#NNPA BlackPress

PRESS ROOM: Amazon Commits an Additional $147 Million to Create and Preserve 1,260 Affordable Homes Primarily with Minority-Led Developers Across and Close to Washington D.C.

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The Amazon Housing Equity Fund has committed to create or preserve more than 10,000 affordable homes across the company’s hometown communities so far. Amazon’s commitment focuses on low-to-moderate income individuals and families, representing first responders, teachers, and service industry employees whose wages haven’t kept pace with escalating rents.
The post PRESS ROOM: Amazon Commits an Additional $147 Million to Create and Preserve 1,260 Affordable Homes Primarily with Minority-Led Developers Across and Close to Washington D.C. first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 years ago

September 19, 2022

Oakland Post

Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund will support new developments in diverse and historically significant communities of color

ARLINGTON, VA — Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced a commitment of $147 million to create and preserve 1,260 affordable housing units in six of Washington D.C.’s eight wards and in nearby Maryland and Virginia communities – primarily in partnership with minority-led organizations.

This is the latest commitment from Amazon’s more than $2 billion Housing Equity Fund, which aims to combat affordable housing challenges and promote equity and inclusion in the communities the company calls home, including Washington state’s Puget Sound region; the Arlington, Virginia/Washington, D.C. region; and Nashville, Tennessee.

This announcement brings Amazon’s total commitment to help create or preserve affordable housing in the Washington, D.C. area to $992 million in support of over 6,200 affordable homes. This total includes Amazon’s marquee investment in Crystal House (which is over and above the $2 billion commitment), its $125 million transit commitment with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Amazon’s Real Estate Developers of Color Accelerator Programinvestments. Of this total, $696 million will be used to create or preserve nearly 3,600 units of affordable housing in partnership with minority-led organizations.

“We’re proud to work with a diverse set of experienced partners to create and preserve much-needed affordable homes that help keep long-term residents in the community while bolstering our diverse and historic neighborhoods,” said Catherine Buell, director of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund. “By working with these diverse development organizations, we can create long-lasting and inclusive affordable housing closer to public transit and other amenities that will improve quality of life for residents while helping ensure families across Washington D.C. are not displaced from their communities.”

Since launching in January 2021, the Amazon Housing Equity Fund has increased the long-term committed multifamily affordable housing stock in Arlington by 22% (based on data provided by Arlington County). These newly announced projects will build on this success and increase access to affordable housing throughout Washington, D.C.

“Working with minority real estate professionals in this way is impactful community development at its core,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. “Amazon has taken the long view by standing with its partners and eliminating a significant barrier to entry for many real estate developers of color, access to capital. The Amazon Housing Equity Fund has empowered developers in the greater Washington D.C. area to expand opportunities for our neighbors through job creation and community revitalization.”

This announcement aligns with Mayor Bowser’s goal of creating 36,000 new housing units, a third of which will be affordable, by 2025. Each of these commitments will ensure the long-term preservation of affordability (generally 99 years, with limited exception) and makes housing available to individuals and families earning 30-80% of the area median income (AMI). Today’s announcement showcases partnerships with the following organizations:

The Congress Heights Apartments in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8, which will include the construction of 179 new affordable units for households earning between 30%-80% AMI. The Apartments will be developed by National Housing Trust (NHT), which works to ensure that privately owned rental housing remains in the affordable housing stock using the tools of real estate development, rehabilitation, finance, and advocacy – all with sustainability in mind.

Carver Terrace Apartments, located in the Carver Langston neighborhood of Ward 5, will include the preservation of 320 affordable units for households earning between 30%-60% AMI. These apartments will be preserved by Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners, a leading owner and developer of mixed-use properties and attainable housing.

The Residences at Benning Road will be the second affordable assisted-living community in Ward 7. This transit-oriented development, located at the former site of an Industrial Bank Branch (one of the first Black owned banks in the region), will create 156 new affordable apartments for households at 60% AMI within one block of the Benning Road Metro station. The Residences will be developed by Gragg Cardona Partners, a company that has been working for over two decades on revitalizing DC-area neighborhoods by using public/private partnerships to bring about new investments in housing, commercial space, and community facilities.

4111 Kansas Ave NW, a newly constructed residential building (originally designed as condominiums), to create 40 new affordable units for households earning between 50%-80% AMI in Ward 4. With Amazon’s support, the property was purchased by So Others Might Eat (SOME), a nonprofit with comprehensive programs that are designed to help neighbors experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty find pathways out of poverty and achieve long-term stability and success.

325 Vine will be a newly constructed apartment building in Ward 4 and will include 102 affordable units for households earning between 60%-80% AMI and will feature the preservation of two historic homes. The property is located across the street from the Takoma Metro station. SGA Companies is a full-service firm specializing in transit-oriented, multifamily residential and mixed-use retail properties in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

S Street Village will be a new development with 90 units of affordable housing at 60% AMI in Ward 1. The site will be developed by Manna, Inc., a nonprofit affordable housing consultancy and developer committed to helping low-income and moderate-income persons acquire affordable, quality housing across Washington, D.C.,

The Mount Pleasant Preservation Project will consist of the preservation of Richman Towers, Sarbin Towers and Park Marconiin the Mount Pleasant community in Ward 1. The Project will convert 165 apartments homes into affordable homes for households earning between 40%-80% AMI. Jubilee Housing is a nonprofit housing developer focused on creating affordable homes with onsite and nearby services in thriving communities.

Holmead Place Apartments consists of 100 homes in Ward 1, all of which will be converted in affordable, accessible residential units for households earning between 30%-80% AMI. Wesley Housing provides safe, quality and affordable housing to across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

In addition to these projects in Washington D.C., Amazon is providing funding to the following developers to create additional affordable housing in Maryland and Virginia:

A. Wash and Associates, Inc. and Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures (NREUV), are both Black-led real estate development organizations with deep ties to the Washington, D.C. area. They are collaborating on 210 on the Park, which will be a newly constructed development containing 130 affordable units for households earning between 70%-80% AMI. The apartment complex is located a short distance from the Capitol Heights Metro station in Prince George’s County, Maryland and includes retail space that will offer discounted rates for local and minority businesses.

Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) is a non-profit organization serving the residents of Montgomery County, Maryland and neighboring communities. The organization is committed to housing people, empowering families, and strengthening neighborhoods. Since 1989, MHP’s mission has been to preserve and expand access to quality, affordable housing. MHP is developing Nebel Street, which will be a new construction development containing 163 affordable homes for households earning between 30%-80% AMI.

Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services’ mission is to reduce homelessness, increase community support, and promote self-sufficiency. Good Shepherd Housing has served the housing needs of Northern Virginia families and individuals for more than 40 years. They are acquiring 18 homes in the Colchester Towne Condominiums and will preserve these at 50% AMI in Alexandria, Virginia.

With today’s announcement, the Amazon Housing Equity Fund has committed to create or preserve more than 10,000 affordable homes across the company’s hometown communities so far. Amazon’s commitment focuses on low-to-moderate income individuals and families, representing first responders, teachers, and service industry employees whose wages haven’t kept pace with escalating rents. To learn more about the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, please visit us here.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

The post PRESS ROOM: Amazon Commits an Additional $147 Million to Create and Preserve 1,260 Affordable Homes Primarily with Minority-Led Developers Across and Close to Washington D.C. first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Healing Emotional Wounds: Author Nijiama Smalls Joins the Conversation

Don't Miss

PRESS ROOM: Poetry Foundation Makes History Honoring 2022 Pegasus Awardees

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

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

1 week 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

bpusa-syndication

Posts by bpusa-syndication

#NNPA BlackPress

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

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.