The Black Press celebrates nearly 200 years of publishing
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The year is 1827 and U.S. inventor Joseph Dixon of Salem, Massachusetts, begins manufacturing lead pencils. It’s also the year slavery is abolished in New York and the first U.S. newspaper, “Freedom’s Journal” owned and operated by Black people began publishing in New York City. It was the brainchild of Jamaican-born John Brown Russwurm, Bowdoin College’s first Black...
Descendants of 1811 revolt heroes acquire Woodland Plantation to preserve Black history
Jo Banner and Joy Banner, founders of The Descendants Project, have taken a significant step towards preserving the historical legacy of Black Americans by acquiring the Woodland Plantation in LaPlace, Louisiana. According to TheGrio, their unwavering commitment stems from a deep-rooted understanding of the plantation’s pivotal role in history and a determination to authenticate its story. Raised on the West Bank...
‘The Muslim Program’ presents the divine solution for America
Black people have been in a toxic relationship with America for over 400 years, and the vestiges of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade still linger. Despite the so-called progress that has been made via civil and voting rights legislation, the question still remains: what is the solution to the “Negro problem?” While the government of America was busy passing the Civil...
U.S. imperialism is at the root of Haiti’s turmoil
“Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea, on account of what the hands of men have wrought”—Holy Quran 30:41 The world is reeling in turmoil beset with wars, bloodshed, active genocide, humanitarian crises, and gut-wrenching suffering. Among those experiencing extreme distress are the people of Haiti where political and economic insecurity, coupled with incessant violence has gripped the...
‘Farrakhan Litmus Test’ resurges, as Jews attack Black congressman in New York
U.S. Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) is the latest Black leader being asked to take the “Farrakhan litmus test,” a test often used by members of the Jewish community to distance primarily Black people from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. The Black congressman recently came under fire for remarks he made last year in defense of a Black Lives Matter mural...
Mental health concerns rise among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities
By Yaminah Muhammad In recent years, mental health awareness has grown into a leading global issue. And with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently classifying mental illnesses among the most common health conditions in the U.S., the interest and concern regarding mental health continues to rise. As a result, individuals along with the general public are able...
Minnesota court affirms rejection of teaching license for ex-officer who shot Philando Castile
ST. PAUL, Minn.—A Minnesota board was justified when it rejected a substitute teaching license for a former police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in 2016, an appeals court ruled on March 11. The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed the findings of the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, which concluded Jeronimo Yanez did not meet the moral...
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge announces retirement
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge, a former Congressional Black Caucus Chair and a staunch advocate for the Black Press of America, has announced that she’s stepping down from her role in the Biden-Harris administration. The 71-year-old Ms. Fudge disclosed that her last day in office would be March 22. After decades of public service, she’ll return to...
Racial disparities and environmental factors influence sarcoidosis risk in U.S. population
New research published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reveals significant racial disparities in sarcoidosis incidence in the United States. Based on data from the Optum health care database covering 15 percent of U.S. residents over three years (2010–2013), the study sheds light on the impact of environmental exposures on sarcoidosis risk, mainly focusing on the variations among...
Warden ousted as FBI again searches California federal women’s prison plagued by sexual abuse
The warden of a troubled federal women’s prison in California has been ousted months into his tenure as FBI agents on March 11 hauled boxes of evidence from the facility in an apparent escalation of a yearslong investigation that put a former warden and other employees behind bars for sexually abusing inmates. Government lawyers said in court papers March 11 that Art...