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Volume 134 No. 26

THE BLACK MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM

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JANUARY 24, 2026 - JANUARY 30, 2026

AFRO Photo / Megan Sayles

Austin American-Statesman via AP / Mikala Compton

AP Photo / Frank Franklin II

Americans are protesting and speaking out against the brutal tactics being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on both immigrants and citizens alike. On Jan. 20, demonstrations to decry deportations and ICE related deaths were held across the country, including in Baltimore (left), Austin, Texas (center) and New York City.

Keith Porter Jr., Renee Good deaths spark protest By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com Protestors across the country gathered to condemn the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 20, marking one year since the 47th president took office and issued a number of

anti-immigration executive orders. The demonstrations were part of a nationwide “Free America Walkout,” spearheaded by Women’s March and supported by 50501 and Color of Change, that urged people to leave schools, workplaces and businesses in a show of opposition. In Baltimore, residents and local social justice organizations

assembled at the corner of Eastern and Linwood Avenues in Patterson Park. “Dissent without action is just hollow words. We must actively work to inhibit ICE. They will kill us. They killed Renee Good. They killed Keith Porter Jr. They will kill again,” said Arjun Janakan, organizer with Baltimore Democratic

Word in Black’s Anissa Durham receives NAACP Image Award nomination By Victoria Mejicanos AFRO Staff Writer vmejicanos@afro.com

afro.com

Word In Black, a national newsroom and research lab that works in partnership with

the AFRO and nine other Black newsrooms across the country, has been nominated for a first-of-its-kind NAACP Image Award. Anissa Durham, a health data journalist for Word In Black, received the nomination in the Outstanding

Literary Work in Journalism category for her reporting series, “On Borrowed Time.” The raw account of how Black people in need of organ transplants Continued on A3

Photo courtesy of Adriana Heldiz

Anissa Durham is a health data journalist for Word In Black. Her reporting series, “On Borrowed Time,” is nominated in the brand new NAACP Image Award category of Outstanding Literary Work in Journalism.

Socialists of America. “I say the fight against ICE must be escalated. I want to know everything about these masked men coming into our city. I want to know where they sleep, where they eat and every move they make. I want to confront them every step of the way. I want to make the job of being an ICE agency in Baltimore impossible.”

Though the protests were sparked by the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, prior to her brutal killing, Keith Porter Jr., a Black man, was shot and killed by ICE agents on Dec. 31 just before the new year struck. Porter, a 43-year-old father of two, was shot by an off-duty ICE Continued on A3

One year later, Target still reeling from boycott By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com It’s been almost a year since Georgia Pastor Jamal Bryant’s Lenten Target fast began. The movement, started in March 2025, was spurred by the retailer’s decision to axe their equity, diversity and inclusion efforts last January— just days after the 47th president issued an executive order banning the same kind of initiatives in the federal government. The fast later evolved into a full-scale boycott that hit Target executives where it hurts the most– in their pockets. The big-box store lost nearly $12.5 billion in market value and experienced drops in foot traffic, stock and sales. Bryant, who leads Georgia-based New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, described the collective action by Black consumers as the most impactful boycott for African Americans since the Montgomery Bus Boycott. “I think the Black community, in the consumer arena, is a sleeping giant with a trillion dollars in spending power,” Bryant told the AFRO. “When we mobilize it and focus, we can bring empires down. A year ago, nobody really thought there would be such

Photo courtesy of Pastor Jamal Bryant

Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, continues to call on Black consumers to boycott Target following the retailer’s decision to cut its equity, diversity and inclusion efforts last January. Bryant initially launched a Target fast last March during the Lenten season, and it later grew into a full-scale boycott. an impact, and here we are having a Fortune 500 company up against the ropes.” Experts say the financial hit to Target has accumulated over time. “Target’s recent losses

are significant, but they did not happen overnight. They reflect a decline that has been building for at least five years— not a short-term Continued on A3