News roundup: Black news highlights from the month of October

Video: White men harass Black teen

A series of viral videos have sparked an investigation by Florida police after a group of white men were seen following and harassing a Black teenager as he walked through his Sarasota, Florida, neighborhood, according to reports from Essence.

The teen, who has not been publicly identified, had gone for a walk on Oct. 10 to speak to his girlfriend on his cellphone after Hurricane Milton left their area without power and limited cell service, according to his mother, Whitney Portela, who shared the footage on TikTok and Facebook, Essence reported.

As he walked around, four white men started to follow him and asked unwarranted questions about where he lived. That’s when the teenager began recording himself. The disturbing videos have since gained more than 4 million views.

“Obviously, he doesn’t live here,” one man says.

Portela stated that while the clips only show parts of the interaction, her son was followed for more than 10 minutes.

LeBron, Bronny James make NBA history

In the hours before his NBA debut in 2003, LeBron James remembered, he was an “anxious” teenager with a churning stomach who had a tough time getting a good night’s sleep and took the court believing “everyone besides my family and friends wanted me to fail.”

The 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star and his 20-year-old son shared their long-anticipated historic moment during the second quarter of a 110-103 season-opening victory Oct. 22 over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena, the Washington Post reported. They became basketball’s answer to MLB stars Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who played together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991. The universe was in perfect alignment for the James family: Bronny’s debut took place on his sister Zhuri’s 10th birthday, and the Griffeys enjoyed the multigenerational show from courtside seats.

With Los Angeles holding a comfortable 51-35 lead with four minutes remaining in the second quarter, LeBron and Bronny James rose simultaneously from the Lakers’ bench and strode toward the scorer’s table to check into the game together. Before LeBron James had ripped off his warm-up shirt, the Los Angeles crowd rose for a standing ovation.

Harris turns focus to young, Black media

Vice President Kamala Harris has spent recent weeks sitting down for interviews with podcasters and gossip sites as part of her ramped-up efforts to reach Black voters as she battles Donald Trump for the presidency.

Her decision to appear on “The Shade Room” and other less traditional platforms has left many scratching their heads. But it’s a strategy to reach young, Black voters who are increasingly turning to social media for news, NBC News reported.

She has since opened up to a diverse swath of media, appearing on late-night and daytime TV and in pointed interviews with Bill Whitaker of CBS News’ “60 Minutes” and Fox News’ Bret Baier, along with podcasts like Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” and “All the Smoke,” hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Most recently, she participated in an interview with independent journalist Roland Martin, spoke with Charlamagne Tha God in an hourlong radio town hall on iHeartRadio and sat down with Justin Carter, of “The Shade Room” for a conversation about her recently announced plan aimed at supporting Black men.

Ballots are due Nov. 5.