#NNPA BlackPress

Hate Crimes and Solutions offered by Activists

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Phyllis G. Williams, the co-host of the podcast “Living the Principles,” said one reason hate crimes are increasing is that criminals of those actions typically gain notoriety. “Hate crimes with mass media exposure are nothing shy of a recruiting tool. This is why we have seen an increase over the last few years,” Williams said.

Published

6 years ago

April 26, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

As investigators continue to look into the string of fires at historically black churches in Louisiana, it has become increasingly obvious that these offenses are only the latest in a litany of hate crimes and terror attacks that have targeted African American places of worship for generations. Each attack in turn, signaling a history of virulent animus towards all in the Black community.

Arsonists struck three churches in St. Landry Paris, La., where officials say a “clear pattern” links the fires. “We’re very cognizant that there’s a problem, and there’s no coincidence that there are three fires,” Louisiana Fire Marshall Butch Browning said.

Leonard Sipes Jr., of Crime in America.net, said he believes what’s needed is a vigorous effort in the U.S. Department of Justice to hunt down and prosecute hate crime violators. “Partner with social media to report potential hate criminals and create a common database for reporting and an algorithm to separate fact from fiction and to give investigators good leads,” Sipes said.

“Let this be a societal effort,” he said.

The fact African Americans continue to be a primary target of hate crimes can be seen in a number of recent news headlines.

“In every tally of hate crimes, Blacks are the most frequent victims,” according to a Nov. 21, 2018 NBC News headline. The story noted that violence, property crimes, threats and other offenses inspired by racial animus amounted to the most frequent type of hate crime reported in the FBI’s most recent tally of bias crimes.

In fact, Black Americans have been the most frequent victims of hate crime in every tally of bias incidents generated since the FBI began collecting such data in the early 1990s, the report said.

A Nov. 13, 2018 BBC News report said U.S. law enforcement agencies reported 7,175 hate crimes in 2017, compared with 6,121 the year prior.

The rise in hate crimes is attributed to an increase of about 1,000 police departments that are now choosing to report these incidents, the FBI said.

The report also found the surge especially affected Black and Jewish Americans: Of the reported attacks recorded in 2017 by authorities, 2,013 were aimed at African Americans and 938 were against Jewish Americans.

Sean XLG Mitchell, a hip-hop activist and author of “How Do We Build a Real Wakanda?” said the Black community must begin to look at hate crimes from a different perspective than in the past.

“We can no longer respond with marches, speeches and rallies because the continuation of being subjected to ongoing abuse suggests that we’ve done little more than take aspirin to treat the effects of a brain tumor,” Mitchell said.

“We must understand that the bully targets the kids in the class who are incapable of defending themselves so why are we the target of the bully? What makes us vulnerable, and what is inadequate about our development as a people?” he asked.

If those questions are posed, then an obvious answer should be that the community has displayed a fundamental lack of unity and power, Mitchell said. “History teaches us that there is only one way for a people to empower and unify themselves and that’s through the orientation of culture,” he said.

“Culture is what creates the bond of connection among a people, and it’s what we find among all other races in the form of language, education, religion, names and customs.

“Once we begin to orient ourselves culturally, with Africa at the center of our experience, we’ll see the positive changes in every aspect of our lives,” Mitchell said.

Phyllis G. Williams, the co-host of the podcast “Living the Principles,” said one reason hate crimes are increasing is that criminals of those actions typically gain notoriety. “Hate crimes with mass media exposure are nothing shy of a recruiting tool. This is why we have seen an increase over the last few years,” Williams said.

“It is disheartening but I can give two contributions in decreasing hate crimes at African-American places of worship,” she said.

The first thing is to increase security during services and overnight, Williams said.

What if a team was designated to stay overnight every day of the week at a place of worship? What if a team served as the church or mosque marshal in a sense? Williams said.

“People would less likely commit arson or a violent act if a place had armed security. Hate crimes are generally done in a cowardly manner and not a fair fight,” she said.

Also, the root of these crimes are ignorance and hatred.

School systems can adopt an anti-bias stand by making a conscious effort in evaluating curriculum materials that contributes to prejudice, Williams said.

“Many curriculum materials reaffirm the notion of superiority of whites and inferiority of minorities,” she said. “Stop giving criminals the spotlight. Stand our ground at places of worship. Combat ignorance in schools. If we do, our places of worship will less likely be a place of worry,” Williams said.

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#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.

Published

6 days 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

6 days 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

6 days 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.”