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 […]
Black unemployment rate improves amid historic Jobs Report Read More »
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
Democrats failure at federal level causes catastrophic losses in Virginia, elsewhere Read More »
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
Defendants in Ahmaud Arbery case say slavery-era law enabled them to shoot Read More »
By: Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Colin Powell has died from complications from Covid-19, his family members have confirmed. The first Black US secretary of state was 84. “General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19,” the former General’s family wrote on Facebook. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” the family wrote. They reported that Powell had been fully vaccinated. Powell became the first Black national security adviser during the end of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. He also counted as the youngest and first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush. Powell was thrust into the global spotlight after leading the United States to victory during the Gulf War, with many even considering him as a presidential candidate.
IN MEMORIAM: Colin Powell dies at 84 Read More »
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
Congresswoman Cori Bush lauds Black Press ahead of receiving prestigious award Read More »
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia In 1963, more than 250,000 people marched on Washington, D.C., for jobs and freedom with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nearly 60 years later, Martin Luther King III helped lead a massive march on the nation’s capital. This time the objective focused on voting rights. “John Lewis told us that the most powerful nonviolent tool we have is voting rights,” King told the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) during an exclusive interview broadcast over the social media channels of the Black Press of America. The NNPA is the trade association that represents the Black Press of America. “We are in a battle to protect our most sacred right,” King continued. The oldest son of the late civil rights leader called the more than 400 voter suppression bills in GOP-led states a reaction to the massive voter turnout in Georgia and other places that helped Democrats gain control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. King and his wife, Arndrea, said part of their mission is to register new voters and fight suppression laws. “The 400 pieces of legislation introduced since January are a reaction to the massive voter turnout, we saw last year and is a preparation for 2022,” said Arndrea King, a national merit scholar who studied psychology at Emory University. “If people come out and make themselves heard and press for federal protection, for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we can stop this,” Arndrea King insisted. In addition to the August 28 march, the King family set a goal of registering 2 million new voters ahead of 2022. The couple insisted that the Black Press of America remains the most prominent and trusted vehicle. The King family and other civil rights activists have gotten out vital messaging using the Black Press. “All of us greatly appreciate the Black Press because none of what we are doing, none of what my father did, and so many others would be known without the Black Press,” Martin Luther King III asserted. “The Black Press is so important. We
Martin Luther King III and wife talk voting rights, abolishing filibuster Read More »
“Protect your children and your grandchildren, protect those who you come in contact with,” Congressman Clyburn stated during the annual National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund’s (NNPAF) Black Press Week. “Take the shot. It’s safe to do,” the congressman declared during an interview with Real Times Media President and CEO Hiram Jackson.
Congress Members Urge Vaccination During Black Press Week Read More »
Now Jarren Small and Douglas Johnson are partnering with the iconic Beats By Dre, allowing the men an opportunity to provide quality resources for a new RWAR Digital program set to rollout this Fall. “We are looking at doing a free beta phase of the program this summer in up to seven cities,” Small, who has formed relationships with mayors, members of Congress, school districts, and others, stated.
Houston-based Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Partners with Beats By Dre to Help Kids Read More »
“It is important to recognize the International Decade for People of African Descent as an international corrective to combat the systematic indoctrination of the lie of African inferiority,” said Dr. Kevin Cokley, the director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis. “Passing H.R. 40 would count as the most significant legislative achievement to impact the victims of the transatlantic slave trade.”
The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A Day of Remembrance Read More »
October 16, 2023, HOUSTON, TX – Congressional Candidate Amanda Edwards has raised over $1 million in less than 4 months, a substantial sum that helps bolster the frontrunner status of the former At-Large Houston City Council Member in her bid for U.S. Congress. Edwards raised over $433,000 in Q3 of 2023. This strong Q3 report expands on a successful Q2 where Edwards announced just 11 days after declaring her candidacy that she had raised over $600,000. With over $829,000 in cash-on-hand at the end of the September 30th financial reporting period, Edwards proves again that she is the clear frontrunner in the race. “I am beyond grateful for the strong outpouring of support that will help me to win this race and serve the incredible people of the 18th Congressional District,” said Edwards. “We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s trajectory, and we need to send servant leaders to Congress who can deliver the results the community deserves. The strong support from our supporters will help us to cultivate an 18th Congressional District where everyone in it can thrive.” Edwards said. “Amanda understands the challenges that the hard-working folks of the 18th Congressional District face because she has never lost sight of who she is or where she comes from; she was born and raised right here in the 18th Congressional District of Houston,” said Kathryn McNiel, spokesperson for Edwards’ campaign. Edwards has been endorsed by Higher Heights PAC, Collective PAC, Krimson PAC, and the Brady PAC. She has also been supported by Beto O’Rourke, among many others. About Amanda: Amanda is a native Houstonian, attorney and former At-Large Houston City Council Member. Amanda is a graduate of Eisenhower High School in Aldine ISD. Edwards earned a B.A. from Emory University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Edwards practiced law at Vinson & Elkins LLP and Bracewell LLP before entering public service. Edwards is a life-long member of St. Monica Catholic Church in Acres Homes. For more information, please visit www.edwardsforhouston.com
As September 13th rolls around, we extend our warmest birthday wishes to the creative powerhouse, Tyler Perry, a man whose indomitable spirit and groundbreaking work have left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment. With his multifaceted talents as an actor, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director, Tyler Perry has not only entertained but also inspired audiences worldwide, particularly within the African-American community, where his influence and role have been nothing short of powerful. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1969, Tyler Perry’s journey to stardom was a path riddled with adversity. Raised in a turbulent household, he found refuge in writing, using it as a therapeutic outlet. This period of introspection gave rise to one of his most iconic creations, Madea, a vivacious, no-nonsense grandmother who would later become a beloved figure in Perry’s works, offering a unique blend of humor and profound life lessons. Despite facing numerous challenges, including rejection and financial struggles, Perry’s determination and unwavering belief in his abilities propelled him forward. In 1992, he staged his first play, “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” which, although met with limited success, was a pivotal moment in his career. Unfazed by initial setbacks, Perry continued to hone his craft, and by 1998, he had successfully produced a string of stage plays that showcased his storytelling prowess.
Calling all teenage student-athletes! If you have dreams of playing college soccer and wish to represent an HBCU, the HBCU ID Camp is your golden opportunity. From 8 am to 5 pm on November 11-12, Houston Sports Park will transform into a hub for aspiring male and female soccer players. Coaches from HBCUs across the nation will be present to evaluate, scout, and offer valuable feedback. Moreover, they might even spot the next soccer prodigy to join their collegiate soccer programs. This camp is not just about honing your soccer skills but also a chance to connect with the HBCU soccer community. You’ll learn the ins and outs of what it takes to excel on the field and in the classroom, which is crucial for a college athlete. The HBCU ID Camp is an excellent platform to network with coaches, learn from experienced athletes, and take the first steps toward your college soccer journey. To secure your spot at this incredible event, don’t forget to register [here](insert registration link). Space is limited to 120 participants, so make sure to reserve your place before it’s too late. It’s time to turn your dreams of playing college soccer into a reality.
