Nearly a Century After Founding Michigan's Only HBCU, Detroit Declares Violet T. Lewis Day

The City of Detroit officially declared May 27 as Violet T. Lewis Day during a historic ceremony held Wednesday at Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design (PLC Detroit), where a representative from Mayor Mary Sheffield's office presented the official declaration to Dr. Violet Ponders, granddaughter and namesake of Dr. Violet T. Lewis, honoring the extraordinary legacy of the educator, entrepreneur, and civic leader whose institution later became Michigan's only historically Black college.

The recognition arrives amid growing national conversations surrounding Black educational legacy, institutional preservation, and pathways to economic and creative opportunity.

Approximately 250–300 guests attended the celebration, including civic leaders, educators, creatives, students, entrepreneurs, community members, and partners such as the Gilbert Family Foundation, Apple, Carhartt, StockX, Nike, and adidas, reflecting PLC Detroit's growing influence across education, culture, business, and design innovation.

Guests wearing shades of violet entered an immersive experience honoring the spirit and legacy of Dr. Violet T. Lewis. Storytelling activations, commemorative experiences, and a violet-hued specialty beverage curated exclusively for the occasion by Fixins Soul Kitchen transformed the event into both a cultural and celebratory experience. As guests departed, they received packets of violet flower seeds and customized planters, symbolizing the continued growth of Dr. Lewis' vision and the enduring impact of the institution she founded.

The celebration also welcomed members of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Incorporated, reflecting the enduring influence of an organization Lewis co-founded more than 80 years ago.

Dr. Violet T. Lewis founded Lewis Business College in 1928 during a time when opportunities for Black Americans — particularly Black women — remained severely limited. In 1939, she relocated the institution to Detroit, where it became a cornerstone of Black education and professional advancement, educating more than 20,000 students.

Her influence extended beyond education. In 1943, Lewis co-founded Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Incorporated alongside her sister, Elizabeth A. Garner, creating new pathways for leadership development, sisterhood, and professional advancement for women.

When Dr. D'Wayne Edwards revitalized the college in 2022, he reestablished it as the nation's only design-focused HBCU while preserving Lewis' name and institutional identity.

"We are honored to celebrate Violet T. Lewis' legacy and continue the mission she began," said Dr. Edwards. "This declaration reflects the transformative power of education, opportunity, and institutional impact."

"My grandmother understood that education was not simply about learning — it was about access, dignity, independence, and the ability to transform lives across generations," said Dr. Violet Ponders. "To witness the City of Detroit formally recognize her contributions in the community where her work impacted thousands of lives is deeply meaningful."

The observance of Violet T. Lewis Day will now serve as an annual recognition of Black educational achievement, institutional vision, and the enduring role historically Black institutions continue to play in shaping culture, industry, leadership, and economic mobility in America.

The National Black Church Initiative Support and Endorse Karen Bass for Mayor of Los Angeles

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino faith communities, comprising 27.7 million members, support and endorse Karen Bass. She is one of the mothers of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black church is honored that she is willing to serve another term. NBCI Los Angeles churches voted to endorse to keep Karen Bass in the office of mayor.

Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, says “We are proud to endorse and support Karen Bass for another term as mayor of Los Angeles. I am asking through Christ all eligible voters in NBCI's 3,677 Los Angeles churches to pray, support and vote for Karen Bass. God Bless Mayor Bass!

NBCI stands by Karen! These are her accomplishments.

• Historic Decreases in Street Homelessness: LA achieved back-to-back annual decreases in homelessness, with street homelessness dropping by double digits.

• Inside Safe Initiative: Bass’s signature program transitioned tens of thousands of Angelenos from tents and RVs into temporary and permanent housing.

• Executive Directive 1 (ED 1): This directive accelerated the approval of tens of thousands of affordable housing units by cutting the approval process down to 60 days.

• Rent Protection: Signed the first update to LA's Rent Stabilization Ordinance in 40 years, capping annual rent increases at 1% to 4%.

Public Safety & Policing

• Crime Reduction: Homicides have dropped to their lowest levels in decades, reversing a post-pandemic spike, with gang-related homicides dropping by over 50%.

• Police Recruitment & Civilian Response: Reversed the steady decline in LAPD staffing with accelerated hiring, while simultaneously creating the Office of Community Safety to fund unarmed alternative crisis responders for non-emergency calls.

• Retail Crime Crackdown: Established an Organized Retail Crime Task Force that made hundreds of arrests and recovered tens of millions in stolen merchandise.

Infrastructure & City Operations

• LA's First-Ever Infrastructure Plan: Created a comprehensive roadmap to proactively repair sidewalks, streets, and streetlights.

• Economic Development: Authorized the groundbreaking for a major expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center and cut city fees to attract the film and television industry.

• Emergency Response: Safely navigated the city through extreme weather events (such as Tropical Storm Hilary) and reopened the 10 Freeway in days rather than weeks following a massive arson fire.

ABOUT NBCI

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. The mission of NBCI is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches, and the public. NBCI utilizes faith and sound health science, partnering with major organizations and officials to reduce racial disparities in various areas, as cited above. NBCI's programs are guided by credible statistical analysis, science-based strategies and techniques, and methods that deliver effective solutions to complex economic and social challenges.

ATTACKS ON VOTING RIGHTS FORUM SCHEDULED IN MONTCLAR NJ

“The Attack On Voting Rights And The War On Black People,” will be the subject of a panel discussion that will be held on Friday, May 29, 2026, 7:00pm at St Paul’s Baptist Church, 119 Elm Street in Montclair, New Jersey.

The event is sponsored by the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) a grassroots group that works for racial, social, economic justice and peace.

“The purpose of this forum is to examine the negative political, economic, and social impact of the racist and fascist Trump regime, right-wing Congress, and ultra conservative Supreme Court on Black people and to discuss strategies and tactics to fight back against this onslaught,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.

The panelists will include Rev Campbell Singleton, Union Baptist Church of Montclair, James Harris, former president New Jersey Association of Black Educators, State Senator Britnee Timberlake, and Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress. The panel moderator will be Ingrid Hill, Vice Chairwoman, People’s Organization For Progress.

Invited special guest speakers include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Congresswoman Monica McIver and Congresswoman Analilia Mejia.

“We decided to have this forum after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the Louisiana v. Callais case. That ruling effectively killed the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” Hamm said.

“That was one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court decisions since the ruling in the Dred Scott case of 1857 which said that black people had no rights that white people were bound to respect,” he said.

Hamm said the court’s decision enables racist state legislatures to redraw their congressional districts and eliminate those districts which have large black populations.

“These states, most of which are part of the old Confederacy, have already redrawn their maps or are in the process of doing so. Ultimately, their efforts could result in the loss of as many as 19 congressional seats now held by African Americans,” he said.

“It could possibly leave the South, where the majority of African Americans still live, with little or no Black congressional representation,” he said.

However, the attack on voting rights is not the only reason the program is being held. He said Black people feel that they are being attacked politically, economically, and socially.

“The racist and fascist vitriol of President Trump, reactionary policies coming from the White House, the right wing decisions of the Supreme Court, failure of Congress to uphold the Constitution and stand up for equality and democracy makes it feel like we are being attacked from all sides,” Hamm said.

He stated additional reasons. Racism and racist violence against black people continues to rise. African Americans continue to have the highest number of victims of race-based and bias related crimes.

Black Americans experience the highest rate of police brutality and fatal shootings by police. Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than whites.

Enrollment of black students at colleges and universities has declined due to the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action in higher education.  

Black unemployment has doubled this past year, with more than 600,000 black people losing their jobs, including 350,000 Black women, due in part to a sagging economy, federal budget cuts, and the ending of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

“It feels like we are being dragged back to the nightmare of Jim Crow segregation. We feel under siege. We feel like there is a war on the black community,”he said.

The program will basically have two parts. The first part will consist of a panel discussion. The second part will consist audience participation.

For more information please call People’s Organization for Progress at 973 801-0001.

NAACP Calls on Black Athletes & Fans to Withhold Support of Public Schools in States Attacking Black Voting Rights

The NAACP today launched the "Out of Bounds" campaign, a national call for Black athletes, families, fans, alumni, and consumers to withhold athletic and financial support from public universities in states that have moved to limit, weaken, or erase Black voting representation in the wake of the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which gutted what was left of the Voting Rights Act. The NAACP identified eight priority states — Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia — and targeted flagship public athletic programs generating more than $100 million in annual revenue that continue to recruit Black athletes while their state governments dismantle the political power of Black communities.

"What these states have done is not a policy disagreement. It is a sprint to erase Black political power," said Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP. "These actions happened in days, in some cases in hours, of a Supreme Court ruling that gives extremist lawmakers a playbook to erode Black representation. The NAACP will not watch the same institutions that depend on Black athletic prowess to fill their stadiums and their bank accounts remain silent while their states strip Black communities of their voice. Out of Bounds is our answer: we are naming the contradiction, and we are calling on Black athletes, families, fans, and consumers to act on it. The same power that built these programs can be redirected. And it will be."

The economic stakes of the campaign are significant. The flagship universities in the eight targeted states collectively generate billions of dollars in annual athletic revenue.

The "Out of Bounds" campaign focuses on one primary ask, calling on top football and basketball recruits currently being actively recruited by targeted programs to withhold their commitments until the states in question restore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation. The campaign also calls on current college athletes — including those who may already be enrolled at targeted programs — to consider their options, including the transfer portal, and to use their platforms and NIL reach to elevate fair maps and voting rights.

"This generation of Black athletes understands something that those who came before them were never afforded the chance to say so plainly: your talent is yours, and so is your community's political power," said Tylik McMillan, National Director, Youth and College Division, NAACP. "These are not separate issues. The state that is working to erase your grandmother's congressional district is the same state whose governor will stand on the field and celebrate your touchdown or game-winning shot. We are asking young people — recruits, current athletes, fans — to see that connection clearly and to act on it. The Out of Bounds campaign is about redirecting what has always been ours, power and perseverance."

The campaign issues calls to action across three audiences. 

• Black athletes and recruits are asked to withhold commitments from targeted programs, to ask coaches and athletic directors where their universities stand on voting rights, and to visit and seriously consider HBCUs.
• Current college athletes are asked to use their platforms to elevate the issue, to ask institutional leadership for public statements opposing racial vote dilution, and to consider all available options under the transfer portal.
• Fans, alumni, donors, and consumers are asked to stop purchasing tickets, merchandise, and licensed apparel from targeted programs and to redirect that spending to HBCUs — their athletics programs, scholarship funds, NIL collectives, bands, and alumni foundations.

The Out of Bounds campaign will remain in effect until targeted states adopt state-level voting rights protections, repeal maps that dilute Black voting power, restore congressional and judicial districts that reflect the Black population's actual strength, and commit to transparent and community-centered redistricting processes. Our sentiment is clear: No Representation. No Recruitment. No Revenue.

Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Republicans’ Rigged Tennessee Congressional Maps

Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:

“Today, Tennessee joined Florida in passing new congressional districts after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. At President Trump’s urging, Republican Gov. Bill Lee called a special legislative session to adopt a new map dividing Shelby County, including majority-Black Memphis, into three separate districts. These same lawmakers even removed a provision in state law requiring voters to be notified when polling places change after redistricting.

“What the Tennessee Legislature did is tantamount to theft—the theft of fair representation and the deliberate stripping away of political power from Black communities. It is an attempt to silence voices and deny Black voters representation reflective of their lived experiences and the issues impacting their communities every day. The consequences will not be theoretical; they could have life-and-death ramifications for Black families and communities across Tennessee.

“As gas prices and the cost of living continue to rise as a direct result of their policies, poll after poll shows Donald Trump and Republicans headed toward defeat in the midterms. They know their only pathway to victory in November is to rig congressional maps in their favor. Republicans will stop at nothing in pursuit of single-party rule in Washington, but what they did not expect was a Democratic response this forceful.

“We applaud Democrats in the Tennessee State Legislature for fighting back for fair representation for the people of their state. We are working with partners in state legislatures across the South, alongside the legal and civil rights communities, to challenge these maps in court and mobilize our communities to the ballot box.”