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IN MEMORIAM: Baxter Leach, a Soldier for Labor

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Mr. Leach and fellow sanitation workers rose up and in unison shouted to the world, “I AM A MAN.” They marched against the powers that be, earning a hard-won victory in a fight that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. On Tuesday (Aug. 27), Mr. Leach died after what longtime friend Calvin Taylor said was a bout with cancer. He was 79.

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Description: Baxter Leach was one of the 1968 Sanitation Workers whose strike drew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

1968 Memphis Sanitation worker Baxter Leach mourned as ‘an honorable man’

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Baxter Richard Leach used his voice to cry out for the respect and dignity of sanitation workers oppressed by unsanitary and unsafe working conditions and racist attitudes. It all came to a head on Feb. 1, 1968 when two friends and colleagues were crushed to death in a malfunctioning compactor on their truck.

Mr. Leach and fellow sanitation workers rose up and in unison shouted to the world, “I AM A MAN.” They marched against the powers that be, earning a hard-won victory in a fight that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

On Tuesday (Aug. 27), Mr. Leach died after what longtime friend Calvin Taylor said was a bout with cancer. He was 79.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete at The New Tri-State Defender’s press time Wednesday night.

“Mr. Leach was very devoted to his local and to AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), to his community, and to his family,” said Gail Tyree, director of Local 1733.

“We are going to miss him tremendously. He was an honorable man, a good man who shared his story with young people every opportunity he got. Mr. Leach knew that it was important for them to understand the great history of our 1733 and this city. And so he continued to reach out over the years, across the generations.”

Henry Leach, his youngest brother, recalled the night the National Civil Rights Museum honored the sanitation workers with its prestigious Freedom Award.

“We were all there that night,” Leach said. “It was like being on television or being on Broadway somewhere. Everybody who lives out of town came in for the presentation. My brother was so proud of receiving the award, and we were so proud of him. I am so happy he was still here to experience that night. That was a highlight of all our lives.”

Baxter Leach was born Sept. 21, 1939 in Schlater, Miss. He often repeated a line he learned from his father: “Son, work hard and always keep at least a dollar in your pocket.” In 1960, he moved to Memphis, where he worked several jobs until he found employment in 1961 with the City of Memphis Sanitation Department.

After the strike was settled, Mr. Leach and the other sanitation workers continued to be honored for their courage and history-making stand. He has been featured and interviewed by many newspapers, magazines and television and radio stations. His leadership and good citizenship netted numerous awards and honors.

The documentary, “I AM A MAN: A LESSON IN LIFE,” features Mr. Leach and he’s a noteworthy figure in the National Civil Rights Museum.

In 1984, Mr. Leach and his wife, Jimmie Leach, opened Melanie’s, a soul food restaurant that served the Mid-South for 28 years until it was a destroyed in a fire. In its wake came Ms. Girlee’s,” another soul food restaurant.

Mr. Leach would often share with friends and family that his most memorable event was being welcomed to the White House and inducted into the White House Hall of Fame by Barack Obama, the first African American elected President of the United States.

After 44 years of service, Mr. Leach retired from the City of Memphis. He continued to be an avid speaker at many schools, universities and churches until his five-year battle with cancer prevented him, according to his brother, Henry.

Among the many expressions of sympathy from across the country was this online message that the national office of AFSCME posted to the Local 1733 Facebook page:

“The AFSCME family extends our condolences to the Leach family, and the entire Memphis Community. Baxter Leach was a soldier for labor, and he will be missed.”

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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.

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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

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7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

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

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#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

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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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