NNPA Newswire

Student Loan Debt Widens Racial Wealth Gap

With the freeze placed on student loan repayments set to end December 31, Biden has gotten behind the Democrat-led House’s HEROES Act, which calls on the federal government to pay off up to $10,000 in private, nonfederal student loans for economically distressed borrowers. “People having to make choices between paying their student loan and paying the rent … debt relief should be done immediately,” Biden stated during a news conference on Monday, November 16.

California Judge Tosses Sexual Assault Suit against Russell Simmons

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Epstein granted Simmons a motion to dismiss that lawsuit after the anonymous alleged victim failed to respond to a court order regarding the statute of limitations. The judge said he found that the woman’s claims were legally time-barred since she alleged the incident happened in 1988 and only filed her suit in March 2018.

Killing of Black Teenager, Quawan “Bobby” Charles, was ‘Emmett Till-like Lynching’

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‘How Did 12 Percent of Black Men vote for Trump?’

In Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, 95 percent of Black male voters and 96 percent of Black women chose him, NBC News reported. Four years later, Black women’s support remained at 96 percent for Obama’s 2012 re-election, while Black men slid to 87 percent. In 2016, when the nominee was Hillary Clinton, Black men dropped further to 82 percent while Black women’s support for Clinton remained high at 94 percent. Biden came close to matching that this year, garnering the support of 91 percent of Black women. But 12 percent of Black men voted for Trump, according to exit polls.

Minority Employees v. Amazon: Rev. Jackson, CK Hoffler, Announce Support of Class Action Lawsuit

Former Amazon employee Chris Smalls and his attorneys, National Bar Association President C.K. Hoffler and famed Civil Rights Lawyer Michael Sussman, detailed the lawsuit which seeks unspecified punitive damages against the tech giant, during a call with members of the press and media, including the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos.

Natacha Buchanan Applauds ONG Industry’s Outreach to Minorities

An analysis from the American Petroleum Institute (API) revealed a mostly positive outlook for African Americans and Hispanics in the oil and natural gas industry. The 2019 study noted that, with the right policies, African Americans and Hispanics could hold 166,000 of the new oil and natural gas jobs created by this year. That represents 31 percent of the projected 525,000 new job opportunities.

Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Rule That Would Prevent 700K From Receiving Food Stamps During Pandemic

If the 2020 election’s importance wasn’t apparent to those casting ballots, a federal judge’s decision on Sunday might have underscored the urgency.
In a decision that had far-reaching consequences during a deadly pandemic that’s cost more than 219,000 Americans their lives, the court ruled on Oct. 19 against President Donald Trump’s order to strip food stamps from nearly 700,000 people.

Voter Suppression Tactics and Long Lines Fail to Quell Resolve of Black Voters

“Indiana has some incredibly restrictive voter laws, and currently we only have one early voting site in all of Indianapolis,” stated Robert Shegog, CEO at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper and Indiana Minority Business Magazine. “A few more will open Oct. 24, but significantly more are needed given the size of the city. However, it is very refreshing to see so many people voting early. This has been a trend in Indianapolis for over ten years now, and the numbers keep increasing,” Shegog noted.

ELECTION 2020: For Millions of Americans, the Future of Health Care is What’s on the Ballot

“Right now, under the Affordable Care Act, it is your right to have access to lactation support and counseling without cost-sharing for as long as you are breastfeeding. If the ACA gets struck down, then insurers will not be required to cover it, which could have devastating impacts on new parents,” noted Andrea Ippolito, a health tech expert and founder of SimpliFed, a company that assists mothers who breastfeed.