The federal government has many loose ends to tie after firing massive numbers of government employees and contractors, particularly in one department that once dealt with diversity. To protect fired employees from retaliation, an anonymous contractor terminated on Valentine’s Day, February 14, has expressed concerns that they still have government devices and equipment and active government emails.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has released its 32-page Annual Report, outlining significant policy advancements in economic justice, government diversity, technology, and workforce development. The report presents data-driven research and policy recommendations aimed at addressing long-standing disparities affecting Black communities while confronting ongoing attacks on diversity and inclusion efforts. “In 2024, we made great strides in our major program areas,” the report authors determined, detailing key initiatives that have shaped economic policies, workforce equity, and representation in government.
facebooktwitterinstagram Tariffs set to take effect Tuesday will impose a 25% levy on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on Chinese goods.
Former Maryland Governor and former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley warned that the Trump-Musk administration’s sweeping cuts to the Social Security Administration’s workforce will lead to major disruptions in benefits for millions of Americans. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has ordered a 50% reduction in Social Security’s workforce. The agency, already at its lowest staffing levels in 50 years, announced that it will soon implement large-scale layoffs. “These cuts will inflict a lot of pain on seniors and people with disabilities,” O’Malley said in a news conference on Friday. “Social Security is being driven to a total system collapse.”
As Donald Trump prepares to address Congress for the first time since reclaiming the White House, Democrats are shifting their approach. Gone are the walkouts and viral protests—this time, they aim to counter Trump’s rhetoric with a more strategic response. “In 2017, a lot of us felt like Donald Trump was an anomaly. In 2025, he won the election. Everybody knows who he is,” said Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.). “I think we have to be very strategic as Democrats.”
Of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, it delivered grave results. I alongside others, was not surprised that white America chose to hold fast to its mythologies, supremacies, and hegemonies. These cultural norms are undemocratic and dysfunctional. They are toxins that mutate into dysfunctional pathologies which sadly, but predictably, inform white America’s dysfunctional religion and politics. These toxins are dangerous and man – made for the genocide of black America, otherwise people of all colors and creeds. Its latest and deadliest effort is highly organized, supported by corporations, the United States Supreme Court, joint Houses of the United States Congress, and the Executive branch of the United States government. I am describing Project 2025 as representation of white supremacy.
The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) has unveiled its 2025 legislative priorities. Titled the the “Road to Repair 2025,” the bill package continues the CLBC’s effort to address the generational harm caused by slavery and systemic discrimination against Black Californians.
The growing movement for reparations for the descendants of Africans enslaved in America is receiving another jolt of energy. Democratic Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Presley is revitalizing the work of the late Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee with the reintroduction of H. R. 40. The newly reintroduced bill would create a 15-member commission to study concrete solutions to the Black Wall Street Tulsa Massacre.
The Eaton Fire has left a devastating mark on Southern California, including the Black and Brown communities of Pasadena and Altadena, where homeowners are grappling with unimaginable loss.
The founders of Head Start have always viewed parents as critical partners in their work to educate young children. They also understood that this partnership meant parents should help decide which services would most benefit their families and those in the community. As a result, Head Start created a formal leadership and policymaking role for parents and community members called the Policy Council.
The rapidly spreading wildfires that have transformed much of Los Angeles County into a raging hellscape are not only upending the lives of tens of thousands of residents and business owners, but also stressing the region’s hospitals, health clinics, first responders, and nursing homes.
The Sentencing Project, an advocacy organization promoting humane responses to crime, has released its report, “A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact of Life and Long-Term Imprisonment in the United States.” The report provides a detailed analysis of life sentences, revealing that nearly 200,000 people—one in six individuals in U.S. prisons—are serving life terms. The United States accounts for 40 percent of the world’s life-sentenced population but represents only 4 percent of the global population.
As flames tore through the picturesque foothills of Altadena and Pasadena on January 7, 2025, the Eaton Canyon fires left a historic Black community—rooted in the Civil Rights Movement—nearly wiped out. Among the hardest-hit areas in Los Angeles County, Altadena has seen its many Black-owned homes, churches, businesses, and landmarks reduced to ashes.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded $1 million in planning grants to 14 states as part of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program. Funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the program aims to address the ongoing mental health and substance use crises nationwide.
I was rolling down Interstate-5 cruising about 70 mpg, after a recent visit with some family and friends of distinction in Livermore, California. Like most people, after a trip long or short I’m always happy to get home. It was just 10- minutes away from my front door.
facebooktwitterinstagram Additionally, those impacted may be entitled to reimbursement related to evacuation costs. Please contact the Department of Insurance for additional information at 800-927-4357 or
As 2025 begins, jurisdictions across the United States enact new laws that impact gun safety, healthcare, consumer privacy, and transportation.
Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of cold weather. The Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center developed these tips to help families and staff keep children safe, healthy, and warm in the winter.
facebooktwitterinstagram The Employee Paycheck and Small Business Protection Act follows the sudden failure of Silicon Valley Bank and two other regional banks last year, where
facebooktwitterinstagram imilar pieces of legislation was passed by the House of Representatives in the 117th Congress, with a version of the Expanding Financial Access for
