Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 11d

I wrote about Cassie Ventura and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in a piece for @time.com last year. My words ring true today as he was sentenced to 50 months in prison.

time.com/6992188/hip-...

2 7

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 11d

“…we must abolish the very systems that encourage men like [Sean “Diddy”] Combs to perpetuate them in the first place. If hip-hop is meant to survive another 50 years, it cannot continue like this. This is the watershed moment we’ve been waiting for.” time.com/6992188/hip-...

time.com

1 6

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Bruja Brat @brujabanton.bsky.social · 11d

A lot of people (him included) thought he’d get time served. This is better than that. So good

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11d

Breaking News: Sean Combs was sentenced to more than four years in prison for prostitution-related crimes.

Live Updates: Sean Combs Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison

The hip-hop mogul was sentenced after apologizing for his “disgusting, shameful and sick” conduct and his lawyers showed the court a video highlighting his charitable works.

nyti.ms

3 9 14

Reposted by taylor crumpton

e spencer 📚🌳 @espencer.bsky.social · 18d

#academicsky #highered #blacksky

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 18d

I wrote about the firing of @karenattiah.bsky.social from the @washingtonpost.com, the expulsion of two Black college students in Texas, and the dangerous precedent that is being set up around free speech and academic freedom in the U.S. for @thebarbedwire.com

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/26/f...

The Free Speech Crisis for Black Americans Is Worse Than You Think

Don’t let Jimmy Kimmel’s return fool you: Black academics are more frightened of talking to the press than I’ve ever seen.

thebarbedwire.com

2 3

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 18d

I wrote about the firing of @karenattiah.bsky.social from the @washingtonpost.com, the expulsion of two Black college students in Texas, and the dangerous precedent that is being set up around free speech and academic freedom in the U.S. for @thebarbedwire.com

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/26/f...

The Free Speech Crisis for Black Americans Is Worse Than You Think

Don’t let Jimmy Kimmel’s return fool you: Black academics are more frightened of talking to the press than I’ve ever seen.

thebarbedwire.com

9 17

Reposted by taylor crumpton

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 18d

In the weeks since the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, historically Black colleges and universities have experienced terroristic threats.

That’s the story @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social set out to write about for us. Except she struggled to get anyone to talk.

The Free Speech Crisis for Black Americans Is Worse Than You Think

Don’t let Jimmy Kimmel’s return fool you: Black academics are more frightened of talking to the press than I’ve ever seen.

thebarbedwire.com

1 6 14

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 29d

I hear you Jeremy. However, Black women founders, such as Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye of Ami Colé, are subjected to unfair and unrealistic expectations from investors. BW receive less than 1% of venture capital. I do not believe building our own is a viable solution in the long term.

1 2

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 29d

This news, coupled with the exodus of more than 300,000 Black women from the workforce, and the erasure of critics, is not a good sign of what’s to come.

1

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 29d

I share in your worry. My intention was not to subject them to further vitriol and attack, but to make a point about the declining number of Black women who are columnists in journalism and media at the moment. The scarcity is scary.

1 1

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · 29d

Can someone list off the names of the remaining Black women columnists at news publications in the United States? Because I’m trying to see something.

2 1 5

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 29d

Some personal news:

I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.

Thread incoming.

substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

substack.com

2.5K 16K 45K

Reposted by taylor crumpton

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · Sep 10

“Texas isn’t just big—it’s a place with a rich history of progressives fighting an often thankless uphill battle.”

Billy Begala writes about the wonderful and nonsensical nature of our state, and why independent journalism is more important than ever.

After a Year of Covering Texas, It Still Makes No Damn Sense

The wonderful, horrible, nonsensical nature of our schizophrenic state underlines why honest, independent journalism is so badly needed.

thebarbedwire.com

3 29 85

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · Sep 6

When I see people online, even in jest, suggest that people living in Republican-controlled states should be abandoned because of their politicians, I feel a deep heartache. New York CREATED Donald Trump and none of y’all are ever talk about it the way you disparage Alabama or Mississippi.

83 870 3.6K

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · Sep 5

390 2.4K 16K

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · Sep 5

Here you go! time.com/7307401/rise...

The Rise of the Etsy Witch

"Hiring an Etsy witch has become a commodified exchange—often for social media clout," writes Taylor Crumpton.

time.com

1 2

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · Sep 5

“Although the practice of witchcraft is not new—people have long turned to the occult for cosmic intervention during difficult times—this trend is unique because the practice of hiring witches to do spellwork is no longer considered taboo.”

Have you read my latest piece for @time.com?

2 4 13

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · Sep 4

When Summer Willis was drugged and raped, a loophole in Texas law kept her from getting justice. After years of activism, including crawling 13 miles on her knees to raise awareness, she told @thebarbedwire.com, “We did the impossible.”

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/04/t...

Texas Law Didn’t Recognize Summer Willis’s Rape. But It Does Now.

“We did the impossible,” said the 30-year-old Texan who fought for change after she was drugged and sexually assaulted in 2014.

thebarbedwire.com

3 29 89

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · Sep 3

“More than a dozen big tech companies provide five-figure subsidies to any employee who needs or wants to outsource gestational labor.”

WIRED @wired.com · Sep 3

Surrogate pregnancies are increasingly popular in tech circles, and the practice is expected to explode globally in the coming decade. It’s also shockingly unregulated. This is a story about what happens when it goes horribly wrong.

The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It?

When her son died in utero, a venture capitalist went to extremes to punish her surrogate.

www.wired.com

4 8 20

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · Sep 3

it’s been an interesting response to my latest @time.com article on BlueSky to say the least. what folks are overlooking is that people are paying spiritual practitioners to protect their loved ones from nationwide immigration raids.

time.com/7307401/rise...

1 2

Reposted by taylor crumpton

jacky. @jacky.wtf · Sep 3

Morning read by @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social

The Rise of the Etsy Witch

"Hiring an Etsy witch has become a commodified exchange—often for social media clout," writes Taylor Crumpton.

time.com

1 3 2

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · Sep 2

"Although the practice of witchcraft is not new—people have long turned to the occult for cosmic intervention during difficult times—this trend is unique because the practice of hiring witches to do spellwork is no longer considered taboo."

my latest for @time.com
time.com/7307401/rise...

The Rise of the Etsy Witch

"Hiring an Etsy witch has become a commodified exchange—often for social media clout," writes Taylor Crumpton.

time.com

2 6

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · Aug 25

It was a joy and a pleasure to write it! Thank you for reading.

4

taylor crumpton @taylorcrumpton.bsky.social · Aug 25

I wrote about America's favorite couple, NicOlandria, specifically Olandria for @thebarbedwire.com. I went in-depth about racial fetishization and colorism that Black women experience in the pursuit of love, and interracial dating in the South. #LoveIslandUSA

thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/25/n...

Nicolandria’s Love Is a Balm for Black Women from the South

Maybe seeing this 24-year-old white man love his Black partner out loud, with devotion, can heal some of our old wounds.

thebarbedwire.com

7 28 140

Reposted by taylor crumpton

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · Aug 25

“Maybe seeing this 24-year-old white man love his Black partner out loud, with devotion, can heal some of our old wounds. But only if we talk about them.”

@taylorcrumpton.bsky.social writes about Love Island, Nicolandria, and interracial dating in the South.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/25/n...

Nicolandria’s Love Is a Balm for Black Women from the South

Maybe seeing this 24-year-old white man love his Black partner out loud, with devotion, can heal some of our old wounds.

thebarbedwire.com

2 12