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Spencer Overton Stepping Down as President of the Joint Center

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “The Joint Center and Black communities will forever be indebted to Spencer Overton for his amazing leadership over the ten years he served on the board and then as President,” The Joint Center’s Board of Directors Chairman Paul Thornell stated. “He kept the doors open when shuttering the organization was definitely one option. Indeed, that was no small feat, and one performed with great humility, creativity, and persistence over the years.”
The post Spencer Overton Stepping Down as President of the Joint Center first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

October 17, 2022

Stacy M. Brown

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

After nearly a decade leading the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Spencer Overton will step down next spring.

The organization announced that Overton, 54, would leave and rejoin the George Washington University Law School faculty.

“It has been one of the richest experiences of my life to lead the Joint Center during this critical period in its history,” Overton stated in a news release.

“When I started, we faced significant challenges. It is gratifying to have worked together with so many great people to overcome those obstacles and set the Joint Center on a trajectory toward a bright future.”

Overton helped to lead the Joint Center through what officials called an era of incredible transformation and growth.

Known for well-researched reports exposing racial discrimination and inequities, the Joint Center has released such studies as the state of Black students in community colleges, improving training evaluation data to brighten the future of Black workers, and racial diversity among Senate Committee top staff.

The center earned its reputation as “America’s Black think tank.”

Many have leaned upon the Joint Center for its compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the “full freedom of Black people in America.”

Under Overton’s leadership, the Joint Center regained fiscal health and eventually grew its total net assets to over $11 million, officials said in a news release.

Overton restructured the organization and built programs that focused on the future of Black communities, including racial diversity in congressional staff and federal appointments, workforce policy, economic policy, and tech policy.

“The Joint Center and Black communities will forever be indebted to Spencer Overton for his amazing leadership over the ten years he served on the board and then as President,” The Joint Center’s Board of Directors Chairman Paul Thornell stated.

“He kept the doors open when shuttering the organization was definitely one option. Indeed, that was no small feat, and one performed with great humility, creativity, and persistence over the years.”

Thornell said Overton had effectively been the founder of the new organization, one with a rich history and now – primarily because of him – “an amazing future grounded in convening and content.”

“The Board so appreciates his contributions and his vision for the important mission work only the Joint Center can deliver,” Thornell asserted.

“It also is critical to recognize the vital leadership of Barbara Johnson, who was the Board chair for most of Spencer’s time as president. They were fantastic partners in charting a new path for the Joint Center.”

The post Spencer Overton Stepping Down as President of the Joint Center first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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June 17, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

Published

22 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.

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PRESS ROOM: Clyburn on 10th Anniversary of Mother Emanuel AME Church Shooting in Charleston

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) released the following video on X, paying tribute to the 10th anniversary of the shooting that took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

Published

23 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

By Congressman James E. Clyburn

WATCH HERE

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) released the following video on X, paying tribute to the 10^th anniversary of the shooting that took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

“Over 6 years ago, the House first passed my Enhanced Background Checks Act to close the Charleston Loophole that allowed a white supremacist to obtain the gun he used to murder nine worshipers at Emanuel AME Church on June 17, 2015.

“I’ll never stop fighting to pass this law.”