Thomas H. Watkins Jr., founder and publisher of the New York Daily Challenge, died Dec. 19, 2025, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering figure in Black media and a steadfast advocate for his Brooklyn community. Over decades, he used his newspapers to amplify Black voices, cover critical social issues, and mentor generations of journalists, earning admiration from civil rights leaders, activists, and peers.
Tag: Al Sharpton
Posted inCongressional Black Caucus (CBC)
Former U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel dies at 94
Charles B. Rangel, a decorated Korean War veteran and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died on Memorial Day at age 94. Representing Harlem for nearly five decades in Congress, he was a tireless advocate for civil rights, economic reform, and social justice, earning the nickname “Lion of Lenox Avenue.”
Posted inBUSINESS
Target CEO rakes in $20.4M as boycott deepens and Black leaders demand accountability
As Target faces an intensifying national boycott over its rollback of diversity commitments, CEO Brian Cornell received a $20.4 million pay package in 2024, up 6.3 percent from the previous year. Activists accuse the company of sidelining local organizers and betraying its $2 billion equal opportunity pledge, while its stock price continues to decline amid growing public backlash.
Posted inBUSINESS
Sharpton presses Target and PepsiCo over equity retreats as NAN mulls boycotts
Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network (NAN) are weighing further action against corporations like Target and PepsiCo for scaling back their equal opportunity and inclusion efforts, following high-level meetings with company executives. Sharpton plans to consult with NAN’s board and civil rights allies before deciding whether to support boycotts or “buycotts” in response to these corporate retreats.
Posted inNational News
How Jesse Jackson embodied Southern politics − and changed American elections
By Gibbs Knotts, Coastal Carolina University and Christopher A. Cooper, Western Carolina University Holding hands with other prominent Black leaders, the Rev. Jesse Jackson crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Like several survivors of that violent day in 1965, when police […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
Roberta Flack laid to rest in celebration of life featuring Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill
A March 10 public memorial service celebrated the life and legacy of the Grammy-winning singer and pianist Roberta Flack.
Posted inAfro Briefs
Economic blackout: Will a 24-hour boycott make a difference?
The People\’s Union USA is encouraging U.S. residents to abstain from spending money on Feb. 28 as an act of economic resistance to protest the influence of billionaires, big corporations, and both major political parties on the lives of working Americans.
Posted inCommentary
Setting the record straight on an important piece of Black history
By Ben Jealous With the start of Black History Month, I brace myself for the mis-telling of Black History yet again. In schoolhouses and everywhere the stories are told, a persistent myth shows its ugly head: the ridiculous notion that great Black leaders are not just exceptional but exceptions. It is an idea rooted in […]