#NNPA BlackPress
NFL Scores Win with National Response to COVID-19
NNPA NEWSWIRE — In an interview with NNPA Newswire, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and others at league headquarters are conscious and respectful of how the virus has affected the nation and the entire globe.
In the wake of the unprecedented novel coronavirus pandemic, the National Football League (NFL) — perhaps more than any other sports league and many other major corporations — has strived to rapidly respond to needs in local communities throughout the nation.
In an interview with NNPA Newswire, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, said, “The commissioner and all of us remain completely aware of the reality of what’s going on.” Commissioner Roger Goodell, and others at league headquarters, are conscious and respectful of how the virus is affecting our nation and the entire globe.
The NFL’s Draft-A-Thon, a fundraising effort that takes place simultaneously with the NFL Draft on April 23, will allocate funds to six national charities and their local chapters. The charities include: The American Red Cross, the CDC Foundation, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army and United Way.
In addition to the Draft-A-Thon, the NFL, along with its teams and players, have come together to support communities throughout the nation as everyone attempts to tackle the issues arising from the COVID-19 disaster.
“The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) encourages all professional sports to follow the extraordinary lead of the NFL in their national response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 across America.,” emphasized Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO of the NNPA. “In particular, African Americans have the highest number of fatalities from COVID-19. The NNPA appreciates the responsive leadership of the NFL as this pandemic continues to spread and disproportionately impact our families and communities.”
Here’s a snapshot of what the NFL and its teams and players have done thus far:
More than 70 Philadelphia Eagles employees and their families, including coach Doug Pederson and his wife Jeannie, participated in a community blood drive at Lincoln Financial Field in response to the dip in blood donations across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter recently gave about $20,000 to help coronavirus patients. Hunter’s grandmother, Joy Gayle, works as a nurse at a hospital in New York. He has been getting regular reports from her about how “crazy” things are at the hospital, including a shortage of supplies.
Cleveland Browns team seamstress Becky Zielinski has led a service effort in collaboration with Mask Making Miracles, who are a local group of volunteer seamstresses who wanted to help during this crisis. Together, Becky and Mask Making Miracles have helped produce 2,678 masks. Browns’ staff also provided support from their homes by cutting fabric for the Mask Making Miracles group. The masks were recently donated to University Hospitals (UH) medical professionals. UH is currently collecting masks from several community groups, and after collecting 100,000 masks, they will donate all remaining masks to local nursing homes and others in need.
Don Shula and three former Miami Dolphins players who, like their coach, went into the restaurant business, are teaming up to provide free meals during the coronavirus crisis to first responders, healthcare workers, and needy families in South Florida. The food relief program, funded by a $250,000 grant from Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross through the Miami Dolphins Foundation, will also keep restaurant workers employed.
Dairy MAX and the New Orleans Saints in partnership with GENYOUth, will contribute $50,000 to the COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund to support local schools with the purchase of resources needed for meal distribution and delivery, as well as protective gear for sanitation and safety. Each school can receive up to $3,000 in grant funds, administered by GENYOUth. The application and additional information can be found at www.dairymax.org.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are purchasing 45,000 Jaguars-branded protective masks for distribution later this month throughout the Jacksonville area. Sourced through a Jacksonville company, the masks will be distributed by the Jaguars to local companies still operating and interacting with the public. Also, masks will be distributed to not-for-profit groups whose mission is currently focused on local COVID-19 efforts.
NFL team doctors joined the frontlines in fighting COVID-19. For health professionals, fighting this surging pandemic has become an all-hands-on-deck call. This is why, in March, a few days after free agency opened, the NFL Physicians Society decided to suspend all football-related medical visits, including physicals for free agents and draft prospects. Instead, they are volunteering their time and expertise to support the fight at their local area hospitals.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans and his Mike Evans Family Foundation have pledged a total of $100,000 for COVID-19 relief efforts, with $50,000 going to the United Way Suncoast in support of efforts in the Tampa Bay region. The Foundation will also donate another $50,000 to Evans’ hometown of Galveston, Texas, to further aid in COVID-19 relief efforts there.
In response to hunger relief needs related to the COVOID-19 health emergency, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay issued a million-dollar challenge to Colts Nation: as soon as $200,000 was raised locally for relief boxes from Gleaners Food Bank, Irsay would unlock a $1 million gift on top of that for his fellow Hoosier neighbors.
“I am so proud of our community and so proud to call Indianapolis home because Hoosiers come together, whether in times of celebration or in times of great need. Today is no different,” Irsay said. “Everyone is being affected in some way by these challenging times, but many of our friends and neighbors are being hit particularly hard. But in our usual Indianapolis way, people are coming together and reaching out to help.
“That’s why I challenged those who could afford to give to help make a difference in these upcoming days and weeks,” Irsay continued. “I send my deepest thanks to everyone who helped push us past $200,000 in donations to Gleaners to help feed those in immediate need, and I am pleased to add more than $1 million to that total.”
Click here to see the many other ways the NFL family is responding to COVID-19.
#NNPA BlackPress
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.

#NNPA BlackPress
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.”
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oak Temple Hill Hosts Interfaith Leaders from Across the Bay Area
-
Alameda County4 weeks ago
Council Approves Budget to Invest in Core City Services, Save Fire Stations, Invest in Economic Development
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025
-
Activism4 weeks ago
LA to the Bay: Thousands Protest in Mission District Against Immigration Raids, Travel Bans
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Over 500 Join Interfaith Rally in Solidarity with Los Angeles Resistance to Trump Invasion
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill
-
Activism3 weeks ago
OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark
-
Activism3 weeks ago
The Case Against Probate: False Ruling Invalidates Black Professor’s Estate Plan, Ignoring 28-Year Relationship
Pingback: NFL Scores Win with National Response to COVID-19 – The Digital Informer