Activists who support the 47th president are said to be drafting a proposed executive order claiming, without evidence, that China interfered in the 2020 election and seeking expanded federal authority over voting systems ahead of the 2026 midterms, according to The Washington Post. Voting rights advocates warn the move would challenge states’ constitutional control over elections.
Author Archives: Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor
Posted inNational News
Statue of Barbara Rose Johns, Virginia civil rights activist, replaces Robert E. Lee statue in the U.S. Capitol
Virginia officially replaced its statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Capitol with a statue honoring Barbara Rose Johns, the teenage civil rights activist whose 1951 student-led protest against segregated schools helped spark the legal fight that culminated in Brown v. Board of Education. The dedication marked a historic moment, recognizing Johns as one of only four Black women represented by statues in the Capitol and symbolizing a broader shift away from honoring Confederate figures toward celebrating champions of justice and equality.
Posted inAfro Briefs
In memoriam: Hughes Van Ellis, 102-year-old Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, dies
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire One of only three known survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre has died on October 9 at the age of 102 years old. Hughes Van Ellis, 102, died in Denver, Colo. on the morning of Oct. 9. Van Ellis was born on Jan.11, 1921. The two last known survivors […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
California Governor Gavin Newsom appoints Laphonza Butlerto U.S. Senate seat after death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Laphonza Butler will fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein. The groundbreaking Senator died on Sept, 29. Newsom’s decision was not on the political radar screen of most prognosticators. With the selection of Butler, the decision of California’s Governor will not include any of the currently […]
Posted inNational News
New York to pay $25 million to two men falsely convicted of killing Malcolm X
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor In 1965, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were wrongfully convicted of killing Malcolm X and spent over 20 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted. Even though the Feb. 21, 1965 murder of Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was one […]
Posted inNational News
Wells Fargo accused of discrimination in lending
By Lauren Victoria Burke for NNPA, LBurke007@gmail.com / @LVBurke on Twitter American banking giant Wells Fargo has been accused of discriminatory lending practices. A lawsuit alleges that Wells Fargo denies home loans to Black borrowers at a higher rate and charges higher interest rates to Black borrowers. “We are deeply disturbed by allegations of discrimination […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Three former Minnesota officers plead guilty for refusing to intervene in George Floyd murder
By Lauren Victoria BurkeNNPA Newswire Contributor On Feb. 24 in a St. Paul, Minneapolis federal courthouse, a jury convicted Tou Thao, 36; Alex Kueng, 28; and Thomas Lane, 38, of violating the constitutional rights of George Perry Floyd, Jr. This case is likely the first time in history that a federal court has charged police […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Trailblazing Congresswoman Carrie Meek Dies at 95
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor Former U.S. Congresswoman Carrie Meek, who was the first Black person to represent the state of Florida in Congress since Reconstruction, died on November 28. She was 95. Meek served in Congress from 1993 to 2003. She as the granddaughter of slaves and became a Congresswoman at the […]
Posted inHBCU
Ribbon cutting for HBCU National Center set for November
By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor (NNPA Newswire) – On Nov. 11, the HBCU National Center, which is located mere blocks from the U.S. Capitol, will be opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The center has been established by Jacqueline “Jackie” Lewis, who is also the founder of WISH, LLC, which provides housing to […]
Posted inNEWS
Los Angeles County to dismiss about 60,000 marijuana convictions
(Photo/NNPA) By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor Los Angeles County is planning to throw out over 60,000 additional marijuana convictions that date back 30 years. The action is connected to California’s legalization efforts. Marijuana arrests have been a large driver of over incarceration since the “war on drugs” began during the Nixon presidency. It […]
Posted inNEWS
Study shows police killings in U.S. have been widely undercounted
Talks around details on language in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Congress ended in late September after a dispute between Republican Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) over what Scott defined as “defunding police.” (Photo: Philadelphia, PA USA – November 24, 2014; A young protester and his mother are seen holding signs at Dillworth […]
Posted inNEWS
U.S. House votes to end sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine
On Sept. 28, the U.S. House passed the bill by a vote of 361-66. Now the U.S. Senate has an opportunity to pass the bill and send it to President Biden’s desk. By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor In March U.S. House Democrats Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) joined Republican Reps. Kelly […]