Category: Urban News

African Americans
Stefi Mar

DC Voters Fill the Seats at ‘Ask a D.C. Candidate Mayoral Forum’

Six candidates for the 2026 Washington, D.C. mayoral race answered questions on topics ranging from affordable housing, high utility bills and childcare costs, to the budget and working with the federal government, during a recent two-hour forum – and voters showed up in force.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

A New Home, A New Chapter: Bakersfield Opens Senior Affordable Housing in the Southeast

For Rita McArn, moving to Bakersfield from Kansas City was an act of faith. She came to be close to her family and for the weather. Today, she is one of the first residents of the newly opened 610 4th Street Apartments, a 16‑unit senior affordable housing development quietly transforming a corner of southeast Bakersfield.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Historic Black Baltimore Community Secures $3.15M Federal Grant for Flood Relief

After decades of persistent flooding and property damage, Turner Station, a historic Black community in Baltimore County, has received a federal grant to the tune of $3.15 million for flood resiliency and mitigation upgrades. Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07), alongside Baltimore County Executive Katherine Klausmeier and leaders from Turner Station Conservation Teams, announced the funding on March 12.

Arts & Culture
Stefi Mar

Spring Has Sprung in the “City of Good Neighbors

It’s that time of the year again! Days are longer, and the weather is cooler. Don’t try to explain this to Mother Nature. No one could ever imagine ushering in spring with sizzling weather.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Author Details History of Black Leisure Sites in Southland

In her latest book, “Living the California Dream – African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era,” author Alison Rose Jefferson provides new insights into how the great migration of Blacks beginning in 1910 from the American South to the urban North, Midwest, and West challenged the prevailing narratives that exclude African Americans and shows their active role in shaping regional identity.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

A Week After Shedeur Sanders is Drafted in the 5th Round, He and His Fans Move Forward

“I have never seen anything in my almost 50 years of covering the National Football League like what the National Football League just did to Shedeur Sanders,” said Skip Bayless emphatically on the Skip Bayless Show on April 29. Bayless had predicted that Sanders would be selected early in the first round. Another top draft expert, Mel Kiper, called the late drafting of Sanders “disgusting” and said “I don’t know what is going on with this” on the night of the draft.

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.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Harris, Obama, and Booker Step Up as Resistance Against Trump Takes Shape

Is the resistance finally taking form? As Kendrick Lamar asked during his powerful Super Bowl performance, “Are we really about to do it?” That question now echoes in the political arena as former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris have entered the public fray, joining voices like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett in confronting President Donald Trump and his administration’s sweeping changes head-on.

Entertainment
Stefi Mar

Drake Settles iHeartMedia Battle, But His War Over ‘Not Like Us’ Rages On

Drake took Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us—so personally that he took it to court. Now, he’s settled his dispute with iHeartMedia, but his fight with Universal Music Group (UMG) is just heating up. In November, Drake filed a legal petition in Texas, accusing iHeartMedia of accepting illegal payments from UMG to flood the airwaves with Not Like Us. Both Drake and Lamar are signed to UMG, making the allegations even messier. While the rapper and iHeartMedia have now “amicably resolved” their dispute, the details of their agreement remain sealed.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Black America, The Time Is Now: No More Warnings, No More Illusions

America has reached a precipice. There is no more waiting, no more wondering, no more giving the benefit of the doubt. The war against Black America is no longer theoretical. It is real. It is happening now. And those who still don’t see it—or worse, refuse to act—are signing their own death warrants.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

HBCUs In Jeopardy of Losing Funding for Black Cultural Studies

“This is only the beginning of a long fight,” according to Democratic North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams. She is addressing the Executive Order to pause federal loans and grants. There is an overwhelming concern in the Historically Black College and University community that many key programs focused on race and equity will be impacted. Adams, a ranking member of a House Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Founder and Co-Chair of the Bicameral HBCU Caucus, issued a statement to Black Press USA once a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s funding freeze. Adams, whose state houses 11 HBCUs, the largest number in any given state, believes, “President Trump is dismantling equity in education with the stroke of a pen by rescinding federal initiatives for MSIs.”

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

In Fire’s Wake, a Community Comes Together to Prevent Future Disasters

“As we address the aftermath of the wildfires, let us resolve not just to build back better but also smarter, with a commitment to the environment and future generations. As a pastor, I am guided by the principle that caring for creation is an integral part of our faith. Let us take inspiration from the teachings of love and stewardship, embracing the role of being good caretakers of God’s earth. Without a shadow of a doubt, community solidarity is crucial in the fight against climate change.”

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Harvard Under Fire for Slashing Slavery Initiative Staff as Black History Faces Nationwide Attacks

Harvard University abruptly terminated staff contributing to the research component of its Slavery Remembrance Program on January 23, leaving employees without notice and sparking outrage about the institution’s commitment to its $100 million Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. The decision comes during a national wave of setbacks to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts, widespread layoffs of minority employees, and actions by states and schools to diminish the teaching of Black history.