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Inspired by Dick Gregory, This D.C. Vegan is Still Teaching a Healthy Diet By Any Greens Necessary
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Dubbed a “Food Hero” by Vegetarian Times magazine, Tracye L. McQuirter has helped thousands of people turn to veganism. In addition, she created the 10 Million Black Vegan Women Movement to change the paradigm of Black women’s health. She also authored “Ageless Vegan” and “By Any Greens Necessary.”
The post Inspired by Dick Gregory, This D.C. Vegan is Still Teaching a Healthy Diet By Any Greens Necessary first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
[This post contains video, click to play]
When Dick Gregory died in 2017 at the age of 84, many chose to remember his comedic genius.
Most properly credited him with inspiring greats like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock.
Others recalled how the multi-talented entertainer became a prolific freedom fighter in the civil rights movement.
But District resident Tracye McQuirter will never forget how Gregory inspired her to change her eating habits and, ultimately, her life.
“When I was a sophomore at Amherst College in the 1980s, our Black Student Union brought Dick Gregory to campus to talk about the political, economic, and social state of Black America,” McQuirter reflected on the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s live daily morning program, Let It Be Known.
“Instead, he decided to talk about the plate of Black America and how unhealthfully most folks eat. This was in 1986, and we didn’t know that Dick Gregory had become a nutrition guru.”
McQuirter said she only knew Gregory as a comedic legend and civil rights icon.
She also recalled that at the time of Gregory’s visit, she “was completely uninterested in healthy food.”
“But what grabbed me was when he started to trace – graphically – the path of a hamburger from a cow on a factory farm, through the slaughterhouse process, to a fast-food restaurant, to a clogged artery, to a heart attack. I had never heard anything like that before,” McQuirter stated.
While she and her two siblings grew up in a home where her mother made food from scratch each day, and vegetables were aplenty, her sugar-drinking, candy-eating cousins only heightened her interest in sugary products.
“At that time, I was going through a paradigm shift. I was taking a lot of political science and African American studies classes and learning about imperialism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism for the first time or in new ways. It was changing my awareness and sense of self,” McQuirter remarked.
“I had also decided to stop relaxing my hair and wear it naturally. And it was with this new consciousness that I listened to Dick Gregory’s lecture.”
The lecture opened McQuirter’s eyes, and she could quickly survey the landscape, where the District proved a bastion of Black vegetarians and vegans long before today’s popularity.
“I immersed myself in this community taking cooking classes, attending lectures, going grocery shopping, asking hundreds of questions, and getting mentored,” McQuirter noted. “So, I learned how to be vegan from this community after I learned why to be vegan from Dick Gregory.”
Since then, McQuirter has earned her stripes as a transformative leader in plant-based nutrition and Black women’s health.
Dubbed a “Food Hero” by Vegetarian Times magazine, McQuirter has helped thousands of people turn to veganism. In addition, she created the 10 Million Black Vegan Women Movement to change the paradigm of Black women’s health.
She also authored “Ageless Vegan” and “By Any Greens Necessary.”
McQuirter also created the first free African American Vegan Starter Guide. The New York Times cited her work as a critical factor driving the rise in veganism among African Americans.
“Dick Gregory rocked my world when he made all these connections, and now it’s been 35 years,” said McQuirter, an advisor for the Black Women’s Health Imperative and Spelman College.
McQuirter, who also studied at Howard University, works as an adjunct professor at the University of the District of Columbia Center for Nutrition, Diet, and Health.
She holds a master’s degree in Public Health Nutrition from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Black Studies from Amherst College.
“Animals get their proteins from plants,” McQuirter explained.
“You get your proteins second-hand – from muscle tissues built from plants feeding animals. It’s normal and natural to get protein from plants, and to eat plants directly instead of going through the slaughterhouse process is best.”
She concluded:
“You get the bad with animals – the saturated fat and cholesterol that leads to diabetes, cancers, stroke, and hypertension. All of these we know affect African Americans the most.”
McQuirter said she understands there are too many food deserts and food insecurity in communities of color. However, she believes the resources are there to overcome those challenges.
“If you’re able to grow your food, that’s the best,” she said. “If you go to a Farmer’s market, they will have organic fruits and vegetables, and that’s great; if organic foods aren’t available, then get non-organic and wash the food well. So, it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition.”
The post Inspired by Dick Gregory, This D.C. Vegan is Still Teaching a Healthy Diet By Any Greens Necessary first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Federal Raids Target Migrant Kids, Split Families
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Trump administration has reportedly removed at least 500 migrant children from their homes across the United States and placed them into government custody, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
The Trump administration has reportedly removed at least 500 migrant children from their homes across the United States and placed them into government custody, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The children, many of whom were living with family members or other vetted sponsors, were taken during so-called “welfare checks” carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies. According to CNN, the operations are part of a larger campaign launched shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, with federal authorities setting up a “war room” inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review data on children who entered the country alone and were later released to sponsors. Officials have used the room to coordinate efforts between agencies, including ICE and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which oversees the custody of unaccompanied migrant children.
Trump officials claim the effort is aimed at protecting children placed in unsafe conditions or with unqualified sponsors, pointing to cases where children were released to individuals with criminal backgrounds or those involved in smuggling. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the welfare checks have led to the arrests of some sponsors and the transfer of children into ORR custody. Federal data shows more than 2,500 children are currently in ORR custody. CNN reported that the average stay has grown significantly, from 67 days in December 2024 to 170 days by April 2025. Former Health and Human Services officials say new vetting rules—including income requirements, government-issued ID, and DNA tests—have made it far more difficult for parents and guardians, particularly those who are undocumented, to reclaim their children.
In some cases, reunifications that had already been scheduled were canceled. A recent lawsuit details how two brothers, ages 7 and 14, remain in government care because their mother cannot meet new documentation requirements under the revised policies. Mark Greenberg, a former senior HHS official, stated that the approach puts children in a difficult situation. “To the extent, the goal is to determine whether children are in danger or in need of help, this isn’t a good way to do that because it creates fear that anything they say could be used against their parent or family member,” he said. Immigration enforcement agents reportedly have visited children’s homes and asked about their journey to the U.S., school attendance, and upcoming immigration court appearances. Legal advocates say these visits, which sometimes include the FBI, are not standard child welfare procedures and can create fear and confusion among minors.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed the agency’s role, saying, “Protecting children is a critical mission for the FBI, and we will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to secure their safety and well-being.” Multiple outlets noted that the Trump administration has not provided clear evidence that large numbers of children are missing. Instead, it has referenced a Department of Homeland Security inspector general report from 2023 that noted more than 291,000 unaccompanied minors had not received notices to appear in immigration court. Former officials note that these figures do not necessarily indicate that the children are missing; some lacked updated addresses or were affected by administrative backlogs.
Within HHS, officials were instructed to expedite policy changes. Former ORR Ombudsman Mary Giovagnoli stated that a senior ICE official, Melissa Harper, was temporarily appointed to lead ORR. Her short tenure was followed by Angie Salazar, another former ICE official who now frequently communicates with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Trump’s team argues the Biden administration allowed thousands of unaccompanied children to enter the country without sufficient oversight. Jen Smyers, a former ORR deputy director, stated that all sponsors underwent thorough vetting, including Department of Justice background checks and reviews of the sex offender registry. “No amount of vetting is a predictor of the future,” she said. The Miami Herald recently reported that a 17-year-old foster child in Florida was removed from his home in shackles and transferred to ICE custody. The boy and his mother had crossed the border without documentation, but he had been living in a state-supervised foster placement. The case raised concerns about the state’s cooperation with federal enforcement and the message it sends to immigrant families. Concerns about federal custody of vulnerable children are not confined to immigration.
In North Carolina, a 7-month-old baby died after being left in a hot minivan by her foster mother, who now faces charges of negligent child abuse and involuntary manslaughter. In Hawaii, dozens of children have been forced to sleep in government offices and hotels due to a shortage of foster placements. In North Dakota, a foster couple has been charged in the death of a 3-year-old after surveillance footage showed the child being repeatedly assaulted. “These cases show what happens when systems meant to protect children fail them,” said Laura Nally, director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights Children’s Program. “There’s a growing concern that these welfare checks are being used to carry out mass detentions of sponsors and unnecessarily return children to government custody.”
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Protests of a Costly and Historic Parade
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — President Trump is planning an elaborate and costly celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with his birthday.

By April Ryan
It will rain on President Trump‘s parade on Saturday if most weather forecasts correctly predict the chance of storms. President Trump is planning an elaborate and costly celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with his birthday. When asked if he plans to attend the massive D.C. celebration, New York Democratic Congressman Greg Meeks exclaimed,” Heck no!” He elaborated, saying, “It is clear to me that what Donald J. Trump is trying to do is to emulate Vladimir Putin.” Trump and Putin, the Russian president, are friends. Meeks feels “that’s where he initially got the idea from when he saw the tanks going down the street and how people bow down to Vladimir Putin, how…that authoritarian runs his country where no one questions what he does.”
Meanwhile, around the nation 1600 protests are scheduled to coincide with what is happening in Washington, D.C. Democratic Congressman Al Greene confirms he will attend several “No King Day” protest rallies and marches in his home state of Texas. The congressman questions the president’s comments about using “force” for anyone trying to stop the parade. Reverand William Barber plans to be in Philadelphia on Saturday. “We are having a rally bringing people together,” the civil rights leader confirmed. The leader of Repairers of the Breach added, “Those rallies are gonna be massive and multiracial of every race, color, creed, religion, geographic area, so this is not a moment. We must have a constant movement.”
Weeks ago, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser warned the parade, and all its military might, and pageantry would cost “many millions of dollars” just to repair District streets after the heavy artillery tanks rolled down the historic roads in the nation’s capital. Tall gates and other barricades around the White House are part of the parade’s security measures. The Secret Service has warned of a high-security presence in the area for the parade. You can expect to see military tanks, dozens of other military vehicles, and thousands of service members marching along a route stretching nearly four miles from the Pentagon to the White House.
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Critics Question 2024 Results as Musk Tactics Surface
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Now, a Wisconsin nonprofit has filed a legal complaint accusing Musk, his America PAC, and a Musk-affiliated group called United States of America Inc. of violating state election laws by bribing voters.

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2024 has reignited questions about election integrity, particularly after his remarks thanking Elon Musk for what he called a “landslide” win in Pennsylvania. “He knows those computers better than anybody… all those vote-counting computers,” Trump said. “So, thank you to Elon.” The comment set off alarm, including Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett. “So, Trump is rambling on about he and Elon rigging the election?! Am I missing something or is he confessing to yet another damn crime?!” she posted on social media.
Now, a Wisconsin nonprofit has filed a legal complaint accusing Musk, his America PAC, and a Musk-affiliated group called United States of America Inc. of violating state election laws by bribing voters. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and two voters allege Musk handed out $1 million checks and that his PAC paid $100 to registered voters who signed petitions and gave their contact information. Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value over $1 to encourage someone to vote. The complaint also cites violations of the state’s lottery ban. The plaintiffs are asking a court to declare the actions illegal, prevent future violations, and award damages if applicable.
The lawsuit follows a failed attempt by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to block Musk’s actions earlier this year. Kaul argued that Musk’s conduct amounted to illegal inducement, but courts declined to intervene before the April state Supreme Court election. Jeff Mandell, president and general counsel for Law Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said this new case is being filed under more typical legal timelines. “We’re trying to create … accountability in a more regular timeline, in a way that gives the courts the opportunity to look at this more carefully,” Mandell said.
Musk, who served briefly as a Trump adviser and led a short-lived federal agency focused on cost-cutting, has denied wrongdoing. He initially promoted the giveaways as rewards for early voters but later revised eligibility criteria following legal scrutiny. The controversy has added fuel to growing concerns over anomalies in places like Rockland County, New York, where Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly received virtually no votes despite Democratic victories in other races. “We know exactly what happened and how it unfolded, and we’re asking the court to say this is not acceptable,” Mandel has said.
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