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For Second Time This Week, Darrell O’Quinn Voted President of Birmingham City Council

By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson The Birmingham Times For the second time in a week, Darrell O’Quinn was elected Birmingham City Council President this time with five Councilors in support, unlike the first time when he received four votes, not enough to win, according to the Mayor Council Act (MCA), said City Clerk Lee Frazier. On Friday […]
The post For Second Time This Week, Darrell O’Quinn Voted President of Birmingham City Council first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Newly elected Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn with Council Pro Tem Wardine Alexander. (Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson, The Birmingham Times)

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By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson

The Birmingham Times

For the second time in a week, Darrell O’Quinn was elected Birmingham City Council President this time with five Councilors in support, unlike the first time when he received four votes, not enough to win, according to the Mayor Council Act (MCA), said City Clerk Lee Frazier.

On Friday in a special called meeting, Councilors Valerie Abbott (District 3); Councilors Carol Clarke (District 8); J. T. Moore (District 4) Hunter Williams (District 2), joined O’Quinn (District 5) for a total of five votes, enough for a majority with nine council members present.

“It gives me great honor that the majority of my colleagues have bestowed this honor upon me. Mostly, I’m just thankful for their confidence in me,” said O’Quinn.

Meanwhile, Councilor Clinton Woods called for an investigation into the Tuesday’s vote.

At Tuesday’s meeting, four Councilors voted in favor of O’Quinn (Abbott, Clarke, Williams, and O’Quinn) but the panel was later told 5 votes were needed according to the MCA.

O’Quinn said he learned there was an issue with the votes cast on Wednesday morning.

“It’s sort of unprecedented, I don’t know that this has ever happened in the city. Still, there are mixed emotions,” O’Quinn said. “My preference would have been that we’d gotten this over with on Tuesday. The intervening time has been a little bit stressful, but it’s done now and time for us to get back on track.”

No election was needed for the position of Birmingham Council President Pro Tempore. Councilor Wardine Alexander’s election Tuesday as Council President Pro Tempore was secured as she received five votes for her seat – Moore, O’Quinn, Tate, Clarke and Alexander also placed a vote for herself. Alexander replaced Smitherman as President Pro Tempore.

Woods said he was excited for O’Quinn, describing him “one of the hardest working councilors here at City Hall” and said he was “very deserving.”

However, Woods said he felt a “very strong conviction” to look into Tuesday’s election results and called for an investigation. “We just want to understand why that election ended without a majority vote. We’re gonna work through that,” he said. “This could take a year or two just to get fully through it, but I think it’s important to go back and look at all the correspondence and see whether or not anything inappropriate happened.”

Woods said next steps are to get the request for an investigation on the council agenda for consideration at a future meeting, which, he says, will likely be early November. He requested the item be added to the agenda at Friday’s special-called election, but needed unanimous consent. Clarke voted against adding it.

“We can’t take a violation of state law lightly, so we’ve got to do what we need to do to make sure this never happens again,” said Woods.

O’Quinn and Alexander will serve in their respective offices through 2025.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

The post For Second Time This Week, Darrell O’Quinn Voted President of Birmingham City Council first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Remembering George Floyd

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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

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By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.

As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.

Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.

We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.

The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.

We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.

Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

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Hate and Chaos Rise in Trump’s America

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains.

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 1,371 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating across the United States in 2024. In its latest Year in Hate & Extremism report, the SPLC reveals how these groups are embedding themselves in politics and policymaking while targeting marginalized communities through intimidation, disinformation, and violence. “Extremists at all levels of government are using cruelty, chaos, and constant attacks on communities and our democracy to make us feel powerless,” said SPLC President Margaret Huang. The report outlines how hard-right groups aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout 2024. Figures on the far right falsely framed DEI as a threat to white Americans, with some branding it a form of “white genocide.” After the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a former Utah legislator blamed the incident on DEI, posting “DEI = DIE.”

Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains. Similar threats hit Jewish institutions and Planet Fitness locations after far-right social media accounts attacked them for trans-inclusive policies. Telegram, which SPLC describes as a hub for hate groups, helped extremists cross-recruit between neo-Nazi, QAnon, and white nationalist spaces. The platform’s lax moderation allowed groups like the Terrorgram Collective—designated terrorists by the U.S. State Department—to thrive. Militia movements were also reorganized, with 50 groups documented in 2024. Many, calling themselves “minutemen,” trained in paramilitary tactics while lobbying local governments for official recognition. These groups shared personnel and ideology with white nationalist organizations.

The manosphere continued to radicalize boys and young men. The Fresh & Fit podcast, now listed as a hate group, promoted misogyny while mocking and attacking Black women. Manosphere influencers used social media algorithms to drive youth toward male-supremacy content. Turning Point USA played a key role in pushing white nationalist rhetoric into mainstream politics. Its leader Charlie Kirk claimed native-born Americans are being replaced by immigrants, while the group advised on Project 2025 and organized Trump campaign events. “We know that these groups build their power by threatening violence, capturing political parties and government, and infesting the mainstream discourse with conspiracy theories,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “By exposing the players, tactics, and code words of the hard right, we hope to dismantle their mythology and inspire people to fight back.”

Click here for the full report or visit http://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/year-hate-extremism-2024.

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