Category: Opinion
Built by us: Why Black institutions need legal infrastructure
By Kisha A. Brown, Esq. As Black people, we cannot experience the joy and peace of justice without building our own systems and institutions—designed by us, with our liberation, our lifestyle and our real needs in mind. From churches doubling as schools to kitchens doubling as boardrooms, we have started from scratch and built up….
Commentary: The Biases We Don’t See — Preventing AI-Driven Inequality in Health Care
Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D. | Special to California Black Media Partners Technology is often sold to us as neutral, objective, and free of human flaws. We are told that computers remove emotion, bias, and error from decision-making. But for many Black families, lived experience tells a different story. When technology is trained on…
Don Lemon Made the Headlines, but Georgia Fort’s Arrest Shows No Journalist Is Safe
By Stacy M. Brown Famed journalist Don Lemon may draw the headlines, but Emmy-winning independent reporter Georgia Fort and Trahem Jenn Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy were also taken into custody as federal agents moved against four Black journalists whose only apparent offense was documenting protests critical of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Lemon, a…
VoChill
By Wanda Haynes, Certified Sommelier Finally, there is a product that can keep white and rosé wine cold while drinking! This product can also bring red wines to cellar temperatures in just a few minutes. As a wine lover I’m delighted to share this amazing product. VoChill is a wonderful concept brought to life by…
Black History Month and the Power That Holds Democracy Together
By Ben Jealous Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson has emerged as a clarion voice for American democracy in turbulent times. The values he represents reflect the voters who elected him. They remind us of the power of the Black community and the White, Asian American, Latino, and Native American voters who believe in multiracial democracy. Together…
Crump and Obama are the Top Black News Makers of the 21st Century
Special to NNPA Newswire The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the organized voice, survivor, and power of the Black Press in America. On the eve of Black History Month, we have chronicled the top Black newsmakers of the first quarter of the 21st century to honor Black impact through legacy, liberty, and justice. This…
Commentary: The Question CalMatters Asked About a Lawmaker’s Handbag — And the One It Refused to Answer
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media Since California Black Media (CBM) reported that CalMatters asked Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) whether the Louis Vuitton bag she carried at a Capitol event was “real or fake,” much has been said –just not clearly, or publicly, by CalMatters. In the two weeks since the question…
Opinion submission: ICE
Letter submission: Now we know why ICE agents are given up to $50,000 signing bonuses. They are being recruited into a murder-for-hire political repression force by our family pet-killing, stone cold lying ICE Barbie, under the direct command of the White House. We also now know that Trump regime testimony can never again be relied…
Beyond racism, materialism and militarism
by Dedrick Asante-Muhammad “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Beyond Vietnam” speech (1967) Dr. King’s words from 1967 summarize today’s political moment, which we have analyzed…
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE ISSUE # 1291 A Year in the Life
by Karen Georgia Thompson This week will mark the first anniversary of the second term of the President of the United States. This week is also the celebration of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As these two events are juxtaposed, amidst the increase of authoritarianism, the attacks on democracy, the…
Mercy
By Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic (**1/2) “Do you honestly think that I killed my wife?” At the beginning of the ground-breaking horror film 28 Days Later, a bicycle courier (Cillian Murphy) is involved in a near-fatal accident, comatose and wakes up in a hospital bed to discover that London is empty. A…
From the AFRO Archives: A look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Press
by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer When examining Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s strongest champions, the Black Press stands out as a loyal messenger on the frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement. During the 1950s and ‘60s, Black newspapers across the country dedicated their pages to broadcasting the African-American struggle for equality. From documenting racial…
Protect the day, protect the truth
By Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper AFRO CEO and Publisher As the nation marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the real question is not how loudly we celebrate — but whether we are willing to live by the values Dr. King demanded. Each January, the nation knows how to celebrate. We mark the day. We…
OP-ED: The Dream Cannot be Realized Without Financial Freedom
By Ben Crump We honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. each January with speeches, service projects, and by reciting powerful quotes we know by heart. But too many Black families will spend much of MLK Day the same way they spend most Mondays. With the gas tank hovering near empty, hoping the car can go…
Spiritually Speaking
By Gwendolyn Carole Tipton, The Cincinnati Herald Here in 2026, we must not forget His benefits from 2025. We have already received and continue to receive Spiritual Blessings. Apostle Paul declares that God has blessed believers with “every spiritual blessing.” They encompass gifts of redemption, including forgiveness, grace, and the promise of eternal life. These…
Commentary: How CalMatters Turned a Handbag Into a Political Firestorm and Exposed a Journalism Blind Spot
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media A question recently emailed to the office of Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) was not about legislation, policy, or governance. Instead, it asked whether the “Louis Vuitton bag McKinnor was wearing last night “real or fake?” This wasn’t just a casual inquiry. Stella Yu, the CalMatters reporter…
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE ISSUE # 1291 The Moderate Position
by Seth Wispelwey Abolishing ICE, defunding and abolishing the police…this is the *moderate* position. Whether it’s ICE, Border Patrol, the city, county or state police or your local sheriff, their purpose is to be the violent, front-line stranglehold on a wholly unsustainable status quo that protects the few (white and wealthy) at the expense of…
A look at the state of civil rights in America
by Tashi McQueen AFRO Staff Writer As the fight for civil rights continues to evolve, activists of today are raising questions about how far the nation has come since the era of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and where progress has stalled. Advocates, scholars and policymakers are assessing voting access, economic equity, education and criminal…
What would Dr. King say? Three activists weigh in
by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer More than five decades after his assassination, King’s words still shape how the nation talks about justice and equality. Three activists shared how they believe King would respond to the challenges confronting Black Americans today. “It’s important to remember that Dr. King spoke of the three evils: racism, militarism…
Opinion: Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign foretold America’s affordability crisis
By Charlene Crowell As 2026 unfolds, affordability, which emerged as a critical issue last year, will become a more pressing concern for most people in America. A comment by a respondent to a recent student loan borrower survey by The Institute for College Access & Support (TICAS) summarized the complexity of the affordability problem for…
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1290 Raising the Bar in 2026
Donna Bollinger This past year I continually heard myself repeating the same phrase: “My bar is really low.” I was describing advocacy work at the United Nations and the multiple issues confronting the world: conflicts and wars, gender-based violence, climate change, racism and incitement to violence, food insecurity, economic instability, rising nationalism, eradication of religious…
Crypto firms: Wolves in banks’ clothing
By Alice T. Crowe Imagine trying to take out $40 from an ATM, but the machine won’t give you cash. Instead, it’s a cryptocurrency ATM that only lets you buy bitcoin, and it charges a high fee. These machines allow you to buy or sell cryptocurrency using cash or a debit card. You have no…
COMMENTARY: In 2025 Black Culture Claimed Ownership Not Permission
By Stacy M. Brown Black pop culture in 2025 did not chase attention. It set terms. Across music, television, film, fashion, and sports, Black creators tightened control over narrative, ownership, and meaning at a moment when the country itself felt unmoored. Hip hop provided the year’s clearest line of separation. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick…
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE ISSUE #1289 O Holy New Year
Amy Johnson As we move into another new year, I find myself with an ear worm of lyrics from O Holy Night, hearing it more as a modern-day folk song for the whole year, rather than a Christmas carol. “Long lay the world, in sin and error pining….” We are again and still in a…
Op-Ed Submission: Don’t Take the Bait: Venezuela Is a Distraction from Trump’s Affordability Crisis
By Kevin Harris and Richard McDaniel (TriceEdneyWire.com) – As families struggle with rent, groceries, and health care costs, Donald Trump is once again trying to drag the national conversation off course – this time with the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has ruled Venezuela as an authoritarian dictator, rigging elections, imprisoning political…
