By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Rafer Johnson, the first Black captain of a United States Olympic team, has died. He was 86. Johnson, a renown athlete, and humanitarian carried the American flag into Rome’s Olympic Stadium in 1960. He went on to win gold in the decathlon and became a close associate of the Kennedy family. In 1968, Johnson, NFL star Rosey Grier and journalist George Plimpton, apprehended Sirhan Sirhan immediately after Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed. “America lost a sports icon with the passing of Rafer Johnson,” ESPN’s Michael Eaves tweeted. “At…
Author: Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire A lot of past cruelties can underscore America’s history of hate. Today, one could capture that hate through the lens of at least some of the more than 74 million people casting a vote for President Donald Trump. Often described as a racist, chauvinist, and one whose policies separated immigrant children from their parents and put them in cages along the Southern U.S. border, Trump supposedly embodies the very qualities that much of America — including many of its major corporations and our next-door neighbors — protested against when they stood with Black Lives…
By Stacy M. Brown News surrounding Pfizer and BioNTech’s announcement that their coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 among those without previous infection arrives as the United States continues to realize record-breaking new cases. For the first time on Thursday, November 12, the country surpassed 150,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day. The total number of cases soared past 10.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. Both California and Texas have recorded more than 1 million total cases, while states like Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey have seen significant rises in COVID…
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent WASHINGTON, DC — Presidential elections impact Americans’ lives in a wide array of ways. It’s widely maintained that the outcome of the 2020 contest between the incumbent, Donald Trump, and the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, will have long-term consequences for many in general and African Americans specifically. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of the more than 200 Black-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States, will examine potential election outcomes and consequences in six key areas: Education, Health Care, the Economy, Foreign Affairs, Employment, and Criminal…
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent WASHINGTON, DC — Through her cancer, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals, and that’s how she’ll be remembered, President Barack Obama expressed in a written statement. “But, she also left instructions for how she wanted her legacy to be honored,” observed President Obama. At 87, the popular Supreme Court Justice had battled cancer and several other maladies, for some time. Just days before her death, as her strength waned, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter, Clara Spera: “My most…
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent WASHINGTON, DC — Millennials and a younger generation were the targets of the fourth installment of The HeroZona Foundation’s Bridge Forum, which took place in late August at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix Tempe. The event was an addition to the Foundation’s series discussing systemic racism in America, and the special segment did include young leaders from various public and private Arizona organizations advocating for change. The invitation-only event was again moderated by National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. Supported by the City of…
By Stacy Brown NNPA WASHINGTON, DC — California Sen. Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s choice for vice president. Following months of speculation and debate over whether Biden should pick a Black woman as his running mate, Harris was named Tuesday as Biden’s choice. Biden reportedly had called Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), former Ambassador Susan Rice, and three other candidates to inform them on Tuesday morning that they were not his pick. Harris had routinely been seen as the top pick, but her clashes with Biden during the Democratic debates appeared to give Biden pause. However, Biden had been photographed in…
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent WASHINGTON, DC — Publishers of Black-owned community newspapers, including Janis Ware of the Atlanta Voice, Cheryl Smith of Texas Metro News, Chris Bennett of the Seattle Medium, Denise Rolark Barnes of the Washington Informer, and Brenda Andrews of the New Journal & Guide in Virginia, are desperately trying to avoid shuttering operations. On Wednesday, April 29, Rolark Barnes, Andrews, Bennett, and Ware participated in a special livestream broadcast discussing how their publications are enduring as the pandemic rages on. In a heartfelt and straight-to-the-point op-ed published recently, Ware explained to her tens of…
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent While struggling individuals and families look forward to a $1,200 federal stimulus check, America’s wealthy have again made off with most of the cash. The $2.3 trillion coronavirus stimulus package includes a temporary tax change for individuals who make at least $1 million a year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The Joint Committee’s analysis shows 43,000 taxpayers in the highest income bracket, making more than $1 million a year, could save a combined $70 billion in taxes. Almost all benefits from the tax break go to people making more than $100,000…
Public health experts reveal Coronavirus is airborne disease By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent WASHINGTON, DC — While many medical doctors maintain that the novel coronavirus is transmitted through droplets from coughs or sneezes, more and more medical experts and officials who work primarily with infectious respiratory illnesses and aerosols are convinced that the disease is airborne. Today, as a result of recent medical research and data, The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. has issued a solemn national public warning and alert to nearly 50 million African Americans. “Black America is…