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IN MEMORIAM: Tribute to the Ministry, Life, and Legacy of Reverend Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Rev. Murray also sparked and inspired something much closer to home. He inspired me, but he directly mobilized my brother and friend Rev. Whitlock to lead his newest church initiative back then – something he boldly called FAME Renaissance. Just some of the results of FAME Renaissance and Dr. Murray’s most trusted senior team, which featured (Rev.) Mark Whitlock, Rev. Dr. Steve Johnson, and Peggy Hill included 300 Jobs for teenagers at Disneyland every year for 10 years! 3000 jobs, a Fame Renaissance loan fund, a Fame Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, a Fame Renaissance Transportation Program that transported 1,000 000 people annually; a Fame Renaissance environmental protection program, which saved 1.5 billion square acres of water; a Fame Renaissance Commercial Office Building of 75,000 square feet; a Fame Incubator Program – which trained 1000 entrepreneurs and started 400 small businesses, a Fame Renaissance Home Loan Program, which funded five hundred homes, a FAME Housing had affordable housing projects of 700 units with low to moderate tenants, encompassing seven buildings. And so much more.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Tribute to the Ministry, Life, and Legacy of Reverend Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2024

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By John Hope Bryant

How do you salute a man who walked amongst the angels? You start by making sure that history accurately reflects his name. This is my modest contribution to the telling of his vital history and legacy.

Rev. Dr. Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray changed my life. Life, literally.

He was more than a mentor, a supporter, or a good friend to a ‘young man coming up.‘ He was, in every way—particularly during my evolving years as a young man in the making—my spiritual father.

Rev. Murray and I met originally through my brother and friend Mark Whitlock, now Rev. Mark Whitlock, who leads one of the three largest AME churches in the nation – Reid Temple AME Church in Maryland. Back then, he was an executive in the making, first at a property title company and then a banker at Wells Fargo. But what Mark and I knew then was that Rev. Murray had already decided, in his spirit, that our lives would be transformed into a life’s calling.

Very seldom do you meet someone who you believe is ‘otherworldly.’ Someone who you genuinely believe walks their talk and might even qualify as a saint on this earth. A true prophet from on high, representing God almighty right here on earth. That there is one Rev. Dr. Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray.

It is impossible to communicate in an Op-Ed the power and transformational impact that this man had on my life, but I will try by telling you a couple of intimate stories about Dr. Murray.

When I first showed up at the church, the Rodney King Riots of 1992 had engulfed the city, and everyone important at the time seemed to be sitting in Rev. Murray’s office.

This included the governor (the Republican Pete Wilson), the mayor (the legendary Democrat Mayor Tom Bradley, also an early mentor of mine), civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Catholic bishop, the Jewish Rabbi, the Muslim Imam, and every other whose-who from the city had crammed into this one man’s office—all seeking his approval and wise counsel.

As a young man of 26, whom Rev. Murray had reluctantly agreed to mentor, I was invited to come in and take a seat, even though I had zero role, power, or responsibility.

One might say, I was actually in the way. But Rev. Murray saw something in me and invited me in to take a quiet seat in the corner when I showed up at his office, looking for a way to help following the citywide unrest. It was after and in many ways because of this meeting that I ultimately founded Operation HOPE.

Reverend Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray and John Hope Bryant.

Rev. Murray told me to take my business skills (and my high contacts in local finance) and put them to work ‘rebuilding our community.’ Within the week, on May 5^th, 1992, I organized the first Bankers Bus Tour through a still smoldering South Central Los Angeles. The result of this first tour was a commitment from the assembled bankers to fund the rebuilding of Handler’s Pharmacy, a Black-owned pharmacy business located at Western Ave and 42^nd Street.

That was the first commitment to ‘rebuild’ by anyone and involved leaders from government, community, and the private sector. It also focused on a quality that later became my strength and global calling card – outcomes and results. A focus on Ph.D and Ph.Do too. I ended up founding Operation HOPE in 1992, with a $61,000 grant requested by then-Democratic LA Mayor Tom Bradley to then-Republican President George W. Bush. It was an SBA 7J grant made on a bi-partisan basis. This also became a quality I would find useful for 30 years of ‘getting stuff done.’

On the 10^th anniversary of the Rodney King Riots—22 years ago today—Rev. Murray and First AME Church partnered to host then-US President George W. Bush in South Central Los Angeles to salute the rebuilding. They were joined by 700 leaders from across the Southern California community, inclusive of both major political parties and all racial groups. Classic Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray.

Today, Operation HOPE is the largest financial literacy coaching, counseling, and economic empowerment organization nationwide, with 300 full-time HOPE Inside offices in 40+ states. Its partners have invested more than $4.5 billion into our communities, raising credit scores, lowering debt, increasing savings, and creating minority homeowners and small business owners. One Majority Black-owned Business has inspired, created and grown more than 400,000 Black businesses, equal to more than 12% of all black businesses in America. This is the living legacy of Rev. Cecil Murray, which began in 1992.

Rev. Murray also sparked and inspired something much closer to home. He inspired me, but he directly mobilized my brother and friend Rev. Whitlock to lead his newest church initiative back then – something he boldly called FAME Renaissance. Just some of the results of FAME Renaissance and Dr. Murray’s most trusted senior team, which featured (Rev.) Mark Whitlock, Rev. Dr. Steve Johnson, and Peggy Hill included 300 Jobs for teenagers at Disneyland every year for 10 years! 3000 jobs, a Fame Renaissance loan fund, a Fame Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, a Fame Renaissance Transportation Program that transported 1,000 000 people annually; a Fame Renaissance environmental protection program, which saved 1.5 billion square acres of water; a Fame Renaissance Commercial Office Building of 75,000 square feet; a Fame Incubator Program – which trained 1000 entrepreneurs and started 400 small businesses, a Fame Renaissance Home Loan Program, which funded five hundred homes, a FAME Housing had affordable housing projects of 700 units with low to moderate tenants, encompassing seven buildings. And so much more.

Sometimes, you run into someone in life who changes your life and the world we all live in, too. That man, for me, at 26 years old, was The Reverend Dr. Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray.

And this one thing I know, and I hope that you now understand this to be true too – his powerful, one-of-a-kind legacy lives.

John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation HOPE, and spiritual son of Rev. Dr. Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray, can be reached at jhbhope@oerations.org

The post IN MEMORIAM: Tribute to the Ministry, Life, and Legacy of Reverend Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

5 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

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Why Black Parents Should Consider Montessori

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — I have found that there are some educational approaches that consistently provide a safer, more enriching, and more affirmative environment for Black children. The Montessori method, developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori and introduced to the U.S. in the early 20th century, is one such approach.

Published

7 days ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

By Laura Turner-Essel, PhD

As a mother of four children, I’ve done A LOT of school shopping. I don’t mean the autumn ritual of purchasing school supplies. I mean shopping for schools – pouring over promotional materials, combing through websites, asking friends and community members for referrals to their favorite schools, attending open houses and orientations, comparing curriculums and educational philosophies, meeting teachers and principals, and students who all claim that their school is the best.

But keep in mind – I’m not just a mom of four children. I’m a mom of four Black children, and I’m also a psychologist who is very interested in protecting my little ones from the traumatic experience that school can too often become.

For Black children in the United States, school can sometimes feel more like a prison than an educational institution. Research shows that Black students experience school as more hostile and demoralizing than other students do, that they are disciplined more frequently and more harshly for typical childhood offenses (such as running in the halls or chewing gum in class), that they are often labeled as deviant or viewed as deficient more quickly than other children, that teachers have lower academic expectations of Black students (which, in turn, lowers those students’ expectations of themselves), and that Black parents feel less respected and less engaged by their children’s teachers and school administrators. Perhaps these are some of the underlying reasons that Black students tend to underperform in most schools across the country.

The truth is that schools are more than academic institutions. They are places where children go to gain a sense of who they are, how they relate to others, and where they fit into the world. The best schools are places that answer these questions positively – ‘you are a valuable human being, you are a person who will grow up to contribute great things to your community, and you belong here, with us, exploring the world and learning how to use your gifts.’ Unfortunately, Black children looking for answers to these universal questions of childhood will often hit a brick wall once they walk into the classroom. If the curriculum does not reflect their cultural experiences, the teachers don’t appear to value them, and they spend most of their time being shamed into compliance rather than guided towards their highest potential, well…what can we really expect? How are they supposed to master basic academic skills if their spirits have been crushed?

Here’s the good news. In my years of school shopping, and in the research of Black education specialists such as Jawanza Kunjufu and Amos Wilson, I have found that there are some educational approaches that consistently provide a safer, more enriching, and more affirmative environment for Black children. The Montessori method, developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori and introduced to the U.S. in the early 20th century, is one such approach.

The key feature of Montessori schooling is that children decide (for the most part) what they want to do each day. Led by their own interests and skill levels, children in a Montessori classroom move around freely and work independently or with others on tasks of their own

choosing. The classroom is intentionally stocked with materials tailored to the developmental needs of children, including the need to learn through different senses (sight, touch/texture, movement, etc.). The teacher in a Montessori classroom is less like a boss and more like a caring guide who works with each child individually, demonstrating various activities and then giving them space to try it on their own. The idea is that over time, students learn to master even the toughest tasks and concepts, and they feel an intense sense of pride and accomplishment because they did it by themselves, without pressure or pushing.

I think that this aspect of the Montessori method is good for all kids. Do you remember the feeling of having your creativity or motivation crushed by being told exactly what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and why? The truth is that when presented with a new challenge and then given space, children actually accomplish a lot! They are born with a natural desire to learn. It is that spirit of curiosity, sense of wonder, and excitement to explore that Montessori helps to keep alive in a child. But that’s not the only reason that I think Black parents need to consider Montessori.

Fostering a love of learning is great. But more importantly, I think that Montessori students excel at learning to love. It begins with Montessori’s acknowledgement that all children are precious because childhood is a precious time. In many school systems, Black children are treated like miniature adults (at best) or miniature criminals (at worst), and are subjected to stressful situations that no kids are equipped to handle – expectations to be still and silent for long periods, competitive and high-stakes testing, and punitive classroom discipline. It’s easy to get the sense that rather than being prepared for college or careers, our children are being prepared to fail. Couple this with the aforementioned bias against Black children that seems to run rampant within the U.S. school system, and you end up with children who feel burned out and bitter about school by the time they hit 3rd grade.

In my experience, Montessori does a better job of protecting the space that is childhood – and all the joy of discovery and learning that should come along with that. Without the requirement that students “sit down and shut up,” behavioral issues in Montessori classrooms tend to be non-existent (or at least, the Montessori method doesn’t harp on them; children are gently redirected rather than shamed in front of the class). Montessori students don’t learn for the sake of tests; they demonstrate what they’ve learned by sharing with their teacher or classmates how they solve real-world problems using the skills they’ve gained through reading, math, or science activities. And by allowing children a choice of what to focus on throughout the day, Montessori teachers demonstrate that they honor and trust children’s natural intelligence. The individualized, careful attention they provide indicates to children that they are each seen, heard, and valued for who they are, and who they might become. Now that’s love (and good education).

As a parent, I’ve come to realize that many schools offer high-quality academics. Montessori is no different. Students in Montessori schools gain exposure to advanced concepts and the materials to work with these concepts hands-on. Across the nation, Montessori schools emphasize early literacy development, an especially important indicator of life success for young Black boys and men. Montessori students are provided with the opportunity to be

successful every day, and the chance to develop a sense of competence and self-worth based on completing tasks at their own pace.

But I have also learned that the important questions to ask when school shopping are often not about academics at all. I now ask, ‘Will my children be treated kindly? Will they be listened to? Protected from bias and bullying? Will they feel safe? Will this precious time in their lives be honored as a space for growth, development, awe, and excitement? Will they get to see people like them included in the curriculum? Will they be seen as valuable even if they don’t always ‘measure up’ to other kids on a task? Will they get extra support if they need it? Will the school include me in major decisions? Will the school leaders help to make sure that my children reach their fullest potential? Will the teacher care about my children almost as much as I do?’

Consistently, it’s been the Montessori schools that have answered with a loud, resounding ‘Yes!’ That is why my children ended up in Montessori schools, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. If you’re a parent like me, shopping for schools with the same questions in mind, I’d urge you to consider Montessori education as a viable option for your precious little ones. Today more than ever, getting it right for our children is priceless.

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LIVE from the NMA Convention Raheem DeVaughn Says The Time Is Now: Let’s End HIV in Our Communities #2

Set against the backdrop of the NMA conference, Executive Officers from the National Medical Association, Grammy Award Winning Artist and Advocate Raheem DeVaughn, and Gilead Sciences experts, are holding today an important conversation on HIV prevention and health equity. Black women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV despite advances in prevention options. Today’s event […]

Published

2 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Black women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV despite advances in prevention options. Today’s event is designed to uplift voices, explore barriers to access, and increase awareness and key updates about PrEP, a proven prevention method that remains underutilized among Black women. This timely gathering will feature voices from across health, media, and advocacy as we break stigma and center equity in HIV prevention.

Additional stats and information to know:

● Black women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, with Black women representing more than 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women in the U.S. in 2022, despite comprising just 13% of women in the U.S.

● Women made up only 8% of PrEP users despite representing 19% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2022.

● Gilead Sciences is increasing awareness and addressing stigma by encouraging regular HIV testing and having judgment-free conversations with your healthcare provider about prevention options, including oral PrEP and long-acting injectable PrEP options.