The Greene County Democrat

Category: World News

  • Newswire : VP Harris bids farewell to Howard University crowd, urges supporters to keep fighting for America

    VP Kamala Harris ends her campaign at Howard Univ.

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    A diverse group of supporters, family members, and well-known allies, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, a host of other elected officials, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, looked on as Vice President Kamala Harris emerged onto the stage at Howard University to the stirring strains of Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” Jeezy’s song “My President,” which features the stirring line “My president is Black,” energized the crowd before her entrance, setting the scene for a moving farewell speech. The atmosphere was charged as Harris began, looking out at a sea of American flags and expectant faces at her alma mater.

    “Every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld,” she stated, pausing as applause swelled from the crowd. Harris made it clear that while her campaign had reached its end, the fight for justice and equity was only beginning. “We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square,” she affirmed, issuing a call to action that echoed her campaign’s spirit.

    Harris addressed the emotions that many in the crowd were visibly grappling with. Speaking directly to the young people watching, she said, “It is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK… Sometimes the fight takes a while, that doesn’t mean we won’t win.” She reminded them, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars,” a line that drew a mix of cheers and solemn nods as the crowd took in her message of resilience.

    Reflecting on the campaign, Harris shared her pride in the coalition they had built. “We have been intentional about building community… bringing people together from every walk of life,” she said, emphasizing the need to accept the election results but with an eye to the future. “This is not a time to throw up our hands,” she declared, urging her supporters to channel their emotions into continued efforts. “This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”

    Harris acknowledged the fight ahead, framing it not as a loss but as a turning point. “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said firmly. “That is a fight I will never give up.” She took a moment to express her gratitude to those who had stood by her side, including her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and her vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz. “I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it,” she said. Her voice cracked slightly as she added, “We owe loyalty not to a president or to a party but to the Constitution of the United States.”

    She acknowledged her call to President-elect Donald Trump, stating that she offered assistance to him in the upcoming transition. She urged her supporters not to give up, and to keep fighting for the Constitution and Democracy.

    As she neared the end of her speech, Harris’s words took on an unmistakable urgency. “The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work,” she told the crowd. She urged them to continue engaging, reminding them that meaningful change requires sustained effort.

    With a final, defiant wave, Harris walked off the stage arm in arm with Emhoff, her head held high as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” filled the air once more. Her last words: “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”

  • With support from USDA, Southern Farmers Financial Association launches to help farmers access capital to begin and grow small farming operations

    Participants in SFFI Press Conference
    Front Row: L to R:  Farmer, Ben Burkett,  Farmer, Calvin King, Cornelius Blanding, Shirley Sherrod, Dr. Dewayne Goldman (USDA), Cornelius Keys, Zack Duchenaux(USDA). 

    ATLANTA, Ga., Oct. 31, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and partners announced the launch of the Southern Farmers Financial Association (SFFA), a new cooperatively-owned institution created to increase access to capital for its member-owners to begin farming or strengthen existing small farming operations and agriculture-based businesses in high poverty areas in the Southeast.

    The organization is supported with $20 million in initial funding from President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Inflation Reduction Act, which will be used to leverage private sector capital, recruit full-time staff, and begin outreach and lending efforts. The proposed service area of the SFFA is 12 states I the Southeast.

    The impetus for the creation of this new small farm financial institution grew out of a discussion on the use of the ‘ ci pres’ funds, remaining unused funds in the Pigford II Black Farmers Discrimination lawsuit. There is still $8 million left in these funds, which are subject to the decision of Judge Friedman, Federal District Judge who presided over this case.

    A committee of Black and small farmer advocates continued pushing to use these and other funds to create a financial institution responsive to small and Black farmers. This committee was headed by Cornelius Blanding, current Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. Calvin King, President of the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation and Shirley Sherrod, leader of New Communities and the Southwest Georgia Project, worked with Cornelius to develop this new financial institution for small and Back farmers.

    The Southern Farmers Financial Association will be managed by Cornelius Blanding, acting chief executive officer; Shirley Sherrod, acting secretary; and Calvin King, acting treasurer, until a board is formed, and initial hires are made. Each of these individuals brings lifelong expertise and personal experience with farming, farm finance, and helping rural, smallholder farmers maintain farm operations in the face of challenging financial situations.

    “The launch of the Southern Farmers Financial Association furthers the Biden-Harris USDA’s vision to keep farmers farming, support rural economies by making it viable for small farms to stay in operation, and make USDA’s programs more accessible and inclusive for everyone who wants to participate in agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This new organization will provide a vital bridge to those who may benefit from a different model of outreach, support, and farm lending.”

    Farming is a capital-intensive business. It can be difficult to begin or stay in farming without the financial foundation that comes with generational farm operations, and smaller farms are especially vulnerable to the financial blows that come with natural disasters, lost markets, or other sudden impacts. Under a cooperative agreement with USDA, the SFFA will improve land access by creating access to capital and technical assistance for farmers and other producers who have historically faced challenges getting the financing they need so their farms can grow and thrive.

    On Thursday in Atlanta, at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, USDA representatives and SFFA interim leadership gathered with stakeholders and farmers who would potentially receive funding from their new financial institution.

    Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, who has spearheaded many changes at USDA to improve the farm lending process, applauded the organization’s launch. “As a child of the 1980’s farm crisis, I have seen firsthand the challenges farmers can have accessing capital, and the very difficult impacts that creates for individuals, families, and communities that stand to benefit from strong farming operations. I am excited to see these partners come together and reach farmers in a way that USDA recognizes we may not be able to.”

    “Every farmer needs affordable financing. Farmers must have reliable and consistent access to capital to be successful,” said USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden. “For too long, access to capital has been out of reach for small farmers in the southeast region.”

    Support from the USDA will help bring other partners to the table so that SFFA can obtain strategic certifications and raise additional sources of capital. Examples include working with organizations like the Farm Credit system and Co-Bank to obtain Other Financial Institution (OFI) status, or working with the US Department of Treasury, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund to become a CDFI, and continued engagement with USDA so that the institution can become a guaranteed lender with the Farm Services Agency.

    “Supporting southern farmers is essential to supporting rural economies in communities across the south,” added Shirley Sherrod, acting secretary of the SFFA.
    “The SFFA and USDA are building up the toolset southern farmers can use to support their family farms and pass them on to the next generations,” said Cornelius Blanding, acting Chief Executive Officer.

    “This agreement will open up new opportunities for historically underserved southern farmers to sustain and grow their businesses,” said Calvin King, SFFA acting treasurer.

    The SFFA will build on several steps USDA has taken under the Biden-Harris Administration to expand access to capital, keep farmers farming, and make its programs more accessible and equitable… This includes the work of the USDA Equity Commission, an Heirs Property Relending Program, to help families with heirs property issues, programs to help 1890 Land Grant Colleges and their students, and other measures.

    For more information about these efforts and more, visit USDA.gov/equity.
    USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

    The Greene County Democrat will continue to follow progress toward the creation, operation and implementation of the programs of the SFFA financial institution going forward.

  • ANSA endorses: Harris-Walz, Terri Sewell, Shomari Figures, Greg Griffin, and Tanya Chestnut for statewide offices in November election

    PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 6: Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60 year old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

     

    The Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC) held its Fall Convention at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Montgomery on Saturday, October 5, 2024. Delegates from ANSC county chapters met to consider the candidates and issues in the upcoming November election.

    For endorsements, the ANSC recessed its meeting and went into session as the Alabama New South Alliance (ANSA) the ‘sister” or parallel organization that deals with partisan political choices.

    The ANSA endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President and Vice- President of the United States; Terri Sewell for Alabama 7th Congressional District; Shomari Figures for Alabama 2nd. Congressional District; Greg Griffin for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; Tanya Chestnut for Alabama State School Board, District 5; and Collins Petttaway for District 4 Circuit Judge, which overlaps several districts. All are Democratic candidates. Local county chapters will endorse for more local election contests.

    Several of the candidates endorsed by ANSA appeared at the meeting and made statements and answered voter questions. Shomari Figures, the Democratic candidate for the newly redistricted 2nd Congressional District was present. His new district stretches across the state from Russell, Bullock, Macon and Barber counties on the east to Washington and Mobile counties on the western side of Alabama. The new boundaries of the 2nd CD were decided in litigation which went to the U. S. Supreme Court, three times in the last five years.

    Shomari Figures, who is the son of Michael Figures (a founder of ANSC) and Vivian Figures (both Alabama State Senators) said, “ We cannot let this election slip. Even though I have been outspent on TV by 9 to 1, we must win this race, to show if given a chance that Black people will rise to the occasion and utilize the district that the courts created.”

    Figures said that his attention would be focused on healthcare in the district and the expansion of Medicaid coverage, under the Affordable Care Act, to those without insurance coverage. He said, “Four hospitals serving my district have closed or reduced services due to declining patient revenues. Bullock County Hospital and Grove Hill Hospital have changed to only Emergency Health Centers, Monroe County has ended maternal care and other services, and Thomasville has suspended operations. There is a real crisis in rural health care in my district, that actually could be alleviated if the Republican Governor and Legislative leaders agreed to Medicaid expansion.”

    The ANSA also endorsed Congresswoman Terri Sewell, incumbent seven term Congresswoman representing the 7th Congressional District, which includes Greene County. ANSA also endorsed Tanya Chestnut for the District 5 Alabama State School Board, which includes Sumter and other Black Belt counties

    Montgomery Circuit Judge, Greg Griffin, said he felt that Black people need to serve on the appellate courts of our state, which is why he is running for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary but now is running statewide against the right-wing Republican incumbent, Tom Parker.

    The ANSC meeting also had a panel explaining the problems which will arise from Project 2025, the 925-page comprehensive plan of the right-wing Heritage Foundation, for implementation if Donald Trump is elected President for a second term. The panel spoke to the implications of Project 2025 to devastate the Federal workforce, abolish the Department of Education and its programs for low-income students, including reduced cost meals, HeadStart and Title 1 funding. Project 2025 is a plan to revive the Comstock Act which will place a national ban on abortion, curtail birth control and limit IVF treatments.

    Donald Trump has tried to disassociate himself from Project 2025, but 140 former staff members worked on its detailed implementation guideline. Other former Trump staffers are collecting resumes of loyal Trump workers to be used to replace fired civil service employees, to run the government within the new guidelines.

    Congressman Troy Carter traveled from New Orleans, Louisiana to be the ANSC luncheon speaker. Carter praised ANSC for its history of civic participation and involving Black voters in the electoral process. Of Shomari Figures, he said, “You can’t hope him in or pray him in, but you must vote him and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz into office.”

  • Newswire : Conflict-induced famine, hunger deaths likely in Gaza, Sudan in months: UN

    By: Al Jazerra News Service


    The Palestinian territory, Sudan and South Sudan, as well as Mali and Haiti, have been identified as the top five places most likely to see deadly hunger levels in the coming months, according to a new report by United Nations food agencies.

    The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme said in a joint report on Thursday that “acute food insecurity is set to increase in both magnitude and severity” across 22 countries and territories.

    The Rome-based UN agencies warned that the spread of conflict, particularly in the Middle East – coupled with climate and economic stressors – was pushing millions of people to the brink.

    The report spotlighted the regional fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza, with Lebanon also engulfed in conflict, and warned that the La Nina weather pattern could affect the climate through March next year, threatening fragile food systems in already vulnerable regions.
    “Without immediate humanitarian efforts and concerted international action to address severe access constraints and advocate for the de-escalation of conflict and insecurity, further starvation and loss of life are likely” in those spots, it found.

    Of “very high concern” are Nigeria, Chad, Yemen, Mozambique, Myanmar, Syria and Lebanon, it said. In those countries, conflict was either a key driver of hunger, or a contributor.

    With its focus on the most severe and worsening countries, the UN agencies said the report did not “represent all countries/territories experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity”.

    The agencies said 2024 marked the second year of declining funding for humanitarian assistance, while 12 appeals faced funding shortfalls of more than 75 percent, including for Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria and Myanmar.


    Gaza

    A surge in hostilities in the Gaza Strip has raised concerns that the “worst case scenario” of famine will materialize, said the report.

    It estimated that 41 percent of the population, or 876,000 people, will face “emergency” levels of hunger from November until the end of April.
    Nearly 16 percent, or 345,000 people, will experience the most serious “catastrophic” levels.

    As of mid-October, 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced, the report said.

    Sudan
    In Sudan, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict will face famine in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, predicted the report.

    In South Sudan, the number of people facing starvation and death is projected to have nearly doubled in the four months between April and July 2024 compared with the same period last year.

    But those numbers are expected to worsen from next May with the lean season between harvests.

    More than a million people have been affected by severe flooding this month in South Sudan, found the report, a chronically unstable country plagued by violence and economic stagnation.

    Haiti and Mali

    The ongoing unrest in Haiti due to gang violence, together with an economic crisis and hurricane activity means that critical levels of hunger are likely to worsen in the impoverished Caribbean state, the agencies said.

    Escalating conflict in Mali, where the UN withdrew its peacekeeping mission in 2023, will likely worsen already critical levels.Armed groups are imposing blockades on towns and roads, impeding humanitarian aid, the agencies said.

    The direct and indirect effects of conflict on food insecurity are vast, found the report, going well beyond the destruction of livestock and crops.

    Conflict forces people to flee their homes, “disrupting livelihoods and income, limiting market access, and resulting in price fluctuations and erratic food production and consumption”, the report said.

    In regions of high concern, extreme weather caused by the possible recurrence of La Nina – a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that can trigger heavy downpours or worsen droughts and heatwaves – could exacerbate hunger conditions, said the report.

  • Newswire : Legendary producer Quincy Jones dies at 91; Leaving a monumental legacy in music and culture

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Quincy Jones, the record producer, arranger, and cultural trailblazer whose influence spanned more than seven decades, has died at 91. His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed his death in a statement, noting that Jones died peacefully at his home in Bel Air. The statement did not specify the cause.

    Known for producing Michael Jackson’s landmark albums, “Thriller” and “Bad,” Jones’s career far exceeded even those iconic works.

    Jones transformed genres, introduced new styles, and championed Black artistry in a largely segregated industry. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2013, called him a “Jack of All Trades” but noted that Jones “excelled at every role he took on.” His contributions as a record producer, arranger, composer, and performer reflect a boundless curiosity that kept him at the cutting edge of music across generations.

    His presence shaped countless albums, film scores, and even social movements, making him a bridge between jazz, R&B, pop, and hip-hop and between Black and white audiences.
    Jones began as a jazz trumpeter, arranging for bands like Count Basie’s and becoming a respected composer in his own right. His compositions for films, including The Pawnbroker and The Color Purple, displayed his extraordinary range, mixing classical, jazz, funk, and Afro-Cuban influences. His television scores, such as those for Sanford and Son and Ironside, brought Black music to mainstream audiences, shaping a generation’s auditory landscape.

    The three Jackson albums Jones produced — Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad — stand among his most famous works. The albums broke sales records and redefined the global pop music industry, bridging racial divides and setting new standards for production. But Jones’s career had already reached milestones before those records. He had become the first Black vice president at Mercury Records in 1964 and had garnered critical acclaim for his arrangement of Count Basie’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Over time, he received 28 Grammy Awards from 80 nominations, a record surpassed only by a few.

    Born in Chicago on March 14, 1933, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. faced a childhood filled with challenges and resilience. According to his official biography, Jones was primarily raised by his father, a carpenter, after his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenic disorder. Moving to Seattle in his early teens, he honed his craft in a music scene as diverse as his musical inclinations. By 15, Jones had already earned a spot in Lionel Hampton’s band, launching a career that would take him across the globe and into the company of jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles, who would become a lifelong friend and collaborator.

    Jones’s time as a jazz bandleader and arranger in the 1950s established his name in elite music circles, but his ambitions led him into film and television scoring, where he created iconic soundtracks. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Jones’s music could be heard in theaters and living rooms, with scores for films like In Cold Blood and The Deadly Affair and contributions to Alex Haley’s Roots, the celebrated mini-series. His soundtrack for The Color Purple in 1985, adapted from Alice Walker’s novel, remains a cultural milestone.

    In 1985, Jones united more than 40 of the world’s biggest music stars for the charity single “We Are the World,” raising awareness and funds for famine relief in Africa. The project’s success further cemented his reputation as a visionary capable of bridging divides for a greater cause. His label, Qwest, produced a roster as diverse as his interests, featuring artists from George Benson to the experimental jazz saxophonist Sonny Simmons.

    Through the 1990s and 2000s, Jones expanded his reach beyond music, producing television hits like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the magazine Vibe. In his later years, he remained active, working on projects that celebrated his love for jazz and hip-hop alike. In 2022, he collaborated with The Weeknd on Dawn FM, delivering a spoken monologue reflecting his decades of life and artistry. His work became a rich tapestry, woven with threads from every major genre and cultural moment in modern American history.
    “He always is soaring ahead and doesn’t like to look backwards,” Oprah Winfrey said of him during his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

    Jones leaves behind seven children: Jolie, Kidada, Kenya, Martina, Rachel, Rashida, and Quincy III in addition to his brother Richard, sisters Margie Jay and Theresa Frank.

     

  • U.S. Reps. Sewell, Crockett and former AG Eric Holder campaign for Figures in AL-2 race

    Congresswoman Jasmin Crockett and Terri Sewell of Alabama

    By Jacob Holmes, Alabama Political Reporters

    U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, was joined by U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Sunday in Montgomery to urge women voters to support Shomari Figures in the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

    The congressmembers were joined by attorney Tamika Reed, wife of Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, and Kalisha Figures, wife of Shomari Figures, to round out the “Women for Figures” panel at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church.

    After a legal battle over the percentage of Black citizens in the district, a federal court redrew the map to give Black voters a better opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice. This has created the only competitive congressional race in the state between Figures and the Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson.

    Crockett urged that if Kamala Harris wins the presidency, she will need Democratic control of the House and Senate to bring her policies to reality.

    “I need better co-workers,” Crockett said. “I need people that actually want to work for the people. Right now, this has been the most unproductive Congress in the history of Congress.”
    Sewell emphasized the roles of Montgomery and Selma in the Civil Rights movement and said the new district needs to help continue that trend of making progress.
    “It’s high time that we get more representation, fairer representation in Alabama, in Congress,” Sewell said. “So I am thrilled I didn’t have to be bludgeoned on a bridge. I just had to give up Montgomery County for progress, and progress we will have if you go to the polls.”

    The panel emphasized the future of abortion rights. The U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a federal right to abortion access in its landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in a major victory for Republicans.

    ”You don’t have to be pro-choice,” Crockett said. “You can do whatever you want to with your uterus or the fact you don’t even have one. We’re not asking you to agree.”

    Kalisha Figures said childbirth is scary and noted the travel times to hospitals that deliver babies for rural Alabamians.
    “I have three times given birth,” she said. “It is scary, on face value, if you are healthy and well. It is scary. So to not have access to that care, to have to drive 60, 90 minutes in labor to get care, these are the issues we’re talking about when we talk about the state of women, right in Alabama, in this district.”

    Former AG Eric Holder also visits Alabama to campaign for Shomari Figures

    Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Mobile to bolster Shomari Figures’ campaign for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Holder, known nationally for his advocacy on voting rights and redistricting fairness, emphasized the importance of this election in the broader movement to protect democracy and ensure equitable representation.

    Holder’s support for Figures underscores the high stakes of this congressional race, which has garnered attention for its potential impact on state and national redistricting debates. As the first African American U.S. Attorney General, Holder has been a pivotal voice against gerrymandering through his work with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), where he has actively campaigned to secure fair elections across the nation. His presence in Alabama signals the importance of securing fair representation in regions where voting rights have been an ongoing battle.

    The day’s events began at 2:50 p.m. with a press conference at Figures’ campaign headquarters on Government Street. Holder then visited Great Day Latte on S. Conception Street, showcasing support for local businesses. The evening continues with Holder joining Figures at a campaign phone bank back at headquarters before a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at 6 p.m. at Big Zion A.M.E. Zion Church on S. Bayou Street. This rally will be a key event as Holder and Figures emphasize their shared commitment to a just political system that champions voting rights.

    Holder’s visit comes at a time when Alabamians are increasingly engaged in discussions around voting rights and political representation. His alignment with Figures not only strengthens the candidate’s platform but also reinforces the national focus on the significance of fair elections and civil rights advocacy.

  • EDITORIAL

    Hope vs Hate – Democracy vs. Autocracy

    The Publishers of the Greene County Democrat are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President and Vice President of the United States in the November 5th election, coming next Tuesday. We are putting our editorial above the fold on page 1 because of the importance of this election to the future of our nation.

    We have a simple choice between the hope that Kamala Harris offers us in looking forward in a progressive way, with numerous plans and programs to aid ordinary American citizens. And the dark future of hate and division that Donald Trump offers.

    It is a choice between up-holding the basic principles of democracy and freedom, like reproductive freedom for all women, or Trump’s autocratic view of “dictatorship on day one” to lead us to mass deportation of our immigrant neighbors, a national sales tax in the form of tariffs on all foreign goods, and continuing tax breaks for the rich and corporations that do not need them, and should be paying their fair share to make our economy more equitable.

    We urge you to follow the recommendation of the Alabama New South Alliance to vote a straight Democratic ticket and support the candidates that are pledged to support your interests from the top to the bottom of the ballot.

    We need every voter in Greene County, across the Black Belt, in the State of Alabama and in the U. S. to turn out and vote.
    No excuses for staying home, protest voting for third party candidates, who are inconsequential, or forgetting your basic role and power in our democracy.

    Thank- you to those who voted early, and for the rest of us, get up, get out and vote next Tuesday, as if your life depends on it because it does!

  • Newswire : Researchers launch $3.7 Million study on how structural racism accelerates aging in Black Americans

    A group of researchers from Rutgers University and Michigan State University have launched a major study to examine the long-term effects of structural racism on cognitive aging, physical decline, and frailty—particularly in Black Americans. A five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health, will support the study under the direction of Danielle L. Beatty Moody, an associate professor at Rutgers University, and Richard C. Sadler, an associate professor at Michigan State.

    The research team plans to explore how lifetime exposure to structural racism in neighborhoods affects the aging process. The study will involve 800 Black and white participants from Baltimore who have been tracked for over two decades as part of a larger project on healthy aging in diverse neighborhoods. The long-term data will allow researchers to examine the cumulative impact of historical, enduring, and contemporary markers of structural racism.

    In a news release, Moody and Sadler asserted that the study moves beyond traditional research focused only on residential segregation or redlining. “It’s not just redlining, and it’s not just segregation,” they said. “The patterns of racist, discriminatory practices go far deeper. We need to comprehensively document the full array of tools used to entrench structural racism in our urban landscapes to understand why racial inequities persist across numerous health outcomes.”

    In addition to exploring how non-Black residents in the same communities are affected, the researchers said they would investigate personal experiences with discrimination and biological and social factors that influence risk and resilience. The authors expect the study will inform strategies to address racial inequities in accelerated aging, particularly in communities where Black Americans live and age in place.

    Once completed, researchers said they would share the results with participants and local stakeholders to support ongoing advocacy and policy efforts to achieve health equity. Moody and Sadler hope the study’s findings will help drive transformative change, particularly in housing and neighborhood environments.

    “We are not only looking at the past or present,” Sadler remarked. “We’re also aiming to influence the future of health equity in communities where Black Americans continue to take the hardest hits.”
     

     

  • Newswire : Biden-Harris not giving up on easing student debt, announce more pathways to forgiveness

    Graduation at Howard University

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    The Biden-Harris Administration has announced new proposed regulations to expand student debt relief, potentially impacting around 8 million borrowers facing financial hardship. The proposal, introduced by the U.S. Department of Education, would allow the Secretary of Education to forgive loans in cases where borrowers are unlikely to repay due to severe hardship or where continued collection costs are deemed unjustified.

    “For far too long, our broken student loan system has made it too hard for borrowers experiencing heartbreaking and financially devastating hardships to access relief, and it’s not right,” said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. The proposed rules, developed through a negotiated rulemaking session in early 2024, outline two pathways for relief: automatic loan forgiveness based on predictive data for at-risk borrowers and an application-based process for those with persistent financial struggles. If finalized, the new rules would ensure lasting support for some of the most financially vulnerable Americans, including many Pell Grant recipients.

    This new initiative comes as the Biden-Harris Administration continues to press forward with efforts to alleviate student debt despite significant opposition from MAGA Republicans and setbacks imposed by the U.S. Supreme Court. In previous moves to support students and families, the Administration secured a $900 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award—the largest in a decade—and established protections against career programs that leave graduates with unsustainable debt.

    In addition to these efforts, nearly 5 million borrowers have already received debt relief through various targeted programs. The measures include $74 billion for over a million borrowers under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), up from just 7,000 approvals at the start of the Biden Administration; $56.5 billion for over 1.4 million borrowers under income-driven repayment plans, which addressed past administrative issues and improper forbearance practices; $28.7 billion for more than 1.6 million borrowers who attended schools that engaged in fraudulent practices or abruptly closed; and $16.2 billion for close to 572,000 borrowers with permanent disabilities.

    The Department of Education’s new proposal aims to provide two types of pathways to relief. The first would enable automatic forgiveness for borrowers identified through data-driven assessments as likely to default within the next two years. The second, an application-based option, would evaluate individual cases where hardship remains unaddressed by other repayment options.

    The Department plans to publish these regulations in the Federal Register in the coming weeks and open a 30-day comment period on Regulations.gov. The Department aims to finalize the regulations in 2025, broadening debt relief options and providing vital support for millions of student borrowers.

    “President Biden, Vice President Harris, and I will not stop fighting to deliver student debt relief and create a fairer, more just, and more affordable student loan system for all borrowers,” Cardona stated.

  • Newswire : Harris rises, Trump falls among Black men

    Screenshot

    By Richard Prince

    
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Journal-isms

    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Vice President Kamala Harris is gaining among Black male voters and Donald Trump’s appeal is declining, the NAACP said Monday, unveiling fresh survey information just days before election day Nov. 5.
     
    The nation’s oldest civil rights organization attributed whatever success the Republican former president has had with Black men to misinformation and disinformation on social media, which has usurped both broadcast and cable television as media of choice for younger Black voters, as well as a decline in civics education in the nation’s schools. Those who favored Trump were also the least likely to vote, they said.  
     
    At a midday press briefing, NAACP President Derrick Johnson also faulted the news media for focusing too much on “side issues, when there is a clear and present danger that should be addressed head on.” Trump supporters are seeking to create a “Jan. 6 reality,” he said.
     
    The organization found that from August to October, Black men under 50 decreased their likelihood to vote for Trump (27-21%) and increased their likelihood to vote for Harris (51-59%). The number of Black people who are certain Trump voters has declined by 11 percent since a September survey, while support for Harris has risen by 6 percent, the survey found.
     
    “Black men are the least Trump male voters in America,” said Joshua Doss, senior pollster and political strategist at HIT Strategies, which conducted the polling for the NAACP, yet media coverage has been “a little misleading,” with the exaggerations “popping up in focus groups.”
     
    NAACP officers and HIT pollsters also said they were heartened by results showing that discussion of health issues was resonating with Black men and that more than half said they planned to vote in down-ballot races, indicating that their perception of the value of “community power” was on the rise.
     
    “The concept of voter apathy is declining” among those surveyed, said Phaedra Jackson, vice president of unit advocacy and effectiveness at the NAACP, perhaps a natural consequence of the truism that more people pay attention to the election after Labor Day.
     
    Johnson called the misinformation and disinformation on social media the biggest obstacle to getting African Americans to cast ballots, saying media consumption habits were generational. The median age for African Americans is 32.
     
    The difference between the broadcast media and cable, favored by previous generations, said Johnson, is that “You have social media without any guard rails.” And “you have a whole generation who never had civics making bad choices, including not to vote.” 
     
    The NAACP is meeting the change in media habits by “meeting people where they are” — through digital media — but Johnson also said “the biggest hurdle now is an education hurdle.”  
     
    The get-out-the-vote drive is operating on many fronts, including the courts. The officials pointed to a victory this month in Nebraska, where a state Supreme Court ruled that state election officials must comply with a law allowing former felons to vote immediately after they complete their sentences instead of waiting two years.
     
    “To date, NAACP’s $20 million civic engagement program has reached over 60 million Americans through canvassing, digital outreach, community outreach, and digital, print & radio ads,” the organization added.
     
    “The NAACP has successfully ended Georgia’s Hand Count rule, prevented the disenfranchisement of thousands of WA voters, and halted Alabama’s ‘Purge Program’ through coordinated litigation.”
     
    Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee Monday announced “a first-ever seven-figure ‘I Will Vote’ ad campaign targeting Black voters through ads in 55 Black publications and on 48 Black radio stations across the country. The historic ad campaign will feature radio spots from Kerry Washington, LeToya Luckett-Coles, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder,” it said. 
     
    “This strategic investment comes on the heels of several paid ad campaigns launched by the DNC and the Harris-Walz campaign aimed at turning out and mobilizing Black voters – a critical voting bloc this election. The DNC’s ‘I Will Vote’ campaign directs voters to the DNC’s most complete, accurate, and up-to-date national coverage of polling places and voter education information all in one place to empower Black communities with the information they need to exercise their right to vote in this critical election cycle.” 
     
    In another development, BET Media Group announced Monday it will premiere the ‘BET Black Men’s Summit,’ hosted by comedian, actor, and radio host D.L. Hughley. Airing on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 10 PM ET/9 PM CT and streaming on BET+, BET.com, and across the BET social media platforms.”