#NNPA BlackPress
African American Educators Honored at Hall of Fame In-Person Luncheon
NNPA NEWSWIRE — African American Education Archives and History Program (AAEAHP) President Dr. Alfred Roberts said the 2020 inductions will now increase the number of educators to 166 who have been inducted since the annual ceremony began. AAEAHP was founded in 2002 and began the Hall of Fame in 2004.
The post African American Educators Honored at Hall of Fame In-Person Luncheon first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

I WAS JUST THINKING
By Norma Adams-Wade, Texas Metro News
COVID-19 had to take a backseat to this determined group of educators who showed that they would not be stopped from giving honor where honor was due.
The African American Education Archives and History Program (AAEAHP) inducted 10 standout educators into its Bobbie L. Lang Hall of Fame at an Induction Ceremony Luncheon, Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Hilton Garden in Duncanville, TX. These were inductees from the year 2020 in that the coronavirus pandemic forced public ceremonies to be postponed that year and after.
Greg Fields, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) meteorologist, moderated the program, and students from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts provided musical entertainment.
AAEAHP President Dr. Alfred Roberts said the 2020 inductions will now increase the number of educators to 166 who have been inducted since the annual ceremony began. AAEAHP was founded in 2002 and began the Hall of Fame in 2004. A description on their website captures the organization’s distinction:
“No other group has made as significant an impact on the lives of African Americans than African American educators. Help us in our effort to chronicle the contributions of this group of magnificent professionals.”
The organization also acknowledged its 20th anniversary this year and presented scholarships to students Christian Henry, who is attending Northwestern University, and Crystal Henry, who is attending the University of North Texas. The group’s mission is to raise awareness of the experience and value of African America educators in Dallas County, preserve their history, and support students and young educators.
Dr. George Wynn Pryor posthumously received the Trailblazer Award for his tireless service as senior pastor and a founding member of New Birth Baptist Church in Oak Cliff and for his many contributions with Christian organizations including Southern Bible Institute and the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.
Family members received the award in honor of Dr. Pryor who died in 2018 at age 79.
The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees alphabetically are: (1) Carolyn Bailey 2.) Willie Crowder 3.) Shirley Fisher 4.) Lela Herron 5.) Dr. Helen Jones 6.) Dr. Robbie Pipkin 7.) Orethann Price 8.) Dr. Delores Seamster 9.) Carolyn Thompson 10.) Harnell Williams.
A full house of family and friends gathered to help celebrate the 10 inductees and the Trailblazer. Portraits of the 10 new Hall of Fame inductees will join those already displayed at the African American Museum at Fair Park.
To learn more about AAEAHP and make a donation or nomination, visit https://www.aaeahp.org, e-mail info@aaeahp.org, and/or call 972-298-6980 or 214-478-7228.
The post African American Educators Honored at Hall of Fame In-Person Luncheon first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
#NNPA BlackPress
Chavis and Bryant Lead Charge as Target Boycott Grows
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.” The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day “Target fast,” initiated on March 3 after Target pulled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”
The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icon and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement. The NNPA is the trade association of the 250 African American newspapers and media companies known as The Black Press of America. “On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.” Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events. “You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”
He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.” Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities. “We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.” Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., the youngest attendee, captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement. “If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.
Dr. Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided. “We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said. Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises. Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement. “They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”
#NNPA BlackPress
The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt.

By April Ryan
Trump Targets Wages for Forgiven Student Debt
The Department of Education, which the Trump administration is working to abolish, will now serve as the collection agency for delinquent student loan debt for 5.3 million people who the administration says are delinquent and owe at least a year’s worth of student loan payments. “It is a liability to taxpayers,” says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s White House Press briefing. She also emphasized the student loan federal government portfolio is “worth nearly $1.6 trillion.” The Trump administration says borrowers must repay their loans, and those in “default will face involuntary collections.” Next month, the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt. Leavitt says “we can not “kick the can down the road” any longer.”
Much of this delinquent debt is said to have resulted from the grace period the Biden administration gave for student loan repayment. The grace period initially was set for 12 months but extended into three years, ending September 30, 2024. The Trump administration will begin collecting the delinquent payments starting May 5. Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Talladega College, told Black Press USA, “We can have that conversation about people paying their loans as long as we talk about the broader income inequality. Put everything on the table, put it on the table, and we can have a conversation.” Kimbrough asserts, “The big picture is that Black people have a fraction of wealth of white so you’re… already starting with a gap and then when you look at higher education, for example, no one talks about Black G.I.’s that didn’t get the G.I. Bill. A lot of people go to school and build wealth for their family…Black people have a fraction of wealth, so you already start with a wide gap.”
According to the Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/average-time-to-repay-student-loans It takes the average borrower 20 years to pay their student loan debt. It also highlights how some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. A high-profile example of the timeline of student loan repayment is the former president and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, who paid off their student loans by 2005 while in their 40s. On a related note, then-president Joe Biden spent much time haggling with progressives and Democratic leaders like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill about whether and how student loan forgiveness would even happen.
#NNPA BlackPress
VIDEO: The Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. at United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ Excellencies: With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the […]

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