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Goodbye To Overdraft Fees?
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Centennial’s Carter Bryant Makes Roster
O U R 5 0 T H A N N I V E R S A RY: 1 9 7 1 - 2 0 2 1
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MLK Mass Honors Beloved Community C E L E B R AT I N G 1 9 5 Y E A R S O F T H E B L A C K P R E S S
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■ VOLUME 56 • ISSUE 35
Hon. Leah Landrum Taylor
Moving Arizona’s Economy Forward
Landrum Taylor Appointed to IDA
Leah Landrum Taylor has been appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to the Industrial Development Authority representing District 1 as an at-large member. The Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority has been serving Arizona more than 45 years in order to create and maintain jobs within Maricopa County. “I am truly grateful for the confidence the Maricopa Board of Supervisors had in their supportive vote to appoint me to this board and a special thank you to Supervisor Steve Gallardo.” Since 1973, Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority has served Arizona with distinction by spurring economic development, increasing the availability of affordable housing, aiding in job growth, and improving the State’s economy through access to low-cost financing and community investments. Over the last 45 year’s the Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority has issued more than $9 billion in bonds and invested mil-
lions of dollars as well as helping to create thousands of jobs. Landrum Taylor currently serves as an assistant eirector in the Department of Economic Security Director’s Office and oversees the offices of community engagement, tribal relations, ombudsman’s and volunteer engagement. She first joined DES in October 2015, and served as deputy assistant director for the Division of Child Support Services. Before joining DES, she worked for Arizona Department of Education on the State Superintendent’s Executive Team where she served as the Associate Superintendent for Special Projects Division. The alumna of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (through the Fannie Mae Foundation) served as an elected Official for the Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives in District 27 and termed out after 16 years in January 2015. Landrum Taylor was among the 2024 Arizona MLK Celebration awardees.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY: JAN 31 1934 “I would never cease writing the word (Negro) with a capital ‘N’.” – Etta Moten, an actress and contralto vocalist
known for her signature role of “Bess” in Porgy and Bess, sings for President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt at a White House Dinner. It is the first time a Black actress performs at the White House.
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Wealth Gap 2024 By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA new report produced by WalletHub, a personal finance website, has found that the racial wealth gap in the United States is alive and well. The report, titled “2024’s States with the Biggest & Smallest Wealth Gaps by Race/Ethnicity,” compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 21 key metrics, ranging from the median household income gap to the unemployment rate gap. The report found that the median household wealth for Black Americans is just $14,100, compared to $187,300 for non-Hispanic white
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households. Hispanic households also lag behind, with a median household wealth of $31,700. “The racial wealth gap is a persistent problem in the United States,” said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst. “There are many factors that contribute to this gap, including unequal access to higher education and employment for minorities, as well as residential segregation.” The report also found that the racial wealth gap is more expansive in some states than others. For example, the District of Columbia has the broadest racial wealth gap, with a median household wealth of
$281,700 for non-Hispanic white households and just $11,100 for Black households. “Even decades after the Civil Rights Movement, there is still a high degree of wealth inequality among racial groups in America,” WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe stated. “These gaps persist not just in held wealth but also in wages, poverty rates, homeownership rates, and unemployment rates. Part of this wealth disparity is due to unequal access to education, which can put some people on a better financial footing from the start.” continued on page 3
Dexter King Dies At 62 Dexter Scott King, the younger son of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died on Monday of prostate cancer, the King Center in Atlanta announced. His wife, Leah Weber King, said he died in his sleep at his Malibu, Calif., home. He was 62. King was born in Atlanta on Jan. 30, 1961, and was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., where his father served his first pastorate and the Montgomery bus boycott launched him to national prominences. He was seven years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968. “Words cannot express the heartbreak I feel from losing another sibling,” said Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center, in a statement.“I’m praying for strength to get through this very difficult time.” King followed in his father’s footsteps to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta. At the time of his death, he served as both chair of the King Center and president of the King Estate, dedicated his life to shepherding the
Dexter King speaking at The King Center in Atlanta, Ga.
civil rights legacy of his parents. He was preceded in death by his father and his mother, who died in 2006, and sister Yolanda, who died in 2007. He is survived by: his wife of 11 years; his sister Bernice King; his brother Martin Luther King III; his niece, Yolanda Renee King; and other family members.