US Virgin Islands is grappling for attention after being hit by two hurricanes

Depending on what media outlets Americans engage, they might think that Puerto Rico is the only US territory hit by hurricanes recently, but that's not true.

The US Virgin Islands were hit twice - by Hurricanes Irma and Maria - and for the most part have been overlooked in the national disaster relief conversation, said US House of Representatives Delegate Stacey Plaskett.

The Category 5 storms left the community without power and Internet service, preventing many stores and pharmacies from serving customers who mainly use cards to purchase essential items.

"We hear headlines about what's happening in Puerto Rico," she told MSNBC's Joy Reid last week. "I can't tell you the low morale that the people of the Virgin Islands have right now about how the federal government and the rest of the Americans feel about them because we hear nothing - nothing about the people of the US Virgin Islands."

"And unfortunately, some of us are beginning to think that maybe it's because the US Virgin Islands is a primarily black territory that we're not hearing anything in the news," Plaskett added. "There's no discussion about us."

Read more: US Virgin Islands is grappling for attention after being hit by two hurricanes

African-Americans should apply for gun licenses to scare lawmakers into action

By Leonard Greene NY Daily News

America would have tighter gun laws in 24 hours if every black person in America went out and bought a firearm.

In fact, black people wouldn't even have to purchase the guns. All we would need to do is fill out the gun license applications and get background checks.

Lawmakers would be passing stricter gun laws quicker than you can say bump stock.

That's the evil attachment Las Vegas madman Stephen Paddock used to legally turn his semi-automatic weapon into a rapid-fire killing machine when he unloaded Sunday on a crowd of country music concertgoers, killing nearly 60 outside his Las Vegas hotel.

In the days since, the White House has reaffirmed its commitment to the Second Amendment.

But how quickly would that change if black people started exercising their Second Amendment rights, and took advantage of ridiculous open carry laws?

Elected officials would amend the Constitution in a heartbeat, because nothing would scare America more than the thought of a heavily armed black population.

Not a credit card data breach.

Not North Korean nukes.

And, nothing, not even holding a gun to their heads, would move members of Congress to pass meaningful gun control faster than a flood of applications from black people threatening to stockpile weapons of their own.

I call it the Hotel Pool Theory.

Not long ago, racist white people were so against swimming with blacks that many hotel owners shut down their swimming pools rather than desegregate their facilities.

Likewise, Republican senators, and even the National Rifle Association for that matter, aren't about to stand around and let law-abiding black people have equal access to guns.

Not under today's laws, where restrictions are so lax you can practically buy a gun out of a vending machine or get one free with a gas station fill-up.

According to the Congressional Research Service, there are already more guns in the United States than there are people.

What we need are stricter laws, and legislation that would outlaw bump stocks instead of imposing “additional regulations” as the NRA suggests.

Applications from African-Americans and background checks on black buyers would be more than enough to scare lawmakers into action.

Source: NY DAILY NEWS

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.

Panthers QB Cam Newton says TD celebration was for 'Black Power'

After Cam Newton scored a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Patriots, the Panthers quarterback stood with a raised fist in the end zone.

Newton, who stood during the national anthem before the game, said Wednesday he might have some sort of protest in the wake of President Donald Trump's divisive comments last weekend.

Newton's touchdown gave Carolina a 30-16 lead early in the fourth quarter and the Panthers held on for a 33-30 victory. Newton, who threw for 316 yards and three scores while rushing for 44 yards and the 7-yard touchdown, explained his touchdown celebration following the game.

"It was to signify Black Power, but more importantly, I pray every night for God to give me a pinnacle to give people hope," Newton said. "I did it to raise — to show Black Pride because I am an African American, but more or less, I want all people just to see when I play, I want them to see the joy that I go out there and play with.

Read more: Panthers QB Cam Newton says TD celebration was for 'Black Power'

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