African Americans

Was the first slave owner in America a Black man? No, that's not true: Anthony Johnson, an Angolan who was an indentured servant in the Virginia colony starting in 1621, did gain the recognized right to own property, including slaves, after he was released following years of being an indentured servant. He used slaves on his Maryland tobacco farm, but…

Did schools ban Dr. Seuss books? No, that's not true: Lead Stories has not found any recent reports of schools which have banned all Dr. Seuss books in the wake of Seuss Enterprises' decision to cancel six titles of dozens because of "hurtful" images. In early March 2021 there were rumors circulating that Dr, Seuss was being 'cancelled', more specifically,…

Is the United States a corporation in the way General Motors is? Is the president the head of a corporation called the United States of America? And are African Americans emancipated but not free? No, none of that is true: this conspiracy theory makes claims based on selection of only one of the several definitions of the word "incorporated" and…

Is Washington, D.C., "checking your ID" for people "to get in and out of" the city? No, that's not true: There are currently no checkpoints at the city limits/boundaries of Washington, D.C. The claim appeared a Facebook post (archived here) published February 14, 2021, which opened: To get in and out of DC they're checking your ID. Wouldn't it have…

Is there a bill projected to pass on January 6, 2021, that will allow the state of New York to round up COVID patients and put them in camps? No, that's not true: The hype surrounding this bill is not supported by evidence. The New York State Assembly's Health Committee, where presumably the bill would first be discussed, will not…

Did Joe Biden say "this country is doomed" because non-Hispanic white people will become a minority share of the U.S. population in the near future? No, that's not true: This is a deceptively edited clip. He did say those words, but the rest of the words he spoke -- edited out for a TikTok post -- make it clear he…

Did Joe Biden call young Black criminals "super predators"? No, that's not true: He used the term "predators" multiple times when giving speeches in support of the The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which he co-authored, but he never explicitly referred to those predators as Black. It was Hillary Clinton, then first lady, who used the…

Was Kamala Harris California's "TOP COP" in 2010, making her responsible for the state's Black incarceration rate that year? No, that's not true: Harris served as attorney general of California between January 2011 and January 2017. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) by U.S. President Donald Trump. It was published on October 7, 2020, the day of the…

Are protesters destroying roads to cause accidents in America? No, that's not true: A meme warning that Black protesters are destroying U.S. roads uses a photo from South Africa of protesters, angry about the lack of water, electricity, and other basic utilities in their areas, smashing a paved road. The claim appeared as a meme in a post (archived here)…

Does Kohl's only sell Black Lives Matter apparel and no Blue Lives Matter apparel? No, that's not true: Kohl's sells cowboy boots with a stitched-on Thin Blue Line patch, one symbol of the Blue Lives Matter pro-police organization. Starting September 21, Kohl's will also be selling Black Lives Matter clothing bearing symbols of the organization that seeks race-related reform of…