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NNPA EXCLUSIVE — Biden Says, ‘The Black Vote Will Determine the Nominee’
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I got started in the African American community. I got involved in the Civil Rights Movement when I was a kid. I helped de-segregate a movie theater, that kind of thing,” Biden noted. “I was the only guy who worked in the projects on the East Side who was White. That’s how I got started, and the Black community is the community that, as we say, brung me to the dance. That’s how I got elected.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
A sincere and open former Vice President Joe Biden spoke candidly to the Black Press during an interview Tuesday with Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
The interview was broadcast live from The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. Biden and Chavis were joined by publishers and leaders from the Black Press of America.
The Democrat, who famously hails from Delaware, laid out an aggressive agenda that he said would undo the severe damage President Trump has inflicted upon communities of color and the poor.
“I come from a state where we have the eighth-largest Black population in America, and we have a lot in common with South Carolina in a sense that we were part of Brown v. Board of Education,” Biden told Chavis during the 45-minute discussion.
“I got started in the African American community. I got involved in the Civil Rights Movement when I was a kid. I helped de-segregate a movie theater, that kind of thing,” Biden noted. “I was the only guy who worked in the projects on the East Side who was White. That’s how I got started, and the Black community is the community that, as we say, brung me to the dance. That’s how I got elected.”
Biden opined that the Black vote would likely determine the next president.
“It’s going to be the determining factor in who the nominee is going to be, and I hope that means who the next president is going to be,” Biden pronounced.
He added that the Black Press serves a vital role in the political process.’
“The Black Press is the way I did my politics. You go where people are,” he stated. “You walk into a Black barbershop or beauty salon, and your newspaper was there. It’s who we are. The neighborhood we come from. It’s incredibly important; you’re incredibly important. I never had the money, but any ads that I’ve ever purchased has only been in Black newspapers because it’s the single best way for people to get access to what I say and what I really mean.”
Biden served as vice president for eight years under President Barack Obama.
As president, Biden pledges to invest $640 billion over ten years to ensure everyone has access to affordable and stable housing and says that he would hold financial institutions accountable for discriminatory practices in the housing market.
A Biden administration would implement policies that would require communities that receive specific federal funding to proactively examine housing patterns and identify and address policies that discriminate.
“Americans lack quality, affordable housing. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the failures in our housing markets, with homeownership rates for Black and Latinos falling far below the rate for White people,” Biden stated.
“This is how poor White folks are able to build equity: They get into a home and build equity,” Biden stated.
Further, Biden said redlining must be stopped, “I’m against redlining. It’s wrong,” and adding that he plans to eliminate local and state housing regulations that perpetuate discrimination.
The former vice president noted that, as president, he would help families buy their first home and build wealth by creating a new refundable, advanceable tax credit of up to $15,000.
He said this would help offset the cost of buying a home and assist millions of families who are seeking to lay down roots for the very first time.
Biden will immediately move to undo many of Trump’s executive orders, including the current administration’s cuts to social services.
“It’s immoral,” Biden stated. “Look what this president has done. Cut $1 billion from all social safety nets, reduced Medicaid and food stamps.”
He said access to affordable health care is paramount and would be a primary goal of a Biden administration.
Without affordable health insurance, Biden said every community is put in jeopardy, particularly the African American community.
“When we passed the Affordable Care Act, everyone was able to get coverage. We made sure we had 20 million covered who never had coverage before, and that really impacted the African American community,” Biden noted.
He continued that a Biden Plan would ensure that gold level health insurance plans would be available to more Americans by making sure everyone pays Capital Gains Tax at the appropriate rate.
“Even Republican voters are going to support that. We will cover everybody, reduce drug prices, and reduce waiting times,” he said.
Health care is also personal for the Biden family, he noted.
“I’ve been a significant consumer of healthcare,” he said, noting that his first wife and a daughter were killed in an automobile accident. Years later, Biden’s son, Beau, would die of brain cancer.
“I know what it’s like. My son was dying… I will make sure that no insurance company can say ‘suffer in peace, you’ve run out of coverage.’ I guarantee you, I will treat your health care as if it were my own family. I had enormous help and I think of all the people who got up and put one foot in front of the other. They deserve the help. This is personal.”
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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
#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.

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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