Milwaukee Community Journal

You are here: Home / Archives for Florida

Florida

5 Deaths, 9 Cases: Louisiana Issues Flesh-Eating Bacteria Warning

By Leave a Comment

ROLLING OUT — In severe cases, Vibrio vulnificus can trigger necrotizing fasciitis, a condition in which tissue around an open wound dies rapidly. That rare but serious outcome is where the bacteria gets its flesh-eating nickname. Beyond skin and wound infections, Vibrio vulnificus can also cause gastrointestinal illness or, if it enters the bloodstream, a more advanced infection marked by fever, chills, septic shock, and blistering skin lesions.

iStockphoto / NNPA

By Gesi Lloyd

Source: Black Press USA Wire

Louisiana health officials are urging residents to take precautions after confirming a fifth death this year from Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that can cause severe wound infections and, in rare cases, a flesh-destroying illness called necrotizing fasciitis. The state has now recorded nine cases and five deaths in 2026, a sharp increase from Louisiana’s typical average of seven cases and one death over the same stretch in past years.

What is Vibrio vulnificus, and how do people get infected?

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that occurs naturally in warm coastal waters and is more abundant between May and October, when water temperatures rise. Infection typically happens when an open wound comes into contact with brackish or salt water, though people can also become sick after eating raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, every case reported this year involved a wound exposed to seawater, and all nine patients had underlying health conditions at the time of infection.

Why is this bacteria sometimes called flesh-eating?

In severe cases, Vibrio vulnificus can trigger necrotizing fasciitis, a condition in which tissue around an open wound dies rapidly. That rare but serious outcome is where the bacteria gets its flesh-eating nickname. Beyond skin and wound infections, Vibrio vulnificus can also cause gastrointestinal illness or, if it enters the bloodstream, a more advanced infection marked by fever, chills, septic shock, and blistering skin lesions.

How dangerous is this infection?

According to health officials, about one in five people infected with Vibrio vulnificus dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill. Severe infections can require intensive care or limb amputation. Healthy people generally experience only mild symptoms if infected, but the danger rises sharply for anyone who is immunocompromised or living with a chronic condition.

Who faces the highest risk of serious complications?

People with liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia face a higher risk of severe illness, as do people taking immunosuppressive medications, those on medication that reduces stomach acid, and people who have recently had stomach surgery. Every patient infected in Louisiana this year had at least one underlying health condition, which health officials say is a consistent pattern in serious Vibrio vulnificus cases.

What are the warning signs to watch for?

Early signs of a Vibrio skin infection include fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, or discharge near a wound. Health officials say anyone who develops these symptoms after a wound has been exposed to seawater should seek medical care immediately and specifically tell their provider about the water exposure, since early treatment significantly improves outcomes.

How is the infection diagnosed and treated?

Doctors diagnose Vibrio vulnificus bacteria by testing cultures taken from stool, wounds, or blood. Mild infections are typically managed by increasing fluid intake to prevent dehydration, while severe or prolonged cases require antibiotics to improve survival odds. In cases involving significant wound damage, surgery to remove dead tissue may also be necessary.

How can people protect themselves this summer?

Health officials recommend staying out of brackish or salt water entirely if you have any open wounds, cuts, scrapes, recent surgical incisions or piercings. If water exposure with a wound is unavoidable, covering it with a waterproof bandage beforehand and washing it thoroughly with soap and water afterward can reduce risk. For food safety, officials advise cooking seafood thoroughly, especially for anyone who is pregnant, immunocompromised or dealing with liver or stomach issues, washing hands after handling raw shellfish, and keeping raw and cooked seafood separate to avoid cross contamination. People in higher-risk groups are also encouraged to wear protective footwear and clothing in coastal waters and to use gloves when handling raw seafood to prevent exposure to the bacteria.

Is this happening beyond Louisiana?

Yes. Vibrio vulnificus cases have also been reported in Florida and New York this year, suggesting the bacteria increase isn’t isolated to a single state. Louisiana’s health department says it will now post updated case numbers weekly as it continues to monitor the situation through the rest of the warm-water season.

Bottom line

With cases and deaths already outpacing Louisiana’s historical average, health officials are treating this year’s Vibrio vulnificus numbers as a genuine public health concern rather than a routine seasonal fluctuation, and they’re urging anyone with an open wound to stay especially cautious around coastal water through October.

Based on reporting by Rolling Out.

Originally published by Black Press USA Wire — https://rollingout.com/2026/08/07/5-deaths-9-louisiana-issues-bacteria/

California’s Proposition 50: A Quiet Rebellion Against the Rigged Game

By Leave a Comment

Sacramento California outside the capital building

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

In a political season defined by distrust, Californians did something rare on Tuesday night. They stood up for democracy. Proposition 50, approved by a wide margin, was more than a ballot measure. It was a statement of intent. Voters sent a message that when the system begins to fracture, citizens still have the power to restore it.

The initiative gives California’s Democratic-controlled legislature the authority to draw new congressional maps, replacing those crafted by the state’s independent redistricting commission. The goal is to counterbalance Republican gerrymanders in states such as Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. Analysts say the move could deliver as many as five additional Democratic seats in the U.S. House next year, a shift that could alter control of Congress. Gov. Gavin Newsom saw the fight over Proposition 50 as both political and moral. He warned that while one side manipulates the system, the other cannot simply play by old rules. “Donald Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections before one single vote is even cast,” Newsom said. He called on Democrats in other states to “meet this moment head on.”

Former President Barack Obama added his voice to the debate. “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,” he said. The message landed with voters who have watched Trump’s party gain influence despite repeated national defeats. Opponents framed Proposition 50 as an overreach. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor who championed California’s original independent redistricting system, accused Newsom of taking power away from voters. Republicans warned that Democrats were undermining the very process they once defended. Yet many Californians viewed the measure differently. They saw it as a necessary countermeasure in a political landscape where fair play had already been abandoned.

Siddhartha Deb, a newly registered voter, captured that sentiment. “I don’t like the way the Republican Party is basically trying to rig elections by gerrymandering,” he said. “And this is the only way, to fight fire with fire.” For Democrats, the stakes could not be higher. Proposition 50 represents both a practical and symbolic stand against the erosion of representative government. “When Donald Trump started ordering his Republican lackeys to save his fading power by rigging the midterms, he didn’t realize he’d be up against a new Democratic Party,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said. “We don’t roll over when one team refuses to play by the rules. We fight back. Trump got his showdown, and tonight, we met him in the arena. Californians stood up, rallied together, and passed Proposition 50 to make sure voters, not Donald Trump, decide who represents them in Congress.”

Martin called the victory “a testament to the leadership of Governor Newsom and Democrats across California who refused to back down.” He said, “When we fight, we win, and from Day One, the DNC has been proud to stand right there alongside Californians to defend democracy and deliver a message that echoes nationwide.”

EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler praised the initiative and the women who helped lead it. “California voters sent a clear message. Republicans will not get away with manipulating the midterms in order to maintain their grip on power,” she said. “Strong women leaders will be key to flipping the House districts drawn by Proposition 50. EMILYs List is already working with the women best equipped to win these districts, take back the majority, and put a stop to Republicans’ barrage of attacks on Americans’ lives.” For Newsom and his allies, the passage of Proposition 50 represents a reassertion of democratic will in a time of democratic decay. It is not the work of idealists, but of pragmatists who believe the only way to preserve fairness is to confront those who manipulate it. It is also a reflection of how deeply voters have grown weary of the gamesmanship that dominates national politics. Californians voted not just to redraw maps, but to redraw the moral boundaries of the fight for democracy. The initiative may shift a few seats in Congress, but its real meaning lies in its message. It declares that the will of the people cannot be quietly rewritten by power.

In the end, Proposition 50 was less about partisanship than about preservation. Democracy, Californians decided, is still worth the fight.

A Question of Lynching in Mississippi

By Leave a Comment

Autopsy room (Photo by Gilles Corona)

By April Ryan

The autopsy for Trey Reed is underway. The 21-year-old student at Delta State University was found dead hanging from a tree on the campus. There are questions about whether it was foul play or suicide.

The state’s report will be completed in 24 hours. However, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump confirms the parents of Reed will perform an independent autopsy in Mississippi after the current procedure is complete. It has yet to be determined if the family will use someone from Mississippi or outside of the state to perform the independent postmortem examination. Delta State’s initial contact with the family about Reed’s death was that he was found dead in his dorm room. Reed’s grandfather contradicts the information, saying the family found the truth from social media that he was dead, hanging from a tree. Crump is on the ground in Mississippi, working in collaboration with civil rights groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP, and Southern Poverty Law Center, “trying to get to the truth,” as he confirms, “the rumors are rampant.”

Compounding the issue, another man, 36-year-old Corey Zukatis, was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area in Vicksburg, Mississippi, near a casino. The family of Zukatis confirms he was homeless at the time of his hanging death. Both cases are under investigation. Democratic Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, is calling for a full federal investigation following the hanging deaths of two black men in Mississippi, long considered the most racist state in the nation. Brian Fair, Interim President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), is also calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths, saying, “the tremendous outcry from the local community over concerns surrounding the loss of these two should not go unaddressed.”

Fair also says the optics “of these two deaths immediately evokes the collective consciousness of those who are deeply aware of Mississippi’s troubled past. These events remind us how inequity continues to endanger lives.” According to the Equal Justice Initiative, Lynching in America documents more than 4400 racial terror lynchings in the United States during the period between Reconstruction and World War II. Also, according to their website, EJI researchers documented 4075 racial terror lynchings of African Americans in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia between 1877 and 1950. On March 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law. The federal law says any act where someone conspires to commit a hate crime that results in death, serious bodily injury, or significant harm can be prosecuted as a federal crime. The law carries up to 30 years in prison plus fines.

The question now is, will this Trump administration recognize and/or utilize this law if there is a lynching conviction in these cases?

Trump Wants States to Stop Mail-In Voting

By Leave a Comment

Election mail ballot drop box in red white and blue

By April Ryan

“There’s no reason to set the clock back, simply because Vladimir Putin gave him some political advice,” said Donna Brazile, former head of the Democratic National Committee and former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. President Donald Trump said in his meeting with the Ukrainian president on Monday that he would issue an executive order before the 2026 midterms to end mail-in election ballots. Subsequently, the president also acknowledged his Alaskan conversation with Putin, in which the Russian president told him, “Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.”

However, for Democrats, the concern is not Trump’s EO but how he rallies the states to end mail-in balloting. “He doesn’t have the power to order any of this. He [Trump] hopes he can make state governments do what he can’t,” says Eric Holder, former Obama Attorney General of the United States, and is currently the chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC). “We’ve made significant progress and providing access to people to vote by mail or to vote early. Any efforts to curtail that accessibility will only set us back as a country,” adds Brazile. Donald Trump has voted by mail twice in 2020 in the state of Florida, and he consulted Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue of voting by mail.

Reflecting on history, Brazile notes, “Most modern democracies give voters give citizens the tools to vote by mail or vote early. Or, in some cases, same-day vote of registration.” Brazile also says Donald Trump benefited from early voting in the 2024 election cycle after winning several states, “like North Carolina.” The Veteran democratic strategist advises the twice-elected president: ” Before putting forward an executive order, he might want to talk to his state governors and secretaries of state, along with the RNC. [Republican National Committee]” In a related note, Brazile will sponsor a resolution at the DNC meeting next week on preserving voting rights for all Americans.

Congress Moves to Block Trump’s Social Security Assault

By Leave a Comment

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

In its nonstop assault on the most vulnerable Americans, the Trump administration is preparing to impose sweeping cuts to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a program that provides a lifeline for the nation’s poorest seniors, children, and severely disabled adults. The proposed rule would strip eligibility from hundreds of thousands and slash monthly payments by as much as one-third, even as new data confirms Social Security’s trust funds are facing insolvency within the next decade.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), nearly 400,000 people stand to lose critical income. That includes more than 275,000 who would see cuts of about $300 a month, and over 100,000 who could lose their benefits entirely. The changes target families already under strain, specifically SSI recipients living with relatives who receive SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Reversing Protections for Struggling Families

The Biden administration had expanded the definition of “public assistance household,” shielding recipients from the harshest penalties. That safeguard ensured that low-income families receiving food assistance would not be punished for offering shelter to an elderly parent or disabled child. Trump’s rollback would erase that protection, returning to outdated rules from 1980. “Receiving food assistance from SNAP would no longer be enough to qualify a family as a ‘public assistance household,” CBPP analysts warned. “The resulting SSI benefit cuts would be felt in low-income households with disabled family members or older relatives across the country”. The typical multi-person SNAP household with an SSI recipient survives on about $17,000 annually—well below the poverty line. Under the new rule, a woman with Down Syndrome living with low-income parents could see her benefits plunge from $967 to less than $700 a month, with families forced to track and report household expenses line by line.

Fallout Across the States

Every state would be affected. California could lose benefits for 57,600 people, New York 35,900, Florida 30,800, and Texas 23,600. Even small states like Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska face losses. Advocates warn that the proposal would drive more disabled people into institutions, increase homelessness, and add crushing red tape. The cuts come as Social Security marked its 90th anniversary. Nearly 70 million Americans depend on the program, but the latest Trustees’ report projects its trust funds will be depleted by 2034, triggering an automatic 23% cut to monthly checks unless Congress acts.

Unions and Lawmakers Push Back

Unions and community groups are mobilizing. The AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union” bus tour stopped in Bakersfield, California, where California Nurses Association president Sandy Reding blasted the Trump budget bill as “a cruel piece of legislation that will have disastrous consequences for the most vulnerable in our communities, including the patients I care for in Bakersfield.” In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley pledged to fight Social Security staffing cuts. “Across the country, we are using our voice—as workers, as parents, as people who care about our communities—to demand that this administration and Congress do whatever it takes to protect Social Security,” Kelley asserted. “The American people deserve nothing less.”

Democratic leaders are also taking action. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is preparing a September bill he calls the “Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act,” aimed at reversing Trump’s cuts, reopening shuttered field offices, and restoring staffing. “Social Security to me means my life,” said Ellen Carter, a New York recipient. “It means medicine gets paid; it means that I have a place to sleep at night.” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a companion bill in the Senate that would add $5 billion in funding, restore staff, safeguard data, and launch an investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency, which has overseen the Trump administration’s Social Security cutbacks. “Trump and his Republican allies have made it crystal clear—holding on to earned benefits requires vigilant defense,” Wyden said.

The Stakes for Millions

For the 7.5 million Americans who rely on SSI each month, including many with severe disabilities, the stakes are life and death. “For 90 years, we’ve kept America’s greatest anti-poverty success story alive,” Jessica Lapointe, president of AFGE Council 220, told reporters. “We serve widows, orphans, the elderly, disabled, every vulnerable soul in your families and your communities, and they deserve respect and dignity when they come for their earned benefits.”

Wisconsin Voters Reject Musk-Backed Supreme Court Bid, Elect Liberal Judge Susan Crawford

By Leave a Comment

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

Wisconsin voters delivered a sharp rebuke to billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, electing liberal Judge Susan Crawford to the state’s Supreme Court despite a record-breaking flood of cash and campaigning from Musk, who backed her conservative opponent, Judge Brad Schimel. Crawford’s victory ensures a continued 4–3 liberal majority on the state’s high court and signals growing pushback to Musk’s rising political influence. With nearly all votes counted, Crawford held a commanding lead of about nine percentage points, defying $25 million in total spending tied to Musk and his network of political action committees. “Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections, and our Supreme Court,” Crawford said in her victory speech Tuesday night. “Wisconsin stood up and roared, saying that justice does not have a price. Our courts are not for sale.”

Musk personally campaigned in Wisconsin, appearing at rallies and photo ops—including one where he wore a cheesehead hat—as he sought to frame the race as part of a broader campaign to reshape the federal government and state courts. His involvement appeared to energize Democratic voters and galvanize turnout, with early data showing exceptionally high participation for an off-year spring election. The race drew national attention not only because of its record-shattering cost but also due to the implications it holds for abortion rights, labor protections, and congressional redistricting. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to rule on several pivotal issues in the coming months, including the legality of the GOP-drawn congressional maps that have helped Republicans win six of the state’s eight House seats, despite Wisconsin being evenly split politically. Democratic leaders had long argued that a Crawford victory could create more competitive districts. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York recently noted the opportunity to flip one or two Republican-held seats in the state if the court redraws the maps.

Republicans and Musk attempted to make that argument the centerpiece of their campaign against Crawford, warning of activist overreach. Musk’s super PAC reportedly funded a $11.5 million ground operation, and another group with ties to him spent $7.7 million on TV ads, according to media tracking firm AdImpact. In addition to massive ad buys, Musk’s efforts offered Wisconsinites financial incentives to oppose so-called activist judges. His super PAC offered $100 for signing petitions and $50 for posting photos outside polling places—tactics that raised concerns about voter influence and legality. But those tactics appeared to backfire. “There’s an insane situation going on with the Trump administration, and it feels like Elon Musk is trying to buy votes,” said Kenneth Gifford, a 22-year-old Milwaukee college student after casting his ballot. “I want an actual, respectable democracy.”

Democrats seized on Musk’s presence as a galvanizing force. “People do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said ahead of the vote. “If it works here, he’s going to do it all over the country.” Former President Barack Obama took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Crawford and the people of Wisconsin “for electing a judge who believes in the rule of law and protecting our freedoms.” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who also donated to Crawford’s campaign, didn’t mince words in his post: “Elon Musk is not good at this.” Crawford, 60, will serve a 10-year term in court. Her win adds to a string of recent Democratic victories across the country, including state legislative races in Iowa and Pennsylvania and the defeat of four Republican-backed ballot measures in Louisiana. While Republicans maintained their grip on two congressional seats in Florida on Tuesday, Crawford’s win could signal that Musk’s deep pockets and increasing alignment with Donald Trump are igniting more opposition than support.

ACA Marketplace Enrollment Opens with Expanded Options and Subsidies

By Leave a Comment

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace opens its 2025 enrollment season, offering millions the opportunity to secure or adjust health insurance plans. This year’s opening enrollment is vital, particularly if Donald Trump is re-elected. The twice-impeached former president and MAGA Republicans have vowed to repeal the healthcare law, which would deprive an estimated 40 million Americans of coverage. Under Trump’s plan, millions of individuals with pre-existing conditions would also lose health insurance.

In 2024, approximately 4.2 million Floridians enrolled in an ACA health plan, marking a more than 200% increase from 2020, according to White House data. Florida, one of 10 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid, is seeing around 823,000 residents lose Medicaid coverage.

More than 418,000 Michigan residents signed up for new health plans through HealthCare.gov—a nearly 30% increase over 2023. In Wisconsin, over 250,000 residents secured ACA coverage, as state officials reported. Meanwhile, 1.26 million Georgia residents enrolled, reflecting a 206% rise from 2020, with about 96% receiving an advanced premium tax credit to help cover premiums.

Maryland also saw a 33% increase in Black enrollees and a 30% increase in Hispanic enrollees. In Virginia, 389,568 residents enrolled, marking a 67% increase since 2020, with 88% receiving advanced premium tax credits to help cover costs. Meanwhile, 11,910 District of Columbia residents enrolled, although enrollment has decreased by 26% since 2020 — about 22% of D.C. enrollees qualified for advanced premium tax credits.

With increased enrollment nationwide, this year’s Marketplace offers more options than ever. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), consumers can choose from a broader array of plans, with benchmark silver plans averaging a 4% premium increase and bronze plans up by 5%. However, enhanced subsidies introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) continue to make coverage affordable, capping monthly premiums at a percentage of income. Most enrollees on HealthCare.gov can find plans for under $10 per month, despite unsubsidized premiums reaching $497 for a 40-year-old on a benchmark silver plan. KFF researchers noted that some states, like Vermont, Alaska, and North Dakota, face double-digit premium hikes, while others, like Louisiana, see decreases in low-cost plans.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, the ACA Marketplace has expanded to include more insurers, with an average of 9.6 participating insurers per state, allowing 97% of Healthcare.gov users to choose from at least three insurers. The range of options includes silver and bronze plans tailored to meet different healthcare needs. Silver plans, which serve as the basis for subsidy calculations, offer a balance of coverage and cost, while bronze plans provide lower premiums but higher deductibles.

Federal funding has also been allocated to ensure continued support for enrollees. The Biden-Harris administration committed $100 million to the Navigator program, providing more resources to help Americans understand and select the best health plan. Enhanced subsidies—initially introduced under the American Rescue Plan Act and extended by the IRA—are set to expire at the end of 2025 unless renewed by Congress. Without renewal, millions would face premium hikes in 2026, with costs doubling in some cases. A young family of four in Pennsylvania earning $125,000 would see an annual increase of $6,448, while a 45-year-old in Wisconsin with a $60,000 income would experience a $1,354 hike.

DACA recipients are eligible for ACA coverage for the first time, with subsidies that help reduce costs. Effective November 1, this new eligibility offers a special enrollment window for an estimated 100,000 DACA recipients despite ongoing litigation. Additionally, states like California and New Mexico are leveraging federal tax credits to reduce deductibles, enhancing affordability for those with lower incomes.

KFF found that further safeguards and protections accompany this year’s enrollment. Stricter fraud protections require brokers to secure consent before making plan changes and respond to complaints about unauthorized plan modifications. Non-ACA-compliant short-term plans are now limited to four months and must display clear disclaimers noting they lack comprehensive health coverage. Similarly, fixed indemnity plans, which pay a set amount for specific medical events but lack ACA protections, now carry required disclaimers.

New network adequacy standards for federal Marketplace plans also ensure timely access to care. Wait times are capped in 2025 at ten business days for behavioral health, 15 days for primary care, and 30 days for non-urgent specialty care. Compliance will be monitored through “secret shoppers” surveys to verify access.

Health officials said the ACA Marketplace’s enrollment success reflects expanded access under the Biden-Harris administration. However, political opposition from Trump and MAGA Republicans threatens these gains.

To register for health insurance for 2025, visit www.Healthcare.gov.

Op-Ed: If We Fight, We Win!

By Leave a Comment

Vice President Kamala Harris

By Reverend Dr.  RB Holmes

As I write this op-ed, there are 72 days, 6 hours, and 55 minutes before the November 5, 2024, presidential election. This presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is truly, in many of our lifetimes, the most significant and sacred presidential election perhaps ever. Yes, this is not hyperbole, rhetoric, or sugar high. So much is on the ballot in this nation.  Time will not permit me to recite many of the reasons why we need to vote in record numbers. Democracy is on this ballot; freedom is on this ballot; national security is on this ballot; racial equality is on this ballot; voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights, environmental protection, and decency are on the ballot; the rule of law is on the ballot, and much more. This presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will be decided by what the political experts call “battleground” states, such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and perhaps North Carolina.

However, my argument is that Vice President Kamala Harris can win Florida. Yes! I said it.  I am of sound mind, and I do not need to be admitted to any mental treatment facility, at least not at this time. Vice President Kamala Harris can win Florida because of her vision, her experience, her leadership skills, her rich history, her heritage, and her sense of decency, dignity, and decorum. I believe that God has ordained Vice President Kamala Harris and called her for such a time as this.  We must thank God for President Biden’s courageous and selfless act of stepping aside and firmly endorsing his competent, capable, calm, and charismatic Vice President.  It was his unwavering endorsement that put an end to the notion of considering other prospects to succeed President Biden. The Bible references “The ram in the bush” (Genesis 22:13) and that ram is Vice President Kamala Harris. Say her name! She can win Florida’s 30 electoral votes! How? Inquiring minds may ask.

Florida is ripe for fresh new leadership. Florida has witnessed clear examples of the danger of Project 2025. We are living and experiencing the pain of Project 2025. This pain includes voter suppression and gerrymandering, the dismantling of   teaching our history factually and truthfully, the disdain for collective bargaining, the disarming and dissolving of our higher education system, taking down duly elected representatives, reducing the power of local school boards, city and county governments, and refusing to accept federal funds to feed hungry children during the summer months, etc. Our constitutional right to free speech is in jeopardy, e.g. we cannot say “climate change” nor “gay.”  Additionally, the autonomy of corporations and businesses is being challenged; the importance of public schools is being jeopardized; lifesaving vaccinations, plus quality health care have been carelessly minimized.

Listen, the over 900 pages of the Project 2025 playbook for the extreme MAGA movement is fully operational in the most diverse state in this nation, Florida. If we reject Project 2025 and implement Project Rise-Up, Vice President Kamala Harris can win Florida and save our democracy, our constitution, and our freedoms. If we can convince most registered independent voters to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket, we win.

I am an Independent and I am voting for my children’s and grandchildren’s future. There are over 3.9 million, or approximately 34 percent of voters in Florida who are not affiliated with a political party.  Furthermore, there are 5.3 million Republican voters (39 percent) and 4.3 million Democrats (29 percent).  My prayerful points are that the overwhelming number of Democrats will vote for the Harris and Walz ticket. Deep down in my spiritual soul, I believe there are a significant number of Republican voters who will listen to their “better angels “and join most Independents and that is how, after much thought, prayer, common sense, and love of country, will turn Florida “Blue” and we can say with “Joy,” Madam President.

This effort is not going to be easy. I will encourage the Harris-Walz campaign to fight for the great state of Florida.  To “Rise-Up” I am humbly asking them to rethink their strategy by allocating the necessary resources and ground game by sending some of their key surrogates to visit major cities in the Sunshine State and even send the brilliant and beautiful Vice President herself, or her capable running mate, Governor (Coach) Tim Walz to visit Florida. Vice President Kamala Harris has provided energetic, engaging, and electrifying leadership to the campaign. Her energy, passion, hope, and joy are contagious. It shows up in her mass gatherings of enthusiastic supporters. This energy can be sustained from state to state; this energy is transferable; and I believe this energy can lead to an historic turnout of voters in Florida.

Yes, we can, and yes, we will win Florida. Florida is ready to embrace “The New Way Forward.”  Well, this is one of the preachers of Florida who strongly believes that “With God, nothing is impossible! “Let us “Rise Up” and go to work to turn Florida blue this November.

Reverend Dr.  RB Holmes is President and Publisher of the

Capital Outlook Newspaper and the pastor of the historic Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida;  Local President of the National Action Network,  Tallahassee Florida; Former President of the National  Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., Congress of Christian Education; Chairman of the Social Justice Ministry of the Florida General Baptist Convention, Inc.; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the First Bethlehem Baptist Association: Member of the Board of Trustees, Edward Waters University; and former member of Board of Trustees of Florida Memorial University and Florida A and M Universities

Congressional Black Caucus Confronts Ongoing Assault on Black Rights

By Leave a Comment

Members of the CBC said that statements made by their GOP counterparts at the Capitol have deeply disturbed them, adding to the mounting discontent. Rep. Eli Crane from Arizona made an offensive comment during a House floor debate by referring to Black people as “colored people.”

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) firmly stated that Black Americans are being attacked in various ways nationwide, with Republicans leading these efforts.
“We refuse to be victims, and we will not be silenced,” declared CBC Chairman and Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) during a State of Black America press event held at the Capitol.
“Our fundamental rights are under siege, and our history is being denied. But we will not passively witness these actions. Too many people count on us to fight for them.”
Recent events in several GOP-led state legislatures have intensified concerns within the CBC.
Despite a Supreme Court order, Alabama and Louisiana legislatures refused to create an additional district with a majority of Black residents.
The Florida State Board of Education has approved new education guidelines that downplay the harsh history of slavery.
Instead, they emphasize the perceived benefits gained from the skills of enslaved people.
Rep. Maxwell Frost from Florida, the youngest member of the House, expressed frustration with his state’s guidelines.
He said these guidelines aim to erase and indoctrinate this generation with white supremacy.
However, Frost warned that Florida officials should not underestimate Black America’s determination to organize and resist.
Members of the CBC said that statements made by their GOP counterparts at the Capitol have deeply disturbed them, adding to the mounting discontent. Rep. Eli Crane from Arizona made an offensive comment during a House floor debate by referring to Black people as “colored people.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Tommy Tuberville from Alabama defended a controversial statement by denying the racism of white nationalists.
Horsford acknowledged that expectations from Republican leaders are minimal at this point, but Representative Troy Carter (D-La.) demanded that the party’s leaders take a stand against such bigotry.
“The silence from Republicans and others in the face of such egregious statements is deafening,” Carter said. “We will not condone the erasing of history. We must stand together to put an end to this.”
The CBC has issued a list of demands, calling on the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to launch investigations into education policies.
The caucus recently met with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to discuss policies about Black history.
They also sent formal letters to Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging for a “strong legal strategy.”
“Black people did not benefit from slavery; we built this country,” emphasized Horsford.
“Our toil, sweat, and tears went into constructing the very foundation of this nation. Elevating Black America is an elevation for all. We will not tolerate this assault on our rights.”

OP-ED: Black History — Critical and Factual, Not Theory

By Leave a Comment

The injustices of that era sent Dr. King, John Lewis, and many others into the streets in the 1960s. Those efforts resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and a plethora of legislation known collectively as the Great Society programs.

By Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC), House Majority Whip

Focus on the history-making contributions of Blacks in America began when Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History successfully lobbied for the creation of Negro History Week in 1926. They chose a week in February that could embrace the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Civil Rights activities on colleges campuses in the 1960s agitated for expanding the week to the entire month of February. President Gerald Ford formalized Black History Month in 1976, and every President since has followed suit.

Black history has taken on new meaning in this polarized political era. Education Weekreports that since January 2021, 14 Republican-led states (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho) have imposed bans or restrictions on teaching about racial issues, and similar legislation is currently pending in another 23 states. These states claim to be protecting primary and secondary school students from being taught critical race theory or “things that make white children uncomfortable.”

Theory is part of the higher education experience; not the K-12 curriculum. While no one will deny the significant accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriett Tubman to our nation’s history; telling their stories has nothing to do with “critical race theory.” Their contributions and those of many others, are some critical race facts that are missing from most of our textbooks and many of our discussions.

For example, I often tell the story of Thomas Edison and Lewis Latimer. Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb is found in all our history books, and we are all comfortable with his story. What is not found in all our history books is the critical fact that he could not keep his bulb from overheating and burning out. It was not until Edison collaborated with Lewis Latimer, the son of escaped slaves, that he got his bulb to work. Latimer had invented a long-lasting, carbon filament. The fact that it was Latimer’s invention that made the light bulb functional, seems to be uncomfortable for some to read in our history books.

There are many other similar facts. Thomas Savery, a white man, is known as the inventor of the steam engine; one of the most important inventions during the Industrial Revolution. However, the steam engine was very inefficient because it had to be constantly shut down for lubrication, a very dangerous and time-consuming task. A critical and not very well-known fact is that Elijah McCoy, also the son of escaped slaves, invented an automatic oil cup, which allowed engines to be lubricated mechanically while continuing to run. His invention saved the limbs of many “oilers” and created a more efficient and cost-effective means of keeping steam trains running. It is reported in many places that Elijah McCoy’s genius as an inventor is what gave rise to the very well used question that everybody seems comfortable using; “Is that a real McCoy?”

John Haldane, a Scottish inventor is often credited with having invented the gas mask during World War I, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. The fact is Garrett Morgan, a Black man, invented the earliest gas mask after the 1911 New York Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire that killed 146 garment workers. Morgan patented his “breathing hood” in 1914, and he and his brother used the gas mask invention in 1916 to successfully rescue workers trapped by an explosion in sewer tunnels in Morgan’s hometown of Cleveland. However, due to their race, white men were credited with the rescue.

Morgan also met resistance when trying to sell the gas masks. He hired a white actor to pose as the inventor, while he disguised himself by wearing the hood during presentations. Despite these challenges, Morgan went on to invent the three-position traffic light and sold the patent to General Electric for $40,000.

What all these inventors have in common is that these critical facts about Black Americans have been overlooked and forgotten by history. In fact, when the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index was released in 2012, of the 1,000 young people between 16 and 25 were asked who was the greatest inventor of all time, 52 percent said Thomas Edison. There were no Black inventors on the list, which illustrates how we are failing our students by perpetrating false equivalences like critical race theory verses critical race facts.

This Black History Month, we must raise our voices and fight against the false, politically motivated, narrative about schools teaching critical race theory. Our history is what it is and no amount of whitewashing or book banning will change it. But with enlightened leadership, we can learn its lessons.

Dr. Woodson wrote of his Negro History Week creation that, “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”

There are so many African Americans in all walks of life who have been trailblazers. If we don’t tell their stories and teach future generations of their contributions, our history is erased. And that is a critical fact.