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Naturalize Now, Houston! Initiative Seeks to Help ALL Aspiring Americans Become Citizens

ABOVE: Hervé-Michel Jackson Bremaidou participates in Naturalize Now, Houston! event When we think of the path to becoming an American citizen, we usually hear more about people from the country of Mexico or other Latin countries, but there are people who are a part of the African diaspora who also seek to become a part […]
The post Naturalize Now, Houston! Initiative Seeks to Help ALL Aspiring Americans Become Citizens first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

September 27, 2023

Forward Times Staff

ABOVE: Hervé-Michel Jackson Bremaidou participates in Naturalize Now, Houston! event

When we think of the path to becoming an American citizen, we usually hear more about people from the country of Mexico or other Latin countries, but there are people who are a part of the African diaspora who also seek to become a part of this great nation on an annual basis.

Born in the Central African Republic—a tiny country in the middle of Africa—Hervé-Michel Jackson Bremaidou moved to the U.S. as an international student in 2013, attending college in Houston. While here in the U.S., another civil war had broken out in his native country.

Back home, his father, who was a politician, was targeted for political reasons, religious reasons, and other reasons. Because his parents were providing for him at the time he moved to the U.S., Jackson Bremaidou was dependent upon them for tuition and other financial resources, as he pursued his education here in Houston.

Back home, Jackson Bremaidou’s family began to struggle financially because of the civil war, so they eventually had to flee the Central African Republic and move to a neighboring country—Cameroon and eventually to France.

Unable to provide for himself at the time, Jackson Bremaidou knew he had to find a way to work, pay for his schooling, provide for himself, and take care of his family abroad.

Jackson Bremaidou eventually obtained asylum in January 2015, but he felt it wasn’t enough. After working hard and contributing to society, he wanted to have all the rights and privileges of an American system and felt he needed to become an American citizen, so he got approved by the immigration office and two years later, he received his green card with the help of BakerRipley.

Hervé-Michel Jackson Bremaidou

“In America, you have to pay for everything, so I was unable to maintain the cost of living, my tuition, and everything,” said Jackson Bremaidou. “I never thought, of like, becoming a citizen or even having any immigration stature. For me, it was like, come here and get one of the great diplomas America was offering.”

Eight years after obtaining asylum, Jackson Bremaidou became a U.S. citizen in April 2023.

“Becoming a U.S citizen is like a superhero joining the Justice League, alongside amazing heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman,” Jackson Bremaidou explained. “Let’s accomplish greatness by being the indivisible one American nation under God.”

There are many stories like that of Jackson Bremaidou, right here in Houston, which is why the City of Houston, Harris County, Houston Endowment, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC), and several other nonprofit organizations recently announced an unprecedented public-private partnership to help eligible immigrants apply for citizenship.

Houston – Naturalize Now, Houston! is a call to action for the 300,000 lawful permanent residents in the region who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship.

Houston Endowment is funding this initiative with a $2.13 million grant to NPNA to strengthen and expand naturalization programming, along with $1.65 million for “Give Citizenship A Boost,” a program to fund application fees for eligible immigrants. Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative is leading that project.

“When eligible individuals become naturalized citizens, they unlock opportunities for greater stability and prosperity and make our region stronger as a whole,” said Ann B. Stern, President and CEO of Houston Endowment. “Houston is home to 300,000 legal permanent residents who add to the rich diversity of our city. We want to ensure these individuals are equipped with the information and resources they need to become full and active participants in our community.”

On September 19^th, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a proclamation declaring the day as Citizenship Day in Houston, following the national observance on September 17^th.

“Becoming a U.S. citizen is an important step towards full participation in our society. Lawful permanent residents contribute significantly to our city’s cultural diversity and economic growth,” said Mayor Turner. “We are proud to collaborate with the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), Houston Endowment, and Harris County to support and encourage more individuals to pursue U.S. citizenship. By doing so, we enhance Houston’s unity and prosperity.”

Harris County also celebrated the national observance with a resolution on August 29^th.

“The American dream is deeply tied to the story of immigrants, and I commend the determination and grit of anyone going through the naturalization process,” said Commissioner Lesley Briones of Precinct 4. “I am proud of Harris County’s collaboration with the National Partnership for New Americans to bring robust naturalization services to our area. The strength of our region and the health of our democracy depend on our ability to deliver on the great promise of this nation.”

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a national multiethnic, multiracial partnership network of 66 of the country’s leading immigrant and refugee rights organizations who together advocate for policies and programs to successfully integrate New Americans.

Through Naturalize Now, Houston! the NPNA will train teams of Citizenship Community Navigators, together with local partners Mi Familia Vota, Woori Juntos, OCA-Greater Houston, and SAAVETX Education, to reach the eligible-to-naturalize people across greater Houston.

“We understand that the citizenship application fee of $725 is a significant financial burden for families with limited means. Through the ‘Give Citizenship A Boost’ project, we will help individuals overcome this barrier by covering the application fees,” said Zenobia Lai, Executive Director of Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative. “Together with our eight project partners serving diverse immigrant communities, we will make citizenship attainable.”

The organizations are also collaborating with the City of Houston and Harris County to hire an official in each office to expand the role local governments play in promoting citizenship. This follows the commitments laid down in the Harris County Citizenship Day resolution, which passed on August 29^th, and Mayor Turner’s recent Citizenship Day proclamation before City Council.

“The Citizenship Community Navigators are trusted leaders within their communities, many of whom have personal experience with the naturalization process,” said Nicole Melaku, Executive Director of National Partnership for New Americans and convener of the initiative. “Their job is to address language barriers, help community members navigate the naturalization process, and connect them to low-cost legal services as well as financial assistance for application fees. No one should be priced out of participating in our democracy. Citizenship opens the door to opportunities for immigrants, to the benefit of entire communities. If we are going to reach 300,000 eligible people with information, tools, and help so that they can become full U.S. citizens, we need everyone’s help.”

For more information on Naturalize Now, Houston! please visit http://www.houston.naturalizenow.org.

The post Naturalize Now, Houston! Initiative Seeks to Help ALL Aspiring Americans Become Citizens appeared first on Forward Times.

The post Naturalize Now, Houston! Initiative Seeks to Help ALL Aspiring Americans Become Citizens first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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