Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons

Recently, my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma—a place that holds both beautiful memories and painful truths for me and so many others—made history by electing my friend Monroe Nichols IV, as its first Black mayor.

For those of us connected to Tulsa’s complex history, this moment carries deep, personal significance.  

Tulsa is where the convergence of Black Indians and African Americans created Greenwood—the greatest Black community in this nation’s history.

Freedmen of the Muscogee Creek Nation, as co-founders of Greenwood, welcomed Black people, where dreams realized were born from a life of love, freedom, and opportunity.  

It is also where the 1921 Race Massacre took place, a horrific event that destroyed lives and obliterated the prosperity of Black families. Even after the reemergence of Greenwood following the massacre, it was destroyed again through the discriminatory use of Urban Renewal. That pain runs deep, and for decades, survivors, their descendants, and our community as a whole have been fighting for justice and recognition.

While that vision has been overshadowed by systemic denial and discrimination, it’s a vision I continue to believe in. As a native Tulsan and civil rights attorney, I have the privilege of standing alongside the last known living survivors of the massacre and their descendants, as well as the Black Creek Freedmen, who are still being denied their rightful benefits by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. These struggles aren’t just historical; they are personal, ongoing, and urgent.

As we welcome Mayor Nichols’ leadership, I feel hopeful about the possibilities ahead. During his inauguration, he said something that stayed with me: “I knew I was accountable to the law and the Lord, but now as your mayor, I am also fully accountable to every citizen of our city.”

For me, this isn’t just a symbolic moment—it’s a chance to work toward real collaboration, healing, and progress. And I am committed to working alongside Mayor Nichols to ensure his success in his sincere desire to make Tulsa the nation’s greatest city.

However, for this vision to be realized, our communities deserve acknowledgment, justice, and equity—not tomorrow, but now.

Damario Solomon-Simmons,

Attorney and Executive Director of Justice for Greenwood

The post Election Of Mayor Monroe Nichols IV: A Historic Step Forward In Tulsa, But Our Fight Continues. appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: YouTube Screenshots

The stink continues to emanate from the foul rotting administration of Mayor Eric Adams.

Here’s a painful question for Black New Yorkers to ponder: is Adams now shoving his head face first firmly up Donald Trump’s ass to preempt the federal charges he was indicted on?

We must ask that given Adams’ recent attack against progressive leftists where he dares them to “cancel me,” over his plan to meet with Trump immigration officials. Adams must be made to regret those words in next year’s mayoral elections.

New Yorkers need to evict this bum from Gracie Mansion.

In defending his request to meet with Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, Adams said, “I would like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are, where our common grounds are, [and] where we can work together. I strongly believe, my history is sitting down with those across the aisle with different ways of thinking and sit down and share my ideas…Well, cancel me, because I’m going to protect the people of this city, and if you come into this country, in this city, and think you’re going to harm innocent New Yorkers and innocent migrants and asylum seekers, this is not the mayor you want to be in a city under.”

Adams also reportedly echoed a Trumpian talking point about migrants “committing crimes, robberies, sh*oting at police, r*ping innocent people.”

As we, at the Black Star News, have said before, Eric Adams is a right-wing Republican—who ran as a Democrat because he knew he had no chance of becoming mayor in New York City, as a Republican. Do you ever wonder why this big-mouth, buffoonish, blowhard has a penchant for picking fights with progressives, as he is doing here once again?

Adams is clearly kneeling (and bending over) for Trump in the hope that Trump will help him thwart the federal corruption charges he was indicted on back in September. Corrupt fowls of a feather do flock together. These two aren’t strange bedfellows. Adams will now become a political Stepin Fetchit character who can take his place alongside the other Black clown characters who have sold their stained souls to their Republican masters. Because of Trump’s criminal trials, Adams is transparently appealing to Trump’s anger toward the Department of Justice, that also indicted him.

This is why we see Adams sniffing Trump’s pooh.

Mayor Eric Adams is nothing but an absolute fraud who barters his Black skin to boost his bank account and political power. Now he is lobbying to work with a twice impeached president, so he won’t end up inside one of the horror cells at Rikers Island. If you ever thought Adams is a former principled policeman, think again about him rushing to offer his services to America’s first convict president.

The notion that Adams is protecting New Yorkers is laughable—of course, this excludes those whose money finds his sticky fingers and fills his filthy pockets.

In fact, Adams has done less for those who did the most to get him elected, particularly Black New Yorkers. Has Adams mayoralty been a game changer for Blacks, especially coming after decades of malicious neglect, the COVID-19 pandemic, and national and international calls for economic justice after the police murder of George Floyd? The answer to that is a resounding no. Instead, Adams put a Black face on fiscal austerity, at a time when the exact opposite is required.

New York Latinos were a major factor in Adams victory, but Latinos have clearly, with good reason, soured on him. Adams’ mishandling of the so-called migrant crisis, along with his right-wing flavored demonization of  migrants, many of them Latinos, is undoubtedly a factor.

Like most conservative politicians, Eric Adams is quick to promote punitive measures to deal with problems rooted in economic exploitation and inequality. He is now calling for swift deportation of migrants accused of crimes, before the process of a trial.

However, we should not be surprised. Adams’ approach to tackling crime is to give the bloated NYPD more money, and to flood Black and Latino communities with more police. But why don’t we hardly hear (never mind seeing concrete actions) to bring needed economic capital infusion into our neighborhoods? Adams, and his ilk, pretend that crime in poor communities has nothing to do with the poverty in those communities.

Unfortunately, far too many Black people, and Black organizations, who would be denouncing Adams, if he was white, are defending him, out of a twisted sense of loyalty—while he routinely betrays the interests of Black people.

Adams’ attacks on migrants are nothing more than him showing his true right-wing conservative colors. Given that, and Adams’ obvious fear of being tried and convicted for corruption, why should we be surprised by his slimy groveling on bended knees, since all he is doing is preemptively begging for his Black backside to be saved, or pardoned, by Trump.

The post Why Mayor Adams Is Sniffing Trump’s Pooh appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: YouTube Screenshots

This story was published in partnership with The Guardian.

Federal and city law enforcers executed a search warrant earlier this month at the Queens home of a pastor who led a political action committee for Mayor Eric Adams — on the same day authorities raided a hotel owned by a developer and Adams fundraiser the pastor had worked for, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The probe out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is eyeing the pastor, the Rev. Al Cockfield II, and his dealings with the developer, Weihong Hu, the source said.

The raids by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and city Department of Investigation follow an in-depth reporting project by THE CITY, Guardian US and Documented earlier this year on Hu, her fundraising for Adams and Cockfield’s work on her behalf. 

The joint news project revealed Hu had deployed Cockfield to press the city Department of Buildings to greenlight construction work the agency had halted at two of her Manhattan development sites, after one project was cited for violating safety regulations and another demolished and failed to replace required affordable housing.

The city Department of Buildings commissioner has since made an extraordinary apology to the local community board, acknowledging his agency had been wrong to allow the affordable housing to vanish, according to one board member. 

Eastern District U.S. Attorney Breon Peace is also looking at the political action committee Cockfield launched just ahead of the general election in 2021…READ MORE

The post Prosecutors Probe Dealings Between Pastor Close To Mayor Adams And Hotel Developer Who Got Help appeared first on Black Star News.

(Washington, DC) December 1, 2024—The following is a statement released by civil right lawyer Ben Crump and political strategist Angela Rye about the announced pardon of Hunter Biden, by his father, President Joe Biden, regarding the urgent need to pardon Attorney Marilyn Mosby–who was targeted for prosecuting officers involved in the police killing of Freddie Gray.

“After learning about the pardon of Hunter Biden this evening, we want to remind President Biden that justice is still not served for so many in this country. There are thousands of people who have been wrongfully convicted and sit in federal prisons today. While Hunter Biden was selectively prosecuted, he’s not the only one. 

“Marilyn Mosby is on house arrest right now with her law license hanging in the balance over purchasing property with her own money. Kim Gardner was forced into taking a plea deal for a $5000 expense that was approved in an ethics opinion. We welcome a conversation with President Biden to discuss ways to use his pardon power to free those “others” who deserve justice also.“

The post Ben Crump And Angela Rye To President Biden: Where Is The Pardon For Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby? appeared first on Black Star News.

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the CEMOTAP Organization will be handing out flyers ( from 7:00 AM) to make the public aware of Netflix’s “Insulting Cartoon” ‘Good Times Reboot.’ The action will take place at the Netflix headquarters at 888 Broadway, near 18th Street, in New York City.

CEMOTAP is also asking members of the public to call NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, regarding his double standard in attacking Kyrie Irving, for tweeting a link to a supposedly anti-Semitic film–while saying nothing to Stephen Curry, who is the executive producer of Good Time Reboot.

Read more about CEMOTAP’s denunciation of Netflix’s ‘Good Times Reboot.’

The post CEMOTAP Holding Action At Netflix’s New York City Office Over “Insulting Cartoon” ‘Good Times Reboot’ appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: YouTube Screenshots

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert warning businesses against price gouging of essential items amid a strong lake effect snowstorm bringing heavy snow to Western New York. A state of emergency has been declared by the Governor in Allegany, Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wyoming counties. New York’s price gouging law prevents businesses from taking advantage of consumers by selling essential goods or services at an excessively higher price during market disruptions or emergencies. Attorney General James urges New Yorkers who see higher prices on essential goods and services to report the issue to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

“As New Yorkers face heavy snow and dangerous conditions during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, they should be able to get the supplies they need to stay safe without businesses jacking up prices,” said Attorney General James. “I encourage everyone to look out for price gouging and report issues to my office. Charging excessive prices for essential goods and services during an emergency is illegal and puts New Yorkers at risk.”

New York law prohibits businesses from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services that are vital to health, safety, or welfare for an unconscionably excessive price during emergencies. The price gouging statute covers New York state vendors, retailers, and suppliers, and includes essential goods and services that are necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of consumers or the general public. These goods and services include food, water, gasoline, generators, batteries, flashlights, hotel lodging, and transportation options.

When reporting price gouging to OAG, consumers should:

• Report the specific increased prices, dates, and places that they saw the increased prices; and
• Provide copies of their sales receipts and photos of the advertised prices, if available.

Price gouging violations can carry penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. New Yorkers should report potential concerns about price gouging to OAG by filing a complaint online or calling 800-771-7755.

The post Attorney General James Warns New Yorkers Against Price Gouging Amid Snowstorm In Western New York appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: Edwin Freeman

In a heartwarming display of community solidarity, local organizations in Jamaica, Queens came together on Monday, November 25th, to ensure families could enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal through a coordinated turkey distribution event.

Projects II Projects, led by founder Latoya LeGrand, spearheaded the initiative in partnership with four additional community organizations: the Public Housing Community Fund, The Freeman Foundation for the Arts, Project Positive 40 Day, and the Southern Queens Park Association.

The event, held at 109-04 160th Street, offered local residents the opportunity to receive a free turkey, with a limit of one per household on a first-come, first-served basis. LeGrand emphasized the collaborative spirit behind the giveaway, noting how these organizations united to support neighborhood families during the holiday season.

Residents interested in future updates or seeking more information were encouraged to contact Projects II Projects via email at legrandprojects1@gmail.com.

This coordinated effort highlights the critical role community organizations play in addressing food security and providing support during significant holiday periods.

As a note to readers, Latoya LeGrand is also a candidate for Southeast Queens District 28 City Council in the Spring 2025 election, continuing her commitment to community service and local engagement.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The post Turkey Giveaway Brings Jamaica, Queens Community Together For Thanksgiving appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: YouTube Screenshots

For more than half a century, groups of Native Americans have been gathering on Thanksgiving to mark a National Day of Mourning at a historic site in Massachusetts. They honor their ancestors who were subject to atrocities by settlers in the 17th century. Over the years, they have also been a voice for other oppressed Indigenous groups around the world.

On a grassy hill overlooking the water in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a couple thousand people gathered last November on what US calendars call Thanksgiving Day.

Sitting in the nearby harbor next to Cole’s Hill was a replica of the original Mayflower ship that arrived in Massachusetts in 1620.

The somber occasion remembered the atrocities faced by Native Americans over the centuries. Now, the event has expanded over the years to stand in solidarity with other Indigenous struggles across the world.

The people who were gathered were energetic as they convened with a sense of unity and shared purpose.

Every year since 1970, the United American Indians of New England has hosted a National Day of Mourning in opposition to Thanksgiving Day.

That was the year when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts invited Wamsutta Frank James of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe to speak at a banquet in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims to what is now the US.

“He went away and he wrote a speech and he came back and the event organizers told him that he could under no circumstances give the speech because it was too inflammatory,” said his granddaughter, Kisha James, who is also a co-leader of the National Day of Mourning. READ MORE…

The post Thanksgiving: Native Americans Hold National Day Of Mourning In Solidarity With Indigenous Struggles Around Globe appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: Jim Hightower\

Most of us have noticed that the basic Thanksgiving Dinner has become a much pricier spread this year. Yet, while supermarket prices are up, few Americans realized the shockingly low prices that food monopolies are paying for each item on the table

Here’s an itemization that the National Farmers Union just released, showing typical prices paid by us consumers, contrasted to the price farmers receive:

• BUTTERBALL TURKEY: Consumers pay $2.42 per pound. Farmers get: 6 cents per pound.
• FRESH CRANBERRIES: Consumers pay $2.99 for 12 oz package. Farmers get: 86 cents.
• BONELESS HAM: Consumers pay $15.98 for 2 pounds. Farmers get: $1.28.
• SWEET CORN: Consumers pay $2.99 for 16 oz. Farmers get: 34 cents.
• DINNER ROLLS: Consumers pay $3.99 for 18 oz package. Farmers get: 10 cents.
• GREEN BEANS: Consumers pay $5 for 20 oz. Farmers get: 98 cents.
• CANNED PUMPKIN: Consumers pay $4.29 for 15 oz. Farmers get: 14 cents.

Join the NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign here, and check out resources and support for family farmers from Farm Aid here.

Jim Hightower‘s Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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The post Thanksgiving Profiteering: Consumers Gouged. Farmers Ripped Off. appeared first on Black Star News.

Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons

Tough times.

The American people understand that our economic and political systems are rigged. They know that the very rich get much richer while almost everyone else becomes poorer. They know that we are moving rapidly into an oligarchic form of society.

The Democrats ran a campaign protecting the status quo and tinkering around the edges.

Trump and the Republicans campaigned on change and on smashing the existing order.

Not surprisingly, the Republicans won. Unfortunately, the “change” that Republicans will bring about will make a bad situation worse, and a society of gross inequality even more unequal, more unjust and more bigoted.

Will the Democratic leadership learn the lessons of their defeat and create a party that stands with the working class and is prepared to take on the enormously powerful special interests that dominate our economy, our media and our political life?

Highly unlikely.

They are much too wedded to the billionaires and corporate interests that fund their campaigns.

Given that reality, where do we go from here? That is the very serious question that needs a lot of discussion in the coming weeks and months.

How do we expand our efforts to build a multi-racial, multi-generational working class movement?

How do we create a 50 state movement, not politics based on the electoral college and “battleground” states?

How do we deal with Citizens United and the ability of billionaires to buy elections?

How do we recruit more working class candidates for office at all levels of government?

Should we be supporting Independent candidates who are prepared to take on both parties?

How do we better support union organizing?

How do we put together listening sessions around the country that intentionally seek input from people who did not vote for Democrats in the last election?

How do we best use social media to build our movement and combat the lies and disinformation coming from the billionaire class and right wing media?

How do we build sustainable and long-term issue-based organizing structures that live beyond individual campaigns?

These are some of the political questions that, together, we need to address. And it is absolutely critical that you make your voice heard during this process.

Not me. Us.

That is the only way forward.

The post What Is The Way Forward For America Out Of These Tough Times? appeared first on Black Star News.