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Meet the Black pastor advocating for justice from East Atlanta to Palestine

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Reverend Keyanna Jones is an East Atlanta native, an ordained minister, interfaith leader, wife and mother. She can also be a social justice activist and community organizer leading the movement in Atlanta against the city’s plans to construct a multimillion-dollar public safety training facility called “Cop City.”

Preaching from the pulpit, protesting in his hometown, and speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, Reverend Jones became a key voice in the quest for liberation. It also serves as a reminder of how interconnected our collective freedom is.

Meet the Black pastor advocating for justice from East Atlanta to Palestine

Jones, who’s an lively pastor at Park Avenue Baptist Church and a member of Community Movement Builders, has created a life rooted in service. After moving to New Jersey in her early 20s and living there for about 20 years, she returned to Atlanta to be along with her family.

While in New Jersey, she began working as an activist, particularly in the areas of kid care and education. Witnessing the systemic racism embedded in the education system, the unjust killings of Black people by police, and witnessing the growing presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in her neighborhood ignited her commitment to broader activism.

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Meet the Black pastor advocating for justice from East Atlanta to Palestine

Upon her return to Atlanta, Jones not only brought her experience to the national fight for social justice, but in addition brought a lifelong love and concern for the city and its people. “These are my people,” he says. “This is where I come from. My grandma at all times taught me to fight and get up for individuals who haven’t got a voice. I grew up with the feeling of “if you see something wrong, say something.” I’m going to sound the alarm.

That’s exactly what Jones does. “For me, it’s never been a question of what my position is on ‘Cop City,’ because it’s just inappropriate,” he says. “It’s oppressive. Even if people believe in “law and order” and imagine we’d like police – there is no such thing as a need to construct an enormous facility to replace 381 acres of forest land and a significant watershed in the heart of super-black Southeast Atlanta. You don’t need to proceed to perpetuate these examples of environmental racism.”

The 381 acres of unincorporated land in Atlanta’s DeKalb County is a component of the area now often known as the South River Forest. It was previously home to the old Atlanta Prison Farm, which was once a slave plantation. Previously it was the Weelaunee forest of the Muscogee Creek people. The South River Forest is known as one in every of Atlanta’s “four lungs” — “which means we literally need these trees to breathe,” Jones says. “What kind of air do we breathe without these trees?”

Having someone like Jones on the front lines of this movement undermines the notion that black community members support the facility – something Jones explains is just not true. In the midst of anti-Cop City protests, police labeled those that vocally opposed the project “outside agitators,” promoting a narrative that Jones describes as familiar. He recalls moments in history, equivalent to the Civil Rights Movement, when those in power used this narrative to undermine organizers. “They called Dr. King an ‘outside agitator,’” he notes. “When you think about the carefully crafted narrative and how the mainstream media in Atlanta continues to drive it, you only see ‘out-of-state white people’ and that’s what they want to promote.”

He goes on to explain that the diversity of the “Stop Cop City” movement shouldn’t be neglected because it reflects the intersectionality of the human rights issues discussed. “Climate change is real,” he says. “There are people who joined this movement simply because they want to save trees. They think that trees are necessary. In addition to absorbing massive amounts of pollution, trees stop floods. The tree canopy is important because it mitigates global warming.”

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However, Jones emphasizes that the impact of this example is and shall be lasting and more direct on children growing up in the area. The Atlanta Police Department’s shooting range, which had been in the area for years, influenced its decision to move to Decatur, a city near Atlanta, in May 2023.

US imperialism that funds the Israeli military to attack Palestinians is “the same US imperialism that enables police to terrorize black neighborhoods here in the United States.”

“I have a 9-year-old that I homeschool, and the shots at the shooting range were just too strong for us,” he explains. “We had to move because it wasn’t something that was really conducive to a good learning environment for him.” She would love more people to appreciate her influence on children. “Those gunshots are loud at night,” he says. “Think about what it does to a child’s psyche if they feel safe.”

Although her work is essentially based on love for her hometown and its community, her activities transcend the borders of cities and countries. It recognizes the connections between militarized policing from Atlanta to Gaza and the importance of solidarity amongst oppressed communities around the world.

“The Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) is working with the Israeli military to train U.S. officers,” he says. “They trained Georgia State University police, Georgia State Patrol and Atlanta police. There are other police departments throughout the country that also train with the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF].

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Meet the Black pastor advocating for justice from East Atlanta to Palestine

“Palestine is important,” he says, because the US imperialism that funds the Israeli military to attack Palestinians is “the same US imperialism that enables the police to terrorize black neighborhoods here in the United States.”

Reflecting on every part she does, Jones states that her husband, Jerrod, is an especially vital a part of her job. “When we talk about finding peace, it really is my husband,” she states. “Not only is he a huge supporter, but he really is that place of refuge and without him I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”

For individuals who want to become involved in local liberation efforts, Jones suggests a two-fold approach. “Find out what you’re passionate about,” he says. “What really speaks to you, what makes you say, ‘I have to do something about this.’ Once you find that, find a community where people organize and are active around, because that’s where people learn too.”

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Politics and Current

“Who are they?

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During the CNN town hall with members of the Congress on Thursday, US representative Jahan Hayes, D-conn., Tried to persuade why Americans must be seriously concerned concerning the above-average role of Elon Musk, the richest person on this planet, plays within the federal government.

“You have the right to worry about Elon Musk, because he is an unrequited billionaire who has a huge impact,” said Hayes during a double -sided panel with a democratic representative of Derek Treem from California and republican representatives Mike Lawler from New York and Ryan Mackenzie from Pennsylvania.

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Congressmenka Hayes, which was elected to the House of US representatives in 2018, called on the dearth of transparency of Trump’s administration in Musk’s work as the top of the dog. The department sanctioned by the White House, he managed the administration’s efforts to eliminate government waste and fraud, which caused the detention or annulled billions of dollars, and 1000’s of presidency employees dismissed or resolved. Many administration activities remain questioned within the Federal Court.

Hayes noticed that Trump’s administration stated in court that Musk was not chargeable for Doge, despite President Trump and other officials claiming that he was the top of the department, and conducts his decisions or recommendations. “They tried to hide the ball,” she said.

Congressmenka said that if Doge Muska really finds evidence of waste and government fraud, then he and his team should testify before Congress and present them. “Spread this, not through a series of tweets, and not through these unverified reports that it publishes,” said Hayes. She said that it was “very special” that “7,000 social insurance employees are exempt, 6,000 from the veterans’ administration is exempt (but) his company receives more contracts and earns more money from the federal government every day.”

Rep. Hayes identified that the satellite company Muska, Starlink, has now Server within the White House And he argued that the musk is “serious”. She continued: “Nobody even calls him for settlement … Everyone should worry about it. This is not normal. It is not regular that one person has this type of access to every agency, people data, security systems.”

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When rep. Lawler tried to defend Musk and Doge, arguing that their work is supported and supported by civilian officials, Hayes interrupted and asked sharply: “Who are they?” She repeated the query several times when Lawler spoke, apparently as a tactic to attract an argument, which Democrats repeatedly undergo the topic of transparency about what Musk, who is just not a government worker, performs with data that collects and protects privacy rights.

“I am not sure if the republican conference received a list of employees in Doge because we did not do it. So the information was not available to us,” Hayes said. “If there are employees, career, federal employees who work in the system to find this information, we would like to share it with us.”

Hayes, who was awarded the “Teacher of the Year” within the White House by President Barack Obama in 2016, before applying for Congress, also condemned the activities of the Trump administration to dismantle the US Education Department. Despite the repetitive claims of Trump officials and Republicans that the dismantling of the department would reflect “power” back to state and native rule, Congressmenka noted that “public education is already served by you.”

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The “Department of Education protects civil rights of students,” she explained, mentioning the Doe services, including the enforcement of provisions on anti -discrimination to guard coloured students and disabled students, in addition to managing the federal student loan system and federal grant and subsidies.

“Children who will be most injured are children in poor and low income of the community,” she said. “So when people say … that something has been received, I do not know if they are asking for discrimination, the possibility of refusing to protect civil rights to poor students (or) without adequate financing and teachers to serve them.”

The judge says that Trump must face the defamation from Central Park Five

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Politics and Current

The candidate of the mayor of New York Zellor Myrie releases a black program

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Zellnor Myrie, mayor, New York, Black agenda


New York Senator Zellor Myrie released his black program for New York He reports that before the Mayor’s campaign in New York.

His The agenda deals with 4 key points The increase in the black wealth of the community – international, public health, economic development and climate resistance and infrastructure repair – all based on his experience growing up in Brooklyn. “I grew up around Black New Yorkers who understood that if you were working hard, you had the opportunity to succeed in this city. Being on the road to success,” said Myrie during a press conference.

“But for too many black New Yorkers this is no longer a reality. The city is different, and the next mayor of this city must have a plan that will help black New Yorkers.”

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Myrie’s term of office as a senator of state from 2019 has placed him to support civil rights of black New Yorkers.

Together with the latest administration of Trump in office, a 38-year-old politician believes that one should concentrate on protecting pioneering citizenship by black leadership, because he says: “We have a president who clearly attacks black people throughout the country. The president, who eliminates disputes regarding civil rights, accuses employees of accused of enforcing civil rights,” said the candidate for Rican.

“The victories that we have fought for decades to achieve are now erased under this president.”

It has a strategy coping with all points in the public program, with one of the premises is accessible to everyone. When parents have difficulty obtaining inexpensive childcare in the city, Myrie He proposed an out -of -school program that may be free and would come with children from the age of three to seniors of high schools. . progRAM will operate until 18:00 on weekdays and guarantees Stains in a free summer academic city and the enrichment youth program.

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Others concentrate on his program include the establishment of the Fund for Buyers of First Generation Houses and counting on regulations regarding anti -discrimination in mortgage loans. While coping with public security, Myrie announced plans to expand the program of each CountS block, a pilot program launched in October 2024, which directs the prevention of violence using weapons. Taking public health, his agenda positions funds for dedicated delivery centers in black superiority districts and the extension of the Medicaid range for Doulas and midwives in the hope of reducing the high mortality of moms amongst black women.

His plan may even take care of mental health resources, implement free mental health services and a profession path for young black men and launches the center of trauma in the Rockaways districts in Queens.

Along with the democratic basis, which took place on June 24, 2025, Myrie collected nearly $ 4 million donations during her campaign, but is one of 4 black candidates applying for the mayor’s place. Candidates are the current mayor Eric Adams, Marshal of the City Council of Adrienne Adams and a former member of the Congregation Michael Blake.

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This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Politics and Current

Trump’s staff are trying to stop the “abuse” of Elon Musk’s relationship with the president, who cannot demand him because “there is no leverage over him, and Elon gives Zero FS”

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He is a spoiled brat of the inner circle of the magician, opening the thumb with Donald Trump’s “Tatus”, seemingly remaining a privileged son.

A jealous older brother Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Trump, who once enjoyed the same close president, declared war with the younger, richer Nemesis a couple of months ago, swearing that he banished him on January 20.

But this date has passed, and Elon is still standing, often alongside the president.

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The president of American Elekt Donald Trump and Elon Musk observe the launch of the sixth Starship Spacex rocket test on November 19, 2024 at Brownsville, Texas. The owner of the billionaire SpaceX, Elon Musk, Trump’s trustee, was used to manage the latest performance of the government department together with the former presidential candidate Vivka Ramaswamy. (Photo Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

However, this week, the General Director of Tesla could go too far. Musk undermined Trump’s announcement on Tuesday about an investment price $ 500 billion in the infrastructure of artificial intelligence, claiming that supporters of the “Stargate project” only a fraction of the proposed investments price $ 500 billion.

He even published a joke This suggested that the directors were burning Crack “to come up with the number of $ 500 billion for Stargate.”

Bannon saw, telling Musk journalists, “he should not reverse what the president was already talking about. This is unacceptable and unsatisfactory. You see how he is out of control.”

Trump, when asked about the number of Musk’s failures at a press conference on Friday, seemed to move his arms.

“I mean that Elon does not like one of these people,” Trump replied, referring to musk contempt for the general director of OPENAI Altman itself, one of the primary investors of the Stargate project.

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That’s all? No pink slip? Even insult? What does the President’s Musk have?

“It is obvious that he abused the proximity of the president,” Trump’s ally he said Politico. “The problem is that the president has no levers over him, and Elon gives zero f – s.”

As Politico noted: “It is very unusual for the senior adviser-Muska-in public to criticize the president’s initiatives, and his broadly favorable speculation in GOP circles about whether he and Trump will finally seem.”

But there are no signs of the upcoming breakup. Trump is unable to hide his feelings and although there have been reports that he has enough musk, the general director of Starlink retains almost unusual access to the president.

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Musk even has an office in West Wing, during which he pilots the “Department of Government”, an advisory commission created by Trump to eliminate waste in the federal government.

“We are now working with him to understand his ideas – the ideas are innovative. Make done not so much,” said a political official of the White House.

Bannon called on the chief of staff of Susie Wiles to “sit (musk) down” and “immediate sorting”.

He should already know: no person puts Elon in the corner.

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This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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