Category: World & Nation

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the organized voice, survivor, and power of the Black Press in America. On the eve of Black History Month, we have chronicled the top Black newsmakers of the first quarter of the 21st century to honor Black impact through legacy, liberty, and justice. This list serves as a living record, centering Black leadership, innovation, and influence while ensuring today’s history is documented with clarity and intention for future generations. Our staff researched and reviewed news headlines and news articles for the last 25 years from our catalog of more than 200 member Black-owned newspapers across the United States with a reach of 20 million weekly readers from both our print and digital publications.

Donald Trump’s presidency has long carried a familiar weight for Black America. What feels different now is that the force once aimed primarily at Black and brown communities is no longer contained there. With the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old white mother of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, the unchecked power of the federal government has moved into spaces many Americans once believed were insulated.

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.

On the fifth anniversary of January 6, a date now fixed in the American conscience, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn returned to the moment that altered his life and the nation’s course. Appearing on “Let It Be Known,” Dunn spoke about the unforgettable day that’s shaped by time, pain, and resolve, revisiting what he has called the worst day of his life.

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 in modern culture still casts a shadow. Seventeen years after his death at 50, Michael Jackson remains unavoidable.

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 that precious right once again—and with it, the foundation of worker power itself.

Jackson, Mississippi native Evan Turnage, a 33-year-old antitrust lawyer and former top Senate counsel, formally entered the race for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on December 17, setting up a Democratic primary challenge to longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson in the March 10, 2026, election.