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Groundbreaking Initiative Shows Pathway to Propel Black Homeownership

CHICAGO DEFENDER — While statistics may paint a grim picture of Black homeownership, a recent event in Baltimore laid out a clear path for turning those numbers around across the country. Anyone questioning whether the Black community is primed to join the ranks of homeowners need only look to an innovative event in Baltimore that took place June 22. Nearly 700 people came away with the inspiration, education and motivation to make the goal of homeownership a reality when HomeFree-USA launched its Step Into Your Power: Prepare for Success Through Homeownership initiative to an enthusiastic audience of African American homebuyers in Baltimore City.

Published

7 years ago

August 23, 2019

Oakland Post

Potential homebuyers turned out in droves to receive know-how, financial assistance through landmark program (Photo by: chicagodefender.com)

By The Chicago Defender

While statistics may paint a grim picture of Black homeownership, a recent event in Baltimore laid out a clear path for turning those numbers around across the country.

Anyone questioning whether the Black community is primed to join the ranks of homeowners need only look to an innovative event in Baltimore that took place June 22. Nearly 700 people came away with the inspiration, education and motivation to make the goal of homeownership a reality when HomeFree-USA launched its Step Into Your Power: Prepare for Success Through Homeownership initiative to an enthusiastic audience of African American homebuyers in Baltimore City.

More than 500 homebuyers participated in a live event at the Reginald Lewis Museum, while an additional 166 participated via live stream and a second event that was held to accommodate the overflow crowd.

Homeownership is the number one wealth indicator and accounts for 92 percent of Black wealth. Yet, the Great Recession of 2008 wiped out 48 percent of that homeownership wealth and African-Americans are continuing to fall even further behind in homeownership compared to other segments. In fact, the Black homeownership rate has fallen to the lowest level ever as of the first quarter of 2019, according to Census data.

With Black Americans making up 63.3 percent of Baltimore’s population, the decline in Black homeownership poses a particular threat to Charm City. Step Into Your Power is a groundbreaking way to turn those homeownership numbers around and the kickoff event showed that many Baltimore residents agree.

HomeFree-USA Founder Marcia Griffin welcomed attendees and talked candidly about the crisis in the Black community around the wealth gap, sharing how homeownership can help Black Americans improve their financial standing. HomeFree-USA also shared that homebuyers may be able to take advantage of up to $42,000 in financial assistance.

Some attendees pointed to the gentrification that has taken place inWashington, DC in the last few years and expressed their belief that Baltimore may realize the same fate. As a result, several attendees saw buying in Baltimore as an opportunity to both stop gentrification from pushing people from the city they love and a chance to be a homeowner in the city where they were born
and raised.

Other attendees expressed their desire to buy a home so they can pass it down to their children and grandchildren.

Attendees also learned that organizations like HomeFree-USA can provide them with the financial education and the know-how to make their dream of homeownership a reality.

HomeFree-USA will host a series of Step Into Your Power events in Baltimore over the next 5 months designed to guide, educate, and coach first-time Baltimore City homebuyers to mortgage-readiness, default resistance and homeownership. Upon success in Baltimore, the initiative will be launched in other cities with a significant number of African American residents. One goal of the Step Into Your Power program is to get 10,000 African American families mortgage-ready around the country by the end of 2020.

Entrepreneur and educator Stedman Graham, author of the recently released book, Identity Leadership, delivered the keynote address in Baltimore and spoke about how one must learn to lead oneself before one can lead others. Graham has been teaching self-actualization principles that help people discover who they can be, and he brought those insights to energize Baltimore residents as they prepare for success.

Strong partnerships underscore the strength of the initiative and were highlighted at the event.

“Step into Your Power: prepare for success through homeownership is a terrific example of working together to make a positive impact toward boosting Baltimore City homeownership,” said Lisa Thomlinson, program manager with Wells Fargo Housing Philanthropy.

Wells Fargo showed its commitment to Baltimore by offering qualified homebuyers up to $15,000 for down payment and closing costs through a program called NeighborhoodLIFT. “Just as in many communities across the country, far too many families struggle with housing affordability in Baltimore,” Thomlinson says. “That’s why Wells Fargo teamed-up with HomeFree-USA and Stedman Graham to make a concerted effort to bring our business expertise forward and combine it with available resources including NeighborhoodLIFT Home Ownership Counseling grants for interested homebuyers.”

Freddie Mac is also providing financial support to ensure that Step Into Your Power reaches as many potential homebuyers as possible. Step Into Your Power is a means for increasing the homeownership rate among African Americans and reducing the wealth gap in America. It also is designed to help Black Americans break the cycle of renting and begin to make homeownership an achievement that is passed down from generation to generation.

“This event marks the revival of the spirit to buy in Baltimore,” says Milan Griffin, Vice President of Marketing and Outreach for HomeFree-USA. “Thanks to Step Into Your Power, Baltimore residents see the opportunity homeownership presents and have a pathway to get there.”

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Defender.

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NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 […]
The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 20, 2026

Oakland Post

Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 yards. During the final drive Hurts went 6-8 with 61 passing yards and the touchdown. Titans defensive tackle — and team captain — Jeffery Simmons said this week that the way to defend Jalen Hurts is to make him “play quarterback.”

Hurts said to Simmons after today’s game: “You started that sh**. I had to finish it.”

Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in the first half but he ultimately finished the game. He had four carries and nine yards and one catch for eleven yards. He will get an MRI for his injury, but admitted to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network he was fine.

Caleb Williams leaves game against Vikings with apparent lower-body injury

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field with a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams was down, writhing in pain after scrambling to his left. After departing the injury tent, Williams raised his right fist, acknowledging the crowd while expressing his frustration. Testing will commence on Monday to find out more details about his injury.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Johnson admitted regarding Williams’ injury. “He’s in good spirits. He’s a team player.”

Williams finished the day with 138 passing yards and one interception.

“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee — that was my first inclination,” Johnson said. “But, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Bryce Young once again dominated the Falcons

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 5-1 against the Atlanta Falcons and is undefeated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Panthers to a 34-3 dismembering of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia Tech alumnus Darren Waller caught two touchdowns and linebacker Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Cooper Rush started his second straight game for the Falcons and it did not go well. The partisan crowd voiced their displeasure after Rush completed 10/17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions. Jack Strand entered the game for Rush prompting cheers from the Falcons fans. The rookie threw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt. Strand was the first QB to accomplish that feat since Sam Darnold in 2018 and is the first Falcons player to do that since Brett Favre in 1991. Strand finished the day with 59 passing yards and 16 rushing yards.

According to reports, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is expected to make his season debut this Thursday at the Green Bay Packers. His return should help the Falcons. They are the first team since the 2008 Rams to not run any plays in the red zone after the first two games to open a season.

The bright spots for the Falcons today were the Spelman College Jaguarettes performing with the Falcons cheerleaders and Florida A&M’s marching band, The Marching 100, also performed during halftime!

Jayden Daniels gets carted off after apparent arm injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to injure his left elbow on the final play of the first half in his game against the Dallas Cowboys. During the play, Daniels got stepped on, braced himself for the fall, and his elbow bent the wrong way. Daniels draped a towel over his head as he exited the field on the cart.

He was later ruled out.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow to the same arm during week nine of last season against the Washington Commanders, which led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win

Master the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework with Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt. Learn every stage, tactic, and win!
The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Oakland Post

Negotiation framework stages, tactics, and winning strategies from AutoNetwork

Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt deliver the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework in Episode 8 of The Color of Our Money Is Green. This episode covers the three foundations of every effective negotiation, the full seven-stage negotiation sequence with exact language for every stage, and five of the most common dealership tactics with the specific response each one requires.
What You Learn in This Episode:
The three foundations that make every negotiation tactic work
The complete seven-stage car-buying negotiation sequence
Exact language for every stage of the dealership conversation
Five common dealership tactics — the turnover, the four-square, the packed payment, spot delivery, and forced add-ons — and how to counter each one
Why signing preliminary paperwork isn’t the same as signing the final contract
___________________________________________________________________
“The Color of Our Money Is Green: A Buyer’s Guide to What Cars Actually Cost” — stan.store/RGist
____________________________________________________________________
AutoNetwork helps serious car shoppers inspect any new vehicle online before walking into a dealership. I’m Roosevelt — I’ve been reviewing cars and shaping digital car buying and credit union auto leasing since before YouTube car reviews existed.
You’ll find detailed walkaround reviews, POV test drives, and buyer-focused breakdowns covering comfort, space, features, and real-world value.

How to use the channel:
Watch the walkaround of the car you’re considering
Visit AutoNetwork.com for the full review
Check CouponsOffersAndDeals.com for current dealer specials
Walk in already knowing what you want — and what it should cost

AutoNetwork.com
CouponsOffersAndDeals.com
Affiliate disclosure: some links earn a small commission at no cost to you and help support the channel. Insta360 is one of those partners.

The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Stay toasty in the CX-90! Plush Nappa leather, heated/ventilated seats, and a memory-equipped heated steering wheel deliver ultimate luxury.
The post Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Mazda CX-90 interior with heated seats offering premium comfort.

Experience ultimate comfort in the CX-90. Nappa leather, heated/ventilated seats, 8-way power adjustments, and memory settings for both front passengers. The heated steering wheel with memory tilt/telescope adds premium convenience.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EH5A4eQ4ipY