Missouri

Sheard Elected COGIC Presiding Bishop, Blake Requests Emeritus Status

The Right Reverend J. Drew Sheard has been elected presiding bishop and chief apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., the nation’s largest Pentecostal denomination of more than six million members.

The announcement was made on March 20, following the Quadrennial Election, which was held virtually.
Sheard replaces the Right Reverend Charles E. Blake, Sr., pastor of West Angeles COGIC in Los Angeles, who served 13 years as the chief apostle and presiding bishop.

Where We Go from Here

So, for me, 2021 is about hope and about working for a better life for all and a better nation together as we rise from the terrible test that 2020 has been. It is about recommitting to one another and to good works to help our brothers and sisters in need. And even before we voted for inclusion, we were already making good trouble. White, Black and Brown nationwide took to the streets this past spring and summer to ask our nation — to demand of our nation — that we address the systematic racism that has plagued this country since its founding. That has torn the very fabric of our country and created so much pain and loss. With one voice, all were saying: ‘Please, at long last, fix this.’” — Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer, UAW

Trump Administration Ramps Up Efforts to Dismantle Post Office

“They have withheld that money. They have broken the law,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass told BlackPressUSA during a livestream interview last month. Other Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), also told BlackPressUSA that the president is trying to dismantle the postal service.

Director Shaun Mathis talks about new documentary ‘Miles in the Life: The Story of a BMF Drug Trafficker’

Don’t get me wrong. There are worse places to grow up than the crack-era Brooklyn during the 1980’s epidemic. For example, there are hard-and-fast war zones where bombs explode regularly, and being rounded up and executed in plain sight are a daily occurrence. So — Brooklyn in the ’80s is not as graphic but the impact is just as devasting because it is a war and there are direct casualties and significant collateral damage. 

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Honored with Award at LMU’s annual King Celebration

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43rd District) delivered the keynote speech and was named the second recipient of the University’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Social Justice before a capacity crowd during a ceremony held in the campus’ Saint Robert’s Auditorium this past Thursday, January 23.

Importance of Educators of Color for Black and Brown Students

This month, my organization, the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools released its highly-anticipated report, “Identity and Charter School Leadership: Profiles of Leaders of Color Building an Effective Staff” which examined the ways that school leaders of color’s experiences and perspectives influence how they build school culture, parent and community relationships, and effective staff.

The Human and Economic Toll of Gun Violence is Staggering

The September 18 state-by-state examination of the economic costs of gun violence, reveals numbers that the committee called “staggering.” For instance, in 2017, for the first time, the rate of firearm deaths exceeded the death rate by motor vehicle accidents. Nearly 40,000 people were killed in the United States by a gun in 2017, including approximately 2,500 school-age children – or more than 100 people per day and more than five children murdered each day. Sixty percent of gun deaths each year are firearm suicides, researchers said.

102 House Members Rebuke Delay of Payday Loan Rule Waters Led Effort Supported by Many CBC Members

Anyone who struggles with the rising costs of living knows all too well how hard it is to try stretching dollars when there’s more month than money in the household. Predatory lending, like payday and car-title loans, worsen financial stress with triple-digit interest rates that deepen the debt owed with each renewal.