People in Jacksonville are mourning the deaths of three Black residents, gunned down by a white man who left behind "manifestos," leading investigators to believe the shooting was a hate crime.

The victims of the shooting at a Dollar General store Saturday were identified as Anolt "A.J." Laguerre Jr., 19; Jerrald De'Shaun Gallon, 29; and Angela Michelle Carr, 52. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office identified the gunman as Ryan Palmeter, 21, who first attempted to drive through Edward Waters University, a nearby historically Black school.

Rahman Johnson, a member of the Jacksonville City Council and a professor at Edward Waters University, said there is work to be done.

"These three lives that were taken here in Jacksonville, I pray that they are not in vain," Johnson stressed. "Rather than just grieving and crying, as Iylanla Vanzant once said, 'Let's cry with a purpose. Let's grieve, and then work.'"

As for what the work entails, Johnson acknowledged he is not quite sure just yet, but thinks there must be a serious focus on mental health for a community in trauma, and perhaps conversations around the systemic issues leading to the shooting. In a video statement, Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the shooting and called the gunman a "scumbag."

Johnson is reluctant to blame one person or group, but said it is what happens "when Diversity Equity and Inclusion is seen as the enemy," referencing the recent policy actions led by some state officials, including Gov. DeSantis.

"When we say we don't want to be able to interact with people who love differently than we do -- who worship differently than we do, who live differently than we do -- we then end up creating and watering seeds of divisiveness that give us the fruit that we now see, which is this heinous act," Johnson contended.

Johnson also voiced concern about the expansion of gun laws and new education standards in Florida, which ignore the realities of African American history. He pointed out given the governor's position of advocating for the changes, he is unable to reconcile DeSantis' statement of condemnation.

"When we say that African American History should be taught one way, that there 'could've been a value or benefit to slavery,' or that people who -- when the Constitution was authored -- were not considered people, all of a sudden, all of that is supposed to be washed away, and we can't learn about that and learn from that," Johnson emphasized. "I think that's antithetical to learning, so unfortunately, I don't see those actions nor the statements as being congruent. "

Palmeter used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Glock handgun in the shootings. On Sunday, the local sheriff said he shot one person as she sat in her car outside the store, another just after he entered the store, and shot the third minutes later. Eleven minutes after the shooting started and as police entered the store, Palmeter killed himself. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the case as a hate crime.


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New research finds Black working women still face rampant discrimination in the Golden State.

The California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute commissioned a survey of 452 Black women. Almost 60% reported experiencing workplace racism or gender discrimination in the past year.

Shakari Byerly, managing partner of EVITARUS Research, conducted the survey.

"Nearly half feel marginalized, excluded from or passed over for work opportunities," Byerly reported. "Only 16% strongly agree that opportunities for leadership and or advancement in their workplace are available to them."

Among respondents, 59% reported being somewhat satisfied in their job but 38% said they are unsatisfied, with company leadership and work culture to blame. They also cited microaggressions, wage disparities and lack of mentoring or access to leadership roles.

Byerly noted one-third of those surveyed said they do not feel supported by their supervisor at work.

"They were subjected to stereotypes, were talked down to, or subjected to disrespectful communication at work," Byerly explained. "And 38% say they were accused or thought of as an angry Black woman."

The report called on the state to enforce pay equity, expand antidiscrimination protections and ensure workplace accountability. They called on companies to invest in Black women's leadership development and eliminate bias in workplace culture.


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The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association are suing the Trump administration over threats to defund schools it believes are promoting the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion.

In a letter, the Department of Education laid out its plans to cut funding for schools that don't comply. Critics say the administration is distorting anti-discrimination laws to block efforts that support disadvantaged students of color.

Arthur Steinberg, president of the Pennsylvania AFT chapter, warned that the cuts could affect nearly 800,000 lower-income students and more than 360,000 special-education students.

"The Trump administration is now attempting to use the threat of federal funds to infringe on people's rights of free speech," he said. "There is already a mandate that college presidents can't tell schools and colleges what to teach."

Steinberg said Gov. Josh Shapiro is all for teaching what he's called "honest history," as is the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He noted that some Republicans in the state Senate would go along with the Trump administration. The lawsuit was filed last week in federal court in Maryland.

Steinberg criticized the letter as vague for failing to define "DEI" and threatening to withhold federal money from school districts with programs of which the new administration disapproves. He said he sees it as an attack on students and educators, and emphasized the importance of Black history as well as all facets of American history.

"It bans meaningful instruction on everything from slavery to the Emancipation Proclamation, the forced relocation of Native American Tribes and the laws of Jim Crow," he said, "not to mention the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and attempts to upend the Civil Rights Act."

The letter suggested that current DEI policies discriminate against white and Asian students. It states that schools should comply with civil rights laws, stop using "indirect methods to avoid race-related prohibitions" and avoid "third-party services that circumvent race rules."

An urban farm in North Carolina is celebrating Black History Month this weekend with a farmers market and historic group hike.

Urban Community AgriNomics in Durham is holding its farmers market at Catawba Trail Farm and is inviting people on a hike through an old plantation where the organization has reclaimed an old farmstead.

Delphine Sellars, executive director of the nonprofit, said the legacy of agriculture is important for people of color.

"We as the descendants are now farming and dealing with agriculture not because we have to but because we want to and we realize the benefits of it," Sellars explained.

The plantation where the group is reclaiming farming was one of the biggest in the North Carolina plantation system, and at times held more than 1,000 enslaved people. Sellars emphasized there is still space to join the Black History Month hike, which starts at 10 a.m.

The Catawba Trail Farm allows community members to get involved in agriculture. Some of the vegetables available this weekend include arugula, radishes and kale. Sellars argued access to produce is important.

"Our goal is to make sure that we can make fresh vegetables accessible as we strive to increase food security," Sellars added.

Sellars stressed people of color should build on what was left to them to become better, healthier individuals who know how to take care of themselves.

"I was always taught to be ashamed of my ancestry because we were enslaved, but now I know better," Sellars observed. "I need to be ashamed of the enslaver but not of my ancestors, who were enslaved."


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