Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg press conference after Trump guilty verdict

Watch the press conference Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg held after former President Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

NAACP Launches Multi-Million Dollar Fund to Propel Voter Registration and Turnout Ahead of November

The NAACP has announced the official launch of their Building Community Voice Fund (BCVF). The non-partisan, multi-million dollar fund established by the NAACP to provide grants to 501(c)(3) voter registration and voter turnout initiatives and organizations, including complementary voter education and voter protection programs. 

Dominik Whitehead, NAACP Vice President of Campaigns shared the following statement:

"This year, The NAACP is laser-focused through our robust civic engagement work. As we mobilize 13.5 million Black voters across 12 priority states, we recognize the power of investing directly in community. The Building Community Voice Fund will provide crucial resources to our grassroots organizations, ensuring that Black Americans are informed and engaged around pivotal local elections that are too often overlooked. Together, we will ensure that democracy prevails and Black voices are heard loud and clear."

Our research shows that targeted investment in state groups have positive effects on Black voters' daily lives. With a continued commitment to the BCVF program, the NAACP aims to delve deeper into defining the impact of investing in competitive races in both competitive and progressive counties.

"In many Black communities, a lack of resources directly contributes to low voter registration and subsequent election turnout," said Brittany Smith, Program Director of the NAACP Building Community Voice Fund. "The BCVF program is critical for Black Americans to have a voice in this crucial upcoming election and beyond."

To learn more about the NAACP's Building Community Voice Fund, visit our website.

UNCLE NEAREST SIGNS DEAL TO ACQUIRE SQUARE ONE ORGANIC SPIRITS

The New Agreement Comes at the Mark of the 20th Anniversary of Square One Debuting as America's Original All-Organic Spirits Company

Uncle Nearest, the top-selling Black-owned spirit company in the world, announces the acquisition of Square One Organic Spirits. In 2004, Square One revolutionized the spirits industry by becoming the first company dedicated to producing exclusively USDA certified organic spirits and was the first organic rye vodka brand. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Square One boasts lifetime sales exceeding $22 million with nearly 200,000 cases sold. This achievement was largely driven by Founder and CEO Allison Evanow's remarkable effort as the primary, and often sole, salesperson throughout most of the brand's history.

In a bold expansion, last year Uncle Nearest acquired Domaine Saint Martin, an esteemed estate with over 350 years of history and a connection to cognac-making luminaries. Spanning more than 100 acres along the Charente River in Cognac, France, the estate includes 40 percent of the Grande Champagne vineyards in the city—recognized as the most prestigious cru for Cognac production. This makes Uncle Nearest the largest owner of Grande Champagne vineyards within the city. This strategic acquisition not only secured a significant historic and production asset but also marked Uncle Nearest's ambitious entry into the Cognac market. They are now adding another pillar to their spirits house: Vodka.

"In 2020, I expressed our vision for Uncle Nearest to not just be a brand, but to become the first spirits conglomerate in America founded by a woman or person of color," stated Fawn Weaver, Founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest." Many saw this as wishful thinking since we

were only three years into our journey at the time."

Under the new partnership, Square One will maintain its commitment to farm-to-glass production and will introduce a new line of organic, gluten-free options designed to appeal to a broader consumer base. Evanow will continue to play a pivotal leadership role, ensuring the brand's founding principles remain at the forefront of its expanded operations. A rebranding of Square One Organic Vodka, led by The Formulation Group, will be unveiled prior to expanding into all 50 states this summer. 

"While we have really loved being an independent brand so that we could focus on quality organic ingredients and unique flavor profiles, the intense demands of handling nearly all sales personally underscored the need for stronger backing," says Evanow. "Uncle Nearest will not only preserve our independent spirit and world class quality, but also bring the robust sales and distribution capabilities we need to reach our full potential."

"There is a clear demand for brands that are authentically owned and culturally resonant. Consumers are increasingly discerning, seeking products that not only deliver high quality but also maintain genuine ties to the communities they represent," Weaver adds. "This shift towards authenticity has created a pivotal opportunity for a company like ours. With Uncle Nearest's extensive national distribution network and our deep commitment to heritage and authenticity, we are perfectly positioned to meet this growing demand. By entering the vodka market, we're not just expanding our portfolio, we're responding to a consumer call for transparent, culturally connected brands."

Michelle Obama's When We All Vote Will Bring Voting to the Culture and Engage Voters Across the Country This Summer

The Culture of Democracy Tour will register, educate and mobilize tens of thousands of voters in partnership with the Roots Picnic, Lyft, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Dream and more

When We All Vote has launched the Culture of Democracy Tour, a summer of action to register, educate and engage thousands of voters and volunteers. The Culture of Democracy Tour brings voting to popular culture through events, sweepstakes, campaigns, voter registration drives and more in partnership with the organization's thousands of volunteers and partners.

More than 200 partners have joined When We All Vote's Culture of Democracy Collective — a network of leading national and community organizations, including sports, corporate and entertainment partners, committed to registering, educating and mobilizing voters. Members include Essence, BET, Lyft, Girls Inc., NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Global Black Economic Forum, Lime, the Divine Nine National Pan-Hellenic Organizations, VoteRiders and the Executive Leadership Council, as well as major sport teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Mystics, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo and more.

"At a time when fewer young people are identifying with political parties, the work of nonpartisan organizations like When We All Vote has never been more critical," said Beth Lynk, Executive Director of When We All Vote. "Through the Culture of Democracy Tour this summer, we will bring voting to the culture and meet voters where they are — transforming how they view and participate in democracy and taking this momentum to the biggest stop of all: the ballot box."

Culture of Democracy Tour
When We All Vote's Founder and Co-Chair, Michelle Obama, continues to be a trusted voice in the political space. She will use her voice throughout the tour to engage eligible voters.

More than 40 million Gen Z'ers will be eligible to vote in November, and almost half are people of color,  including 8.8 million Latinos and 5.7 million Black youth. 71 percent of the people who registered with When We All Vote in 2020 were young people and people of color, with a turnout rate of 83 percent — surpassing the national average by nearly 20 percentage points. With reports of lower voter enthusiasm dominating the narrative, the Culture of Democracy Tour is critical to remind voters of their power and encourage voter participation. Highlights include:

• Events: When We All Vote will join some of the summer's biggest events and celebrations to register voters, including:
  • The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, PA, on June 1 and 2
  • Blavity House Party Music Festival in Nashville, TN, on June 14 and 15
  • Essence Festival of Culture and the Global Black Economic Forum's Summit and Conference in New Orleans, LA, between July 4 and July 7
• National Days of Action and Volunteer Mobilization: Hundreds of volunteers will host voter registration drives and get their communities registered and ready to vote:
  • Pride Month voter registration drives throughout June
  • Juneteenth Weekend of Action June 19-23
  • The Voting Rights Act Anniversary on August 6
• Digital Campaigns: When We All Vote will engage voters around the issues motivating them most through campaigns with partners, such as:
  • Digital and in-person activations with sports leagues and athletes
  • Digital campaigns around key issues for voters, including reproductive rights, climate change and the state of the economy
  • A back-to-school campaign as a part of the My School Votes program for high school students throughout August
  • New partnerships with celebrity talent and brands

Culture of Democracy Collective
The more than 200 members of the Culture of Democracy Collective will register voters through their platforms. For example:

• Lyft will offer discounted rides to the polls during primaries, early voting and on Election Day across the country, as well as help riders, drivers and team members register, prepare to vote and understand voting ID requirements
• Lime will share voter registration deadlines and offer free e-bike and e-scooter rides to polling locations on Election Day
• Amalgamated Bank will promote voter registration in branches to help inform their customers and employees about the elections and encourage them to vote
• Essence and the Global Black Economic Forum will register and mobilize voters and protect democracy
• The Executive Leadership Council will convene Black business leaders to mobilize around voter education and registration in both the workplace and in their local communities
• Clare V. will release a VOTE t-shirt in support of When We All Vote
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and other organizations in the Divine Nine will mobilize their membership around Juneteenth to register people to vote
• Drag Out the Vote will encourage the community to register voters for Pride Month
• State Voices will help galvanize their large network to host Parties at the Polls
• Southern Poverty Law Center will register voters through statewide campaigns in Alabama and Mississippi

Earlier this year, When We All Vote laid out its three-pronged strategy for 2024: 1) register at least 500,000 Americans to vote; 2) reach and mobilize 5 million voters to cast their ballots; 3) change the culture around voting with partners and celebrity co-chairs and ambassadors.

ABOUT When We All Vote: 
When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.

In 2020, When We All Vote ran a robust, multifaceted campaign and reached more than 100 million people to educate them about the voting process and get them registered and ready to vote. The initiative also led in voter education, registration, and volunteer engagement and as a result, 512,000 people started or completed the voter registration process, and nearly 500 media, corporate, and nonprofit partners joined its efforts.

Michelle Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018 and is joined by fellow Co-Chairs Stephen Curry, Becky G, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, H.E.R., Liza Koshy, Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Bretman Rock, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson. When We All Vote is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and works with Civic Nation Action, a 501(c)(4). Learn more here.

Must Read Book: COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid

Check out this exciting and interesting book about Harriet Tubman. The book is titled COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War. The book tells the story of the Combahee River Raid, one of Harriet Tubman's most extraordinary accomplishments, based on original documents and written by a descendant of one of the participants.

Most Americans know of Harriet Tubman's legendary life: escaping enslavement in 1849, she led more than 60 others out of bondage via the Underground Railroad, gave instructions on getting to freedom to scores more, and went on to live a lifetime fighting for change. Yet the many biographies, children's books, and films about Tubman omit a crucial chapter: during the Civil War, hired by the Union Army, she ventured into the heart of slave territory--Beaufort, South Carolina--to live, work, and gather intelligence for a daring raid up the Combahee River to attack the major plantations of Rice Country, the breadbasket of the Confederacy.

Edda L. Fields-Black--herself a descendent of one of the participants in the raid--shows how Tubman commanded a ring of spies, scouts, and pilots and participated in military expeditions behind Confederate lines. On June 2, 1863, Tubman and her crew piloted two regiments of Black US Army soldiers, the Second South Carolina Volunteers, and their white commanders up coastal South Carolina's Combahee River in three gunboats. In a matter of hours, they torched eight rice plantations and liberated 730 people, people whose Lowcountry Creole language and culture Tubman could not even understand. Black men who had liberated themselves from bondage on South Carolina's Sea Island cotton plantations after the Battle of Port Royal in November 1861 enlisted in the Second South Carolina Volunteers and risked their lives in the effort.

Using previous unexamined documents, including Tubman's US Civil War Pension File, bills of sale, wills, marriage settlements, and estate papers from planters' families, Fields-Black brings to life intergenerational, extended enslaved families, neighbors, praise-house members, and sweethearts forced to work in South Carolina's deadly tidal rice swamps, sold, and separated during the antebellum period. When Tubman and the gunboats arrived and blew their steam whistles, many of those people clambered aboard, sailed to freedom, and were eventually reunited with their families. The able-bodied Black men freed in the Combahee River Raid enlisted in the Second South Carolina Volunteers and fought behind Confederate lines for the freedom of others still enslaved not just in South Carolina but Georgia and Florida.

After the war, many returned to the same rice plantations from which they had escaped, purchased land, married, and buried each other. These formerly enslaved peoples on the Sea Island indigo and cotton plantations, together with those in the semi-urban port cities of Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannah, and on rice plantations in the coastal plains, created the distinctly American Gullah Geechee dialect, culture, and identity--perhaps the most significant legacy of Harriet Tubman's Combahee River Raid.

BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/44WzLR8