Category: African Americans

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Trump Moves to Expose MLK Files — Critics Warn of Smear Campaign

On January 23, three days into his second term, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14176, called the Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Since then, only the records of November 22, 1963, the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been made public. There had been year-long debates about whether the records should be released. The Kennedy records were deemed underwhelming by many who examined them, some of whom were joined to a six decades-long conspiracy theory that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the lone murderer of President Kennedy.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

UPDATE: PepsiCo Meets with Sharpton Over DEI Rollbacks, Future Action Pending

Rev. Al Sharpton met Tuesday morning with PepsiCo leadership at the company’s global headquarters in Purchase, New York, following sharp criticism of the food and beverage giant’s decision to scale back nearly $500 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Front Page
Stefi Mar

Altadena Residents Rebuild, But Luxury Developers Could Stop Them In Their Tracks

Months later, the fires are out, the dust has settled and Altadena residents are looking towards their next lofty challenge of rebuilding the places that they have called home and the buildings that were the sites of dreams realized — but just as this next optimistic phase gets underway, a crop of luxury developers could be ready to grind things to a definitive halt. The signs were there of what is currently an ever-growing fear, as just one month after the Eaton fire ravaged the Altadena community the first vacant lot available, among the ash and debris, sold for a jaw-dropping $500,000 — which was $100,000 over the initial asking price.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

SAVE Act: A New Weapon Against Black and Brown Voters

Since the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, Republicans have worked relentlessly to chip away at protections for voters — particularly Black Americans, other people of color, and women. Those efforts reached a fever pitch after Barack Obama’s historic victories in 2008 and 2012, which sparked what many observers say was the modern white supremacist movement and reignited GOP efforts to suppress the vote.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Target Reels from Boycotts, Employee Revolt, and Massive Losses as Activists Plot Next Moves

Target is spiraling as consumer boycotts intensify, workers push to unionize, and the company faces mounting financial losses following its rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. With foot traffic plummeting, stock prices at a five-year low, and employee discontent boiling over, national civil rights leaders and grassroots organizers are vowing to escalate pressure in the weeks ahead. Led by Georgia pastor Rev. Jamal Bryant, a 40-day “Targetfast” aligned with the Lenten season continues to gain traction.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Chavis Confronts Digital Racism and Demands Reparations at U.N. Forum

National Newspaper Publishers Association President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. delivered a forceful address during the fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, calling on global leaders to confront algorithmic discrimination, reject media-driven imperialism, and fully recognize the crimes of slavery through official reparatory justice.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Black Babies Are Still Dying—And America Let It Happen

A sweeping new analysis of U.S. mortality data over the past 70 years reveals that Black children in the United States have consistently faced significantly higher mortality rates than their white peers, with no improvement in relative disparities since the 1950s. The study, published March 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, documents more than half a million avoidable infant deaths and nearly 690,000 childhood deaths among Black Americans between 1950 and 2019.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

The Black Economy

“We are in the midst of a storm,” according to Allan Boomer, Chief Investment Advisor for Momentum Advisors, who discusses Black Americans wallets amid this downward economic spiral created by President Donald Trump. The president’s economics include the proposed 10-year budget, massive tariffs, and the firing of federal workers.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Trump Backs U.S. Entry into British Commonwealth, Raising Alarm Over American Independence and Slave Trade

Donald Trump has expressed support for the United States becoming an “associate member” of the British Commonwealth, responding to a report in The Sun that King Charles might extend such an offer during Trump’s upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom. “I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!” Trump wrote online. The Sun cited a “secret offer” in development following a Daily Mail report claiming discussions are underway “at the highest levels” to include the U.S. in the Commonwealth of Nations. While the British government deferred to Buckingham Palace, some officials in the Labour government view the monarchy as a diplomatic bridge to Trump, who has publicly praised the royals.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Return to Jim Crow: Federal Regulations Rolled Back to Allow Segregation

The Trump administration has blatantly resurrected segregation in federal contracting, undoing decades of civil rights progress by removing anti-segregation mandates. The alarmingly regressive move reopens the door for racially divided facilities, eerily reminiscent of the Jim Crow era, with potential “Whites Only” and “Colored” signage in government-funded workplaces.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Black Homeownership Faces Persistent Barriers Despite Hard-Fought Gains

onia Reed believed she had achieved the American dream. In December 2024, the Black grandmother and former homeless individual became a homeowner in San Leandro, California. But her triumph quickly turned into a nightmare when neighbors began harassing her with racial slurs and vandalizing her property. “I worked so hard to finally have a place to call my own, and now I have to fear for my safety in my own home,” Reed said. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating the incidents as hate crimes. For many, vandalism is part of an ongoing pattern where Black homeowners have faced some kind of discrimination.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Debt Relief Just Got Real: Experian Erases Millions in Balances For African Americans

Experian has launched a major debt relief initiative, committing $5 million to assist 5,000 families in Louisiana and aiming to expand to other locations. The effort, carried out in partnership with public benefit corporation ForgiveCo, seeks to ease the financial burdens of households grappling with credit card and personal loan debt.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Celebrating African American Journalists in Los Angeles

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr., at Los Angeles City Hall to acknowledge the Black professionals in Media, Thursday, February 27, 2025. This lively event closed out Black History Month celebration with a luncheon, great music, networking, and an art show featuring local artists in the Tom Bradley Room of Los Angeles City Hall.