By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – “Well, who are they coming to get now?” That’s what Norman Murray thought as police officers ran in his direction with guns drawn. Murray, a native Washingtonian with a slim build and matted dreadlocks, looked around to see who the cops were chasing through his neighborhood in the Trinidad section of Northeast Washington, D.C. Then the offic ...

Marian Wright Edelman NNPA Columnist   Millions of children in America are denied the opportunity to receive a fair and high quality education. In March, the U.S. Department of Education released new information showing that children of color face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous course offerings, and are more often taught by lower paid and less experienced teachers. Inequities in fundi ...

By Alexis Taylor Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, right, and House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, leave a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 29, 2012, after Republicans pushed an election-year, $3.5 trillion budget through the House on Thursday that relies on biting spending cuts ...

The Atlanta Police Department said it is now investigating into Tyler Perry’s recent claim that he was racially profiled by two Atlanta officers during a recent traffic stop. The police department told E! News that its office of professional standards is investigating whether the claims “can be substantiated, and whether any departmental policies or procedures were violated during the stop.” As previously r ...

Basketball Hall of Fame player Isiah Thomas was fired on Friday by Florida International University, after his teams went 26-65 in his three seasons as head coach. Thomas told ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz he was stunned by the firing. “This is the most surprising thing that has happened to me in basketball,” Thomas said. “I never been fired before for basketball reasons. This is the first time. “When I ...

By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Norman Jones, woke up last Friday, got dressed and went to the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES) for a job pre-screening session in hopes of landing employment that has eluded him since last year. Jones was not alone – more than 100 people also stood in line, all seeking employment. On the same Friday that the Dis ...

Special to the NNPA Burger King pulled a commercial starring R&B singer Mary J. Blige following controversy over her appearance and the context of the food advertised. The fast-food chain said it discontinued the commercial April 3 due to music licensing concerns, not because of the widespread criticism it received from African-Americans, according to the Associated Press. The ad was released the week o ...

T. D. Jakes explores what he calls “the art of forgiveness,” in which he goes beyond the typical meaning of the word. Rather,he takes if apart, examines every facet of what it means to forgive and to be forgiven, offers examples as to what may have caused the crisis, and provides solutions on how to work through betrayal and  accept true forgiveness. So why an entire book on the topic of forgiveness? Becaus ...

This year marks the PUSH for Excellence 14h Annual HBCU Tour.  March 31st through April 7th eighty promising high school students spent their spring break traveling the East Coast and parts of the South visiting several historically black colleges and universities.  Participating students got a sense of what college life is like and interacted with students and faculty members on campus. “Our mission has al ...

A Cook County judge has appointed a special prosecutor to take an in depth look at how Chicago police investigated the death of David Koschman after a drunken altercation with a nephew of former Mayor Richard Daley back in 2004. Attorneys for Koschman’s family worked to obtain the special prosecutor, the family insists that Chicago police department purposely altered files and  reports look as if   Mr. Kosc ...