News – Page 163 – WUVS 103.7 The Beat

What you may not know about the ‘Father of Juneteenth’ Al Edwards

Though Juneteenth is now recognized across the country, many people don’t know the story behind the man partially responsible for it being a federal holiday.Though Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” brought national attention to the holiday through her advocacy — including a 2.5-mile march from the Lone Star State to the nation’s capital — Texas State Rep. Al Edwards, the “Father of Juneteenth,” masterminded the legislative victory. President Joe Biden, who signed Juneteenth into law as a […]

June 19, 2024

News

Brooklyn preacher who boasted of ties to NYC mayor gets 9 years in prison for multiyear fraud

NEW YORK (AP) — A flashy Brooklyn preacher who has played up connections to New York City’s mayor was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for multiple frauds. Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 45, of Paramus, New Jersey, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lorna G. Schofield, who said she didn’t see meaningful remorse from the Rolls Royce-driving bishop convicted of fleecing one parishioner out of $90,000 in retirement savings, among other scams. In a rambling statement, Miller-Whitehead claimed he […]

June 19, 2024

News

We need Black women in office, now more than ever

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. Juneteenth is a moment to celebrate the freedom of Black people across America and a reminder that freedom must be earned again and again. It was a Black woman, Opal Lee, who organized to deliver Juneteenth as a federal holiday. You might not know her name, or her story, when at age 89, she walked across 14 states — […]

June 18, 2024

News

5 important issues for Black men this election season

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. This election cycle and every election cycle, Black men must be engaged in the same way that political parties intentionally engage other demographics. Unfortunately, Black men are rarely sought out nor are their concerns carefully considered by the typical political candidate. It is true that some candidates will host barbershop tours, but those usually come the weekend or two […]

June 18, 2024

News

Jazz, justice and Juneteenth: Wynton Marsalis and Bryan Stevenson join forces to honor Black protest

NEW YORK (AP) — Black music traditions such as jazz are central to celebrations of Juneteenth, says civil rights lawyer and jazz pianist Bryan Stevenson. That’s why he and Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz artist Wynton Marsalis have debuted “Freedom, Justice and Hope,” a live performance album of historic jazz records created to protest racial injustice, in time for this year’s celebrations. Along with a new arrangement of saxophonist John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” which pays homage to the four Black girls killed when […]

June 18, 2024

News

A Black candidate says a deepfake ad hurt his election chances. Here’s how AI may shape state and local races

Adrian Perkins was running for reelection as the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, when he was surprised by a harsh campaign hit piece. The satirical TV commercial, paid for by a rival political action committee, used artificial intelligence to depict Perkins as a high school student who had been called into the principal’s office. Instead of giving a tongue-lashing for cheating on a test or getting in a fight, the principal blasted Perkins for failing to keep communities safe and create […]

June 18, 2024

Economy

Black Tech Expert With 25 Years Experience to Teach Cybersecurity Classes in Underserved Communities

Meet Tony Wittock, the Founder and CEO of Cyber Security Consulting Ops, a Black-owned cybersecurity tech firm based in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Tony started out as an ethical hacker before starting his own tech firm, but prior to that, he spent more than two decades working as a Manager, Director, and Principal Engineer for big companies like Comcast and Cisco.In his various roles, Tony was responsible for developing analog and digital set-top box firmware, field deployment of firmware, the […]

June 17, 2024

News

At church, Trump stirs Black-immigrant tensions. Are Dems ready to respond?

If you listened closely during Donald Trump’s most recent visit to a “Black” church in Detroit, you might’ve heard whispers of the ghost of political pasts. “They’re invading your jobs,” Trump said. “The people coming across the border — all those millions of people — they’re inflicting tremendous harm to our Black population and to our Hispanic population.” Trump’s dire warning was a claim that isn’t new but has been repeated in different political eras, sometimes even by Democrats themselves. […]

June 17, 2024

News

Lawmakers push Rev. James Lawson for posthumous Congressional Gold Medal award

Following the recent death of civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson, lawmakers hope to finally achieve a years-long effort to award him a Congressional Gold Medal. “There’s not enough knowledge about how profound a role James Lawson played in the civil rights movement in this country,” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told theGrio in an exclusive about re-introducing a bill to honor Lawson with one of the United States’ oldest and highest civilian awards. Khanna, who developed a personal relationship […]

June 17, 2024