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Mary Ann Shadd Cary: A Fearless Journalist

She became the first female African-American newspaper editor in North America. Her work as a journalist was not spared criticism, as many disagreed with her views.

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By Unknown author - nps.gov, courtesy of National Archives of Canada, C-029977, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7353155

The eldest of 13 children, Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823–1893) was born in Wilmington, Del. to a free African American family. She was raised in a household dedicated to the abolition of slavery. The Shadd home often served as a shelter for fugitive slaves. Young Mary’s father worked for the abolitionist newspaper Liberator, run by William Lloyd Garrison.

Even as free blacks living in the north, the Shadds faced deep-seated discrimination and segregation.

Schools for Delaware blacks during that time were nonexistent. The Shadds, however, wanted their children educated. They relocated to Pennsylvania (1833) where young Mary attended a Quaker boarding school. For the next 12 years, she taught black children in Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania. Her passion though, was to follow in her father’s footsteps.

After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law (1850), Cary moved to Canada with one of her brothers. The act required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The entire Shadd family soon followed. It was there that she found Canada’s first antislavery newspaper, The Provincial Freemen. It was a weekly publication targeting blacks, especially those who’d escaped slavery.

Cary would pen many of the stories, often returning to the states to gather information. Through this, she became the first female African-American newspaper editor in North America. Her work as a journalist was not spared criticism, as many disagreed with her views.

A critic from a rival paper wrote: “Miss Shadd [Cary] has said and written many things which we think will add nothing to her credit as a lady.”

Cary however, was less concerned with being a lady than she was with having a voice. “She got a lot of criticism from black male leaders, even from some black women, because she was so visible and she was so vocal,” Jane Rhodes, professor and department head of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago said, noting that Cary defied traditional attitudes presuming a woman’s place was in the home. “And she said, ‘I’m opening the door for you, for black women, and I’m proud that I’m doing that and I’m trying to create a space for you to have a voice.’”

Cary’s drive to support the rights and freedoms of blacks never ceased, especially when it involved education. This spurred her established a school—one that was open to children of all races.

The Civil War erupted in 1861. Cary then returned to the states to assist in the war effort. While working as a recruiting officer for the Union Army, she encouraged blacks to join the fight against the Confederacy and against slavery. Postwar, she attended Howard University, becoming the second African-American woman in the United States to earn a law degree (1883).

“It was fearless, and it was fierce,” Rhodes said of the Cary’s voice. “She really was unafraid and she carried that throughout her life.”

Source:  https://www.biography.com/activist/mary-ann-shadd-cary

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Oakland Post: Week of July 9 – 15, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 9 – 15, 2025

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Black Americans Still Face Deep Retirement Gaps Despite Higher Incomes

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Debt remains a significant barrier. 63% of higher-income Black households said debt is a problem, while just 45% of non-Black households at the same income level said the same. Nearly half of upper-income Black respondents said debt affects their ability to save or live comfortably in retirement.

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

A report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that Black Americans continue to face serious challenges in saving for retirement, even as their incomes grow.

The 2025 Retirement Confidence Survey, which included a special oversample of Black workers and retirees, found that the wealth gap remains wide at every income level. Among households earning $75,000 or more, only 33% of Black Americans reported having $250,000 or more in savings and investments, compared with 63% of non-Black Americans. Debt remains a significant barrier. 63% of higher-income Black households said debt is a problem, while just 45% of non-Black households at the same income level said the same. Nearly half of upper-income Black respondents said debt affects their ability to save or live comfortably in retirement.

While many Black Americans expressed confidence managing day-to-day budgets, fewer felt prepared to invest or plan for the long term. The study showed that Black Americans with higher incomes were less likely to have personally saved for retirement, 77%, compared with 87% of non-Black Americans. Retirement experiences also differed sharply. Forty-four percent of Black retirees said they retired earlier than planned because of a health problem or disability, compared with 32% of non-Black retirees. After leaving their main jobs, Black retirees were more likely to work for pay to make ends meet, and more often said their retirement lifestyle was worse than expected. Access to financial advice and planning remains uneven. Just 31% of Black respondents reported currently working with a financial advisor, although nearly half expect to do so in the future. Black Americans were more likely to seek help with reducing debt, creating wills or estate plans, and arranging life insurance than simply determining if they had saved enough to retire.

Researchers Craig Copeland and Lisa Greenwald wrote, “Black Americans reported disproportionately lower financial resources, and how they feel about retirement and financial security is clearly impacted by having less resources.” They continued, “In particular, Black retirees are struggling with higher likelihoods of their retirement lifestyle being worse than expected and having to retire earlier than planned because of a health problem or disability.” “Still,” the researchers concluded, “there are some modifications in the financial system that could help improve their prospects, such as increased assistance in balancing competing financial priorities like debt reduction, supporting family, and building long-term savings.”

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Scorching Heat Sparks Bipartisan Climate Alarm

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — As record-breaking heat waves sweep across the country this summer, a new national poll reveals an overwhelming majority of Americans are linking the punishing temperatures to climate change — and voicing deep concern about the government’s ability to respond.

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

As record-breaking heat waves sweep across the country this summer, a new national poll reveals an overwhelming majority of Americans are linking the punishing temperatures to climate change — and voicing deep concern about the government’s ability to respond.

The American Climate Perspectives Survey 2025, conducted by ecoAmerica, found that 86% of Americans say rising temperatures have increased their concern about climate change, with more than half reporting they are “a lot” more concerned. The sentiment cuts across demographic and political lines, with 97% of Democrats, 83% of Independents, and 79% of Republicans expressing heightened worry about the climate crisis. “Americans are connecting extreme heat to climate change, their health, and government inaction,” said Meighen Speiser, Executive Director of ecoAmerica.

Nearly nine in ten respondents recognize the toll heat is taking on public health, with 58% saying extreme heat affects health “a lot.” This awareness is remarkably consistent across racial, age, and income groups.  Among Black Americans, 91% said rising temperatures have intensified their concern about climate change, reflecting some of the highest concern levels among any group surveyed. Those concerns are not abstract. Decades of research by the Brookings Institution, NOAA, and others show Black communities often face the greatest exposure to extreme heat and the fewest resources to adapt. Studies have documented that historically redlined neighborhoods, where many Black Americans live, are routinely up to 10 degrees hotter than wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods nearby.

In cities such as Atlanta and Baltimore, Black homeowners are significantly more likely to face heat risks and energy insecurity, limiting their ability to cool their homes as temperatures rise. Nationally, Black renters experience higher rates of energy insecurity, with over half struggling to afford adequate cooling during heat waves. Meanwhile, the latest study also points to a notable shift in how Americans perceive the link between climate change and extreme weather. Eighty-two percent now believe that climate change is making extreme events, such as floods, wildfires, and hurricanes, more frequent and severe, up six points since 2021. The most dramatic change is among Republicans: the share who recognize that climate change is fueling extreme weather surged 17 points over four years, from 58% in 2021 to 75% in 2025.

These findings arrive as proposals to slash funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) advance in Washington. The agencies are widely seen as the nation’s front-line defense against disasters and a critical source of weather forecasting and emergency relief. The risks are particularly acute for Black communities already facing disproportionate impacts from hurricanes and flooding, as seen in the devastation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and more recent storms that have repeatedly displaced predominantly Black neighborhoods in the Gulf Coast and Southeast.

The survey shows Americans are not just worried about rising temperatures — they’re anxious about the government’s readiness to protect communities. Seventy-nine percent said cuts to FEMA and NOAA make them more concerned about the federal government’s ability to respond to climate impacts. That includes 92% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 69% of Republicans, underscoring that the anxiety is bipartisan.

Generational divides are also apparent. While 95% of young adults reported that extreme heat has boosted their concern about climate change, the figure was lower — but still significant — among adults over 65, at 70%. However, across all age groups, majorities agree that the crisis is escalating and requires immediate action. “These findings show it’s time to drop partisan politics and rather meet this moment with urgency, leadership, and protection,” Speiser said.

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