The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Newswire: In Iran’s capital, weapons demonstrations send a signal at home and abroad as threat of war remains

    Newswire: In Iran’s capital, weapons demonstrations send a signal at home and abroad as threat of war remains

    by Jon Gambrell, AP News

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian Revolutionary Guard members now regularly show the public in Tehran how to handle Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Parades through the capital feature military vehicles mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns. And at one mass wedding, a ballistic missile, like the one that rained down cluster munitions on Israel, adorned the stage.

    Weapons are now regularly brandished in Tehran, an increasing show of defiance as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens he could restart the war with Iran should negotiations break down and the Islamic Republic refuses to release its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

    The weapons displays reflect the genuine threat Iran faces: Trump has suggested American forces could seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium by force and previously said that he sent arms to Kurdish fighters to pass on to anti-government protesters.

    But they also offer reassurance and motivation to hard-liners and provide rare entertainment at a time of great uncertainty, when Iranians are facing mass layoffs, business closures and spiraling prices for food, medicine and other goods. Suggesting more hard-liners will be armed could also help suppress any new demonstrations against Iran’s theocracy, which violently put down nationwide protests in January in a crackdown that activists say killed over 7,000 people and saw tens of thousands detained.

    “This is necessary for all our people to get trained because we are in a war situation these days,” said Ali Mofidi, a 47-year-old Tehran resident at a weapons training Tuesday night. “If necessary, everyone should be available and know how to use a gun.”

    Iran has repeatedly sought to project strength during the war

    For months, state television and government-sponsored text messages have bombarded the public with calls to join the “Janfada,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives.” At one point, hard-liners encouraged families with boys as young as 12 to send them to the Revolutionary Guard to work checkpoints — which Amnesty International denounced as a war crime.

    Government officials say more than 30 million people in Iran — home to a population of some 90 million — have volunteered via an online form or at public gatherings to lay down their lives for Iran’s theocracy. There is no way to confirm that figure and there’s been no sign of a mass mobilization yet, like the one that Ukraine underwent in the days before Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion, in which officials handed out rifles and people banded together to make gasoline bombs.

    But there have been several public announcements and presenters have appeared armed during live programs on state TV, as part of efforts to feed the fervor.

    “Looking back at the moment I registered my name, I realize I wasn’t truly contemplating the dangers of fighting on the front lines. In that moment, like everyone else, my thoughts were solely on Iran,” wrote journalist Soheila Zarfam in a column for the state-owned Tehran Times newspaper. “My life might end, but Iran would endure, and that was all that truly mattered.”

    Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has criticized the public weapons demonstrations, particularly footage of young boys handling assault rifles, saying: “Scenes like these are reminiscent of child hostage-taking and arming by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria, and militias in Sudan and Congo.”

    Weapons training, once unusual, becomes a norm

    A recent government-organized demonstration by nomads in Iran saw them carrying everything from bolt-action Lee–Enfield rifles of the British Empire to a blunderbuss, a predecessor of the shotgun more familiar to the age of pirates on the high seas. 

    But during weeks of an unsteady ceasefire, most of the weapon demonstrations appear focused on Tehran, not the rural areas where there is a tradition of keeping rifles and shotguns at home. 

    At a demonstration Tuesday night in Tehran, male and female participants divided into separate classes. Hadi Khoosheh, a member of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force and trainer, demonstrated how to handle a folding-stock Kalashnikov-style assault rifle.

    “At the end of the training those who completed the course will receive a card titled ‘Janfada,’ proving they have received basic and preliminary training for this type of gun and they are able to use it if, God forbid, something happens to our country,” Khoosheh said. 

    However, the weapons training was rudimentary at best for the young boys and older men gathered. One struggled to insert the rifle’s magazine and inadvertently pointed the barrel of the unloaded weapon at others — a major safety breach that people are taught to avoid in basic firearms training. 

    “Definitely we will stand against (the Americans) and won’t give up even an inch of our soil,” said Mofidi, the man at the training. “No matter if they come from the sea or land, we will stand by our flag.”

    Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

    Featured image credentials: (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

  • Newswire: Court Rejects Alabama House Map, Calling It Unfair to Black Voters

    Newswire: Court Rejects Alabama House Map, Calling It Unfair to Black Voters

    by Emily Cochrane and Abbie VanSickle, The New York Times

    A panel of federal judges on Tuesday rejected Alabama’s effort to use a new voting map for the November midterm elections, saying that the districts discriminated against Black people and could not be used so shortly before a vote.

    Alabama’s attorney general, Steve Marshall, said he would immediately appeal to the Supreme Court, which last month ruled that a Louisiana congressional map drawn to create two majority-Black House districts was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, has already set special primaries in August in four House districts that would be affected by her state’s new congressional map.

    The ruling further confuses the electoral landscape across the South, as Republican-led legislatures have raced to implement new district lines after the Supreme Court narrowed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It also demonstrates how the ruling from the nation’s highest court has further muddled how lower courts interpret the landmark civil rights law.

    If the case makes it to the Supreme Court, it will be the first major test of the high court’s new standard for challenging congressional maps. The lower court judges made clear that they had reviewed the arguments through the lens of the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling last month but maintained that the state’s map failed under the new standard by intentionally discriminating against Black voters.

    “We cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the panel of three judges wrote in a lengthy ruling. It also warned against causing voters additional confusion by trying to use a new map before the November elections. 

    The court, the panel wrote, was “painfully aware of the gravity of our ruling.” But, it added, “we do not find the issue particularly complex or close.”

    The decision out of the Birmingham-based federal court was issued by Judge Stanley Marcus, who was nominated to the bench by former President Bill Clinton; and by Judges Anna M. Manasco and Terry F. Moorer, both named to their posts by President Trump. (Judge Marcus typically sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta.)

    Mr. Marshall, the attorney general, said he was “disappointed, but not at all surprised” by the ruling.

    “Know this,” he added, “in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when.”

    In the 79-page ruling, the judges said they faced a difficult choice. They could either greenlight a map they had already concluded was intentionally discriminatory, or they could block that map for the current election. 

    The judges wrote that they did “not lightly intrude in state affairs,” but that their previous review had left them “in no doubt” that Alabama’s map “intentionally discriminated based on race in violation of the Constitution.”

    The panel explained that it had reviewed the case under the Supreme Court’s updated standard, which appears to allow partisan gerrymandering but sets a high standard to challenge maps for race discrimination.

    The judges wrote that the “enormous record” around the drawing of the districts “contains no evidence of a partisan motive.” Their ruling, they wrote, marked a rejection “in the strongest possible terms” of Alabama’s “attempt to finish its intentional decision to dilute minority votes with a veneer of legislative regularity.”

    The decision also wrestles with two issues that have arisen in other states scrambling to redraw their maps in the middle of the primary season: the burden on election officials and the potential for significant voter confusion.

    In tackling these two arguments, the court cited what is known as the Purcell principle, a doctrine that federal courts should generally avoid changing rules too close to an election to avoid voter confusion. When Alabama changed its maps recently, the court argued, voter confusion spiked.

    Citing testimony from the Alabama director of elections, Jeff Elrod, the court said “it will take a chaotic, decentralized, and herculean effort for officials in his office and fourteen counties to reassign voters” to new districts. 

    While the decision was carefully tailored to apply only to specific questions about the redistricting procedures in Alabama, the whiplash in the state could ripple outward. State senators in South Carolina on Tuesday plan to continue to debate a new congressional map that could eliminate the last majority-Black district in the state, even as early voting begins. 

    Alabama has been tangled in litigation over its congressional map for years and had been barred from redistricting until after the 2030 census. Black voters have argued that the state has unfairly undercut their power at the ballot box. More than one in four residents of Alabama are Black.

    But in June 2023, the court stunned many legal watchers by siding with the argument that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act and needed to draw a second district with a majority of Black voters or come “close to it.”

    Shortly after, lawmakers returned to Montgomery, the state capital, and drew a new map. But wary of pitting incumbent Republicans against one another, the legislature approved a map that increased the percentage of Black voters in one district to about 40 percent, from about 30 percent.

    This panel of federal judges struck down that map and ordered an independent special master to draw district lines. The master’s map was used in 2024, paving the way for the election of Representative Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. And it was this map that the federal court said should remain in place for the November elections. 

    “This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled,” said Mr. Figures in a statement on Tuesday morning.

    Representative Barry Moore, a Senate candidate who currently represents one of the districts that could change under the new map, decried “another example of unelected bureaucrats trying to override the will of Alabama voters and punish our state for standing its ground.” 

    After last month’s Supreme Court decision rejecting Louisiana’s congressional map, Republicans in Southern states saw an opportunity to redraw districts that had core blocs of Black voters who repeatedly elected Democrats, adding to an ongoing gerrymandering battle launched by President Trump and his allies in Texas.

    In Alabama, state officials instead pushed to use the 2023 map, a move the Supreme Court cleared the path for earlier this month. However, it still left the decision up to the federal panel of judges, the same one that rejected the congressional map.

    Nick Corasaniti contributed reporting.

    Featured image credentials: Wes Frazer for The New York Times

  • Newswire: Ancestry Travel for Black Travelers on the Rise

    Newswire: Ancestry Travel for Black Travelers on the Rise

    from BlackPressUSA, by New York Carib News

    Ancestry travel is emerging as one of the most meaningful travel trends of 2026, and for Black travelers, it carries a significance that extends far beyond leisure. More than simply visiting a new destination, these journeys offer an opportunity to reconnect with family history, cultural identity, and ancestral roots.

    According to Condé Nast Traveler, ancestry travel is among the leading travel trends for 2026, reflecting a growing desire among travelers to seek deeper, more personal experiences. Rather than focusing solely on luxury accommodations or sightseeing, many are choosing trips that help them understand where they come from and how their personal stories fit into a broader historical narrative.

    For Black travelers, this form of travel often carries added emotional and historical weight. The legacies of slavery, forced migration, colonialism, and incomplete historical records have left many families with limited information about their origins. As a result, travel becomes more than a vacation, it becomes a journey of discovery and reconnection.

    Often, these trips begin with a DNA test, a family story, or a clue uncovered through genealogical research. But once travelers arrive at a destination tied to their ancestry, the experience frequently becomes transformative. It offers an opportunity to stand in places connected to their lineage and to engage directly with cultures and communities that help bring family history to life.

    The growth of ancestry travel has been fueled in part by the increasing accessibility of genealogical tools. Platforms such as Ancestry allow users to trace family origins, identify DNA communities, and receive suggestions for “Ancestral Journeys” based on genetic connections.

    For people of African descent, specialized organizations such as African Ancestry provide even greater specificity, helping individuals trace maternal or paternal lineages to present-day African countries and ethnic groups. This level of detail can transform a general desire to visit Africa into a purposeful journey centered on specific regions and communities.

    Featured image credentials: Black Press USA stock photo of African savannah excursion

  • Newswire: The Most Powerful Words From Black Commencement Speakers to the Class of 2026

    Newswire: The Most Powerful Words From Black Commencement Speakers to the Class of 2026

    by Mahalia Otshudy, The Root

    The Class of 2026 is preparing to take everything they learned during their time in college into the real world. While graduation is an exciting time for all students, the transitional phase can also be incredibly daunting, which is why a good word of encouragement can go a long way. Who better to motivate young, eager graduates than icons across the political, entertainment and sports industries? 

     

    From Queen Latifah to Magic Johnson, Black commencement speakers have been taking the stage at university graduations across the country and giving the alumni incredible words of advice that will inspire you, too.

     

    On May 8, Queen Latifah graced the stage at North Carolina A&T State University and gave a very powerful speech about building her entertainment career in her 20s and continuously believing in herself even when the odds didn’t seem in her favor.

     

    “You have to believe in yourself more than anyone else does and sometimes you may have to go it alone. You can’t always bring along people unless they believe with you,” she said. “Sometimes there’s just no way to make it to where you want to be unless you have the courage to stand alone. You have to have the bravery to step forward by yourself and go into a lane that no one else has driven.”

    Colman Domingo

    Colman Domingo received an honorary degree and delivered a commencement speech at Temple University on May 6. His address emphasized the importance of persevering in life because, while the world might be tough, it is important to make your mark on it.

     

    “Graduates, the world you’re stepping into is complicated. I will not lie to you. It is loud. It is sometimes unkind. But it is also waiting, waiting for your particular voice, your particular vision, your particular brand of courage,” he said. “Because courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is showing up any f*****g way.”

    Sterling K. Brown

    On 16, actor Sterling K. Brown spoke to graduates at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and shared some much-needed tips to “make life a little bit more manageable,” including getting all eight hours of sleep and exercising consistently throughout the week. Brown also told the graduates that failure is an important part of life.

     

    “Failure is a necessary part of the process. If you’re not falling from time to time, then baby, you’re not jumping high enough,” he said. “Fall and then pick yourself back up and do that one more time again. Nothing in life is certain. Anything of enduring personal value requires a leap of faith.”

    Magic Johnson

    Addressing graduates at Tuskegee University on May 9, NBA legend and businessman Magic Johnson stepped down from the stage to stand on the same level as the graduates and provided them with advice to help them stand out in a competitive world.

     

    “You gone have to be strong. You have to be the best that they’ve ever seen walk through their doors. That means first to work, last to leave. That means you gone work harder than anybody else at your job,” he said. “You may have to pivot. And if you have to pivot to something outside your major, make sure you do that just to get in. See, sometimes we have to be uncomfortable to get comfortable.”

    Chris Paul

    On Sunday, May 17, NBA star Chris Paul was the commencement speaker at Morehouse College, where he gave a speech on the importance of perseverance and working with what has been handed to you.

     

    “You might not be the best on day one, day 10, day 50, even, but I guarantee you this: you’ll get better and better if you just keep stacking days. Keep stacking days,” he said. “One of the most important things you can do in life is just to always show up. Through heartbreak, rejection, failure, grief, whatever it is, just always find a way to show up. Remember, you don’t always get credit for the battles you fight privately, but your presence as Morehouse men proves that you have more than enough to keep moving forward.”

    Ray Lewis

    NFL star Ray Lewis graced the stage at North Carolina Central University on May 9 and gave an impassioned address about the importance of building your identity so that the life you want to live begins to act in accordance with the person you’ve decided you want to be.

     

    “Learn to sit in discomfort. Protect your focus. Show up anyway because identity is not built in comfort; it’s built in repetition over and over and over again until you figure out,” he said. “But let me give you something real. The wrong will break you. The right people will pray with you and build you. So be careful who you walk with because your environment will shape your identity. You show me your crowd, I’ll show you your future.”

    Symone Sanders-Townsend

    At Spelman College, political commentator Symone Sanders-Townsend received an honorary doctorate and told her Spelman sisters that although the world is a scary place right now, it is important they continue to pave the way to a better future for the next generation.

     

    “I’m not gonna stand on this stage and tell you that the country is fine; the country is not fine. We are not okay. We are in a hard moment in America right now, and pretending otherwise would frankly be an insult to your intelligence and to your future,” she said. “The question stands: what do you do when the conditions are not in your favor? You build anyway.”

  • Newswire: They Can’t Win On Policy, So They’re Rigging The Rules

    Newswire: They Can’t Win On Policy, So They’re Rigging The Rules

    by Ashley Marshall, Co-Founder and Brittany Cheatham, Director of Communications with Forward Justice

    As America approaches its 250th birthday, we can look around us and see all the ways our democracy and society have been enriched by becoming more inclusive. Yet, recent regressions in law and policy are attempting to cement us to a reality where only wealthy, white men have a voice, a vote, or access to political power. Attacks are not happening in isolation; they are coordinated attempts to silence the people and destroy the bedrock of our democracy to keep its promises from being truly realized.

     

    Last week, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Lousiaina v. Callais, a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines that struck down Louisiana’s congressional map that added a second majority-Black district, and in doing so, gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Then, on May 6, the Supreme Court shot down a request to delay the order. We cannot be more clear: this was not a ruling about one state’s map. It marks a fundamental shift in the constitutional understanding of equality, voting rights, and officials’ power to wage “lawfare” against their constituents. We see this ongoing erosion of voting rights by all branches of government, and instead of upholding the constitution and ensuring checks and balances, this court continues to eviscerate precedent and progress, demonstrating their allegiance to party over people. 

     

    For over four decades, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act operated on a clear principle: when electoral systems produce racially discriminatory results, they violate federal law, even when proof of discriminatory intent is absent. Congress amended the VRA in 1982 to make this clear because they knew that lawmakers who want to suppress Black votes rarely announce it. 

     

    Thirteen years ago, in Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court stripped the federal government of the ability to block discriminatory voting changes before they could take effect, and promised that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act would remain a safeguard. That safeguard is now effectively gone. Since the Shelby decision, for over a decade, the North Carolina General Assembly has waged a death by a thousand cuts campaign against voting rights in the state- always under the cover of administrative process, election integrity, or partisan fairness. A federal court found that North Carolina’s redistricting plan was one of the largest racial gerrymanders ever encountered, and their voter suppression legislation was found to target Black Americans “with almost surgical precision,” in our lawsuit, NAACP v. McCroy.  

     

    In NC NAACP v. Hirsch, our photo voter ID lawsuit in North Carolina, voters were told that the Voter ID Exception Form would be a safeguard for those without IDs. Now that a court has issued a ruling in the case, officials are working to eliminate that exception form. We continue to see this same ploy: Remove protections under the guise of “race-neutrality,” point to insufficient remedies as solutions, and then strip away those remedies. What remains in the wake of this scheme are entire communities- taxpayers, parents, essential workers- who are shut out of their democracy and silenced, although they continue to be the core of their communities. 

     

    Ignoring the impact of race is a continuation of decades of racist disenfranchisement and centuries of white supremacy and policy violence, aimed at the very people whose forced labor built — and continues to build — this country. We cannot be “race neutral” in a country that was founded on racist ideology and expect true progress, equity, and repair. There must first be acknowledgment, but what we continue to experience is erasure, disregard, and persistent devastating harm.

     

    Without federal oversight and protections, instead of changing their deeply unpopular policies, officials are methodically changing their electorate. They are attempting to handpick their voters so they can remain in power while silencing those who disagree with them, and our courts continue to uphold this assault at every level. Instead of dogs, water hoses, poll taxes, and batons, the tools of suppression today are gerrymandering, voter ID requirements, and legislation like the SAVE Act. The targets have always been the same: Black and brown voters, poor people, women, students- the very people whose organizing has driven the most transformative change this country has ever known.

     

    We know the South drives policy and change throughout this nation, and we have been here before. Some of the most transformative policies in this country have come from the organizing done right here in the South. An Analysis by Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter found that the Callais ruling could eventually lead to a redistricting wave that could help Republicans flip as many as 19 majority-minority seats currently held by Democrats. This ruling has cleared a path for this dangerous practice to spread across the South and beyond, but we will continue the legacy of Southern organizing that has always moved this nation forward.

     

    We launched the POV NC tour to connect with, educate, and empower voters across this state in the face of exactly this kind of assault. We heard from people in counties across North Carolina who all want the same thing: to be heard, and to have officials who enact policies that are just, equitable, and for the people. These are not unreasonable expectations; they are the foundational promise of democracy. We are still fighting unfair maps right here in North Carolina. We are still fighting photo voter ID. We filed an appeal the same day this ruling came down, and we are not stopping. 

     

    Fear of the people and fear of being accountable to the people are driving this wave of “lawfare” and policy violence. Many elected officials know they cannot win based solely on their policies and results, so they are changing the rules. They are more focused on power and gamesmanship than the needs of the people, and they know we can see through the facade. Their fear is its own acknowledgment of our power and progress.

     

    Our democracy is on life support because of relentless attacks from the very people who are supposed to uphold and steward it. But we know that it has always been the power and work of the people to heal, rebuild, and reimagine when those in power fail us. This fight is not over. Full, equitable access to our democracy is our right. We will continue building power and resources in our communities. We will continue to mobilize and demand accountability. We will rise from the ashes of the democracy they are trying so desperately to burn down, and we will build anew- and that new democracy will be rooted in humanity, equity, and most of all, love.

  • Newswire: Promising Practices in Early Learning for Black Boys

    Newswire: Promising Practices in Early Learning for Black Boys

    from BlackPressUSA, by Oakland Starting Smart and Strong

    Educators across the United States are increasingly recognizing that early childhood classrooms play a critical role in shaping how children see themselves, relate to others, and experience opportunity. Yet for many young Black boys, those experiences are too often shaped by inequitable systems, unconscious bias, and policies that fail to support their growth and potential. A new toolkit, 10 Promising Practices in Early Learning for Black Boys, offers a roadmap for educators and early learning programs seeking to create more equitable, affirming, and culturally responsive environments for Black children.  

     

    At the center of the framework is the importance of building trusting relationships. The toolkit emphasizes that educators must actively listen to families, learn about their cultural values, and communicate genuine care for children’s well-being. Families should feel that teachers respect their experiences, understand their goals for their children, and see their strengths rather than deficits. Educators are encouraged to communicate clear messages to Black boys and their families: that children are safe, valued, heard, and capable contributors to the classroom community.  

     

    One major recommendation involves “individuating,” or dedicating intentional one-on-one time with Black boys. Rather than focusing on what children cannot do, educators are encouraged to observe their interests, strengths, creativity, and curiosity. Positive affirmations—both verbal and nonverbal—are emphasized as essential tools for reinforcing confidence and belonging. Teachers are urged to celebrate children’s progress and hold high expectations while consistently affirming their brilliance and potential.  

     

    The toolkit also highlights the need for culturally and linguistically responsive classrooms. Traditional curricula often fail to reflect the experiences and identities of Black children, leaving many students disconnected from classroom content. Educators are encouraged to adapt curriculum materials so Black boys can see themselves represented in books, activities, discussions, and lessons. The guide describes this as creating both “windows and mirrors” — opportunities for children to see themselves reflected while also learning about the experiences of others.  

     

    Family engagement is another major theme throughout the report. The toolkit calls for schools and early learning programs to build meaningful partnerships with families and actively involve fathers and father figures. It notes that many Black fathers have historically felt excluded or undervalued in educational settings. Educators are encouraged to ask fathers how they would like to participate and then create opportunities for involvement and leadership.  

     

    Importantly, the report urges educators to reject “deficit-based” thinking about families. Instead of focusing on stereotypes or assumptions, teachers should discuss children’s strengths, talents, and dreams with caregivers. Families should be treated as partners in developing educational goals and supporting student success.  

     

    The toolkit also addresses the role of structural racism and implicit bias in education. It calls for educators to deepen their understanding of white supremacy culture, privilege, colorism, and the ways bias affects Black boys disproportionately. Teachers are encouraged to participate in anti-racism training, engage in ongoing self-reflection, and examine how media, personal experiences, and social messaging influence their perceptions of Black children.  

     

    Another significant focus is trauma-responsive care. The report emphasizes that behavior should be understood as communication rather than defiance. Educators are urged to move away from labeling children as “challenging” and instead consider whether behaviors may stem from trauma, stress, disability, or unmet emotional needs. Teachers are encouraged to practice self-regulation techniques and respond calmly and compassionately to difficult situations.  

     

    Finally, the toolkit calls for broader institutional and policy changes. Schools and early learning programs are encouraged to examine disciplinary practices, eliminate harsh punishments such as suspensions and expulsions, and invest in mental health supports and culturally responsive professional development. Administrators are urged to collect meaningful equity data and include Black boys’ voices in evaluating school progress and goals.  

     

    Ultimately, 10 Promising Practices in Early Learning for Black Boys presents a vision of education rooted in equity, dignity, and belonging. It argues that when educators intentionally affirm Black boys’ identities, challenge systemic inequities, and partner authentically with families, early learning environments can become places where every child has the opportunity to thrive.  

     

    Learn more at www.oaklandsmartandstrong.org/promisingpracticesportfolio.html 

  • Newswire: SCOTUS Callais Decision Delivers Major Blow To Black Voting Rights

    Newswire: SCOTUS Callais Decision Delivers Major Blow To Black Voting Rights

    Above, Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, speaking at a “Fight for Fair Maps” rally.

    by Anoa Changa-Peck, NewsOne

    For months, voting rights advocates have warned that the Supreme Court would use its decision in Louisiana v. Callais to strip away Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, further eroding freedom. 

    And they were right. 

    Decided along ideological lines, Wednesday’s 6-3 decision blocked a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana just weeks before voters head to the polls. A second Black-majority congressional district was created after voters and organizers fought for fair representation after the 2020 Census. 

    As NewsOne previously reported, Wednesday’s decision comes after the Supreme Court gave an anti-voting rights group a second chance to make its case. Originally heard in March, 2025, the case was rescheduled for rehearing in October, giving opponents of fair maps more time to invent reasons to deny Black voter power. 

    The majority opinion attempts to narrowly tailor the case to Louisiana only. Instead, by many accounts, Callais aids the Republican plan to lock up power for the next generation. 

    Joel Payne, spokesperson for MoveOn Civic Action, said the Court’s decision gave Republicans the green light to continue Trump’s “desperate power grab.”

     “Suppressing voters is another way for Trump and Republicans to rig the system so they can keep stacking the deck for billionaires and the Epstein class and avoid accountability for their failed leadership,” Payne said in a statement. “MoveOn members will fight this naked MAGA power play to hoard more power and wealth for themselves and the billionaires that fund their campaigns.” 

    Almost immediately after the Callais‘release, Florida House Republicans passed an even more extreme gerrymander than the state’s current congressional map. In many ways, Florida’s move is a replay of the aftermath of the 2023 decision Shelby County v. Holder, when Texas and North Carolina rushed to pass racially discriminatory laws previously blocked under the Voting Rights Act. 

    Pro-democracy advocates have consistently stressed the need for full voting rights and fair maps to ensure communities have a say in the issues impacting their lives. Affordable housing, healthcare access, the cost of living, gun safety, and fundamental fairness require leadership that listens to and considers people’s needs. 

    Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, highlighted the importance of educators being committed to basic values of fairness and equity as a part of teaching responsible citizenship. 

    “People died to protect and advance this right,” Pringle said in a statement. “The reason we have voting rights laws in America is to remedy discrimination against voters of color. If the Supreme Court does not recognize the need to continue upholding this basic value of one person, one vote, then Congress must stop stalling and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.”

  • Newswire: Identity Theft Protection is No Longer Optional for Any American

    Newswire: Identity Theft Protection is No Longer Optional for Any American

    by BlackPressUsa

    If you want your data to be secure in the digital age, identity theft protection should be a top concern. Some of the most effective methods to protect personal information include using a password manager, multi-factor authentication, and more.

    Have you ever received a suspicious email asking for personal information? Do you find yourself constantly getting notices about data breaches for stores or companies you’ve frequented? Both of these are common gateways for identity theft, which is why it is more important than ever to proactively secure your information. 

    Identity Theft Statistics

    According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there has been a significant uptick in scammers stealing millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims, primarily elderly individuals. The fraudsters impersonated government agents to obtain the information, a scenario that is unfortunately becoming more common.

    The key to these attacks is emotional manipulation. Callers typically inform recipients that their information has been stolen or their bank account has been hacked, which ironically, prompts them to hand over the necessary information.

    As technology progresses, identity theft cases are likely to become more common, and with more sophisticated attack methods, they may be harder to combat.

    What Is the Very Best Identity Theft Protection?

    Identity theft protection works best using a layered technique. Multiple methods will prevent incidents better than a single security measure. Here are some of the most effective ways that you can engage in online fraud prevention.

    Use Multi-Factor Authentication

    If you’ve ever logged into an app or a website and received a code or verification pop-up, then you have successfully used multi-factor authentication. Essentially, it is an additional roadblock that prevents users from logging into your accounts unless they have an additional code or link. The information is usually sent to a secure personal account that the scammer won’t be able to access. 

    Utilize a Password Manager

    It may seem convenient to use the same password over and over again, but it is a recipe for disaster if you end up suffering from identity theft. Create strong, complex passwords for all of your accounts, and use a password manager to track them securely.

    Most password managers require a master password and additional verification steps to access the information. They can also generate randomized, secure passwords for you to use.

    Review Credit Reports

    Rather than just checking your credit score, look at the details of your credit reports, especially if there is a significant drop with no explanation. Verify that all of the accounts on your credit report belong to you.

    Check Bank and Credit Card Activity

    Look through all of your credit card and bank transactions every month and confirm their accuracy. Double-check unfamiliar vendors to see if places you shopped go by different names. Contact companies if you see suspicious transactions.

    Take Advantage of ID Verification

    ID verification involves submitting a picture ID and other personal information to confirm your identity online. One of the best ID verification tips is to enable it when offered as an extra security measure, so scammers have a harder time accessing your personal information.

    What Is the First Thing You Should Do If Your Identity Is Stolen?

    While identity theft can be overwhelming, it is crucial to take action as soon as you find out that your information has been compromised. The first thing to do is get in touch with one of the three credit bureaus to notify them of a fraud alert. 

    Placing a fraud alert on your accounts will freeze your credit and prevent any damaging charges from affecting your score until the issue is resolved. Next, contact your banking and credit institutions to freeze those accounts, if possible.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Artificial Intelligence Influencing Identity Theft?

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the world in many different ways, and identity theft continues to evolve as a result. In the age of AI, according to the World Economic Forum, the technology can have both positive and negative impacts on keeping your data secure.

    Companies may be able to use AI software to identify phishing attacks and fraud much more easily than existing solutions. They can then take proactive steps to prevent these types of intrusions in the future.

    However, some troubling trends are emerging in the AI space concerning impersonation. As AI models become more sophisticated, they can easily replicate the tone and mannerisms of real people, which may tempt users to convey personal information. 

    Is It Possible to Protect Your Personal Information in a Data Breach?

    While the initial data breach is often out of your control, there are steps you can take immediately after you learn about the incident. Start by changing your login information to the associated company or website.

    Once you change your login information, enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication if it is available. Use an authentication app on your phone or set your account up to receive a code through email or text message. Hackers will face an additional roadblock when trying to access your accounts.

    If you know that your bank accounts or credit cards may be vulnerable, contact the bank or credit card company and put a temporary freeze on your accounts. Use cash or a different card in the meantime to avoid unauthorized activity from outside parties.

    Which Demographics Are Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft?

    No individual is immune to identity theft, but certain demographics are more likely to fall for scams. Elderly individuals often fall prey to these types of crimes because they usually have a limited understanding of technology and don’t know the telltale signs of fraud.

    Children are also more likely to expose personal information that leads to identity theft. Younger individuals may not understand the harm of entering sensitive data into unsecured websites, which can lead to troubling consequences down the road.

    Protect Your Personal Information From Identity Theft

    Identity theft protection isn’t just optional in 2026; it’s essential. With new threats emerging every day, it is important to stay on top of the latest scams and understand how you can best fortify your data against nefarious actors.

    Would you like to learn more about how you can protect yourself in a digital environment? Take a look around our site for more security tips and tricks.

  • Newswire: How To Care For The Environment Beyond Earth Day

    Newswire: How To Care For The Environment Beyond Earth Day

    black woman in agriculture

    by Ahsan Washington, Black Enterprise

    Annually, Earth Day brings significant awareness around environmental sustainability. However, specialists stress that true environmental change requires more than a yearly call to action, it calls for a shift in mindset and continuous daily practices. 

    Protecting the planet demands ongoing work from individual and community participation, and policy impact across various social levels. A great way to kickstart environmental change is understanding how environmental responsibility extends beyond one day. 

    Reduce Waste and Embrace Reusability

    Adopt reusable practices and reduce waste to decrease your environmental footprint. Use reusable items consistently across your home, workplace, and shopping activities. Implement the “reduce, reuse, recycle” model to conserve natural resources and decrease landfill waste and pollution.

    Cut Energy Consumption at Home and Work

    Reducing environmental damage through energy conservation depends on homeowners, renters, and employees. Regular actions, such as disconnecting unused electronics and using energy-efficient appliances, are essential. Properly managing heating and cooling systems in both residential and professional settings also reduces unnecessary electricity consumption.

    The primary objective is to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pressure on energy infrastructure to fight climate change. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, building energy efficiency improvements represent the quickest and most economical method to decrease emissions.

    Rethink Transportation and The Impact on the Environment

    The public must change travel habits by choosing public transit, biking, walking or carpooling instead of using single-occupancy vehicles for daily commutes. Transportation produces a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions, and vehicle emissions dominate urban and suburban areas. The U.S. Department of Transportation states that cutting vehicle miles traveled produces immediate benefits for air quality.

    Support Sustainable Consumption and Local Economies

    Environmental health depends on consumers supporting sustainability by choosing eco-friendly products and local goods with minimal packaging. These behaviors should be regular habits rather than seasonal choices. As demand for sustainable products grows, companies are pressured to transform production methods and decrease their environmental impact. The Natural Resources Defense Council states that intentional consumer behavior creates systemic transformations in manufacturing and supply chains.

    Engage in Community and Environmental Education

    Community members, educators, and local leaders are encouraged to participate in environmental education programs, including annual cleanups, workshops, and public discussions. These activities occur in neighborhood spaces, schools, and digital platforms to educate the public about pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. This engagement is vital because it expands individual contributions through shared responsibility and informed decision-making.

    Advocate for Systemic and Policy Change

    Voters, activists, and organizations are pushing for environmental policies that tackle major problems through emissions regulations, conservation programs, and corporate responsibility initiatives at all levels of government. Citizens can engage in advocacy during elections, legislative sessions, and public comment periods to affect policy decisions.

    Build Long-Term Habits Beyond Earth Day

    People and organizations should move beyond single-event participation in Earth Day activities. Instead, they should adopt permanent environmental habits, such as composting, water conservation, and food waste reduction. These behaviors must become part of regular routines in residential, workplace, and community settings. While single-day initiatives produce minimal results, ongoing actions produce tangible and permanent environmental benefits.

  • Newswire: Spades, The Card Game No Executive Order Can Touch

    Newswire: Spades, The Card Game No Executive Order Can Touch

    by Melissa Rose Cooper, NewsOne

    Mel Alleyne hadn’t played spades in years. Then her sister called.

    “She was like, ‘There’s a tournament [in Brooklyn]. And you’re going to sign up for it and you can’t say no,’” she recalled.

    Alleyne, who first learned the game at a lunch table in high school, knew exactly what was at stake at that table — socially, at least.

    “It was like you were not cool if you did not know how to play spades,” she said. “It was necessary. It was like you had to know. And you had to be good.”

    Last week, Alleyne was one of a roomful of players who gathered at Aunts et Uncles, a Black-owned vegan restaurant in Brooklyn, for The Lunch Room. The spades tournament funneled competitors through a digital qualifier on the Trickster Cards app before bringing the top 16 to a live championship night filled with music, food and the kind of energy many in the Black community have known for years.

    “Everybody that you know that’s Black pretty much has played spades, they know about spades,” said Yantise Jenkins, a member of the card club, the DMV Cardtel, who traveled to support the event. “It’s at family reunions. It’s at cookouts. Thanksgiving after everyone eats dinner and cleans up, there’s somebody pulling out the cards to play spades.”

    That cultural tradition is exactly what The Lunch Room was designed to honor — especially at a moment when Black history is under attack.

    In January 2025, President Trump signed a sweeping executive order dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs across federal agencies and institutions. In recent years, states including Florida, have moved to restrict or eliminate African American studies from public school curricula.

    Proposed federal budget cuts have also threatened funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, two institutions that have long supported Black cultural programming nationwide. The ongoing theme is hard to ignore: the formal structures designed to protect and legitimize Black cultural life are being dismantled one policy at a time.

    What no executive order touches, however, is what gets passed down at the table.

    “It’s been done for generations. And different age groups can do it,” said Jenkins. “I was probably 8 years old when I first learned how to play.”

    Spades was never taught in a classroom. It spread through kitchen tables, rec centers and lunchrooms where the game stretched well past the bell. It has survived without institutional support because it never needed any — it moved person to person, generation to generation, in the spaces where Black people have always gathered.

    Michael Nicholas, co-owner of Aunts et Uncles, knows that story firsthand.

    “Some classes were missed and skipped because of spades games,” he laughed, “but I still graduated timely and it was cool.”

    That experience is the direct inspiration behind the tournament’s name. The restaurant, which Nicholas owns with his wife Nicole, regularly transforms into its own version of the lunchroom, hosting spades games throughout the year. To Nicholas, the game has always been about more than the cards.

    “You learn basically by sitting down and watching the family and friends getting together,” he explained. “So I feel like it’s important for us. It’s just a gathering point and a way to kind of get together, share knowledge, share space. It’s beyond a pastime.”

    That gathering point is increasingly rare. As daily life moves further online and in-person community becomes harder to sustain, events like The Lunch Room carry a different kind of weight. The tournament’s structure — starting with a digital qualifier on the Trickster Cards platform before culminating in a live event — was designed to use technology as an on-ramp, not a destination. The point was always the room.

    “Because depending on how you play and how your partner plays, you kind of like, know how to talk to each other without speaking to each other,” Nicholas said. “You can read the game, you can read the board, just by the cards.”

    For Chevy Wolf, whose agency, The Last Wolves, partnered with Trickster Cards and Aunts et Uncles to produce the event, the cultural stakes were just as clear.

    “If you grew up in Black culture, you know, spades is a part of your DNA,” Wolf said. “It’s just genetics.”

    Part of that DNA is the trash talk — the loud, sharp, loving kind that sounds like an argument to an outsider but reads as affection to anyone who grew up around it. Wolf wanted the evening to capture that, too.

    “You can still compete, but it’s all love at the end of the day. And I think that’s one of the key components we wanted to show everybody.”

    The event drew players who hadn’t touched a deck in years. It also brought people determined to make sure the game never skips a generation.

    Korey Hines, a Trickster Cards ambassador who learned to play as a kid under his Aunt Helen — a serious card player he describes as a major presence in his life — sees that work as a calling.

    “It’s actually a full circle for me,” Hines noted. “Oftentimes, generations get locked into their space and their time, and they don’t pass the torch. I feel that I was given the gift to be able to bring some people together and maybe make those transitions smoother.”

    There is something quietly radical about that mission in this particular moment. When the institutions that were supposed to hold Black history and culture are being hollowed out, the people who carry that culture in their hands — literally, in a deck of cards — become the institution.

    For the players who walked through the door that night, the significance landed personally.

    “It’s kind of nice to be able to come together and see each other and have that community,” Alleyne says.

    In a moment when the formal structures built to support and preserve Black cultural life are being systematically dismantled, that community — gathered around a card game, in a Brooklyn restaurant — is holding the line.