#NNPA BlackPress
COMMENTARY: Black politicians should focus on Black issues
DAYTONA TIMES — Whenever we seem to vote a Black elected official in, they’ll try and finesse a few votes then say, “I’m not just an official for Black people. I’m an official for all people.” Those same Black politicians thrive off our votes, yet promote and push paid-for agendas that have no positive effect on suffering parts of our city.
By Rell Black
Whenever we seem to vote a Black elected official in, they’ll try and finesse a few votes then say, “I’m not just an official for Black people. I’m an official for all people.” Those same Black politicians thrive off our votes, yet promote and push paid-for agendas that have no positive effect on suffering parts of our city.
In 2019, a new storm is brewing that will alter the future of politics and community affairs for citizens everywhere. That storm is young Black politicians stepping up to the plate.
Real local issues
Black politicians discussing Black issues to get Black results. Health awareness, youth-driven programs and police/community affairs are some of the true issues of our community, and it’s time we get leaders who truly understand and respect that.
Health is wealth, and our community is doing poorly. In Volusia County, HIV/AIDS rates have more than doubled in the last few years. With the promotion of promiscuity and sexual fluidity, more Black people than ever are contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Not a single politician will discuss it.
Hypertension and diabetes are just two of many health issues facing our community daily. Volusia County is one of the top 10 unhealthiest counties in America. Healthier food options, including vegan and health food truck fairs and more fresh produce grocery stores, would make a difference and create a sustainable impact on the overall health of our community.
Where are the services?
Mayor Derrick Henry has done a great job with his annual health and fitness challenges, but where are the mental health courses for our troubled youth? Where are the drug prevention courses on Saturdays at the local libraries for our highly impressionable teens?
It’s ironic that whenever a young man is killed in a high-speed police chase or dies from a car crash, elected officials make public statements asking for change. Shouldn’t that have been done prior to yet another unfortunate person victimized by his own environment?
When are politicians going to be honest with the Black community about police brutality and human/civil rights issues? Just last month, a young man was harassed on Seabreeze Boulevard and beaten on video by a Daytona Beach police officer. Not one elected official spoke up or out against this constitutional and human rights violation.
Are our current Black elected officials afraid to speak up in case they lose their status or connections? Or are they so bought and sold to the highest bidder that issues in the Black community truly don’t affect them?
Complete silence
In 2017, when Shykari Willis was killed in his grandmother’s backyard after an altercation with a Daytona Beach police officer, it would’ve meant the world to our community if any elected official would’ve said, “This is unfortunate for our community, and this is a true issue around the country.” Most importantly, our youth truly needs the voice of elected officials to make sure they have a safe and successful future.
With as many Black elected officials and city employees, you would expect there to be a variety of cultural events to enrich our community. It’s disturbing that a city that houses Bethune-Cookman University doesn’t even have an annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. parade or celebration anymore.
It’s time for our issues to be heard and for a true leader to be a voice for the voiceless. Unfortunately, every group or demographic except the Black community is able to openly speak about their issues and struggles.
As a people, we’re supposed to show empathy and open our hearts. But when it comes to Black issues like mass incarceration, sexual assault, illiteracy, and poverty, politicians usually skate over these topics so not to offend potential voters.
This is why it’s so crucial for Black politicians to focus on Black issues and attempting to find Black solutions so maybe we too will have our stories and our lives protected and appreciated.
We are ready
Our young generation of leaders are ready, thriving and hungry to make true changes in our community. We’re tired of the way things are being run. We’re upset with the lack of transparency. We are tired of seeing the same faces over and over on commission and redevelopment boards.
The race for 2020 starts now. There will be more young, successful Black candidates than ever before. We will move our community forward, by any means necessary! Asé!
Rell Black is an award-winning activist, blogger and the founder of Community Healing Project Inc.
This article originally appeared in the Daytona Times.
#NNPA BlackPress
Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

By Lauren Burke
By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.
The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.
“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.
“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable. Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

#NNPA BlackPress
Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.
“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized. “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”
Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”
A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.
Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”
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