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IN MEMORIAM: Tribute to Freedom Fighter Charlene Mitchell
NNPA NEWSWIRE — How should we say thank you adequately to leaders and freedom fighters who have passed away? We all should keep fighting for freedom and hold dear to the passion and principles that they lived by and represented. Long live the spirit, love, memory and legacy of Charlene Alexander Mitchell. Rest in Power and in Peace (R.I.P).
The post IN MEMORIAM: Tribute to Freedom Fighter Charlene Mitchell first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO
All people throughout the world ultimately benefit from the singular and collective sacrifices of a few monumental and courageous freedom fighters who have dared to speak out, stand up, and act valiantly on behalf of the universal cause of freedom, justice and equality. In the course of human history, I have been privileged personally over the past 75 years to meet and to work with some of those global “freedom fighters.”
Charlene Alexander Mitchell (1930-2022) was an admired courageous international freedom fighter. On behalf of the Wilmington Ten and all political prisoners in America, we humbly and solemnly pause to render a memorial tribute to our beloved Sister Queen Mother Freedom Fighter, Charlene A. Mitchell.
From being born in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 8, 1930, to moving to Chicago where at the young activist age of 16, Charlene joined the CPUSA, and then she went on to reside in the heart of Harlem, New York where for over 60 years she effectively led hundreds of grassroots, national, and international campaigns for freedom and equal justice.
Charlene Mitchell passed away on December 14, 2022, in New York. I know that her legacy and ideals, however, will live on for many future generations to come.
Who was the key organizer and strategist of the successful global campaign to free Angela Davis from political prosecution and imprisonment? It was Charlene Mitchell. Who was the visionary activist organizer of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR)? It was Charlene Mitchell.
In addition to the support and leadership of the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice and the Wilmington Ten Defense Committee, it was in fact the gallant leadership and global mobilization efforts of Charlene Mitchell, Angela Davis and many others in the NAARPR that helped to free the Wilmington Ten, Charlotte Three, Joann Little, and so many other political prisoners throughout the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.
In the early 1980s during a video filmed dialogue between James Baldwin and me at Dooky Chase restaurant in New Orleans that focused on Black American oppression and liberation, I recalled that Baldwin affirmatively asserted that, “There is no question in my mind that Charlene Mitchell remains the Joan of Arc of Harlem because she dares to utter unspeakable truth to power.”
But I also witnessed the personal side that intersected with the extraordinary ideological and organizing genius that Charlene Mitchell embodied 24/7. She was a devoted and caring mother to her son, Steven Mitchell, who also became a labor organizer and representative.
My mother, Mrs. Elisabeth R. Chavis, and the mother of Angela Davis, Mrs. Sallye B. Davis, and Charlene Mitchell would find quality time together, even while traveling from city to city to free other political prisoners, to talk about the importance of family in our long-protracted struggle for freedom in America and throughout the world.
I will always remember the loving smile on Charlene’s face and that unforgettable twinkle of solidarity in her eyes whenever she discussed and planned how to organize and to win victories over peoples’ oppression.
How should we say thank you adequately to leaders and freedom fighters who have passed away? We all should keep fighting for freedom and hold dear to the passion and principles that they lived by and represented. Long live the spirit, love, memory and legacy of Charlene Alexander Mitchell. Rest in Power and in Peace (R.I.P). God bless.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and Executive Producer/Host of The Chavis Chronicles on PBS TV stations throughout the United States. He can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org
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The post IN MEMORIAM: Tribute to Freedom Fighter Charlene Mitchell first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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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.

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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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.”
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