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Leading Ladies After Loss

ABOVE: Angel Moms Funeral Support Community leader Calandrian Simpson Kemp presses forward to help other ladies heal and cope with the painful and tragic loss of a child to senseless gun violence No parent should have to ever bury their children, but sadly, that has become an all-too-familiar occurrence in the United States these days. […]
The post Leading Ladies After Loss first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

March 29, 2023

Forward Times Staff

ABOVE: Angel Moms Funeral Support

Community leader Calandrian Simpson Kemp presses forward to help other ladies heal and cope with the painful and tragic loss of a child to senseless gun violence

No parent should have to ever bury their children, but sadly, that has become an all-too-familiar occurrence in the United States these days.

At the time of this article, another school shooting took place, as another domestic terrorist murdered three children and three adults at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27^th. This comes a little less than a year (May 2022) since a domestic terrorist fatally shot 19 elementary school students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, along with seriously injuring 17 other individuals.

The Village of Mothers Home Visit

Mass shootings are not the only acts of gun violence that brings severe pain, loss, and heartache to family members who have lost children to senseless gun violence, but those are the ones most talked about in the media. However a child is murdered, whenever a gun is used, it still hurts the same, and leaves a void in a family’s life that can’t ever be fully filled.

As we close out Women’s History Month, we wish to highlight a woman who is using her own emotional personal story to empower other women who have experienced the same pain she has.

The theme of National Women’s History Month for 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories”, which is something Calandrian Simpson Kemp has chosen to do for nearly 10 years since losing her son, George Kemp Jr., to gun violence.

On September 27, 2013, Calandrian found out that her 20-year-old son, George Harold Kemp Jr., had been involved in a fight with a group of teens in Richmond, Texas, which led to a fatal shooting that took his life after he sustained multiple gunshot wounds. George Jr. was a mechanics student who played free safety on both his college and high school football teams and had aspirations to join the NFL, before he was fatally shot.

Devastated after hearing the news, and suicidal at the time, Calandrian struggled to find an outlet to grieve and express her pain. Because she could not find the avenue to help her, Calandrian decided to turn her pain into purpose by helping other grieving mothers who she discovered were dealing with the same challenges. Calandrian created a platform to tell her story and allow other women to tell theirs through the creation of The Village of Mothers initiative.

The Village of Mothers is a group that Calandrian founded in 2014, with a mission to inspire hope by encouraging, building and strengthening mothers through faith by genuine friendships and resources.

When asked why The Village of Mothers is necessary, Calandrian states that when a mother loses a child, it throws them into a sea of despair and a hell hole called “grief” that is long suffering and includes too many unknown variables to navigate alone.

Angel Moms gather for an outing

“We know by experience that family and friends can provide empathy, but they will not be able to truly understand or relate to all of the emotions a mother who lost a child will experience,” said Calandrian.

Calandrian states that the mothers who are a part of The Village of Mothers, who she refers to as “Angel Moms”, are a part of a group that is necessary to help them navigate the judicial system processes and connect to community resources to engage in community engagement.

“It is vital to a mother who has lost a child to connect to a group like The Village of Mothers to be connected with someone who looks like them, which is another mother who lost a child because they can communicate what cannot be said, the hearts connected, and the road to healing can begin,” Calandrian continued.

Since the loss of her son, Calandrian has been dedicated to helping other mothers heal from the unsuspecting loss of their child to gun violence, and has been on the frontlines as an advocate for the passage of meaningful legislation to end gun violence in America.

In 2020, Calandrian was featured in a powerful ad during Super Bowl LIV, produced by then-Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg‘s campaign, which spotlighted her efforts to encourage lawmakers to take action on gun violence. Last July, Calandrian and her husband, George Kemp Sr., were invited to The White House to join President Joe Biden, members of Congress, civic leaders, and other family members who lost loved ones to senseless gun violence, to witness the historic signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Since the launch of The Village of Mothers, Kemp has helped more than 700 moms nationwide, who have joined the group online. The mothers attend rallies and organize gatherings to encourage and uplift one another. Calandrian has also created meet-up opportunities for the Angel Mothers to engage in justice and accountability meetings with local officials, rally peace walks, serve as panelists for community forums, provide family support for criminal court trials, participate in peace talks, and travel locally and out of state to support the birthday and “Angel”versary celebrations of each Angel Mother’s child who is no longer with us.

Calandrian states that she is empowering other Angel Moms to find their voice through pain, to show up for themselves, to be present by engaging in peer-to-peer support group meetings, to attend outings, and to have one-on-one “real hard conversations” regarding their loss.

“Though sharing and storytelling, Angel Moms discover their next steps and how to find purpose in their pain,” Calandrian explains. “Angel Moms are empowered to ask themselves the question, “What would my son/daughter want me to do?” and then use that answer to find the light in their darkness of grief and turn around and be the light in darkness to become a voice of change.

Calandrian also states that members are strongly encouraged to take their health serious by partnering with an exercise buddy and taking advantage of health and wellness information they receive through the group early on in grief onset.

“Angel Moms are encouraged to keep sharing how they feel and by doing so this helps them to discover and idea of how find purpose in their pain,” says Calandrian. “Many of the Angel Moms have taken next steps into advocacy, changing laws, launching businesses, and starting foundations.”

When asked how the creation of The Village of Mothers has tangibly inspired other mothers to turn their pain into purpose, Calandrian points to several examples, such as:

A new mother, whose son was a college student who lost his life to gun violence, was aired on the local news, which prompted one of the Angel Mom members to reach out to her and meet her for a home visit. The Angel Mom member was able to connect with the mother during her most vulnerable time, even though there were family members around. Now, however, she had another mother who understood what she was facing and experiencing. The Angel Mom member was able to assist the mother with personal tasks that only the mother knew she needed. The two became friends and she eventually joined The Village of Mothers, and was supported through the years by the network of Angel Moms who stood with her during the time it took for the murderer of her son to be convicted and after.

An Angel Mom, whose son was murdered, joined The Village of Mothers and took her pain and used it to start a business in honor of her son. She continues to outreach to new mothers to let them know how she was able to overcome her grief.

An Angel Mom, whose son was a student at a local high school, was murdered by gun violence. She and her husband started a foundation in their son’s memory to provide care packages for college students and school supplies every year.

An Angel Mom in California, whose son was bullied at school and eventually murdered by gun violence, started a foundation to bring awareness about bullying and gun violence, and to provide local community session to engage the youth in programs to curtail gun violence.

An Angel Mom whose daughter was texting and driving on Mother’s Day in 2014. This Angel Mom would go to the location where her daughter was killed every day to decorate the location and sit in a chair. She joined The Village of Mothers support group online, and was able to be supported by other mothers. She began to extend herself and offer video storytelling for other Angel Moms in the group. A year went by and her and Calandrian were able to meet in person at the “Angel”versary event of Angel Mom’s child. As Calandrian spoke at the event, she asked the visiting mother to come stand beside her. Little did she know that she was going to ask her to share her story at the event. Calandrian took one small step backwards and it put her front and center. With s slight hesitation, she shared her story. This particular situation helped her get that initial lump out of her throat. She cried, but she kept sharing her story. As years went by, this Angel Mom got empowered and motivated by the encounter, and found her voice. In 2022, she testified in front of legislators and advocated for Hands Free Ohio legislation, and now they have a law: Hands Free Ohio.

Angel Moms in Houston came together as group to take their pain to the streets of Houston through the No More Bloodshed Peace Walk Initiative, to bring awareness to gun violence and to come out of their homes and not grieve in silence. The sought to show that gun violence was not the solution. Angel Moms were encouraged to bring the biggest picture of their child, who lost their lives to gun violence, and to march for justice and accountability.

Through their collective efforts, Angel Moms have traveled to Austin to rally at the steps of the Texas State Capitol and have participated in countless meetings focused on reforming gun laws. Many mothers have become violence interrupters in their communities and neighborhood schools.

When asked how she is able to help others when she continues to deal with the tragic loss of her son, Calandrian tells the Forward Times that she took up the cross that was placed upon her to help others because when she lost her son, there was no one who came to her, or who looked like her in her circle, who was suffering from the loss of a child like she had.

“Many people came and gave condolences, and were sorry for my loss, but no one told me that they had lost a child or understood what I was going through, or could tell me what I could expect next,” says Calandrian. “Afterwards, I found myself all alone and internally suffering. I fell into depression. So, many months went by and I prayed and begged God to send somebody to tell me about this new journey, because I was feeling so suicidal. One day God made it clear and gave me the vision to create what I needed. I knew there were other mothers in the city who looked like me, so I began organizing and galvanizing mothers who lost children to any cause. I am proud to say, I held my first Village of Mothers luncheon in 2014. Now, nearly 10 years later, my phone constantly rings, or I get a text message, or I receive many new member requests to join our online Village of Mothers Facebook group. I can now say to new mothers, “Welcome to the Village of Mothers, you lost a child, I understand!” This is my life and how I keep going!”

Calandrian states that the ultimate expectation of The Village of Mothers is to see mothers, fathers, siblings, and all who have been impacted by the unfortunate loss of a child, restored and made whole in a “new normal” by using the hand that was dealt to them to find purpose in their pain. She also wants the members to stand on their stories and be empowered to be the change they need to see and to put love back out in the universe.

The post Leading Ladies After Loss appeared first on Houston Forward Times.

The post Leading Ladies After Loss first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: Jim Crow 2.0 at the Pentagon

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 3, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Pete Hegseth insists that he is restoring “merit” to the United States military. But after months of dismissals, blocked promotions, and ideological purges, the evidence tells a different story. His campaign against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has become something far more dangerous: an assault on equal opportunity that falls with particular force on African Americans, while also targeting women, Latinos, gay Americans, and transgender service members.

The latest example is both troubling and infuriating.

Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of an exceptionally qualified woman—Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt. Bauernschmidt is no ordinary officer. She became the Navy’s first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of the most demanding leadership assignments in the world. Her career reflects decades of exemplary performance, operational excellence, and leadership under extraordinary pressure.

Yet once again, a distinguished military career appears to have been subordinated to an ideological agenda masquerading as “merit.”

I call BS!

The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

The pattern has become impossible to ignore.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., only the second African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dismissed despite a career that placed him among the most accomplished military leaders of his generation.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, was removed despite decades of distinguished command experience.

Reports have documented interventions that blocked or delayed the promotions of Black officers and women selected through the military’s rigorous promotion system.

Now Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt joins the growing list of highly accomplished officers whose careers have been derailed for reasons that have never been persuasively explained.

Where is Congress?

Its silence has become deafening.

Congress has an independent constitutional responsibility to oversee the armed forces. Instead, too many lawmakers have watched silently while one of the nation’s most respected institutions is subjected to ideological litmus tests and political interference.

This is not military reform. It is testosterone-fueled performative masculinity disguised as a philosophy of military excellence.

The irony is impossible to miss. Hegseth repeatedly invokes “merit,” yet his rhetoric begins with the assumption that Black officers, women, and other historically excluded Americans must somehow justify their achievements in ways that white male officers are rarely required to do.

That is not meritocracy. It is prejudice wrapped in patriotic language.

No one is asking that anyone be promoted because of race or gender. Americans simply expect that promotions be based on demonstrated competence, leadership, integrity, and service. The officers being targeted have already proven themselves repeatedly under one of the world’s most demanding evaluation systems.

Their records speak for themselves.

The attack on African American military leadership has been especially pernicious.

For generations, Black Americans fought in segregated units, earned decorations while denied equal treatment, and repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to a nation that often failed to extend them full citizenship. They broke barriers not because standards were lowered but because excellence finally overcame institutional discrimination.

Today’s campaign against “diversity” threatens to revive old assumptions under new slogans.

The implication that Black generals and admirals somehow owe their success to affirmative action rather than extraordinary performance echoes some of the ugliest stereotypes of the Jim Crow era. Yesterday’s segregationists claimed Black Americans were inherently less qualified. Today’s culture warriors simply employ more politically acceptable language while inviting the same suspicion about Black achievement.

That is why Hegseth’s campaign increasingly resembles Jim Crow 2.0.

The targets may now wear stars on their shoulders instead of military patches on segregated uniforms, but the underlying message is hauntingly familiar: Black excellence is presumed suspect, while white excellence is presumed earned.

America’s military became the finest fighting force in history because it opened its doors to talent wherever it could be found. It grew stronger after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. It became stronger when women assumed greater command responsibilities. It became stronger when every qualified American was given the opportunity to serve to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Diversity is not a concession. It is a strategic advantage.

The nation’s adversaries do not fear an American military because it is racially homogeneous. They fear it because it draws upon the talents of more than 340 million Americans whose diverse experiences, perspectives, and abilities make our armed forces unmatched anywhere in the world.

Every politically motivated dismissal of a distinguished officer sends a chilling message throughout the ranks: excellence alone may no longer be enough if you belong to the wrong demographic group.

That weakens morale. It weakens recruitment. It weakens retention.

And ultimately, it weakens national security.

Pete Hegseth has every right to pursue military readiness. He has no right to redefine merit in ways that repeatedly cast suspicion upon the accomplishments of Black officers, women, and others who have devoted their lives to defending this nation.

America deserves better. The men and women who wear the uniform deserve better. The Constitution deserves better.

And unless Congress finds the courage to exercise meaningful oversight, history may well remember this period not as a restoration of military excellence, but as the moment political ideology attempted to resurrect, in modern form, the old poison of exclusion.

Jim Crow did not strengthen America. Jim Crow 2.0 will not strengthen America’s military. It will only diminish it

Wade Henderson
Strategic Advisor
Civil and Human Rights
wade@wadejhenderson.com

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New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial

By Emilie St. John (Contributor) Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction. Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District […]
The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

By Emilie St. John
(Contributor)

Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction.

Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District Judge John Roach Jr. from overseeing the appeals process.

Two hearings have been scheduled on the motion for Aug. 9 and 10 in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to Fox4 News.

On July 14, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court was assigned to preside over the defense’s motion to recuse Collin County Judge John Roach. The assignment took effect immediately and authorized Harle to handle all matters related to the recusal request, the filing read.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office continues to defend its handling of the case by issuing a statement to NBC 5 DFW.

“The defendant’s new lawyers have filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings. The entire prosecution team and I conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court’s rulings and any agreements with defense counsel. We look forward to addressing these claims thoroughly in a Court of law in the coming weeks. The jury heard extensive evidence over the course of the trial and returned a unanimous verdict. We remain confident in that verdict and the fairness of the proceedings.”

Anthony’s new legal team, made up of appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, was retained following Anthony’s conviction.

“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the team said in a statement.

“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the release reads.

Anthony was charged with the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, April 2, 2025. Anthony has long maintained it was an act of self-defense.

The attorneys are representing Anthony pro bono. The nearly 200-page notice of appeal seeks a new trial because his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated.

“The cumulative and practical effect of these provisions was to exclude members of the public from proceedings at every stage,” the filing reads.

The filing also focused on an alleged “handshake deal” that kept Anthony from taking the stand in his defense.

The defense filing said the agreement was that the jury would not hear that Metcalf and his twin brother had been accused of racism and bullying in the past. In exchange, they also would not see Anthony’s cellphone records or his school disciplinary record, according to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Anthony’s former defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense relied heavily on that deal. The team chose not to ask certain questions of witnesses or call on a separate expert witness based on that agreement. It also abandoned plans to introduce testimony and evidence about the allegations against Metcalf and his brother.

Appellate attorney Russell Wilson is now handling post-trial proceedings and Anthony’s appeal. He recently sat down for an interview, stating, “The court committed multiple errors during the June murder trial, preventing him from receiving a fair trial.”

“You know, we file motions that we expect to prevail on, but we understand that there’s two sides to every story. And at the end of the day, it’ll be a judge that has to make these decisions, but we feel confident in the positions that we’re taking,” Wilson said during an interview with WFAA. “There were substantial issues that we thought a reviewing court needed to look at. We thought these were constitutional irregularities, and we could have them addressed now. And so, we put them into a motion for a new trial.”

Bree West, a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, found it startling that so little time was given to Anthony’s team for such a serious “life or death” situation.

“I do think that it’s really challenging that potentially a court decided that you have 10 minutes to make that level of decision when it has the potential of being life-altering,” said West during an interview with Fox 4 News.

Judge Harle is no stranger to high-profile cases, having presided over the prosecution of a police officer charged in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Anthony was convicted on June 9 of the murder of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump!

WESTSIDE GAZETTE — The author criticizes Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting his use of terms like “Dumbocrats” and “Communist” to describe Democrats and democracy. The column asserts that Trump’s current strategy involves creating doubt about midterm elections due to a lack of Republican agenda.
The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

Frankly Speaking

Wow! Wow! Wow! The swamp drainers have truly stepped down to new levels of stupidity. You remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? We now have Weapons of Mass Distraction. Trump has introduced Dumbocrats and Communists into the conversation about Democrats and Democracy.

Trump lies so much, and his current strategy is to set up doubt about midterm elections because he and Republicans have no agenda!

He has no “Trump “ card, but Iran has a strait! He called it a skirmish; it’s now a War. He said five days; now it’s five months. He said few casualties; now it’s 18 deaths. He knew nothing about Project 2025 but hired its architects! Trump lies about the lies and often forgets these little inventions called cameras and phones

We see and hear and then see and hear the inconsistencies.

I didn’t like 45 and dislike 47 even more!

The post LSMFT! Lord Save Me From Trump! appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Based on reporting by Westside Gazette.

The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.