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IN MEMORIAM: Russell Bertrand Sugarmon Jr. – civil rights ‘giant’

NNPA NEWSWIRE — As a member of the Memphis Branch NAACP, Mr. Sugarmon was instrumental in using the law to fight legal battles to desegregate public transportation, schools and restaurants. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, Rutgers University and Harvard Law School, he became a judge in 1987 and was re-elected numerous times.

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

Tributes to civil rights “giant” and attorney, Russell Bertrand Sugarmon Jr. flooded the Internet Monday as news spread quickly of his death.

One of the most touching tributes came from his daughter, Elena DeCosta Williams, who took to Facebook to express her love and admiration.

“To the world, he was Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr. To me, he was Dad. He was a tireless civil rights warrior who fought for equality and humanity throughout Tennessee and across the Nation.”

Mr. Sugarmon, 89,was one of a group of African Americans who made the first serious bid for a major city office in Memphis, opening the door for future black leaders. He became the second African-American elected to the Tennessee General Assembly after Reconstruction as a state representative.

As a member of the Memphis Branch NAACP, Mr. Sugarmon was instrumental in using the law to fight legal battles to desegregate public transportation, schools and restaurants. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, Rutgers University and Harvard Law School, he became a judge in 1987 and was re-elected numerous times.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators said, “Judge Sugarmon’s accomplishments obviously make him a Memphis icon. But in addition to all of the career accolades, it should be noted what an extraordinary husband, father, grandfather, friend and human being he was.

“Everything he stood for in his public life, he also demonstrated in his private life,” Hardaway said. “Russell Sugarmon was a humble, kind and good man. The members of Tennessee Black Caucus are grateful for the generation of giants of conviction, advocacy and activism that made it possible for us to serve today. ”

Colleague and long-time, personal friend, Mike Cody, remembered Mr. Sugarmon as “a strong Democratic power broker and civil rights giant.”

“I met Russ in 1960 when he came to work for Birch Porter & Johnson. He was chairman of the Democratic Party back in those days. Back then, he and A.W. Willis were a team. They, along with Dr. Ben Hooks, broke down so many walls of segregation.”

Cody, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, said Mr. Sugarmon left his mark on this city “as well as all of us. And I tell you, this city owes a great debt of gratitude for his contributions toward making us all better.”

Congressman Steve Cohen released a statement Monday afternoon, saying, Mr. Sugarmon was a political genius who “guided many campaigns to victory and always fought the good fight. He worked tirelessly even when victory wasn’t in the cards and kept the faith, knowing that it would be down the line.

“Russell Sugarmon was one of the most learned people on politics and history in our community,” Cohen noted, referring to Mr. Sugarmon as a mentor, supporter and friend. “His influence cannot be overstated. Collaborations with a biracial group of Memphians and his progressive leadership has made Memphis the city it is today.”

Painting a picture

In 1946, Mr. Sugarmon graduated from Booker T. Washington High School at age 15. Drawing upon his online biography, this fuller picture emerges:

Mr. Sugarmon was born May 11, 1929, the year of America’s stock market crash, in Memphis to Russell and Lessye Hank Sugarmon. He grew up in South Memphis and attended Co-Operative Grammar School.

After graduating from BTW, he attended Morehouse College for one year. He received an A.B. in Political Science from Rutgers University in 1950. In 1953 he received a law degree from Harvard Law School and attended Boston University‘s Graduate School of Finance.

He practiced as an attorney in Memphis in the firm Ratner, Sugarmon, Lucas, Willis and Caldwell. In 1959, Mr. Sugarmon ran for Public Works Commissioner, the first African-American in Memphis to run for a major city office.

According the biography, the outgoing commissioner, Henry Loeb, forced most of the other candidates to withdraw from the election, so as not to split the white vote among several candidates. Bill Ferris, the only white man remaining on the ballot, won the post.

Sugarmon served in the Tennessee House of Representatives as a Democrat from the 11th District from 1967 to 1969.

Mr. Sugarmon’s son, Tarik B. Sugarmon, is a Memphis City Court judge who in 2014 ran for Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court, and presently serves as the Division Two Judge in Memphis Municipal Courts.

Taking note of “one of the greatest civil rights leaders,” Memphis Branch NAACP President Deidre Malone said Mr. Sugarmon was “a major supporter of the NAACP. He spent a great deal of his time in court, before he became a judge, working to get NAACP Memphis Branch members out of jail.

“Judge Sugarmon has left a legacy for public service for others to follow,” Malone said. “He will be missed. We offer condolences and prayers to the Sugarmon family.”

Mr. Sugarmon’s daughter completed her online tribute to her father with this:

“To me, he was the man who looked down on a 12 year old little girl with braces, glasses and pimples and told her she was beautiful. He was the man who held me when I cried, whose eyes lit up whenever I walked into the room, who always made me feel like a shining star in his eyes.

“I wish every little girl could have a father as sweet and wonderful and kind as the one I was Blessed with…..I love you so very much Dad and I always will…”

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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.

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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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