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Women Working Through Housing Instability, Other Challenges

NNPA NEWSWIRE — When Shanitra Brown walks across the stage, she’ll be supported by her four children. Her cheering section ranges in age from four to 12 years old. The oldest, who she had fresh out of high school, just started seventh grade. Brown gets teary-eyed thinking about the journey they’ve all been on over the last two years.
The post Women Working Through Housing Instability, Other Challenges first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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3 years ago

December 4, 2022

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By Genoa Barrow, Word in Black | The AFRO

Women’s Empowerment, a nationally-recognized resource for Sacramento folk experiencing homelessness, is set to graduate its latest group of participants this month.

When Shanitra Brown walks across the stage, she’ll be supported by her four children. Her cheering section ranges in age from four to 12 years old. The oldest, who she had fresh out of high school, just started seventh grade. Brown gets teary-eyed thinking about the journey they’ve all been on over the last two years.

“I’m such a big baby when it comes to my kids,” shared Brown, 31.

The family moved to Sacramento from Ohio in the summer of 2020, four months into the coronavirus pandemic. Her grandfather lived locally and she also had a friend in town whom she’d previously lived with back in Ohio. Brown initially refused to come, arguing that California was “too expensive” a place to live. She eventually changed her mind but learned just how true her earlier assessment was when she found herself homeless.

“We sold everything to get here,” Brown said. “We had clothes and a small U-Haul trailer that we drove here with a Lincoln MKX with four kids. That’s all we had.”

The “we” included a fiance’. The couple struggled to find work that would pay the bills and work schedules that could align with limited childcare options. Ultimately, the responsibilities of providing for a ready-made family in the Golden State proved to be too much for him.

They arrived in July, but by October, the fiance was on a plane back to Ohio. In November 2020, the aunt she’d been staying with let it be known that she was moving.

“She was just like, ‘I don’t know what you’re going to do, but at the beginning of the year, we’re moving.”

The aunt, she says, told her to “figure it out.”

Back in Ohio, Brown paid $900 a month for a three-bedroom apartment. Most of the places in Sacramento cost significantly more for considerably less space. Most also require applicants to earn three times the rent, which they didn’t have. Her fiance made $700 from his job, she says, and it wasn’t enough.

“We would have had to come up with $3,500 at the minimum for a two-bedroom,” she explained.

Brown had some knowledge of programs back in Ohio and assumed there’d be similar help available in California.

She got a 16-day hotel voucher from the Department of Health and Human Assistance. It gave them a place to stay temporarily, but two weeks wasn’t much in terms of finding a long-term solution. When she left the hotel, she still didn’t know what she’d do. She tried to go back to where they’d been living.

“The atmosphere just wasn’t safe, so then I kind of bounced back and forth to coworkers, because I ended up getting a job at Walmart,” Brown said.

That didn’t last long either.

“I started getting ‘oh, don’t rush to come back’ or if we were doing some family event and wouldn’t be coming back that night, they’d say, ‘okay, take your time.’ My kids started to pick up on that and then they’d say, ‘I don’t want to go back there,’ so, at that point, I just said, ‘I’m in my car.’”

Brown says she’d rather be in a car than allow anyone to make her children feel as if they’re less than or that they are a burden. Depending on the area they were in, the young mother learned where she could park.

“We’d stop at Walmart or if there was a 24-hour gas station, we’d kind of find the corner with less light. We started finding little apartment buildings that had parking spots that were set off from the apartments. We’d do that and I’d put up the window covers so it looked like someone was just keeping their car cool from the heat,” Brown recalled.

Someone told her about the 211 resources in April. In May, she started going to Maryhouse, a daytime shelter for women and children in Sacramento run by Loaves and Fishes. There she learned about Women’s Empowerment.

The organization was recommended to her as a “good fit,” but Brown was hesitant, having been disappointed by other programs where she’d gone through all the required steps, only to be told they couldn’t help her.

“This was pretty much my breaking point,” she said. “When I came to orientation, I was listening to what they were saying and it was going in one ear and kind of going out the other. I was listening, but I’m like, ‘we’ll see what’s going to happen.’”

Brown was also initially hesitant to speak her truth, for fear of getting her children taken away.

Living in a car with four children has been rough, but Brown found places to shower and free things to do as a family. She also found friends and support among other homeless mothers who brought their children to summer programs hosted by Loaves and Fishes’ Mustard Seed school for homeless children.

“I still talk to some of those young ladies,” Brown shared.

Women’s Empowerment helped her get sober and learn to stop masking her issues. The family recently secured a spot at a shelter. While they had the normal sibling scrapes and scuffles, the children were well behaved for the most part while living in such close quarters of their car, she said. Brown was happy, however, to see their excitement at having “their own space and their own beds” again.

Brown’s spirits have also been lifted while there.

“They applaud me every time I walk into the shelter because they tell me, ‘your kids are so well put together and my kids don’t understand what that means to me. Every day I fight for them and that means a lot to know that someone else can see how hard I work.”

The hard work isn’t over. Brown looks to transition into permanent housing soon. She also plans to enroll at Sacramento City College where she’ll study early childhood education en route to becoming a school social worker. She ultimately wants to create a Women’s empowerment-type program of her own and help others with similar struggles.

Whatever she does, Brown knows her children are watching her every move.

“I just want them to know that anything is possible,” she said. “Whatever you set your mind to, you can do it and you’re going to do it. You’re capable of anything and no one, I repeat no one can tell you that you can’t.”

The upcoming graduation gala at the California Railroad Museum is Women’s Empowerment’s largest fundraiser of the year. The event raises a fifth of the organization’s budget to empower women experiencing homelessness to secure employment and safe homes for their families.

Graduation is also a time to celebrate the bright futures that lay ahead, says Executive Director Lisa Culp. “We are excited to come together once again with our steadfast community here in Sacramento to ensure that more women can rise from homelessness in the face of a prolonged pandemic and housing crisis.”

To purchase tickets, sponsor a graduate to attend, or purchase virtual tickets, visit Women’s-Empowerment.org.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

The post Women Working Through Housing Instability, Other Challenges 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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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

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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2 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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2 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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