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Hakeem Jeffries Becomes First Black American to Lead a Major Political Party in Congress

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Jeffries said he hopes to find common ground with the G.O.P. where possible. He takes over the reins from long-time Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The 52-year-old leads a changing of the guard for Democrats, a party long headed by its most senior members, including Pelosi, 82, and South Carolina’s James Clyburn. The new leaders include Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, 59, and Pete Aguilar, 43, of California.
The post Hakeem Jeffries Becomes First Black American to Lead a Major Political Party in Congress first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2022

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have elected New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as their party leader.

The congressman, who once quoted the late Notorious B.I.G. during one of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings and has maintained a vow to oppose Republican extremism, becomes the first Black American to lead a major political party in Congress.

Jeffries said he hopes to find common ground with the G.O.P. where possible.

He takes over the reins from long-time Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The 52-year-old leads a changing of the guard for Democrats, a party long headed by its most senior members, including Pelosi, 82, and South Carolina’s James Clyburn.

The new leaders include Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, 59, and Pete Aguilar, 43, of California.

Clark takes over for Clyburn, 82, as Democratic whip, while Aguilar replaces Steny Hoyer, 83, of Maryland.

“It’s a solemn responsibility that we are all inheriting,” Jeffries remarked.

“And the best thing that we can do as a result of the seriousness and solemnity of the moment is lean in hard and do the best damn job that we can for the people.”

While Democrats will represent the House minority, “they will have a certain amount of leverage because the Republican majority is expected to be so slim and [presumptive House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy’s hold on his party fragile,” noted Lisa Mascaro of the Associated Press.

“The House’s two new potential leaders, Jeffries and McCarthy, are of the same generation but have almost no real relationship to speak of,” Mascaro wrote.

“The Democrat is known for leveling political barbs at the Republican from afar, particularly over the G.O.P.’s embrace of former President Donald Trump.”

Jeffries served as a House manager during Trump’s first impeachment and dropped a few bars from the late Notorious B.I.G. to underscore how prolific the former president’s crimes appeared.

“And if you don’t know, now you know,” Jeffries said in the quintessential mic drop moment. “We’re still working through the implications of Trumpism and what it has meant as a very destabilizing force for American democracy.”

Washington insiders – and many outsiders – have argued for some time that old-school Democrats needed to give way to a younger generation of leaders.

One journalist pointed out the “oldest member of the incoming Democratic leadership team is nearly a quarter-century younger than the youngest member” of the current Democratic leadership team.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) extends its highest respect and congratulations to the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries,” said NNPA President and C.E.O. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

The NNPA is the trade association of 235 African American-owned newspapers and media companies.

“Congressman Jeffries exemplifies the transformative leadership and vision to strengthen American democracy for all who stand for freedom, justice, equality, and equity,” Chavis asserted.

Jeffries said Democrats must continue to work together towards meaningful progress.

“The thing about us is that while we can have some noisy conversations at times about how we can make progress for the American people, what we’ve seen is that under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn, is that we’ve constantly been able to come together,” Jeffries insisted.

Maxwell Frost, the 25-year-old from Florida, perhaps best summed up the changing of the guard in the Democratic party.

Frost won the election this month as the first member of Generation Z to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he’ll serve under Jeffries’ leadership.

“I think it’s important that we have a government that looks like the people,” Frost stated.

The change in Democratic leadership comes at a time when their Republican counterparts have seized control of the House, weaponized the U.S. Supreme Court, gerrymandered congressional maps throughout the country, and have used their pulpits to spark and spread messages of hate and division.

“Americans have tended to see younger candidates as less qualified to serve in office relative to a middle-aged or older candidate,” Damon Roberts, a political scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS News.

That view partly comes from age requirements.

To serve in the U.S. House, a candidate must be at least 25. A U.S. Senator must be at least 30, while a presidential hopeful can’t be younger than 35.

“People do seem to be pretty positive toward having a younger representative,” Roberts asserted.

Stressed and sickened by thoughts of their rights and democracy slipping away, young Americans across gender, racial, geographic and education lines banded together last week to help save the Democrats from what many foresaw as a sizable midterm defeat, John Della Volpe, the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, wrote in an editorial.

“In the eyes of many young voters, this is how America meets its destiny: when the passion of the grassroots melds with the power of institutions to forge progress,” Della Volpe asserted.

“As political analysts methodically review the numbers after an election for the ages, anyone interested in the winning formula for 2024 should closely examine those between the ages of 18 and 39.”

Gerald Warburg, a professor of public policy practice at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, noted that turnover in the youth-challenged leadership of the Democratic House and Senate caucuses had frozen for decades.

Until now, all Democratic legislative leaders were over 70 years of age.

Warburg contended that both parties might now welcome the opportunity to pass the torch to a new, post-baby boomer generation with fresh ideas.

Pelosi and Democrats, Warburg said, “had the courage to step back, making way for new leaders and new ideas.”

The post Hakeem Jeffries Becomes First Black American to Lead a Major Political Party in Congress first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Remembering George Floyd

Published

5 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

6 days ago

May 23, 2025

Oakland Post

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

Oakland Post

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#NNPA BlackPress

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.

Published

6 days ago

May 23, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

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.