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Black women meet with state Democratic Party leaders

WAVE NEWSPAPERS — Saying they felt taken for granted, a group of black women met with the leaders of the California Democratic Party Aug. 24 during the party’s summer executive board meeting. More than 200 people, including newly elected party Chair Rusty Hicks, attended the forum in San Jose, where a panel of California black women discussed their continued disappointment in the party.

Published

7 years ago

August 8, 2019

Oakland Post

By Kate Croxton

LOS ANGELES — Saying they felt taken for granted, a group of black women met with the leaders of the California Democratic Party Aug. 24 during the party’s summer executive board meeting.

More than 200 people, including newly elected party Chair Rusty Hicks, attended the forum in San Jose, where a panel of California black women discussed their continued disappointment in the party.

“Black women have been the most loyal and effective Democrats across the country for decades,” said Progressive Caucus Chair Amar Shegrill. “However, if we are honest with ourselves, the party has been taking that support for granted.

“The Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party decided to host this panel and invite our party leaders to listen because it is imperative that we renew our commitment to supporting and electing black women.”

Panelists included Democratic activist and two-term Richmond City Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles, San Diego resident and African-American Caucus Chair Taisha Brown and Los Angeles City Council candidate and Democratic activist Dallas Fowler, along with Democratic activist and political commentator Jasmyne Cannick, who served as moderator.

The forum started with Cannick admitting that, like many other black women, she had one foot inside the party and one foot out because of the party’s response to the fatal overdoses of two black gay men in the West Hollywood home of one of the party’s major donors.

“At the time of Gemmel Moore’s death, our chair was good friends with Ed Buck and because of that, this party said and did nothing,” she said. “I decided I didn’t want to belong to a party that doesn’t value our lives. But rather than leave, I decided to stay and get involved because the Democratic Party gets the majority of [black women] votes, and it’s time we discuss our return on our investment with our votes to this party.”

Another topic included the lack of support by the party for black women candidates with panelists agreeing that there is little support for black women when they run for office.

Cannick, who is running for Los Angeles County Democratic Party’s Central Committee in the 53rd Assembly District, which includes Boyle Heights; downtown Los Angeles; East Los Angeles; and Koreatown, talked about the lack of black women elected as party delegates if they are not coming from traditional black areas, as well as the lack of support from elected leaders who represent those areas.

“It’s racism,” said Beckles, who recently ran as a Democrat to represent California’s 15th Assembly District and received 46% of the vote. “It’s unconscious racism. I ran for Assembly District 15, and I found it so fascinating that there were literally signs in yard that said ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and yet they also had signs for my opponent — a white woman.

“We’re talking about the unconsciousness of racism. You can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and not support a black woman who has been doing this work for a long time within your own community. You can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and you don’t support those black women who are running for office.”

Brown then explained that black women can lead and represent areas that are not traditionally black.

“With gentrification, I don’t even think there are any black communities in California anymore — at least not in San Diego,” she said. “It’s very mixed. I happen to believe that black women can serve all-white communities, all-Latino communities, all-Asian communities. We’ve always been inclusive in everything we do. That’s just part of our nature to be inclusive.

“I feel that when Kimberly Ellis ran [for California Democratic Party chair] the first time, she was qualified,” Brown added. “She was way more qualified than Eric Bauman, in my opinion. But she’s a black woman, and that’s the one thing that people looked at and they judged her because she is a black woman.”

Ellis, an African-American progressive Democrat and Bay Area grassroots activist, lost her second bid for chair earlier this year to Hicks after first running and losing by 62 votes to Bauman, who ended up resigning amid sexual harassment allegations in November. If she had been elected, Ellis would have been the first black woman to serve in the state party’s executive role in more than 30 years.

Another issue discussed was the lack of black women employed in leadership executive positions by the party or as consultants.

“Black executive leaders and decision makers, that’s who we want to see in the party,” Fowler said. “I also want to see executive leadership in the party that looks like me. Executive leadership, decision makers — that’s who we want to see.

“When we talk about the contracts, the party spends over $100 million when it comes down to our mid-term and general elections. And when we look at the contracting to African-American … consultants, you’re only talking about $50,000, if that, of that money. So we have to really work on the supplier diversity of this party.

“We have an opportunity to do that, and it starts with these types of conversations. When we look at the contracts and the money that the party reports, we want to see diversity as opposed to some of these big shops that continue to get the contacts year after year after year and we don’t get the opportunities to lead,” Fowler added.

All the panelists thanked Hicks for attending the forum and listening to their concerns.

“Our party’s diversity is our strength,” Hicks said. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, including hiring experienced African-American women leaders in our executive team and more diversity in our standing committees, but there’s much more to do. We look forward to working with the progressive caucus to push for greater representation at all levels of our party.”

This article originally appeared in the Wave Newspapers.

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Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park

ATLANTA VOICE — A mural depicting late journalist Jovita Moore, painted on the exterior wall of a building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee in Grant Park, was painted over in April. Moore passed away in 2021 after decades of working in Atlanta television news. Bellwood Coffee owners stated in May they were unaware of Moore’s identity or significance to the community before painting over the mural.
The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

At the corner of Boulevard, SE. and Rosalia St., SE., directly across the street from an abandoned home and a Methodist Church, is Bellwood Coffee. One of hundreds of coffee shops in Atlanta, this place of business would not be worth a solitary discussion if not for the way its exterior walls are currently painted. There was once a mural depicting the late Jovita Moore, a beloved journalist who worked in Atlanta for decades. Moore, who passed away in 2021, mentored many of the people you see on television newscasts today. Though her legacy will never be forgotten, it was the mural of her image that was erased.

In April, members of the Grant Park community voiced their disgust at the mural, which graced a side wall of the building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee’s Grant Park location, before it was painted over. In its place are the words “Bellwood Coffee; Cocktails, Biscuits, Dry Goods, Air Conditioning. *Heat Too”. In May, the business owners responded to the community pushback on social media by acknowledging they did not know who Moore was before painting over her image. And later admitted that they did not attempt to find out what she meant to the community.

On May 21, the Bellwood Coffee Instagram account had a post about being “in close contact with Jovita’s family and are actively working on next steps in this process.” Two months later, the mural has not been replaced, repainted, or repositioned on the property. Nothing has been done. Black history is often erased, most recently by the current Presidential administration, but oftentimes on a smaller, quieter scale. The mural was originally painted by muralist Tommy Bronx, who had been in contact with the business owners about repainting it. As of July 6, Tommy Bronx had responded to a direct message via his Instagram account from The Atlanta Voice about any updates on his plans to repaint the mural.

“We’re currently working on it. You should see some movement in the weeks to come,” he wrote in a response.

On Monday, July 6, the business had several patrons inside and was running smoothly with three employees manning the counter. The Atlanta Voice dropped by Bellwood Coffee to get a look at the exterior wall where the mural once stood as a memorial to a journalist and mother who lost her life to brain cancer at the young age of 54. Moore’s image added some color to the block. The grey wall in its place does not.

A direct message was sent to the Bellwood Coffee Instagram account, and there hasn’t been a response as of 7 p.m. on Monday.

The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Voice.

The post Jovita Moore Mural Still Has Not Been Repainted in Grant Park appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator

ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — A New York man faces felony hate crime charges for allegedly posting a threat against New York State Senator Lea Webb. James A. Crosby, 49, of Binghamton, was arrested by New York State Police after investigators determined he posted a threatening comment on a social media news post about a Juneteenth celebration.
The post ‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

A New York man is facing felony hate crime charges after allegedly posting that he’d be “proud to hang” New York State Senator Lea Webb from a tree in response to a news story about a Juneteenth celebration.

James A. Crosby, 49, of Binghamton, was arrested June 23 by New York State Police after investigators determined he posted a threatening comment on a WBNG 12 News Facebook post. “I’d be proud to hang her from a tree,” Crosby wrote, according to WBNG.

Crosby was charged with making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, a class C felony, per the New York State Police. He is currently being held at Broome County Jail.

During the subsequent investigation, state police found Crosby was in illegal possession of firearms despite being prohibited from owning them due to a prior felony conviction. Investigators recovered a rifle, a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, and a firearm suppressor — all prohibited under New York state law, per the NYSP.

Crosby was charged with four additional counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, all class D felonies.

Webb, who represents New York’s 52nd Senate District, had been a featured speaker at a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony at Binghamton City Hall, where the celebration included prayers and the singing of the Black national anthem.

Police said Crosby’s comment was posted in response to a WBNG news story covering the event.

The day before his arrest, Crosby posted a Facebook apology claiming the comment “was not intended to be racial in any way” and was made in reference to what he described as a “criminal,” citing criticism of Webb over her use of nonprofit legal aid in a foreclosure case — a matter state watchdogs said created an appearance of a conflict of interest, per the Ithaca Voice. He was arrested the following day.

Webb issued a public statement June 25 condemning the threat.

“It was extremely disappointing and hurtful to see the now-deleted threat and attacks on my life in response to a story about Juneteenth, a national holiday that recognizes the ending of slavery in America,” she said. “Feedback and thoughts on policy are one thing, but to make a public call for lethal violence is absolutely unacceptable and dangerous. We must recognize our shared humanity and reject violence in all forms.”

She thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and law enforcement for their “swift response.”

Following Crosby’s comments, social media users called for a boycott of his contracting business, Crosby Home Improvements.

The Binghamton City Democratic Committee also called for an investigation into the incident before his arrest.

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The post ‘Proud to hang her from a tree’: Man arrested for threatening Black Senator appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Daily World.

The post ‘Proud to Hang Her from a Tree’: Man Arrested for Threatening Black Senator appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations

NEW YORK CARIB NEWS — Outgoing CARICOM Chairman Terrance Drew called on regional leaders to build a stronger and more effective Caribbean Community that benefits future generations. Speaking at the 51st Regular Meeting, Drew urged modernization of governance structures and improved implementation of Community decisions to make CARICOM safer and more prosperous.
The post CARICOM: Strengthen Integration for Future Generations appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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3 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

Oakland Post

Speaking Sunday at the opening of the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Saint Lucia, Dr. Terrance Drew said the region must modernize its governance structures, improve the implementation of Community decisions, and ensure CARICOM becomes safer, more prosperous, and more relevant to the lives of its citizens.

The meeting, being held under the theme “CARICOM: From Resilience to Renewal in a Changing World,” coincides with the Community’s 53rd anniversary. During the ceremony, Dr. Drew formally handed over the rotating CARICOM chairmanship to Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre.

Reflecting on his six-month tenure as chairman, Drew praised fellow regional leaders for maintaining their commitment to democracy, good governance, unity, and the rule of law despite mounting global economic and geopolitical challenges.

“Throughout these challenges, CARICOM chose engagement over isolation. Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to a fair and rules-based international trading system and ensured that the interests of small developing states continued to be heard.”
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He highlighted progress made in strengthening the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, including deeper trade cooperation, expanded labour mobility, and efforts to lay the foundation for long-term economic growth. Drew also noted the Community’s growing partnerships beyond the Caribbean, particularly with the African Union, while stressing that every international partnership should advance the interests of all parties involved.

The outgoing chairman also expressed appreciation to Dr. Carla Barnett and the CARICOM Secretariat for their professionalism and unwavering support during his tenure.

“Whenever I called, you answered. Whenever support was required, you and your team responded with diligence, competence, and excellence.”

Dr. Drew urged the Secretariat to continue preserving its impartiality while faithfully implementing decisions made by Heads of Government, saying that balance has helped strengthen the regional integration movement.

The conference continues in Saint Lucia with regional leaders expected to deliberate on key issues including regional security, climate resilience, trade, economic integration, food security, Haiti, reparations, and strengthening the CSME.

Based on reporting by New York Carib News.

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