I dedicated 34 years of my life to public safety, enforcing the laws that our legislators placed before me. That’s what cops do, and we trust that those laws are well thought out, studied and based upon sound data and evidence. Later in my career, I realized that this is not always the case, as some of our laws have little to do with sound evidence and are emotionally driven by feel-good politics. That’s why I hung up my badge to advocate for sound public policy as the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership. ... read more »

In response to Federal investigations of the poor conditions within LA County Jails, and the increase of imprisoned people with mental illnesses which has now reached 70 percent of the jail population, Supervisors of LA County planned to vote February 12th on a new “Mental Health Jail,” formally known as the “Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility,” instead of diverting people who shouldn’t be in jail in the first place. ... read more »

In 1951, Langston Hughes laid bare the anxious aspirations of millions of Black people in America with his poem, “A Dream Deferred.” In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded America of the promissory note written to its citizens guaranteeing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, in his “I Have a Dream” speech. ... read more »

Consider conscience? Killing the innocents--the great unborn, many greats murdered through abortion. ... read more »

It’s crucial that we have policies in place, like the sign ordinance, that give businesses the tools they need to help them grow and thrive. ... read more »

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“…across the country, advertising – particularly on urban radio – tempts listeners with easy ways to get a loan against anticipated tax refunds. But just like other predatory lending products, what is advertised is not quite what consumers receive. ... read more »

As the Publisher / Editor of Black Business News Group and the President and CEO of the Black Business Association (BBA), I take the position that “The Wall” the Trump Administration is proposing to build is not the answer to our nation’s immigration problems. Simply put, “THE PROPOSED WALL IS AN ANTIQUATED SYMBOL OF PURE RACISM.” ... read more »

“The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values,” said Harris, the first African-American woman, and the third woman overall, to announce her candidacy for the 2020 election. ... read more »

As we celebrate each year our strivings and struggles through history, the Black Freedom Movement is always a central focus. But we may not call it by its rightful name, because it has been renamed by the established order as the Civil Rights Movement and this has implications for us in terms of self-determination and how we define our goals, what we count as victory, and the lessons and spirit of life and struggle we learn and absorb from this world historical struggle. Our urgent and constant call was “Freedom Now!” and even now, it is no less necessary. ... read more »

Well, what church do they go to? I sure don’t know what they’re teaching!? Isn’t that embarrassing when people say something like that? Some where people have expectations of people who say they’re Christian. If they’re drinking and brawling, carousing …either the onlookers might say, “He/she couldn’t be Christian and acting like that!! Could they? ... read more »

It is not just about the beauty of nature—although I appreciate that, too. ... read more »

Cuba is an example of a socialist nation. Its economy is state run and it lacks a stock exchange.” Bernie Sanders, former Presidential Candidate and  Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez call themselves Democratic socialist. ... Merriam Webster's-dictionary defines socialism as a form of society in which government owns or controls major industries. Marxist theory says socialism is transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism. Hot topics” today.  Intelligent people want more insight into definitions. ... read more »

Black women in politics opened many new doors, ran in many areas across the country, who won and helped others win. We’ve come a long way since Rep. Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress. ... read more »

Singer-songwriter, Janet Jackson asked: “What have you done for me lately?” This is a question the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is asked a lot. ... read more »