By Macy L. Freeman and Lauren McEwen Special to the NNPA from the Afro- American Newspaper New findings show that several factors have widened the achievement gap for students of color in the United States. “Our work is all geared toward ensuring that the achievement gap closes, but without more information about where it exists, [...]

BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT by Lynda Jones On the snowy evening of Friday, Feb. 10, 2112 the legendary Harry Belafonte made his annual Black History Month visit to speak at Chicago’s Faith Community of St. Sabina Church, pastored by Rev. Dr. Michael Pfleger, a longtime friend of Belafonte’s. Before he spoke to the congregation and guests, [...]

Milwaukeeans will march Saturday, June 4, in recognition of the more than 80,000 Milwaukee Public School students who will lose math and reading programs, small-class sizes, nurses, arts programming, librarians and classroom teachers this September, when Gov. Scott Walker’s $1.6 billion cut to Wisconsin public schools takes effect. Activists, parents, teachers and students begin the [...]

By State Representative Leon Young This coming Saturday marks the 145th anniversary of Juneteenth Day. As in years past, countless Black Milwaukeeans will again take to the streets in observance of this historic event. But, what is the real significance of Juneteenth Day? Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with [...]

By Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University Dorothy Height was born on the same day as my father (March 24). I’m not sure if that means anything, but it sure feels significant to me. Like my father, Height has had a dramatic influence on how I see the world, and what it means to have courage. [...]

By Frederick Alexander Meade In recent weeks, considerable turmoil has emerged among some elite members of the Civil Rights community. Publicly aired expressions germinating from PBS’s Tavis Smiley and the National Action Network’s President Rev. Al Sharpton, in which both parties have accused the other of working against the interests of the African American community [...]

By Henry Hamilton III Ever since Milwaukee Branch NAACP president Jerry Ann Hamilton won the November 2008 NAACP election, she and other volunteers have been hounded by a small group of individuals determined to disrupt the organization and throw the organization off its civil rights agenda. These individuals have resorted to interrupting branch meetings, publicly [...]

Sen. Spencer Coggs’ bill making Juneteenth Day, or June 19th, a legal holiday in Wisconsin, was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Doyle in Milwaukee before a huge crowd of supporters at the Northcott Neighborhood House. Rep. Tamara Grigsby was the Assembly author of the bill. “Passage of the Juneteenth Bill has been a long [...]