Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent For the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, an American has been elected pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost, a native of Chicago, emerged as the conclave’s choice to succeed Pope Francis and will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. The announcement came from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti followed centuries-old tradition, delivering the proclamation in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum — Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you news of great joy — We have a pope!”) Prevost, 69, succeeds Pope Francis, who led the Church…
Author: Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Trump administration has ended a decades-old federal school desegregation order in Louisiana The Trump administration has ended a decades-old federal school desegregation order in Louisiana, the latest move in what legal experts and historians describe as a methodical dismantling of civil rights protections under the Project 2025 blueprint. Announced Tuesday, the Department of Justice declared the 1966 court-enforced desegregation decree involving Plaquemines Parish schools no longer necessary. Officials dismissed the long-standing order as a “historical wrong” and used its termination to signal that other civil rights-era mandates may soon be repealed. “We are getting America refocused…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — It highlights how the same protections that allow Black communities to mobilize, build businesses, and express themselves online have also created a legal loophole that permits anti-Black harassment, white supremacist organizing, and digital discrimination in areas like housing, credit, and employment. A new report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies urges lawmakers to put Black voices at the forefront of efforts to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—a law that has helped fuel online innovation but also allowed unchecked harm against Black communities. The report is the first in a three-part series and marks the…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Leadership Conference said that for 75 years, it has helped secure every major federal civil rights law enacted in the United States. It warned that the same government systems used to advance justice are being weaponized to suppress it. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has launched “The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment,” a declaration of mutual support among dozens of major nonprofit organizations representing millions of people nationwide. The coalition said it’s responding directly to escalating threats and retaliatory actions by the White House and federal agencies targeting groups engaged in public service,…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The move comes on the heels of the shuttering of the FDA’s Moffett Center Proficiency Testing Laboratory, which had overseen food safety data analysis for dairy products nationwide The Food and Drug Administration has suspended a key quality-control program for testing milk and other dairy products, citing a diminished workforce and lab capacity following sweeping federal cuts under President Donald Trump’s initiative to slash the government payroll. An internal FDA email obtained by Reuters revealed that the agency has paused its proficiency testing program for “Grade A” milk—the highest sanitary standard for fluid milk products—effective immediately. The…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Bradley said a national mobilization is set for May 3 in Washington, D.C., urging people to join the Smithsonian and support endangered cultural institutions. “This is not random,” she said. “This is consistent. This is deliberate.” Reverend Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), is mobilizing a national response to what she called a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to erase Black history and dismantle long-standing institutions. “Our ancestors have seen racism before,” Bradley said on Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known news program. “But they haven’t seen this level…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Conducted March 14–25, 2025, the poll surveyed 2,096 respondents across the country. More than four in 10 say they are “barely getting by” financially. Young Black Americans continue to face deep financial stress, with 45% reporting hardship. A new national survey from the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School finds young Americans facing financial uncertainty, deteriorating mental health, and a growing lack of trust in institutions. The 50th edition of the Harvard Youth Poll offers a comprehensive look at the attitudes of Americans aged 18 to 29—particularly young Black individuals—who feel increasingly left out of national conversations and…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The potential loss of this support could drive many back into unsafe living conditions, shelters, or the streets. A federal housing program credited with stabilizing the lives of tens of thousands of Americans fleeing homelessness, domestic violence, or human trafficking is running out of time and money. The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program, which supports more than 60,000 households across the country, is expected to exhaust its funding by the end of 2025, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The potential loss of this support could drive many back…
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The more than hour-long meeting included PepsiCo Chairman Ramon Laguarta and Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo North America, and was held within the 21-day window Sharpton had given the company to respond. Rev. Al Sharpton met Tuesday morning with PepsiCo leadership at the company’s global headquarters in Purchase, New York, following sharp criticism of the food and beverage giant’s decision to scale back nearly $500 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The more than hour-long meeting included PepsiCo Chairman Ramon Laguarta and Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo North America, and was held within the 21-day…