Category: Uncategorized
Four Stolen Futures: Will H-E-B Do The Right Thing?
By TotallyRandie Social Media Correspondent, BlackPressUSA Eighty thousand pounds of steel doesn’t just collide—it obliterates. While corporate lawyers hide behind the sterile jargon of liability and subsidiaries, four Houston families are left haunted by viral footage of a tragedy that should never have happened. On November 5, 2025, a stretch of US 87 became a…
Moving Beyond the AI Hype: Let’s Build Inclusive Digital Infrastructures
By Raymar Hampshire and Hassanatu Blake Generative AI has dominated our conversations and reshaped how we work, learn, and create. In a recent article published in the Afro American Newspaper titled “Shaping the Future: Black Leadership in Tech Regulation”, Hussainatu Blake and Symone Campbell’s central argument isn’t about AI’s technical capabilities. It’s about safeguarding intellectual…
CDPH: Super Flu Cases on the Rise in California
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media California health officials have confirmed the spread of a mutated influenza strain known as the “super flu,” as flu-related hospitalizations across the state reach their highest level of the season. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said Jan.15 that the strain, a mutated form…
New Year and a New Threat to Texas Communities
By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) – In the new year, many African-American families are bracing for the consequences of a housing law that threatens to destabilize communities that have fought for decades to remain intact. Texas’s House Bill 21 (HB21), passed by the Legislature last session, is already reshaping the state’s affordable housing system, and…
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…
California Ranks 24th in America’s Health Rankings Annual Report from United Health Foundation
By Dr. Dinelli Monson, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare of California California moved up two slots from 26 to 24 in this year’s America’s Health Ranking Report produced by the United Health Foundation. America’s Health Rankings is the longest running state-by-state analysis of our nation’s health. The report provides actionable, data-driven insights to inform public policy,…
California Rent Control Bill Dies in Assembly Judiciary Committee
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Authored by Assemblymembers Ash Kalra (D–San Jose) and Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D–Los Angeles), Assembly Bill (AB) 1157 — known as the Affordable Rent Act — failed last week to advance out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, marking the second consecutive year the rent control proposal has been halted in…
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…
Medi-Cal Helps You Stay Healthy: Use Your Medi-Cal Benefits
by California Black Media Taking care of your health shouldn’t wait until you’re already sick. Medi-Cal gives California adults — including Black families, seniors, parents, and caregivers — access to free or low-cost care designed to help people stay healthy, not just treat illness. However, many Medi-Cal members are not using benefits they already qualify…
California Lawmakers Propose Bills Responding to Fatal Shootings by ICE Agents
Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media Responding to recent fatal shootings and an uptick in misconduct and excessive use-of-force incidents by federal policing agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), California lawmakers are proposing some legal guardrails to prevent them and hold officers accountable. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) recently authored legislation to…
Black Caucus Chair Akilah Weber Pierson Applauds California Ban on Police Officers Wearing Face Masks
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) last week praised California’s new law limiting when law enforcement officers may wear face coverings, calling it a critical step toward accountability and public trust in policing. The measure, SB 627…
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…
Attorney Gen. Bonta Secures $425 Settlement Against Capital One
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media California Attorney General Rob Bonta helped secure a $425 million settlement with Capital One that would provide restitution and improved interest rates for customers who were allegedly misled about their savings accounts, state officials announced Jan. 13. The settlement, which received preliminary court approval last…
Inaugural HBCU Week NOW Student Film Festival premieres January 27
TEN FILMS SELECTED FOR INAUGURAL HBCU WEEK NOW STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL Original short films spanning multiple genres will begin streaming January 27 BALTIMORE (January 20, 2026) — Ten award-winning films by students and recent graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will premiere on January 27 as part of the inaugural HBCU Week NOW…
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…
Gov. Gavin Newsom Delivers Final State of the State Address
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Before a joint session of the California Senate and Assembly, Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his final State of the State address on Jan. 8, fulfilling a requirement of the state Constitution that the governor report annually to the Legislature. Several members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC)…
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…
What Families in California Should Know About Their School Options
By Andrew Campanella All parents in California and across America want their children to thrive in learning environments that reflect their diverse interests, talents, and individual challenges. That’s why one in five parents last year enrolled at least one of their children in a new K–12 school. In fact, the process of moms and dads…
Department of Education calls back civil rights staff amid massive discrimination case backlog
by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer The Department of Education (ED) has been forced to double back on its March 2025 decision to lay off hundreds of civil rights employees. In December 2025, the agency called back employees who worked in its Office of Civil Rights (OCR) because a massive backlog of discrimination complaints had…
Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeships Offer an Answer to Childcare Shortages
By Nirvi Shah, The Hechinger Report SAN FRANCISCO — In a playground outside a YMCA, Mayra Aguilar rolled purple modeling dough into balls that fit easily into the palms of the toddlers sitting across from her. She helped a little girl named Wynter unclasp a bicycle helmet that she’d put on to zoom around the…
Parents and student athletes: If you’re hearing from sports agents, you’ll want to read this
By BCP Staff If you’re hoping your athletic talents will lead you to endorsements during college or eventually to pro sports, signing with a sports agent might be an exciting first step — but it’s also serious business. That’s why the FTC is seeking information from universities about sports agents’ compliance with the Sports Agent…
Historic First: Monique Limón Is Sworn in as California Senate’s First Latina Leader
By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Sen. Monique Limón (D–Santa Barbara) was sworn in as the 50th president pro tempore of the California State Senate on Jan. 5 at the State Capitol, marking the occasion with a series of official and ceremonial events. Limón’s appointment in the Senate chambers marks a significant milestone…
Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
By Bo Tefu | California Black Media Proposed California Initiative Would Force State Action if President Exceeds Two-Term Limit California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that a new initiative was cleared for circulation on Jan. 5, 2026, allowing the proponent to begin collecting petition signatures. The measure, formally titled “Requires State Response…
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…