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Sarah H. Johnson Rose Above the Times in Greenville, MS

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — Excerpt: Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons released a statement, expressing the city’s shock and sadness shortly after Johnson’s death. Simmons said hearts were heavy in Greenville for the loss of Mrs. Johnson. “Mrs. Johnson will be remembered, not only as a municipal leader, but also as a community activist who loved the City of Greenville, her family, and all its citizens,” Simmons wrote. “Mrs. Johnson’s determination, dedicated service, and courage opened the doors of City Hall for me and every other Black municipal leader in Greenville.”
The post Sarah H. Johnson Rose Above the Times in Greenville, MS first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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3 years ago

June 3, 2023

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By Sybil C. Mitchell | The New Tri-State Defender

Sarah Hughes Johnson, a beloved daughter of Greenville, Mississippi, respected for her Civil Rights advocacy and civic leadership, died May 9 at Region One Health in Memphis. She was 85.

Ms. Johnson’s life was a filled with accomplishments that helped improve the lives of her constituents, especially African Americans.

“Our mother was bold,” said Geneva Johnson, the eldest of Johnson’s four children. “She was courageous, and threats from white people who didn’t like what she was doing never fazed her. Mother just kept going, even after the divorce when she was left to raise four children alone. She was never distracted from her purpose.”

Sarah Hughes Johnson handled her business and won reelection.

In 1973, Ms. Johnson became the first African American to serve on the Greenville City Council. Johnson was also the city’s vice-mayor.

Sarah Hughes Johnson’s swearing-in ceremony was front-page news.

Ms. Johnson served on the city council for 23 years. Upon retiring in 1996, she realized that she helped push the city forward for more than two decades.

Beyond Greenville’s racist past, her efforts spurred momentum for a new day in uniting the races in hope and optimism.

“Of course, as children, we didn’t understand, really, who our mother was,” said Karen Johnson, youngest of the four children. Mother was director of various organizations. She had lots of friends also working in the civil rights movement.

“We had different ‘nannies,’ who would look after us. We didn’t see mother as much as we would have liked, especially me because I’m the baby. But we at least could understand that her work was important.”

In 2013, then-Greenville mayor John Cox met Johnson, along with family members and officially renamed a Greenville street, “Sarah H. Johnson Lane.”

Even at 75, sitting in her wheelchair, Johnson made a speech during the event.

Sarah Hughes Johnson (2010) at the intersection of Old Leland and the street named after her. (Courtesy photo)

“Praise God and thank you, Jesus,” she began. “I want to thank all of you for coming out to this occasion…”

The Delta Daily News reported that Ms. “Johnson won her political campaign in 1973 during a time when racism and Jim Crow laws were still in full effect despite being revoked years prior…”

“Throughout her career, Johnson was known for her tenacity and willingness to help the poor, middle-class, and the elderly. Her goal was always to help those who were less fortunate. She will be remembered for embodying the characteristics that the community needs to see in its leaders.”

Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons released a statement, expressing the city’s shock and sadness shortly after Johnson’s death. Simmons said hearts were heavy in Greenville for the loss of “Mrs. Johnson.”

“Mrs. Johnson will be remembered, not only as a municipal leader, but also as a community activist who loved the City of Greenville, her family, and all its citizens,” Simmons wrote. “Mrs. Johnson’s determination, dedicated service, and courage opened the doors of City Hall for me and every other Black municipal leader in Greenville.”

Johnson was employed by Mississippi Action for Community Education, where she was the area director for the People’s Education Program (Head Start). Johnson also served as a 1972 Fellow of the Mississippi Institute of Politics and attended several affairs by invitation to the White House during President Jimmy Carter’s administration.

Sarah Hughes Johnson is greeted by President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn. (Courtesy photo)

Sarah Hughes was the fourth child of 13 children. she never knew who her father was. Her birth mother gave her to an aunt, who had just lost a baby.

“There was never a formal adoption, or anything like that,” said Geneva Johnson. “My mom’s birth mother gave her sister the baby because her baby died. So really, the woman my mother called her mother was really her auntie. That’s just what families did back then.

“She was born in Allendale, South Carolina. Mother and Daddy came later to Greenville because he was moved to a new church. Dad was a United Methodist pastor.”

Sarah Hughes met Ned Johnson at Clark College. She was a first-year student, and Ned Johnson was attending Gammon Seminary. Although Hughes won a full-time scholarship as valedictorian of her high school, she left after her freshman year. After starting a family, Johnson was assigned a new church in Greenville.

Unfortunately, the union did not last, and Ned Johnson left Greenville, never to return.

“My dad left when I was three years old,” said Karen Johnson. “But my mother was always there — still out there fighting for her community. Mother and other community activists decided that the four Johnson children will go to the predominantly white school to force integration.

“And I didn’t mind going to school with white children. It was just not having the frilly, little dresses that bothered me. I was about six or seven.”

Despite a very painful divorce and all the hatred the white establishment could muster, Johnson never lost sight of her vision that all of Greenville’s children would enjoy a free, public, and equal education and every citizen could freely exercise their right to vote without threat or intimidation.

Sarah Hughes Johnson in earlier times with her children (l-r) Geneva, Ned, Yvonne and Karen. (Courtesy photo)

“This Mother’s Day was going to be extra special,” said Geneva Johnson, prior to the holiday. “Each year, that day becomes so precious because you begin to realize your mother won’t be with you always. I thought we would enjoy her today. She went on to be with the Lord, but we’re still going to enjoy her.

“We’ll share memories and laugh about so many things we thought were funny as children. We’ll call our brother Ned so we can all remember her together. It will be hard, but we will get through it. We are all pretty tough. We got it from our mother.”

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

The post Sarah H. Johnson Rose Above the Times in Greenville, MS first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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