By Jesse Jackson The student loan burden is reaching crisis proportions. Young Americans are being saddled with unsustainable debts. A New York Federal Reserve Bank study found that a stunning 43 percent of 25-year-olds had student loan debts in 2012. Debt now averages over $25,000 for graduates of four-year colleges. Student loan debt now is [...]

By Jesse Jackson On Saturday, family and friends gathered to mourn the loss of Hadiya Pendleton, shot to death last month at age 15 in a South Side park. Michelle Obama graced the memorial with her caring presence, a mother comforting a brokenhearted family for the unbearable horror that took place about a mile from [...]

By Jesse Jackson Chicago is in a state of emergency. Lives are being lost. Fear is growing. Local officials, ministers and community activists are working diligently but cannot break the cycle. We’re seeing more than one funeral a day. Our children are traumatized. Many are afraid to go to school. In this crisis, we need [...]

By Rev. Jesse Jackson “We the people declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and [...]

By Jesse Jackson The new year begins with a bad hangover from 2012’s inane debate over the “fiscal cliff.” The furious debate focused only on how much damage would be done to the economy and who would pay the price, how much and what would be cut, who would pay higher taxes and who would [...]

By Cassandra Lans In a major victory for voting rights supporters, Sunday evening Clear Channel confirmed to the media that it is pulling the controversial “voter fraud” billboards which have blanketed Milwaukee for the past two weeks. Last week community leaders in Milwaukee publicly called for the removal of the billboards. Mike Wilder, director of [...]

Members of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin are scheduled to speak at a free community event hosted by Faith Builders Church. The event called “It’s All About Us” takes place on Monday August 20, 2012 at 4901 South Howell Avenue, Milwaukee WI, just two miles away from where the tragic mass shooting occurred. The event [...]

Determined to build a movement to protect the gains of the Civil Rights Movement from states’ rights forces in motion throughout the country, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition is set to host its national conference in Chicago, July 11-14, at the Chicago Hilton and Towers Hotel, 720 S. Michigan Avenue. Hosted by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, [...]

Compiled by Courier Staff Eyes nationwide were zeroed in on the historic recall election held Tuesday, June 5 in Wisconsin. The past 16 months have been an experience that this state has never experienced before. A divided state, extreme changes in legislation where many legislators, mostly democrats have felt disrespected and overlooked. All of these [...]

Danny J. Bakewell, Jr. (Contributing Writer) and Brandon I. Brooks (Asst. Managing Editor) Special to the NNPA from the Los Angeles Sentinel Don Cornelius launched the world famous “Soul Train” television series in the early 70’s after working as a journalist during the civil rights movement. The movement inspired him to create an avenue for [...]