According to Dr. King, the creation of a beloved community would require the American people to address three great evils of society: racism, poverty, and militarism. My friend and former colleague, the late John R. Lewis, arguably Dr. King’s most ardent disciple, often invoked the concept to buttress his calls for a “just society.” John was committed to the pursuit, but I always wondered if such were possible until recently.
poverty
Posted inEducation, Joliet, Local, News
Study finds community college system fails to produce equitable outcomes for Black students
According to a new report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on the state of Black students at community colleges, an alarming 70 percent of Black students experienced food or housing insecurity or homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report highlighted that while Black students remain disproportionately represented in community colleges, policy barriers prevent the system from producing equitable outcomes.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Business, Commentary, Community, Featured, Media, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Op-Ed
OP-ED: An Unfair Attack on an Organization Making a Difference
NNPA NEWSWIRE — For more than a decade, the nonprofit CORE Services Group has been an effective partner to New York City’s Department of Homeless Services. It runs dozens of emergency or transitional housing centers, where clients receive skills training, substance abuse treatment, shelter and other critical services. Time and again, the city has turned to CORE to help fight the chronic problem of poverty and homelessness.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Business, Commentary, Community, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Economy, Featured, James Clyburn, Law, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Op-Ed, Politics
COMMENTARY: Build Back Better balances Joe Biden’s 3-legged Stool
NNPA NEWSWIRE — In March, Democrats passed President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) without a single Republican vote. In addition to making sure we had enough vaccines and getting them out quickly and equitably, the ARP scaled up testing and tracing and addressed the shortages of personal protective equipment. The ARP expanded the Child Tax Credit, which lifted nearly half of America’s children living in poverty out of poverty, and the Earned Income Tax Credit; the House-passed Build Back Better legislation will extend these expanded tax credits through 2022.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Commentary, Community, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Featured, Health, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Op-Ed, Politics
OP-ED: A Black Happy Thanksgiving 2021
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Poverty and unemployment within our families and communities are now on a steady decrease after years of increasing economic disparities even before the devastating impact of COVID-19 on Black America. We express our condolences to those families who have suffered deaths from that deadly pandemic that continues to disproportionately hit our communities.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Community, Education, Featured, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics, Sacramento Observer
California Education Leaders Discuss Black Student Disparities
SACRAMENTO OBSERVER — “Students don’t see themselves in those who are teaching them. And those who are teaching them — while well meaning — do not see equity from a racial or social justice lens.” Said California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Pamela Haynes. “We have to racialize this. We have got to call it as we see it, because it is Black and Brown students who are not being served by our institutions.”
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Community, Featured, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics
Study: Poor, Low-Income Voters Comprised Over One-Third of Those Casting Ballots in 2020 Presidential Election
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The study, titled “Waking the Sleeping Giant: Low-Income Voters and the 2020 Elections” also shows that of the 168 million people who voted in 2020, 59 million — 35% — were poor or low-income, meaning they have an estimated annual income of less than $50,000. The 2020 presidential elections saw the highest voter turnout in U.S. election history, including among low-income voters.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
JJC celebrating Diversity Week, Latinx Heritage Month
Joliet Junior College is conducting multiple events in observance of Diversity Week and Latinx Heritage Month through mid-October.
Diversity Week events Oct. 4-8 are sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Compliance, Office of Student Activities and the Center for Multicultural Access and Success.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Pritzker announces $327 million in Household Assistance Available for low-income families in Illinois
Governor JB Pritzker today joined the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and community partners to announce $327 million in Help Illinois Families assistance now available through the Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG). The program offers expanded services to support Illinois’ most vulnerable residents with rent, utilities, food and other household expenses regardless of immigration status.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Business, Community, Family, Featured, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics, Stacey M. Brown
Challenges Abound in Repairing America’s Foster Care System
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Part of the reason the system is broken is that the very people it is intended to help and serve are not being served,” said Dr. Tammy Lewis Wilborn of Wilborn Clinical Services LLC. “Their emotional and psychological needs are not being addressed. Some young people have spent most of their lives in foster care and they are not receiving the social skills to be able to function.”
