Category: Opinion

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…

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…

Edward Henderson| California Black Media    Editor’s Note: This California Black Media Q&A series with California’s gubernatorial candidates is intended to inform voters about where the candidates for governor stand on key issues. The opinions, assertions, and claims expressed are those of the candidates and have not been independently verified; they may or may not…

Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com. (**1/2) You wouldn’t wish this wedding day on anybody. But there they are. Two lovers who should be in bliss are trapped in their own turmoil.  Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli has built a solid reputation for dark comedy (Sick of Myself). It’s an avenue he treads again, somewhat. Only this time…

By Karen Heslop There’s been a lot of buzz around the use of GLP-1 agonists for the past couple of years when it comes to weight management. In fact, statistics show that the use of these medications has reduced the country’s obesity rate by three percent in just as many years. However, researchers acknowledge that…

Kellie Todd Griffin | Special to California Black Media Partners  Every election cycle, the conversation starts the same way. Campaigns announce their outreach. Candidates say our name. They show up at our churches, our sorority events, our community gatherings.  And then, too often, they govern like they forgot we existed. That pattern is why the…

By  LaMonika Jones For countless families, children, older adults, disabled persons and veterans experiencing food insecurity, meeting basic human needs is like running a race you will never finish. The help is there, but for far too many families there are too many obstacles keeping them from reaching the finish line. Accessing critical resources shouldn’t…

By Erin Aubry Kaplan This article was produced by the nonprofit publication Capital & Main. It is published here, via Word In Black, with permission. Last month, on her 38th birthday, Georgia Fort told me that she finally feels like an adult. Not because her three kids are getting older or because she’s reached a…

Rhonda M. Smith | Special to California Black Media Partners    California has always been seen as the land of vitality — sunshine, beaches, and wellness culture. But beneath that image is a growing public health crisis we cannot afford to ignore.   Roughly 11 million adults in California — about 27% of Californians — are living…

Steep education staff cuts unable to correct loan servicer mistakes, says GAO  By Charlene Crowell  On March 10, a federal appellate court order effectively ended the popular Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) program. The likely effect will be an increased financial strain on 7 million borrowers who used the program to keep their monthly…

By Dayvon Love | San Diego Voice and Viewpoint Director of Public Policy, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle In 1953, the United States and other Western forces collaborated to overthrow the democratically elected president, Mohammad Mosaddegh, of Iran. The stated rationale for pursuing regime change was based on the Cold War logic that Mosaddegh was…

By Dr. Julianne Malveaux Frederick Douglass did not know the day he was born. Like many enslaved people, he was denied even the dignity of documentation. Birth dates were approximations. Family lines were severed. Identity existed in property ledgers, not in public record. His mother, Harriet Bailey, called him her “little Valentine,” and Douglass later…

By JaDonna Harris At 38, I began to experience pain I dismissed as minor. I was young and healthy—or so I thought. But as months went by, the pain worsened until one morning I woke up and couldn’t move. That day in 2023, two months after my 40th birthday, doctors found a 7-centimeter mass in…

By Dominique Lambright October 22, 2023 Humming has been shown to have several positive health effects. Some of these benefits include making it easier to relax and breathe, easing sinus pressure and congestion, decreasing blood pressure, and improving your mood. Many positive outcomes may result from doing what most of us already do instinctively. Is…

By Kristen Amundson What did you call your grandparents? What do your grandchildren call you? Are you Grandma and Grandpa? Nana and Papa (the current favorites in the U.S.)? Mimi and PopPop? In some families, the name for grandparents is the result of the oldest grandchild’s mispronunciation, which is why my grandparents came to be…

Bo Tefu | California Black Media The California Democratic Party has selected EVITARUS Research, a Black- and Latina-led firm, to conduct a new statewide polling project tracking the governor’s race ahead of the primary election. Party Chair Rusty Hicks said the California Voter Opinion, Trend and Engagement Research Index, or VOTER Index, will give voters,…

By Derrick Lane Elise Neal, a self-proclaimed “southern girl,” is known for playing memorable, award-nominated roles in movies such as “Hustle and Flow,” The Real Husbands of Hollywood, Hollywood Divas, movies like Logan with Hugh Jackman and many more. Her model-like physique hasn’t gone unnoticed either…she’s been turning heads for years. In fact, the now…

By Laura Onyeneho The Houston Defender When people hear “hospice,” they often think it’s the end of hope, of options, of life itself.  But for the caregivers and advocates, it’s really the beginning of something else. That is peace, dignity and the chance to say goodbye on your terms. Yet, despite its critical role in…

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By Dr. Sharon M. Holder | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder Women’s History Month offers an opportunity to recognize the enduring impact of women of color leadership across history and in the present day. From Harriet Tubman and Shirley Chisholm to today’s leaders in science, politics and culture, women of color continue to shape movements, institutions and…

By Charlotte Bergman Since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Tennessee has grown across practically every measure of a state’s success: socially, economically, demographically, and politically. We’ve moved from a largely agricultural state to a magnet for music, culture, jobs, and great living.  We largely have conservative Republicans to thank for leading us…

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. Throughout Black History and Women’s History months this year we have emphasized that one of the best ways to celebrate history is to make more history.  Black excellence and leadership in all fields of endeavor are rising as the nation takes account of the 250th Anniversary of the United…