Archive
Family of Black Doctors Has Social Media Buzzing
Dr. Herbert Oye is a Board Certified Endovascular and Vascular Surgeon, specializing in invasive and non-invasive treatment of vascular diseases. Dr. Oye received his medical degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, according to his official biography.
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The Danger of the “Ethno-Nationalist” State
One of the most common features of right-wing populist and fascist movements is the demand for ethnic and/or racial purity. During the course of the 20th century we saw it in its most egregious forms in colonial and white minority regimes
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Separate, Unequal, and Dismal: Urban League Rekindles Leaders’ Commitments
The Urban League of Louisiana released an equity report examining the quality of Baton Rouge public schools and identifying gaps in outcomes, access, and excellence. Calling the findings “dismal” and “concerning,” several education stakeholders were present at the McKinley Alumni
Read MoreA Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American
By DaMaris Hill
DaMaris Hill honors their experiences with at times harrowing, at times hopeful responses to her heroes, illustrated with black-and-white photographs throughout.
Federal Judge to Block NC Voter ID Law Temporarily as the Lawsuit Continues
North Carolina voters might not have to show a photo ID in the 2020 elections, due to a ruling in federal court that’s expected in the coming days. A federal judge in North Carolina said Thursday she would block
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Promises Betrayed – Looking to 2020 – Put Your Vote to WORK!
If you work for a living but are somewhat up in the air about who to vote for in 2020 or for that matter, if you should even bother getting to that crowded polling place, I’d like to ask that
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Community Reinvestment Act to Benefit Low- and Moderate-Income Communities
Proposed changes to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) could lead to greatly enhanced investment in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities around the country, according to Grovetta N. Gardineer, senior deputy comptroller for Bank Supervision Policy with the Office of the
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How Small Town Mayor Joyce Whichard-Brown Is Making Main Street Vibrant Again and Getting Businesses Back
WILLIAMSTON, N.C. – Whichard-Brown says she and the town council want to make Williamston “vibrant again,” which means addressing all of the vacant buildings on Main Street, getting businesses to come back, hire and operate like they used to.
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Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Central Terminal
By Eric K. Washington
A long-overdue biography of the head of Grand Central Terminal’s Red Caps, who flourished in the cultural nexus of Harlem and American railroads.
Should You Avoid Meat for Good Health? How to Slice off the Facts From the Fiction
More than half of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions resolve to “eat healthier.” If you’re one, you might be confused about the role meat should play in your health. It’s no wonder you’re confused. One group of scientists says that
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Nonprofits That Empower Leaders of Color Are More Apt to Do Something About Racial Inequality
The U.S. is becoming more racially diverse. Since 2010, 96% of all U.S. counties registered an increase in their percentage of nonwhite residents. Yet the people who lead nonprofits in the U.S. remain disproportionately white. This mismatch can make it difficult for such organizations
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Republicans Pass Future Act to Help HBCUs, Minority-Serving Institutions
The President put his signature on the Future Act, legislation that for the time includes HBCUs in the federal 5-year STEM Education Plan and the National Research and Development Budget Priorities. “When I took office, I promised to fight for
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Spiritually Speaking … A Sharp Tongue Cuts from the Inside Out
Growing up, I was never a student of the Bible even though I grew up surrounded by the best kind of Christians there were: the love-filled family kind. I believe I am now being constantly moved by the Holy Spirit
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Black News Channel Network Launch Fulfills Lifelong Dream of JC Watts
Washington, DC — On January 6, 2020, the Black News Channel (BNC) will become the nation’s only 24-hour news and information television network focused primarily on African Americans. The historic launch of the BNC will fulfill the business dream and
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THE BLERD BINDER: A letter to the haters of HBO’s “Watchmen”
How is “Watchmen” so far? The Blerd Binder covers nerdy news for the Black nerds of the world. We welcome all as we talk about subjects ranging from Movies to Music and Tech to Toys. Exciting, insightful, and incredibly strange.
Read MoreShe Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman
By Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Filled with rare outtakes of commentary, an expansive timeline of Tubman’s life, photos (both new and those in public domain), commissioned illustrations, and sections including “Harriet By the Numbers”
Are Republican Senators in Fear of ‘Don Corleone’ Trump? “Yes!” Says Schumer
On Thursday, December 19, NNPA Newswire interviewed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The discussion covered a wide range of topics, focusing primarily on the impeachment of the president. The Senator also shared some insight on his conversations with Senate
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How Undoing ‘Obamacare’ Would Harm More Than the Health
The Affordable Care Act remains on life support after a panel of federal judges ruled on Dec. 18, 2019 that the law’s individual mandate requiring people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. The decision hobbles the law in ways that are hard
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14-Year Old College Student at Spelman Makes the Dean’s List
Atlanta, GA — Sydney Wilson, the youngest student admitted to Spelman College, has recently achieved another milestone as she ended the first semester as a college student with a 3.76 GPA, making it to the Dean’s list. Wilson started attending the
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Will McConnell Let the Senate Hold a Fair Impeachment Trial?
December 18 — Today the House of Representatives will vote on whether to impeach President Trump. If it votes yes, sometime early in the new year I will take an oath on the Senate floor to uphold the Constitution, review
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In North Carolina, an Inspiring Black Woman Senate Candidate Takes the Lead
In battleground North Carolina, a political contest of historic proportions is taking shape – one that will help determine the names of both the next president and the next Senate majority leader. At stake is nothing less than the state’s chance to
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How Being ‘Tough on Crime’ Became a Political Liability
Kamala Harris recently dropped out of the presidential race after months of attacks from the left for her “tough-on-crime” record as San Francisco’s district attorney and as California’s attorney general. A few years ago, the idea that being tough on crime would
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Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home
By Richard Bell
Impeccably researched and breathlessly paced, Stolen tells the incredible story of five boys whose courage forever changed the fight against slavery in America.
Serena Williams is Building Schools in Jamaica and Various African Nations
More than just a tennis champion, Serena Williams has always been a champion for a cause. Through the Serena Williams Fund, new schools are being built in Jamaica and in various countries on the African continent. Williams, who has a
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Meet the 101-Year Old Woman Who is Still Working as a Hair Stylist
Memphis, TN — At the age of 101, Callie Terrell is still far from retiring from her work as a hair stylist, making her the oldest working beautician in Tennessee and perhaps the country. “Well, I can’t describe it. I’m
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Schumer Statement on Fifth Circuit Ruling In The Texas V. U.S. Case
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today released the following statement in response to the Fifth Circuit Court ruling in the Texas v. U.S. case: “Tonight’s ruling is a sharp reminder to Americans that a heartless lawsuit supported by
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From Section 8 to Owning Multiple Homes — Meet the TEDx Speaker Who Flipped the Script
On the heels of his new book entitled Financially Irresponsible, author Rahkim Sabree says that closing the financial literacy gap can be done with the establishment of a team. “Each one, teach one,” he says. “Each one, reach one. If
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Kamala Harris: Will McConnell Let the Senate Hold a Fair Impeachment Trial?
December 18 — Today the House of Representatives will vote on whether to impeach President Trump. If it votes yes, sometime early in the new year I will take an oath on the Senate floor to uphold the Constitution, review
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Black Entrepreneur Releases First Ever Shoppable and 100% Customizable Cookbook
Atlanta, GA — When doctors tell patients to change the way they eat for health, 7 times out of 10, they give the patient a list of foods to eat or avoid. If you’re that patient, you’re sent out of
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New York City to Pay $625K Settlement to Black Woman After Cops Ripped Her Baby Away
New York, NY — Jazmine Headley, a Black mother whose 1-year old son was forcibly pulled from her arms by NYPD police officers during an arrest, will be awarded $625,000 settlement from the city of New York after she filed
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Texas Settles Lawsuit Over Attempt to Purge Thousands From Voter Rolls
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas taxpayers will hand over $450,000 to the lawyers who sued the state earlier this year over the attempt to purge the list of registered voters that might have improperly disenfranchised countless numbers of naturalized citizens. The payment
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Congressional Black Caucus Members Talk Impeachment, HBCU Funding
Shortly after the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to impeach President Donald Trump on Friday, December 13, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) held a conference call with publishers of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the
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Six Charts That Illustrate the Financial Strength of American Houses of Worship
Religion accounts for the largest share of the approximately US$425 billionAmericans give away every year. Even so, the charitable dollars channeled to churches and other houses of worship have slowly declined as a percentage of overall giving for decades. In
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As Americans Struggle for Health Care Access, Insurers Making Things Worse
Living in rural America certainly comes with a number of benefits. There is less crime, access to the outdoors, and lower costs of living. Yet, not everything is rosy outside the city limits. Rural communities face growing infrastructure problems like
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Eliminating Food Deserts Won’t Help Poorer Americans Eat Healthier
In the U.S., rich people tend to eat a lot healthier than poor people. Because poor diets cause obesity, Type II diabetes and other diseases, this nutritional inequality contributes to unequal health outcomes. The richest Americans can expect
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Holiday Helpers: Six Ways You Can Support a Family with a Special Needs Child During the Holidays
The holidays are a time to celebrate, relax, and make special memories. But for families with a medically fragile child or children, there’s little time left for fire gazing, gift wrapping, or attending parties or school plays. Why? Because special
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Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Responds to UNC Board of Governors False Claims
Chapel Hill, NC– Following the filings from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the UNC Board of Governors responded with false claims that the institution had two options, to either settle with the pro-confederate group or return the
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Judge Orders 234,000 Purged From Wisconsin Voter Rolls
PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. – An Wisconsin judge on Friday ordered the state to remove hundreds of thousands of people from Wisconsin’s voter rolls because they may have moved. The case is being closely watched because of the state’s critical role
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I Was Just Thinking… Mama in the Classroom
I Messenger Media welcomes veteran journalist Norma Adams-Wade. We hope you will enjoy her insightful, informative and entertaining columns. I wrote my first column in 1988 for a local Dallas newspaper. I wrote about a beloved Dallas guidance counselor and
Read MorePots and Kettles – Republican Hypocrisy and Double-Talk
When you elect a clown, expect a circus, and this month’s impeachment hearings have been precisely that. Yelling, shouting, and disrespectful accusing seem more the rule than the exception. The increased volume of Mr. Trump’s tweets echoes his fear and
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Letter to Leader McConnell, Puts Forward Structure for a Fair and Honest Bipartisan Impeachment
Schumer Proposed-Trial Structure Would Require Specific Documents and Testimony from Four Key Witnesses Specifically, Schumer asks for testimony from Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton, Michael Duffey and Robert Blair; Schumer says Dems are open to hearing from additional witnesses with direct
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Mavis Staples and Buddy Guy Live at New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Combine their ages and these legends, Mavis Staples (80 years old) and Buddy Guy (83), have 163 years’ worth of living to sing about. And when they do, it’s a music and history lesson extraordinaire. Staples built a reputation for
Read MoreA Look Back on the Most Noteworthy Films of 2019
Look back on the most noteworthy films of 2019 and they all display a diverse array of superb talent—in front of and behind the camera. These movies entertained, educated and often inspired us. They challenged our opinions. They made us
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Marvin Miller gets to the Baseball Hall of Fame…but no Curt Flood
When it was announced on December 8th that the late Marvin Miller, the first executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), had finally been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame I let out a yell of
Read MoreMoving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America
By Karine Jean-Pierre
An inspiring political memoir from Karine Jean-Pierre, Chief Public Affairs Officer for MoveOn, chronicling her path from New York’s Haitian community to working in the Obama White House.
Award-Winning Author Helps Teens Get Published While Increasing Their Literacy
Empath. Visionary. Trailblazer. Paradigm Shifter. Hollywood, South Carolina’s native son, Shaytee Gadson, author of Hallelujah! In Hollywood: A True Hollywood Story, is doing what no other African American published author has done – and that is to get urban high school
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Attorney Ben Crump’s New Book, ‘Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People’
Famed Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump has written a new book that examines the troubling history of environmental racism in America. “Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People,” the 272-page book that’s already the top seller on Amazon.com in the
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South African Beauty Queen Crowned Miss Universe 2019
Zozibini Tunzi said she grew up in a world where a woman who looks like her, was never considered beautiful. On Sunday, December 8, the South Africa beauty queen was crowned Miss Universe. “I grew up in a world where
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President of Haiti Needs to Take Responsibility for the Current Political Crisis
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) delivered the following statement at the December 10 Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled, “Haiti on the Brink: Assessing U.S. Policy Toward a Country in Crisis”: I thank my colleague,
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Faith and Leadership – Women in Positions of Power, Influence and Leadership
Don’t you just love seeing women in positions of power, influence and leadership? In answering her question recently during the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant, Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi of Eastern Cape, talked about women in leadership. The very favorable
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