Category: Opinion

With the presidential administration facing criticism over its handling of healthcare, inflation, and government spending, political observers are shifting their focus toward the upcoming congressional elections to restore institutional checks and balances. Recent data suggests Democrats are within reach of the 218 seats needed for a House majority, while specific Senate races in states like…

THE POSITIVE COMMUNITY — Jean-Michel Basquiat emerged from Brooklyn to become one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century. Born in 1960 to a Haitian father and a mother of Puerto Rican descent, his upbringing was defined by a rich blend of Caribbean cultural traditions and the linguistic diversity of New York…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire TEXAS METRO NEWS — Journalist and mentor Terry Allen reflects on the profound wisdom of his grandmother, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen, who believed that a person’s mistakes do not represent their total identity. Allen argues that many behavioral issues seen in young men are actually symptoms of undeveloped gifts that have been…

By Special to The Post Dr. H. Geoffrey Watson, a licensed internist, has joined renowned gastroenterologist Dr. Ralph Peterson at MacArthur GI in Oakland to address obesity, provide supervised weight-loss programs including GLP-1 therapy, and screen for and treat fatty liver disease. The Obesity Epidemic Obesity is associated with numerous chronic health problems, including hypertension,…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire Oakland’s public conversation about health care must begin with a simple truth: a doctor’s appointment is not the same thing as access to care. For a mother juggling work and child care, access may mean a text-message reminder, a bus pass, an evening appointment, or someone who can explain what Medi-Cal covers….

By Paul Cobb, Publisher, Oakland Post I understand the frustration driving Proposition 40. I share our labor partners’ concerns about protecting health care and essential services at a time when working families are already under enormous pressure. But labor itself is divided over Proposition 40, and there is good reason to look carefully at what…

By Ben Jealous Months after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, no one has been charged. He was 25. He was Colombian. He had a 3-year-old daughter. He had a federal work permit. Homeland Security says its officer feared for public safety. Senator Angus King’s…

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — I became paralyzed watching young Marines go outside the base, thinking about their families and whether they would see them again. I began hallucinating that wounded Marines I cared for were walking toward me in the war zone. I now recognize that, alongside my own PTSD, I was carrying secondary PTSD from…

Hardy Brown As a Co Founder of Westside Action Group (WAG) with the late Bob Parker, I worked with Alton Garrett, the current President of WAG and his Political Committee to produce a Slate or Election Guide for the Black Voters in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to consider for the November 3, 2026 Election….

By BlackPressUSA Newswire Standing up to a bully requires more than slogans, press releases, or carefully staged outrage. It requires looking power in the face, refusing intimidation and saying, plainly, no. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty has that courage. The Ohio Democrat and former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus is standing virtually alone inside the Kennedy…

By National Institute for Early Education Research Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recently recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire OAKLAND POST — AI is software running on computers. However startling the conversation may feel, the machine does not have my childhood, my mother, my father, my mistakes, my embarrassments, my loves, my grudges, my Filipino American history, my aging body or my accumulated sense of what matters and what doesn’t. I…

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2026 — Today’s business leaders are being asked to guide their teams through the most complicated workplace environment in decades — one that global leadership strategist Thom Dennis refers to as “the perfect storm.” “There are many factors here all coming together, and it just creates anxiety, it creates fear, and if…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY – SOUTHERNDIGEST — A new controversy has arisen over changes to the African American Cultural Center, prompting Black students to question the facility’s future. This follows a previous situation involving Unity Field. Students are concerned about the implications for culturally significant spaces intended to celebrate Black community and history on…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire SEATTLE MEDIUM — A national literacy crisis is evident as nearly 40 percent of fourth graders read below the basic level, and approximately one-third of eighth graders perform below basic, marking the highest share recorded. This decline, highlighted by New York City’s scores despite extensive literacy reform efforts, threatens economic opportunity, educational…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire For African Americans, voting has always represented more than simply choosing a name on a ballot. It is an opportunity to participate in decisions that can shape education, employment, public safety, housing, health care, economic opportunity, and the future of our communities. Being politically liberal, conservative, independent, or somewhere in between should…

ORLANDO ADVOCATE — Inspired by his grandmother Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s financial wisdom, the author examines the intersection of grief and money following a close friend’s family funeral planning. He details how emotions, vulnerability, and a desire to honor a loved one can lead to excessive spending, noting how wants can easily be mistaken for…

Next June marks 60 years since Loving v. Virginia. My parents did not wait for it. By Ben Jealous This month my parents are beginning their seventh decade of marriage despite a law that tried to stop them. Sixty years ago they were married in a church in Washington, D.C. They had to leave Maryland…

By Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Every month, mothers in Southeast Washington, DC, as well as other mothers from across the nation, open their electric bill. They do the math they have done a hundred times before: What gets paid, and what gets pushed to next month. Throughout this country, in underserved Black, Brown,…

Hardy Brown | Special to California Black Media Publishers Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson is my friend. An outspoken advocate for equity, fairness, public health, and social service resources for our Inland Valley community, I have come to admire and respect Jackson’s grit and his work as a legislator. However, I don’t always agree with his…

By Dominic Boston As a young Black man, this topic is personal to me. When people discuss mental health, they usually don’t picture someone who looks like me. Instead, Black men are often seen as strong, tough, or able to handle anything life throws at us. Growing up, I was taught exactly that. My elders…

During the last two years, we have seen millions of Americans from all walks of life turn out to participate in the “No Kings Day” protest marches across this nation. The demonstrations have been against the illegal practices and activities of President Trump in violation of the Constitution and all democracy stands for. We have…

By Carla Thomas Lee’s professional training took her to New Orleans, where she worked at Restaurant August and expanded her knowledge of Cajun, Creole, and French cuisine under the guidance of internationally recognized chef John Besh. When she returned to San Francisco, Lee was part of the kitchen staff that helped reopen the remodeled Cliff…