George Cook of African American Reports says thank you to Black women for all of the work you did in trying to get VP Kamala Harris elected! You have done the work and shown the way. You are appreciated!
African American news blog that features news that may get little or no coverage in the mainstream media
Saturday, November 09, 2024
What Kamala Harris’s Loss Means To Black Women
Vice President Kamala Harris ran a 107-day campaign under extraordinarily rare circumstances after President Biden dropped out of the race. But burdened by the legacy of her incumbency and the history of a nation that has been reluctant to elect a woman of color, Harris lost ground among most major groups of voters. Erica L. Green, a New York Times White House correspondent, explains what her emotional and defiant concession speech means to Black women in the country.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
'Dear America, A Letter From Black Women' Documentary Explores Impact of Black Women in American Politics
Project Ready, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowerment through civic engagement, announces a national tour for "Dear America, A Letter From Black Women" - a feature film that highlights the role of Black women in American politics. The documentary is part of The Dear America Project, a movement to mobilize Black women and allies across the nation and encourage their participation in the election process.
"In this historic moment - when a Black woman is running for president - the story of 'Dear America' and the role of Black women in politics is more relevant and important than ever," said Shennell Barnes-McCloud, CEO, Project Ready. "This film not only amplifies silenced voices but also serves as a call to action to mobilize our community and participate in the civic process by using democracy as a tool to empower and uplift."
This documentary film and social impact campaign shine a light on the untold stories of Black women and explore their pivotal role in shaping the nation's political history. From scholars to activists, the film spotlights diverse voices of Black women as they work to defend their rights and the future of American democracy in the face of rising threats. The film features interviews with Black activists, scholars and changemakers, including Hill Harper, Dr. Martin Luther King III, Andrea Waters King, LaTosha Brown, and Lindsey Granger.
As part of the tour, the Dear America project is working with partners to secure a pledge to vote from 100,000 Black women across the country.
The 'Dear America' A Letter From Black Women short film tour will make stops in Chappaqua, New York; Durham, North Carolina; Newark, New Jersey; Atlanta, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; New York, New York; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; New Orleans, Louisiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and other cities to be announced shortly. To RSVP for a showing, please click here.
About Project Ready
Project Ready works to close the opportunity gaps and improve life outcomes by powering communities through civic engagement. First started in 2018 as a grassroots advocacy organization to increase voter turnout, Project Ready has since expanded its focus to include issues related to social justice, public health, and educational inequities. Visit https://www.projectreadynj.org/.
About Dear America, A Letter from Black Women
In a world where the voices of Black women have often been marginalized and silenced, "Dear America, A Letter from Black Women" is a powerful call to action and a testament to the enduring strength and resilience of Black women. This documentary film and social impact campaign shines a light on the untold stories of Black women, from their centuries-long battle for democracy to their continued fight against the rising threats to the future of our nation. The "Dear America" project is about more than just a film – it's a movement. It's about Black women rising up, claiming their rightful place at the forefront of the struggle for justice and equality, and demanding a future that reflects their values, their strength, and their unwavering determination. This election season, the "Dear America" project is mobilizing Black women and allies across the nation to not just vote, but to take a stand.
Monday, May 13, 2024
American Cancer Society asks Black women to join new study: The VOICES of Black Women
The VOICES of Black Women is a study led by the American Cancer Society. The focus of this study is to better understand cancer and other health conditions among Black women. Participation in VOICES involves completing an online health and life history survey at enrollment and updating information twice a year for at least 30 years. Results from this study will help inform how to improve the health of Black women for generations to come.
The goal is to enroll at least 100,000 Black women in the US between 25 and 55 years of age who have never had cancer. Registration is open across 20 states and Washington D.C. View eligibility requirements.
As a valued participant in VOICES of Black Women, you’ll collaborate with researchers by sharing behavioral, environmental, and lived experiences through surveys taken at least twice a year. When you join VOICES, over the years our study can make note of any important health and general lifestyle updates that occur in women’s lives.
Upon joining, you will complete surveys on the secure VOICES website. The initial survey takes about one hour, with shorter follow-ups twice a year. These surveys contribute to our study of uncovering day-to-day experiences affecting cancer risk. We may invite you for additional data collection, offering details on these opportunities. Participation is voluntary – saying no doesn’t exclude you from VOICES of Black Women.
By agreeing to this research, you’ll be asked about various aspects of your life, from childhood to adulthood. All questions are optional, but every insight you share will fuel our research to understand the health of Black women better.
VOICES is funded by the American Cancer Society and run by the Population Science department. The American Cancer Society has conducted population studies like VOICES with over 2.5 million participants since the 1950s and publishes original research on the causes and prevention of cancer which have been used to guide national and international guidelines and policies. VOICES of Black Women builds on this robust legacy at the American Cancer Society and addresses the limited racial and ethnic diversity in our previous cohorts and in health studies more broadly.
Learn more about The VOICES of Black women by clicking here: https://voices.cancer.org
Thursday, October 06, 2022
New book by April Ryan, Black Women Will Save the World: An Anthem
In this long-overdue celebration of Black women’s resilience and unheralded strength, the revered, trailblazing White House correspondent reflects on “The Year That Changed Everything”—2020—and African-American women’s unprecedented role in upholding democracy.
“I am keenly aware that everyone and everything has a story,” April D. Ryan acknowledges. “Also, I have always marveled at Black women and how we work to move mountains and are never really thanked or recognized.” In Black Women Will Save the World, she melds these two truths, creating an inspiring and heart-tugging portrait of one of the momentous years in America, 2020—when America elected its first Black woman Vice President—and celebrates the tenacity, power, and impact of Black women across America.
From the beginning of the nation to today, Black women have transformed their pain into progress and have been at the frontlines of the nation’s political, social, and economic struggles. These “Sheroes” as Ryan calls them, include current political leaders such as Maxine Waters, Valerie Jarrett, and Kamala Harris; Brittany Packnett Cunningham, LaTosha Brown, and other activists; and artists like Regina King. Combining profiles and in-depth interviews with these influential movers and shakers and many more, Ryan explores the challenges Black women endure, and how the lessons they’ve learned can help us shape our own stories. Ryan also chronicles her personal journey from working-class Baltimore to the elite echelons of journalism and speaks out about the hurdles she faced in becoming one of the most well-connected members of the Washington press corps—while raising two daughters as a single mother in the aftermath of a messy divorce.
It is time for everyone to acknowledge Black women’s unrivaled contributions to America. Yet our democracy remains in peril, and their work is far from done. Black Women Will Save the World presents a vital kaleidoscopic look at women of different ages and from diverse backgrounds who devote their lives to making the world a better place—even if that means stepping out of their “place.”
Sunday, October 02, 2022
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, how us brothas can do our part to help Black women.
It's October which means that it's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that while Black women are less likely to get Breast Cancer, they are more likely to to die from it?
That's why us men should step in and constantly remind (nag) them about getting a mammogram as early detection saves lives!
Friday, May 06, 2022
Missing Black Woman Alert: Anna Amith is Missing
OAKLAND PARK, FLA - The Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit is asking for the public’s help to locate a 37-year-old woman missing from Oakland Park.
According to detectives, Anna Laura Smith was last seen Friday, April 15, at around 4:00 a.m. in the area of 131 Northeast 38th Street in Oakland Park. Smith is about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a long sleeve jean shirt and jean pants. According to her family, Smith suffers from a condition that requires medication.
Anyone with information on Smith’s whereabouts should contact BSO Detective Leonard Charla at 954-321-4274 or the BSO non-emergency number 954-764- HELP(4357).
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Cosette M. Brown is missing!
(Illinois) Peoria Police are asking the public's help to find a woman who was last seen a week ago.
Police said Wednesday they're looking for Cosette M. Brown, 48, who was last seen November 18 in the area of Western and Lincoln Avenues. Family members told police they last spoke with Brown on the phone the next day.
Police said Brown is a Black female, 5’07” tall, 140lbs, with brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone who has seen Brown or knows her whereabouts is asked to call Peoria Police at 309-673-4521.
Saturday, November 14, 2020
California Legislative Black Caucus: Rep. Karen Bass or Rep. Barbara Lee should replace Kamala Harris is Senate
The California Legislative Black Caucus met via Zoom with other Black leaders Friday and urged Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint an African American woman to fill the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated when Kamala Harris takes office as the first African American female Vice President of the United States.
Speakers at the Zoom conference included the leader of the California Legislative Black Caucus, Dr. Shirley Weber; the Vice Chair of the Caucus, Steven Bradford; a newly elected Los Angeles Councilmember, Mark Ridley Thomas and the Chair of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus, Taisha Brown.
The group unanimously recommended either Karen Bass or Barbara Lee as appointees to the California Senate seat vacated by Harris.
Karen Bass formerly served in the California State Assembly for six years, the last two as speaker. As a Los Angeles native, Bass is currently the Congresswoman for the 37th congressional district of California.
As such, Bass was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2018, serves as Chair of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and for the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.
The other highly qualified candidate suggested by the Caucus is Barbara Lee. Lee was elected to the State Assembly in 1990, where she served for six years prior to being elected to the State Senate.
As a legislator, Lee authored almost 70 bills and resolutions that were signed into law by then Republican Governor Pete Wilson. These different pieces of legislation addressed a wide variety of issues ranging from public safety to environmental issues.
In 1995, Lee authored the California Schools Hate Crimes Reduction Act, which affords protection from hate crimes to all students in public schools regardless of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other. During her time in the State Senate, Lee was a strong advocate for African Americans, and for women.
In 1998, Lee was elected as Congresswoman for California’s then 9th district where she took controversial stances on many different issues. She has been a strong advocate for legislation to end poverty, ending the HIV epidemic and the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11 attacks.
As Dr. Shirley Weber noted in her remarks Friday morning, both women “have confidently built strong coalitions across diverse communities, and will do so in the senate.”
Thursday, May 16, 2019
West Point graduates 34 African-American women, the most ever from one class

Thirty-four black women are expected to graduate from West Point next week.
That will be the largest class of African-American women to graduate together in the military academy's lengthy history, West Point spokesman Frank Demaro said.
"Last year's graduating class had 27," said Demaro. "And the expectation is next year's class will be even larger than this year's."
West Point's graduating class is seeing diversity in other minority groups. "Also, this year's class will have the highest number of female Hispanic graduates along with graduating our 5,000th female cadet since the first class of women to graduate in 1980," said Demaro.
Cadet Tiffany Welch-Baker, spoke to the website "Because Of Them We Can," about her feelings about being a part of this historic graduating class.
"My hope when young black girls see these photos is that they understand that regardless of what life presents you, you have the ability and fortitude to be a force to be reckoned with."
West Point created its office of diversity in 2014 to try to attract, retain and promote a "more diverse workforce" according to its website.
About 10% of undergraduate students are black and women make up about 20% of cadets, according to the school's statistics.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Kamala Harris on mortality rates of black mothers: 'We can solve' this

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said society needs to do more to curb the increasing rates of mortality among black mothers.
Harris, a rising star in the Democratic Party believed to have presidential aspirations, introduced the CARE Act in August aimed at reducing the disparity in maternal death rates between women of color and white women.
Speaking at the Center for American Progress Wednesday, Harris championed the cause in an effort to raise awareness to the problem, calling it a “truth that must be spoken.”
"Women in the healthcare system must be given dignity. They must be listened to. They must be taken seriously. They must be given respect,” Harris said. “They must be given a sense of dignity about understanding that when they tell you something, then listen. When they tell you what they need, listen. They know what they need when they tell you. Hear them."
Harris said black women are three to four times more likely to die than white women because they choose to become mothers. Additionally, infants born to African-American mothers die at twice the rate of babies born to white mothers.
“We can solve for this, because at its core, one of the biggest parts of the problem is that his is an issue that’s about race,” she said.
Harris noted that increased education and awareness is necessary to fight the growing problem. She believes government also should be doing more to help.
"I've found myself saying recently that if something is worth fighting for, it's a fight worth having. If something is worth fighting for, it's a fight worth having. And when it comes to maternal healthcare for black women in America - it's a fight worth having,” Harris said.
Sunday, December 09, 2018
Olivia Hooker first African American woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard laid to rest
A funeral was held Wednesday in White Plains, New York, for Olivia Hooker. She was 103 years old when she died on Nov. 21.
The Coast Guard says Hooker enlisted in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve in 1945 and rose to the rank of yeoman second class before her discharge in 1946.
Hooker also survived one of the worst race riots in U.S. history. She was 6 years old in 1921 when the late-spring riot destroyed much of a Tulsa neighborhood that had been known as "Black Wall Street."
Hooker was a psychologist and a professor of psychology at Fordham University, where she retired at age 87 in 2002.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Sen. Harris Introduces Bill Aimed at Reducing Racial Disparities in Maternal Mortality
- Creates two new grant programs focused on reducing racial health disparities in maternal health:
- Implicit Bias Training Grants: Addresses implicit bias—bias in judgement or behavior resulting from implicit attitudes and stereotypes—by establishing competitive grants directed to medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professionals training programs to support implicit bias training. Priority is given for training in obstetrics and gynecology.
- Pregnancy Medical Home Demonstration Project: Establishes a demonstration project to assist up to 10 states with implementing and sustaining pregnancy medical home (PMH) programs to incentivize maternal health care providers to deliver integrated health care services to pregnant women and new mothers and reduce adverse maternal health outcomes, maternal deaths, and racial health disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity.
- Directs the National Academy of Medicine to study and make recommendations for incorporating bias recognition in clinical skills testing for U.S. medical schools.
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
24-year-old single mom graduates from Harvard Law School
Becoming a lawyer was always a goal for Briana Williams. But when she became a single mother a year before finishing her Harvard law degree, her dream seemed almost impossible. The 24-year-old shared a candid post about how she decided to complete a final exam in April 2017 while in labor before heading to the hospital to give birth.
“I immediately requested an epidural so that my contractions wouldn’t interfere,” the mom writes. “To say that my last year of law school, with a newborn, and as a single mom was a challenge would be an understatement.”
Beating all odds and statistics, Williams walked across the graduation stage with her adorable mini-me, Evelyn, the two of them wearing matching caps and gowns.
Williams tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the road to success wasn’t easy, and there were times when she thought she couldn’t do what she needed to do.
“There were many days that I’d go into a depression because I felt overwhelmed and let the pressure of what I was trying to do get to me. I suppose I just did what I had to do, regardless of how I felt on the inside, because I did not want people to be able to say that I had to choose between motherhood and success,” she reveals. “I refused to allow anyone to assume that my daughter could hold me back in any way when she is such a fundamental piece of my success and courage. I knew that if I persisted, I could help other similarly situated women.”
Read more: Single Mom, 24, Graduates From Harvard Law School: ‘Let’s Keep Beating All Their Odds’
A post shared by Briana Williams, J.D. (@lovexbriana) on
Tuesday, February 06, 2018
Bresha Meadows, girl who killed abusive father is free!

Bresha Meadows, the Ohio teenager who killed her father after he allegedly terrorized and abused her family for years, is finally home.
On Sunday, Bresha, who is now 16, was released from the residential mental health facility where she spent the last six months. Her case attracted national media attention, and opened up a conversation about how black women and girls are treated by the criminal justice system when they claim self-defense.
Bresha was 14 when she fatally shot her father in the head while he was asleep. She and her siblings alleged that her father, Jonathan Meadows, 41, was physically and verbally abusive toward them, often threatening them with the same gun Bresha fired. Her mother, Brandi Meadows, called Bresha a hero, and told reporters that her husband beat her ruthlessly in front of the children.
“I believe that she saved all of us,” she said.
Bresha’s case was propelled into the national spotlight thanks to the work of a small organizing collective, dubbed #FreeBresha, which advocated on behalf of the teen after her arrest. They organized book drives and letter-writing campaigns to the prosecutor, and started a petition to demand Bresha’s immediate release. Over 100 domestic violence organizations endorsed the call to drop the charges. A fundraiser for Bresha has raised over $150,000.
“Bresha should never have been incarcerated, but it is a win nonetheless,” two of the organizers, Colby Lenz and Mariame Kaba, wrote in an op-ed welcoming the teen home. “The punishment system was unsuccessful in disappearing this young Black woman.”
Prosecutors charged Bresha with aggravated murder, and sought to try her as an adult, which meant she potentially faced life behind bars. Ultimately, she was tried as a child, and last May, she pleaded true to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, the equivalent of guilty in juvenile court.
She was sentenced to a year in juvenile detention, with credit for time served, as well as six months at a mental health facility and two years of probation. On Sunday, she was released into her family’s care.
Her record will be sealed and expunged when she reaches adulthood.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Viola Davis speaks up for women and girls of color at Women's March
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
March for Black Women Draws Hundreds in Washington, D.C.

A few weeks before the 20th anniversary of the Million Woman March, hundreds of Black women mobilized in Washington, D.C. last Saturday for the March for Black Women.
The rally was spearheaded by the civil and human rights organization Black Women’s Blue Print. A statement from the group said the gathering aimed to “denounce the propagation of state-violence and the widespread incarceration of Black women and girls, rape and all sexualized violence, the murders and brutalization of trans women and the disappearances of our girls from our streets, our schools and our homes.”
Saturday’s demonstration coincided with the March for Racial Justice. The intertwining of the two events was absolutely intentional, according to the executive director of Black Women’s Blue Print, Farah Tanis.
“I said to myself that there will not be another March for Racial Injustice that does not truly center black women and their issues,” Tanis told the Washington Post.
The organizers of the March for Black Women told the Post they wanted their demonstration to cater to women who felt left out of the Women’s March on Washington. Many women of color believed the January march was geared toward White feminism and felt excluded by the rally.
“In this highly political moment of the 20th anniversary of the Million Woman March, the March for Black Women will amplify the struggles of Black women in the rural South—the “Black Belt,” and demand a cease and desist of all threats to those of us who are immigrant women across the country living in fear of deportation,” the rally’s statement continued.
“On September 30, 2017, Black cis and trans-identified women will remove the gags from our mouths, protest in collective action and lift the foot of imperialist white supremacist patriarchy off our necks,” the page read. “We call on every Black woman from every U.S. city, every walk of life, every demographic to rise together within our differences and face our common oppressors.”
Read more March for Black Women Draws Hundreds in Washington, D.C.Sunday, October 01, 2017
New Nielsen Study Reveals Growing Spending Power, Influence of Black Women

A new report detailing the record-setting spending power of African American women has further buoyed the confidence of Black female entrepreneurs, who said the information proves their undeniable value to the United States and the global economy.
The report titled, “African American Women: Our Science, Her Magic,” was released by Nielsen during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference; it revealed that African American women’s consumer preferences and brand affinities are resonating across the mainstream culture, driving total Black spending power toward a record $1.5 trillion by 2021.
The report also noted that Black women comprise 14 percent of all females in the U.S. (“24.3 million strong”) and 52 percent of all African Americans.
With an average age of 35.1 years (versus 42.8 for non-Hispanic White women and 39.4 for all women), Black women have enjoyed steady growth in population, incomes and educational attainment.
Sixty-four percent of Black women currently enroll in college right out of high school and 23 percent over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, up from 18 percent in 2005.
Further, the report noted that the number of businesses majority-owned by Black women grew 67 percent between 2007 and 2012, more than all women combined.
The latest U.S. Census figures show African- American women have majority ownership in more than 1.5 million businesses with over $42 billion in sales.
“This report is helpful to show banks and brands that Black women are highly qualified to be recipients of fair lending and to be fairly represented in advertising campaigns,” said Samantha Gregory, the founder of the website richsinglemomma.com, a platform developed to help single mothers earn extra cash. “As a Black woman in technology and personal finance, who is also a business owner, those statistics are useful, when I am making a case for working with brands for my blog and business.
Read more: New Nielsen Study Reveals Growing Spending Power, Influence of Black Women
Sunday, August 06, 2017
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN: AMERICA'S MOST FORGOTTEN ASSET by AMIA P. WRIGHT
Within this book, the author aimed to restore, rehabilitate, and mend African American Women and the community. The entire world has acknowledged issues African Americans face as a culture, however, no one has advanced towards assimilating relationships within the culture. As resilient of a people as African Americans are the culture still need a leader, still need guidance, and still need reassurance. It is believed that African American Women is the key to turning everything around and remodeling the foundation that was once laid. The potency of African American Women is so prodigious that it has the power of an atomic bomb. Today’s leaders for African Americans are outnumbered and rejected because in the community today, stupidity reigns over knowledge and foolishness is the new cute. There are many problems within the culture, however, this book has the influence to generate the opportunity for revolution.
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Friday, May 19, 2017
Shoe company accused of racism towards Serena Williams
Managers for the luxury shoe company Gianvito Rossi called tennis star Serena Williams "disgusting" and refused to give her the same discounts as white celebrities, a former employee claims in a stunning new racial discrimination lawsuit.
Whitney Wilburn, who is black, says she was recruited to work for Gianvito Rossi in 2015 from "another Madison Avenue fashion house" where she'd been for five years.
But once she was hired to run the Manhattan boutique, her boss, Grace Mazzilli, was immediately "hostile to Wilburn based upon her race and age," the suit alleges.
Wilburn, 46, claims in the Manhattan civil suit that her "experience with Mazzilli left no doubt about Mazzilli's racial animosity toward African-Americans."
"For instance, when the world famous athlete Serena Williams, via her staff, asked for a discount on her extensive purchases, Gianvito managers responded with racially disparaging comments about Ms.
Williams which made it clear that the company did not want African-American women to wear its shoes," the suit says.
The managers "referred to Ms. Williams as 'disgusting' and refused to offer any discount," according to court papers.
Read more: Tennis: Shoe company accused of racism towards Serena Williams