January 2023

Tyre Nichols, 29, was stopped by Memphis Police Department's SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit on January 7, 2023. Officers pulled Nichols from his car, pepper-sprayed him, and subjected him to a prolonged beating; he ran and was caught and beaten again. He died three days later on January 10. All five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were Black. Video was released January 27; all five were charged with second-degree murder. Memphis disbanded the SCORPION unit. The case prompted debate about whether Black officers in racist systems perpetuate structural violence.

A 2023 Markup investigation found that lenders using algorithmic underwriting systems denied mortgage applications from Black applicants at rates up to 84% higher than white applicants with similar financial profiles. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination but does not explicitly address algorithmic decision-making. CFPB and DOJ investigations into lenders including Trident Mortgage, Townstone Financial, and Lakeland Bancorp (which paid a $13 million settlement in 2023) found discriminatory lending patterns. Critics argued that algorithms trained on historically discriminatory data would perpetuate and mask redlining. HUD issued guidance in 2023 clarifying that algorithmic discrimination violates the Fair Housing Act.

A 2023 Markup investigation found lenders using algorithmic underwriting denied mortgage applications from Black applicants at rates up to 84% higher than white applicants with similar financial profiles. CFPB and DOJ investigations found discriminatory lending patterns at multiple institutions. HUD issued guidance in 2023 clarifying that algorithmic discrimination violates the Fair Housing Act.

Florida's Department of Education rejected the College Board's AP African American Studies course in January 2023, saying it 'lacks educational value' and violates state law. The state objected to content on intersectionality, the Black Lives Matter movement, reparations, and Black queer studies. The College Board revised the course to remove some contested content; civil rights advocates criticized the revisions as capitulation to political censorship. The College Board ultimately offered a version of the course in Florida without the contested topics as elective readings. The incident drew national attention to state restrictions on Black history education.

Florida's Department of Education rejected the College Board's AP African American Studies course, saying it 'lacks educational value' and violates state law. The state objected to content on intersectionality, the Black Lives Matter movement, reparations, and Black queer studies. The College Board revised the course removing contested content. The incident drew national attention to state restrictions on Black history education.