The first use in the Bible of the word “queen” refers to a Black woman (1 Kings 10:1). Her name is alleged to be Makeda, but the Scriptures refer to her as the Queen of Sheba or the Queen of the South. Her fame was such that 2,000 years after her death, according to blacksinthebible.net, Jesus Christ mentioned her long trip and referred to her challenge of Solomon’s wisdom, which led to a love affair with the wise Jewish king.
Democracy needs journalism it can trust.
This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.
For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.
Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.
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