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The ‘Maynard Jackson of the State of Georgia’ is Asking for Your Vote

THE ATLANTA VOICE — The large ballroom at Ali at Lakewood, a local event space that shares a building on Jonesboro Road with Black Coffee, a black-owned coffee shop, was half-full but that did not stop Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams from pouring on the charm and buttering up the crowd before sitting down with that evening’s host, radio personality Rashad Richey, to talk about her future plans for Black small business owners.
The post The ‘Maynard Jackson of the State of Georgia’ is Asking for Your Vote first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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By Donnell Suggs | The Atlanta Voice

Lakewood Heights, Ga. – Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams came out of a side door and greeted a small crowd that managed to generate raucous applause. She was in her element, among Democratic supporters Wednesday night at an event space in Southwest Atlanta.

The large ballroom at Ali at Lakewood, a local event space that shares a building on Jonesboro Road with Black Coffee, a black-owned coffee shop, was half-full but that did not stop Abrams from pouring on the charm and buttering up the crowd before sitting down with that evening’s host, radio personality Rashad Richey, to talk about her future plans for Black small business owners.

Those plans only go into effect if she wins the gubernatorial election on Election Day, November 8. The impact of what can follow Abrams if she does win reminds her of a certain former Atlanta mayor. Abrams is inspired by the road he took and the immense changes he put in place once he became the first Black mayor in Atlanta’s long history as ’The city too busy to hate.’ The kind of groundbreaking and transformative leader she plans to become for Georgia if she is elected. “I intend to be the Maynard Jackson for the state of Georgia,” she said.

Abrams (center) prepares to answer a question from a Clayton County small business owner.  Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

Abrams (center) prepares to answer a question from a Clayton County small business owner.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

The four C’s

Abrams’ plan for minority businesses has four C’s: capital, contracts, college & childcare, according to a flyer that was being handed out to guest and the media.

During the nearly 45-minute-long community question & answer session Abrams spoke of creating funds for investing in small businesses and ways to make federal primary contracts more accessible for Black-owned construction companies and developers.

Less than 1% of the primary construction and development contracts in Georgia are awarded to Black-owned companies. Less than 10% of those federal contacts are awarded to companies owned by people of color. Before Jackson arrived at City Hall those numbers were even worse.

“The governor has the authority to determine how we allocate resources,” said Abrams. “We don’t need legislation, we need leadership.”

Attendees came to the microphone to ask Abrams questions about how she would do more to help small businesses thrive if she became governor. Abrams, who will need a stronger than usual midterm voter turnout from Black voters in order to unseat current Governor Brain Kemp, came prepared with plans for Georgia businesses. She was once a small business owner and understands the paperwork and pitfalls of working for yourself while depending on public support. “As governor I’m going to push for equity across the board,” Abrams said.

She has a plan to create an entrepreneur learner’s permit to make starting a business less of a financial Scarlett letter if that business happens to fail. Abrams asked the crowd how many of them had started a business and had to go back to the drawing board in order to regroup. A large majority of the room raised their hands.

On the college and childcare portion of the plan. Abrams wants to expand Medicaid, creating more than 60,000 jobs, and restore tuition-free technical college while also expanding access to the HOPE scholarship.

From Bankhead to Buckhead

Abrams spoke of making a concerted effort to talk to voters from “Bankhead to Buckhead.”

On Tuesday Abrams made an appearance at Clark Atlanta University for the Black Radio United For the Vote town hall. Kemp, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Bee Nguyen and Jen Jordan were also in attendance. Herschel Walker, currently defending accusations of having paid for an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion and from social media attacks from his son Christian, did not attend. Last week Friday she was at local bar and lunge, Atlantucky, to address Black male voters.

With two weeks remaining till early voting begins Monday, Oct. 17 there aren’t too many places Abrams can’t be seen. That said the promise to help small business owners was the ficus Wednesday night in Lakewood Heights.

Pedicabs ATL owner Jay White took the podium and asked about Abrams plans to help businesses like his. With the World Cup coming to Atlanta in just a few years his business will be one of the many that could make a year’s worth of profits in a short period of time. He wants to make sure his small business isn’t left out when time comes to apply for permits.

The post The ‘Maynard Jackson of the State of Georgia’ is asking for your vote appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The post The ‘Maynard Jackson of the State of Georgia’ is Asking for Your Vote first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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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