Voting Rights Battle Ahead in Early 2022
January 6, 2022
Advocates to protect the vote have been pushing Biden and Congress to move ahead affirmatively for months.
Breaking News
- LACMA Showcases ‘Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st-Century Art and Poetics’ Exhibit
- Sheenway School and Culture Center — Educating Youth to Lead the Future Over 50 Years
- Record-Breaking Hate Crimes Against Black Angelenos on the Rise
- Los Angeles Rams and LAPD Spread Holiday Cheer with Annual Sleigh Ride
- Heather Hutt Sworn-in as Councilwoman for L.A.’s 10th District
- Visit Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza for Holiday Photos with Santa
- Homeless and Their Advocates Speak Out in New Film, ‘WE, the Vulnerable of LA’
- The Congressman Wore Sneakers: An Evening With Hakeem Jeffries
- Brotherhood Crusade Honors SEIU President April Verrett at 2024 Pioneer of African American Achievement Award Dinner
- Athletes in $2.8 billion college lawsuit tell judge they want to create a players’ association
- Cal, UNLV Inspire La Tijera Students at Day of Play
- Student Athlete of the Week: Koa Seymour
- Where Art Meets Purpose: The Dancing Odyssey of Dwight Rhoden
U.S. House
Afghanistan: After 20 Years, Thousands Dead and Trillions Spent, Rep. Barbara Lee Proven Right
September 16, 2021
In an August 30 statement on the Afghanistan withdrawal, Congresswoman Lee said: “Twenty years ago, it was clear that rushing into war without a clearly defined mission and exit strategy would risk perpetual war. The Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction clearly illustrated in recent reports that ‘U.S. officials rarely had even a mediocre understanding of the Afghan environment, much less how it was responding to U.S. interventions,’ and that this ignorance often came from a ‘willful disregard for information that may have been available.’ In a world where the threat of terrorism cannot be ignored, hopefully we will learn the lessons from the past two decades and not repeat our mistakes.”
March on Washington 2021 Focuses on Voting Rights
September 2, 2021
On the 58th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, marchers focused on voting rights. Voting rights have reemerged as a somewhat unexpected political battlefield as Republicans across the country pass new laws placing barriers in front of the ballot box.
George Floyd Family Meets with President Biden at the White House, Lawmakers on Capitol Hill
June 3, 2021
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.
President Issues Executive Orders on Voting on Anniversary of Bloody Sunday
April 8, 2021
“The right to vote is the foundation of American democracy. Free and fair elections that reflect the will of the American people must be protected and defended,” President Biden remarked during the Martin & Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast. “But many Americans, especially people of color, confront significant obstacles to exercising that fundamental right. These obstacles include difficulties with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to access at polling places.”
General Lloyd Austin Is First Black U.S. Secretary of Defense
January 28, 2021
“I pledge to fight hard to rid our ranks of racists and extremists,” Gen. Austin pronounced during his confirmation hearings. He also pledged to overturn several discriminatory bans on military service put in place by the previous administration. The confirmation vote cleared by a 93-2 margin – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) were the lone no-votes.
Biden-Harris Administration Commits to Ensure Government Spending with Black and Minority-Owned Media Businesses
December 3, 2020
President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration plans to support legislation offered by District of Columbia Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton that would ensure federal agencies advertise with minority-owned businesses, including the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
Congressional Black Caucus Focuses on Economic Recovery of African Americans in COVID-19 Crisis
April 2, 2020
The first draft of the COVID-19 Senate stimulus bill focused money to bailout large corporations and the top one percent. But after days of negotiation that included President Trump big footing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the legislation was changed to focus more on the needs of main street Americans.
Mike Drop: After Joe Biden’s Big Super Tuesday Wins, What’s Next for Bloomberg?
March 12, 2020
Excerpt: Democrats turned out in record numbers for Super Tuesday as many are citing their desire to remove President Trump from office as a motivating factor. In the Super Tuesday state of Virginia, primary turnout was the highest ever and surpassed the 2008 primary 12 years ago when former President Barack Obama challenged former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Over 23 percent of registered voters cast ballots on March 3rd.
Former NAACP Chief and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Kweisi Mfume Wins Primary for Cummings Seat
February 14, 2020
Former NAACP President and five-term Congressman Kweisi Mfume won big in a Democratic primary contest to replace the late Congressman Elijah Cummings who passed away on October 17, 2019 at the age of 68.
All 12 Federal Appropriations Committees Adopt Norton’s Minority Ad Spending Measure
August 2, 2019
Beginning later this year when federal agencies submit proposed budgets to one or more of the 12 Appropriations Committees, those requests now must include a line item detailing what they are spending with minority-owned businesses, which include black-, women- and other minority-owned media outlets.
U.S. House Votes to Condemn President Trump’s Use of Social Media to Spread Racist Messages
July 19, 2019
“Some of us have been victims of the stain, the pain, the hurt of racism. In the 50s and during the 60s, segregationists told us to go back when we protested for our rights. They told ministers, priests, rabbis, and nuns to go back. The told innocent, little children seeking just equal education to go back,” said civil rights legend and Georgia Congressman John Lewis on the House floor during debate.
First Member of Congress Calls for Trump’s Resignation Amid Month of Chaos
January 3, 2019
During an interview on the Scott Dworkin report, Rep. Gwen Moore said that President Trump “resigning is a dignified way for him to leave as opposed to being impeached or as opposed to being indicted or having the 25th amendment evoked. It’s really a very palliative approach to ask him to just go quietly and spare us all this pain.”
Rep. Waters Statement on Republican Voter Fraud in North Carolina
December 7, 2018
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) issued a statement on voter fraud allegations in the 2018 midterm election for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. The results of the race – which were initially projected in favor of Republican Mark Harris who had a 905-vote lead over Democrat Dan McCready — are under investigation after evidence of illegal activity by operatives associated with Mark Harris’ campaign was uncovered.
Hill lawmakers seek end to triple-digit interest on payday and car-title loans
October 5, 2017
Signers of the correspondence include civil rights organizations, labor, consumer advocates, and research institutes.