At the start of the service, Nation of Islam Student Eastern Regional Minister Arthur Muhammad referred to Minister Farrakhan as, “the man who has saved my life, and many of our lives.” 

He referred to Student Minister Ishmael “a constant mentor, a constant brother, a constant teacher, constantly guiding me and directing me, because what is on his heart is that the people of New York City feel the spirit of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakan in the spirit of Allah (God).”

Introducing Student Min. Ishmael, Student Min. Arthur called him a “very special guest,” and described him saying that “he has a love for our people and the sensitivity for the people.

In his remarks, Student Minister Ishmael reminded the audience that Minister Farrakhan was born in the Bronx, New York. He told the crowd that, “New York is the heart. We need to get up, you cannot sit down, you cannot lay down … .

This body depends on a strong heart that is not calloused and diseased. You are the heart. So, start pumping, because the extremities of the body, and the brain need oxygen, and the rich nutrients that come from the bloodstream of faith.

When New York is popping the whole nation dances. Come on New York! Come on Brooklyn! Come on Bronx! Come on Queens! Westchester, all that!”

Referencing the Bible in the book of Daniel and Revelations about the “end time” prophecies, Student Minister Ishmael mentioned that the 7 in Mosque No. 7 is significant, and that 70  means “grace.”

“Minister Louis Farrakhan represents grace, and in the 69th year of his service, and in the 69th week of the prophecy of Daniel the ‘Messiah is cut off’… . He has not been cut off physically from us yet.

But it started in 2024,  after his Saviours’ Day message, shortly after that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad telling him to ‘be quiet.’” Student Minister Ishmael was referring to Minister Farrakhan’s last major public message, titled.

“What Does Allah The Great Mahdi and The Great Messiah Have To Say About The War In The Middle East?” After that message, Minister Farrakhan was ordered and guided by his Teacher to not speak publicly and to watch and see what he was guided to reveal, unfold.

The audience listened intently to Student Minister Ishmael’s message.

“You and I need not be afraid, nor worried. It’s all in God’s hands, you give too much credit to these other people. We’ve got to get together, and be brothers, and be sisters and make our community a decent and safe place to live.”

So powerful and inspirational was his almost one-hour message, that over 30 people lined up to shake his hand, and desired to learn more about the Nation of Islam.

New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam, formerly of the Central Park Five, now the Exonerated Five—the wrongfully charged teens who spent 7 to 13 years in prison charged for a 1989 crime they did not commit—was also in the audience. Mr. Yusef Salaam parlayed the trauma of what happened to him as a teenager, into triumph and became the city councilmember for Harlem in 2024.

Councilman Salaam told The Final Call, “As I continue my personal and deeply spiritual journey in life, I am happy to join my brothers and sisters in the Nation of Islam, to continue to serve my family and my community to the best of my ability.” 

At the beginning of the special Unity Day gathering, saying “Unity is strength,” Brother Tariq Muhammad introduced all of the speakers. Brother Jacques Muhammad from Queens reminded everyone that Minister Farrakhan gave a Saviours’ Day directive to “Make our community a safe and decent place to live.”

There were also presentations by the young N.O.I. members, Sister Aja from Buffalo and Brother Joshua, who encouraged the audience to keep the faith and trust the process as they move through life.

During his keynote message, Student Minister Ishmael also said people should thank The Creator (Allah/God): “We thank Him for His many blessings … for the gift of life, our parents, our mothers, our fathers … we thank Him for getting us through the night.”

He continued,  “The focus of our message today is deeply spiritual with practical application … when we talk about the spiritual, we are talking about God.

And the most important relationship in your  life and my life–is not with mama, not with husband or wife … the most important relationship that you and I could have in life’s journey is our relationship and our connection and our bond to The Creator.”

He added, “We have to look at ourselves, because to make our community a decent and safe place to live starts with me, and I have to be the change that I want to see in the community.

“We can’t make the community safe, until we are willing to obey God. Money, politics is not going to solve the problem … .”

Speaking with The Final Call, Student Minister Ishmael shared how he felt about the warm welcome and reception he received in New York. “It was wonderful. I always feel right at home and with family here in New York, with so much love. 

I am very humbled and honored to be in New York, and the wonderful loving reception that we received today, and those that heard the Teachings, accepted, and it appeared as though there was a lot of love and high spirits in the mosque today,” he said.

In response to the audience members who stood up to accept to learn more about the Nation of Islam, Student Minister Ishmael replied, “I always feel good, because that lets you know that you did a pretty good job in representing the Life-Giving Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad,  and that the people accepted and received it.

So, it’s a great reward for the work that is done by the student minister. We always want the people to accept the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and to become a part of the Nation of Islam.”

Student Minister Arthur shared his thoughts about the day. “Today, New York City was blessed to hear Student Minister Ishmael Muhammed deliver a spiritual message. Light bulbs actually turned on as he was going through the scriptures and sharing with us our responsibility in our connection to Allah, God, The Creator.

The people who joined the Nation today just demonstrated that he had the right note. He came to New York with the right key to unlock maybe the questions, or the skepticism, or the fear that was in the people for them to embrace the word. It was beautiful.”—Nayaba Arinde

Nayaba Arinde is a freelance Editor-at-Large and award-winning reporter and activist. Follow her on Instagram @NayabaArinde1

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The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, has referenced this illustration in several of his messages in describing what he calls “America’s errant foreign policy.”

In His book “Message to the Blackman in America,” on page 122, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad referenced scripture in describing the serpent.

“That old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world (Rev. 12:19) is a person or persons whose characteristics are like that of a serpent (snake). Serpents or snakes of the grafted type cannot be trusted, for they will strike you when you are not expecting a strike.”

It was recently announced by the Trump administration that the U.S. and Nigeria reportedly carried out what is being called a “joint mission,” which targeted and killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, reportedly a key figure in the hierarchy of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), also referred to as IS (Islamic State).

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, in a statement, acknowledged the joint operation, which also reportedly killed several of al-Minuki’s “lieutenants.”

We have seen this scenario play out before in terms of America inserting itself into the affairs of sovereign countries, including those in Africa, and in the Arab and Muslim world, some of whom have opened themselves up to America.

According to several news sources, the U.S. currently has about 29 military bases across approximately 15 countries in Africa, and in the Middle East, the number is reportedly close to two dozen.

While the U.S. does not yet have a base in Nigeria, AFRICOM (U.S. Africa Command) is present, further embedding the U.S. on the continent and, one might argue, it is causing more problems.

“In the past 15 years, the U.S. government has quietly expanded its military footprint across the African continent, engaging in ‘special operations’ with African troops in the name of security. Since the 2007 establishment of the Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The defense department’s regional combatant command for Africa, the U.S. has adopted a military-first approach to securing its interests on the continent,” wrote Samar al-Bulushi in a 2023 article, “What Is AFRICOM? How the U.S. Military is Militarizing and Destabilizing Africa.”

“This has had disastrous effects. Whether it’s the seemingly endless (undeclared) war against the militant group Al-Shabaab in Somalia or the wave of coups (in many cases led by U.S.-trained officers), AFRICOM has contributed to the very instability it claims to address,” al-Bulushi noted.

Prior to this recent military operation in Nigeria, in November of 2025, President Donald Trump threatened to put boots on the ground in Nigeria under the guise of reportedly “protecting Christians” from being “persecuted” by Muslims.

Nigeria is a very diverse country and Africa’s most populous nation, with a population of 237.5 million. Nigeria is home to hundreds of tribes and people who speak multiple dialects and languages. Muslims and Christians reside there. It is also a mineral-rich country.

Despite the U.S. often using “democracy” and “fighting terrorism” as justification for engaging in military operations abroad, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has exposed the true motive, which is to cause brother to rise up against brother, thereby opening the door for America to take advantage and gain control of the wealth and resources that rightfully belong to that country.

In Part 34 of his 2013, 58- week lecture series “The Time and What Must Be Done,” Minister Farrakhan said, “America doesn’t care about ‘democracy’ if that democracy brings into power people that she does not want, that will not be amenable to her foreign-policy objectives and her national interest.

As a result of such planning, based on war mongering, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the NSA (National Security Agency) and the government of the United States of America would engage, covertly, in creating and exploiting differences that naturally exist in all nations.

And put money behind these differences that would one day explode into possible civil war, fratricidal conflict, death and destruction—based on the lies of the mischief making of this Mischief Maker and Universal Blood Shedder.”

In his message, though, Minister Farrakhan was speaking at the time about Syria, a Muslim nation in the Middle East; America’s goals and objectives then are the same today. It enacts its modus operandi (method of operation) without hesitation and it has for decades.

“Every time there has been a so-called democratic election in the Muslim world, that brought so-called Islamists into political power, America worked to destroy that democratically elected government.

Which shows that America is not interested in a democratically elected government that produces a government that she is not in control of, and cannot have free access to the natural resources of that nation,” Minister Farrakhan added.

Additionally, in part 12 of that same lecture series, Minister Farrakhan warned America, citing the Holy Qur’an, that every nation has a fixed and limited term. He quotes Surah (Chapter 7), Ayat (Verse) 34, which states: “And every nation has a term; so when its term comes, they cannot remain behind the least while, nor can they precede (it).”

Like his teacher, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan has consistently and constantly warned that Allah (God) will judge and ultimately punish America for its misdeeds committed “at home” but also “abroad.”

“It is our Sacred Duty to warn America that the ‘term’—a fixed term—of her power to exercise authority and rule not only over her own citizens, but over the peoples of the Earth:  That term is fast coming to an end.”

The U.S. always presents itself as a benevolent and helpful ally and friend to the other nations of the world when it comes to fighting so-called terrorism or extremism. But as history has shown time and time again, America is the biggest terrorist of them all. There is an old saying: “Beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

The U.S. has functioned as a snake or serpent in its dealings, always swooping in under the guise of playing the hero for a chaotic situation it helped foster.

For Nigeria and other nations of the Earth, when America comes in extending its hand and offering its “support,” “friendship,” and “help,” be very careful, but more importantly, as the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad forewarned, serpents cannot be trusted, and “Beware of false promises.”

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The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” opened April 24 to sold-out theaters and a global box office surge topping $200 million, as audiences across the country and overseas transformed screenings into full-throated celebrations of the King of Pop.

Lionsgate confirmed the film’s worldwide total based on early ticket sales and projections through the opening weekend, a figure that places the film among the strongest debuts for a non-sequel in recent years.

“If you give audiences what they want, they will come,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in crediting audiences for the turnout.

From New York to Los Angeles and across international markets, theaters were filled with fans wearing fedoras, sequined jackets, and single gloves. Michael Jackson look-alikes posed for photos in lobbies while crowds inside auditoriums sang along, danced in aisles, and shouted at the screen.

What unfolded inside theaters matched reports from industry observers who described screenings as closer to live events than traditional moviegoing.

The numbers followed the energy. The film generated about $40 million domestically on opening day and is projected to finish the weekend between $90 million and $100 million in the United States and Canada.

Overseas markets added more than $111 million, pushing the global total beyond $200 million and delivering the biggest opening of the year for a live-action film.

Audience response has been decisive. Moviegoers handed the film an A- CinemaScore grade, while audience ratings climbed into the mid-to-high 90% range on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics moved in the opposite direction, with reviews falling below 40% positive.

That divide did little to slow ticket sales. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson in his first major role, brings together a cast that includes Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller.

Domingo’s portrayal of Joseph Jackson sparked strong reactions inside theaters, with audiences loudly responding to his character’s treatment of a young Michael. Jaafar Jackson’s performance drew cheers throughout, with viewers applauding signature dance moves and musical recreations.

Backed by a production budget near $200 million and an extensive marketing campaign that exceeded $50 million in North America alone, the film was designed to tap into nostalgia tied to Jackson’s music and global reach.

Promotional efforts included outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and a focus on younger audiences discovering Jackson’s story for the first time.

Early data shows that strategy is paying off. Black moviegoers led opening-weekend attendance at 38%, followed by Latino and Hispanic audiences at 26% and White audiences at 24%, with women making up a majority of ticket buyers.

The film has already triggered renewed interest in Jackson’s music catalog, with streaming numbers rising and ticket sales increasing for the Broadway production “MJ,” which continues to tour nationally.

“MJ has a lot of fans, of course the movie does well in the box office,” social media user Liverpool Fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The movie is a celebration of MJ’s early years and his talent, I see nothing wrong with that. If you want a documentary, there’s already plenty out there.”

Stacy M. Brown is a senior writer for The Washington Informer and the senior national correspondent for the Black Press of America.

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Multiple homes and businesses were damaged and families were displaced in Mineral Wells, a small city about 45 miles west of Fort Worth. Two people were taken to the hospital and others with minor injuries were treated at the scene, according to Ryan Dunn, the city’s fire chief. There were no immediate reports of fatalities or people missing.

Dunn warned people to stay out of an industrial area where there’s “major damage and major hazards that are all across the roads.”

The wild weather came just days after a tornado-producing thunderstorm left at least two people dead in northern Texas and displaced at least 20 families.

The April 28 thunderstorms, including at least one unconfirmed tornado, were caused by large storm cells that were drifting southeast from north-central Texas, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with National Weather Service.

The storms continued April 28 night as they moved across Texas and into Arkansas and Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service. The storms could produce hail larger than two inches, damaging winds and some tornadoes, according to the agency.

In Mineral Wells, where the streets were left littered with fallen trees and other debris, the mayor declared a local state of disaster. The city also instituted a 10 p.m. curfew that was lifted around daylight as authorities continue to assess the damage, said Tim Denison, the city’s police chief. He said the curfew was to “make sure that we keep people out of the areas and also try to help these victims out, and keep their personal belongings safe.”

Officials directed anyone who needed help to the local high school, where the Red Cross was setting up.

Fast-moving storms pummeled parts of the Midwest with hail, strong wind and heavy rain April 27, flooding streets, stranding commuters and downing many trees, including one in western Michigan that landed on a man and killed him.

More than 56 million people in the Midwest and parts of the South were at risk of severe storms, with tornado warnings posted in southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northern Arkansas, the National Weather Service said.

A thunderstorm that whipped through Kent County, Michigan, with powerful winds caused a tree to fall and kill a 39-year-old man who had been outside with friends, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The friends said “the man warned them to move just before the tree came down, actions they believe likely prevented more of them from being struck,” according to the sheriff’s office. The storm resulted in dozens of downed trees and wires.

Across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, more than 250,000 people were without power April 27 night.

We Energies in Wisconsin said it had restored power for more than 35,000 customers, but thousands more remained without electricity. Milwaukee said it had nearly 100 emergency calls for downed trees and branches. Trees uprooted by strong winds blocked streets.

In Kansas City, Missouri, the fire department responded to 11 water rescues from vehicles starting at shortly before 6 a.m., Battalion Chief Riley Nolan said in an email.

He said most “were in our typical ‘high-water’ areas following heavy rains.” Nolan said no boats were required and no injuries were reported.

The weather service reported that 3.2 inches of rain fell in a six-hour period ending shortly before 7 a.m. at the Kansas City International Airport.

Hundreds of schools in the St. Louis area closed early, and many after-school activities were canceled.

Temperatures near 80 degrees Fahrenheit and other factors were contributing to “atmospheric instability,” said Evan Bentley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The storms followed rounds of violent weather over the weekend.

Compiled from Associated Press reports.

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Titled “Sounding the Alarm: The Health Effects of the Cuban Oil Blockade,” the virtual gathering brought together medical professionals, U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY).

Cuban Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM David A. Comissiong, and other international voices to expose what speakers described as a preventable humanitarian catastrophe unfolding just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

“The health consequences of the Cuban oil blockade are profound and demand urgent global attention,” said Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., 126th president of the National Medical Association.

“As physicians, we have a responsibility to elevate the human impact of these policies and advocate for solutions that prioritize health, dignity, and access to care for all people.”

Dr. Mitchell detailed how persistent power outages, driven by restricted fuel access, are disrupting neonatal care, dialysis, chemotherapy and surgical procedures across Cuba’s hospitals and clinics.

The 2026 Cuban crisis is an oil shortage and economic catastrophe caused by an American fuel blockade, the United States’ first effective blockade of Cuba since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

On January 29, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14380, declaring Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security, imposing tariffs on any country supplying the island with oil.

Maternal mortality spikes 50%

Dr. L. Khadijah Lang, NMA Region VI chairperson and director of Medical Bridge of the Motherland, drew a direct line from the fuel embargo to the deterioration of outcomes for pregnant women and infants.

“My perspective comes as a physician in the U.S. who is doing obstetrics in America and witnessing the ridiculous and criminal maternal mortality that we are experiencing for Black women.

It is heartbreaking when I see a country like Cuba, which has done so well in controlling maternal mortality, have an increase of 50% in its maternal mortality rate as a result of this oil embargo,” Dr. Lang said.

She added that Cuban women are “not even able to get ultrasounds” to detect congenital problems or receive early indications of pregnancy complications. “Infants who have committed no crime,” she said, cannot get “a healthy start in life.”

Dr. Lang also spoke of more than 5,000 cancer patients waiting for surgery, unable to access life-saving oncological procedures due to energy shortages.

Having worked alongside Cuban physicians in medical missions in Mozambique and Grenada, she praised their skill and dedication while condemning U.S. policies that obstruct their work.

“For us as a nation to intentionally prevent this type of work from being able to continue is unethical, it’s unprofessional,” Dr. Lang stated. “It goes against everything in our Hippocratic Oath that we have all taken. We must stand together and bring this to an end.”

Real risk to human life and dignity

Cuban Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera detailed how U.S. regulations prevent Cuba from accessing medical technology with more than 10% U.S. components, forcing the country to source equipment at significantly higher costs. Of Cuba’s list of 511 essential drugs, 69% have been affected, and 364 are currently unavailable.

“Health is a fundamental human right,” Ambassador Torres said. “It should never be impacted by governmental policies. What we are facing in Cuba today are not abstract challenges. They present real risk to human life and dignity.”

She noted that 72,000 pregnant women require ultrasound and lab monitoring under Cuba’s maternal-child health program; 30,000 children need timely vaccinations dependent on refrigerated transport chains; and nearly 19,000 patients depend on oxygen therapy or dialysis—treatments requiring stable, continuous energy now under threat.

Congressman Meeks: ‘Cruel enforced logic’

During the April 15 webinar, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, characterized the U.S. position as a “failed strategy of maximum pressure” designed deliberately to make the Cuban people suffer.

“That’s what the strategy is intended to do—to make the Cuban people suffer, so that they believe that that would cause them to rise up to overthrow the Cuban government,” Rep. Meeks said. “This is something they’ve been trying to do for the last over 60 years. It does not work. It is a humanitarian devastation.”

Rep. Meeks announced he is working with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) to raise alarms and introduce legislation prohibiting U.S. tax dollars from being used for unauthorized military force in Cuba, citing concerns about potential U.S. action similar to interventions in Venezuela.

While acknowledging differences with the Cuban government, Rep. Meeks insisted, “The best way to hash out our differences is dialogue and diplomacy, not through ravaging a country’s health care system or threatening military action.”

He noted that the President Barack Obama administration had begun normalizing relations and opening doors for medical supplies, but those policies were reversed and never restored—even under President Joe Biden.

“The Cuban people are in desperate need right now,” Rep. Meeks said, calling for united voices to “fight to change this archaic policy that we’ve had for 60 years.”

Caribbean urged to act

Ambassador David A. Comissiong of Barbados to CARICOM recalled the courageous 1972 decision by Caribbean prime ministers—Eric Williams, Michael Manley, Forbes Burnham, and Errol Barrow—to defy the United States and the Organization of American States by establishing relations with revolutionary Cuba.

“The time has come for us, the people and governments of CARICOM, to do our duty and to help our Cuban sisters and brothers to make it through this severe existential crisis,” Ambassador Comissiong said. “Cuba is desperately in need of food, medical supplies, solar energy, heaters, and other appliances to help mitigate the energy crisis.”

He noted that 187 nations voted in the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 in favor of a resolution demanding an end to the U.S. embargo, with only the United States and Israel opposing.

“Beyond Cuba is the entire edifice of multilateralism and international law,” he warned. “We all owe a duty to Cuba. By doing so, we might just find that we would have taken a critical step to preserve the order and safety of the entire human family.”

A call to action

“The NMA stands in solidarity with health care professionals working under constrained conditions and reiterates its commitment to advocating for policies that protect patient care, preserve human dignity, and uphold the fundamental purpose of public health,” Dr. Mitchell said.

The webinar, held ahead of the NMA’s annual convention, is part of the organization’s ongoing work to expose what it calls the injustice of political censure being used against the medical supply chain.

The NMA has previously sent representatives to Cuba, hosted graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) at its conventions and passed resolutions asking physicians to support ELAM students and graduates upon their return to the United States.

As Dr. Lang put it: “Every human being is a child of God. And we are all supposed to be looking out for our brothers and sisters.”

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DETROIT—Produced and presented by husband-and-wife team Brother Timothy and Sister Nadiyah Muhammad, the Saviours’ Day 2026 Waltz and Etiquette workshop on February 21 was an elegant display of cultural refinement and high civilization.

Sister Nadiyah began with the “rules of engagement,” which included treating others as you want to be treated, offering a sincere greeting of peace, lowering one’s gaze and guarding one’s modesty, and wearing gloves while dancing. “The Waltz is a lead and follow dance,” she explained.

To provide visual instruction and inspiration, students of the Waltz and Etiquette class, who were men and women of various ages, offered demonstrations for attendees while Sis.

Nadiyah guided them. Each student was dressed in their best, with the women wearing beautiful, modest gowns and matching headpieces, and the men in black suits with matching bowties, handkerchiefs, and boutonnieres.

The workshop continued with live practice for those interested in learning how to dance, orchestrated by Bro. Timothy. “The Waltz is not a romantic dance,” he said. “It’s a social dance.”

The workshop itself was highly anticipated. Sis. Francesca Muhammad was very excited to participate after seeing the promotional-introduction videos from the Nation of Islam’s Ministry of Arts and Culture. “It was very nice,” she told The Final Call.

Following the demonstration, a briefing on the history and science of the Waltz featured quotes from the autobiography of Bernstein Sharrieff Muhammad, the only secretary to Allah (God) in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad. The autobiography is entitled “I Am Bernstein Sharrieff Mohammed, Reformer and Secretary to Master W.D.F. Mohammed … And These are Some of My Experiences.”

“When you see the Waltz, you see Caucasians; but when you see leaders of science, you also see White folks. But just because you see it now doesn’t mean that it came from them,” Bro. Timothy said. He explained to attendees that the Waltz, as well as learning etiquette and cultural refinement, is a part of the Black man and woman being themselves.

Performers at the Waltz workshop continued to dazzle participants and attendees with further demonstrations, but the closing act, which drew a “Wow!” from the audience, was the “Not a Drop of Water” competition.

Each student couple danced with a glass of water on their head, the challenge being not to spill a single drop. Master Fard Muhammad would demonstrate the Waltz balancing a glass of water on His head.

Although the winners of the challenge were Sis. Saniyyah Muhammad, 22, and her husband, Elijah Muhammad, who is also 22, Bro. Timothy proclaimed that all the students were winners for attempting. —Tariqah Muhammad

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On Feb. 14, 79-year-old Conceição Evaristo, a writer from Minas Gerais known for her powerful works centering on Black women’s experiences, sat majestically atop a float designed by samba school Imperio Serrano at Rio’s famed Sambodrome.

Two days later, the samba school Unidos da Tijuca dedicated its parade to the late Carolina Maria de Jesus, a favela-based diarist who died nearly five decades ago, and also featured Evaristo.

“For Black women in Brazil everything is very difficult,” Evaristo said during an interview at the school’s warehouse while preparations were in full swing. The parade, she said, “presents other forms of knowledge that are born in Black communities” while celebrating Brazil’s diversity.

Samba is a Brazilian music and dance genre driven by syncopated rhythms that grew out of Afro-Brazilian traditions. Every year, schools based in low-income neighborhoods spend months preparing a parade complete with a samba song, towering floats and dazzling costumes, which they then present to judges at a fierce competition during Carnival.

In the early hours of Feb. 17 morning, dancers, performers and percussionists from the Unidos da Tijuca school made their way down the Sambodrome’s central alley while a song about de Jesus rang out across the grounds. Books of all shapes, sizes and colors featured prominently on the floats and costumes.

It was “an act of historical reparation,” according to a leaflet presenting the parades at the venue, which also said that de Jesus died poor and forgotten in 1977.

‘No single writing style’

Both de Jesus and Evaristo rose from humble backgrounds. In the 1950s, de Jesus kept a diary that chronicled her struggles to earn an income and feed her three children in a poor, urban community known as a favela in Sao Paulo. Her diary has sold more than a million copies since its 1960 publication, according to a website dedicated to de Jesus run by the prestigious museum Instituto Moreira Salles.

While some critics have dismissed de Jesus’ work as simplistic, Evaristo defends her unconventional style. “The Brazilian model cannot choose a single language model … based, for example, on European cultures,” said Evaristo, whose acclaimed works include the 2003 novel “Poncia Vivencio,” about a Black woman who leaves rural Brazil to try her luck in a city, and the 2014 collection of short stories “Water Eyes.”

For actor Maria Gal, who portrays de Jesus in an upcoming film and during the parade, the late author remains relevant in contemporary Brazil because of her focus on education, gender equality and sustainable development. “We are a country that often ends up forgetting our own history. And yet we have an incredibly rich cultural history. Carolina illustrates this very powerfully,” Gal said.

Black women in Brazil continue to face systemic discrimination. They are more likely than White women to be poor, illiterate and to suffer from hunger. They are also at greater risk of being a victim of gender-based violence.

Last year, Ana Maria Gonçalves became the first Black woman to earn a seat at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, the country’s most exclusive literature body. Yet, despite the milestone, scholars argue that racial and gender bias still define the academy’s history.

“I have no doubt about the fact that if Conceição Evaristo were a White man, she would already be a part of the Brazilian Academy of Letters,” said Felipe Fanuel Xavier Rodrigues, a literature professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

The parades are a transformative political act, Rodrigues said. “Carnival suspends everyday rules, including those of a structurally racist society like ours. It’s when a crack appears.” (AP)

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Speaking on Jan. 15 during the annual presentation of the executive’s performance to the Venezuelan Parliament, Rodriguez underlined the country’s right to chart its own foreign policy.

“We have the right to have diplomatic relations with China, with Russia, with Iran, with Cuba; with all the peoples of the world. … We are a sovereign nation,” she said.

Rodriguez condemned what she described as “invasive aggression” by the United States on January 3, calling it “a stain on the relationship between the two countries.” She stressed that despite Washington’s hostile actions, her government “has decided to choose the diplomatic path” to confront the crisis imposed on Venezuela.

Describing the current moment as the beginning of a “new political era,” Rodriguez devoted a significant part of her address to honoring President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were kidnapped during the U.S. aggression on January 3.

She also sought to strengthen the morale of the revolutionary movement in the aftermath of the attack. Reaffirming her commitment to the core principles of Chavismo

The political movement founded by Hugo Chavez, Rodriguez credited Maduro with the government’s work. “This work belongs to President Maduro,” she said while presenting the official report on the executive’s performance.

Rodriguez pledged to continue efforts for the release of Maduro and Flores and called for “a minute of applause” in honor of Cuban and Venezuelan soldiers killed in clashes with U.S. troops, framing their deaths as a consequence of Washington’s militarized intervention.

Both Rodriguez and her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, struck a measured tone toward the opposition. They emphasized the need for political coexistence and accepted responsibility for improving the country’s political climate, even as external pressure intensifies.

At the same time, Rodriguez warned the opposition against interpreting limited gestures or efforts to reduce tensions as weakness. She stressed that fascist extremism would not be tolerated and that the state would act decisively to confront it.

“It is not that the acting president is afraid because she is being threatened. No. All of Venezuela is being threatened, and with sovereignty at stake, we will fight the diplomatic battle,” she said.

Rodriguez also delivered a sharp critique of U.S. foreign policy, pointing to a long record of manipulation, intervention, and economic exploitation across Latin America. She said Washington has consistently worked to undermine the region’s independence while expanding its own power.

“The Monroe Doctrine and the Bolivarianism that we advocate and defend are completely opposing projects; they are antithetical,” she said.

Referring to recent negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and opposition figure María Corina Machado, Rodriguez said that if she were ever to travel to Washington as interim president, she would do so with dignity, standing upright, carrying the Venezuelan tricolor, and never on her knees. (PressTV.ir)

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“The aggressive action against Qatar will certainly lead regional states to reassess both the region’s security landscape and their own role within it,” Baqaei said during his weekly presser on Sept. 17 regarding Israel’s aggression on Hamas leaders in Doha.

On Sept. 9, the Israeli regime launched missiles at a residential area in Doha, targeting Hamas’s leaders, who were meeting to discuss a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump for a ceasefire in Gaza. Top Hamas leaders survived the attack; however, five members of the Gaza-based resistance group and a Qatari security officer were killed.

“Given the developments of the past two years, no country can consider itself immune from the encroachment and aggression of the Zionist regime,” he said, adding that this is not even limited to Islamic countries.

The regime’s history, he continued, “shows it has carried out terrorist operations against Palestinians or those who opposed its policies, even within some European countries.”

Regarding the U.S. role in the attack, Baqaei said it was unlikely the attack occurred without prior American coordination and support.

“Practically, in every criminal act by the Zionist regime, traces of U.S. coordination and cooperation can be found,” he further said.

According to the Iranian diplomat, the targeting of a nation that hosted Gaza ceasefire talks and aided Palestinians reveals that the Israeli regime and the U.S. have no desire for regional peace.

“They seek to drag the region into endless wars—wars that only serve their own interests,” he warned.

He urged the regional countries to “take urgent and fundamental action to establish a secure region by relying on their own capabilities.”

Commenting on the normalization of ties between regional countries and Israel, he said that Iran had opposed the normalization process from its inception, declaring that engaging with the “occupying, genocidal, and terrorist regime” effectively meant “normalizing crime and aggression.”  

“We have consistently warned all countries, especially regional states, against this move,” the spokesperson said. He noted that the issue has now become a “public demand within the international community,” pointing out that many nations outside the Islamic world have severed ties with Israel.

Citing international law and “religious, moral, and humanitarian teachings,” Baqaei concluded that it is now expected for Islamic countries to “reconsider their relations” and “practically demonstrate their opposition to the crimes being committed against the innocent Palestinian people.”

He also noted that campaigns in Europe are pushing to restrict economic ties and bar Israeli athletes from international competitions.

On the creation of a joint political, diplomatic, and security mechanism for an effective regional bloc or Islamic NATO, Baqaei said that regional nations are increasingly recognizing Israel as the “real, serious, and immediate threat.”

Outlining Iran’s role, Baghaei said the Islamic Republic “has not and will not withhold any effort” to build a mechanism for “internally-driven security in West Asia,” a vision often referred to as an Islamic NATO.

He emphasized this is a “fixed agenda item” in talks with regional partners, stressing that safeguarding stability requires “shared work and cooperation, without relying on external actors.” (PressTV.ir)

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Incumbent Mayor Patrick Braxton was elected as the mayor of Newbern, winning 66 votes to his opponent’s 26, according to results posted by the town. His victory puts a punctuation mark in the dispute over control of the town government that drew national attention.

“The people came out and spoke and voted. Now, there ain’t no doubt what they want for this town,” Braxton said in a telephone interview Aug. 27.

The election Aug. 26 was the town’s first since at least the 1960s, held under a federal settlement. Black residents had sued, challenging what they called the town’s “hand-me-down governance” and refusal to let Braxton serve after he ran unopposed for mayor in 2020.

Newbern’s residents number just 133 people. A library, the town hall, a mercantile and a flashing caution light anchor the downtown, about 40 miles west of Selma.

What the town had been without is elections.

Newbern’s mayor-council government had not been put to a vote for six decades. Instead, town officials held “hand-me-down” positions, with each mayor appointing a successor who appointed the council members, according to the lawsuit filed by Braxton and others. The result was an overwhelmingly White government in a town where Black residents outnumber White residents 2-1.

Braxton, a volunteer firefighter, qualified in 2020 to run for the nonpartisan position of mayor, and since he was the only candidate, he became the mayor-elect without an election. He then appointed a new town council, as other mayors have done.

But the locks were changed at the town hall, and Braxton was denied access to the town’s financial accounts. His lawsuit also alleged that outgoing council members held a secret meeting to set up a special election and “fraudulently reappointed themselves as the town council.”

“I didn’t get a chance to serve but one year out of the five years,” said Braxton, who finally occupied the office last year after a three-year legal battle.

Town officials had denied wrongdoing, arguing in court filings that Braxton’s claim to be mayor was “invalid.”

The settlement agreement included a promise to hold a mayoral election in 2025. Braxton had one challenger this time—a White auctioneer and Realtor, Laird Cole.

“Mayor Braxton’s election represents a turning point for Newbern, restoring democratic governance, ensuring fair representation, and reaffirming that every resident has a voice in their local government,” Madison Hollon, program manager of political campaigns for the SPLC Action Fund, said Thursday. The group endorsed Braxton in the race.

The mayor said his lopsided victory should eliminate any “doubts people had hanging in their heads on if people want me.”

“It feels good the second time,” Braxton said.  (AP)

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