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OPINION: Rev. Jesse Jackson, ‘Why I Support Sen. Bernie Sanders’

POST NEWS GROUP — Sanders has the history, the vision and the platform to defeat Trump. He is best situated to expose Trump’s fake populism. He voted against the corporate trade treaties — and can expose the president’s broken promise to workers on trade. He opposed the war in Iraq — and can expose Trump’s broken promise to end the forever wars. He led the call to build an economy that works for working people — and can expose the reality that what Trump calls the best economy ever still does not work for most Americans.

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U.S. Senator en:Bernie Sanders smiling at a campaign rally on 1 March 2020. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

I am proud to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president of the United States.

While I consider Joe Biden, his opponent for the Democratic Party nomination, a decent man, I stand with Sanders.

Here is why.

I stand with Sanders because it is vital that President Donald Trump is voted out of office in November. Poll after poll has shown that Bernie Sanders leads Trump, generally with a greater margin than other contenders. Sanders has the highest popular approval rating of any public official in America.

That is not because he is warm and fuzzy. It is because people know that he tells it like it is. Integrity and credibility are two essential attributes in taking on a con man like Donald Trump who lies constantly.

Sanders has the history, the vision and the platform to defeat Trump. He is best situated to expose Trump’s fake populism. He voted against the corporate trade treaties — and can expose the president’s broken promise to workers on trade. He opposed the war in Iraq — and can expose Trump’s broken promise to end the forever wars. He led the call to build an economy that works for working people — and can expose the reality that what Trump calls the best economy ever still does not work for most Americans.

Sanders champions an agenda that will address the fundamental challenges facing working people. That includes Medicare for All to ensure that health care is a right, not a privilege — something particularly imperative in the age of coronavirus. A Green New Deal addresses the existential threat of climate change while creating millions of good jobs.

Tuition-free college and large investment in education and advanced training so that every child can get the education he or she needs. A $15 minimum wage, politics to empower workers and unions, and a trade policy that works for working people. Comprehensive immigration reform, universal childcare, criminal justice reform to end mass incarceration and more.

Sanders will beat Trump by summoning America to a new day, not by calling for a return to yesterday.

Democrats cannot defeat Trump without inspiring young people to come out and vote in large numbers. Sanders is the only candidate who has inspired a new generation and earned their overwhelming support.

In the face of Trump, many seek shelter in the safe, the establishment, the so-called moderate. We should not forget the record of moderate, establishment candidates — from Walter Mondale in 1984 to Mike Dukakis in 1988 to Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Democrats do not fare well as the party of Wall Street or the credit card companies. We win when we bring the working class and the middle class together, when we stand for diversity against division, for the poor against greed. No candidate has done more to forge that coalition than Bernie Sanders.

Dr. Martin Luther King would be proud that African American voters are called the “black firewall” in the 2020 campaign. He would ask a simple question: What will be the return on the firewall’s investment?

With the exception of Native Americans, African Americans are the people suffering the greatest social and economic distress in the United States. Our needs are not moderate. The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Sanders represents that path.

Biden is a decent man, but he has a different record. We said no to Clarence Thomas, he said yes. We said no to the Crime Bill, he championed it. We said no to the Iraq War, he cheered it on. We favored affirmative action, he sought to limit it.

Biden has done well among African American voters largely because he is seen as connected to Barack Obama. Yet he was placed on the ticket to balance it, not to enhance it. Biden has offered no vision and no bold reforms. He offers safe haven and moderation.

But his moderation does little to address the pain of African Americans, or of working people generally. What does moderate mean when people don’t have affordable health care? Or when students are crushed by debt in order to get an education? Or when workers are undermined by trade treaties written in executive suites?

Sanders, on the other hand, is called a radical, a man of the left. But he represents not the left-wing, but the moral center. Health care for all is the moral center. Tuition-free college is the moral center. A Middle East policy that recognizes both Israel and Palestine, the moral center.

When he asked for my endorsement, I expressed my concerns about pressing issues.

Sanders was happy to confirm his commitment to almost all of them, ranging from Medicare for All to a wealth tax that would provide funds to reinvest in America, to large-scale investment in public education, to ensuring that every teacher is paid at least $60,000 per year, to putting an African American woman on the Supreme Court, to promising an end to endless wars.

In 1988 when I ran for president championing a Medicare for All plan, Sanders, then mayor of Burlington, endorsed me. Now I am proud to stand with him not only because he stood with me, but because he stands with working people across this country.

This article originally appeared in Post News Group.

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PRESS ROOM: The Allen Lewis Agency Named Ally Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “This recognition from Ally is deeply appreciated,” said Chandra Lewis, co-founder and COO of TALA. “Receiving Ally’s Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year award is a testament to the strength of our team, our strategic approach and our ability to use relationships to deliver meaningful business results for our clients.”
The post PRESS ROOM: The Allen Lewis Agency Named Ally Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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DETROIT– Ally Financial has recognized The Allen Lewis Agency, a full-service marketing and communications agency, as its Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024. The award was given at the Ally 4th annual Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Symposium, on Feb. 29 in Charlotte, N.C.

In 2023, TALA led media outreach and marketing efforts for the fifth anniversary of Moguls in the Making, Ally’s HBCU entrepreneurial pitch competition. It also introduced the brand to new opportunities such as the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), where Ally led a panel on financial education for filmmakers, and leveraged professional connections and years of experience in multicultural marketing to amplify Ally’s partnership with UnitedMasters.

“We are honored to work with Ally and its incredible team members,” said Jocelyn (Allen) Coley, co-founder and CEO of TALA. “The work Ally is doing to bring financial education to a more diverse, multicultural audience through outreach to the creator community aligns with our own passions and priorities. We’re proud to be part of programs such as Moguls in the Making, the American Black Film Festival, and Art Basel, raising awareness within a diverse, often underrepresented audience.”

Ally, the nation’s largest all-digital bank, started its supplier diversity program in 2020 to highlight its commitment to supporting the advancement of an inclusive and sustainable marketplace. The brand strives yearly to increase its spending with diverse suppliers – creating economic value, mobility, and a sustainable future for all.

“When Ally launched its Supplier Diversity program four years ago, our goal was to build an ecosystem of partners and suppliers who truly represented our communities,” said TJ Lewis, Ally senior director of Supplier Diversity and Sustainability. “From the beginning, TALA’s success in forging connections between Ally and minority-focused media has greatly expanded the visibility of our brand to the audiences we most want to reach. Their work is worthy of recognition.”

“This recognition from Ally is deeply appreciated,” said Chandra Lewis, co-founder and COO of TALA. “Receiving Ally’s Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year award is a testament to the strength of our team, our strategic approach and our ability to use relationships to deliver meaningful business results for our clients.”

About The Allen Lewis Agency:

The Allen Lewis Agency (TALA) is a full-service marketing and communications agency committed to helping clients build their brands and expand their business through a range of services including strategic brand development, media relations, diversity, equity and inclusion, advertising, events and reputation management. Founders Jocelyn (Allen) Coley and Chandra S. Lewis bring more than 40 combined years of corporate experience with a breadth and depth of services that are unmatched. Now in its eighth year in business, TALA is a certified Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, Women-Owned Small Business and a certified Association of National Advertisers diverse supplier that has employed a national team of experts who have decades of experience servicing major brands with positive measurable results. Learn more about The Allen Lewis Agency at https://www.theallenlewisagency.com.

The post PRESS ROOM: The Allen Lewis Agency Named Ally Supplier Diversity: Supplier of the Year for 2024 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing prostate cancer than White men. The American Cancer Society also shockingly predicts that Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than their White counterparts.
The post OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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By Hamil R. Harris, NNPA Contributing Writer

Political provocateurs are determined to stir up controversy over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to tell President Biden about his treatment for prostate cancer. Yet, his desire to keep the matter private—and out of the public eye—is in line with what many men, particularly men of color, have done for decades. The reticence to share details of a medical condition is understandable, but prostate cancer is a silent killer in the Black community and the time has come to give it a voice.

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose son Dexter recently passed from prostate cancer, I ask: How long? How long will Men of color suffer in silence and die alone? How long will too many brothers hide their plight?

When he finally commented publicly about his condition, Austin offered regrets about keeping silent and then made an important pledge. He said that by not initially disclosing his diagnosis, he “missed an opportunity to send a message on an important public health issue,” while noting the prevalence of prostate cancer, particularly among Black men. Encouraging all men to get screened, Austin promised, “You can count on me to set a better example on this issue today and for the rest of my life.”

Any cancer diagnosis is a private matter. But men like Dexter King and Austin can help so many others who are prone to prostate cancer. Keeping the surgery and treatment a secret would only have continued to add to the stigma surrounding prostate cancer. That would have been a disservice to the thousands of men of color diagnosed annually.

Indeed, data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing prostate cancer than White men. The American Cancer Society also shockingly predicts that Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than their White counterparts.

These figures are appalling when considering that prostate cancer is one of the most treatable forms of the disease with the five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with it being greater than 99 percent if the cancer is detected during the early stage.

While there are numerous reasons for why this disparity between Black and white men exists – decades of structural racism, environmental issues, certain comorbidities, different molecular pathways in the body of Black men – a great deal of the reason comes down to the fact that Black men are disproportionately not being screened for prostate cancer as early or as regularly as White men.

A recent study published in JAMA Oncology by a team at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found that Black men get fewer PSA (prostate specific antigen) screenings; they are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage cancer; they are less likely to have health insurance; and they have less access to high-quality care and other disparities that can be linked to a lower overall socioeconomic status.

Given his platform as Secretary of Defense, I am happy that Austin recognized his duty to be open and honest about his battle with this disease. And in doing so, he now joins groups and individuals who are already working on spreading awareness for prostate screenings who can act as guideposts.

For example, Mount Sinai Medical Center recently unveiled the Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit, which will visit New York City neighborhoods where men could be at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.  The mobile home sized bus is named after the African American philanthropist and venture capitalist who donated almost $4 million to launch the program. Smith, who has led many philanthropic endeavors aimed at supporting the African-American community, obviously realizes that it takes a preemptive approach to combat the scourge of prostate cancer by going directly into the communities most affected by the disease. In announcing the prostate screening initiative, Smith tied it to larger inequities in our society that leave African Americans behind. “It’s unconscionable that in our great country and at this moment of technological breakthrough, Black Americans are still subject to staggeringly worse health outcomes,” he said. “We can fix this.”

Thankfully there are individuals like Smith and now Austin to use their platforms to spread awareness for this deadly – yet very treatable – form of cancer and ensure that more people don’t die needlessly.

Hamil R. Harris is an award-winning journalist and contributing writer for the NNPA

The post OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Chevrolet and National Newspaper Association Offer Summer Internship: Discover the Unexpected Fellowship

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The importance of diverse storytelling has never been more evident, and Chevrolet, in partnership with the NNPA, is committed to empowering the next generation of storytellers. By offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the DTU Fellowship seeks to make a lasting impact on both the individuals selected and the media landscape. The application window for the DTU Fellowship closes on April 1, 2024.
The post Chevrolet and National Newspaper Association Offer Summer Internship: Discover the Unexpected Fellowship first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

In a bid to amplify Black voices and highlight diverse stories, Chevrolet, in collaboration with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), invites budding journalists, content creators, and communications enthusiasts to embark on the summer internship of a lifetime through the Discover the Unexpected (DTU) Fellowship.

The DTU Fellowship is geared towards students of historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are passionate about storytelling and eager to contribute to the media landscape. This opportunity offers a platform for aspiring journalists and provides financial support in the form of a $10,000 scholarship and an $8,000 stipend.

One of the key aspects of the DTU Fellowship is the chance to collaborate with some of the largest and most influential Black-owned newspapers in the community. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between emerging talents and established media outlets, fostering an environment of mentorship and shared knowledge.

The selected DTU fellows will embark on a transformative journey beyond conventional internships. This experience promises exploration, learning, and, most importantly, amplifying their voices. The fellowship recognizes the unique perspectives of HBCU students and aims to provide a platform for these voices to be heard.

What sets the DTU Fellowship apart is the hands-on guidance and mentorship provided by industry professionals who understand the power of diverse perspectives. Fellows can elevate content and gain career-building knowledge through interactions with seasoned journalists and media experts.

The importance of diverse storytelling has never been more evident, and Chevrolet, in partnership with the NNPA, is committed to empowering the next generation of storytellers. By offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the DTU Fellowship seeks to make a lasting impact on both the individuals selected and the media landscape.

As the application deadline approaches, interested individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity. The application window for the DTU Fellowship closes on April 1, 2024. The tight deadline emphasizes the urgency and exclusivity of the opportunity, urging potential applicants to act promptly.

The Discover the Unexpected Fellowship by Chevrolet and the National Newspaper Association represents a unique chance for HBCU students to receive financial support for their education and gain invaluable hands-on experience in collaboration with influential Black-owned newspapers. By taking part in this transformative journey, aspiring journalists have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the media industry. Don’t miss out on the chance to elevate your content and amplify your voice – apply before the April 1, 2024 deadline!

The post Chevrolet and National Newspaper Association Offer Summer Internship: Discover the Unexpected Fellowship first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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