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COMMENTARY: Voting Matters! It’s Not Too Late

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Election deniers and suppressors are working overtime to ensure that our vote is nullified or diluted. We must respond in such large numbers that we overwhelm and thwart their efforts, until we gain the political power to overturn their suppressive voter restrictions. Their goal is not to ensure governance through a democratic process, but to take control in an autocratic manner. While they shout about election abuse, their intent is to use abusive tactics to maintain control. Let’s be clear, they are afraid of losing in open and fair elections.
The post COMMENTARY: Voting Matters! It’s Not Too Late first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

November 8, 2022

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By George H. Lambert Jr. | Washington Informer

The 2022 midterm elections are perhaps the most consequential in our lifetime. While similar declarations are made every voting cycle, this is especially true this year. Whether abortion rights, criminal justice, human rights, health care, or a plethora of others, each election cycle has its share of issues that take prominence and precedence over others.

This year, none is more important than the preservation of our democracy. While we have major issues that demand our attention, it is quite possible that if we do not vote now to save our democracy, then we will have little or no hope for addressing any of the issues that are important to us, such as equal rights, equity, and yes, the economy. If we lose our democracy, we have no hope of pursuing them through a democratic process.

Election deniers and suppressors are working overtime to ensure that our vote is nullified or diluted. We must respond in such large numbers that we overwhelm and thwart their efforts, until we gain the political power to overturn their suppressive voter restrictions. Their goal is not to ensure governance through a democratic process, but to take control in an autocratic manner. While they shout about election abuse, their intent is to use abusive tactics to maintain control. Let’s be clear, they are afraid of losing in open and fair elections.

As we continue declaring to the world that our lives matter, we must remind ourselves of the one fact that gives life to this declaration, it is the fact that voting still matters. Not just because many people died for the precious right to vote, though that alone is enough and worth fighting for, but voting still impacts the political decisions which determine nearly every aspect of the quality of our lives.

According to a 2022 Pew Research Center article, “Key facts about Black eligible voters in 2022,” by Mohamad Moslimani, Black Americans are projected to account for 13.6% of all eligible voters in the United States in the November elections. This is political power. Power to determine outcomes in critical races.

The National Urban League declares that “For African Americans, full voter participation isn’t a goal; it’s a necessity.” In the 2022 NUL State of Black America, Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League wrote “… and since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the United States has seen a steady rise in disenfranchisement practices giving one party an edge over the other. But never before has the nation seen such an insidious and coordinated campaign to obliterate the very principle of ‘one person, one vote’ from the political process.” NUL’s Reclaim Your Vote session examined the stakes and the opportunities for African Americans as this year’s election season enters its final stretch.

Here at the Greater Washington Urban League, we loudly and boldly urge Black, brown, marginalized and underserved persons everywhere, to vote. Through a discussion on our radio broadcast, and voter registration and participation messages through our auxiliaries, the Greater Washington Urban League Guild and Thursday Network, we are using our voice to urge you to vote.

But here’s what you can do! It’s not too late for you to start your own get-out-the-vote effort! Here are four simple things you can do to be a part of this movement:

Cast your vote – if you have not already participated in local early voting, then start your campaign by declaring to yourself that nothing will stop you from voting whether through early voting (if it’s still possible in your area), or on Election Day.
Urge your relatives and friends across the nation to vote – contact your personal network and urged them to vote. While you cannot vote in other communities across the nation where our vote is critical, you can and must contact persons in your own network who live in states with key races across the nation. Call a relative, call a friend, and ask them to vote.
Use your social media influence. You are an influencer and have followers who will be motivated by you to exercise their right to vote. Use your social media platform of choice – Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, to reach as many persons as you can.
Encourage every person in your network to conduct their own individual “get out the vote initiatives.” As you reach out to your family, friends and associates urging them to vote, ask them to take steps, two and three above, just as you will. Collectively, we can determine the outcome of critically close elections across the country.

Our strong appeal to you, is to urge every person you know to vote their interests. Tell them not to waste energy on candidates and organizations that have never shown an interest in our issues.

Who are we if we fail to carry the torch to save not only ourselves but future generations? We don’t want to be that generation that failed to act to save our democracy, protect our rights, and end our ability to have control over our destiny. While not perfect, a less perfect union is unacceptable!

Lambert is president and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League.

The post LAMBERT: Voting Matters! It’s Not Too Late appeared first on The Washington Informer.

The post COMMENTARY: Voting Matters! It’s Not Too Late first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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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.

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2025

Oakland Post

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.

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WATCH: NNPA Publishers Pivot To Survive

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2025

Oakland Post

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9oZc5Sz0jQQ&feature=oembed

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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

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

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.”