#NNPA BlackPress
NNPA Celebrates the CBCF’s Annual Legislative Conference
NNPA NEWSWIRE — As the CBCF prepares for its 49th ALC, the focus for all involved will be on social, political and economic issues influencing African Americans and all individuals of African descent, said CBCF President and CEO David A. Hinson.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
The National Newspaper Publishers Association is celebrating the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).
The ALC kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member and convention co-chair Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) said the relationship between the Black Press of America and the foundation is vital. She said the NNPA, which represents African American-owned newspapers from nearly every state in the country, remains a trusted partner of the annual gathering.
“Frankly, the Black Press is the only voice that we have because our mainstream news operations would never pick up on something like this,” Wilson said.
North Carolina Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield will serve as co-chair alongside Wilson.
“The Black Press of America is the voice of our constituents. We depend upon the Black Press to get the word out to the people who are interested in what black people are up to these days,” Wilson said.
“We know there is so much uncertainty. A lot of that is because of what’s coming out of the White House. The president is so unpredictable,” she said.
“We have a president who is off-kilter, and no one can even predict what’s he going to say daily. The global community is in suspense. He’s dangerous, so we need to mobilize and, as African Americans, stay on message.”
The five-day conference has numerous partners and sponsors, including Bank of America, Coca Cola, Toyota, General Motors, and Wells Fargo.
Each year, Wells Fargo sponsors a Congressional Black Caucus Fellow. The banking giant routinely sends a contingent to the Phoenix Awards Gala, where the young men are known as the Central Park Five and the Rev. Al Sharpton will be honored.
“We also participate in the National HBCU Braintrust during the conference and typically we donate to Advancing Minorities Interest in Engineering [AMIE], a nonprofit that provides scholarships to HBCU students who study in STEM fields at 15 accredited HBCUs with engineering, math, and computer science departments,” Wells Fargo officials said in a statement.
As the CBCF prepares for its 49th ALC, the focus for all involved will be on social, political and economic issues influencing African Americans and all individuals of African descent, said CBCF President and CEO David A. Hinson.
“This year, we’re hosting two national town hall meetings which include the Commission on the Social Status of Black Boys and Men – legislation that’s being pushed by Frederica Wilson,” Hinson said.
“That’s important because what that does is it allows us to focus the nation on the circumstance of black boys and men,” he said.
“A lot of times when you hear people talk, they talk about this ‘plight.’ It’s as if there’s something inherently wrong with black boys and men.
“If you get beyond the inequities that exist within our society, if you take that away, African American boys and men have proven to be some of the most productive people in this country, and we have to look no further than Barack Obama and many of the people that served in his administration,” Hinson said.
The theme of this year’s conference, “400 Years: Our Legacy, Our Possibilities,” commemorates the first Africans landing at Point Comfort, Va. In 1619.
CBCF officials said it’s an important reminder that slavery is a part of the African American legacy and conference participants must look toward the future regarding the collective possibilities of people of African descent.
The ALC is the largest fundraiser of the CBCF. Each year, the five-day conference attracts more than 10,000 attendees to participate in the 13 signature events and over 100 policy sessions.
The members of the CBC serve as honorary hosts of issue forums and policy sessions related to topics on education, energy and the environment, criminal justice, science and technology, civic engagement and community outreach, among many others.
An 11 a.m. opening press conference, and a 4:30 p.m. Sojourner Truth Legacy Project Town Hall, will highlight the first day of the ALC.
Highlights of the conference’s second day promise to include an Emerging Leaders Power Luncheon; a National Town Hall; and the Commission on Black Men and Boys.
A Gospel Extravaganza and The Sojourner Truth Women’s Leadership Reception completes the Thursday, Sept. 12 schedule.
Policy sessions; an Exhibit Showcase; and Legacy Reception highlight Day 3.
On Saturday, a prayer breakfast featuring Yolanda Adams and the annual Phoenix Awards Dinner stand out as highlights.
The conference concludes on Sunday with a Donald M. Payne Fellowship Cruise.
“We will have different workshops that talk about the future, like the one on technology and jobs of the future for our emerging leaders,” Wilson said.
“There are a lot of disparities in health and wellness, and we’ll be talking about that. I’m proud to say that we’re be honoring our exonerated five – the Central Park Five with the Phoenix Award,” she said.
“And, for me as chair, it’s a privilege to honor the Rev. Al Sharpton, our overall winner for the entire Congressional Black Caucus. He’ll receive a Phoenix award, too. The conference will be exciting.”
#NNPA BlackPress
Chavis and Bryant Lead Charge as Target Boycott Grows
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.” The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day “Target fast,” initiated on March 3 after Target pulled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”
The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icon and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement. The NNPA is the trade association of the 250 African American newspapers and media companies known as The Black Press of America. “On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.” Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events. “You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”
He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.” Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities. “We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.” Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., the youngest attendee, captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement. “If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.
Dr. Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided. “We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said. Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises. Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement. “They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”
#NNPA BlackPress
The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt.

By April Ryan
Trump Targets Wages for Forgiven Student Debt
The Department of Education, which the Trump administration is working to abolish, will now serve as the collection agency for delinquent student loan debt for 5.3 million people who the administration says are delinquent and owe at least a year’s worth of student loan payments. “It is a liability to taxpayers,” says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s White House Press briefing. She also emphasized the student loan federal government portfolio is “worth nearly $1.6 trillion.” The Trump administration says borrowers must repay their loans, and those in “default will face involuntary collections.” Next month, the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt. Leavitt says “we can not “kick the can down the road” any longer.”
Much of this delinquent debt is said to have resulted from the grace period the Biden administration gave for student loan repayment. The grace period initially was set for 12 months but extended into three years, ending September 30, 2024. The Trump administration will begin collecting the delinquent payments starting May 5. Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Talladega College, told Black Press USA, “We can have that conversation about people paying their loans as long as we talk about the broader income inequality. Put everything on the table, put it on the table, and we can have a conversation.” Kimbrough asserts, “The big picture is that Black people have a fraction of wealth of white so you’re… already starting with a gap and then when you look at higher education, for example, no one talks about Black G.I.’s that didn’t get the G.I. Bill. A lot of people go to school and build wealth for their family…Black people have a fraction of wealth, so you already start with a wide gap.”
According to the Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/average-time-to-repay-student-loans It takes the average borrower 20 years to pay their student loan debt. It also highlights how some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. A high-profile example of the timeline of student loan repayment is the former president and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, who paid off their student loans by 2005 while in their 40s. On a related note, then-president Joe Biden spent much time haggling with progressives and Democratic leaders like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill about whether and how student loan forgiveness would even happen.
#NNPA BlackPress
VIDEO: The Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. at United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ Excellencies: With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the […]

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