OP-ED

Dr. E. Faye Williams urges voters to reject the negativity, lies, and bigotry dominating this election season and instead support candidates who genuinely care about constituents.

Tracy Chiles McGhee introduces Power Read 25, a national initiative celebrating Black women through biography. Highlighting twelve powerful titles on figures like Ella Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Audre Lorde, the piece explores themes of leadership, resilience, and self-determination, inviting readers to discover lessons these often-banned stories offer for personal and communal transformation.

Black women face relentless attacks—from Laura Loomer's racist tirade to Stephen A. Smith's harsher commentary—reflecting systemic inequities in jobs, pay, health, and education. Dr. David J. Johns examines the data behind these disparities and highlights "The Black Papers," a forthcoming policy agenda offering concrete solutions, from maternal health reforms to labor protections, demanding the political will to act.

Marc H. Morial calls on Americans to join the Urban League at Atlanta's No Kings Rally on October 17, urging early voting in Georgia's midterms. He warns against voter suppression, intimidation tactics, and threats to mail-in ballots, insisting that power belongs to the people, not the presidency, and democracy must be defended now.

Dr. E. Faye Williams argues that Trump surrounds himself with compliant, limited women while fearing powerful Black women who challenge him, citing Lisa Cook, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Letitia James, Ilhan Omar and others. She contends Black women, inspired by historical trailblazers, remain undeterred and will mobilize at the polls despite his efforts.

As electricity prices climb, Black households already pay 43 percent more than white households for energy. Yet instead of tackling grid bottlenecks and permitting delays, state attorneys general led by Texas are suing asset managers over coal production, framing lawsuits as consumer protection while really shielding a declining industry from market competition.

The reported search of a sitting Congress member — who is also a Black woman — underscores why federal law enforcement must remain independent of partisan politics.

Marc H. Morial criticizes HUD's investigation into Wells Fargo's Black homeownership initiatives, arguing it punishes efforts to address historic housing discrimination rather than the discrimination itself. He warns this chills lender innovation, deepens the racial wealth gap, and defends inequality under the guise of fairness, urging expanded access to credit and homeownership instead.

Ben Jealous examines the unresolved ICE shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, linking it to America's long history of targeting Catholic immigrants, from 1891's New Orleans lynchings to 1920s Klan campaigns against French Canadians. He calls on senators, including Susan Collins, to demand accountability and mandate body cameras for ICE agents.

Dr. E. Faye Williams criticizes Trump and his family for profiting from government contracts while everyday Americans struggle financially. Despite widespread hardship and disillusionment, she urges readers not to give up hope and to vote on November 3rd for change.