Descendants fight to maintain historic Black communities
Keeping their legacy alive is complicated DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, S.C.—Sallie Ann Robinson proudly stands in the front yard of her grandmother’s South Carolina home. The sixth-generation native of Daufuskie Island, a once-thriving Gullah community, remembers relatives hosting meals and imparting life lessons on the next generation. “I was born in this very house, as many generations of family have been as well,”...
Justice Department sues Texas developer accused of luring Hispanic homebuyers into predatory loans
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department filed its first predatory mortgage lending case on December 20, against a Texas developer accused of luring tens of thousands of Hispanic homebuyers into ”bait and switch” sales through platforms like TikTok. The lawsuit focuses on a massive development northeast of Houston, Colony Ridge, that promises homeownership with advertisements in Spanish, but then steers applicants into buying...
NY Governor Hochul vetoes wrongful conviction, immigrant rights bills
by Brett Wilkins Criminal justice reform advocates expressed anger and disappointment after Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation that would have made it easier for wrongfully convicted people to fight for their exoneration. Senate Bill S7548, the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act, would have empowered innocent people who pleaded guilty to crimes—a common occurrence in the plea bargain-driven U.S. criminal justice system—to...
Task force to investigate missing Black women slowly moves forward
CHICAGO—The end of the year is usually a time for family gatherings and cheer, but that will not be the case for Yohanna Clark and her family. Sadly, she will be burying her daughter after Chicago Police found her body at an apartment on December 14. According to local news, 15-year-old Amarise Parker was reported missing for the second time...
Breaking the public silence on Black women’s stories of police violence
#SayHerName campaign celebrates 9th anniversary by Yaminah Muhammad NEW YORK—Nearly a decade ago, video showing the gruesome death of Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers broke the internet. The video captured NYPD officer, Daniel Pantaleo, holding Mr. Garner in a prohibited lethal chokehold while multiple officers pinned him face down to...
Political discord continued the unraveling of a great nation in 2023
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants…” —Bible (KJV), Revelation 11:18 “And every nation has a term. And when its term comes, they cannot remain behind the least while, nor can they precede it.” —Holy...
Racism, police violence, homelessness and hip-hop’s 50th among top stories for Blacks in 2023
A year plagued with racism, police violence, mass shootings and attacks on Black people in America, rounded out with high figures of homelessness, and threats to voting rights in 2023. The year 2024 may be more of the same, unless Blacks unite and do for self, according to political scientists, educators, activists, and spiritual leaders. “Oh, 2023 was heightened, of course,” emphasized...
Service, sacrifice and the spiritual armor of God
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” —Ephesians 6:11 For the believers of the Nation of Islam, 2023 was a year of service, sacrifice and equipping themselves with the spiritual armor needed to survive the darkness overshadowing the Earth. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Saviours’ Day 2023...
Preventative Care Guidelines
Beyond preventing disease and cutting this country’s health-care bill, Black people in particular have even more reason to make a change and adopt healthful living as a priority. We already know we live in a racist society. But did you know that the very stress of racism cripples us in a way that leaves us susceptible to illnesses and...
Animal Contraceptive and Antibiotics in Popular Fast Foods, Testing Reveals
Kids may unknowingly be consuming an animal contraceptive when they eat a chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A. In a new report, Moms Across America found veterinary drugs and hormones in foods sold by the 10 most popular fast food restaurants in the U.S. by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., The Defender This article was originally published by the Defender—Children’s Health Defense News & Views...