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OPINION: Checkmate! In the High Stakes Game of Political Leadership, Congresswoman Maxine Waters Illustrates She is Master Queen

SOUTH BAY BLACK JOURNAL — Whether she was advocating for $10 billion in funding for Section 8 when that program faced dire circumstances; or securing $50 million in funding for Youth Fair Chance; the $400 million for Minority Aids Funding or the $6 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization, Congresswoman Maxine Waters has always been at the forefront of what is best for the communities she serves.
The post OPINION: Checkmate! In the High Stakes Game of Political Leadership, Congresswoman Maxine Waters Illustrates She is Master Queen first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

10 months ago

July 22, 2024

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By Kenneth Miller, Publisher of the South Bay Black Journal

In about a month when the Democratic National Convention convenes in Chicago, the eyes of America and the world will be anxiously watching how the party nominee for president unfolds.

Conventions of both the Republicans and Democrats are lavish, exuberant celebrations of four-day events to showcase their leaders, define their ideology and confirm their candidates for president and vice president.

Somewhere amid all of the blowing horns, balloons and wacky outfits will be Congresswoman Maxine Waters, arguably the most powerful Black elected official in America. In some way shape or form she will be impacting the most significant decisions the Democrats make.

For more than 40 years (33 years in the United States House of Representatives), “Auntie” Maxine Waters, as she is so affectionately hailed by her legions of constituents, has proven that without her, so much would be lost.

Whether she was advocating for $10 billion in funding for Section 8 when that program faced dire circumstances; or securing $50 million in funding for Youth Fair Chance; the $400 million for Minority Aids Funding or the $6 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization, she has always been at the forefront of what is best for the communities she serves.

As citizens, we are always hopeful and prayerful that our public servants will influence legislation on our behalf that will provide healthcare, affordable food and housing, good paying jobs, funding for small business, safe communities and safe places for our children to be educated.

However, in today’s divided political universe, many of us are torn or swayed by propaganda to believe that our system of governance is failing us. As a result, we accuse our elected officials of being out of touch and not adhering to our concerns.

These persuasive but frightening perceptions play right into the hands of those that denied Blacks voting rights. This rhetoric, fueled by broadcast networks, social media, podcasts and streaming platforms, can lead us to be so discouraged that we just say “to hell with all of it” and not exercise the most powerful difference making tool at our disposal: THE RIGHT TO VOTE, and suffer our ultimate demise.

That is why leadership is paramount. Some perceive leadership as some fancy title that is only available to the chosen elite, but real leadership is demonstrated by the actions and deeds of the individuals elected to serve.

Trusted and reliable leaders advocate for what is right, even when contradicted by members of their own political party.

Such was the case when Waters learned California Governor Gavin Newsom had released his budget for the state without any funding for the Martin Luther King Community Hospital (MLKCH), which was on the brink of closing yet again.

Fuming, Waters encountered Newsom at an event and cornered him about the MLKCH dilemma.

In a letter sent to Newsom, Waters appealed; “I call on you as the Governor of the Great State of California to reverse your decision of 2022 and immediately support legislation that will adjust MLKCH’s supplemental funding methodology to include outpatient services, including the approximately 125,000 ED services provided by the hospital every year. This will cost an estimated $25 million per year. More importantly, it will save countless lives.”

Newsom had previously vetoed Assemblymember Mike Gipson (Carson)’s AB 2426 to expand MLKCH’s supplemental funding in order to cover hospital-based outpatient services provided in the emergency department. The bill provided MLKCH approximately $25-$30 million in additional funds annually.

Not long after Waters sent a letter to Newsom on June 14, Newsom reversed course and signed off the legislation to fund MLKCH.

It was a gangsta move as we say in the hood, and copied on the letter were a long list of community stakeholders including:

Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO, MLK Community Healthcare Assemblyman Mike Gipson
County Supervisor Hilda Solis, 1st District
County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, 2nd District
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District
County Supervisor Janice Hahn, 4th District
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th District
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOskar, District 15 LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, District 7 Compton Mayor Emma Sharif
Mr. John Baackes, CEO, LA Care Health Plan
Ms. Wajeha A. Bilal, Founder, Build Plus Community Marketplace
Dr. David Carlisle, President and CEO, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Rev. Timothy Coston, Jr., Senior Pastor, Grant AME Church
Ms. Robin Daniels, CEO, Sisters of Watts
Rev. Dr. Sonja R. Dawson, Senior Pastor. New Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist
Church
Mr. Ryan Ferguson, Manager, Government and Community Relations-LA South, Kaiser
Permanente Watts Medical Offices and Watts Counseling and Learning Center Mr. John Jones, III, President and Co-Founder, East Side Riders Bike Club
Mr. Donny Joubert, President, Watts Gang Taskforce
Ms. Yumi Kawasaki, Principal, Edwin Markham Middle School
Ms. Olusheyi Lawoyin, COO, Watts Healthcare Corporation
Ms. Elsa Madrid, Principal, Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center Dr. Cynthia Mendenhall, Founder and President, Chosen Angels Inc.
Rev. Kenneth Miller, Senior Pastor, Hays Tabernacle CME Church
Rev. Dr. Ivan Pitts, Macedonia Baptist Church
Mr. Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey, Founder and CEO, Think Watts
Ms. Dolores Sheen, Founder, Sheenway School and Culture Center
Mr. Aqeela Sherrills, Co-Founder, Community Based Public Safety Collective Rev. Robert Taylor, President, Watts Area Ministers
Mr. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO, Top Dawg Entertainment
Mr. Tim Watkins, CEO, WLCAC
Ms. Autumn Ybarra, Watts/Century Latino Organization

“This unique hospital serves some of the poorest and sickest people in the State of California and perhaps the entire country. Our community depends on MLKCH, and we cannot allow it to close,” Waters wrote.

Waters was just warming up after the victory for MLKCH, she then turned her attention to the City of Inglewood in her Congressional District.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, and confirmed by Waters in an interview with South Bay Black Journal, Waters is now objecting to one of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts’ most prominent projects, The People Mover (ITC), a $2-billion transportation line that would link SoFi Stadium to one of Los Angeles’ newest rail lines (K-Line).

“It will not provide convenient connectivity to employment or public services for local residents,” she said. “The ITC is designed primarily to allow public transit users to connect the extra 1.6 miles from Metro’s K Line to sports and entertainment venues. Shuttle buses could most likely accomplish the same goal at a fraction of the cost, but have not been seriously considered as an alternative,” Waters told the Times.

In affirming her commitment to prevent the project from going forward, Waters stated:

“To the degree that I can do anything to stop it, I will do it,” she said Wednesday. “It’s a project that has turned out to be totally unnecessary and totally much too costly.”

“The ITC threatens to exacerbate this crisis by displacing long-time Inglewood residents and small and minority-owned businesses and diverting resources away from some of the most urgent needs of the local communities in my district,” she wrote.

The four-term mayor has courted billionaires and inked deals to build SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome that have transformed his community.

As one might expect, Butts was not happy about Waters’ position.

“You can’t come in at the 11th hour with a little fairy tale story about how something is so terrible,” he said. The letter was “ill-conceived” and many of the points “fully invalid,” Butts told The Times that Waters did not reach out to him to discuss the matter.

However, this is what leadership is all about, challenging the most powerful within your own party with conviction.

These individuals wake up with a strategy to improve the lives of their constituents and everyday Americans and they go to sleep contemplating what more can be done.

Explore the entire political universe from the local, to the state upward to the federal level and few have been as reliable as Maxine Waters.

The sacrifices that she makes have threatened her mere existence as assassination attempts have placed her life and the safety of her family in constant jeopardy.

Whether it’s being at the forefront during civil unrest in Los Angeles or the brutal police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, we can always count on Maxine Waters being in the middle of the fight. In a sense she’s like Mike Tyson in his heyday, always menacing and going towards the opponent with intentions of securing victory by any means necessary.

The post OPINION: Checkmate! In the High Stakes Game of Political Leadership, Congresswoman Maxine Waters Illustrates She is Master Queen first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

14 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Hoover’s Commutation Divides Chicago as State Sentence Remains

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial.

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The federal sentence for Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover has been commuted, but he remains incarcerated under a 200-year state sentence in Illinois. The decision by Donald Trump to reduce Hoover’s federal time has reignited longstanding debates over his legacy and whether rehabilitation or continued punishment is warranted. The commutation drew immediate public attention after music executive Jay Prince and artist Chance the Rapper publicly praised Trump’s decision. “I’m glad that Larry Hoover is home,” said Chance the Rapper. “He was a political prisoner set up by the federal government. He created Chicago Votes, mobilized our people, and was targeted for that.”

But Hoover, the founder of the Gangster Disciples, is not home—not yet. Now in federal custody at the Florence Supermax in Colorado, Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial. “There is a divide in the Black community here,” said Chicago journalist Jason Palmer during an appearance on the Let It Be Known morning program. “Some view Hoover as someone who brought structure and leadership. Others remember the violence that came with his organization.” Palmer explained that while Hoover’s gang originally formed for protection, it grew into a criminal network responsible for extensive harm in Chicago. He also noted that Hoover continued to run his organization from state prison using coded messages passed through visitors, prompting his transfer to federal custody.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is widely considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, has not issued a statement. Palmer suggested that silence is strategic. “Releasing Hoover would create enormous political consequences,” Palmer said. “The governor’s in a difficult spot—he either resists pressure from supporters or risks national backlash if he acts.” According to Palmer, Hoover’s federal commutation does not make him a free man. “The federal sentence may be commuted, but he still has a 200-year state sentence,” he said. “And Illinois officials have already made it clear they don’t want to house him in state facilities again. They prefer he remains in federal custody, just somewhere outside of Colorado.”

Palmer also raised concerns about what Hoover’s case could signal for others. “When R. Kelly was convicted federally, state prosecutors in Illinois and Minnesota dropped their charges. If a president can commute federal sentences based on public pressure or celebrity support, others like R. Kelly or Sean Combs could be next,” Palmer said. “Meanwhile, there are thousands of incarcerated people without fame or access to public platforms who will never get that consideration.” “There are people who are not here today because of the violence connected to these organizations,” Palmer said. “That has to be part of this conversation.”

Stacy M. Brown

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WATCH: Five Years After George Floyd: Full Panel Discussion | Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real | Live Podcast Event

Join us as we return to the city where it happened and speak with a voice from the heart of the community – Tracey Williams-Dillard, CEO/Publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Published

2 days ago

May 28, 2025

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=OsNLWTz6jU0&feature=oembed

May 25, 2020. The world stopped and watched as a life was taken.

But what has happened since?

Join us as we return to the city where it happened and speak with a voice from the heart of the community – Tracey Williams-Dillard, CEO/Publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

She shares reflections, insights, and the story of a community forever changed. What has a year truly meant, and where do we go from here?

This is more than just a date; it’s a moment in history. See what one leader in the Black press has to say about it.

Recorded live at UROC in Minneapolis, this powerful discussion features:

Panelists: