#NNPA BlackPress
IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Morgan State and New York Knicks Assistant Coach: Nat Frazier Passes Away at 84
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “My dad was a bigger believer in good basketball… basketball was basketball to him, and I think he recognized early the impact that women could make, before a lot of other people did,” said Nathaniel Frazier’s son, Kevin. “He loved and appreciated the contributions that women could make in basketball and even though his particular franchise didn’t exactly work out, he was still so supportive of the WNBA.”
By Lauren Poteat, NNPA Washington Correspondent
Morgan State University, a historically Black institution located in Baltimore, Maryland, recently celebrated the life of legendary award-winning basketball coach Nathaniel Frazier, who passed away Sept. 22 at Howard County General Hospital at the age of 84.
A former NBA New York Knicks Assistant Coach and an NCAA Division II Championship Coach, “Nat” Frazier was devoted not only to the love of basketball but also to the community, hard work and, most importantly, his family.
“My dad loved the game of basketball, he was a master at it, but it was his love for family that really made him great,” Kevin Frazier, eldest son of Nat Frazier and co-host of CBS’s Entertainment Tonight, said.
“He was an amazing dad. My dad was always in my corner. He never held a grudge and his big thing was ‘people make mistakes, you’re going to make mistakes, but it’s how you bounce back from that mistake the matters.’”
Born in Beaufort, S.C., Nat grew up in the racially segregated south of Savannah, Georgia, where he graduated from Alfred E. Beach High School after leading his team to the Georgia State High School basketball title in 1953 and being named to the All-Tourney team in 1954.
Nat, who attended Tuskegee Institute, and became an All-SIAC pick twice, went on to play semi-pro basketball in the New York State Industrial Basketball League before receiving a Master’s in Health Counseling from City College of New York and completing a post-Master’s studies at New York University and the University of Illinois in Educational Administration.
Dedicated to the importance and strength of education, not only did Nat obtain his own multiple degrees, but he also helped to make sure that all of his siblings attended and graduated from college as well.
When Nat initially began coaching at Morgan State in 1972 (where he remained until 1977), he introduced a style of basketball that would emphasize intricate offenses and hard-nosed defense.
Through these techniques, the Bears would go on to play a form of triangle offenses, popularized by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
Those same techniques would go on to secure unprecedented success for Morgan State University, including the team’s 1974 NCAA Division II Championship (which has never been won since) and an Associated Press National “Coach of the Year,” given to the passionate leader for his exceptional coaching.
During his seven seasons with Morgan State, Frazier was the 10th winningest coach in Division II history — a very proud moment for his son.
“I remember Morgan State winning the national championship. I was there with him,” Kevin recounted. “I basically grew up going everywhere with him… I always felt like I was his sidekick… living life with him was always a huge adventure.”
While at Morgan State, Nat took his teams on several overseas trips and traveled to Africa to help spread the game and train coaches in the Western part of the continent.
Nat also spent a decade of summers coaching overseas in the Venezuelan Special Basketball League, where his Carabobo team won the league title in 1973.
Following Frazier’s first tenure at Morgan in 1977, Frazier went to the NBA as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.
He then became a part of the ownership team and was the general manager in the groundbreaking Women’s Basketball League that would pave the way for what is now known as the “WNBA.”
“My dad was a bigger believer in good basketball… basketball was basketball to him, and I think he recognized early the impact that women could make, before a lot of other people did,” Kevin continued. “He loved and appreciated the contributions that women could make in basketball and even though his particular franchise didn’t exactly work out, he was still so supportive of the WNBA.”
In 1986 Nat returned back to Morgan State where he remained until 1989, where his son Kevin said was home for him.
“He played at college level, the NBA and overseas but Morgan was his home,” Kevin laughed. “And you know, I know people got mad at Jemele Hill for saying this, but I really don’t understand why more Black athletes aren’t going to more Black colleges.”
“I think people have forgotten why these colleges are important and I am old enough to remember when Black colleges were still the powerhouses for so many great players, like Doug Williams from Grambling State University… HBCU’s are an experience where you’re not only in your comfort zone, but you learn about yourself.”
Nat was inducted into the Athletic Halls of Fame for A.E. Beach High School (1996), Tuskegee University (2001), and Morgan State University (2004).
Nathaniel Frazier is survived by his wife of 57 years, Alice Frazier; his eldest son, Kevin, daughter-in-law, Yasmin, and grandsons, Tony, Shane, and Reece; his youngest son, Kenneth, daughter-in-law, Rona, and grandchildren, Kennedy and Ava; two brothers, James (Al) Frazier and Timothy (Neil) Frazier; and a host of nieces, nephews, close friends, and former students and basketball players who became like family to him.
“It was always remarkable to see the impact that he had on so many people. I still meet people today, all over the states, who come up to me and tell me what an impact my father had on their lives,” Kevin said.
“I think it makes you understand the effect that he had on so many lives. He raised a lot of young Black men and women, too. It is beautiful to see that and to talk to everybody.”
#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.

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.

#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

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.”
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
It Just Got Even Better 2026 Toyota RAV4 AWD GR Sport Walkaround
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oak Temple Hill Hosts Interfaith Leaders from Across the Bay Area
-
Alameda County3 weeks ago
Council Approves Budget to Invest in Core City Services, Save Fire Stations, Invest in Economic Development
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025
-
Activism3 weeks ago
LA to the Bay: Thousands Protest in Mission District Against Immigration Raids, Travel Bans
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Over 500 Join Interfaith Rally in Solidarity with Los Angeles Resistance to Trump Invasion
-
Activism3 weeks ago
OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill