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NNPA Foundation Wraps up Successful Black Press Week in Washington

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The week, which featured panel discussions and meetings of the board and association of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), also included a fireside chat with Cherie Wilson of General Motors; a panel discussion on the Every Student Succeeds Act; and a visit to the Library of Congress.

Published

5 years ago

March 29, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Lori Luck, the global medical director for Pfizer Rare Disease, joined Beverley Frances-Gibson, the president and CEO of the SCD Association of America; and Angie Snyder, a professor at Georgia State University, to discuss the latest in Sickle Cell Disease advocacy during Black Press Week in Washington, D.C.

Advocating and championing the fight to raise awareness and ultimately a cure for Sickle Cell Disease; the importance of the 2020 Census; the enshrinement of two publishers into the Black Press Archives and Gallery of Distinguished Publishers; and the 2019 Torch Awards were just some of the highlights from this year’s annual Black Press Week in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Foundation.

The week, which featured panel discussions and meetings of the boards of directors of both the NNPA and its Foundation, also included a fireside chat with Cherie Wilson of General Motors; a panel discussion on the Every Student Succeeds Act; and a visit to the Library of Congress.

NNPA strategic partners included the African Methodist Episcopal Church; American Association of Blacks in Energy; The Impact Network; Minority Media and Telecommunications Council; National Action Network; NAACP; NABJ; NAHP; NAFEO; NAREB; National Bar Association; Rainbow Push Coalition; UAW; and the UNCF.

Additional NNPA partners and sponsors include General Motors; Ford; RAI Reynolds American; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Pfizer Rare Disease; Wells Fargo; AmeriHealth Ceritas; Koch; Collaborative for Student Success; API; Volkswagen; Juul; Ascension; and Comcast NBC Universal.

“It’s a privilege to be here during Black Press Week and to talk about Sickle Cell Disease Awareness,” said Lori Luck, the global medical director for Pfizer Rare Disease, who joined Beverley Frances-Gibson, the president and CEO of the SCD Association of America; and Angie Snyder, a professor at Georgia State University; to discuss the latest in Sickle Cell Disease advocacy.

“Reparations is a conversation that is in-depth and involved and it’s a long and necessary conversation,” Garvey said.

Always a highlight of Black Press Week, the enshrinement of Black Press publishers into the Gallery of Distinguished Publishers which this year featured Nationalist, Pan-Africanism movement leader and Negro World newspaper founder Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Washington AFRO-AMERICAN publisher emeritus Francis L. Murphy II.

His son Dr. Julius Garvey, who spoke to NNPA Newswire about reparations, represented Garvey. He said reparations are necessary if there is ever to be a complete healing of the evil slave trade.

“We are the original people and the original civilization. African praxis directs us to the truth that we are at home in the universe and should treat it as our home,” Dr. Garvey said.

It’s also up to those of African descent to assume some responsibility in carrying forward the legacies of his father and other civil rights leaders, Dr. Garvey said.

“That will move us further along the arc of redemption, renaissance and the redevelopment of our people as a civilization,” he said.

“What an honor to receive this affirmation from what I refer to as the source,” said Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has fought to help the Black Press receive advertising from the federal government, whose various agencies has spent nearly $5 billion on ads over the past decade but just 5 percent of those dollars spent with African American-owned media.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza were honored by the NNPA during Black Press Week.

Norton received the NNPA’s Torch Award, given annually to someone who’s made a difference in the African American community while Garza received the NNPA Newsmaker of the Year in recognition of her work as an organizer, writer, public speaker and difference maker.

Garza, who in 2018 founded Black Futures Lab, which works to make black people powerful in politics, said she appreciates holding the torch alongside the Black Press.

“I feel like we got some work to do together,” Garza said.

A 2017 Sydney Peace Prize recipient, Garza said while the work of Black Lives Matter has shined a spotlight on police shootings of unarmed African Americans, it’s also important that black women are giving their due respect.

“Black Lives Matter has always been about telling the truth … and the truth of the matter is there’s somethings we’ve got to talk about. Black women … are experiences were devalued and erased and told our job and role is to serve others even at the expense of yourself,” Garza said.

With informative input from General Motors, Ford, Wells Fargo, Pfizer and others, many said Black Press Week again proved a success.

The week concluded with a trip to the Library of Congress where publishers and others were given a tour and a presentation titled, “The Black Press in the United States: History, Legacy and Heritage.

“The Black Press must continue to tell

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.