African American News and Issues

Black unemployment rate improves amid historic Jobs Report

Business, Economy, National, News / aframnews

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent America – and most notably Black America – is back to work, declared President Joe Biden as he announced one of the most robust job reports in modern times. “History has been made here,” the president declared. The economy created 467,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate for Black workers fell to 6.9 percent and dropped to 5.8 percent for African American women. The president highlighted the 6.6 million jobs added to the U.S. economy in the year since he took office. “It comes alongside the largest drop in the unemployment rate in a single year on record, the largest reduction in childhood poverty ever recorded in a single year, and the strongest economic growth this country has seen in nearly 40 years,” President Biden asserted. He also acknowledged the struggles that many American families still face, noting that prices have increased sharply during the pandemic. “Average people are getting clobbered by the cost of everything,” President Biden said. “Gas prices at the pump are up. We’re working to bring them down, but they’re up. Food prices are up. We’re working to bring them down as well.” White House officials said they plan to enact policies to slow inflation. Before the president’s remarks, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 222-210 to pass the COMPETES Act, a bill to help America keep up with China in the semiconductor chip industry. The legislation seeks to tackle such economic issues as supply chain disruptions and a global shortage of semiconductor chips, essential for producing smartphones, medical equipment, and cars. The bill would introduce several changes to American trade rules to level the playing field for domestic businesses and combat China’s market-distorting trade practices. “Democrats are prepared to build on this extraordinary economic momentum: continuing our work to lower families’ costs, strengthen our supply chains, and make more goods in America,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared. “Under the leadership of President Biden and House Democrats, our nation will continue to Build Back Better to create more good-paying jobs and lower costs for families […]

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Democrats failure at federal level causes catastrophic losses in Virginia, elsewhere

National, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics, Stacey M. Brown, Stacy Brown / aframnews

By: Stacy M. Brown Election night proved as much an indictment on current Democratic leadership and the party’s inability to pass meaningful legislation. It also was a show of strength by Republicans as they continue to unite after former President Donald Trump’s resounding loss in the 2020 election cycle. In a state that President Joe Biden won by ten percentage points one year ago, the incumbent Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe not only lost to Republican Glenn Youngkin, but the race proved close to a landslide. Youngkin and other Virginia politicians mostly kept Trump away from campaign events, even refusing to appear with the former president. Likewise, while Trump endorsed Youngkin, he rarely mentioned the former president even if he embraced many of his policies that have led to other GOP governors crafting or pushing repressive voting and human rights laws. On the other hand, McAuliffe did bring in former President Barack Obama and attempted to use Trump’s endorsement of his opponent as a reason for voters to go against the Republican. “All of these attempts to pinpoint the answer ignore the myriad ways that demographics, turnout, geography, candidate appeals, and policy mix together,” opinion columnist Hayes Brown wrote for MSNBC. Critical race theory proved a sticking point as well. “Republicans don’t need to let up, they need to double down,” South Carolina Politician Graham Allen wrote on Twitter. “Don’t mess with our kids,” he demanded. Sirius XM radio personality Tim Young agreed. “The lesson of this election [is] don’t [mess] with people’s kids,” Young exclaimed. Youngkin spotlighted education during his campaign after McAuliffe weighed in with his thought that parents should not tell educators what to teach children. Conservatives seized upon that, claiming that McAuliffe pushed critical race theory. In New Jersey, Incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy awakened Wednesday morning in a virtual tie with upstart Republican Jack Ciattarelli. With about 98 percent of the votes in, Murphy held less than a percentage point lead. Perhaps reading the tea leaves from around the nation, Murphy sounded a conciliatory tone. “We’re sorry tonight couldn’t yet be the celebration we wanted it

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Defendants in Ahmaud Arbery case say slavery-era law enabled them to shoot

Featured, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Stacey M. Brown / aframnews

By: Stacy M. Brown In Georgia, defense attorneys are making the case that the three white men involved in killing Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, were justified by a Civil War-era law instituted to catch runaway slaves. Travis McMichael, 35, his father, Gregory McMichael, 65, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, plans to defend their actions by claiming they were making a citizens’ arrest that went awry only after Arbery resisted. When the trio killed Arbery on February 23, 2020, Georgia law allowed almost anyone to arrest another citizen if “they had reasonable and probable grounds of suspicion” that a suspect had committed a felony. The state overturned the statute after Arbery’s murder. Lawmakers introduced and passed the original code in 1863 to capture slaves who had escaped from plantations in the South. “They are going to use this law because it wasn’t repealed until after Ahmaud Arbery was killed by the McMichael family, and I am not sure we’re going to have the justice that we should,” said Shirley James, publisher of the Savannah Tribune in Georgia. James said Georgia also employs the Stand-Your-Ground law that allows citizens to use deadly force when confronted with life-or-death situations. “The thing that happens a lot, even with George Floyd and a lot of our African Americans who have been unjustly murdered, the victim becomes the criminal,” James remarked. “They are looking at Arbery’s life and he’s deceased and can’t defend himself.” She added that very few people of color are among the 1,000 prospective jurors, and Glynn County, where the trial will occur, counts as a mostly white area. “I don’t think in that county that you will find the kind of objectivity that you need,” James demurred. “When you think of the mindset of the things going on now with people so free to speak out in reference to their discriminatory attitudes, they have about us …” Recent reports suggest that many U.S. states still have laws that allow for citizens to make arrests. Chris Slobogin, a law professor at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University, told Reuters News Service that citizen’s

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Change is brewing across the nation

#NNPA BlackPress, Food, Food & Drinks / aframnews

NNPA NEWSWIRE You don’t have to be a barista to enjoy Ben & Jerry’s newest Limited Batch flavor—a cool combination of cold brew coffee ice cream, marshmallow swirls and fudge brownies. “Change is Brewing” was created to help transform the nation’s approach to public safety to one that prioritizes community needs. Change is Brewing is part of Ben & Jerry’s ongoing work to advance racial justice, calling for the nation to divest from a broken criminal legal system and invest in services that help communities thrive, like mental health treatment, counseling, substance use treatment, and healthcare. Ben & Jerry’s is joining more than 70 other organizations in supporting The People’s Response Act, landmark legislation introduced by Congresswoman Cori Bush. The legislation was written to transform a system that disproportionately criminalizes Black and Brown people into a system that provides resources to help every community, and especially communities of color, thrive. The People’s Response Act was developed in partnership with community organizers, grassroots organizations, and movement partners, including the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL). “The Movement for Black Lives welcomes Ben & Jerry’s support of The People’s Response Act, which would expand a new vision for public safety rooted in public health; and their investment in local organizations working every day in service of a new future for Black people,” said Monifa Bandele, member of the leadership of M4BL’s Policy Table. “Now is the time for Congress to embrace bold, courageous leadership and join Congresswoman Cori Bush in co-sponsoring The People’s Response Act and ensuring its final passage.” “We appreciate Congresswoman Cori Bush for having the courage and vision to introduce the People’s Response Act, legislation that would boldly transform public safety in America,” said Jabari Paul, US Activism Manager for Ben & Jerry’s. “We’ve come to understand that public safety is also a matter of public health. Congresswoman Bush’s legislation begins to make that important link by creating a public safety division within the Department of Health and Human Services.” The deep, rich coffee flavor in Change is Brewing is from BLK & Bold, the first Black-owned, nationally distributed coffee company that gives 5% of its profits to initiatives that support youth in need.

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These sisters want you to find your “WOMANISH”

#NNPA BlackPress, Entertainment / aframnews

Lahoma Scarlette, NNPA Newswire Contributor The new WOMANISH exhibit wants women everywhere to know they are the “ish” and to repeat this mantra to themselves, daily. The new, interactive art experience made its debut in the Wynwood Arts District on June 30, after its 2020 launch in Chicago amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5,000-square-foot traveling exhibit, is the mastermind of Chicago natives and Black female founders and sisters Dionna and Danyelle Gray. The immersive exhibit is made up of 15 photo-friendly, very Instagrammable installation rooms that explore the meaning of womanhood from different perspectives and features the work of women artists from all over the world, highlighting an “ish.” Some messages are provocative, CENSOREDISH, many will educate you, CONSUMERISH, i.e., the Pink Tax, motivate you, or bring out your inner child, CHILDISH. While visiting the different rooms, you will notice how inclusive the art is and see the term womxn used throughout. That’s part of the WOMANISH goal, to include everyone, as the spelling of womxn avoids the suggestion of sexism perceived in the sequences m-a-n and m-e-n and is inclusive of trans and nonbinary women. I was captivated by each room I entered, and it would be hard to pinpoint my favorite ISH. SELFISH stood out because I love the way word is interpreted. Not to give too much away, because if you plan to be in the Miami area, it’s a must visit, but taking care of oneself does not make you SELFISH, many women feel guilty when they put themselves first, in fact, it makes you selfless of yourself. The SELFISH room gives new meaning to the phrase “Do You.” The PAIDISH room also stood out, it highlights the gender pay equity gap and includes a special ode to Harriet Tubman, because, hey, we’re still waiting to see her on the $20 bill. “This experience is a culturally-inclusive safe space that provokes imagination, conversation and change around breaking single-definition stereotypes,” stated co-founder Dionna Gray. “Womanish is more than an exhibit, it’s a pro-womxn empowerment movement. No matter how you identify, you will be able to encounter, contemplate, and connect with

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U.S. House votes to end sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine

#NNPA BlackPress, Crime, News, Politics, racism / aframnews

By: Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor In March U.S. House Democrats Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) joined Republican Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Don Bacon (R-NE) to introduce a bill called the “Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act.” The mandates that the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity would end. It would also retroactively apply the change to those already convicted or sentenced. On September 28, the U.S. House passed the bill by a vote of 361-66. Now the U.S. Senate has an opportunity to pass the bill and send it to President Biden’s desk. Doing so would put an end to one of the worst legacies of the war on drugs. In 2009, Congressman Bobby Scott led an effort in the U.S. House to eliminate the crack/cocaine disparity in the Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act. That effort eventually led to the 2010 passage of the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the crack cocaine disparity from 100:1 to 18:1. “For years, we have known that harsh drug sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine have created a racially disparate impact on Black communities. The bipartisan EQUAL Act is the next step on the long road toward eliminating this unfair sentencing disparity,” Rep. Scott said in a statement. “Eliminating the crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity is a step toward applying equal justice under the law. I will continue to work with Representative Jeffries and advocate for it in the Senate so this long overdue legislation can get to the president’s desk and signed into law,” said Congressman Armstrong, a Republican from North Dakota. “The EQUAL Act will help reverse engineer the tragic legacy of the failed war on drugs which has devastated lives, families and communities. Crack cocaine has historically been used in inner-city communities and powder cocaine in affluent neighborhoods and the suburbs. That does not justify the wide disparity in sentencing. I thank the tremendous leadership of Rep. Armstrong and all my colleagues in the House who supported this legislation and are committed to burying the failed war on drugs and making the

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COMMENTARY: Black Lives Matter and The Color of Your Skin

Commentary, National, News / aframnews

By Roger Caldwell, NNPA Newswire Contributor There is a pervasive sickness in America, and it is called White supremacy, and systemic racism. These ideologies are invisible, and many Americans now believe that success has nothing to do with the color of an individual’s skin. Discrimination no longer exists, and everyone has the same opportunities. It is very easy to get caught in this frame of mind, because you can look at the millions of people of color, who are a success in one generation. Instead of challenging and fighting racism, they put the blame on the person. On many different levels people of color are advancing, and there is much to be proud of. There are now more children of color being born, than White children each year, and White people are concerned with their existence. “White supremacy or White supremacism is the belief that White people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of White power and privilege. White supremacy has roots in the now discredited doctrine of scientific racism, and was a key justification for colonialism,” states Wikipedia. The Democrats would want Americans to think that in 2021, only Republicans are the only party that is racist, but racism is systemic and institutionalized. When White folks get together, there are always the Black jokes, and the jokes about how fast Black men can run. Many would think that Black jokes are harmless, and they would never say them in front of their Black friends, but sometimes other words slip out. There is something fundamentally different about being born White, and more doors are opened, from the start. Some call it “White privilege” and it is a benefit that is enjoyed by all White folks, and it does not matter if you are a Democrat or Republican. There is a cultural thread that runs through the society, and Whites take advantage of all these benefits. White privilege is an aspect of White power, and all White people have the ability to pull out their White power card.

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Roland Martin launches new Black TV Network

#NNPA BlackPress, Celebrities, Entertainment, News / aframnews

By: Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor On the evening of September 2, journalist Roland Martin, the host of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, announced an over-the-top media (or OTT) network that will broadcast directly to viewers free via the internet and a phone app. The new Black owned network, Black Star Network (curated by Roland S. Martin), will feature new shows and live stream Black news and information focused on news, politics, technology and culture. The first interview to debut on Black Star Network will be with legendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray, on September 4. Gray, 90, was the legal mastermind behind several civil rights victories and an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin announced his new network on the third anniversary of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the first daily digital show specifically targeting African American audiences five days a week. The show has enjoyed expansive audience growth averaging 20 to 30 million views a month. Unlike several other Black content related news and information platforms, Black Star Network is 100 percent Black-owned. Black Star Network will be available on all platforms including AppleTV, Roku, Samsung, XBox and Amazon FireTV. The new network’s content will also be carried on a phone app for Apple and Android phones at Black Star Network. The network’s website, BlackStarNetwork.com is also now live. Even though many other TV networks charge viewers to see content, Black Star Network will not. “A lot of our people simply cannot afford to pay for a streaming service. We purposely chose to keep this free. We purposely chose for people to be able to access our content — that’s what we’ve done with this show as well,” Martin said referring to #RolandMartinUnfiltered. The network will be ad supported. Martin’s show #RolandMartinUnfiltered has been streaming live on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with the support of the show’s Bring the Funk Fan Club donations which have totaled over a million dollars in the last 18 months. Martin recently announced the construction of a new studio space in Washington, D.C. close to The White House. The veteran journalist, who hails from Houston, also has plans to announce Black

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Congresswoman Cori Bush lauds Black Press ahead of receiving prestigious award

#NNPA BlackPress, News, Politics / aframnews

By: Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent As the clock ticked down on the federal eviction moratorium and jeopardized the shelter and well-being of so many Americans, Congresswoman Cori Bush boldly acted. The Missouri Democrat, who had once experienced homelessness herself, camped out on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. On full display with a bright sleeping bag and nothing else to protect her from the elements, Congresswoman Bush made her point: she closely identified with those experiencing homelessness and those who were about to because of the moratorium expiration. Her act of self-sacrifice isn’t the only thing that defines the Congresswoman, who sits as the first woman to represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District and the first activist from the Black Lives Matter Movement elected to the U.S. Congress. The Congresswoman sits as vice-chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. Additionally, Congresswoman Bush is a member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy and the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment. The 2020 “Black Rep’s Frankie Muse Freeman Spirit Award” winner, Congresswoman Bush, will receive the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) 2021 National Leadership Award. Each year, the NNPA recognizes courageous Americans that have impacted the nation and world in positive ways. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA, said the Black Press “is saluting excellence and innovative leadership in Black America.” Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Drs. James E.K. Hildreth and Ebony Hilton, and record-setting Olympic Champion Allyson Felix also will receive awards. The NNPA celebrates 81 years as the trusted voice of Black America and 194 years of the Black Press of America. The National Leadership Awards are virtual this year and scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on Thursday, September 16. Registration is free at www.virtualnnpa2021.com. Before the awards, the NNPA will host a special interview with actress Gabrielle Union. According to NNPA Board members, while the recipients’ career paths may vary, one cannot underestimate the impact of

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SB1: Texas Republicans pass voter suppression law

News, Politics, Texas / aframnews

By: Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor On the evening of August 31, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature passed overhaul of Texas’ election laws. The moment was the final chapter in a weeks-long saga that included Texas Democrats leaving the state to prevent the changes from passing. Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud after his loss to President Biden is propelling the GOP across the U.S. to change voting laws. The new laws will tighten an already strict set of voting laws in Texas. The new laws will eliminate drive-thru voting and extended hours to vote. The legislation also bans mail ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime for election officials to distribute vote by mail applications. It also allows the “free movement” for partisan poll watchers. Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott is expected to quickly sign the legislation into law. The Texas bill is the latest in a national GOP push to make voting less easy after President Biden defeated Donald Trump by seven million votes in November 2020. The underlying argument made by Republicans, which is part of the “big lie” messaging, is a manufactured need for “voter security.” New voting restrictions led by Republican Governors and legislatures have taken place in Georgia, Florida, and Arizona as well. “Voter suppression has passed in Texas. But Texas Dems fought hard, beat back some of the worst provisions & took the fight to the one place it can finally be won: our nation’s capital. This isn’t the time to give up or give in. This is the time to pass federal voting rights,” wrote former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke. “Texas senators voted to pass Jim Crow-style voter suppression legislation, clearing the path for Governor Greg Abbott to sign away voting rights for potentially tens of thousands of Texans — especially Black and Latino voters, low-income voters, and voters with disabilities,” wrote government watchdog Accountable.US in a statement. Voting rights activists and organizations are likely to challenge the new Texas laws. But much of their attention has been focused on pressuring U.S. Senate Democrats and President Biden to end the

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NNPA Newswire

Black unemployment rate improves amid historic Jobs Report

Democrats failure at federal level causes catastrophic losses in Virginia, elsewhere

Defendants in Ahmaud Arbery case say slavery-era law enabled them to shoot

Change is brewing across the nation

These sisters want you to find your “WOMANISH”

U.S. House votes to end sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine

COMMENTARY: Black Lives Matter and The Color of Your Skin

Roland Martin launches new Black TV Network

Congresswoman Cori Bush lauds Black Press ahead of receiving prestigious award

SB1: Texas Republicans pass voter suppression law

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