By Julia Hotz WASHINGTON (IPS) —  Civil rights groups across the United States have withdrawn their support from a major legislative proposal that would outlaw workplace discrimination against sexual minorities, warning that recent legal developments could exempt companies on religious grounds.Five major legal advocacy groups are arguing that the legislation, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) —During a recent ceremony on Capitol Hill, lawmakers from the United States Senate and House of Representatives celebrated the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King with the Congressional Gold Medal.“The Civil Rights Act of […]

By Michelle Tullo WASHINGTON (IPS) — Rights advocates and lawmakers are expressing increased concern over the United States’ handling of the sudden influx of tens of thousands of undocumented child and female migrants from Central America.Last week, President Barack Obama announced that military bases would be converted to detention centres to house the nearly 50,000 […]

By Jazelle Hunt, Washington Correspondent  WASHINGTON (NNPA) — For most of the nearly 30 years since  Dr. Nicole Brodie’s asthma diagnosis, the athlete and Army veteran has been able to maintain an uninterrupted life, continuing to teach elementary school, coach a children’s team, and remain active. She was partly able to do this by moving […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) —One year after the United States Supreme Court gutted a key section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, “the right to vote for all is under grave threat,” says Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGNTON (NNPA) — From 2003 to 2014, student debt in America skyrocketed from $250 million to $1.2 trillion, surpassing credit card debt. As more students, especially Blacks students, rely on grants and loans to get through college, President Barack Obama has stepped up with a series of executive orders […]

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Washington Correspondent  WASHINGTON (NNPA) — As voters’ rights advocates and civil rights leaders commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 “Freedom Summer” in Mississippi, new study by the Center for American Progress finds that shifting demographics in the South can help to accelerate meaningful social and political change.The report titled, “True […]

By Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON  (IPS) — The environmental cost of the plastics used by corporations producing consumer goods likely mounts to more than 75 billion dollars a year, according to a first-time valuation released Monday by the United Nations and others.This estimate is based on the cost of everything from greenhouse gas emissions resulting […]

By Lee A. Daniels How much is a person’s innocence worth? That’s the most fundamental question framing the news that, after years of bitter dispute, a settlement has been reached in the lawsuit stemming from the notorious Central Park Jogger case that a quarter-century ago inflamed racial tensions in New York City and across the country, […]

By Marc H. Morial “We’re designed for greatness. No excuses. No apologies.”  —Lisa Nichols, CEO of Motivating the Masses and author July 3-6 is the date.  New Orleans is the place.  Empowerment is the purpose.  Iconic thought leaders and musicians bring the message.  For the 20th year in a row, Essence Magazine is organizing the […]