#NNPA BlackPress

What Does the Lightfoot Election Mean for Chicago’s Black Businesses?

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “While Mayor Lightfoot will be in control, she faces decades of racism, sexism and corruption ingrained in the city’s systems. She will need continued support to affect real change,” In Our Own Voice founder, president and CEO Marcela Howell said. “Those who joined together to elect Lightfoot must now band with her to address the systemic oppression that cripples Chicago and threatens Black communities.”

Published

5 years ago

April 9, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

When Lori Lightfoot is sworn in next month as Chicago’s first Black woman and openly gay person mayor, her administration’s first term will commence with the support of at least one national organization while under the watchful eye of another.

The nonprofit, “In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda,” said it looks forward to Lightfoot’s leadership after her historic April 2 victory, but publishers from Chicago Area Black-owned newspapers said they’ll keep an open mind and a watchful eye.

“The jury is still out regarding business for our Black newspapers and our Black communities and, while we interviewed Lori Lightfoot and gave her coverage, she did not spend one cent in advertising with the Crusader,” said Dorothy Leavell, publisher of the Crusader Newspapers in Chicago and Gary and the national chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade association that represents more than 210 African American-owned newspapers and media companies around the country.

“We will hope to have the discussion of her message being resonated in the Black community through action and, in our interview, we stressed the importance of black business. She responded that she would work for every community, not just those communities where her base is,” Leavell said.

In Our Own Voice founder, president and CEO Marcela Howell said, Lightfoot has “her work cut out for her as she takes the helm of a city plagued by gun violence and racist police violence.”

Lighfoot’s election shows the impact of Black women voters, organizers and leaders and foretells the promise of the 2020 elections, Howell said.

“While Mayor Lightfoot will be in control, she faces decades of racism, sexism and corruption ingrained in the city’s systems. She will need continued support to affect real change,” Howell said. “Those who joined together to elect Lightfoot must now band with her to address the systemic oppression that cripples Chicago and threatens Black communities.”

Chicago Citizen Publisher Darrell Garth said the fabric of Chicago’s black and brown business hub has truly changed over the years but suggested that Lightfoot may want to pay attention to the Black Press.

“Although the inclusiveness of the Black Press in an era where false news seems to [monopolize] the minds of some people, we refuse to be silenced and continue to print truth,” Garth said.

“There wasn’t much talk during the campaign about more engagement in city government for the local Black Press, but I believe we must refuse to be counted out,” he said.

“What’s a democracy without a press and one that speaks the language of its people?”

Jayme Cain, the publisher of the Times Weekly in Joliet, Ill., called Lightfoot’s election a “rebuke of the Chicago Machine politics.

“She has no ties to anyone they say, so the hope is business and opportunity will be open to everyone now,” Cain said.

“I’m somewhat interested about how she will handle the crime issue with a background as a prosecutor,” Cain said.

Howell added that the election of Lightfoot is by no means the end of the road for Chicago voters – especially Black women voters.

“Now that Lightfoot has been elected, voters must be vigilant in supporting reforms and demanding innovative change. As Black women, we must be voters every day, engaged in the system and leading the way to equality for all,” Howell said.

Leavell added that there’s hope Lightfoot will solve many of the problems that confront the Black community including crime, business opportunities, educational disparities and other social ills.

“One of the issues that is a source of different opinion is a community benefits agreement as it relates to the Obama Presidential Center and Library,” Leavell said. “President Obama has not signed the agreement and continues to resist.”

“The [Obama] Center is located close to my community of Woodlawn and on the South side of Chicago and, I might add, on City park land. So, [like Obama,] she campaigned on change. We will have to wait to see what change looks like,” Leavell said.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

IN MEMORIAM: Gloria Irene Williams Norman Clark

Don't Miss

African Americans Audited by IRS More Than Any Other Group

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

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

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

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

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.