National

Leaders Urge Patience In Achieving Change After Emanuel Nine

Published

11 years ago

July 17, 2015

Oakland Post

Dot Scott

by Barney Blakeney
Special to the NNPA from The Charleston Chronicle

It’s been some three weeks since nine worshippers at Emanuel AME Church were gunned down at a Bible study session in the church. After the shootings the community and nation displayed an unprecedented outpouring of compassion for he victims and survivors as well as outrage at the racism that prompted the atrocity.

Since the shootings the state and nation has bonded to remove the Confederate Flag as a political and social symbol of the racist hatred made evident by the atrocity. And now after Emanuel’s dead has been buried, local civil rights leaders say the substance of the racism and hatred the flag represents will take more time and patience.

As the nation learned of the July 17 atrocity at Emanuel immediate calls to stop the racism led to the action on the Confederate Flag, an action that began in 1999. Charleston NAACP President Dot Scott said her organization already has started to hold discussions with local businesses and institutions to address discrimination.

But she cautions that the community shouldn’t think that racial discrimination that’s existed centuries will change in three weeks.

“We need to change some things like what happens in employment and public education and we need concrete change. But we must remember it hasn’t even been a month since those nine people were killed at Emanuel. That was a game changer and things are changing as evidenced by the removal of the flag. Two weeks before July 17 we wouldn’t even have had that discussion.”

“Now we’re beginning to see people like Gov. Nikki Haley and others working to make a difference. But we shouldn’t delude ourselves to think things will be fixed overnight,” Scott said.

Rev. Nelson B. Rivers, pastor of Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston and vice president of Operations and Religious Affairs for the National Action Network said economic empowerment is a change that must become a reality for African Americans after the sacrifice of the Emanuel Nine. While Blacks today have more money and education than ever before in American history, as a group they still don’t possess economic opportunity.

Citing the outpouring of compassion from whites after the atrocity at Emanuel, Rivers said, “We have to ask is this just a guilt trip or an opportunity to change the dynamics of racism in America.” He pointed to Charleston County School Board’s decision to name a candidate overwhelmingly opposed by Blacks and others as its new superintendent as an example of some people’s refusal to change.

“The deaths of the nine people at Emanuel didn’t mean jack to the school board. If they didn’t respect us in a time of our worst crisis, can we expect them to change in good times?” However he optimistically added, “We fought for the removal of the flag for 15 years and in just two weeks after Emanuel it’s coming down.”

But like Scott, Rivers said issues such as expanding Medicare, ceasing attacks on voting rights, employment discrimination and discrimination in criminal justice and incarceration will require patience. And renegotiating the relationship between Blacks and whites, he said.

“Renegotiating means if they don’t do business with us, we won’t do business with them. Collectively, as a community, we have to renegotiate a relationship that requires making structural changes in how things operate. First we must have that conversation within the Black community and ask ourselves if we are ready to renegotiate. Then we can go to others and let them know we don’t want more conversation. We want renegotiating.”

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Oakland Post: Week of June 3 – 9, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 3 – 9, 2026

Published

17 minutes ago

June 9, 2026

Oakland Post

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Study: Waiting Lists for Child Care Assistance Nearly Doubled

BLACKPRESS USA NEWSWIRE — “Since the expiration of tens of billions of dollars in federal child care funding in 2023 and 2024, an already fragile child care system has been pushed even closer to the brink.”
The post Study: Waiting Lists for Child Care Assistance Nearly Doubled appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

9 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Oakland Post

By National Women’s Law Center

The National Women’s Law Center released its annual State Child Care Assistance Policies report, finding that the number of children placed on waiting lists for federally funded child care assistance nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025 — and that number has only continued to grow.

The report serves as a key resource for state lawmakers, advocates, and policymakers by tracking state child care assistance policies and identifying where states are strengthening support for families and early educators — or falling behind.

“This deeply troubling increase in the number of children on child care waiting lists is the result of a failure to invest in this crucial sector,” said Karen Schulman, senior director of state child care policy and author of the report. “Since the expiration of tens of billions of dollars in federal child care funding in 2023 and 2024, an already fragile child care system has been pushed even closer to the brink.”

Key findings in the report related to waiting lists for child care assistance include:

• 17 states had waiting lists or a freeze on intake for child care assistance in February 2025, up from 13 states in February 2024.

• Approximately 106,700 children nationwide were added to waiting lists between February 2024 and February 2025, bringing the total to 225,500 children in February 2025 — a 90 percent increase compared to February 2024.

• The numbers climbed even further between February 2025 and summer/fall 2025, with more than 175,000 additional children added to state waiting lists in just a few months — a 78 percent increase.

• At least seven states newly began placing families on waiting lists or freezing intake, while at least 10 additional states saw their waiting lists grow, after February 2025.

The report also includes state-by-state data on key child care assistance policies, including income eligibility limits, parent copayments, provider payment rates, and eligibility policies for parents searching for work.

Click the link to learn more: Warning Signs: State Child Care Assistance Policies 2025.

The post Study: Waiting Lists for Child Care Assistance Nearly Doubled appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Venus Williams Calls a Sabalenka Exit a Tragedy

ROLLING OUT — Crucially, Williams did not read the comment as a real farewell. She said she did not believe Sabalenka truly wanted to leave, calling such an outcome a loss for both the player and the sport.
The post Venus Williams Calls a Sabalenka Exit a Tragedy appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 day ago

June 7, 2026

Oakland Post

The seven-time major champion read frustration, not a real goodbye, in the world No. 1’s words

By David Kesiena | Rolling Out

When the world’s top-ranked player said she wanted to walk away from the sport, Venus Williams chose empathy over alarm.

Aryna Sabalenka’s blunt remark after her French Open quarterfinal collapse rattled plenty of fans, but Williams heard something different in it. The seven-time Grand Slam champion treated the comment as the raw reaction of a hurting athlete rather than a serious signal about her future.

The collapse that triggered the comment

Sabalenka looked headed for a routine win over Diana Shnaider. She took the opening set 6-3 and built a commanding lead in the second, climbing to 4-1 and later serving for the match at 5-4 while sitting just two points from victory.

Then everything unraveled. Shnaider stormed back to steal the second set 7-5 and bageled the world No. 1 in the third, with Sabalenka dropping 12 of the final 13 games in gusty conditions that reached around 26 mph. The 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 result sent Shnaider into her first Grand Slam semifinal and extended Sabalenka’s long wait for a maiden Roland Garros title.

In the aftermath, Sabalenka did not soften her feelings. She told reporters she had no thoughts and no emotions left and felt like quitting on the spot. She described being stuck in a deep, dark mental hole during the match, unable to find her way back.

What Venus Williams said about Sabalenka

Williams reacted with understanding. She admitted the moment made her sad and said she had been swept up in Sabalenka’s emotions, feeling a surge of empathy for her. She praised the Belarusian for laying everything bare on court, where every feeling shows.

Crucially, Williams did not read the comment as a real farewell. She said she did not believe Sabalenka truly wanted to leave, calling such an outcome a loss for both the player and the sport. Rather than scold her, Williams offered a gentle observation about the rhythm of professional tennis. She suggested players might benefit from a little more time to gather themselves before stepping in front of the cameras, a quiet acknowledgment that athletes are routinely asked to dissect painful defeats before the sting has faded.

Sabalenka walks it back

The story did not end on that bleak note. Within days, Sabalenka signaled she was not actually quitting, framing the press-conference outburst as heat-of-the-moment honesty rather than a plan. At the time of the loss she had also left the door open, saying she would see how she felt in a few days and hoped to get back on track mentally. The walk-back lined up with how Williams had read the situation from the start.

It is not the first time a Paris quarterfinal has pushed Sabalenka to her limit. In 2024 she exited at the same stage and skipped her press conference entirely because of illness, with the tour later releasing her quotes on her behalf. The pattern underscores how heavily this particular tournament has weighed on her despite deep runs in recent years.

For now, attention shifts to the grass. Wimbledon offers Sabalenka a quick chance to reset, and a strong showing there would turn this French Open meltdown into a footnote rather than a turning point.

Originally published by Rolling Out — https://rollingout.com.

The post Venus Williams Calls a Sabalenka Exit a Tragedy appeared first on BlackPressUSA.