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From the Farm to Emeril’s Kitchen: Farmer Jones Delivers the Best Collards and Produce
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The episode is called “Collard Greens for All,” and it opens at Sweet Jones Farm with Farmer Jones delivering 10–15 pounds of greens to two Baton Rouge businesses. At Southern Cofe, an urban cafe in Scotlandville near Southern University, owner Horatio Isadore has a designated display box for the local residents to grab a bag of free vegetables. “Sweet Jones Farms has some of the best products out there,” said Isadore.
The post From the Farm to Emeril’s Kitchen: Farmer Jones Delivers the Best Collards and Produce first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Candace J. Semien | Jozef Syndicate reporter
GREENBURG, La —When celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse needed great greens, his eye for flavor and freshness led him and his television crew to the fields of Sweet Jones Farm.
There, they met J’Quincy Jones Sr., who is known across St. Helena and East Baton Rouge parishes as “Farmer Jones.”
“He’s proud of his collard greens and rightfully so,” said Lagasse in voiceover. “The farm is not the biggest operation in the state, even the region — far from it — but boy, do they know how to grow good produce.”
Jones prepared 25 pounds of collard and mustard greens for season four, episode one of Emeril Cooks, Legrasse’s Roku original show.
The episode is called “Collard Greens for All,” and it opens at Sweet Jones Farm with Farmer Jones delivering 10–15 pounds of greens to two Baton Rouge businesses. At Southern Cofe, an urban cafe in Scotlandville near Southern University, owner Horatio Isadore has a designated display box for the local residents to grab a bag of free vegetables. “Sweet Jones Farms has some of the best products out there,” said Isadore.
“I guarantee before the day is over with, they will be gone,” said Jones. Next, he delivers greens to Boil-n-Roux, an exceptional Southern kitchen restaurant. “The (greens) are always fresh, as you can see, and they’re good,” said Maurice Walker, owner.
Then, the 24-minute Emeril Cooks episode goes to Greensburg, La., where Jones walks through rows of greens, corn, herbs, and tomatoes, talks to three of his goats, and works with a young farmer. He’s wearing brown cargo overalls, knee high work boots, and a straw hat held down with string around his chin. Jones’s voice is heavy with a distinct southern Louisiana twang and a passion for farming.
“I did not come from a line of family farmers. I’m a first-generation farmer. As I started finding myself, I always wanted to do something that meant something,” said Jones, who has found farming to be a “good purpose-driven life.”
One way he brings purpose is by establishing community gardens in the middle of neighborhoods so residents can pick food for free. So, the production team from Emeril Cooks follows Jones to North 38th Street in Baton Rouge to one of Louisiana’s 494 “food deserts.” The USDA identifies communities as “food deserts” because supermarkets or other food retailers that carry affordable and nutritious food are not near the residents.
There, Jones meets the Rev. Errol Domingue, pastor of Elm Grove Baptist Church, who has asked Jones to establish a community garden on a vacant lot near the church. “We want the people here in this so-called food desert to experience healthy food rather than going to buy junk,” said Domingue.
Jones and West Baton Rouge farmer Kardell Thomas go straight to work, planting tomatoes. Once completed, the church’s garden could produce a minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of seasonal vegetables a year.
“That’s powerful,” said Domingue.
After a short break, the cooking segment begins with Jones joining Emeril at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.
Collard greens from Sweet Jones Farm along with cabbage, mustard greens, radish leaves, carrot tops, and turnip greens were washed, chopped, and waiting to be cooked.
Step by step, Lagrasse prepared three of his favorite collard dishes: gumbo z’herbs, green shakshuka, and spatchcocked chicken with braised collard greens.
They were delicious, Jones said. “I take it very seriously that somebody takes my food and feeds themselves. That’s the power of growing greens to me.”
The post From the Farm to Emeril’s Kitchen: Farmer Jones Delivers the Best Collards and Produce 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.

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.

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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