federal law

General Lloyd Austin Is First Black U.S. Secretary of Defense

Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentJanuary 28, 2021

“I pledge to fight hard to rid our ranks of racists and extremists,” Gen. Austin pronounced during his confirmation hearings. He also pledged to overturn several discriminatory bans on military service put in place by the previous administration. The confirmation vote cleared by a 93-2 margin – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) were the lone no-votes.

Local National News Political

Congress Passes Historic Anti-Lynching Legislation

Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior CorrespondentMarch 5, 2020

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) called lynchings racially-motivated acts of violence and terror that represent a dark and despicable chapter of our nation’s history. 
“They were acts against people who should have received justice but did not. With this bill, we can change that by explicitly criminalizing lynching under federal law,” noted Harris, who suspended her presidential campaign late last year. 