CBS, NBC, ESSENCE, BET and more. Explore coverage and interviews from national breaking news stories to subject matter on housing, transportation, cannabis, and social justice below.
A recent study estimated that 4.6 million Americans will not be able to vote in this year's midterm elections due to a current or previous felony conviction. The study also found that African Americans of voting age are over three times more likely to be disenfranchised due to a felony than non-African Americans - about one out of every 19 citizens in the U.S.
Some civic engagement organizations working to encourage participation for this year’s midterm elections are doing so with a message that centers on actively engaging in democracy after voters cast their ballots on Election Day. LaTosha Brown, Co-founder of Black Voters Matter says the inspiration for their multi-layered approach stems from previous civil rights movements and a desire to deeply empower the Black community.
The NBA has a history of supporting voter access and civic engagement. From teams hosting voter registration drives to outspoken players like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabar, and Lebron James advocating their own causes. This year on Tuesday, November 8th, the league is supporting voter efforts to increase registration and participation by refraining from hosting any games on Election Day for the first time ever. “We want people to participate.”
Traditionally, voter drives include door knocking and phone calls employed by civic organizations to engage or register American citizens in hopes they turn up on election day. This midterm election year, Black Futures Lab is employing an innovative approach with a nationwide census project designed to get out the Black vote and build the Black agenda. Alicia Garza, founder and principal of Black Futures Lab, told BET News that the purpose of the organization’s Black Census Project is to arm Black Americans with the tools needed to advocate their concerns to elected officials long after the results come in and leaders assume office.
Even though 2018 saw the highest turnout for a midterm election since 1914, nearly 50 percent of voters did not participate. It was also the largest turnout of young people in decades for a midterm election, yet still, nearly two-thirds of young people did not vote. When We All Vote, a non-partisan initiative launched by former First Lady Michelle Obama, has been working to close the race and age gap in voter participation.
With the U.S. midterm elections less than two months away, nationwide efforts to get voters to the polls have been accelerating as advocacy groups try to capitalize on the historic turnout of the 2020 presidential election. The National Urban League, one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the country, has launched a field campaign that will be its largest midterm “get out the vote” initiative in the organization’s modern-day history.
The moment that has been on hearts and minds for nearly a month in the city of Minneapolis has finally arrived as it was announced on Tuesday afternoon a verdict has been reached in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked protests nationwide against police brutality and racial injustice. CBS News’ Brandi Kellam spoke with local leaders in Minneapolis to find out what has changed in their community outreach in the aftermath of Floyd’s death.
Friday was the fourth day of protests and unrest in Minneapolis as demonstrators continue to call for charges against the police officer who pinned down George Floyd, resulting in his death. CBS News digital journalist Brandi Kellam joined CBSN with the latest.
Super Bowl champion Marvin Washington said he believes a “sensible non-prohibitive, non-degrading cannabis policy” is coming to the NFL when their collective bargaining agreement is up in 2021.
Time is ticking for New York's governor and state lawmakers as they continue to hash out a deal to fund the government for the coming fiscal year. As the Monday deadline approaches to approve the budget, the push for legalizing adult-use cannabis does not appear to have made the cut. The Albany Times-Union reported Thursday legalized marijuana appeared to be out of the budget. But at the start of the week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office told CBS New York's Marcia Kramer the governor was still "negotiating to legalize marijuana by the end of the legislative session in June."
With a majority of Americans in favor of legalizing marijuana and more states moving toward legalizing medicinal or adult-use programs, the need to decide how prosecutors handle marijuana-related offenses has become a growing issue. Last week, Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced her office will no longer prosecute marijuana possession cases.