OBSERVER Awarded Grant to Expand to Stockton – BlackPressUSA

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “We’re honored to be selected, and excited to begin planning the next chapter for The OBSERVER,” said Publisher Larry Lee. “Stockton has a vibrant Black community and a real need for reliable, culturally relevant news. We see this expansion as both a responsibility and an opportunity to do what we do best — listen deeply, report thoughtfully, and build trust.”
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The Sacramento OBSERVER has been selected for a national initiative that will support its planned expansion into Stockton, California — a move that represents a return to the Central Valley and a renewed commitment to serving Black communities through trusted, community-centered journalism.
The OBSERVER is one of 14 news organizations chosen for the GNI Growth Catalyst initiative, a program led by the Google News Initiative and Blue Engine Collaborative to support high-performing outlets exploring geographic growth. As part of the program, The OBSERVER will receive investment and strategic coaching over the next year to build a foundation for the new newsroom.
“We’re honored to be selected, and excited to begin planning the next chapter for The OBSERVER,” said Publisher Larry Lee. “Stockton has a vibrant Black community and a real need for reliable, culturally relevant news. We see this expansion as both a responsibility and an opportunity to do what we do best — listen deeply, report thoughtfully, and build trust.”
The expansion will focus on creating a digital-first news product for Stockton’s Black community, with plans to include original reporting, newsletters, multimedia storytelling, and in-person community engagement. Exact timing of the launch will depend on finalizing funding and operational logistics in the coming months.
“This is a full-circle moment,” said Lee, noting that The OBSERVER previously published a Stockton edition in the 1980s. “Now we intend to return with a renewed vision — built on digital storytelling, community engagement, and a deep understanding of what Black audiences need and deserve from local media.”
The new Stockton newsroom will focus on issues impacting Black residents in San Joaquin County — including health, education, housing, wealth building, public safety and justice and civic life — while also spotlighting culture, joy, and local excellence.
Facing Pressure From Black Voters, Democrats Detail Fight Against 47th President’s Agenda
Medicaid Enrollees Targeted for Forced Farm Work Under Trump Immigration Crackdown

Facing Pressure From Black Voters, Democrats Detail Fight Against 47th President’s Agenda
Medicaid Enrollees Targeted for Forced Farm Work Under Trump Immigration Crackdown
L.A. Dodgers Owner’s Ties to Private Prisons and Surveillance Spark Backlash from Latino Fans
Early Childhood Educators at Head Starts and Other Programs Say They’re Facing Even More Challenges
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Trump Hosts African Leaders After Past Insults and Controversial Claims
THE AFRO — “Democrats are on the cutting edge when it comes to diversifying our ranks and fighting for the issues that matter to everyday people,” Maryland Democrat Angela Alsobrooks told the AFRO. “The public doesn’t always see it, but we’ve been actively challenging [Trump’s] nominees. It’s absolutely unbelievable the people he’s nominated. Our role is to push back against these dangerous nominees.”
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By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
With President Donald Trump back in the Oval Office and his administration rolling out sweeping changes to federal agencies, civil rights protections, and public health programs, Democratic lawmakers reassure Black voters that they are advocating on their behalf.
In candid interviews with the AFRO during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol in June 2025, key U.S. senators laid out actions they say they are taking to resist Trump’s policies and push for progress.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats are waging battle on multiple fronts.
“We are fighting every day and we know how terrible President Trump is for our democracy, for working families, for people of color. He’s just the worst president we’ve ever had,” Schumer told the AFRO.
“We’re fighting on every front in the courts, where we have a huge amount of success. The previous two years we put in 235 new judges, two-thirds of which are women and two-thirds of which are people of color,” he added. “They’re our first line of defense when Trump breaks the law – which he does many times a day – we’ve been going to court. We have over 220 cases that we have filed.”
U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) said Democrats are working both publicly and behind the scenes to block key elements of the Trump agenda, particularly when it comes to federal appointments.
“Democrats are on the cutting edge when it comes to diversifying our ranks and fighting for the issues that matter to everyday people,” Alsobrooks told the AFRO. “The public doesn’t always see it, but we’ve been actively challenging [Trump’s] nominees. It’s absolutely unbelievable the people he’s nominated. Our role is to push back against these dangerous nominees.”
She also stressed that lasting change depends on grassroots movements, not just elected officials.
“The power comes from the people. The elected have a role to play. We’re going to play that role. But, the truest power comes from the people,” Alsobrooks said.
“When we think about the impacts that we’ve seen, we think about people like John Lewis; the real change happens because it rises from the people,” she added. “It’s not the elected people. We have roles to play, but the movements are the true act of resistance.”
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) acknowledged the discontent many Black voters feel toward the Democratic Party. He said that dissatisfaction has always existed and that it should be used as fuel and not a reason to walk away.
“Dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party is in the DNA of Black people. Fannie Lou Hamer said ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,’ and yet she leaned into the Democratic Party,” Booker told the AFRO.
“I would be concerned if I didn’t walk into a Black barbershop, a Black church and didn’t hear frustration,” he continued. “[But] let’s not abandon the Democratic Party, but grab [it] by the scruff and drag it forward as a vehicle with which to deliver advancement for this country and African Americans in general.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) described his own efforts on the ground, including recent protests against Trump administration cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“CDC is based in Atlanta, and so not only have I challenged the administration on these reckless cuts, I have literally been on the street corner with other protesters,” Warnock told the AFRO.
“We have seen some of these CDC employees rehired. Hundreds of them were rehired as a result of me making noise,” he added. “We are seeing that we do get results.”
From legislation to litigation to grassroots organizing, Senate Democrats say they are mobilizing across institutions in response to a political landscape that, for many Black voters, feels increasingly urgent.
132 years ago, we were covering Post-Reconstruction when a former enslaved veteran started the AFRO with $200 from his land-owning wife. In 2022 we endorsed Maryland’s first Black Governor, Wes Moore. And now we celebrate the first Black Senator from Maryland, Angela Alsobrooks!
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — in the first six months of this second Trump administration, there have been conversations with African leaders, including South Africa’s president, where Trump showed a video from upheaval in the Congo, saying it depicted an uprising against white Afrikaners in South Africa.
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By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent

President Trump will meet with African leaders at the White House on Wednesday, about a week after he announced the peace deal with Rwanda and the Congo in the Oval Office.
During the first term of President Trump, he never traveled to Africa, and he referred to Africa and some Caribbean nations as “shit holes.” However, in the first six months of this second Trump administration, there have been conversations with African leaders, including South Africa’s president, where Trump showed a video from upheaval in the Congo, saying it depicted an uprising against white Afrikaners in South Africa.
Greg Meeks, a Democratic New York congressman and ranking Democrat member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, explains the importance of the continent of Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.
NY CARIB NEWS — “Even as a small island developing state, Jamaica has never been silent,” Jamaica’s Ambassador to Japan, Shorna-Kay Richards declared. “Our history of slavery and colonialism has shaped our moral compass—we know what it means to fight for life, for dignity, for peace.”
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By NY Carib News
Jamaica’s Ambassador to Japan, Shorna-Kay Richards, has issued a powerful call for global nuclear disarmament, urging the international community and the passengers aboard the Peace Boat to “never give up the fight” for peace, justice, and a world free of nuclear weapons.
Speaking passionately during a lecture aboard the ship en route to Montego Bay, Richards underscored Jamaica’s long-standing leadership in nuclear disarmament, tracing the island’s principled advocacy from its earliest post-independence years to its influential role in today’s global non-proliferation movement.
The lecture formed part of the Peace Boat’s ‘Time for Peace’ initiative, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and amplifies the testimonies of hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“Even as a small island developing state, Jamaica has never been silent,” Richards declared. “Our history of slavery and colonialism has shaped our moral compass—we know what it means to fight for life, for dignity, for peace.”
In a personal reflection, Richards recalled how her path to disarmament advocacy was solidified in 2005 when she participated in a United Nations fellowship that took her to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“It was there that I found my voice,” she said, recounting the profound impact of meeting hibakusha and witnessing firsthand the devastation caused by nuclear weapons. “As I left Japan, I made a promise to the hibakusha that I would dedicate my life to the abolition of nuclear weapons.”
Richards has since become a prominent voice in the global disarmament arena, representing Jamaica at key diplomatic negotiations, including the working group that laid the foundation for the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). She proudly noted that she was the only English-speaking Caribbean delegate at those Geneva sessions, determined to ensure that small island states and women were meaningfully represented.
She highlighted that Jamaica has ratified all major international treaties forming the backbone of nuclear non-proliferation, including the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and the TPNW. Jamaica also made history as the first country in the world to impose a trade embargo against apartheid South Africa and has played a leading role in maintaining the Caribbean as a nuclear-free zone.
Despite these achievements, Richards warned that the world faces renewed dangers, citing escalating nuclear rhetoric, growing arsenals, and stalled multilateral disarmament efforts.
“The doomsday clock is at 89 seconds to midnight,” she cautioned. “Now is not the time to retreat. The hibakusha have never retreated.”
Richards closed her address with a stirring call to action, invoking the words of Bob Marley: “Get up, stand up. Never give up the fight.”
NEW YORK CARIB NEWS — What began as a passion nurtured in high school took an extraordinary leap last November when Shein unexpectedly contacted Salmon to partner on a collection. Initially, she was skeptical.
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By NY Carib News
Clarendon-born fashion designer Mikayla Salmon has turned a lifelong dream into a remarkable reality, securing a coveted collaboration with global fast-fashion powerhouse Shein—a breakthrough that has propelled her from a small-town creative to an international designer.
What began as a passion nurtured in high school took an extraordinary leap last November when Shein unexpectedly contacted Salmon to partner on a collection. Initially, she was skeptical.
“At first, I thought it was a scam,” she laughed. “I said to myself, ‘Shein just texted my phone? That can’t be real.’ I left the message on read for about two hours until I literally heard a voice say, ‘Respond to the message.’”
When she finally replied, Shein promptly sent over a contract. The result: her debut four-piece spring collection, launched in April 2025, featuring modern, trend-forward designs and a runaway best-seller.
A Star Collection
Salmon’s Shein collection blends her bold creative vision with contemporary fashion sensibilities. It features:
The two-piece quickly became her best-selling item, selling out twice, with Shein preparing to re-release the design in a new, top-secret color.
To Salmon’s knowledge, she is the second Jamaica-born designer to collaborate with Shein on this scale—an achievement that fills her with pride. The company gave her five months to design the collection, during which she submitted 14 designs, of which four were selected.
“Shein handled everything else—the cutting, sewing, branding, marketing, and fulfillment,” she explained. “My only responsibility was to create and send the original sketches.”
From Clarendon to the World
Salmon’s journey is rooted in resilience and ambition. The 29-year-old part-time pharmacy technician first made waves when she won the Campari Pop Style competition in 2018, and last year, she showcased her designs in Cuba. Despite her growing international profile, she still sews for clients attending local events like Chillin’ on the Farm and Teacup Sundays and customizes bridal wear, swimwear, and pageant gowns.
The designer launched her brand, Young Addiction, with a mission to create clothing for all body types—especially plus-size women.“It’s always been important for me to make people feel beautiful, especially women like me who struggle to find stylish clothes that actually fit,” Salmon said.
Her creative energy is heavily influenced by Jamaica’s golden era of the 1990s, when bold colors, daring silhouettes, and fearless self-expression dominated local fashion.
“A lot of people had their own unique style then, and the world was looking to Jamaica for fashion cues,” she reflected.
Overcoming Self-Doubt
Despite her obvious talent, Salmon admitted that self-doubt was her biggest hurdle.
“I second-guessed myself a lot,” she said. “I kept wondering, will people like my designs? Will Jamaicans support me? I wanted to showcase something bold but wasn’t sure how it would be received.”
Her persistence ultimately paid off. Salmon had previously entered two Shein competitions and applied three times to the Shein X designer program without success. She believes her repeated applications kept her on the company’s radar and eventually led to her selection.
Although the Shein collaboration was met with excitement on TikTok and other social media platforms, Salmon noted that many Jamaicans still don’t realize she’s the designer behind the collection.
“I wasn’t expecting the overwhelming response I got when I posted the video,” she said. “People I didn’t even know were messaging me, saying they were proud of me and that it’s a good look for Jamaica. I think this is a really positive push for local fashion on the global stage.”
Championing Local Fashion and Eyeing Lagos
Salmon continues to advocate for growth within Jamaica’s fashion industry but is clear-eyed about its challenges.
“It’s hard to access quality fabrics in Jamaica. We all end up using the same materials, which limits creativity,” she explained. “And shipping costs for international customers are just too high. That really needs to change.”
She believes that revitalizing former industrial spaces like the Garmex Free Zone could reignite Jamaica’s export potential and transform the local fashion economy.
“We used to export garments. We can do it again,” she said passionately. “Designers like me are doing everything—designing, sewing, branding. What we need now is infrastructure for manufacturing.”
Looking ahead, Young Addiction will soon expand into menswear, with Salmon hinting at versatile pieces Jamaican men can wear to church, brunch, or a party. She’s also developing a custom ackee print, a nod to national pride, which will feature in her entry for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s Fashion and Visual Arts competition.
While she has yet to work with local celebrities, she dreams of styling Spice, Masicka, and Vybz Kartel.
“For now, I always say all my customers are celebrities,” she added with a smile.
Bold Dreams and Global Vision
“Fashion is my life—I live, eat, and breathe it. There’s nothing else I’d rather do,” Salmon declared.
She envisions more international collaborations, more best-sellers, and above all, a fashion world where people like her—‘the fat country girl’—feel beautiful, seen, and celebrated.
Her ultimate international ambition? Lagos, Nigeria.
“If I weren’t doing this in Jamaica, I’d want to be in Lagos,” she said. “The fashion industry there is booming—the fabrics, the culture, the creativity—it’s like a dream.”
But for now, Mikayla Salmon is content making her mark right where she started—proving that even a country girl from Clarendon can set global trends.
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — NABJ President Ken Lemon spoke by phone to Black Press USA, saying, “At this point, there is not a reason to invite President Trump this year.” Last year was a hard-fought presidential campaign year, where “journalists had the opportunity to vet the candidate. I don’t see the need to do that this time around,” emphasized Lemon.
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By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) says it is “not” extending an invitation to President Donald Trump for its annual convention in Cleveland, just weeks away in August.
The association’s president, Ken Lemon, says, “The focus of this year’s convention is the organization’s 50th anniversary” as a Black journalists’ advocacy group.
Lemon spoke by phone to Black Press USA, saying, “At this point, there is not a reason to invite President Trump this year.” Last year was a hard-fought presidential campaign year, where “journalists had the opportunity to vet the candidate. I don’t see the need to do that this time around,” emphasized Lemon.
The irony for NABJ convention goers and other Black journalists is that they have witnessed a significant percentage of the organization’s membership lose hard-won jobs in the media industry as a direct result of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance. In addition to job losses, hiring freezes, decreased opportunities for workplace promotion, and increased restraints on editorial content and subject matter have become the new normal for many Black journalists — and journalists at large.
NABJ has a long history of inviting the sitting president to speak to its membership. Past invitees include then-President Bill Clinton, who accepted their invitation and attended a convention.
The NAACP has already announced it will not invite Trump to its Charlotte, North Carolina, Convention this week.
The National Urban League is also not interested in having Trump appear at its convention in Cleveland next week. Marc Morial, President of the civil rights organization, says one reason for the non-invite is that they have invited Trump to their convention five times during his previous administration, and he did not respond. Morial says the other reason is what happened with Trump and the Black Journalists at last year’s NABJ convention.
That NABJ convention is where Trump infamously failed to fully comprehend the complexities of race in America and how they apply to then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump controversially stated that Harris had “all of a sudden turned Black.“
Errin Haines, who is one of several candidates challenging Lemon for the top seat at the NABJ, was asked if President Trump did any damage as a result of last year’s NABJ appearance. She replied, “He did damage to Black journalists and to Black America. The way that interview was executed was not the opportunity for our membership that it was for him as a candidate. “
When asked about the decision not to invite the president, Dion Rebouin, also seeking the NABJ’s top post, said, “It makes sense, the way this administration has operated and the way it has dealt with Black journalists and Black people overall.”
“And also,” said Haines, “I lament that Vice President Harris, as the Democratic nominee, was not allowed to address our membership in the same week during our convention, even though she would have had to participate virtually, I think it still would have been a member benefit and something that should have been allowed in such a hugely consequential election.”
When asked for comment from the White House, Harrison Fields, principal deputy press secretary said, “The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is doing a disservice to its audience by engaging in petty and unprofessional antics, intent on making itself more relevant rather than prioritizing informed, balanced, and objective reporting, Black Americans rejected this level of bias and the Democrat talking points promoted by the NABJ, as demonstrated by the significant support for President Trump among Black voters.”
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “The eligibility for the children’s health insurance program will also be diminished,” said Jeffries. He stressed that the legislation negatively impacts nutritional assistance programs and the nation’s farmers and is “an all-out assault on the healthcare of the American people.”
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By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent
“Ripping health care away from more than 17 million people. That disgusts me,” admonished House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a speech before the House vote on what he calls “The Big Ugly Bill.”
During Jeffries’ speech, Democrat Congressman Kwesi Mfume of Maryland told this reporter that “Johnson and Trump think they have the votes.” Jeffries notes that Democrats only need four Republicans to stand with them to defeat the legislation.
President Trump called all the Republican holdouts who were planning to vote against his “Big Beautiful Bill,” which the Congressional Budget Office says will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit.
The legislation’s provisions cut Medicare or Medicaid assistance for 16 million Americans as well as SNAP funding that provides food assistance to those in need, while codifying tax breaks for the wealthy, who need no assistance at all.
“The eligibility for the children’s health insurance program will also be diminished,” said Jeffries. He stressed that the legislation negatively impacts nutritional assistance programs and the nation’s farmers and is “an all-out assault on the healthcare of the American people.”
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove of Los Angeles told this reporter, “The righteous indignation of these Republicans who are stealing taxpayers’ hard-earned money to give to the richest of the rich is beyond the pale.” She feels Republicans rushed this bill for votes. “A bill this large and impactful should have been given longer than 15 minutes in committee. It should have been given longer than the days we had to review it.”
In addition to her peers on the Hill, Dove wants more time for everyday Americans to discuss the legislation and its impact. “My hope is that we have special sessions across the country so that constituents across the nation know EXACTLY how they will be screwed by Trump and his sycophants.”
Jeffries issued a dire warning as he worked to galvanize those who were ready to vote, telling the membership that “all of us as leaders have a responsibility to make life better for the American people.”
Pointing an oratory finger at his peers across the aisle and the current presidential administration, Jeffries said that what we have seen from Republican leadership for “the first six months of the administration has been characterized as chaos, cruelty, and corruption that is not real leadership.” He notes instead that the leadership on this bill failed to demonstrate “courage,” “compassion,” or “commitment.”
The Big Beautiful Bill would also impact the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Obama issued a statement in the lead-up to the House vote, stating, “More than 16 million Americans are at risk of losing their health care because Republicans in Congress are rushing to pass a bill that would cut federal funding for Medicaid and weaken the Affordable Care Act. If the House passes this bill, it will increase costs and hurt working-class families for generations to come. Call your representative today and tell them to vote no on this bill.”
According to Jeffries, Republicans are supporting a “reckless budget that is an immoral document” that tears people down — it is “an all-out assault on the American people.” The congressman from Brooklyn encouraged fellow Democrats and his Republican colleagues to “vote no” against the bill.
Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women, had this to say while Jeffries was addressing the nation. “We are in the fight of our lives. The Black Caucus, Black institutions, and leaders in media, politics, and civil rights are working diligently to hold the line on this Bill. The collective power of every mobilizing voice has held strong, resulting in some necessary ‘No’ Votes. If we can stop the bill, we can stop the health and economic burden on our most vulnerable.”
“Stand and Fight for the Future of America”
The following official statement from Democrats condemns President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill:
“We believe in an America where hard work is rewarded, not punished. Where families can afford health care, put food on the table, and live with dignity.
“This fight is about more than budgets and numbers—it’s about whether we lift people up or leave them behind.
“We will stand and fight for the future of America. For working people. For families. For the next generation.

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