CATEGORIES

Kamala Harris leads Bloody Sunday memorial as marchers' voices ring out for voting rights

Vice President Kamala Harris told thousands gathered for the 59th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attacks on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, that fundamental freedoms--including the right to vote, are under attack in America even today.

Descendant of judge who wrote infamous Dred Scott decision pens a play about where we are now

Writer and actor Kate Taney Billingsley has been thinking a lot about America's racial history and her family's part in it. One of her ancestors had an outsized role.

Saluting Philadelphia and area African American Male Elected Officials

In the first and third weeks of the month of February 2024, I chose to shine the spotlight on African American women elected officials from Philadelphia, from the very first woman elected in PA to the State House to our most current success in Philadelphia’s 100th Mayor, Cherelle L. Parker.

Rep. Ken Buck's sudden retirement yet another setback for a reeling GOP House leadership

Ken Buck is fed up. The Republican law-maker from eastern Colorado already announced (last November) that he would retire from Congress at the end of his term. But now that apparently is not soon enough.

Today let's celebrate the Life and Work of Vivian T. Miller longtime Clerk of Quarter Sessions in Philadelphia

As I think back on the life of the late Vivian T. Miller, I think about an African American queen from Philadelphia who was small in stature and size but could throw a powerful political punch when needed.

Stay healthy and independent with the Senior Nutrition Program

Are you eligible for Social Security retirement benefits or already receiving them? Did you know you can also receive healthy meals and other nutrition services through the National Senior Nutrition Program? Local meal programs in communities across the country are waiting to serve you.

Pennsylvania House speaker pushes for same-day registration and widely available early voting

The Pennsylvania House speaker said Monday that qualified residents should be able to register to vote at polling places on the day of elections and that early voting centers should be open for two weeks beforehand.

Department of State Launches Responsive Training Program for County Election Directors

In keeping with Governor Shapiro’s commitment to ensure safe and secure elections in Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt launched the Department of State’s new Election Directors Training Team, providing election administration education and support to Pennsylvania’s county election directors.

CIVICS 101

Thursday, March 14, 2024, eyes across the City of Philadelphia were locked in on Philadelphia City Hall and the first budget address made by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

Shapiro Administration announces expansion of access to doulas through change in medicaid, highlights budget investments to improve maternal health

LANCASTER, PA, March 26, 2024 - Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and Department of Health (DOH) Acting Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen today visited Patients R Waiting to discuss the Shapiro Administration’s recent work to address maternal health disparities through expanded Medicaid access to doulas.

Racist anti-immigrant hysteria is aimed at blinding voters to reality

“The bomb outrage in New York emphasizes the extent to which the alien scum from the cesspools of the Old World has polluted the clear spring of American democracy.

CLEAR Commission Holds First Meeting, Establishes Review Committees

The Pennsylvania Citizen Law Enforcement Advisory and Review (CLEAR) Commission announced its first meeting was held yesterday to assist law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction with improving their policing practices. The meeting was an organizational meeting, with the Commission establishing bylaws and creating committees to review internal investigations.

Queen Mother Moore

\"No one has done more to integrate claims for reparations for African Americans into Black activism than \"Queen Mother\" Audley Moore.

The Proof and Power of The Resurrection

The Resurrection must be Preached, if we are to hear the gospel of Christ.

Immigration is on Americans' minds. And politicians are seizing the opportunity

When I saw Donald Trump take an interest in the horrible killing of a Georgia nursing student, I was swept by a profound sense of having been here before.

Schools are a measure of the health of our democracy

Educating our children is our essential duty – for their futures, their families, their communities, and our country. For all the furious debate about schools, what’s clear is that we have to do better.

King brings Shirley's story to forefront

Have you seen “Shirley” the Netflix film that focuses on the historic presidential run of Shirley Chisholm? Oscar-winner Regina King stars as Chisholm and also serves as producer alongside her sister Reina (who also appears in the film as Chisholm’s sister Murial).

More Black women say abortion is their top issue in the 2024 election, a survey finds

More than a quarter of female Black voters describe abortion as their top issue in this year's presidential election, a poll out Thursday from health policy research firm KFF reveals.

Calie House Reparations Pioneer

Reparations or compensation for the ills and devastation of enslavement, apartheid, and racial and pigmentation oppression is a controversial and contentious topic.

Schools are a measure of the health of our Democracy

Educating our children is our essential duty - for their futures, their families, their communities, and our country.

Exploring Black Strategic Mothering: Insights from Dr. Riché J. Daniel Barnes

On Monday, March 18, 2024, Rutgers University Camden hosted a discussion on Black Strategic Mothering and the School “Choice” Market, organized by The Blackademics Faculty Group and Gender Studies.

Philadelphia's New Mayor proposes innovative bold budget to move the city forward

Mayor Cherelle Parker entered Council Chambers on Thursday, March 13, 2024, to deliver her iconic Budget Address, in which she proposes $6.3 billion dollars in spending to achieve her “One Philadelphia” initiative.

Gaza is the scene of an indefensible humanitarian catastrophe

Politics no longer stops at the water’s edge – nor should it. The presidential race already features deep divides over U.S. foreign policy – on NATO (Biden embracing; Trump scorning), on Putin (Biden negative; Trump favorable), on climate change (Biden addressing the threat; Trump dismissing it); on democracy (Biden championing; Trump undermining).

The IRS has 940,000 unclaimed tax refunds from 2020 that are about to expire. Is one of them yours?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS is warning taxpayers that they may be leaving more than $1 billion on the table.

Plan for your future during Financial Literacy Month

We celebrate Financial Literacy Month (FLM) every April to promote financial education and well-being in the United States.

Sculpture park aims to look honestly at slavery, honoring those who endured it

Visitors to the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park wind a serpentine path past art pieces depicting the lives of enslaved people in America and historic exhibits, including two cabins where the enslaved lived, before arriving at a towering monument.

Ella Baker

As Women’s History Month continues, I wanted to highlight, again another transforming woman whose name I hope young people will learn: Ella Josephine Baker.

Shapiro Administration celebrates Earn-As-You-Learn success stories at First Awards Ceremony for Registered Apprenticeships

PITTSBURGH, PA – Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker joined Pittsburgh labor and workforce development leaders to recognize four outstanding organizations and individuals who have embraced the earn-as-you-learn model of registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship to create economic opportunity for Pennsylvania communities and families.

With police departments facing a hiring crisis, some policies are being loosened to find more cadets

Faced with gaping vacancies in its police force and concerns about public safety, the Philadelphia Police Department had to think creatively about how to get more candidates in the door. The answer? Fewer pushups.

Honoring a Legacy: Unveiling Marian B.Tasco's Mural at Finley Recreation Center

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, the Finley Recreation Center in Mt. Airy held a special Women's History Month program organized by its Advisory Council to celebrate and honor exceptional women making a difference in the community.