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…
By SweSwe Aye In Oakland, California, 102-year-old U Mya uses YouTube and Messenger to maintain spiritual and social connections. “When I talk to my friends online, I don’t feel lonely anymore.” he said. Within the US Burmese community, digital literacy has become a lifeline. “Digital literacy is necessary for easier, faster communication,” said retired architect…
By Stacy M. Brown The losses came steadily in 2025, not as a single rupture but as a quiet procession. Voices that once filled sanctuaries, arenas, studios, television screens, and living rooms went still. The year closed with Black America taking inventory not only of who died, but of what each life carried into the…
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…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest former active National Park Service ranger and a lifelong witness to and advocate for Black history, died peacefully on Dec. 21, 2025, at her home in Richmond, California. She was 104. Surrounded by family and friends, Soskin closed a life that spanned…
By Gemma Greene, BDO Staff Writer | Published November 20, 2025 “How did you sleep?” Whether you know it or not, the answer to that simple question is key your overall health nowadays. In a world driven by deadlines, side-hustles, and endless scrolling, sleep is often the first sacrifice we make. Yet skipping sleep isn’t…
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor President Donald Trump has ordered the bombing of seven countries in 2025. They are Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. There has been no congressional authorization for any of the military action. Trump is also threatening Columbia and Cuba. On the afternoon of January 5, Trump’s…
by Kaiser Health News Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old U.S. Navy administrator, expected that cosmetic surgery would get rid of stubborn fat quickly and easily — just as the web advertising promised. Instead, she died three days after a liposuction-like procedure called AirSculpt at the San Diego office of Elite Body Sculpture, a cosmetic surgery chain…
BY ALI SWENSON and LAURAN NEERGAARD | Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases. The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for…
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…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media A bill authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles) and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will extend the sunset (repeal) date of the California Commission on the State of Hate from Jan. 1, 2027, to Jan. 1, 2031. Assembly Bill (AB) 822 allows the California Commission on the…
By Stacy M. Brown The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for one of the largest expansions in its history as officials confront what they describe as an unprecedented volume of credible threats, fueled by escalating global tensions and a series of aggressive U.S. actions overseas that have triggered unrest at home and abroad. The agency…
By Stacy M. Brown A quiet clarification by the United States Postal Service is drawing renewed scrutiny after health care advocates and voting rights observers warned that the change could carry serious consequences for millions of Americans who rely on postmarks to meet legal deadlines. Under new USPS guidance that took effect late last month,…
THE HUTCHINSON REPORT: By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Contributing Columnist Los Angeles Wave Mayor Karen Bass called the report “disturbing.” It was more, much more, than that. It was appalling. The Los Angeles Police Department continues to be the runaway leader among the nation’s police departments in the use of deadly force. Other reports show that…
by Ellen A number of key laws important to California workers became effective with the new year. The CA Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) stressed the importance of workers, employers, and community organizations being aware of and understanding these changes. LWDA stressed how the new laws are intended to reinforce California’s continued commitment to building a…
By Stacy M. Brown As questions mounted over the heavily redacted release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and new material placing President Donald Trump closer to the late sex trafficker than previously acknowledged, the White House shifted abruptly to a familiar tactic. The president turned outward, announcing U.S. military strikes in Nigeria and framing the…
by Adam Echelman December 25, 2025 Money is power. If California’s public colleges and universities didn’t already know that, they certainly learned it this year. Though the U.S. Department of Justice launched numerous high-profile complaints against California schools — allegations of antisemitism at University of California campuses and concerns about a transgender athlete at San…
by alyssah Fortune Schools, a unique network of TK-12 tuition-free public charter schools, is outperforming state averages in narrowing the academic achievement gap for African American scholars, according to the California Department of Education’s 2025 California School Dashboard. Fortune Schools in Sacramento and San Bernardino serve predominantly Black students (63%) and 20% Latino students. They…
By Josalyn Brown Robinson BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — My career has given me opportunities to build essential partnerships and relationships with staff, families, community leaders, and schools - these relationships have been key in identifying critical resources that enable children to successfully transition in their educational journey and help families find their way to self-sufficiency. Josalyn Brown Robinson…
By: Jaidyn McKinnie, Joint Center Research Intern and UCLA Student American democracy is entering a dangerous stage of decline. While coverage focuses largely on the most recognizable signs of democratic backsliding, such as attacks on free speech and the use of state force against peaceful protesters, a quieter crisis is reshaping the foundation of representation…
by The Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware On the night of Dec. 31, 1862, under cover of darkness and winter cold, groups of Americans of African descent — some free, others still enslaved — gathered quietly across the country. As the Civil War raged and their fate hung in the balance, Black men, women and children…
By D. Kevin McNeir/Special to the AFRO Members of the armed forces, both active duty and reserve personnel, recently learned that effective immediately, they must be clean-shaven when in uniform or on duty. In addition, the new policy severely limits medical shaving waivers, with the Army, for example, reducing exemptions to a temporary 12-month period…
The San Bernardino County Library invites adults across the county to improve their reading skills through its free Adult Literacy Program, a confidential, one-on-one tutoring initiative designed to help adult learners build confidence and achieve personal literacy goals. The Adult Literacy Program pairs adult learners with trained volunteer tutors for individualized instruction. Through weekly tutoring…
By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent Tom Brady stepped into the broadcast booth and, without saying a word, said everything. One glove. Not a gimmick. Not nostalgia cosplay. Just a quiet, unmistakable signal that even in a football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, the most famous silhouette…
Long-term commitments across education and culture reflect a unique approach to enduring impact. LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Acclaimed artist, investor, philanthropist, and SUPERCHARGED® CEO, Kwanza Jones, advances access to education and elevates culture through landmark institutional commitments over the past year, reinforcing a long-term approach to impact across education, culture, and community….