By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire The battles over the Affordable Care Act were never only about policy or the price of insurance. They were never simply arguments about federal subsidies, individual mandates, or the markets that hold the system together. From the moment America elected a Black president and that president dared to place…
Edward Henderson | California Black Media In November 2024, Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) became the first African American south of Los Angeles County to be elected to the California State Senate. She is also a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and founder of the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Weber…
Elizabeth Dilley Imagine one of your great grandparents toiled over a hand-written, illustrated copy of the Gospel of John for many years, creating radiant and reverent art to accompany the vivid imagery of John’s words, hand-scribed in script from a relative you barely knew. This labor of love was stolen years later, when your entire…
By Emme Stewart | UAB News Demario Overstreet, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, has been awarded substantial funding through the National Institutes of Health for his innovative research program, titled “Contemporary human models of postoperative pain: A biopsychosocial investigation in general surgery.” The award, totaling…
By Dr. Nicole Brady, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare Student Resources For many, the holiday season provides a unique opportunity to pause from daily responsibilities and focus on the people who matter most. While gift-giving and festivities are often the center of celebrations, the true value of the season lies in nurturing meaningful connections with friends,…
Nationwide — The owners of a minority-owned company called TutorABC Global Talent, has launched a new initiative to help Black, Haitian, and other immigrant hair and nail salon owners to create extra income by offering their clients the opportunity to learn English. The program, which is an officially licensed Oxford and Cambridge curriculum, is designed…
By Stacy M. Brown The signs were visible to anyone willing to look. Clinics running out of medicine, health workers sent home in silence, and governments bracing for a wave they could no longer afford to stop. Now the evidence is written in hard numbers. For the first time this century, the number of children…
By Dr. John Wallace Dr. Wallace shared his success story with the National Head Start Association. I am from Homewood, a predominantly African American neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Homewood is where I was enrolled in Head Start in 1967. Like many other neighborhoods across the country, it was once a vibrant place to live;…
By Stacy M. Brown Odell Beckham Jr. did not spark controversy on purpose. He sat on The Pivot Podcast and tried to explain the math behind a deal that looks limitless from the outside but shrinks fast once the system takes its cut. He looked into the camera and tried to offer a truth most…
The County of Riverside Board of Supervisors appointed Rachelle Román, a seasoned executive with 23 years of public service, as the new Director of the Office on Aging (OOA). Román brings extensive experience in strategic planning, administrative leadership, and cross-sector collaboration across aging and public health services. “Rachelle’s many years of service and expertise are…
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) represents California’s 55th Assembly District — which also includes Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, the Crenshaw Corridor, Culver City, Del Rey, and parts of Mid-City — an area long recognized as the political and cultural center of Black Los Angeles. At 33, Bryan is already one of Los Angeles’ more seasoned…
By Eric Arnold The defense in the Kevin Epps murder trial presented just one witness, Dr. Judy Melinek, an eminent forensic pathologist whose testimony appeared to supercede the expert witnesses who had testified for the prosecution earlier in the trial – including San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Liverman. Melinek, regarded as something of…
By Lauren Burke On December 4, during a White House cabinet meeting, President Trump launched into a hateful, racist rant against Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). “Those Somalians should be out of here. They’ve destroyed our country. And all they do is complain, complain, complain. You have her – she’s always talking…
By Maryland Office of the Attorney General Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) today announced a settlement with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., resolving allegations that the company discriminated against a group of students from Dr. James Craik Elementary School based on their disabilities during a visit…
By BCP Staff You never know where your big Hollywood break will come from. But it probably won’t start with an unexpected text message about a virtual casting call. That’s likely a scam. Learn the cues to avoid this type of phishing scam. We’ve heard from people who’ve gotten text messages from a “talent scout”…
By Lauren Burke “We need to stop all the hell that is reigning down on all of our people,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett from a Dallas stage to a cheering standing-room-only crowd. On December 8, Rep. Crockett, who has built a reputation as a firebrand in Congress in the fight against Trump’s MAGA Republicanism, announced…
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center has been awarded the 2025 Quality Leader Award for Population Health by the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and the California Health Care Safety Net Institute. The recognition highlights ARMC’s innovative, measurable and equity-driven efforts to reduce the spread of communicable diseases through a strong partnership with the…
By Dr. Nicole Brady, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare Student Resources For many, the holiday season provides a unique opportunity to pause from daily responsibilities and focus on the people who matter most. While gift-giving and festivities are often the center of celebrations, the true value of the season lies in nurturing meaningful connections with friends,…
by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer Credit scores affect everything from interest rates to major purchases, like houses and cars, but the rules that shape them continue to evolve. This week, the AFRO spoke with Bonita Grant, founder and owner of Cure My Credit Score, about changes in 2026 and the smartest strategies to stay…
By Andrea Stevens AFRO Staff Writer In cities across the country, many Black households say rising prices are reshaping their daily routines. Costs for food, housing and health care continue to rise faster than wages. People are now making difficult choices about expenses that once felt ordinary. According to the September 2025 Consumer Price Index…
Buffalo Soldiers have been mythologized in movies, television, and popular songs. Despite this romanticism, their history is complex, and their stories are worthy of deeper understanding. For Race and Country: Buffalo Soldiers in California, a new exhibition from the Ontario Museum of History & Art, explores the surprising history surrounding all-Black US Army regiments whose…
Edward Henderson | California Black Media Rhonda Smith is an experienced leader with a diverse background spanning nonprofit leadership, cancer advocacy, health equity, corporate consulting and international business. Smith is currently the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network(CBHN), a trusted resource conducting outreach, education and advocacy to achieve health equity for African…
Edward Henderson | California Black Media Kaci Patterson is the founder and Chief Architect of the Black Equity Collective (BEC). This network of funders and nonprofit leaders is committed to investing in the long-term sustainability of Black-led organizations in Southern California. A graduate of Pepperdine University, Patterson holds an MBA in Organizational Management &…
by Alice T. Crowe Black Americans have struggled to build wealth in America through property ownership. Owning land meant freedom. Government policies like redlining and restrictive covenants cheated Black families and communities out of wealth. Jim Crow’s color-coded paper maps were just one ruse in a trick bag of tactics used to normalize segregation and…
