PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS WILL GO TO THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) is sponsoring a bus trip to the protest that will take place in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, on Friday, August 28, 2026. 

The theme of the protest is “March On Washington: Defend The Vote.” It is being called by the Rev Al Sharpton and his National Action Network, Martin Luther King III, and other civil rights organizations. 

“We endorse the march and we are sending a bus to the protest in Washington because we believe the right to vote is under attack and in grave peril today,” stated Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress. 

“Democracy in the United States is in great danger because it is being undermined by the racist and fascist Trump administration, backed up by the right-wing dominated Congress, and supported by the ultra-conservative super majority on the Supreme Court,” Hamm said. 

The POP sponsored bus is one of hundreds of busses from New Jersey, New York, and around the nation that will be journeying to Washington for the March. It will be leaving from Newark at 4:3Oam Friday morning. 

The march is being held on the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 Great March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where the Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. 

That march was held on August 28th, the date in 1955 on which 14 year-old Emmett Till was murdered by white racists in Money, Mississippi. 

This was just three months before the arrest of Rosa Parks and the start of the Montgomery Bus boycott which gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement. 

More than 250,000 people attended the March On Washington that year. The following year the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed, and the next year the 1965 Voting Rights Act was passed. 

“We must march because those rights, including the right to vote, which were fought for and paid for with lives, and blood, and sacrifices of many kinds in our lifetime are being taken away before our very eyes,” he said. 

“Because of the Supreme Court decision in the Louisiana v Callais case we may end up losing as many as nineteen African American representatives due to racist gerrymandering. 

“And now the Trump administration is attempting to restrict and stop mail-in voting in an attempt to steal the midterm congressional elections. The People’s Organization For Progress is absolutely opposed to any attempt by President Trump to interfere with, impede or stop mail-in voting,” he said. 

While some POP members and supporters will be going to the march in Washington DC others will be rallying here at home for voting rights that same day. 

A “Community Rally,” observing the 63rd anniversary of March On Washington will be held on Friday, August 28th, 5:30pm at the Somerset Municipal Complex, 475 Demott Lane, Somerset, New Jersey.

A key organizer of this event is author, activist, and educator Bill Davis, a member of the People’s Organization For Progress, and a leader of the group’s Central Jersey branch. 

“We are having this rally to demand the abolition of ICE, economic justice, improved Black employment, an end to police brutality,  end racist gerrymandering and redistricting, an end to the war with Iran, and reparations for African Americans whose ancestors were enslaved,” Davis stated. 

The event is endorsed by Peoples Organization for Progress, March Forward, NAACP New Brunswick & Edison Branches, NJ Black Women, and MT Zion AME Church.

Finally, POP will continue the fight for voting rights after the events of August 28th. 

The group will hold a forum entitled “The Attack On Voting Rights And The War On Black People,” Thursday, September 11, 2026, 7:00pm at New Hope Baptist Church of East Orange, 144 Norman Street in East Orange, New Jersey. 

For more information on the POP bus trip to the March On Washington or the voting rights forum in East Orange call (973)801-0001. For additional information on the rally in Somerset contact Bill Davis at 732-647-8212.

NABJ Stands With Karen Attiah and Renews Call for Accountability at The Washington Post

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) welcomes the arbitrator's ruling in favor of Karen Attiah, finding that The Washington Post did not have "good and sufficient cause" to terminate her employment and ordering her reinstatement with back pay.

Attiah was dismissed last year after raising concerns about the treatment of Black journalists and the broader direction of the newsroom. NABJ raised serious concerns about her firing when it happened, including what her termination signaled about the treatment, retention and protection of Black journalists inside one of the nation's most influential news organizations. The arbitrator's ruling reinforces why those concerns warranted serious scrutiny.

It also comes one week after NABJ presented The Washington Post with a 2026 Thumbs Down Award, recognizing the organization for decisions and practices that have undermined Black journalists, diversity in the newsroom and public trust in journalism.

"When NABJ raises concerns about the treatment of Black journalists, we do so because the decisions news organizations make have real consequences for our members, our profession and the communities we serve," said NABJ President Errin Haines. "Karen Attiah deserved a fair process, and she showed tremendous courage in pushing back, standing up for herself and fighting for what she believed was right. This ruling affirms that the serious questions surrounding her termination were warranted. The Washington Post now has an opportunity to listen, learn and demonstrate through its actions what meaningful accountability looks like."

"The Washington Association of Black Journalists was proud to support Karen Attiah throughout this process. We hope this landmark decision sends a message to newsrooms everywhere: Black journalists deserve to work in environments where we are free from attempts to silence our voices," said WABJ President Phil Lewis. "Organizations like WABJ and NABJ will continue to advocate for our members."

The Thumbs Down Award is not about punishment. It is a call for institutions with tremendous influence over our profession to examine their decisions, listen to the journalists affected by them and make meaningful changes when they fall short.

NABJ will continue to advocate for Black journalists across the country. Today, we renew our call for The Washington Post to engage seriously with the concerns we have raised about Black representation, retention, newsroom culture and the treatment of Black journalists.

This moment presents an opportunity for The Post to demonstrate that accountability can lead to change. NABJ stands ready to have that conversation.

U.S. Postal Service Continues Its Tradition of Celebrating Kwanzaa

The USPS will issue its 11th stamp celebrating Kwanzaa, the pan-African holiday observed by millions of Americans each year from Dec 26 to Jan 1.

The pan-african holiday Kwanzaa, observed annually from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, brings together family, community and culture. Created in the United States in 1966 and drawing on a variety of African traditions, it was intended to help unify African Americans from a wide array of religious and cultural backgrounds. The name "Kwanzaa" is derived from the Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits."

The 2026 Kwanzaa stamp — the 11th since 1997 in an ongoing series — brings a fresh approach. While many of the stamps have portrayed family, this is the first one to feature a father and daughter. In addition, the color scheme — lime green, pink and yellow — is an updated take on the customary black, red and green.

n the traditional side, the stamp artwork incorporates two of the seven Kwanzaa symbols: the gift (zawadi), held by the daughter, and the unity cup (kikombe cha umoja), held by the father.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with original artwork by Cannaday Chapman.

The Kwanzaa stamp will be issued as a Forever stamp and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Texas Southern University Names Corey Lowery Men's Basketball Head Coach

Texas Southern University announced the hiring of Corey Lowery as the next head coach of the men's basketball program.

Lowery brings 27 years of coaching experience to Houston, including 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach and an overall head coaching record of 266-73.

"Coach Lowery has won at every level and every stop of his career," said President J.W. Crawford III. "Beyond constructing winning rosters and producing on the court, he is a maker of men off the court. I am confident that he will continue Texas Southern basketball's championship tradition into the University's next century."

Lowery arrives at Texas Southern after four seasons as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University, where he was part of a staff that earned 42 wins — the most in Seton Hall history for a coaching staff in its first two seasons — and capped the 2024 season with an NIT National Championship.

Prior to Seton Hall, Lowery spent two seasons as head men's basketball coach at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. His inaugural season opened with a 3-0 start before being discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his first full season (2021-22), Lowery led Lincoln to a second-place finish in the CIAA Northern Division after the team had been picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll. The turnaround earned him CIAA Coach of the Year honors. That season, Zahrion Blue was named CIAA Player of the Year and freshman Bakir Cleveland was named to the CIAA All-Rookie Team. Lowery was also selected to coach in the inaugural HBCU All-Star Game.

"It is an absolute honor and privilege to be named the Head Men's Basketball coach at Texas Southern University," Lowery said. "Texas Southern is rooted in a proud tradition of winning championships and I consider this University not only the premier institution in the SWAC but one of the top in the country. I will work tirelessly to serve and uphold the standard of excellence that already exists at Texas Southern University."

Before Lincoln, Lowery served as Director of Player Development at Saint Peter's University from 2018-20. Prior to Saint Peter's, Lowery spent six seasons as head coach at Essex County College, leading the Wolverines to six consecutive regular-season conference championships, five consecutive region championships and five consecutive appearances in the NJCAA Division II Tournament. Essex County finished as national championship finalist in 2014 and advanced to the Final Four in both 2014 and 2016.

As head coach at Middlesex County College, Lowery guided his team to three consecutive conference championships, a region championship and an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division III Tournament in 2008.

Lowery began his head coaching career at Hillside High School, where he led his teams to a conference championship and two state championship appearances.

UNCF President Michael L. Lomax to Retire in 2027

Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, has announced his intent to retire in June 2027.

“Few leaders have shaped an institution as profoundly as Dr. Lomax has shaped UNCF,” said Milton H. Jones, Jr., UNCF board chair. “For more than two decades, he has elevated HBCUs on the national stage, expanded educational opportunity for hundreds of thousands of students, strengthened our member institutions, and positioned UNCF for enduring success. We celebrate his extraordinary legacy while looking forward to the organization’s next chapter with great confidence. Thanks to Dr. Lomax’s vision and leadership, UNCF is stronger than ever and exceptionally well positioned for the future.”

Dr. Lomax began his presidency at UNCF in 2004. Among other accomplishments throughout Dr. Lomax’s tenure, the organization has raised more than $4 billion in support of students and HBCUs, helped more than 300,000 students pursue and complete college degrees, and increased its endowment nearly tenfold, rising from $60 million to a projected $600 million in 2027.

“Serving as president and CEO of UNCF has been the privilege of a lifetime,” said Dr. Lomax. “Everything we have accomplished has been made possible through the extraordinary partnership of our board of directors, our member institutions, our dedicated team members, our donors, our philanthropic partners, and the countless champions who believe deeply in our mission. Together, we have expanded opportunities for hundreds of thousands of students and strengthened the institutions that have transformed generations of lives.”

Before his current position, Dr. Lomax served as president of historically Black Dillard University in New Orleans. In addition to faculty appointments at Morehouse College and Spelman College in Atlanta, he has held roles in public service, including director of research and special assistant to Maynard H. Jackson, the first Black mayor of Atlanta. He also had stints as the first African American chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and as president of the National Faculty, an Atlanta-based organization dedicated to connecting higher education scholars with K-12 teachers.

Dr. Lomax holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Morehouse College, a master’s degree in English literature from Columbia University in New York, and a Ph.D. in American and African American literature from Emory University in Atlanta.