COLUMBIA, S.C. – The NAACP said today that its economic boycott of South Carolina remains in force, despite comments to the contrary. The organization imposed the ban in 2000 when lawmakers declined to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. But, according to local news reports, state Sen. Robert Ford—who is […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inNational News
National Guard Program Is Investing in The Future
Representatives of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program held a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill on February 25 to promote the merits of the program. For young people who’ve dropped out of high school, this program is offering a second chance by introducing structure and discipline in their lives. “The overriding objective of the program […]
Posted inNational News
Miss. Groups File Appeal of Dismissal of Lawsuit over Katrina Funds
Several Mississippi groups have appealed a judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the Department of Housing and Urban Development redirected funds intended for Hurricane Katrina recovery to a long-standing port project. Lawyers from Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Pepeo, the Mississippi Center for Justice and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights filed […]
Posted inNational News
Tough Economy Begets Hunger, Poverty Issues for Blacks
While the ongoing economic downturn has impacted everything—and almost everybody—from Wall Street to Main Street, it has also led to a surge in hunger in African-American communities. The unemployment rate for Blacks now exceeds 16 percent, when just two years ago it was 8.3 percent. But since that time, some 900,000 jobs have been lost […]
Posted inNational News
U.S. Mayors Urge Prompt Action on Federal Jobs Bill
A bipartisan delegation of more than 30 U.S. mayors came together on Capitol Hill on February 24 to urge lawmakers to pass a comprehensive jobs bill that will put unemployed Americans back to work and invest in Main Street metropolitan economies. According to Black PR Newswire, members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors discussed the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
State of the City: Baltimore Buried in $120 Million Deficit
The mayor saved the worst for last at the 11th annual State of the City Address on Monday. After touting the improvements, accomplishments and points of pride within Baltimore in assurance that the city is “strong” despite its challenges, the meat of Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s speech supported her declaration that, “This $120 million deficit is brutal […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Barry Contends No Laws Broken
Beleaguered Councilman Marion Barry said he broke no laws in awarding a controversial contract to a former aide with whom he also had a romantic relationship. However, the councilman and former leader frequently dubbed “Mayor for Life,” admitted he showed poor judgement by continuing a relationship with the woman. “I didn’t use good judgment in […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore City Council to Vote on New Member
City Hall completed its power shift on Thursday when the City Council voted on a new District 12 representative. Seven candidates – Frank W. Richardson, Arron Keith Wilkes, Rev. Rasheed Q. Ray, Charles U. Smith, Ertha Harris, Carl Stokes and Mike Schaefer– were interviewed during a public hearing Tuesday evening so Council members can fill […]
Posted inNational News
Entertainer Tyler Perry was a big winner at this year’s NAACP Image Awards.
Affiliates of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Johnson Publishing Company “were unable to reach a definitive agreement” in a business deal that would have allowed the former basketball star to own a controlling stake in the family-owned company, Journal-isms.com reported. Talks of the HIV-activist’s interest in buying the publishing company, which owns Ebony and Jet magazines, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Healthy Start Creates Hope for Infants
Actors Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe were applauded for sharing the story of their daughter’s battle with spina bifida, a birth defect, at the third annual Cradle of Hope luncheon on Friday. But the real star of the show was infant mortality, which has not received enough credit for the leading role it plays […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Foreclosure Rates Concern Census Officials
The record number of home foreclosures in the Washington, D.C. metro area has local Census officials worried about the 2010 count. It’s a concern that was nonexistent in previous counts in 2000 and 1990, but now Census officials are concerned that home foreclosures, even more than the migration of people across the Prince George’s County-Washington, […]
Posted inNational News
One Year Later: Stimulus Having Unequal Impact
At 1 year old, President Obama’s signature cure for the ailing economy has not yet gained even footing—especially within communities of color, advocates say. However, contrary to mostly Republican criticisms, the $800 billion stimulus has had some positive impact. “It’s working pretty much exactly as advertized,” said Josh Bivens, an economist with the Washington, D.C.-based […]
