By George E. Curry, NNPA Editor-in-Chief  PRETORIA, South Africa (NNPA) — A month after his death, there is a bitter struggle to define —and, in many instances, re-define — the legacy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president.“There is an attempt to do in his death what they could not do in life […]

By Jim Lobe  WASHINGTON (IPS) — If U.S. President Barack Obama conceived his foreign policy prospects for 2014 as a popular child’s board game, the snakes he will have to jump over significantly outnumber the ladders that can propel him to success.As they have since he took office five years ago, the most dangerous “snakes” […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) –The downturn in the economy and a lack of local resources have forced more Americans to live under bridges, in their cars and on the couches of other family members, according to a recent report on hunger and homelessness.The 25-city survey, conducted by the United States Conference […]

By Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON  (IPS) – The U.S. wind industry looks set to enter a period of uncertainty, with an important government subsidy expiring at the end of the month and no clear plan for lawmakers to work towards an extension.Because of the way the subsidy, known as the wind production tax credit (PTC), […]

By Jazelle Hunt, Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) —Nearly three decades ago, a handful of prominent Black activists began organizing a movement that would eventually help break the back of apartheid in South Africa and force the U.S. government and American companies to end their support of White minority rule on the continent.What was called  the […]

By Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON (IPS) —The U.S. Congress is being urged to pass “urgent” legislation that would make issues of violence against women and girls a key focus in all U.S. diplomatic efforts.The last such proposal, in 2010, was voted down on conservative concerns. But on Thursday lawmakers, activists and development workers kicked off […]

By Jazelle Hunt, Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – As President Obama continues a revised campaign to shore up American confidence in the Affordable Care Act, a new report released today points out that six out of 10 uninsured African Americans who are eligible for insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces – 4.2 million people […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The Black unemployment rate fell to a five-year low in November, according to the latest jobs report by the Labor Department, but economists saw little to celebrate as Congress inaction threatens the federal unemployment insurance programs that helps millions of families.The unemployment rate for Blacks fell […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Fifty years ago, civil rights leaders dove head-first into the on-going debate over American economic policy by placing the fight for equal employment opportunities at the forefront of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Despite their efforts, Black child poverty, Black unemployment and […]

By Jazelle Hunt, NNPA News Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) —Cheryl Lofton had never intended to be a small business owner. Her grandfather, J.C. Lofton, was the first African American to own a tailoring school and related business in Washington, D.C. She spent her summers working with him, learning the craft. She was able to earn money […]