Category: Uncategorized
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Board of Equalization Candidate Assemblymember Mike Gipson
By Edward Henderson | California Black Media Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) is entering his final year of service in the state Legislature due to term limits. A native of the Watts community in Los Angeles, Gipson says he inherited a spirit of service from his parents. He was elected to the Carson City Council in…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins –Advocate for Health, Aging Californians and More
By Edward Henderson | California Black Media Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2024 to represent the 79th District, which includes southeastern San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, a master’s in education with an emphasis in Multicultural Counseling, and…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Assemblymember Corey Jackson, a Strong Equity-Focused Voice in the Legislature
By Edward Henderson | California Black Media Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) represents the 60th Assembly District. He was first elected in November 2022. In the Legislature, Jackson has emerged as a key voice on issues related to equity, social services, and community well-being — first as chair of the Human Services Committee in…
Funding concerns rise after nursing loses professional degree label
By Andrea Stevens AFRO Staff Writer/astevens@afro.com The Department of Education will no longer classify several long-recognized graduate programs as professional degrees, a shift that will affect financial aid limits and reshape how universities describe advanced training in fields that rely on licensing. The updated definition removes nursing from the government’s professional degree category. The change…
Congress Fails to Extend ACA Subsidies, Premiums to Soar for Millions
by BVN Enhanced premium tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will expire on Dec. 31 as Congress prepares to break for the holidays without voting on a health care package. Though House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to call for a vote regarding extending ACA tax credits for three years as proposed by Democrats,…
Educating the Early Childhood Educators
By Katie Dukes, EdNC QuaShawnda Everett, the program chair for early childhood education at Edgecombe Community College in North Carolina, has traveled the globe with her musician husband, but she’d never flown anywhere by herself — or even traveled outside of North Carolina alone. That’s why she was skeptical when the college’s president, Greg McLeod,…
The Voting Rights Act Is Under Threat. So Are Workers’ Rights.
By Fred Redmond, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer In our workplaces, in our communities and in our government, the right to vote is how working people make our voices heard. The late Rep. John Lewis (Georgia) proclaimed, “Your vote is precious, almost sacred.” The Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing Texas to use a racially discriminatory congressional map threatens…
When Stephen A. Smith Speaks, White Power Listens
By Stacy M. Brown Joy Reid had finally had enough. After Stephen A. Smith went on his show and tried to frame her departure from MSNBC as a failure of ratings rather than a collision with an administration working to silence Black voices, she laid out the truth without ceremony. “You got one hundred million…
An Exclusive to The San Bernardino American News- Connecting Communities to Coverage with Dr. Monica Soni, Chief Medical Officer of Covered California
LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS Making Confident Health Coverage Decisions for the Year Ahead Choosing a health plan can feel overwhelming, especially for individuals making important decisions about their coverage for the first time or reassessing their needs for the upcoming year. Covered California provides tools, financial assistance, and trusted guidance to help individuals and families review their…
LAUSD Sees Sharp Decline in Newcomer Enrollment as Immigration Crackdowns Strain Schools and Finances
By Nicole Chang Heightened ICE enforcement accelerates student losses. Falling international enrollment raises broader concerns for higher education and the economy. LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest school district in the United States, is experiencing a steep decline in newcomer student enrollment. Educators say the trend has been sharply…
The Blueprint: The Bison ONE Newsroom In Conversation With Cathy Hughes
Over 50 years ago, Ms. Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Urban One, Inc., was one of the very first faculty members of the School of Communications at Howard University. Myla Roundy Published on December 11, 2025 Over 50 years ago, Ms. Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Urban One, Inc., was one of the very first…
The Truth Is Under Attack; The Black Press Needs You
By Stacy M. Brown This is not a reflection. It is a demand. The Black Press of America is being deliberately starved, and unless people act now, it will collapse in full view of the nation it has served for nearly two centuries. This is not about nostalgia. It is about whether truth survives when…
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE # 1286 The Gift of Advent
Bentley deBardelaben-Phillips One of my favorite seasons of the year is Advent, which often falls on the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and lasts about 25 days. A reason for my excitement is the annual spiritual reminder that something highly valued is on its way, arriving on Christmas Day. Hence, I, along with other humans worldwide,…
The IDEAL Eating Plan to Calm Movement Disorders
Living with movement disorders like tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a unique challenge that affects every sufferer differently. While some people struggle just to keep the involuntary movements at bay, others have fewer symptoms, only faced with the occasional jerk or twitch. Clearly, there are many manifestations of the condition. However, did you know that all…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas – an Advocate for Jobs and Justice
Edward Henderson | California Black Media Representing the 28th Senate District, Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) brings a lifelong commitment to working families, shaped by her upbringing as the daughter of a single mother who was a military veteran and a registered nurse. After earning her communications degree from California State University Hayward (now known…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Assemblymember Lori Wilson – Advocate for Equity, the Environment, and More
Edward Henderson | California Black Media Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) joined the California Legislature in 2022 after making history as Solano County’s first Black female mayor, bringing with her a track record of fiscal discipline, community investment, and inclusive leadership. She represents the state’s 11th Assembly District, which spans Solano County and portions…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, Champion of Reparations, Housing and Workers’ Rights
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) represents California’s 61st Assembly District, covering areas including Hawthorne, Gardena, Lawndale, Venice, Westchester, and West Athens. As a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), McKinnor has become a prominent voice in the Legislature. Elected in 2022, she chairs the Los Angeles…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Sen. Laura Richardson, Who Made Legislative History This Year
Edward Henderson | California Black Media Elected in November 2024 to represent California’s 35th Senate District in the Los Angeles area, Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) brings decades of experience in public service to her role. Before entering elected office, she served as a legislative staffer at the local, state, and federal levels and built…
How the Tax Code Helps With Child Care
By First Five Years Fund In the United States, two-thirds of young children live in households where all available parents are working. Meaning child care is essential for families’ ability to stay in the workforce. An effective but often overlooked tool in the federal tax code to help expand access to child care is the…
Hamnet — 2025 Toronto International Film Festival
By Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic She and the forest are one. Some might call her a witch. But they’d be wrong. She’s more like a daughter of mother nature. Destined for love and tragedy of Shakesperean proportions. Something she could foretell: “The women in my family see things.” Sometimes she lays curled…
NFL Week 16: The Playoff Picture and Clinching Scenarios
Itoro N. Umontuen It’s that time of the year where playoff tickets get punched and division championships are won. Four AFC teams and five NFC teams have a chance to secure playoff spots this week. Denver could also lock up the AFC’s No. 1 seed if four contests go their way. Here are the updated…
Dying From a Name: Racism, Resentment, and Politics in Health Care Are Even More Unaffordable
By Stacy M. Brown As millions of Americans brace for health insurance bills that will soon double or worse, the coming crisis is not the result of confusion or accident. It is the consequence of a long campaign that treated health care not as a human necessity, but as a battleground for grievance, race, and…
Race Shadows Every Assault on the Affordable Care Act
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire The battles over the Affordable Care Act were never only about policy or the price of insurance. They were never simply arguments about federal subsidies, individual mandates, or the markets that hold the system together. From the moment America elected a Black president and that president dared to place…
2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Black Caucus Chair Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson
Edward Henderson | California Black Media In November 2024, Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) became the first African American south of Los Angeles County to be elected to the California State Senate. She is also a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and founder of the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Weber…
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1285 Courage is Contagious
Elizabeth Dilley Imagine one of your great grandparents toiled over a hand-written, illustrated copy of the Gospel of John for many years, creating radiant and reverent art to accompany the vivid imagery of John’s words, hand-scribed in script from a relative you barely knew. This labor of love was stolen years later, when your entire…