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St. Louis American Publisher Praises Establishment of NNPA Task Force and Resource Center
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “There’s a lot of rumors and I knew that we had a special role to play,” argued Dr. Suggs. “That’s why the NNPA Task Force is so important. We have to have special, validated information. Our community has a disproportionate amount of exposure to disease and the NNPA collectively is in position to make certain that they are aware of the kind of information that’s out there and relevant to the Black community.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
The establishment of the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) Coronavirus Task Force and Resource Center is both timely and necessary, and publishers, partners, sponsors, and others should quickly rally around the concept, according to one distinguished NNPA publisher.
“It’s extremely important because the Task Force will use the credible sources available to provide vital information to the Black community,” stated Dr. Donald M. Suggs, the publisher and executive editor of the St. Louis American, Missouri’s largest African American-owned newspaper.
Suggs, who holds degrees from Indiana University and Washington University, said a recent article published in the St. Louis American drove home the point that African Americans must be better informed.
He noted that the NNPA Task Force and Resource Center is positioned to inform the Black community.
“We just had this explosion on our social media platforms and website when we published the story of the first Black woman to die from the virus – she was a nurse,” said Dr. Suggs.
“The story blew up because there’s been so much misinformation in our community and the myth that Black people can’t get the coronavirus. This was a nurse,” continued Dr. Suggs.
Judy Wilson-Griffin, an African American nurse who worked at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, was the first person in the St. Louis region to succumb to COVID-19.
While St. Louis County Executive Sam Page identified her only as a county woman, the St. Louis American provided more information, including identifying her while noting that Wilson-Griffin had multiple health complications before contracting the virus.
Her diagnosis was confirmed 48 hours after being tested for the virus.
“There’s a lot of rumors and I knew that we had a special role to play,” argued Dr. Suggs. “That’s why the NNPA Task Force is so important. We have to have special, validated information. Our community has a disproportionate amount of exposure to disease and the NNPA collectively is in position to make certain that they are aware of the kind of information that’s out there and relevant to the Black community.”
He continued:
“The problem with social media is that there’s too much misinformation. People need to have a trusted source of where they get their information. In the Black community, you have other diseases like breast cancer and prostate cancer, and our experience is different from others, so what you would recommend to African Americans isn’t what you’d recommend to everyone else.
“We know that African Americans routinely aren’t included in clinical studies, so we need to have information available to us, and the NNPA needs to share that information with influential members of the community and the community in general.
“The Task Force will get to the people who are best informed to get that vital information, and we will be able to share the best and most accurate information available.”
As of this writing, health officials have confirmed more than 120,204 cases of the coronavirus in the United States, with at least 1,997 deaths. Globally, there are nearly 650,926 confirmed cases and more than 30,642 deaths.
“We have not seen this before, and there’s still so much uncertainty,” said Dr. Suggs. “We know that so many with preexisting conditions and seniors are susceptible to the virus, but I know I’ve not seen anything like this. Not even AIDS represented this kind of threat to people’s well-being and a threat to the economy.”
Continued Dr. Suggs:
“Look at what’s happened over the past few days with the number of cases and deaths rapidly increasing. What’s going on in Florida? There are a lot of older people there, and then you have those kids on the beach during Spring Break, and they will go home and spread the virus. This is a challenge.
“This changes from day-to-day, and we all have to take this very seriously. It’s a moving target that we’re trying to address. We have to talk to those who are informed, particularly from a Black perspective, and that’s what this NNPA Task Force will do.”
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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