Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media A California Assembly committee has advanced a bill that would ban law enforcement officers from being near polling places, with violations carrying penalties of up to $1,000 in fines and a maximum five-year prison sentence. The proposal would make it a felony for anyone in…
Craig J. DeLuz | California Black Media Homeownership has long been one of the most dependable ways for everyday families to build wealth—not through speculation, but through the steady accumulation of equity in a place they call home. For Black Californians, this path has always been narrower because of historical barriers to wealth building….
Addressing Intimate Partner Violence and Firearm-Related Harm as a Public Health Crisis A statement from the NMA following the Shreveport, Louisiana incident and recent nationwide tragedies Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr., President of the NMA The tragic killing of eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, by their father is a devastating reminder of the deadly intersection…
Bo Tefu | California Black Media California drivers are once again paying the highest prices at the pump in the nation, setting off a renewed clash between Democrats and Republicans over who is responsible — and what should be done. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California hovered around $5.90…
By Frances “Toni” Draper This is not a moment to be silent. At a time when Black life, Black leadership and Black progress are too often presented through a distorted lens, it is important to say plainly what many in our community already understand: how a story is told matters just as much as the…
By Ashlee Banks Special to the AFRO In a move that systematically dismantles decades of civil rights-era procurement philosophy, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on March 26, effectively purging “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) requirements from the federal contracting landscape. While the administration frames the move as a return to “merit-based” efficiency, the…
Diana Lambert, Lasherica Thornton, John Fensterwald, And Daniel J. Willis Enrollment in California K-12 schools, and in schools across the country, is declining rapidly as birth rates drop and immigration rates fall. This school year, California had the largest decline in enrollment rates since 2021-22, after schools returned from the pandemic. Enrollment in public schools…
By Katie Dukes, director of early childhood policy, EdNC When babies are born, their brains contain billions of neurons. But how those neurons interact — and what they can do as babies grow through childhood into adulthood — is largely shaped by their experiences in the first 1,000 days of life. The architecture of the…
$73B cut to domestic programs including housing, education, and consumer protection By Charlene Crowell April 16, 2026 At a time when American families across the country are struggling to cope with rising costs of living, the White House’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal makes clear that federal help for working people is not in the…
New York Carib News New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced plans to establish the city’s first municipally owned grocery store in East Harlem, a flagship initiative aimed at addressing rising food costs and improving access to affordable essentials. The store will be located at La Marqueta, a historic marketplace beneath the elevated Park…
SB 873 would put local law enforcement into no-win scenario, Shannon Dicus writes “SB 873 places county sheriffs in an impossible position, creates direct conflict with federal law, exposes counties to significant liability, and undermines public safety,” Dicus wrote in a March 26 letter to Reyes in which he expressed “strong opposition” to the bill….
By MSR News Online Minnesota and the world lost a powerful voice and a true warrior on April 7, 2026. Yusef Mgeni is gone, but his legacy will echo for generations. Yusef was a brilliant historian, a community organizer, a former St. Paul educator, and a fierce advocate for Black people. He carried with him…
by Rev. Dorothy Boulware By most accounts, the marriage between Tammy McCollum, pastor at The Well Worship Center in Statesville, N.C., and Eddie McCollum appeared to be loving and stable. Their grown daughter never saw any signs of trouble between her parents, and Tammy McCollum herself exalted her husband, Eddie McCollum, on their 30th wedding…
Poor water management in residential properties can result in structural damage, health risks, and long-term financial strain. Water is the most important resource for any country, and having access to clean drinking water should be a right that needs to be preserved. Unfortunately, we are noticing a trend in the US right now where poor…
By Birmingham Times Washington D.C. — During a Thursday House Ways and Means Committee hearing, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his previous comments suggesting that Black children with ADHD should be “re-parented.” Sewell pressed the Secretary to clarify and account for those remarks, which…
By The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law RICHMOND – A federal court ordered Patriot Front, its leader–Thomas Rousseau–and Patriot Front members William Ring and Jacob Brown to pay more than $470,000 in a high-profile case filed after members of Patriot Front vandalized and destroyed a mural honoring Black tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur…
By Roxsy Lin As immigrant detentions and deportations continue across the United States, fraudsters are seizing the moment. Scams targeting vulnerable families desperate to reunite with detained loved ones or to resolve outstanding immigration issues have proliferated. That was the consensus among experts from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during a recent American Community Media…
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media On April 14, 2026, Assembly Bill (AB) 2599, known as the Truth in Disclosure Act, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee on a 9-3 vote. Supported by the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), the bill would…
A Nation at a Crossroads: The Case of David Dew and the Meaning of Justice By Karen Marine There are moments in history when silence becomes a form of injustice. This is one of those moments. For 44 years, David Dew has lived behind prison walls—forty-four years in a place built to break the human…
ONTARIO, CA — The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce (SCBCC) announces the return of the Unity in Diversity Business Summit, taking place May 7–9, 2026 at the Delta Hotel in Ontario, California. This three-day event brings together entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors, and government partners from across Southern California for business education, networking, and community…
Asm. Mia Bonta “Tells the Truth” About Bill Conservatives Say Would Silence Citizen Journalists Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) is pushing back against criticism of her bill, Assembly (AB) 2624, releasing a video statement on X defending the legislation and accusing critics of spreading misinformation….
Edward Henderson | California Black Media As California heads into the 2026 election cycle, all four elected seats on the State Board of Equalization are up for grabs, with voters in each of the agency’s four geographic districts choosing a representative. The board—which handles tax appeals, property tax oversight and equalization, and other key functions…
By Steve Cain, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of California April is Financial Literacy Month, a good time to learn how your health plan can support your financial and health goals. Understanding your coverage can be a vital part of your family’s financial planning. Especially since 36% of adults report skipping care due to cost in the last…
by Dawn Montgomery BlackPressUSA Contributor Public school advocates and politicians typically spearhead the attack on microschools, focusing on their perceived “lack of oversight and public accountability.” Yet Black families are the fastest-growing demographic in alternative education. This shift is driven by the recognition that traditional public education cannot change quickly enough to serve its children’s…
Kimberly.brown@tandtpublicrelations.com A New Revolution for Black Student Success Statewide Week of Action Returns April 20-24, 2026 Los Angeles, Calif. — On Monday, April 20, community colleges across California will kick off the seventh annual Black Student Success Week (BSSW), bringing together students, educators, policymakers, and community partners for a week of programming focused on advancing…