Category: Opinion

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia After a riveting documentary that revisited some of the alleged crimes by R&B superstar R. Kelly – even before his high-profile arrest on child pornography and other sex-related acts – a major social media movement got underway to #MuteRKelly and #CancelRKelly. Now, a possibly equally explosive documentary…

By Jeffrey L. Boney, NNPA Newswire Political Analyst Imagine having to choose between paying your mortgage and picking up the much-needed prescription for your health crisis because the job you report to and the federal resources you have relied on to live day to day are no longer available to you because of things beyond…

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia That Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris announced her candidate for president on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is no coincidence. For her supporters and those who know her well, Harris has long been a fighter for freedom, justice and equality and she’s often invoked the spirit…

By Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson The latest attack on vulnerable Americans who need assistance to ensure that they, and their families, have adequate and affordable health insurance comes not from the United States Congress, where the law providing such insurance was challenged more than sixty times by the Republican Party. This time it comes from…

“…the fact that these beverage taxes are masquerading as public health initiatives means that they can often come at the expense of effective community health programs that have a positive impact on the lives of working-class people.” By Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) Every month, it seems another…

By Bill Fletcher, Jr., NNPA Newswire Contributor The hysterics in connection with the Central American refugees seeking asylum in the USA would, under other circumstances, be comical. A few thousand people seeking to enter a country of 350 million people and Trump tell us to panic and prepare for armed action. International human rights law…

By Speakin’ Out News On November 4, 1952, Dr. Helen Kenyon addressed the Women’s Society of Riverside Church in New York City and opined that, “Eleven o’clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often paraphrased the quote. Today, sadly, our public schools best reflect Dr. Kenyon’s and…

By Ron Edwards As of the writing of this column, a series of hate-driven, murderous events have taken place, either racially or religiously motivated, from October 24 – 27, across the country. Among them are the following hate crimes: Two African Americans were murdered in Kentucky by a White man who had tried to enter…

By Morgan A. Owens, NNPA Newswire Contributor I was in my early twenties, he was a guy I was casually dating. He wanted me to engage in activity that I wasn’t comfortable with. I pulled away and he grabbed me by the wrist. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not when he mentioned…

The Democratic Congress is going through a mental crisis at the expense of our normal political process. By Harry C. Alford Political rivalry is as much a part of Americana as “Red, White and Blue.” We expect it and cheer on whatever side we support. Throughout the history of our great nation, elections would bring…

By Stephen Cooper Above the din of disturbing news – that discordant banging you’re hearing, steadily getting louder and louder, that you can no longer ignore – that’s the drumbeat of the unfree. Dehumanized by the labels “prisoner,” “inmate” and “convict,” even reduced to serial numbers like Victor Hugo’s Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables,” these…

By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., NNPA President and CEO Washington, DC — No one questions the fact that for the past six decades, African Americans have overwhelmingly supported and voted for Democratic Party candidates for the United States Congress. In the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, African Americans by the millions will once again cast the…

By Samuel Innoncent I’m a veteran of the U.S. Army. So it may come as a surprise that the day I read about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, I could not have been prouder. I was proud because after serving my country for seven years, it felt like someone was finally looking out…

Submitted to the AFRO by Karsonya Wise Whitehead I have been a Baltimore City resident for close to fifteen years. My husband and I are raising our sons here and teaching them how to navigate city life. I have worked as a middle school teacher, at one of the most persistently dangerous schools in Baltimore,…

BlackPressUSA , Lauren Victoria Burke Saying his subject was “Aretha the Queen of Soul,” Rev. Jasper Williams of the Salem Bible Church in Atlanta gave the audience gathered for Aretha Franklin’s funeral a few unexpected memories laced with political commentary.     Though he began simply, referring to the history of soul music and gospel,…

Submitted to the AFRO by Elijah E. Cummings More than half a century ago, my parents and a wonderful teacher named Mr. Hollis Posey followed their hearts and championed my right to learn.  As a result, I received the empowering education in our City’s public schools that would transform my life. Although I am grateful…

By Nate Davis (CEO and Board of Directors Chairman, K12 Inc.) Our nation’s graduation rate is at an all-time high. The national figure shows 84 percent of young people, overall, graduating from high school within four years after first entering the 9th grade, a trend that has been on a consistent upswing since the 2010-2011…

By Julianne Malveaux (NNPA Newswire Columnist) I am no fan of Omarosa Manigault Newman, the mononymous diva who dominates the airwaves whenever she wants to. Her new book, “Unhinged,” which I won’t read, is billed as a tell-all on “45’s” White House and its shenanigans. In making the rounds, “Omierosie” (my nickname for her) has…

By Dr. Elizabeth Primas (Program Manager, NNPA ESSA Public Awareness Campaign) The latest data from the Center for American Progress shows that the average salary for an attorney is more than two times that of elementary and middle school educators. The Washington Post reported last week that nearly 1 in 10 hosts who rent out…

By Bill Fletcher, Jr. (NNPA Newswire Columnist) There has been a strange response by many White conservatives to the separation of migrant children from their parents. Whether we are discussing undocumented migrants or those requesting asylum, there has been rightwing pushback to the larger chorus of condemnation of the Trump administration for its zero tolerance….