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Black Star Network: Roland Martin Announces New Black TV Network

Martin announced his new network on the third anniversary of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the first daily digital show specifically targeting African American audiences five days a week. The show has enjoyed expansive audience growth averaging 20 to 30 million views a month.

IN MEMORIAM: Iconic Actor Clarence Williams III Dead at 81

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.”

Chicago Mayor Says She Will Give One-On-One Interviews Only to Journalists of Color

Mayor Lightfoot has made gun violence a priority, and she noted the importance of speaking to journalists of color. Her decision has sparked outrage in White media circles, but others applauded Mayor Lightfoot. “With this outrage, y’all are implying that Black and Brown journalists aren’t capable of asking the hard questions,” the Chicago-based Black-owned media platform, The TRiiBE, tweeted.

CDC Greenlights Evictions Despite Continued Pandemic

Landlords can resume eviction proceedings after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued clarifications to a previous executive order from President Donald Trump.

A study conducted by Harvard University’s Department of Housing Studies revealed that half of Americans who rent are either severely rent-burdened or moderately rent-burdened. For African Americans and Hispanics, researchers at Harvard determined a triple pandemic for those communities. Black and Hispanic households were “much more likely to contract COVID-19, suffer lost income, and face housing insecurity as a result of the pandemic,” the researchers concluded.

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.

IN MEMORIAM: Earl Graves Sr., Black Enterprise Founder Dies

“At 9:22 p.m. this evening, April 6, my father and hero, Earl Graves, Sr., the founder of Black Enterprise, passed away quietly after a long battle with Alzheimer’s,” Earl Graves Jr. wrote on Twitter. “I loved and admired this giant of a man and am blessed to be his namesake. Love you, dad.”

Russell Simmons Brings Back Def Comedy Jam to Raise Money for Coronavirus Ravaged Areas

Simmons is leading a group of producers who, on Sunday, April 5, will premiere “Def Comedy Jam Presents: Healing Through Laughter,” a marathon fundraiser hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. The program will air online beginning at 10 p.m. EST, and Simmons’ Instagram page will be updated to provide more information. Simmons has established a GoFundMe page with the hopes of raising as much as $100,000 to help with supplies to assist those in need.

Snoop Dogg V. Gayle King and Ambassador Susan Rice

Last week, just days after the tragic death of basketball superstar and entrepreneur Kobe Bryant, CBS This Morning co-host, and Friend of Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King sparked a controversy following her interview with former WNBA star and longtime friend of Bryant, Lisa Leslie.

A Tribute to a Living Legend: Civil Rights Icon John Lewis

In 1965, Lewis and fellow activist Hosea Williams led what was planned as a peaceful 54-mile march through Alabama from Selma to Montgomery. The march, a protest of the discriminatory practices and Jim Crow laws that prevented African Americans from voting, would be remembered in history as “Bloody Sunday,” one of the most dramatic and violent incidents of the American Civil Rights Movement.

FTC announces record $191M settlement against University of Phoenix

The University of Phoenix (UOP), one of the nation’s largest for-profit colleges will pay a record $191 million settlement to resolve charges stemming from a five-year investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On December 10, Andrew Smith, Director of FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection noted it was the largest settlement the Commission has obtained in a case against a for-profit school.

Rep. Bass Impeachment Opening Addresses: ‘The World Is Waiting’

Congressmember Karen Bass (D-Calif.) delivered the below remarks at the opening of the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. A final vote to send articles of impeachment to the House floor for a final vote is expected to be held by the committee tomorrow.