BREAKING NEWS: President Joe Biden Announces He Will Not Seek
Re-Election
NNPA NEWSWIRE — President Biden, who
performance
for me to stand down and
term,” he wrote.
@whitehouse on Instagram.
In a stunning turn of events, President Joe Biden has announced that he will not seek re-election, bowing to mounting pressure from within his own party. This decision comes after a growing number of Democratic Party members voiced concerns that Biden’s candidacy was jeopardizing their chances of keeping the twice-impeached former President Donald Trump out of the White House. President Biden, who faced intense scrutiny following a disastrous debate performance last month, made the announcement in a letter posted on his X account. “And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote.
Biden assured the nation that he would continue to serve with dedication until the end of his current term. He also indicated that he would provide further details about his decision in a forthcoming address to the nation later this week.
This unexpected announcement has already sent shockwaves through the political landscape, setting the stage for a highly contentious primary season as the Democratic Party scrambles to find a new standard-bearer. Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic presidential nominee in this note to other Democrats from his account on X: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to
come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Immediately, Washington State Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad has called on the party to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris:
“President Biden has led our nation with courage and historic success. He is a true patriot who ensured the Democratic Party denied Donald Trump a second term and has accomplished more in one term than many presidents have accomplished in two. He kept his promises to create good-paying jobs, guide our nation out of the pandemic, and implemented the largest effort to combat climate change in our nation’s history. He has been an incredible ally supporting our first Black president and choosing to partner with our first Black and Asian woman vice president. He also promised to be a transitional leader to the generations that will come after. I support his decision to make good on that promise.
“Today, I call on his delegates to support Vice President Kamala Harris to lead our Party and our country. As the leader and steward of the Washington State Democratic Party, I have listened to the overwhelming consensus of Democrats in Washington State who are excited to support Vice President Harris as our standard bearer.
“Vice President Kamala Harris has spent the last four years championing and pushing President Biden’s successful agenda. She knows this work is heart-led work, and her effective advancement of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities positions her as the only viable alternative to President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Her lived experience as a Black and Asian American woman has inspired millions of people, myself included, to see ourselves occupying the highest positions of power and leadership. We are a big-tent party and Vice President Harris is the only national figure capable of unifying the full
diversity of our Party to lead us to victory in November.
“But let me be clear, as a Party and as an American people, we must offer our full-throated support for Vice President Harris. We cannot and will not survive another media cycle of hand-wringing about whether the country will accept a woman as our president. We must be ready to surround her with a wall of support and be ready to stand against the racism and sexism that we know will come. As a Party, we must not perpetuate any of the bigoted and wrong sentiments that we know will come from the Trump-owned Republican Party.
“As the first South Asian woman to lead a Democratic Party organization in the entire country and the first woman of color to lead the Washington State Democrats, I know that there will undoubtedly be people from within our own party who will question Vice President Harris’ ability to win and to lead. But I am confident that she will not only lead but will exceed all expectations. President Biden chose her to be by his side while the Biden-Harris Administration enacted the most progressive accomplishments of any Administration in my lifetime, and I look forward to fully supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to lead us and this nation as our next President.
“President Biden put the interests of the nation and our party above any other concern and threw his full support behind Vice President Harris to lead us to victory in November. This is a heart-wrenching decision, and I hold the deepest respect and admiration for President Biden. Given the existential threat to our democracy and the soul of our nation posed by the Trump-Vance ticket’s xenophobic and hateful Project 2025, the Democratic Party must put forward the best candidate for victory in November. That candidate is Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Beyond the tipping point: Addressing the urgency of climate change
Gabrielle Howard AFRO Intern
In recent years, cities across the globe have experienced alarming record-breaking temperatures and weather catastrophes, highlighting the alarming trend of rising global temperatures associated with climate change.
Residents of D.C. are experiencing record-breaking temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The increase in heat is causing many environmental and social changes that are affecting Black and Brown communities in D.C., reported high temperatures at sites like the Dulles International Airport which reached 100 degrees and broke its previous highest temperature- 99 degrees in 1988.
Also, Baltimore’s BWI Marshall reached 101 degrees, breaking their previous record of 100 degrees.
These record-high temperatures are impacting not only the environment but also Black and brown communities. Global warming is causing changes that certain areas may not have funding to help combat
Residents of D.C. are experiencing record-breaking temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The increase in heat is causing many environmental and social changes that are affecting Black and Brown communities. Credit: Unsplash / Markus Spiske
these issues.
CEO and Chief Scientist of Science and Perspective, Dr. Ancilleno Davis explained how global warming has been causing dangerous rises in sea levels which affects Black communities, as many Black communities live at sea level. With the threat of sea level rise due to climate change, DC may experience higher water levels along with other Black communities around the world.
“When a storm comes you’re
going to get hit with that, like Katrina and South Florida these areas that are living based on environmental resources are very climate vulnerable,” explained Davis.
Davis also emphasized joining with the community to cause change. He explained how the average person can take strides to fight against climate change by prioritizing social sustainability, which is creating and maintaining healthy lifestyles for present and
Harris Receives Growing Chorus of Endorsements as the Democratic Party’s Presidential Nominee
The Birmingham Times (www.msn.com)
Vice President Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his leadership following the news Sunday that he will not continue his bid for reelection.
Her statement comes amid a growing chorus of endorsements for her candidacy in the 2024 presidential race.
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as president of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” she said in a statement released Sunday.
Election 2024 updates: Harris says she intends to seek nomination for president
“His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many presidents who have served two terms in office,” she said.
Biden endorsed Harris in his statement on his exiting the race, offering his “full support and endorsement” of her as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
At a July 11 press conference, Biden also hinted at his belief in Harris’ ability to lead, saying at the time: “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president.”
In a poll released July 11, asking if Harris were to replace Biden as the nominee, vote choices were 49-46 percent, Harris-Donald Trump, among all adults (and 49-47 percent, respectively, among registered voters). Harris’ 49 percent was
presidential
with the
slightly better than Biden’s 46 percent, although she doesn’t have a statistically significant lead over Trump, the poll found.
Clintons Endorse
Former President Bill Clinton and former presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also endorsed Harris on Sunday.
“We are honored to join the president in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the two said in a statement on X.
Several House reps endorsed Harris on Sunday, issuing statements of support and thanking Biden for his decision to step down.
“Kamala Harris will be the
next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement.
Ilhan Omar wrote on X, “Thank you, Mr. President. This was the president’s decision to make and I’m grateful for his years of service to our country. Thrilled to support @KamalaHarris as our Democratic nominee and remain committed to working alongside her to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Ayanna Pressley wrote on X,
President Joe Biden addressing the nation during the State of the Union Address earlier this year. Photo
“My intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Vice President Kamala Harris declared in a statement as she was thrust into the
race
decision from Joe Biden to step down. (White House)
“My Truth” So easy to spend someone else’s money
By Cheryl Smith Publisher of I Messenger Media Texas Metro News
Recently, I was at the airport and a man was turning in a rental car. The agent at the desk checked the mileage and then asked if the car had been filled up. The man replied, “No, my company will take care of it.” That statement triggered something in me.
First, I wondered if that man had to pay the cost of having the rental car company fill the car up, would he have made a stop at a gas station and paid a lower price, or would he have just turned it in and paid the exorbitant fee that is required when you don’t bring the car back on full?
Which brings me to my truth.
When no one is looking, my actions are the same. When I am paying, my actions are the same. But not everyone is like me. And some let you know they are not like you. Imagine the scene, where you’re sitting in the restaurant, and the server comes with the bill. Someone hands over their credit card and says, “I got it.”
Someone else says, “Ah man, if I had known you were paying I would’ve ordered the lobster!”
Shaking my head. When I go to a restaurant, I get what I want and what I am prepared to pay for. And that’s a big difference. Some might consider it a character, flaw, or even an ethical violation when you act a certain way based on circumstances. Now about the rental car customer, I’d like to have employees who value my dollar as much as they value theirs.
If you wouldn’t do something with your money, why do it with my money? Your actions say something about your character. When she was younger, I taught one of my “Three Live Crew plus One” a lesson because when she began working, she went grocery shopping for me. When I looked into the refrigerator, I called her over. Me: “What is this?” Her: “It’s butter.” Me: “No, it isn’t. If you’re going to call yourself replacing something you ate, at least get what you ate.” She was flabbergasted, totally clueless. Her: “What do you mean?” Me: “If you go to the store to replace the Oreo cookies that you ate, go get Oreo cookies. Do not come back with a package that says ‘Cookie’ with a picture of a knockoff Oreo cookie. The same with my butter.” Her: “Why are you saying I didn’t buy butter when I did?” Me: Trying not to yell. “Because right here on the box it says, ‘I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter!’”
Enough said.
You give what you get, you replace what you use, and you value other’s money and items like you value yours. It’s simple, do unto others!
Cheryl Smith is the owner, Publisher and Editor of I Messenger Media LLC the umbrella for Texas Metro News, Garland Journal, and I Messenger digital magazine. Email her at www.penonfire2@gmail.com
We Need Black Teachers in More Ways Than You Think
By Aziah Siid | Word In Black | Sacramento Observer
(WIB) – For grade-school teachers, keeping up with student slang is a race as old as the teaching profession itself, and one they can never win.
Changing as quickly as the weather, the hot slang word or phrase of the moment — the one that’s so lit everyone in the caf is using it — is usually hella dead by the time most adults they know catch up.
When it shows up in the classroom in students’ oral answers and written exams, slang can leave teachers scratching their heads. That’s led some educators to take extreme measures: one teacher went viral for an outright ban on slang, while another pranks his own students with fake slang.
But some Black K-12 educators have taken a different view. They have embraced slang as a valuable teaching tool for Black students, one that celebrates their identities, culture, lived experiences, and linguistic ingenuity.
Chris Emdin, an associate professor at Teachers College, proposes a new approach to teaching he calls Ratchetdemic. It centers the language and culture of Black students’ lived experiences in a way that may not align with traditional academia.
“We don’t need their permission to create language, especially as people who created hip hop. This can be a valuable teaching tool for our kids about linguistic ingenuity,” he says.
The Need for Black Teachers is Evident
Data underscores Emdin’s
perspective. According to the language learning website Preply, about 3 in 10 parents said slang should be allowed in school, and 40% of teachers agreed that slang could help students express themselves. Thirty-six percent of teachers said accepting slang shows respect for students’ cultural identity.
At the same time, more than half of teachers surveyed worried that slang could lead to misunderstandings or miscommunications between teachers and students, and 50% believe it could disrupt the learning process. Earlier this year, a teacher went viral for posting a list of slang words she banned from her classroom.
But Emdin believes that’s the wrong approach. Students learn best, he says, when they feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to the classrooms.
Acceptance of slang language on things like term peppers and in oral reports illustrates that.
“To be ratchetdemic is to have no part in starving the authentic self, while still maintaining high academic standards and high academic rigor,” Emdin, who wrote a book on the subject, said in a Harvard EdCast episode.
“I chose the word ‘ratchetdemic’ because it’s a merging of being ratchet and academic,” he said. “I was intentional about utilizing a colloquial slang word and merging that with being academic. I understand that for some folks to ratchet is to be loud or to be abrasive, but there are variations in ratchet.”
At the same time, many slang
continued in next 2 columns
Trailblazing Women Explain How Early Education Fueled Their Success
This week, three successful women share their stories and reflect on the role early education played in their lives. Their reflections remind us of the importance of the first years of learning.
By BlackPressUSA
Dr. Richeleen Dashield, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), New York University Silver School of Social Work Head Start Hometown: East Orange, New Jersey
As an advocate for equality in higher education, Dr. Dashield knows the difference access can make. “I credit my lifelong journey with Head Start. Without it, I don’t think I’d be on the same trajectory.” Dr. Dashield was a voracious young learner, and when she arrived at elementary school, teachers recommended that she skip right past kindergarten and into first grade. However, her mother decided to let her remain with her age cohort. She says the early access
to education she received from Head Start is part of why she was so well prepared for success in school. As an educational leader, Dr. Dashield sees her work as part of larger efforts to advocate for educational systems that center human dignity and worth and deliver equitable access to learning.
Drinal Foster, Senior Vice President of Wealth and Investment Management Technology, Wells Fargo
Head Start Hometown: Seattle, Washington
As Wells Fargo’s Senior Vice President of Wealth and Investment Management Technology, Drinal Foster leads global, forward-leaning
employee engagement and experience strategies to build a high-performing workforce. She serves on several boards of directors centered around youth and youth development, where she seeks to make a positive difference in her community.
Drinal and her mother often discuss Head Start’s role in her early adjustment to school and the difference it made for her. When thinking about Head Start’s impact, Drinal says, “Head Start helped me to socially connect and learn critical skills at such a young age. My parents were blue-collar workers; early in my mother’s life, she was a janitor for a local bank, and now I’m an executive of one of the top four banks in the country. That’s an amazing trajectory, but what’s even more amazing is that Head
Beyond the tipping point: Addressing the urgency of climate change...continued from page 1
future communities.
“Day to day a lot of us are just wasteful. We don’t live within our means… If you stopped making five trips to the food store every week and just planned and said, I eat this amount each week, I only need to go to the food store once a week or once every two weeks, that’s what sustainability is about.”
Access to environmentally sustainable resources though, is costly. These resources are an aid to the crisis at hand but many areas are forced to continue producing environmental waste due to lack of funding or information.
Seth Laney, a policy research assistant at the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center explained how some Black and Brown communities may not be able to adapt to climate change and the frequent changes like sudden heavy rain, frequent storms, droughts and dangerous heat waves.
“It affects Black and Brown communities especially communities that are lower income because they might not be able to adjust to the changes that come with climate change” expressed Laney. “So these communities may be stuck using these unsustainable sources.”
Sources like coal and oil are unsustainable and very harmful to the environment, which in turn creates climate change.
Climate change affects things like the weather, by creating heavy rainfall, storms, droughts and heat waves which cause an increase in severe injuries.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “A national survey found that eighty-six percent of African American doctors believe that climate
change is an important issue to address with their patients… The most common health effects reported were injuries from severe storms, floods and wildfires.”
Climate change not only affects the human body but the way we get food as well.
The Environmental Government Agency explained how the climate and agriculture directly correlate, and how the sudden changes of weather patterns impact the land food is grown on and the way crops grow.
“Agriculture is very sensitive to weather and climate. It also relies heavily on land, water and other natural resources that climate affects. While climate changes (such as in temperature, precipitation and frost timing) could lengthen the growing season or allow different crops to be grown in some regions.”
The Columbia Climate School also explained how climate change is linked to food insecurity because it causes dryer land which can be unprofitable for farmers and their crops.
“In other cases, climate change could make it impossible for farmers to raise their traditional crops; ideal growing conditions may shift to higher latitudes, where the terrain or soil may not be as fertile, resulting in less land available for productive agriculture.”
Being well educated on climate change and what actions can be put forth to cause the reform of global warming is crucial in this day and age. To learn more about policies for renewable energy sources in specific states visit https://www.dsireusa.org/ .
We Need Black Teachers in More Ways Than You Think...continued
words are rooted in African American Vernacular English, which some studies recognize as a legitimate English dialect with its own rules and functions.
One way to help schools achieve that level of comfort for Black students is to diversity the workforce — a longstanding problem in U.S. public schools.
Study after study shows achievement among students of color rise if they are taught by a teacher who looks like them making it potentially easier to relate to or understand slang. Yet, the percentage of Black teachers working in public schools is around 7% nationwide.
Until that elusive goal is reached — and until slang is universally accepted in school — teachers are finding different
Start is full of these stories!”
Eileen Conoboy, Recruitment Advisor, Peace Corps
Head Start Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia
Eileen credits Head Start with helping her find her superpower…reading. Head Start was part of the safety net her mother needed when she was 20 years old, widowed with two young children, and pregnant with her third child.” It’s hard to know how the sliding doors of life would have turned out if I hadn’t attended Head Start,” she says. “But I do know it instilled in me a love of books, and that’s opened so many figurative and literal doors throughout my life.” Eileen is a first-generation college graduate and works as a Peace Corps Recruitment Advisor, developing new strategies to diversify and increase international engagement through Peace Corps service. “While at Head Start, I looked forward to the meals and found comfort in the classroom routines, but it was the books and the stories that gave me my first sense of all that was possible.”
ways to catch up. Educators have taken to social media platforms, sharing ways they use to keep up with their students. Some recommend simply asking for clarification when a student says something new or unusual. Other teachers suggest keeping a weekly diary of every new word that shows up in the classroom or is overheard on campus. If research hasn’t shown enough, staying connected and in touch with your students goes beyond simply standing in front of the classroom. Learning their cultural dishes, staying up to date on their catchphrases, and countless other ways are open for teachers to show up for their students.
Pictured (left to right): Dr. Richeleen Dashield, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), New York University Silver School of Social Work; Drinal Foster, Senior Vice President of Wealth and Investment Management Technology, Wells Fargo; and Eileen Conoboy, Recruitment Advisor, Peace Corps.
When it shows up in the classroom in students’ oral answers and written exams, slang can leave teachers scratching their heads. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)
House Dems continue to warn of the dangers of Project 2025
By Ashlee Banks Special to the AFRO
The Heritage Foundation created a multi-million-dollar initiative that aims to promote right-wing and conservative policy to reshape the U.S. federal government. It operates as a blueprint to help Trump ease back into the White House.
The roadmap would ensure that within the first 180 days that Trump is in office, he will reorganize government agencies to fit his conservative vision, for example, eliminating both the Department of Education and the Department of Justice. Project 2025 would also replace current federal employees with Trump loyalists to ensure Trump-led policies are enacted into law.
In recent months U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) has been vocal about the risks of this initiative.
“Project 2025 is nothing but a White supremacist manifesto to how they can delete anybody that ain’t old, White and male,” said the Texas lawmaker. “It’s about attacking diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s about attacking those that don’t want to bow down to the orange Jesus and decide that they’re going to be his loyalists and do whatever they want him to do.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said that Project 2025 is “dangerous.”
“ dastardly and diabolical,” said Jeffries. “It will end American life as we know it, period, full stop.”
However, House Republicans believe that congressional Democrats are engaging in political theater by speaking out against the Heritage Foundation’s initiative.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said that Biden is a bigger “threat” to the U.S. than Project 2025.
“I think the biggest concern if President Biden stays in office is that he’s going to continue to keep our borders ripped wide open,” said Greene. “Inflation is going to continue to be high where people can can hardly afford to even have hope of buying a home. Senior citizens in my district are having to choose between paying rent and being able to afford their medications.”
The conservative lawmaker added, “I think the true threat to democracy is President Biden.”
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said voters should not be concerned with Project 2025.
“This is the typical gaslighting that happens when you start getting close to campaigns,” said Donalds. “Every think tank organization has a plan or writes out policy sets for a myriad of things to happen here on Capitol Hill or throughout the executive branch. Heritage Foundation is no different than that. But, that doesn’t mean that’s what the Trump administration is going to do.”
He added that Trump will follow the political plan set forth by the Republican National Convention, not the Heritage Foundation.
“ talks about what he’s gonna do, and what the American people should take stock in is that when President Trump says he’s going to do something he does it,” added Donalds.
In recent weeks, Trump has made efforts to distance himself from Project 2025, despite Democratic efforts to link him to the conservative initiative.
OPINION: Checkmate! In the High Stakes Game of Political Leadership, Congresswoman Maxine Waters Illustrates She is Master Queen
By Kenneth Miller, Publisher of the South Bay Black Journal
Congresswoman Maxine Waters In about a month when the Democratic National Convention convenes in Chicago, the eyes of America and the world will be anxiously watching how the party nominee for president unfolds.
Conventions of both the Republicans and Democrats are lavish, exuberant celebrations of four-day events to showcase their leaders, define their ideology and confirm their candidates for president and vice president.
Somewhere amid all of the blowing horns, balloons and wacky outfits will be
Statement on Trump Campaign Warning of ‘Civil War’
Where is the promised unity?
County/Government News
“Dictator” on “day one.” “Bloodbath.” “Unhinged.”
That is what Donald Trump and his allies are promising if they lose this November. A campaign about revenge and retribution.
Now, JD Vance is kicking off his first campaign event introduced by a Republican official warning of a “civil war” if Donald Trump loses this November.
A reminder of how Donald Trump has led his party and encourages political violence:
Trump repeatedly denied the results of the 2020 election and refused to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election, including three separate times on the debate stage
Trump inspired a violent mob to attack the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election
Trump was impeached for his involvement in January 6 and became the first president to receive votes in favor of conviction by members of his own party
Trump encouraged loyalists to attack those who criticized his involvement in the insurrection, including his own vice president
Trump promised supporters he would deliver “retribution” and pardon convicted January 6 rioters, who he referred to as “hostages”
Trump called for violence, including shootings, against Americans protesting racism and police brutality
Trump endorsed physical attacks against protesters at his rallies
Trump encouraged attacks against the press and praised a congressman’s assault of a
journalist
Trump undermined efforts to combat white supremacist terrorism
Trump instructed the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”
Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides” at Charlottesville
Trump warned that Americans “won’t have a country” if he loses in November
Trump compared his political opponents to “vermin” in a speech that echoed Hitler, who he once praised for having done “some good things”
Trump shared a video that referenced a “unified Reich” in his ideal vision for the country
Trump threatened to become a dictator on “day one” if he wins – and warned of a “bloodbath” if he loses
Harris for President Campaign
Spokesperson Ammar Moussa released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and JD Vance are running a campaign openly sowing hatred and promising revenge against their political opponents. It’s a feature, not a bug, of their campaign and message to the American people. That’s why a Republican official was empowered to predict a civil war while introducing these candidates.
“Trump and Vance pay lip service to unity, but their actions are more focused on dividing Americans than bringing us together. It’s the polar opposite of everything Vice President Harris stands for.
“Donald Trump and JD Vance should denounce George Lang’s calls for violence and apologize for platforming this kind of violence.”
Harris Receives Growing Chorus of Endorsements as the Democratic Party’s Presidential Nominee...continued from page 3
“Thank you for your dedicated service President @JoeBiden. And @KamalaHarris. I’m all in, let’s go. #BlackWomenLead.”
Delia Ramirez wrote, “We must defeat Donald Trump. VP @KamalaHarris is the proven, qualified leader ready to move our country forward. She has my endorsement. I look forward to working with her to realize a permanent ceasefire, immigration reform, and a bold agenda that centers working families.”
Greg Casar, D-TX, posted, “I am ready to elect @KamalaHarris as President. Together we can defeat Trump in November — and together we can raise wages for workers, restore abortion rights, win a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, and preserve our democracy for generations to come.”
Jamaal Bowman wrote, “Now that President Biden has suspended his campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is the most qualified and best choice to lead us forward.”
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, arguably the most powerful Black elected official in America. In some way shape or form she will be impacting the most significant decisions the Democrats make. For more than 40 years (33 years in the United States House of Representatives), “Auntie” Maxine Waters, as she is so affectionately hailed by her legions of constituents, has proven that without her, so much would be lost. Whether she was advocating
Rep. Adam Schiff posted, “Joe Biden will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents of our time. He led our nation out of a deadly pandemic and rescued our economy,” adding, “I am excited to endorse @ KamalaHarris for President, and give her my full support!”
Read President Joe Biden’s full letter announcing he’s leaving 2024 race
House And Senate Endorsements
In the House, Harris has received endorsements so far from:
Rep. Jamal Bowman, D-N.Y.;
Harris Receives Growing Chorus of Endorsements as the Democratic Party’s Presidential Nominee... continued
fairness, and the future of our planet, now is the time to listen to the only person who has ever beaten Donald Trump, and join with President Biden in every effort to make Vice President Harris the next President of the United States. No citizen of good conscience should stay on the sidelines.”
“Patriot Worthy Of Our Support”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro also backed Harris, calling her a “patriot worthy of our support.”
“I’ve known Kamala Harris for nearly two decades – we’ve both been prosecutors, we’ve both stood up for the rule of law, we’ve both fought for the people and delivered results. Kamala Harris is a patriot worthy of our support and she will continue the work of generations of Americans who came before us to perfect our union, protect our democracy, and advance real freedom. She has served the country honorably as Vice President and she is ready to be President,” Shapiro said in his statement.
“The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency,” he continued. “The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States.”
North Carolina Roy Cooper also endorsed Harris, writing on X, “Kamala Harris should be the next President. I’ve known @ VP going back to our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity. I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also announced his support for Harris, a former state senator and attorney general.
In the Senate, Harris has received endorsements so far from:
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii; Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Sen. Ed Markey, D- Mass.; Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif.; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.; Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.
Former Sec. of State John Kerry threw his weight behind Harris, writing on X, “For democracy, alliances, economic
nominee and I urge all Democrats to unite behind her candidacy.”
Several Abstain From Endorsing Harris
Despite the wave of support from some Democratic figures, others did not immediately endorse Harris on Sunday.
Former President Barack Obama did not mention Harris in his statement on Biden’s exit. Instead, he focused on his experience in the White House with Biden as his vice president: “Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts,” Obama said in a statement.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.Y., also did not mention Harris in his statement on Biden’s exit.
“I cannot overstate the gravity of the noble and history-making decision that President Biden just made. The feeling that I have right now is one of profound gratitude,” Booker said.
Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who was the first House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside in the presidential race, back on July 2, applauded Biden’s decision but put the breaks on endorsing Harris.
“Once again President Biden comes through for America, putting country over ego in a way that Donald Trump never could,” Doggett said, in part.
He added, “While, with President Biden’s endorsement, Vice President Harris is clearly the leading candidate, we should be open to all talented individuals who wish to be considered.”
Some Donors Express Excitement
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious,” he wrote on X. “With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris.”
Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg said in a statement, “Kamala Harris is now the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as President. I have seen her extraordinary leadership firsthand, working closely with her during the 2020 campaign and then in the historically effective Biden-Harris administration. I will do all that I can to help her win this election to lead America forward as our next President.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren also issued a statement in support of Harris.
“I endorse Kamala Harris for President,” Warren said in her statement. “She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion.
As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also joined the endorsements, posting on X, “@KamalaHarris has been an outstanding VP and has what it takes to be an even better President.
“She’s a former prosecutor who will draw a sharp contrast against Trump. She has my full support as our presidential
Some Democratic donors who previously planned to withhold their campaign contributions told ABC News on Sunday that they are now excited to coalesce their support around Vice President Harris, even if she was not their first pick to replace Joe Biden at the top of the ticket
“I don’t think that having some kind of bitter inner party fight over the nomination is going to help. If Biden is endorsing Harris, then I think that basically decides it,” said one donor who initially pledged to contribute more than $1.8 million to Biden before withholding their contribution over concerns about Biden’s viability as the nominee. Reacting to Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and endorse Harris, that same donor said they now plan to resume their pledged contribution to Harris.
“I just texted Rufus Gifford,” the donor said, referring to the Biden-Harris campaign finance chair. “I told him I’m all in.”
Another donor — who originally said that she planned to withhold her contribution and preferred an open convention — told ABC News that she now fully supports Harris following Biden’s withdrawal and endorsement.
“I am convinced that 100% of us will get behind her,” said the donor, who previously held a fundraiser for Biden in her home. “Some people are getting their funds transfer information organized as we speak.”
Some of the donors who spoke with ABC News were not enthusiastic about Harris compared to other Democratic politicians — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — but described Harris as the inevitable nominee.
“I can’t see how any other serious candidate could come out at this point and say, I’m running for the nomination against Harris,” another Democratic donor said.
OP-ED: Patients Over Profits: Insurance Companies Must Provide Americans the Care They Deserve
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Each year, more than 1.5 million Medicare Advantage prior authorizations are improperly denied, according to KFF, and that number is only growing with every coming year. The Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services documented nearly 640,000 denials in 2019, with that number skyrocketing to 2 million in 2021 alone.
By BlackPressUSA
Millions of Americans are increasingly finding themselves at the mercy of commercial insurance companies that are arbitrarily denying their claims. These insurance giants, rejecting claim after claim without valid reasons, are forcing American patients to shoulder significant financial and emotional burdens, in addition to their serious health issues. Once designed to serve the best interests of patients, some of these companies have turned their backs on the ones they were meant to protect. A recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that, on average, insurance companies deny 1 in 5 claims. Some insurers reject as much as 49 percent, with one shocking example rejecting 80 percent of claims. Cigna, a major health insurer with 20 million customers and $195 billion in revenue last year, was caught denying claims without even reviewing patients’ files. The issue is not limited to traditional insurance plans. Medicare Advantage plans, designed to offer more choices and comprehensive benefits, now cover more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries. Unfortunately, these plans are also plagued by an overwhelming number of prior authorization requirements and coverage denials. Each year, more than 1.5 million Medicare Advantage prior authorizations are improperly denied, according to KFF, and that number is only growing with every coming year. The Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services documented nearly 640,000 denials in 2019, with that number skyrocketing to 2 million in 2021 alone. For example, UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer with over 50 million customers and the largest share of Medicare Advantage enrollment, denies at least 2 million Medicare Advantage prior authorization claims annually. This is a very alarming number considering the critical role these types of claims play in ensuring the elderly receive the proper care
they deserve.
Last year, unfortunately, UnitedHealthcare was sued for using an artificial intelligence algorithm to wrongfully deny care to elderly patients under Medicare Advantage plans. The algorithm, known to have a 90 percent error rate, led to patients being prematurely discharged from care facilities, disrupting their lives and putting their health in jeopardy. Unfortunately, the elderly are not the only vulnerable community affected by these insurance denials. Prior authorization requirements, along with insurance denials, disproportionately affect minority and underserved lower-income populations. A 2022 study found that Black cancer patients were three times more likely to be denied health insurance compared to their white counterparts. This racial disparity underscores the urgent need for reform to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all. For too long, some insurance companies have amassed enormous profits at the expense of patients, providers, and hospitals. It’s time we prioritize patients over profits and hold these corporate giants accountable. This critical issue must be addressed by implementing stricter regulations and oversight on insurance claim denials can provide much-needed relief and justice to millions of Americans. Our healthcare system should be a source of support and healing, not a battleground for patients to fight for the care they deserve.
The Honorable Edolphus “Ed” Towns Jr. is an American educator, military veteran, and former member of Congress who served in the United States House of Representatives. A Democrat from New York, Towns was Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Towns was an administrator at Beth Israel Medical Center, a professor at New York’s Medgar Evers College and Fordham University, and a public school teacher teaching orientation and mobility to blind students.
CDC Investigating Multistate Outbreak of Listeria Infections Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis
A CDC Investigation Notice regarding a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections has been posted at https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/ outbreaks/delimeats-7-24/index. html.
Key Points: 28 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 12 states. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized and two deaths have been reported, one from Illinois and one from New Jersey. In interviews with sick people, 16 of 18 (89%) reported eating meats sliced at deli counters.
CDC Investigating Multistate Outbreak of Listeria Infections Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis...continued
if you have symptoms of Listeria and recently ate meats sliced at deli counters.
Businesses should follow USDA-FSIS best practices for controlling Listeria contamination in deli areas.
About Listeria: Listeria can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body.
Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to
miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threating infection of the newborn.
People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
Symptoms of severe illness usually start 1 to 4 weeks after eating contaminated food with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after.
If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.
With LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes Rising, How is California Responding?...continued
putting them at a higher risk of violence, often coming internally,” she continued. “To address the violence, we also have to address unfair treatment, unequal opportunities, living wages and health care … We are Americans. We are not asking for special treatment, just fair treatment.”
Community stories against LGBTQ+ hate “I found in my work that the highest populations being targeted were LGBTQ+ and undocumented people,” said Andy Ruiz, the first staff attorney hired at St. John’s Community Health clinic, a CA vs Hate partner in Los Angeles. “I’ve found it very helpful paralleling this work with my immigration work, when it comes to victims’ reluctance to report hate crimes to law enforcement.”
With LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes Rising, How is California Responding?
By Selen Ozturk
The number of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in California nearly doubled last year despite an overall decrease in hate crimes statewide, leaving many feeling unsafe in their communities.
The number of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in California nearly doubled last year despite an overall decrease in hate crimes statewide, leaving many feeling unsafe in their communities.
Black transgender women continue to be among those most targeted. In response, community-based organizations throughout California are partnering with the state’s firstever, multilingual hate crime reporting hotline, CA vs Hate.
At a Thursday, July 18
Ethnic Media Services briefing, representatives from the California Civil Rights Department and communitybased organizations statewide discussed the rise in antiLGBTQ+ hate, the CA vs Hate initiative and on-the-ground stories of LGBTQ+ peoples’ experiencing and fighting hate.
California against LGBTQ+ hate
Of the 2,303 hate crimes reported to the California Attorney General between 2022 and 2023, those motivated by sexual orientation and gender together comprised 24.2%.
Cmpared to an 8.9% fall in hate crimes overall, those motivated by sexual orientation bias rose 4.1% in 2023, and those motivated by anti-transgender or anti-gender-nonconforming bias rose 7.04% in 2023.
Anti-LGBTQ+ bias events overall increased by 86.4% in 2023 from 2022.
Our investigation is ongoing to determine which deli meat may be contaminated. We do not have information to show that people are getting sick from prepackaged deli meats.
What You Should Do: People who are at higher risk for getting sick with Listeria should avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters, unless heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot just before serving.
Clean your refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meats. Call your healthcare provider
Becky Monroe, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs, The Civil Rights Department, explains how reporting hate crimes can prevent future violence and improves support services for victims.
“This data is underreported,” said Becky Monroe, deputy director of strategic initiatives and external affairs at the California Civil Rights Department. “We hear directly from these communities that many don’t feel safe to report or that it’s not being shared accurately.”
In response, the CA vs Hate hotline was launched in March 2023 to support Californians in reporting and overcoming hate by connecting them to state agencies as well as hundreds of
community-based organizations providing resources including legal aid, counseling, mental health care, social services, and advocacy.
The hotline provides services statewide in over 200 languages, with downloadable resources online in over 24 languages Reporting can be done at CAvsHate.org or by phone at 1-833-8NO-HATE Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. PST, with an option to leave a voicemail and get a return call outside those times.
Even beyond crimes, “we respond to all forms of hate,” said Monroe. “I recently heard from a young African American woman in San Francisco who said every time she went into a store, she and her family were followed. She said ‘It may not be a crime, but it’s causing me harm’ … and we connected her with organizations led by people who had shared experiences of discrimination. If you report, you will get support.”
Transgender women of color
“Among LGBTQ deaths “over 40%, on average per year, are trans women of color,” said Toni Newman, director of The Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements at the National Minority AIDS Council; Chair of The Board Of Directors of TransCanWork; and Faculty Member of the Transgender Strategy Center.
Toni Newman, Black Leadership Council, Director of The Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements and Director of The Center to End the Epidemic, shares statistics on anti-trans violence and discusses the higher rates of harm black trans women face.
In 2023, 84% of 32 transgender fatal violence victims in the U.S. documented by the Human Rights Campaign were people of color; 50% were Black transgender women.
“I have 30 years of lived experience as a trans woman of color. I had graduated from Wake Forest and found myself homeless, without family and friends. I have lived through what it is to have no home, and what hate looks like, up close and personal,” said Newman.
Some 36% of trans victims with a known killer in 2023 were killed by a partner, friend or family member; 78% were killed with a gun.
“Many of these women are below the poverty level and facing job and financial insecurity,
Andy Ruiz, Legal Support Staff and Grant Administrator at St. Johns Community Health Legal Services Department, discusses the need for greater accountability when it comes to police response to the LGBTIQ+ community.
“Many times, individuals do try to report hate incidents, but they’re shooed away, and then are reluctant to call law enforcement when the incidents escalate and they’re being physically attacked,” Ruiz explained.
One individual came to St. John’s seeking assistance, having been tricked into a relationship with a person in a gang, through a gay dating app during the pandemic.
“This individual became very well acquainted with the other person, who came to his
Climate change’s toll on the health of Black communities
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer
It’s not difficult for people to observe the influence climate change has had on the planet, whether through extreme weather, wildfires, droughts, melting glaciers or rising sea levels. But, its impact on communities’ health may not be as easily detected.
Maija Anderson is the chair of Morgan State University’s Department of Nursing. She encouraged people to stay hydrated and avoid exercising outside during intense heat.
(Photo courtesy of Morgan State University) Lorece Edwards is a public health professor at Morgan State University. She explained that redlining has contributed to Black communities living in areas with extreme temperatures.
Black communities, in particular, are especially vulnerable to environmental hazards generated and exacerbated by climate change. According to a 2023 study from McKinsey and Company, African Americans are 1.4 times more likely than their counterparts to be exposed to extreme heat.
This not only has implications for their physical health but also their finances, as the report notes extreme heat can prevent people from attending work.
In part, the reason for this increased exposure rests in historical and systemic practices, like redlining.
“Heat and heat-related conditions impact people in different ways based on the environments in which they live. Even though redlining and segregation have been removed on paper, their legacy and practices still continue,” said Lorece Edwards, professor of public health at Morgan State University. “We live in concrete jungles where there is nothing but cement all around, and trust me, I have felt the heat come up from the ground under my pants leg.”
Redlining refers to the practice of denying loans, access to credit and other financial services to neighborhoods predominantly made up of minority populations. The word originates from the
federal government and lenders drawing red lines on maps around neighborhoods that were considered risky investments. Urban areas—historically targeted for redlining—are covered in concrete and asphalt with buildings made of brick and metal, all of which absorb and retain heat. They also lack green spaces, which help to reduce heat and provide shade.
Redlined communities also experience health disparities, which can be intensified by extreme heat.
“In these redlined or segregated areas, you have children with asthma, people with chronic lung diseases and people with heart disease,” said Edwards. “These temperatures are harder on them, and they are the ones who don’t have access to transportation or the finances to put air conditioners in.”
According to the McKinsey and Company report, the rate of heat-related emergency department visits grew by 67 percent for African Americans compared to 27 percent for their White counterparts between 2005 and 2015. The study also revealed that extreme heat could result in the death of 60,000 people each year by 2050. Some of the more obvious outcomes of exposure to extreme heat include dehydration, heat stroke, heat rash and heat exhaustion. Maija Anderson, chair of MSU’s Department of Nursing, explained that it can also aggravate cardiovascular conditions, asthma, respiratory problems and kidney function, all of which disproportionately impact Black communities. She offered guidance for people to protect themselves from the scorching temperatures.
“Try not to play outside when it’s really hot. Get your exercise in the early morning or late at night when temperatures are dropping. Try to wear light clothing,” said Anderson. “Hydration is really important. For people who have issues with breathing or are diagnosed as asthmatic, make sure you have your emergency inhaler on hand.”
The Honorable Edolphus "Ed" Towns Jr
Maija Anderson is the chair of Morgan State University’s Department of Nursing. She encouraged people to stay hydrated and avoid exercising outside during intense heat. (Photo courtesy of Morgan State University) Lorece Edwards is a public health professor at Morgan State University. She explained that redlining has contributed to Black communities living in areas with extreme temperatures. (Photo courtesy of Morgan State University)
FTC Scores Win in Suit Targeting Fraud in the Gig Economy
By Peter Schurmann
How does making $18 per hour sound working from the comfort of your own home? For those looking for flexible work hours, a stay-athome parent, for example, it’s a tempting offer.
But in a first-of-its kind case, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has highlighted the perils for consumers lured by promises of big pay in the gig economy.
“The nature of flexible work can definitely appeal to people who have a need for more flexible hours or to work from home,” says Taylor Arana, an attorney with the FTC based out if its Midwest Regional Office in Chicago. “And those things are aspects of work they may not be able to find in other work environments.”
Still, says Arana, buyer beware.
Arana was part of the FTC team that earlier this month won a $7 million settlement against Arise Virtual Solutions, a Florida-based company that connects large, Fortune 500 firms with individual gig workers who
perform customer service activities for these companies.
In the suit filed by the FTC, the agency charged Arise with violating the Business Opportunity Act, which requires companies to disclose, among other things, accurate earnings opportunities to potential partners, including gig workers.
According to Arana, 99.9% of workers, or “agents” with the company made an average of just $12 per hour, well below the $18 hourly wage touted in its advertising, which specifically targeted Black women and single mothers. Contractors were also required to pay hundreds of dollars in up-front costs for training, equipment and other “usage fees.”
In its filing, the FTC pointed to internal documents with Arise that showed the company was aware that most of its agents were earning far less than what was being advertised.
“A vast majority of the people who signed up for the opportunity did not make what was promised,” said Arana, adding that gig workers for Arise were 90% women, and 60% of them identified as Black, Latino or multi-racial.
Arise claims to have thousands of “agents” across the country.
continued on page 7
With LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes Rising, How is California Responding?...continued from page 4 house with a knife and fellow gang members, who completely robbed his house,” Ruiz said.
“The individual called law enforcement, blamed him and said he shouldn’t be meeting strangers.”
“This individual was already represented by another attorney, who dropped the case because they didn’t want issues with law enforcement,” Ruiz continued.
“My job is not to maintain friendships with external agencies. It’s to help you. We got this individual’s police report amended to show the bias, and helped him submit a U Visa application as the victim of a qualified crime.”
“As a trans person myself … it taught me that sometimes the system will work against you, but you have to continue working with it,” Ruiz added.
Aries Yumul, Coordinator LGBTQ+ District Resource and Support with the Santa Clara County Office of Education, shares why he became a teacher and the student suffering that moved him to advocate for LGBTQ+ youth in schools.
“I was a high school teacher for many years, and I wanted to make my classroom a safe space. However, that wasn’t enough. During those years I lost five students to suicide, and these will
stay with me for the rest of my life,” said Aries Rivers Yumul, who now coordinates districtwide and statewide LGBTQ+ support for the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
“It’s no wonder that LGBTQ+ students are overrepresented in absenteeism, lower academic performance and the foster youth and juvenile justice systems,” he continued. “When I would talk to LGBTQ+ students who had been in these systems multiple times, they’d tell me they felt safer there than they did outside.”
Yumul is also part of a statewide collaborative of educators which has helped draft California legislation like SB 760, which guarantees all-gender restroom access for K-12 students; AB 5, which requires the state to develop online LGBT+ cultural competency training for teachers of grades seven through 12; and AB 1078, banning book bans and textbook censorship in the state’s over 10,000 schools.
“Schools are one of the last bastions of public service out there,” Yumul added. “As educators, we’re on the front lines of making sure students are safe … LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable, and we’re trying to make sure they’re cared for just as much as everyone else.”
OPINION: Checkmate! In the High Stakes Game of Political Leadership, Congresswoman Maxine Waters Illustrates She is Master Queen...continued from page 3
for $10 billion in funding for Section 8 when that program faced dire circumstances; or securing $50 million in funding for Youth Fair Chance; the $400 million for Minority Aids Funding or the $6 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization, she has always been at the forefront of what is best for the communities she serves.
As citizens, we are always hopeful and prayerful that our public servants will influence legislation on our behalf that will provide healthcare, affordable food and housing, good paying jobs, funding for small business, safe communities and safe places for our children to be educated.
However, in today’s divided political universe, many of us are torn or swayed by propaganda to believe that our system of governance is failing us. As a result, we accuse our elected officials of being out of touch and not adhering to our concerns. These persuasive but frightening perceptions play right into the hands of those that denied Blacks voting rights. This rhetoric, fueled by broadcast networks, social media, podcasts and streaming platforms, can lead us to be so discouraged that we just say “to hell with all of it” and not exercise the most powerful difference making tool at our disposal: THE RIGHT TO VOTE, and suffer our ultimate demise.
That is why leadership is paramount. Some perceive leadership as some fancy title that is only available to the chosen elite, but real leadership is demonstrated by the actions and deeds of the individuals elected to serve.
BlackPressUSA.com - 47 Million Americans. 1 Voice.
Trusted and reliable leaders advocate for what is right, even when contradicted by members of their own political party. Such was the case when Waters learned California Governor Gavin Newsom had released his budget for the state without any funding for the Martin Luther King Community Hospital (MLKCH), which was on the brink of closing yet again.
Fuming, Waters encountered Newsom at an event and cornered him about the MLKCH dilemma.
In a letter sent to Newsom, Waters appealed; “I call on you as the Governor of the Great State of California to reverse your decision of 2022 and immediately support legislation that will
adjust MLKCH’s supplemental funding methodology to include outpatient services, including the approximately 125,000 ED services provided by the hospital every year. This will cost an estimated $25 million per year.
More importantly, it will save countless lives.”
Newsom had previously vetoed Assemblymember Mike Gipson (Carson)’s AB 2426 to expand MLKCH’s supplemental funding in order to cover hospital-based outpatient services provided in the emergency department. The bill provided MLKCH approximately $25-$30 million in additional funds annually.
Not long after Waters sent a letter to Newsom on June 14, Newsom reversed course and signed off the legislation to fund MLKCH.
It was a gangsta move as we say in the hood, and copied on the letter were a long list of community stakeholders including:
Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO, MLK Community Healthcare Assemblyman Mike Gipson
County Supervisor Hilda Solis, 1st District
County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, 2nd District
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District
County Supervisor Janice Hahn, 4th District
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th District Los Angeles City
Councilmember Tim McOskar, District 15 LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, District 7 Compton Mayor Emma Sharif
Mr. John Baackes, CEO, LA Care Health Plan
Ms. Wajeha A. Bilal, Founder, Build Plus Community Marketplace
Dr. David Carlisle, President and CEO, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Rev. Timothy Coston, Jr., Senior Pastor, Grant AME Church
Ms. Robin Daniels, CEO, Sisters of Watts
Rev. Dr. Sonja R. Dawson, Senior Pastor. New Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church
Mr. Ryan Ferguson, Manager, Government and Community Relations-LA South, Kaiser Permanente Watts Medical Offices and Watts Counseling and Learning Center Mr. John
Jones, III, President and CoFounder, East Side Riders Bike Club
Mr. Donny Joubert, President, Watts Gang Taskforce
Ms. Yumi Kawasaki, Principal, Edwin Markham Middle School
Ms. Elsa Madrid, Principal, Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center Dr. Cynthia Mendenhall, Founder and President, Chosen Angels Inc.
Rev. Kenneth Miller, Senior Pastor, Hays Tabernacle CME Church
Rev. Dr. Ivan Pitts, Macedonia Baptist Church
Mr. Brandon “Stix” SalaamBailey, Founder and CEO, Think Watts
Ms. Dolores Sheen, Founder, Sheenway School and Culture Center
Mr. Aqeela Sherrills, CoFounder, Community Based Public Safety Collective Rev. Robert Taylor, President, Watts Area Ministers
Mr. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO, Top Dawg
Entertainment
Mr. Tim Watkins, CEO, WLCAC
Ms. Autumn Ybarra, Watts/ Century Latino Organization
“This unique hospital serves some of the poorest and sickest people in the State of California and perhaps the entire country. Our community depends on MLKCH, and we cannot allow it to close,” Waters wrote.
Waters was just warming up after the victory for MLKCH, she then turned her attention to the City of Inglewood in her Congressional District.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, and confirmed by Waters in an interview with South Bay Black Journal, Waters is now objecting to one of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts’ most prominent projects, The People Mover (ITC), a $2-billion transportation line that would link SoFi Stadium to one of Los Angeles’ newest rail lines (K-Line).
“It will not provide convenient connectivity to employment or public services for local residents,” she said. “The ITC is designed primarily to allow public transit users to connect the extra 1.6 miles from Metro’s K Line to sports and entertainment venues. Shuttle buses could most likely accomplish the same goal at a fraction of the cost, but have
not been seriously considered as an alternative,” Waters told the Times.
In affirming her commitment to prevent the project from going forward, Waters stated:
“To the degree that I can do anything to stop it, I will do it,” she said Wednesday. “It’s a project that has turned out to be totally unnecessary and totally much too costly.”
“The ITC threatens to exacerbate this crisis by displacing long-time Inglewood residents and small and minorityowned businesses and diverting resources away from some of the most urgent needs of the local communities in my district,” she wrote.
The four-term mayor has courted billionaires and inked deals to build SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome that have transformed his community.
As one might expect, Butts was not happy about Waters’ position.
“You can’t come in at the 11th hour with a little fairy tale story about how something is so terrible,” he said. The letter was “ill-conceived” and many of the points “fully invalid,” Butts told The Times that Waters did not reach out to him to discuss the matter.
However, this is what leadership is all about, challenging the most powerful within your own party with conviction.
These individuals wake up with a strategy to improve the lives of their constituents and everyday Americans and they go to sleep contemplating what more can be done.
Explore the entire political universe from the local, to the state upward to the federal level and few have been as reliable as Maxine Waters.
The sacrifices that she makes have threatened her mere existence as assassination attempts have placed her life and the safety of her family in constant jeopardy.
Whether it’s being at the forefront during civil unrest in Los Angeles or the brutal police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, we can always count on Maxine Waters being in the middle of the fight. In a sense she’s like Mike Tyson in his heyday, always menacing and going towards the opponent with intentions of securing victory by any means necessary.
A L S C L A S S I F I E D S G O H E R E
Loma California [91737] The United States of America. Reference: https://www.commonlawcourt.com/list/deeds/ OTH/22/857259
~2 Legal Description: Lot 3 Amended Tract 16100 Recorded Book of Maps 308 Pages 58-59 Rancho Cucamonga San Bernardino County California APN 0225 071 80 0000 Now 1087 231 03 0000; being a portion of LAND PATENT Accession # CACAAA 073444 / Certificate # 4624, Dated, 31st day of May 1892; Township 1N Range
IN MEMORIAM: Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson
Lee Dies at 74
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
for
Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the longest-serving members of the Texas delegation, has died at the age of 74. In June, Jackson Lee announced her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, yet she showed little indication of letting it interfere with her plans to run for a 16th term this November.
The fiery congresswoman disclosed her diagnosis in a written statement shortly after winning renomination in a fiercely contested Democratic primary. Known for her unwavering commitment to social justice, she was a fervent advocate for reparations for African Americans and a vocal critic of the twice impeached and 34 times convicted felon and former President Donald Trump. Unlike some of her colleagues, she did not join the calls for President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 race. As recently as Wednesday,
Washington, D.C.,
July 19, Jackson Lee continued to champion President Biden’s reelection campaign. “Something that does not get talked about enough: we were able to bring down homicides in Houston with federal investment,” she wrote on X. “After President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, we brought $50 million to the city to take on crime—and it worked! Local/federal partnership saved lives.”
She added, “This House Democrat believes Joe Biden has served us well and has the best plans for the future. I am laserfocused on beating Donald Trump and delivering for America because that’s what matters.”
Jackson Lee also reminded her followers that America saw one of the most significant homicide spikes ever in Trump’s last year in office. “He threw his hands in the air and did not know what to do,” she asserted. “Since he left,
Buys T.D.s and Buys/Lends on Partial Interests
FTC Scores Win in Suit Targeting Fraud in the Gig Economy...continued from page 6
In March, the company settled another lawsuit, this one filed on behalf of 180 gig workers in Washington DC, for $3 million. In that case, filed by the DC District Attorney’s office, the company was charged with misclassifying its workers as independent contractors despite the “high level of control” the company maintained over its workforce.
“The economic reality of Arise’s relationship with its agents demonstrates the existence of an employer-employee relationship,” the suit alleged. Comcast, which contracted with Arise, was named a defendant in that case. Other companies known to have used Arise’s services include Disney and AirBnB.
The company has denied wrongdoing in both the DC case and the one brought by the FTC.
“Operating in the ‘gig’ economy is no license for evading the law, and the FTC will continue using all its tools to protect Americans from unlawful business practice,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement after the $7 million settlement was announced.
The value of the US gig economy, defined as freelance or part-time work typically through digital platforms, is estimated at over $450 billion, with half of all Americans expected to have done at least some gig work by 2027. Fraud, including wage and identity theft, is a growing concern with some data showing that nearly a third of consumers report having been the victim of a scam while using a gig platform.
The FTC’s suit is the first such case where a company operating in the gig economy has been charged with violating the Business Opportunity Act.
I am proud that our American Rescue Plan has done the very important work to bring these numbers down! Federal/local partnerships worked.”
Jackson Lee’s legislative achievements are significant and wide-ranging. She played a crucial role in the passage of the Violence Against Women Act. She was a senior House Committee member on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees. She was the first female ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, serving as Chair during the 117th Congress.
“The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) extends to the family of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee our profound condolences. May the legacy and memory of Sheila Jackson Lee be enshrined in the pantheon of global freedom fighters,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Jackson Lee was a powerful advocate for a free and energetic press — and for the Black Press of America in particular.
Among her notable legislative efforts were the Sentencing Reform Act, the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, the RAISE Act, the Fair Chance for Youth Act, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, Kalief’s Law, and the American RISING Act. She also introduced the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant
Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act and the Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act.
A staunch supporter of women and children, Jackson Lee championed the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. She authored the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act.
Jackson Lee was widely recognized for her effectiveness and influence. Congressional Quarterly named her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, and U.S. News and World Report listed her among the ten most influential legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a founder, member, and chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and the Congressional Children’s Caucus. She was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Energy Braintrust and the Justice Reform Task Force co-chair.
A Yale University alumna, Jackson Lee earned her B.A. in Political Science with honors and later received a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, an administrator at the University of Houston; her two children, Jason Lee, a Harvard University graduate, and Erica Lee, a Duke University graduate and member of the Harris County School Board; and her two grandchildren, twins Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III.
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE Issue #1213
Staying Grounded in Tumultuous Times
Sherry Warren
“The whole idea is to require the company to provide information to consumers, so they have more of an idea of what they are getting into before they sign up,” said Arana about the law, which also requires companies to disclose current or former employees in the area who can be contacted by prospective workers to learn about their experience with the company.
The FTC received some 2.6 million reports from consumers in 2023 about potentially questionable marketplace practices. “The more reports that we do get the better we’re able to learn about how best to help consumers,” noted Arana. Consumers can file reports with the FTC at reportfraud. ftc.gov. The site is available in multiple languages and the FTC has translators available for those with limited English proficiency.
Arana says it’s important for those interested in these types of opportunities to “do your research.” That includes simple steps like an internet search with the company’s name and keywords such as complaints, reviews or scam. Individuals can also try and find past employees – whether or not the company has disclosed them – to learn about actual earnings and possible upfront costs.
“Take a moment and be skeptical,” Arana stresses. “We just say, question promises of big money or profits.”
Money from the settlement will be distributed among past Arise workers, though the FTC must first scan Arise data to determine who is eligible and for what amount. That process could take months, says Arana. But, she adds, “Every penny we collect goes back to consumers.”
For years I have referred to myself as a peace-loving hippietype pacifist who believes that violence is never the answer to humanity’s problems. In case I need to be clear, it was never the best choice to begin with and is often the catalyst for causing the problem that is being responded to. Violence not only harms the victims—it harms those reporting on it and witnessing it through secondary trauma and normalization. I am what is referred to as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), a term coined by psychologist Elaine Aron. HSPs are people who somehow feel most stimuli to a greater degree than typical people. We might have something called sensoryprocessing sensitivity, which makes us more reactive to loud sounds, bright bursts of light, and other events that typical people do not react to with the same level of fear, startle, or reactivity. We often cannot endure violent depictions in film or bear witness to the atrocities that humans inflict on each other.
It is not really a diagnosis but rather a way of moving through and sensing in this world that can stand out against more typicallysensing people. HSP could be defined as a personality type. I startle easily and cannot tolerate some noises (especially if they are loud and sudden, but I love loud music while cruising down the interstate with the windows open). I cannot stand war movies or footage, and I really do not watch the news because of the casual displays of violence (I am reminded of Don Henley’s lyrics from 1983’s “Dirty Laundry”: “she can tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye / It’s interesting when people die, give us dirty laundry”). In order to stay informed about what is occurring internationally, I usually read the news rather than receive it through other media. This enables me to be
selective and protect myself from some of the harsher images and violence that are de riguer of contemporary newscasting.
For example, the recent assassination attempt of presidential candidate Donald Trump at a political rally really left me struggling for multiple reasons. I had to balance my need to be informed about current events with my tolerance for consuming violent content and my distaste for the rhetoric around Christian nationalism and conspiracy. I think this is a position that many of my progressive contemporaries find ourselves in. I immediately felt fear and sadness because humanity once again turned to violence to solve conflict. I also worried about how those who intentionally author fake news to create confusion and turmoil would be presenting numerous versions of what happened, how, and why. Lastly, knowing that this event and the coverage of it would dominate the news left me feeling like I would need to withdraw some for selfpreservation from the onslaught of violence and theorizing.
When I taught college courses, one of the things I worked with students on was critical thinking, especially about the words used by writers to attempt to sway people’s opinions. Writing in an unbiased way is difficult if one is passionate about the topic because presenting factual information can be challenging when one is focused on persuading people to adopt a specific mindset or worldview. It is somewhat like a sales job as the writer attempts to coax the reader to buy into a particular viewpoint. Certainly, distinguishing what is accurate and true from what is opinion and fiction is a real challenge. One tool I use to help me determine the “truthiness”
Staying Grounded in Tumultuous Times...continued of anything I read is All Sides media bias ratings (https://www. allsides.com/media-bias/ratings). By choosing news outlets that have been awarded a “C” for “center” from All Sides, I can have a greater degree of certainty that I am consuming news that is likely to be less biased by the viewpoints of the author, editor, or publisher of the piece. While I cannot control the amount of violently descriptive language or images they use, I can at least rest assured in the knowledge that I am being accurately informed and less influenced by the manipulations of the news media that seeks to exploit a newsworthy event for political outcomes. I encourage you to carefully consume what is being reported, and seek information from credible news sources and in doses that allow you to continue to have hope, follow Jesus, and be love in tumultuous times.
“Time
DO NOT listen to all those soothing voices whispering you have all the time in the world.
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
[Isaiah 55:6-7].
For Gods says in [Isaiah 48:9]
“For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise, I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely.” I’m putting my grace on display, my mercy, my long suffering, my patience, but that want last forever. This is all the more urgent, for you to know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for your salvation is nearer now than when you first believed. [Romans 13:11].
Understand, the offer of Salvation has a time element to it! How much time is left, you ask? Now that we do not know. That is a mystery that God holds in His hand, and He will not tell us. But what He does tell us is that it's later than you think. It will not be long before this present age as we know it will end. Wake up and do it NOW! The time is short! And be careful how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. [Ephesians 5:11].
Understand, salvation is a life and death matter, it’s a matter of heaven or hell! When you give your life to God you are not only saved from sin, the evil one, and death; you are also saved from the wrath of God and the judgment to come. The point of this paragraph of God's Word is that there will be no escape for any of us who neglects our great salvation. [Hebrews 2:1–4].
Besides, if Jesus came on the scene saying “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at Hand” how important do you think it is?
Wake up and do it now! For the Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
[2 Peter 3:9].
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. [Acts 17:30]. As [Luke 13:22] admonishes, make every effort to enter the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the master of the house gets up and closes the door, you’ll stand outside knocking and pleading, sir open the door for us. But “He will answer,” I don’t know you or where you come from. Don’t wait until it’s too late!
Consider this borrowed time, that God has allotted, which can be compared to the seven days of grace God gave to the people in
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Sherry Warren is the Minister for Women’s and Gender Justice for the United Church of Christ.
Noah’s day. The ark was finished, and all the people and the animals were onboard; but God gave all those outside the ark seven days of grace. He told Noah, for yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth [Genesis 7:4]. God left the door open so that those who wanted could enter the ark, but they just mocked and made fun of Noah and his family like they had been doing for many years. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth…and the Lord shut him in [Genesis 7:10,16]. Time is about to run out. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Enter the Ark. It is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven, that you should perish [Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9]. If you have any conscience at all, you will enter the ark while the door is still open.
You know the prophet Isaiah was told to tell King Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore [Isaiah 38:1-3].
God did not disagree with Hezekiah, so He gave him borrowed time. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years [Isaiah 38:4,5]. Every minute of that was borrowed time because God had originally said that Hezekiah’s time was up. God’s grace! So, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [2 Peter 3:8]. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. [Hebrews 9:27]. Behold, NOW is the accepted time; Behold, NOW is the day of salvation [2 Corinthians 6:2]. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for NOW, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand [Romans 13:11-14]. For, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” [Mark 1:15]. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and swore by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer [Revelation 10:5,6]. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Luke 12:40].
By Lou K. Coleman
Lou K. Coleman
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee questions U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan during testimony in the House Committee on Homeland Security in a hearing focused on closing pathways
terrorists enter the U.S. in
September 14, 2016. CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett / U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Calls for Immediate Action!”
Keeping it Real: Kamala Harris for President
by S.E. Williams
Overview: Vice
Kamala Harris has
President Joe Biden and former Speaker
the House Nancy Pelosi to become the Democratic candidate for president in the 2024 election. Harris is seen as the best choice for president, and her candidacy is supported by many rank and file Democrats and party leaders. The Republican Party is expected to launch a disinformation campaign against Harris, but it is important to not yield to their propaganda. The Supreme Court is stacked with conservative justices who have made it clear they have no problem weighing in on behalf of Trump, and it is time for women and their male supporters to coalesce and work together to elect Harris as the nation’s first woman president
America and the world paid attention this weekend when President Joe Biden made the announcement many of us hoped for–that he was withdrawing
his bid for reelection. Almost immediately, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his choice to become the Democratic candidate for president in this year’s election.
Biden spoke about the clarity he’d come to regarding how “the demands of a modern campaign” can be better met by “the Vice President.”
Former Speaker of the House, Representative Nancy Pelosi also endorsed Harris with what she declared was, “limitless optimism for our country’s future.”
Harris is ready to take command and national reaction to her entering the race has been enthusiastic and pledges of support, overwhelming, from many rank and file Democrats and the party leadership has made it abundantly clear Harris is their choice to lead their party and this nation into the future. By Monday evening, CNN reported Harris had secured enough delegates to win the party’s
nomination at the Democratic Convention later this summer.
Most who have followed Madame Vice President’s rise in state and national politics are excited about this fortuitous change of events.
“You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can’t go wrong. The world is behind you.”
Josephine Baker
For the Black community, for the Asian community, for women, for the disenfranchised, for those who believe this nation must begin to live its vision of being “of, by and for the people, for those fighting for equity in every aspect of life, for those committed to preserving and repairing the environment, Harris hears us. She sees us. She knows us. She is us.
In the coming days and weeks the Republican Party’s disinformation campaign will explode and rain down upon
American voters every vile accusation against Harris that they can contrive, overwhelming the mainstream and social media alike. Unfortunately, most will repeat the nonsense ad nauseam again and over again, as the Republicans’ fabricated and/or twisted tales about Harris as if it were the gospel truth. We must not yield to their propaganda.
It is certainly no secret that Black women power the Democratic Party and there is little doubt we will rise to the occasion once again in 2024. In addition, there is little question regarding what’s at risk for the country this year. I know… you’re probably thinking its the same story every election cycle–well, for people of color, that’s because it is.
However, this year there is a dangerous twist–a United States Supreme Court stacked by former President and current Republican candidate for president, Donald J. Trump. The court’s conservative justices have made it abundantly clear they have no problem weighing in on behalf of Trump. The court has set the stage for him to act without concern for any consequences should he become president for the second time.
We must not allow misogynistic thinking or a mindset of white supremacy to keep us from making history by successfully electing the nation’s first woman president.
As has been pointed out by many, there is no better person to prosecute a case against “the felon formerly known as” President of the United States Donald J. Trump than expert District Attorney and former CA
Attorney General, Vice President Kamala Harris. It is time for us to coalesce and work together for the greater good of all. We have the power. Women hold up more than half the sky. As women, wives, mothers, grandmothers, neighbors, friends and their male supporters, to paraphrase Angela Davis, we can no longer accept the things they say we cannot change. Instead, it is time for us to change the things we
cannot accept We cannot accept Donald Trump for another term as president. We now have a viable, competitive, competent, capable and modern candidate in Vice President Kamala Harris. She has done the work to make herself the best choice for president. Now, it is up to us to do our work and elect her. Let’s make history together in 2024. Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.
Keeping it Real: Kamala Harris for President... continued Subscribe to The San Bernardino AMERICAN
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