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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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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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