The President extolled the virtues of Black-owned newspapers and media companies ... read more »

The National Newspaper Publishers Association unanimously re-elected all-Black women executive board ... read more »

The state Supreme Court ruled that Cosby’s deal with former prosecutor Bruce Castor should have been honored. In a phone call with Cosby attorney Jennifer Bonjean, she states, “I am thrilled! I haven’t made my way through the entire opinion yet, but it seems that the court agrees with what we knew all along, that Mr. Cosby never should have been prosecuted in the first place. If a prosecutor’s word is not his bond, then we as a society — and the entire criminal justice system — is in trouble.” ... read more »

The court ruled 7-2, with Justice Stephen Breyer writing for the majority, striking down a lower court ruling, saying the plaintiffs — Texas and 17 other GOP-led states — did not have the standing to sue. “We conclude that the plaintiffs in this suit failed to show a concrete, particularized injury fairly traceable to the defendants’ conduct in enforcing the specific statutory provision they attack as unconstitutional,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote.  ... read more »

Although many officials have called for a ‘return to normal’, millions of small businesses and communities need something new instead. In Black America especially, the ‘old normal’ never delivered equitable access to wealth-building opportunities as those that well-served served much of White America. Instead, a lengthy history of public policies designed to create and sustain a burgeoning middle class systemically excluded Blacks and other people of color. ... read more »

“For courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists’ quest for truth and justice,” the Pulitzer Board wrote. ... read more »

Andre Perry, a Brookings Institution fellow, told the Times that some of the surge in Black business registrations could be a signal of personal economic trouble. “This is more about survival than it is about wealth creation. There’s lots of people who have lost their jobs and lost their businesses. People are starting to realize that side hustles are businesses,” Perry said. ... read more »

His role as “Linc” on “The Mod Squad” in the 1970s, catapulted Williams into the mainstream. But some of his best work came on the big screen, particularly as Prince’s father in the 1984 hit, “Purple Rain,” and nine years later in the Wesley Snipes drama, “Sugar Hill.” ... read more »

On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, William 'Buddy' Carter, a White House Butler who has worked during the administrations of ten Presidents, retired. Buddy Carter worked at The White House and at nearby Blair House for over 47 years. ... read more »

I see the $6 trillion price tag on the Biden legislation as more of an investment than simple spending. A better-educated workforce earns more money, pays more taxes. A healthier workforce means less absenteeism, more efficiency, and productivity. Quality childcare means more women in the workforce —millions of women left in the wake of COVID. The investment makes sense to build our labor force back better. ... read more »

“The news that the Pennsylvania State Parole Board has denied [Cosby’s] parole is not a surprise to Mr. Cosby, his family, his friends, and his legal team,” Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt said in a statement. “It was brought to our attention by Mr. Cosby that over the past months, members of the PA State Parole Board had met with him and empathically stated, ‘if he did not participate in SVP [Sexual Violate Predator] courses that his parole would be denied,’” Wyatt continued.  ... read more »

The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing additional steps to end discrimination and bias in the housing market. “More than 50 years since the Fair Housing Act’s passage, access to wealth through homeownership remains persistently unequal,” administration officials stated. “In his first week in office, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address discrimination in our housing market.” ... read more »

Following a three-year campaign, Doran Brown, a contracted wheelchair agent at BWI Marshall Airport in Baltimore, and over 2,000 union and non-union contracted workers at BWI Marshall Airport and Baltimore Penn Station who earn as little as $8.50 per hour plus tips will see their hourly compensation rise to $17 five years. The higher salary is a result of the Secure Maryland Wage Act, a new law sponsored by Maryland Senator Antonio Hayes and Delegate Kriselda Valderrama. ... read more »

TThe United States Senate has confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The 55 to 44 vote makes Brooks-LaSure the first Black woman to lead CMS in its nearly six-decade history. ... read more »

The U.S. House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in March, but the bill has stalled in the even-divided Senate. The measure would prohibit federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling. ... read more »