California Gov. Gavin Newsom has begun the process of commuting the death sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, The Washington Post reported.

If completed, the move would empty the nation’s largest death row, affecting more than a quarter of the country’s death-sentenced population.

However, the commutations will not be automatic for everyone. Approximately 70% of the inmates have multiple felony convictions and will need approval from at least four of the California Supreme Court’s seven justices before their sentences can be changed.

Newsom defended his decision in an open letter to Californians, arguing that he believes capital punishment is incompatible with California’s values and undermines the justice system.

“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote.

He also acknowledged that his decision could reopen painful memories for victims’ families, writing that the announcement “may surface excruciating memories for victims’ families.”

California voters previously rejected a ballot measure to repeal the death penalty in 2016, but Newsom argued that the state Constitution gives the authority to grant clemency.

“California voters have voted to keep the death penalty on the books and I respect that,” he wrote. “But the Constitution also gave every governor clemency authority, and that power exists for moments when law as applied cannot be squared with justice. For me, this is that moment.”

The Washington Post reported that California has not executed anyone since 2006. Newsom previously imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, dismantled the state’s death chamber, and repealed its lethal injection protocol.

The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HEREto tune in live.

The post Gov. Gavin Newsom To Commute All 548 California Death Row Sentences appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Daily World.

On April 3, 1968, at Mason Temple in Memphis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon.

As he prepared to close, he told the overflowing crowd: “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.”

Those words ring just as true today as they did nearly six decades ago. We, too, have some difficult days ahead.

By the time this article hits the newsstands (I’m dating myself), the midterm elections will be over. Regardless of the outcome, the fight for justice and humanity will continue with full force.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead.

The present administration and those driving a malicious agenda of anti-human policies driven by greed will likely ratchet up the rhetoric of ruin against safety-net programs. These are the very programs that support the people who actually do the living and dying in this country.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead.

Following the midterms, people who believe in the sacredness of humanity must turn their attention to holding elected officials accountable. Senators and representatives promised to protect the people’s agenda: health care for all, quality education for all, and ensuring billionaires pay their fair share of taxes to fund programs for “the least of these.”

If sober, principled leaders are not elected, and the hounds of hell break through the gates of Congress, then those who believe that every person has inherent dignity, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, or economic status, will have to redouble their efforts. We must resist the fanatical intent of those who believe one race is superior to others.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead.

Churches must stand in the tradition of the prophet Amos. They must declare to wannabe kings and sycophants who trade human principles for profit that God says: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Black churches in particular must make a Sankofa move, reaching back to reclaim the lessons of ancestors who waged heroic battles against white supremacy and settler colonialism, forcing this country to make drastic changes for the better.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead.

Black churches and people of goodwill must reclaim the narrative. We must prevent the masses, often captivated by social media talking heads who lack the bandwidth for deep theology, ideology, or political literacy, from falling under the influence of rampant ignorance online.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead.

Those who have always wondered what they would have done during the Civil Rights Movement will soon confront a hard truth: what they are doing right now is exactly what they would have done back then. For many, that means doing nothing but talking. Others will realize they are the kind of people Harriet Tubman would have left behind, because they did nothing but get in the way.

We must answer the question Dr. King posed in the title of his final book: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

We’ve got some difficult days ahead.

That sentiment reflects the words Jesus left with His disciples, hours before He was executed by the Roman Empire on a cross. In John 16:33, Jesus told them: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Yes, we have difficult days ahead, but we have truth on our side. We have justice on our side. We have our ancestors on our side. We have history on our side.

And for those of us who follow that barefoot preacher from the northeast African region of biblical Palestine, Jesus of Nazareth, we know that victory ultimately triumphs over defeat, because resurrection is a living reality.

Be vigilant, be authentic, and stay woke. Uhuru Sasa!

The Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. Gary, IN. Contact the church at [email protected] or by phone at 219-944-0500.

Based on reporting by Gary Crusader.

Georgia voters elected eight Democratic women to statewide offices Nov. 3, giving women seven of the state’s eight major executive positions and a seat on its utility regulatory commission.

The winners are:

• Keisha Lance Bottoms: Governor
• Penny Brown Reynolds: Secretary of state
• Tanya Miller: Attorney general
• Keisha Sean Waites: Insurance and safety fire commissioner
• Nikki Porcher: Labor commissioner
• Katherine Juhan-Arnold: Agriculture commissioner
• Lydia Powell: State school superintendent
• Shelia Edwards: Public Service Commission, District 5.

Brown Reynolds, a lawyer and former Fulton County judge, defeated Republican Tim Fleming to become the first Black woman elected Georgia secretary of state. She succeeds Republican Brad Raffensperger, who ran unsuccessfully for governor. The office gained national attention after Donald Trump pressured Raffensperger in a January 2021 phone call to “find 11,780 votes” to overturn his Georgia defeat. Raffensperger refused. Brown Reynolds will now serve as the state’s top elections official.

Miller, a state representative and former federal and county prosecutor, defeated Republican Brian Strickland to become Georgia’s first Black female attorney general. Waites, a former Atlanta city councilor and state representative, unseated Republican Insurance Commissioner John King.

The post Eight Black Women Win Georgia Statewide Offices appeared first on The Community Voice.

Based on reporting by Community Voice (KS).

As this edition of The Washington Informer hits the stands, millions of citizens have cast their ballots, made their voices heard, and begun reflecting on the election’s outcome. The atmosphere this election season has been heavy. We feel the weight of history, the tension of a divided nation, and anxiety about tomorrow. In this issue, I remind Gen Z voters of the past struggles that secured this right.

I voted early, which reminded me that votingisn’t a mere political calculation. For people of faith, it is a profound act of stewardship, a tool for community survival and an expression of our deepest moral values.

For Black Americans, low-income families and marginalized communities, the ballot is a sacred inheritance. The right to vote was not a gift; it was paid for in blood, sacrifice, and the determination of people whorefused toaccept second-class citizenship. We must never forget that for decades, our ancestors faced systemic terror just to register. They were met with violent police dogs, high-pressure fire hoses, mandatory literacy tests designed to make them fail, and the constant threat of white supremacist violence.

Historians estimate that dozens of documented freedom fighters were murdered during the voting rights campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s, with countless other deaths unrecorded or unpunished. Millions more endured brutal beatings and dehumanizing jail cells. The protections we rely on today were forged in the heat of protest, through the 1961 Freedom Rides, the dangerous 1964 Freedom Summer registration drives, and the brutal crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the Selma-to-Montgomery march on “Bloody Sunday” in 1965.

Today, we stand on the broad shoulders of giants who put their lives on the line so we could walk into a voting booth with our heads held high.

We remember Fannie Lou Hamer, asharecropper’s daughter who was brutally beaten in a Mississippi jail for her voting rights activism and famously declared that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

We remember John Lewis, who, as a student leader, had his skull fractured by police batons in Selma and spent his life protecting what he called the most powerful nonviolent tool we have.”

We honor Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old church deacon and veteran who was shotand killedby an Alabama state trooper while protecting his family during a peaceful march.

We honor Medgar Evers, the NAACP field secretary who was assassinated in his driveway for his civil rights and voter registration work.

Lastly, we honor Viola Liuzzo, a mother of five who traveled from Detroit to Alabama to shuttle Selma marchers before she was targeted and killed by Ku Klux Klan members.

When we view the ballot box through the lens of history and faith, the narrative shifts from partisan warfare to spiritual responsibility. Voting becomes a tangible way to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The policies shaped by our votes directly affect the vulnerable, the poor, and the stranger. InMicah6:8, we are asked: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”Notice the action words. We are commanded to do justice. Castinga ballot with the collectivecommunity in mind helps fulfill that requirement. Similarly, Proverbs 29:2teaches, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.”Righteousness in public policy is about fairness, equity, and protecting human dignity.

No matter what the election results show, our assignment remains unchanged. If your candidate won, your job now is to hold them accountable to justice and mercy. If your candidate lost, your job is to remain resilient, keeping your hands on the plow to protect the vulnerable and speak truth to power. Our ultimate hope does not rest in any political party or elected official.

If you have already voted, I commend you for honoring the ancestors. If you did not cast your ballot,I urge you to reflect on this election not with fear or cynicism, but as a reminder of our ongoing sacred responsibility.

For information on local election results and future voting opportunities, consult your official local election authorities. Continue to engage in the democratic process with a heart centered on love for your community, carry the names of those who died for your right to be there, and let us resolve to bind up our nation’s wounds together.

Please do not think this inhumane treatment is over. Though this column reminds readers of the past, everything is not perfect yet.

According to civil rights groups and a report by the organization JULIAN, which documentedmore than70 cases of suspected modern-daylynchings across seven Southern states between2000 and 2025, systemic violence persists. Furthermore, independent tracking by groups such as Black Lives Matter of Atlanta reportedly recorded a recent uptick between March 2025and August 2026, finding at least22 Blackindividuals dead under suspicious or unusual hanging circumstances across the country.

Each vote helps bring about the necessary change, and that change begins at the ballot box. Make that change!

Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, go to her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email [email protected] or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on X @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.

Based on reporting by Washington Informer.

Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms is preparing to lead the same state where her great-great-grandfather was enslaved. Sheppard Peek was listed in an 1860 inventory of a white man’s possessions in Crawfordville, Georgia, with an assigned value of $1,400, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC).

On Monday (November 2), just one day before the election, Bottoms returned to Crawfordville, where she spoke with approximately 100 Black voters before visiting the grave of her great-great-grandmother, Betsy Peek. Bottoms knelt at Betsy’s grave and wept, the AJC reported.

“My grandmother would tell me the story of her parents packing them up in a horse and buggy and making their way to Atlanta,” Bottoms told the newspaper. “All of our stories can be told.”

The following day, Bottoms made history becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. Her victory also made her Georgia’s first Black governor and its first female governor.

Before entering the gubernatorial race, Bottoms served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022 and worked as a senior adviser in former President Joe Biden’s administration.

She secured the Democratic nomination in May after receiving more than 50% of the primary vote, BIN previously reported.

The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HEREto tune in live.

The post Keisha Lance Bottoms To Govern State Where Her Great-Great-Grandfather Was Enslaved appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Daily World.

The moment you become a student at Southern University and A&M College, you step through the doors of endless possibilities, equipped with the power to write your own chapter in history. Every person is born with the mental, physical and vocal ability to walk the paths they choose. Yet as a Jaguar, you are called to do more than follow a path. You are empowered to create one. Jaguars have the ability to break new ground and build what is needed, for change, for dreams, for legacy and for the culture.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27., Southern University and A&M College hosted its annual Second Line to the Polls event, encouraging students not only to vote, but also to educate and be educated. As busloads of students traveled from campus to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in downtown Baton Rouge, the mission became crystal clear, and the blue and gold spirit shined even brighter.

Southern University’s Student Government Association, the Human Jukebox, the NAACP, Collegiate 100, Omega Tau Pi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma and Sigma Gamma Rho came together in solidarity, leading the way as students marched from the museum to Baton Rouge City Hall to exercise their right to vote in true South Louisiana fashion.

Historically, a second line in Louisiana has served as a powerful expression of celebration, unity and community. To witness a second line is to witness resilience, joy, freedom and an electrifying spirit that brings people together through culture. Thanks to the leadership of SGA President Bryman Williams and Jaden York, this year’s event reflected those values and more.

Attorney Vernon Wesley Thomas, a Southern University Law Center graduate and current candidate for judge in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court, reflected on the significance of the event and the student turnout. “ You cut me, I bleed blue and gold. Seeing all the young people carry this energy and this will to come out and vote is amazing. I love seeing the youth like this; I love the unity…The youth is the future.” His remarks proved that this event carried out more than what was visible on the surface. It carried civil respect rooted not only in deep-rooted culture, but also in deep-rooted legacy and love.

Gallery • 5 Photos Rhyanna Burks Actress and producer, Meagan Good, supporting Southern University students and the city of Baton Rouge at the Secondline to the Polls event hosted by Jaden York, Southern alum and student organizations at Southern University on Tuesday October 27.

Actress Meagan Good Majors came to support the event out of pure love and a pure heart for the youthful drive and determination shown by Southern University students.

The Second Line to the Polls shined harmony through freedom, painted a picture of power and showcased the elegance of the youthful heart. Southern University used culture to call and command. Our culture is our color, our footsteps in history and our freedom brought to life.

Our vote is our voice, our future, our story and our rights. Southern University lit fire of them both, strengthening our reality, our identity, our legacy and our history.

Go Vote, Jags!

Based on reporting by Southern University – SouthernDIGEST.