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 […]
Black unemployment dips to 5-year low
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 […]
New Report Calls for Full Employment
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 […]
Booming entrepreneurship among black women
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 […]
Conference tackles the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS
By Freddie Allen, Washington Correspondent, NNPA News Service WASHINGTON (NNPA) — In 1992, Beverly Becton, addicted to drugs and suffering from pneumonia, began to scream as she sat in a hospital room alone at the D.C. General Hospital in Southeast, Washington, D.C.“Oh, God, why me? Oh, God why me?” Becton screamed.Becton had just learned that […]
U.S. Officials hint at reservations on final nuclear deal
By Gareth Porter WASHINGTON (IPS) —The “first step” agreement between Iran and the United States that was sealed in Geneva over the weekend is supposed to lead to the negotiation of a “comprehensive settlement” of the nuclear issue over the next six months, though the latter has gotten little attention.But within hours of the agreement, […]
Obama gets more time for Iran nuclear deal
By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON (IPS) — The administration of President Barack Obama appears to have succeeded in preventing Congress from enacting new sanctions against Iran before the next round of nuclear-related talks between the U.S. and other great powers and Tehran scheduled for Geneva Nov. 20.As a result, optimism that at least an interim deal […]
Kennedy died, but the haters did not win
By Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. NNPA Columnist Fifty years ago, on a cold day in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. To my mind, what is extraordinary about the Kennedy assassination is that the haters did not win. Instead, crucifixion led to resurrection. As a result, for decades, African-American homes across […]
Subtle racism damages health
By Jazelle Hunt, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) —“My office says my name, Rachel, on the door. I am the only one who sits in it. People constantly walk in, see me, and say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry…I’m looking for Rachel.’ I’m half black.”“Upon hearing that I had secured an internship for the summer, my roommate […]
Economic Policy Institute (EPI)
By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON (IPS) — U.S. state legislators and corporate lobbies have engaged in an unprecedented attack on minimum wages that has lowered U.S. labor standards, according to new research released recently.The report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a think tank here, is the first of its kind, providing a comprehensive overview of […]