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Sharpton, Clergy Push for Social Activism, Blast Trump Presidency
By Dorothy Rowley (The Washington Informer/NNPA Member)
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Thousands of people, including a cadre of faith leaders from the Reconciled Church Movement (RCM), that represents various faith-based communities, joined the Rev. Al Sharpton and members of his nonprofit National Action Network (NAN) in Washington, D.C. to rebuke President Donald Trump and recommit themselves to the fight for social and economic justice.
The longtime civil rights activist said the turnout of about 3,000 people, who participated in the Ministers March for Justice marked one of the largest-ever interfaith gatherings in protest of racism in America.
“[Just] as [Martin Luther King Jr.] marched for 54 years ago, we are still marching for voting rights, health care, criminal justice reform and economic justice,” said Sharpton, who marched Monday alongside the likes of Martin Luther King III.
Prior to the peaceful gathering, Sharpton had expressed disdain over how the Trump administration has sought to undo much of the progress of the country’s civil rights era.
The nearly two-mile march, which began shortly after noon at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and stopped briefly for prayer outside the Trump Hotel before moving to the Justice Department building, coincided with the 54th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Johnnie Green, senior pastor of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, thanked Sharpton for organizing the march before taking shots at Trump and other GOP lawmakers.
“We’re here today, because many of those who sit in the seat of power — the president, the Republican Congress and the Republican Senate—they’ve once again written us a bad check,” Green said. “The check written to millions of Americans—Black, brown, Jewish, Muslim and many others—has come back stamped with insufficient funds.”
Green continued: “When you try to take away healthcare for 26 million Americans, you’re trying to issue us another bad check. When you co-sign the killings of people of color in the name of law and order, and leave our Black bodies lying in the streets for more than four hours and refuse to hear our cries of ‘I can’t breathe’ while choking us to death, you’re trying to issue us another bad check. When you tell us that there are good people among nationalists, White supremacists and neo-Nazis who commit terrorists acts here on American soil, you’re trying to issue us another bad check.”
Rev. Marshall Hatch, co-chair for the Chicago-based Leaders Network, also gave a fiery speech, blasting Trump for what he said is an attempt to stop an investigation of “foreign meddling into our election.”
He went on to say that neither Trump’s recent pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio nor his “threatening of nuclear war and rumor of war,” via tweeted messages, pointed toward normalcy.
Hatch added that “refusing to condemn racism and anti-Semitism” also isn’t normal.
“Somebody has to have the courage to stand up and say, ‘this emperor has no clothes,’” Hatch said.
The march came on the heels of Trump’s sullen response surrounding a White supremacist rally held earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia, after city officials had contemplated the removal of Confederate statues. A couple of days after the rally, in which counter protester Heather Heyer was killed, Trump blamed “both sides” for the violence that erupted during the event.
Jeffrey David Cox, president of the 700,000-member American Federation of Government Employees located in northwest D.C., told the crowd there’s no room in this country for hatred.
“It’s time to take those statues down,” Cox said. “But leave the base so we [can] tell our children and our grandchildren what an evil wicked thing this country did.”
The Washington Informer is a member publication of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Learn more about becoming a member at www.nnpa.org.
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Obama Urges Democrats to make AI a Priority
Obama calls for Democrats to prioritize AI. Tune into Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the full breakdown.
This morning on Black Press USA’s Morning Show, Niele Anderson is joined by co-host guest Mr. Mo’Kelly as they break down the headlines shaping politics, culture, health, and the Black community.
Watch Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the headlines, the context, and the conversation behind the news.
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Obama Urges Democrats to make AI a Priority 📱
Obama is calling on Democrats to prioritize AI. Tune into Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the full breakdown of this and other crucial headlines impacting the Black community.
This morning on Black Press USA’s Morning Show, Niele Anderson is joined by co-host guest Mr. Mo’Kelly as they break down the headlines shaping politics, culture, health, and the Black community.
Watch Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the headlines, the context, and the conversation behind the news.
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Spades the Play – Marcus Callender
Tune in today at 4 PM for an inside look at Spades the Play! Discussing theater, culture, and community with creator Marcus Callender.
🔥 DON’T MISS IT! TODAY AT 4 P.M.! 🔥
Get ready for a lively conversation about theater, culture, friendship and community!
Jada Ingleton, Content Editor for The Washington Informer, sits down with Marcus Callendar, creator of Spades the Play, for an inside look at the inspiration, storytelling and creative vision behind this exciting stage production.
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Black Press
OP-ED: How Does Your State Rank for Pre-K?
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “Other states should take note: Georgia proves that state-funded preschool with well-qualified teachers, pay parity with K-12, small classes, and strong continuous improvement systems can be scaled as a universal program,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “With new initiatives to support quality, Georgia can expect increased enrollment, but leaders should also actively promote increased enrollment.”
Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recently recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook. The yearbook provides an annual snapshot of state-funded preschool across the country. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia fund preschool programs.
Only five additional states meet all 10 of NIEER’s research-based benchmarks for quality —Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island—in this year’s report. None of those programs have the reach of Georgia Pre-K. NIEER’s benchmarks measure essential preschool quality indicators, including teacher qualifications, class sizes, early learning standards, and program assessments.
“Other states should take note: Georgia proves that state-funded preschool with well-qualified teachers, pay parity with K-12, small classes, and strong continuous improvement systems can be scaled as a universal program,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “With new initiatives to support quality, Georgia can expect increased enrollment, but leaders should also actively promote increased enrollment.”
Nationally, state support for preschool education hit record highs in enrollment and funding in 2024-2025. The pace of growth slowed, however, compared to the prior year, and many states continue to lag behind pre-pandemic enrollment levels. Preschool enrollment increased by 44,000 children nationally, reaching almost 1.8 million, including 37% of U.S. four-year-olds and 9% of three-year-olds. California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri contributed the most to increased enrollment, adding more than 52,000 new seats.
States spent nearly $14.4 billion on preschool in 2024-2025. Including federal and local dollars, total spending was almost $17.7 billion. Three states each spent more than $1 billion last year: California ($4.1 billion), New Jersey ($1.2 billion), and New York ($1 billion). Together, these three states account for 45% of all state preschool spending. Texas adds almost another $1 billion.
Spending increased by $434 million, or 3%, adjusted for inflation. Twenty-eight states increased preschool funding, including Michigan and New Jersey, which each added more than $100 million. “Not only does preschool access vary by which state a child happens to live in, but so does the quality of that preschool experience,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, lead author of the report. “Only high-quality early care and education programs support children’s development enough to result in lasting academic and other gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers.”
A record six states met all 10 of NIEER’s recommended quality standards, with Alabama doing so for the 20th consecutive year. Georgia joined this list this year after improving its teacher-to-child ratio from 1:11 to 1:10 and lowering maximum class sizes to 20. Several states met 9 of 10 benchmarks, including New Mexico, which is working toward universal access for both three- and four-year-olds. Once New Mexico requires all lead teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, it will be on par with Georgia in terms of both quality and quantity.
Not all states moved forward. Twenty states enrolled fewer preschoolers in 2024-2025 than the prior year, with enrollment dropping by more than 1,000 children in Arizona, Florida, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Seventeen states spent less on preschool than the prior year, adjusted for inflation, with Arizona, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas seeing the largest percentage declines. Additional information about the State of Preschool Yearbook, including individual state profiles and maps, graphs, and state rankings, can be found at www.nieer.org.
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Headlines and Hot Topics
Join Niele Anderson and Rodney Perry on Black Press USA’s Morning Show as they dissect trending headlines in politics, culture, and the Black community. Get the context and conversation behind the news.
This morning on Black Press USA’s Morning Show, Niele Anderson is joined by co-host guest Rodney Perry as they break down the headlines shaping politics, culture, health, and the Black community.
Watch Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the headlines, the context, and the conversation behind the news.
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