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White House Releases Gun Reduction Strategy
White House Memorandum In June, President Biden unveiled a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence. This strategy implements preventative measures that are proven to reduce violent crime and attacks the root causes – including by investing in effective community policing and
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PA Supreme Court Judge Rips Cosby Prosecutor: ‘He Broke the Rules’
While social media and many who still have not understood the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Bill Cosby’s conviction continue to mislabel their decision as a “technicality,” the chief justice remarkably refuted those claims. He also blasted Montgomery County
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Big Mama Said, ‘If the Lord Says the Same, Then I Will Too’
Like Big Mama’s ‘more than a notion,’ I know so many other mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts and Black women who have uttered that statement, “If the Lord says the same I will too.” The phrase is a staple thought in
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While President Biden Addresses Voting Rights, Vice President Harris Hints at Filibuster Remedy
While President Joe Biden asserted his discontent with voter suppression laws making their way through legislatures in GOP-led states, Vice President Kamala Harris dropped a bombshell regarding potential plans to sidestep the oppressive filibuster and push through laws to protect
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The Untold Story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
There is a great story unfolding in Africa. It is a story that literally throws light on what has been called, “The Dark Continent”. In 2011, Ethiopia announced to build a hydroelectric dam on its Abbay River, known to outsiders
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Black and Latinx adults Face Greatest Financial Challenges from Chronic Lack of Affordable Health Care
According to results from a new Commonwealth Fund survey, Americans who have suffered the most during the COVID-19 pandemic are also the most likely saddled with medical bill problems and debt. The Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that promotes a high-performing
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President Biden Signs Executive Orders to Promote Economic Competition
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday, July 9, to promote opportunities in the economy for all and to lower prices for consumers. In a Fact Sheet issued by the White House prior to the President’s announcement, officials
Read More14-Year-old Becomes First African American to Win Scripps National Spelling Bee
Zaila Avant-garde twirled around in a spin, her smile radiating from the clear braces covering her teeth as confetti fell from the ceilings. The 14-year-old from Harvey, La., had reason to twirl and spin, and most importantly, she had more
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TruSo, a Black-owned Social Networking App Set to Launch
A new app could end the so-called “Black Twitter” experience and allow African Americans their own social media platform. Backed by celebrities Sway Calloway, Kareem Grimes, Terrell Owens, and Miki Barber, the Black-owned social networking app, TruSo, is poised to debut. “I
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Texas Dems, Grassroots Organizations Working to Stop Suppressive Voter Laws
With the most restrictive voting laws in the nation, Texas Republicans seek to tighten further the control over who can and cannot cast a ballot in the Lone Star State. But Democrats and various grassroots organizations are doing their best
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Louisiana’s Oldest Juneteenth Celebrations Return On Heels of State and Nation Holiday Designation
In 1976, Baton Rougeans first celebrated Juneteenth with a parade. Then annual celebrations occurred sporadically in the capital city until historian Sadie Roberts-Joseph began hosting annual celebrations consistently in the late 1980s. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day,
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Eric Adams Poised to Become New York’s Second Black Mayor
Eric Adams grew up poor. As a teenager, he was abused by the police but later decided to join New York’s Finest ranks. After serving as a police captain, and in the state Senate and as Brooklyn borough president, Adams
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President Biden Demands Freedom for Cuban Citizens
President Joe Biden, on Monday, July 12, issued a clarion call for freedom in Cuba. “We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades
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Ex-Con Turned Entrepreneur Pens 2nd Book Inspiring Readers on His Journey to the Suite Life
Dallas, TX — A motivational book from Keidrain Brewster, a two-time author and ex-con turned business owner, takes readers on an adventure full of the challenges and obstacles that he overcame to reach the level of success he desired. In
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America’s Founders Believed Civic Education and Historical Knowledge Would Prevent Tyranny – and Foster Democracy
The majority of Americans today are anxious; they believe their democracy is under threat. In fact, democracies deteriorate easily. As was feared since the times of Greek philosopher Plato, they may suddenly succumb to mob rule. The people will think
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Formerly Homeless Doctor Tells His Story of Beating the Odds in Award-Winning Film
Resilient is a new award-winning short film that shines the light on childhood homelessness by looking through the life of Dr. Tommy Watson, whose parents were arrested 121 times by the time he was a homeless senior in high school.
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With All Eyes on Texas Voter Suppression Bills, Democrats Announce $25 Million Ballot Access Initiative
Before a planned meeting with more than a dozen civil rights organizations and only days prior to a scheduled massive rally in Texas against suppression, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $25 million Democratic Party investment for voter education and
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DC Courts Suspends Rudy Giuliani’s Law License
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has ruled that former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani would be suspended from practicing law in D.C. pending his disciplinary matter in New York. The decision to suspend Giuliani in the District is
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What Is Cultural Appropriation, and How Does It Differ From Cultural Appreciation?
Fashion companies are increasingly being taken to task for selling expensive versions of traditional Indigenous dress. Gucci’s kaftans came with a US$3,500 price tag, which is far more than the $10 that Indians pay for a very similar-looking traditional kurta.
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Black Consumers, Businesses Must Lead American Energy Policy Talks, Experts Say
According to an IHS study, women and minorities will account for hundreds of thousands of those openings—more than 700,000 African Americans and Hispanics and 290,000 women …
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Five Digital Games That Teach Civics Through Play
There is a lot of discussion in the United States about how to help people come together to solve the complex problems facing the nation and the world. As a scholar of games, I see opportunities for that popular medium
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Brooklyn Academy For Girls Celebrates First Graduating Class With 100% College Acceptance
Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy (BELA) Charter School, an all-girls high school in Brooklyn, New York, is celebrating its first graduating class in the school’s history. Even more, all of the graduates have been accepted into college! Launched in 2017, the
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Alabama Non-Profit Helping Black and Brown Men Deal With Mental Health Challenges Worsened By the Pandemic
One Alabama-based nonprofit is working to do its part to better ensure that Black and brown men are getting the mental health support that they need to survive and thrive. Brother, Let’s Talk, the brainchild of a group of Birmingham-based
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D.C. Council Plans to Consider Overhauling Juvenile Justice System
With the backdrop of a published report noting that the overwhelming majority of 16- and 17-year-olds charged as adults in the District are Black, Washington, D.C., Council has moved to take up a proposal by Attorney General Karl Racine to
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Congresswoman Norton Leads Bipartisan Group Seeking to Protect Women Drivers
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has joined two of her House of Representatives colleagues in filing bipartisan legislation to improve the federal government’s vehicle safety testing practices, specifically those involving the use of crash test dummies. The Furthering Advanced and
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Eric Adams Poised to Become New York’s Second Black Mayor
Eric Adams grew up poor. As a teenager, he was abused by the police but later decided to join New York’s Finest ranks. After serving as a police captain, and in the state Senate and as Brooklyn borough president, Adams
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White Police Chief Resigns After ‘KKK’ Note Placed in Black Officer’s Jacket
Sheffield Lake Police Chief Anthony Campo, who was captured on surveillance video placing a Ku Klux Klan note in the jacket of a Black officer, has retired. Campo reportedly decided to retire after more than 30 years on the police
Read MoreWhen a Black Boxing Champion Beat the ‘Great White Hope,’ All Hell Broke Loose
An audacious Black heavyweight champion was slated to defend his title against a white boxer in Reno, Nevada, on July 4, 1910. It was billed as “the fight of the century.” The fight was seen as a referendum on racial
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Critical Race Theory: What It Is and What It Isn’t
U.S. Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana sent a letter to fellow Republicans on June 24, 2021, stating: “As Republicans, we reject the racial essentialism that critical race theory teaches … that our institutions are racist and need to be destroyed
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Phylicia Rashad Becomes Just One of Several Deans to Tweet Themselves Into Trouble
The day before, Rashad had sent out a controversial Tweet in support of her onetime “TV husband,” Bill Cosby, after a court overturned his sexual assault conviction. “FINALLY!!!!” Rashad wrote in the Tweet. “A terrible wrong is being righted —
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The Digital Divide: Biden’s Plan Helps America Compete in a Digital World
Even as Democrats and Republicans continue their negotiations, there is one aspect of infrastructure that still continues to enjoy broad support — and it also happens to be the most important part of the plan: billions of dollars in broadband
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What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July? | Frederick Douglass
[Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from a speech regarding the meaning of the Fourth of July delivered by the abolitionist and advocate Frederick Douglass in Rochester, N.Y., July 5, 1852.] … Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why
Read MoreDark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer
In Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, investigative journalist Jane Mayer reveals how a elite group of plutocrats have effectively subjected the US political system to a process akin to corporate capture. This is
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UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees grant tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones
The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved tenure for acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on Wednesday, ending a month-long saga that has outraged students, faculty and journalists across the country. In a public vote, the board approved Hannah-Jones’s tenure application 9-4 after
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Supreme Court Blunts Voting Rights in Arizona – and Potentially Nationwide – in Controversial Ruling
Arizona may keep two voting laws that Republicans say protect election integrity and Democrats believe will make it harder for some residents to cast ballots. That’s the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, one of
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Black Social Worker Releases New Guide For Caregivers and Patients on Navigating the Healthcare System
Kenshara Cravens, having a heart to alleviate the stress and pressure on patients and their loved ones, has written an easy-to-read handbook on how to approach healthcare. She has seen first-hand the strain felt by those needing the most care
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Summer Travel Brings Higher Gas Prices; So, What’s the Solution?
The arrival of summer usually means family reunions, barbecues, and vacations. Unfortunately, American automobile drivers have routinely experienced higher prices at the gas pump. A recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report noted that gasoline prices continue to climb for
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Georgia Grand Jury Declines to Indict Former Trooper in Shooting Death of Julian Lewis
A grand jury has declined to indict a former Georgia State Trooper who shot and killed a Black man in 2020 after a stop over a broken taillight. The victim, Julian Lewis, 60, died at the scene and the trooper,
Read MoreNBA Icon Shaquille O’Neal Endorses Aramis Ayala for Florida Congressional Race
On June 29, former Florida prosecutor Aramis Ayala, was endorsed by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. Ayala is running for the congressional seat to be vacated by Rep. Val Demings whose seat will be vacated as she runs in 2022 for
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The “Black RJ Policy Agenda” Will Turn Racism Upside Down
By Marcela Howell, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda As the U.S. Supreme Court reviews abortion cases that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion, there is a
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Fayetteville State University Student Government Association President Continues Family Legacy with Generational Vision
Ask Sydney Harris about her vision as Student Government Association (SGA) President at Fayetteville State University (FSU) and she will tell you about her passion for the school and student civic engagement to improve the school, the Fayetteville community, and
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