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Black Blood, American Freedom: How the Civil Rights Movement Protected All Races

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “I always tell people,” he said quietly, “the day the Latino, African American, Asian, and other communities realize they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 26, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

They called it Shared Chains. The episode ran on the “Blaac718” podcast, and in that dim space between sound and silence, an Asian American man spoke a truth this country has long tried to drown. “I always tell people,” he said quietly, “the day the Latino, African American, Asian, and other communities realize they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning. Because if it wasn’t for the civil rights movement, there would not be 22 million Asian Americans in this country. Your success, your prosperity, your civil rights that you enjoy right now were paid for with Black blood.” There it was. The truth this nation despises most. The truth is that America’s freedom has always been underwritten by the suffering of Black people. That the Constitution itself, written in the ink of ideals and the sweat of enslaved hands, was never worth the paper it was printed on until Black Americans forced it to be.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation and discrimination, dragging America closer to its own promises. But that act was not born from goodwill. It was born from the anguish of a people beaten, jailed, and humiliated, who still believed enough in justice to demand it from those who denied them humanity. And when the world began to change, it changed because of them. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, ending the racist quota system that favored white Europeans, he called it “a triumph for liberty.” But the liberty he spoke of was a harvest planted by Black hands and watered with their blood.

Latino farmworkers marched because Black people had marched before them. Asian Americans found a home because the civil rights movement forced open the nation’s gates. Women, people with disabilities, immigrants from the corners of the globe, all walked through doors built by those who had been shackled.
The Chicano movement, born of frustration and hunger, drew its rhythm from the same drumbeat that sounded in Montgomery and Selma. The Civil Rights Act, meant to crush Jim Crow, became the armor for others—Asian Americans who had been told they did not belong, now shielded by laws created from Black suffering.

“If it weren’t for the Civil Rights Movement, there wouldn’t have been a farmworkers’ movement,” said Vanessa Saplad, a Texas-based registered nurse whose family emigrated from Colombia. “It showed our people that protest could bring power, that dignity wasn’t something you begged for — it was something you stood up and claimed.” Added Michelle Cephus, a D.C.-based accountant and LGBTQ advocate. “The Civil Rights Movement taught us what courage looks like in the face of hate. Stonewall didn’t happen in a vacuum; it happened because people like Dr. King showed us that silence is surrender, and love is an act of resistance.”

And yet, this country forgets. It forgets with a stubbornness that borders on sin. It forgets who gave it its conscience. It forgets that every movement for equality in this land began with the Black demand to be seen as human. It forgets, and in its forgetting, it repeats. “We watched Black folks march for equality, and it gave us language for our own struggles for fair housing, for fair wages, for belonging,” said Peter De Cruz Villareal, a farm worker of Filipino descent. “Their fight taught us how to stand tall, even when the system calls you invisible.” Enrique Vasquez, a Puerto Rico native and D.C. resident, added that, “Every scholarship, every chance to speak my mind, every job that doesn’t question my accent is the echo of the Civil Rights Movement. What started for one group became a promise for all of us.” Donald Trump’s second administration has stripped away the layers of decency this nation once pretended to have. His orders have erased Black history from national institutions, silenced diversity programs, and rolled back protections that once shielded the vulnerable. The cruelty of his immigration policies has reawakened an old truth: that the machinery of oppression never sleeps. It only changes its targets.

But through every betrayal, Black Americans remain this country’s most honest mirror. When others look away, they stand and face the fire. They always have. They did in Montgomery, where a woman sat down so a nation could rise. They did in Selma, where blood mingled with river water to baptize a new generation of freedom fighters. And they did again in the streets of Minneapolis, crying for a breath that belongs to us all. In the final breath of Shared Chains, that same Asian voice spoke again. “Liberty and rights don’t exist forever,” he said. “They exist only as long as we protect them. And if you want them to continue, it won’t be Black people fighting this battle again. You will have to fight it.”

The warning hung in the air like smoke. Because every gain that America enjoys, every inch of justice, every whisper of freedom, was carved from the wounds of those who had nothing left to give but their blood. And the question, the only question that has ever mattered in this nation, still stands: when the fire comes again, who will fight?

“The Civil Rights Movement didn’t just change laws, it changed what we could dream,” said Sybil Morehead, a 67-year-old retired South Carolina teacher. “My students today sit in classrooms that my grandmother could only clean. We’re still fighting, but because of that movement, we’re fighting from the inside now, not from the outside looking in.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Michael: The King of Pop’s Story Returns to the Big Screen

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The curtain has finally lifted on one of Hollywood’s most anticipated films. Lionsgate has unveiled the official trailer and release date for “Michael,” the sweeping biopic about Michael Jackson that has been years in the making.

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The curtain has finally lifted on one of Hollywood’s most anticipated films. Lionsgate has unveiled the official trailer and release date for “Michael,” the sweeping biopic about Michael Jackson that has been years in the making. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film will arrive in theaters on April 24, 2026, with the singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, stepping into the spotlight to portray his legendary uncle.

The trailer wastes no time rekindling the aura of Jackson’s genius. Opening with a studio scene between Jackson and his longtime producer Quincy Jones, played by Kendrick Sampson, the clip builds from a quiet, familiar rhythm to the electrifying pulse of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Viewers catch glimpses of the singer’s childhood, flashes of “Thriller,” and the silhouette that redefined pop culture. Each frame reminds fans of why Jackson remains unmatched in artistry and influence. The cast surrounding the late pop king’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, reads like a who’s who of Black entertainment and music history. Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson, Nia Long portrays Katherine Jackson, and Larenz Tate takes on the role of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Laura Harrier portrays music executive Suzanne de Passe, while Kat Graham embodies Diana Ross. Miles Teller plays attorney John Branca, a towering entertainment lawyer and longtime Jackson confidant who later became co-executor of his estate. The film’s journey to release has been as complicated as the icon it portrays. Production wrapped in 2024, but legal hurdles over depictions of past controversies forced extensive reshoots and editing delays. Even so, Fuqua’s film now appears ready to reclaim the narrative, focusing on Jackson’s creative ambition and humanity beyond tabloid noise. IndieWire reported that the film had faced “a massive legal snafu” over a disputed storyline but was retooled to center the music and legacy that defined generations.

Maven. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

“Michael” promises more than a chronological retelling. It aims to explore how a child star from Gary, Indiana, became the world’s most influential entertainer. The script, written by Oscar-nominated John Logan, traces Jackson’s early years with the Jackson 5 through the triumphs and isolation of global superstardom. With Fuqua’s cinematic eye and producer Graham King—who brought “Bohemian Rhapsody” to life—joining forces with estate executors Branca and John McClain, the film is positioned as both a tribute and a restoration of Jackson’s cultural truth. Branca’s work behind the scenes has long shaped Jackson’s posthumous success. After the singer died in 2009, Branca and McClain took control of the estate burdened by debt and turned it into a global powerhouse worth billions. Under their stewardship, Jackson’s projects have generated more than $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales and landmark deals, including a $600 million joint venture with Sony earlier this year. At its heart, though, “Michael” is a story about artistry that transcends scandal. It offers a reminder that, despite the noise surrounding his life, Jackson’s music still bridges continents and generations. The trailer’s closing moments capture that spirit. As the beat of “Billie Jean” swells and Jaafar Jackson moonwalks into a spotlight, audiences are left with a familiar feeling—the awe of witnessing something timeless return home.

“Michael” opens worldwide in theaters April 24, 2026. See the official trailer here.

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Donald Trump Is the Biggest Loser

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Trump Brand took a significant hit as it was swept up in the Democratic blue wave of the election last night.

Published

4 days ago

November 5, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

The Trump Brand took a significant hit as it was swept up in the Democratic blue wave of the election last night.

Chris Jones, Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives (AR-02), says, “Last night was electric, and it was unquestionably a wave.” Democrats won big in what is widely considered a repudiation of Trump’s 9 months at the White House in his second term.

In the state of Virginia, which produced the first big election night win and saw the election of the first woman governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, 56% of Virginia’s residents disapprove of President Trump. In New Jersey, 55% of state residents disapprove of the president; in New York, 69% disapprove; and in California, 63% disapprove of the president. The Trump brand or his support for any candidates did nothing to benefit those he endorsed in this election. They actually lost in each race he publicly put his name behind. Trump endorsed former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost the New York mayor’s race in his run as an independent. And New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who ran for governor with the presidential endorsement, also lost his prospective race.

The next question is, will the democratic momentum be sustainable? Jones further explained, “This can become a 2026 tsunami, but turning a wave into a tsunami takes energy. A lot of energy. It doesn’t just happen. The conditions are there. Now we have to work!”

Some Democrats would argue that the work is already underway. The pushback against Trump’s national redistricting efforts received a thumb in the eye from California voters. Prop 50, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s counterbalance to President Trump’s redistricting efforts, passed in California last night. Although Trump’s name was not on the ballot last night, his Republican policies were. The United States has now entered the longest government shutdown in its history. Forty-two million Americans are not getting SNAP benefits. Economists are acknowledging that the government shutdown is contributing to the rise in delinquent debt in the student loan, automotive, and credit card industries. These items are among the negatives Americans are protesting against.

Compounding Trump’s political problems is a tariff battle that’s directly impacting pocketbooks. The day after the elections, the Trump administration was arguing before the US Supreme Court in favor of the president’s tariff powers. Meanwhile, President Trump‘s poll numbers are underwater, standing at a 37% national disapproval rate

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Historic Beatdown: Democrats Sweep Virginia as Speaker Don Scott and Jay Jones Make History

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — In a clear rejection of the policies of President Donald Trump, history repeated itself in Virginia.

Published

4 days ago

November 5, 2025

Oakland Post

By Lauren Burke

In a clear rejection of the policies of President Donald Trump, history repeated itself in Virginia. Democrats once again swept all three statewide offices as they did in 2017 during Trump’s first term. Abigail Spanberger easily won the office of Governor, and State Senator Ghazala Hashmi won her race over John Reid to be the next Lieutenant Governor. The victories occurred against the backdrop of a historic win in Virginia by Spanberger that will give Virginia its first woman Governor.

Spanberger’s widely predicted win over Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears was called 17 minutes after the polls closed in Virginia at 7 pm. Former Delegate Jay Jones won his race against incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares. His victory means Jones will be the first Black Attorney General in Virginia’s history. Jones’ win was particularly noteworthy since the last month of his campaign was consumed by the issue of private text messages from 2022 to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner. Republicans ran a non-stop barrage of negative ads against Jones for a month.

Del. Coyner lost her bid for re-election to Delegate-elect Lindsey Dougherty. The Dougherty race was the number one target for House Speaker Don Scott and his campaign lieutenant, Delegate Dan Helmer. Coyner’s defeat was one of at least 13 victories for Democrats who have now added to their ranks in the Virginia House to historic margins. When the Virginia General Assembly returns to session in January, there will be at least 64 Democrats in the chamber. The widespread Republican defeat is a testament to a combination of historic fundraising, Democrats running in all 100 seats, dislike of President Trump’s policies, and an ineffective top of the ticket featuring Lt. Gov. Earle Sears.

+13: Speaker Scott and Del. Helmer Hit Historic Numbers in Fundraising and Power

As the evening ended, a glaring historic fact became clearer: The Virginia House of Delegates will expand to a historic number. The change means the largest Democratic House chamber in the modern era. There were several notable wins by Democrats running for the Virginia House. They include Virgil Thornton, Lilly Franklin, and Kim Pope Adams. Speaker Don Scott and his campaign chair, Dan Helmer, undertook a record fundraising effort never before seen in Virginia’s history. The moment of success for Virginia Democrats will be viewed as a positive signal for Democrats moving into the 2026 elections.