By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent More than four years after sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were taken out by the Supreme Court and following four attempts under a House led by Republicans, Rep. Terri Sewell’s (R-Ala.) bill to reinstate voting protections has finally passed. “Voting is personal to me ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is a living legend with more than 50 honorary degrees and a list of accomplishments the size of her beloved District of Columbia. One of the ways that Norton remains updated through her book club. “I think the book that I enjoy is ‘On ...

By Christina Cauteruci There’s a crew of new women in Congress who’ve become fast friends since the election. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have become instant progressive icons and visible markers of a long-overdue shift in legislative demographics. They’ve posted loads of selfies together, called themselves a “squad,” tweeted support ...

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire On October 11, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Eric Dreiband to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The vote was 50-47. The reaction from the Congressional Black Caucus and civil rights leaders was negative. Several groups sounded the alarm as Dreiband’s nomination moved ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Two senators – Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sen. Kamala Harris of California will serve as honorary co-chairs for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Inc.’s 48th Annual Legislative Conference scheduled Sept. 12 through Sept. 16 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. It will ...

By Julianne Malveaux When the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) holds its Annual Legislative Conference this September (Sep. 12–16), I hope there will be a tribute to one of its founders, Congressman Ron Dellums, who made his transition on July 30. Dellums was a fierce, focused fighter for justice, an anti-war activist who served in the ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Ron Dellums, the firebrand former Oakland mayor and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, who vigorously fought on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised, died on Monday, July 30. Dellums, who helped shaped politics in the Bay Area for decades, reportedly died after a long battle with prostate ...

By Rep. Cedric L. Richmond Chair, Congressional Black Caucus If you’ve been to a Black Lives Matter rally or tweeted the related hashtag recently, then the FBI might consider you a “Black Identity Extremist,” at least according to a report published by one of the nation’s top law enforcement agencies. In October, an internal FBI report titled ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire The blue wave that swept the country last week wasn’t just a victory for Democrats, but a resounding win for African American candidates, who defied the odds—and Trumpism—to make history. In Charlotte, N.C., voters elected the first female African American mayor in the city’s history, choosing Democrat Vi Lyles ...