While several candidates have announced plans to run for local office, they must make it official this week between Wednesday, July 14 and Friday, July 16, the qualifying period for more than a dozen races in Orleans Parish on the Oct. 9 primary ballot. Races for mayor, at-large, and district...
Nikole Hannah-Jones Chooses Howard University over UNC and We Love It!
Nikole Hannah-Jones is giving us life and reminding us why it is so important that we treasure and maintain institutions of our own. Hannah-Jones announced today (Tuesday, July 7) that she rejected the University of North Carolina’s offer of tenure to become the inaugural Knight Chair in Race and Reporting...
Mayor Cantrell: Listen to the People and Abandon this Plan to Relocate City Hall to Tremé
Teedy, let’s talk. While we can appreciate your desire to bring the seat of City government into the 21st century, we join a growing chorus of individuals, entities, and organizations that are imploring you to reconsider this attempt to move City Hall to the Municipal Auditorium. We really do not...
Governor Edwards Makes the Right Move on Federal Unemployment Boosts
At least 16 states, all of them led by Republican governors, are now opting out of the federal government’s supplemental unemployment program which adds an additional $300 a week to state benefits for unemployed workers as a part of continued efforts to help mitigate the economic hurt caused by the...
We Are At War: We’ve Seen “the” Video, Let’s Talk About the Problem—Unchecked Gentrification
Just about all of New Orleans is talking about the viral Instagram video by community activist and declared mayoral candidate Byron Cole. Cole recently took to social media to document an illegal block party in his 7th Ward neighborhood, where an event organizer, who has since been identified as Janna...
It’s Time to Wage War Against the Pandemic Called Poverty: Pay Workers What They are Worth, Not What You Can Get Away With
We have read with great interest the signs on local fast food restaurant billboards and in other job postings. They are desperately seeking employees. To be sure, their need is urgent. In fact, they are so eager to get workers that they are offering as much as $13, 14, and...
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin Forms Louisiana Commission on Election Integrity and Voting . . . But Why?
When the Louisiana Legislature starts its session on Monday, April 12, there will be more than a dozen bills already prefiled that deal with elections and voting. Some are good. For instance, state Rep. Fed Jones’ HB 286 would extend early voting. And state Rep. Ted James’ HB 286 would...
Enough about Harry and Meghan: Let’s Talk about Us!
Let’s Talk About Us, Not Them! Featured in a recent New York Times article, Anique Houpe, is a single mother of two boys in suburban Atlanta. Before the pandemic, she was worked as a letter carrier, had a side hustle as a caterer and had just moved into a rent-to-own...
Sen. Cassidy, Five Other Republican Senators Were Right to Break Ranks
We will make this one short and sweet. A few weeks ago, we blasted U.S. Sen. John Kennedy and other members of Louisiana delegation for co-signing objections to the certification of the results of a free and fair election. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge U.S. Sen....
What We’re Saying: Let’s Talk About What’s Really Behind Repentance, Atonement and Transformation in Mainstream Journalism
And Why the Black Press is More Important than Ever In recent weeks, we have watched several events in the world of journalism unfold with a great deal of interest and with some skepticism, maybe even a bit of disillusionment, if we were to be completely honest. For example, there...