BLENDE BITS: Top Stories of The Last Week

By Paige Boyd, Managing Editor

Family members of Emmett Till joined protesters as they hit the streets of Raleigh to search for Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who falsely accused Till of whistling at her, causing her husband and brother-in-law to kidnap and kill the 14-year-old in 1955. This comes two weeks after an unserved warrant for Donham was found in an abandoned Mississippi courthouse. READ MORE

WNBA star Brittney Griner plead guilty on drug charges in Russia. In her plea, she said she accidentally packed vape cartridges in her suitcase and didn't mean to break the law. She now faces 10 years in prison. Interestingly enough, her guilty plea could make a clearer path for the US government to orchestrate a prisoner swap to get her home. READ MORE

After two weeks of testimony, Eric Holder Jr. was found guilty of the first-degree murder of rapper/entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle. Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was gunned down outside of his Marathon Clothing store in March 2019. Holder was also convicted on two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter. He now faces a life sentence. READ MORE

Dr. Mutulu Shakur, a well-known activist in the Black Liberation Movement and stepfather of rapper Tupac Shakur, is fighting terminal cancer with less than six months to live. Currently serving a 60-year prison sentence for alleged involvement in an armed robbery that resulted in the death of two police officers and a guard, he has been denied parole several times and was also turned down compassionate release. Now, activists nationwide are joining in the fight, pushing for Shakur's release to be with his family in his final months. READ MORE