BLACK HISTORY: Activists of the Past and Present By Judayah Murray Jackie Aina, a popular beauty YouTuber, is stepping up in the world and emerging as an important voice in the black community. Using her platforms of over 2 million subscribers on YouTube, 829,000 followers on Instagram and 280,000 followers on Twitter, Aina regularly distributes…
Freedom’s Journal and the Birth of the Black Press
By Maya King Decades before Frederick Douglass published The North Star and more than a century prior to John H. Johnson’s Jet and Ebony magazines, freedmen Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm established Freedom’s Journal. Founded in 1827, the newspaper was the first to be written and published by black Americans, thus giving birth to…
Are Black Entrepreneurs Being Locked Out of the Burgeoning Marijuana Business?
By Niaja Smith WASHINGTON –The market for marijuana is booming. Seven states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. An additional 22 states have made medical use of marijuana lawful. Along with buying marijuana to smoke, customers can now get cannabis-infused candy, cookies, brownies, sodas and cuisine prepared by specialized marijuana…
As the Floodwaters Rose, So Did Some Retailers’ Prices
After nearly every major disaster, there are reports of businesses taking advantage of desperate and dazed consumers, jacking prices up by two or three times the normal cost for the basics. This year was no different. In the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and, most recently, Maria, thousands of complaints of price gouging followed. Soon…
Is Interest in Classical Music Dying?
By Bria Nicole Stone Classical music is one of the oldest forms of music, lasting for over 400 years. In the past classical music was so popular that it was once a core class for many students during the Renaissance Era. Classical music has been a way to indicate class and social status, and many…
Haitian Immigrants Ordered to Return Home
By Tyler Brady WASHINGTON –The Trump administration announced Nov. 20 that it is ending a program that for the past seven years has allowed thousands of Haitians to live and work in the United States following a natural disaster in their country. When and Why Did the Haitians Come to the U.S.? In 2010, an…
Is It Time to Put Down Soul Food?
By Tyler Brady WASHINGTON — As we enjoy the holiday season, Americans will be involved in two of their favorite seasonal activities– shopping and eating. It is the time to dine on many of those dishes primarily reserved for this time of the year, and for black Americans, it is a chance to indulge in…
Is Chicago Really the Most Dangerous City in America?
By Tyler Brady Chicago has been dubbed “Chiraq” by some because of its alarming violent crime rate and how often its citizens are either victims or perpetrators of murder. The nickname combines the names for the nation’s third-most populous city and the war-torn country of Iraq to suggest it is the most violent city in…
What Were Those Green Berets Doing in Niger?
By Kiana Kisino After four American troops were killed in Niger this month, President Donald Trump faced backlash for telling the widow of one of the soldiers that her husband “knew what he signed up for.” Since then, questions have been raised about the U.S. presence in Niger. • Why are U.S. troops even…
What You Should Know About the Iran Nuclear Deal
By Niaja Smith WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is threatening to pull the United States out of the historic deal that it and more than two dozen other countries negotiated under former President Barack Obama to halt Iran’s efforts to build nuclear weapons. Speaking to the United Nations this week, Trump called the agreement “an…