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Biden-Harris Administration Steps up Efforts to Narrow Racial Wealth Gap
EconomyFinanceNews

Biden-Harris Administration Steps up Efforts to Narrow Racial Wealth Gap

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentJune 3, 2021

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.”

Gov. Newsom Okays Inquiry Into Death Row Inmate’s Clemency Request
LocalNewsPolitical

Gov. Newsom Okays Inquiry Into Death Row Inmate’s Clemency Request

Antonio Ray Harvey and Bo Tefu California Black MediaJune 3, 2021

 Cooper has served over 35 years on death row at San Quentin State Prison for the crimes.  “Mr. Cooper maintains that he is innocent of the crimes of which he was convicted and contends that the evidence introduced at trial against him was manufactured, mishandled, planted, tampered with, or otherwise tainted by law enforcement,” said Newsom in executive order N-06-21, which he signed on May 28.

Black Press Week Shows Power of African American Newspapers
BusinessNationalNews

Black Press Week Shows Power of African American Newspapers

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentApril 8, 2021

With the theme, “Black Business Challenges Responsibilities and Opportunities Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic,” Black Press publishers, readers, viewers, sponsors, partners, and anyone else tuning in were enlightened about overcoming adversities on many levels. “We will have informative workshops,” promised Pluria Marshall Jr., the NNPAF Chair and CEO of Marshall Broadcasting Group. Marshall and his colleagues delivered.

Rep. Barbara Lee Reminds Biden That Clinton, Obama, Harris and Buttigieg Tried Weed, Too
NewsPolitical

Rep. Barbara Lee Reminds Biden That Clinton, Obama, Harris and Buttigieg Tried Weed, Too

Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black MediaApril 1, 2021

Several White House staffers were reportedly suspended, put on probation, or asked to resign after honestly disclosing past cannabis use. Responding to the White House in a letter, a faction of lawmakers, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), asked the administration to “rectify instances” or “clarify its employment suitability policies” regarding marijuana.

Congress Members Urge Vaccination During Black Press Week 
HealthNationalNews

Congress Members Urge Vaccination During Black Press Week 

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent March 26, 2021

“Protect your children and your grandchildren, protect those who you come in contact with,” Congressman Clyburn stated during the annual National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund’s (NNPAF) Black Press Week. “Take the shot. It’s safe to do,” the congressman declared during an interview with Real Times Media President and CEO Hiram Jackson. 

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Milestone Voting and Ethics Legislation
NationalNews

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Milestone Voting and Ethics Legislation

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentMarch 15, 2021

House Resolution 1 – the “For the People Act of 2021” – counts as a strong rebuke and counterbalance to voting restrictions considered or enacted in various Republican-led states across the country. It restricts partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts and nullifies obstacles for voters.

House of Representatives Passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
NationalNewsPolitical

House of Representatives Passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Stacy M Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentMarch 11, 2021

“For too long, we have endured the pain of watching or seeing the deaths of people of color, particularly Black men and women, at the hands of rogue police officers who operate with impunity and take it upon themselves to be the arbiters of life and death,” Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared. “The trauma that our communities feel is only made worse by the ways in which we are forced to reckon with the reality that Black people are over 3.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white people, and Black teenagers are 21 times more likely to be killed by police than white teenagers.”

Senate Passes $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan
NationalNewsPolitical

Senate Passes $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan

Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentMarch 11, 2021

“Today, the Senate passed the American Rescue Plan bringing us one step closer to delivering much-needed relief,” President Biden said from the White House shortly after the measured passed along party lines. “When I took office, I promised help was on the way. Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senate Democrats, we’ve taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise. I hope the American Rescue Plan receives quick passage in the House so it can be sent to my desk to be signed,” the president continued.

What A Difference A Day Makes
Julianne Malveaux

What A Difference A Day Makes

Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Newswire ContributorFebruary 18, 2021

The symbolism was stunning, but it was far more critical that President Biden hit the ground running, and he did. He signed 17 executive orders, reversing some of the most onerous declarations of his predecessor. He dissolved the 1776 Commission, an odious truth-erasing propaganda body charged with developing “patriotic education.” Replete with lies, peppered with quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, neither of whom would have cosigned the report, the previous administration had the utter audacity to release this madness on Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday holiday. One of the final slaps in the face from the deranged “leader.”

Diane Edith Watson: The Iconic Living Legend of Los Angeles Politics
LocalNewsPolitical

Diane Edith Watson: The Iconic Living Legend of Los Angeles Politics

Danny J. Bakewell, Jr. , Executive EditorFebruary 11, 2021

Diane Edith Watson has lived a full life and shows no signs of slowing down.  On the morning of our interview, the 87-years-young legendary political icon had already been on the phone with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was coordinating her pink and green wardrobe for the inauguration of her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister, Kamala Harris, and had already spoken with a cadre of Washington D.C. leaders, all in the hopes that the retired congresswoman was feeling up to making the journey to the January Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Disenfranchised and Marginalized Communities See Hope with Biden, Harris
NationalNewsPolitical

Disenfranchised and Marginalized Communities See Hope with Biden, Harris

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentFebruary 11, 2021

On his first day, just hours after taking the oath of office, President Biden signed a host of executive orders – one of them aimed at ensuring racial equity. “It is, therefore, the policy of my administration that the federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality” President Biden proclaimed.

ACLU, for first time, elects Black person as its president
NationalNews

ACLU, for first time, elects Black person as its president

David Crary, AP National WriterFebruary 4, 2021

Deborah Archer, a professor at New York University School of Law with expertise in civil rights and racial justice, has become the first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president.

Black History Month: Beaman Delivers Inaugural Benediction
Religion

Black History Month: Beaman Delivers Inaugural Benediction

Cora Jackson-Fossett, Religion EditorFebruary 3, 2021

The historic 46th inauguration ceremony of President Joe Biden, Jr., above left, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, above right, the first Black and first South Asian woman, was made even more special with the benediction delivered by the Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman, above center, a longtime friend of the Biden family. Beaman, who serves as pastor of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Delaware, reflected on his participation by saying, “In that moment, I began to feel the significance of standing before a building erected by slaves and on Wednesday, January 6th, desecrated by a radicalized mob. “However, the legacy