Top Black Democrats condemn GOP election bills as grave threat to voting in America
By Chandelis Duster The highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress and a top Black state leader took aim Sunday at nation-wide Republican efforts to restrict voting access as a move that will suppress minority voting and imperil democracy in America. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn blasted bills aimed at restricting ballot access in all but three states as “a new Jim Crow,” while Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said Republican lawmakers are working in a “coordinated national strategy” to curb easy access to the ballot box. “What Republicans in Michigan are doing to try to limit access to the freedom to
Congress faces jam-packed agenda as Democrats confront divisions over legislative policy and strategy
By Ted Barrett, Daniella Diaz and Manu Raju Congress will return to Washington this week with a host of problems to address — but no clear legislative paths to resolve any of them. On immigration, the two parties are at sharp odds over what to do about the growing crisis at the Southern border. On mass shootings, there are discussions about a possible bipartisan approach to expand background checks and other gun legislation, but whether a deal can be reached that can pass Congress remains doubtful. Advancing a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s agenda — the $2 trillion-plus infrastructure and
Tishaura Jones elected St. Louis’ first Black female mayor
By Veronica Stracqualursi Tishaura Jones on Tuesday was elected mayor of St. Louis and will become the city’s first Black woman to hold that office after running on a progressive platform and a promise to reform and revitalize the city. Jones, the city’s treasurer, beat Alderwoman Cara Spencer by 2,280 votes, according to the final unofficial election results posted online by the city’s election board. Jones will be sworn into office on April 20. In her victory speech Tuesday, Jones reflected on her historic win. “This campaign can unequivocally say that we’ve begun breaking down the historic racial barriers and
Biden announces limited gun restrictions as pressure rises following mass shootings
By Kevin Liptak Facing pressure to act after a recent spate of high-profile mass shootings, President Joe Biden unveiled a package of moves Thursday that seek to address a scourge of gun violence he deemed a “blemish on the nation.” “Gun violence in this country is an epidemic,” Biden said in the Rose Garden to an audience of lawmakers and Americans touched by gun violence. “And it’s an international embarrassment.” The executive actions — which Biden repeatedly argued did nothing to impinge on the Second Amendment right to bear arms — include efforts to restrict weapons known as “ghost guns”
BIPOC Climate Justice virtual event features Gina McCarthy, Mustafa Ali
The virtual event began with an introduction by U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry, after which environmental justice leader Mustafa Santiago Ali discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s approach to climate justice with White House Advisor Gina McCarthy. The virtual event took place on April 8th. Representative Alma Adams, and Sen. Ed Markey also spoke on national climate goals and the historic Justice40 initiative Ali is the vice president of environmental justice, climate and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation. He is the founder of Revitalization Strategies and was formerly an official at the Environmental Protection Agency. A leading environmental
Biden to take first limited steps on gun control, including on ‘ghost guns’ and pistol braces
By Kevin Liptak President Joe Biden will take his first, limited actions on gun control Thursday, directing his administration to tighten restrictions on so-called ghost guns and pistol stabilizing braces that allow the weapons to be used more accurately, according to a senior administration official. The steps — which also include nominating a gun control advocate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — fulfill a commitment Biden made in the aftermath of two deadly shootings last month to take “common sense” steps right away to address gun violence. But they fall short of the sweeping actions
Only time will tell just how ‘big and bold’ Biden’s infrastructure plan is for Black Americans
Analysis by Brandon Tensley President Joe Biden’s newly unveiled $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, which is designed to revive the US’s infrastructure and tackle the climate crisis over the next eight years, offers some Black Americans hope — balanced with caution. To understand why the plan elicits hope, consider that it does something at once small and very big: It pays explicit attention to the variety of racial disparities bound up with the country’s infrastructure. For instance, Biden would spend $20 billion on “a new program that will reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic investments and ensure new projects increase
Black power in the boardroom is leading the fight for justice
Opinion by Peniel E. Joseph Black business leaders’ efforts to stop voter suppression in the wake of Georgia’s recently enacted voting bill illustrate the vanishing separation between protest and politics in America today. They also embody the work of Georgia’s most famous civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Over 70 Black executives, led by former American Express CEO Ken Chenault, signed a letter released at the end of March that pressed corporate America to take a stand on voting rights, one of the central moral and political issues in the United States today. “The new law and those
One of America’s first Black CEOs slams ‘bone-headed’ Georgia law as blatant attempt to suppress Black vote
By Matt Egan Dick Parsons had to make countless difficult decisions during his storied corporate career. The decision to speak out on Georgia’s voting law was not one of them. “This was an easy one. There is simply no excuse for what the Georgia legislature has done,” Parsons told CNN Business in his first public comments on the controversial law. Parsons, who in the early 2000s became one of the first Black CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, is among the 72 Black corporate leaders who signed a letter calling on companies to fight Republican voting restrictions. In the interview,
City removes statue of slaveowner Captain John O’Donnell from Canton Square
By WJZ Staff The statue of Captain John O’Donnell no longer stands in Canton Square in Baltimore City as of Monday night. The statue, which depicted the slave-owning merchant, came down later in the evening, months after community members and leaders petitioned for its removal. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott called it a “historical moment,” but said there are “countless” publicly named monuments and other things around the city that still need to be reassessed. “Tonight, the hostile vestige to the notorious enslaver Captain John O’Donnell no longer stands in Canton Square. This is a historical moment, however, countless publicly