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Dynamex Law Will Gut Black Newspapers in California
BusinessLocalNewsNews (Business)Op-EdOpinionPolitical

Dynamex Law Will Gut Black Newspapers in California

Regina B. Wilson, Executive Director, California Black MediaSeptember 8, 2019

  This is a direct appeal to Governor Gavin Newsom, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez and our entire state legislature. I’m writing this on behalf of the more than 20 African American-owned newspapers that operate in cities and towns across California. As the leaders we’ve elected to represent and protect the interests of all Californians, we are asking each of you to search your hearts, look beyond blind spots, step in, and do the one thing that will prevent Assembly Bill 5 from putting the Black press in California out of business. That is: Exempt the contract couriers who deliver our newspapers

A national crisis: Surging hate crimes and White Supremacists
Charlene CrowellOpinion

A national crisis: Surging hate crimes and White Supremacists

Charlene CrowellAugust 15, 2019

A Saturday morning shooting rampage in El Paso, Texas on August 3 took the lives of 22 people, and seriously injured more than two dozen others. Reportedly, the alleged shooter wanted to kill as many Mexicans as he could. Armed with safety glasses, ear coverings and an assault-style rifle, the shooter entered a Walmart store during a back-to-school sale.

Letting the ‘Cat’ Out of the Bag on Sacramento PD
Op-EdOpinion

Letting the ‘Cat’ Out of the Bag on Sacramento PD

Special to California Black Media PartnersMay 23, 2019

Shocking. Shameful. Unconscionable. Intolerable. These are just a few of the terms used by those in reaction to word that a 12 year-old child was restrained by Sacramento police officers who then placed a white plastic bag over his head and shoulders. Let’s review recent events in the City of Sacramento, who many are now referring to as “SacraSelma” in reference to the civil rights struggles that emanated from Selma, Alabama during the civil rights battles of the turbulent 1960’s.

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool — A Complicated Man Chased by Demons —A Brilliant Look at His Life
EntertainmentLegendsMusic

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool — A Complicated Man Chased by Demons —A Brilliant Look at His Life

Lapacazo Sandoval, Contributing WriterMay 3, 2019

What Davis had, that others made comments upon, even from his earliest days was his “star” quality. That’s high praise since he was coming up with other jazz musicians who in turn also became legends yet they didn’t possess a mystic around their persona. Not like Davis who simply didn’t give an “F” and because of that his mystique only grew more.  He burned through the ’50s and sauntered through the ’60s using and abusing, drugs and alcohol and building up his mystique which grew darker, and darker.

Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics Book Review
Book ReleasesEntertainment

Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics Book Review

Kam WilliamsMarch 8, 2019

Over the course of the 150+ years since Emancipation, the descendants of slave owners have continuously operated to prevent Blacks from pursuing the American Dream. In the face of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, southern municipalities, cities and states passed Jim Crow laws denying African-Americans the right to vote, travel, buy land, possess a gun, get an education, and so forth. 

Will Reparations Become Democrats’ Campaign Theme?
NationalNewsOp-EdOpinionPolitical

Will Reparations Become Democrats’ Campaign Theme?

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire CorrespondentFebruary 28, 2019

“America has an ugly history of racism,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said after addressing Democrats at an annual state dinner in New Hampshire, according to The Boston Globe. “We need to confront it head-on. And we need to talk about the right way to address it and make change.”

A. Philip Randolph: Cultural Grounding Key to His Success
Larry AubryOpinion

A. Philip Randolph: Cultural Grounding Key to His Success

Larry AubryFebruary 21, 2019

Randolph’s grounding in his own culture enabled him to successfully collaborate with others, including Whites, other labor unions, government officials and politicians. Racial and cultural grounding are prerequisites for effectively working with others and must become part of conversations and strategies to reverse Blacks’ current self-denigrating mindsets and ineffective leadership. That said, the following are highlights in A. Philip Randolph’s quest to improve the quality of life for Blacks and other oppressed people.

Why Should African Americans Vote?: Special to California Black Media Partners
Op-EdOpinion

Why Should African Americans Vote?: Special to California Black Media Partners

Aubry Stone, President/CEO California Black Chamber of Commerce, “California the 5th largest economy in the world”November 1, 2018

African Americans cannot afford not to vote. We must vote for people who have our best interest in mind, heart and soul. We must vote for issues that advance the well-being of our families and communities. We can’t expect to win with every vote, but if we don’t vote, we can certainly expect to lose.

21st Century Challenges Require New Mindsets and New Behavior
Larry AubryOpinion

21st Century Challenges Require New Mindsets and New Behavior

Larry AubryOctober 18, 2018

Demographic changes in California and throughout the nation are profoundly altering the political landscape. Not the least of such changes is the impact of the huge increase in the Latino population. Cleary, Latinos are already asserting their new found political strength. This threatens many African Americans, who rather than work to strengthen relations with Latinos, for mutual benefit, seem determined to cling to their own highly limited  past political and economic gains, real and imagined. 

Jim Crow 2018: Black Voting Rights under Attack in America
Op-EdOpinion

Jim Crow 2018: Black Voting Rights under Attack in America

Jeffrey L. Boney, NNPA Newswire Political AnalystSeptember 13, 2018

“This is a discriminatory state law that is antiquated and almost equates to the laws that discriminated against racial minorities decades ago when they were required to pay a poll tax in order to vote…” — Sheila Jackson Lee

The Passing of Civil Rights Legend John Mack is a Deeply-Felt Loss to the Urban League Movement
Marc MorialOpinion

The Passing of Civil Rights Legend John Mack is a Deeply-Felt Loss to the Urban League Movement

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO National Urban LeagueJuly 19, 2018

While John’s service to the Urban League goes back more than half a century, his association with the leaders of the movement goes back even further. While he was studying for his Master of Social Work degree at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta), he became a protégé of Whitney M. Young, then Dean of the School of Social Work. Just a few short years later, Young would take the helm of the National Urban League and ask John to lead the affiliate in Flint, Michigan.

Face the Truth About Lynchings to Move Our Country Forward
OpinionRev. Jesse Jackson

Face the Truth About Lynchings to Move Our Country Forward

Rev. Jesse JacksonMay 3, 2018

The reckoning that began with the Civil Rights Movement has continued; the memorial is a testament to that. People of good will want the healing to continue. The vibrancy and prosperity of the New South requires that the healing continue. But to heal wounds, you have to take the shrapnel out first. To move to reconciliation, you must start with the truth.