Politics and Current
Don’t Let Our Freedom Rot in Hell: The Urgent Fight for Reproductive and Economic Freedom – Essence

Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Harris’ latest campaign theme for president is Beyoncé’s hit song “Freedom.” It perfectly captures the urgency of this moment when reproductive justice, economic freedom, and the rights of LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups are under threat. With lower than 90 days until Election Day, we understand that the connections between these movements have to be acknowledged and motion taken. In the spirit of Beyoncé’s powerful lyrics, we won’t let our freedom rot in hell: it’s time to harness our collective power for justice.
Over the past two years, SisterSong has led the way in which in partnership with the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) conversations on reproductive justice on the Global Black Economic Forum Public Convention at ESSENCE Festival of Culture, the most important gathering of Black people in the United States. ESSENCE Fest is a love letter to Black women and an area where our voices are amplified, our stories are shared, and our issues are delivered to the forefront—making it the perfect possible venue for these conversations.
When Vice President Harris took the stage on the 2024 ESSENCE Arts and Culture Festival, he stated“Our daughters will have fewer rights than their grandmothers” if we don’t vote in this election was not an exaggeration or a hypothesis. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade and ended reproductive freedom in the United States, hundreds of thousands of girls, particularly in the South, were denied access to reproductive health care, and the impact of that can’t be overstated.
Some evaluation from the National Partnership for Women & Families and In Our Own Voice found that 57 percent of all black women in the United States ages 15-49 live in 26 states which have banned or likely will ban abortion. This lack of freedom is a matter of life and death for black women: In the wake of the Dobbs decision, “Maternal mortality rates are higher in states where abortion is restricted than in states where abortion is available, with the rate being 20 percent higher among non-Hispanic blacks.”
The urgency of this moment, especially for black women in the South, is heightened when limited access to health care is exacerbated by inequalities in economic opportunity. When laws and court decisions deprive a girl of the liberty to make decisions about her body, economic freedom becomes unattainable.
Too often, we treat the economic justice and reproductive freedom movements as separate struggles, especially in the company and advocacy sectors. But this siloed approach weakens our collective power. We are actively confronting opposition that’s coordinated and strategic, yet our movement stays fragmented. We must ask ourselves: If our opposition is united in its efforts to remove our freedoms, why are we not equally united in their defense? While we now have made significant progress in coordinating our movement, we’re a long time behind the infrastructure of our opponents.
In SisterSong National Conference “Let’s Talk About Sex” in Washington, DC, from August 23-25, we are going to have fun 30 years of the reproductive justice movement in an area that invites activists and newcomers to the movement to interact in these conversations. Often in our community, particularly in the Black church, there was a fear of discussing reproductive freedom as a result of the politics of respectability and discomfort with discussing sexual and reproductive health. While Black churches have a convention of being hubs for mobilizing our communities for social justice, we’d like to expand our comfort level and discuss reproductive freedom in community spaces where we now have not historically done so.
We saw the impact when Serena Williams shared her experience of nearly losing her life after giving birth as a result of medical neglect and racial bias. By continuing to share our stories, we may help organizations understand the challenges Black women face when in search of healthcare. In addition to data that clearly shows the disparities Black women face, qualitative evidence from our collective, lived experience is crucial to driving change.
We must proceed to work to finish the stigma around reproductive justice conversations. Our reproductive and economic freedoms are under attack and are on the ballot this 12 months. We cannot wait for others to mobilize our movement—we must act now to fight for our freedoms on the ballot box and be willing to work beyond the ballot box. We won’t allow our freedoms to rot in hell while we remain silent.
Politics and Current
“It’s about mixing the pool,” say critics

Almost a 12 months after his controversial and turbulent visit to the University of Memphis Kyle Rittenhouse, he’s preparing for the next event in the campus next month.
According to information about events at the university websiteThe 22-year-old activist for the rights of weapons is to talk at the University of MEmphis on 26 February about “his experiences and the importance of our rights to the second amendment.”

He was invited by the conservative political organization Turning Point USA (TPUS), the same group that hosted his visit to College in March last 12 months to speak about the “second correction” and “lies (Black Lives Matter)”.
Last 12 months, the Speaking Event at U of M’s Center Theater was a part of the short, national College route, which contained additional performances at Western Kentucky University and Kent State University, where campus communities took large demonstrations to sentence events. TPUS chapters in these schools also sponsored these visits.
At the University of Memphis, dozens of scholars who opposed his event appeared that Heckle and questions about his political attitudes, which prompted him to go away the stage earlier. The viral movies also showed the moments when the protesters were led by members of Rittenhouse and Tpus, who accompanied him from the campus.
A number of months after the event, the Alliance of the Defense of Freedom (ADF) sent letter request To school, they claim that the campus officials “allowed the crowd” to shut the Rittenhouse’s visit, but still burdened the $ 1600 tpus for defense, which “stood idly”.
The group also opposed the university’s demands, as TPUS switched from the ticket program to the university’s ticket system, which, he claims, allowed students who planned to protest against the event for booking places.
Officials of the University of Memphis sent A press release of local information about one other Rittenhouse visit to the campus: “The speaker was invited by the registered student organization. This event is not sponsored by the University of Memphis.”
Although the common opposition to the previous Rittenhouse visit appeared last 12 months, at Z Z stated that they might not legally prohibit this event, citing the first amendment and the Act on freedom of speech in the Tennessee campus.
The news about his next visit already creates waves online. Proponents of Rittenhouse have fun this event, but the opponents are lower than satisfied.
“It’s just about mixing the pool”, one Facebook user commented.
“For some reason he was rejected from the stage. Take a clue, he is not desirable here,” added one other.
“If you don’t want to hear what he has to say – don’t go!” Someone else wrote.
Rittenhouse became widely known at the age of 17 after he fatally shot two men and hurt one other during the protest in 2020 against Jacob Blake’s police shooting in Kenosh, Wisconsin. During the trial, he claimed that the defense itself, and the jury later acquitted him for all offenses.
Politics and Current
Where does the marijuana legalization movement stand under President Trump?

The return of President Donald Trump to power in the White House in January left uncertainty for the movement of the justice reform in criminal matters to legalize marijuana. The status of legalization efforts has already been tightened during the administration of President Joe Biden, who refused to publicly support legalization, but continued to take critical steps towards federal decrimination.
Trump, whose hard crime program accommodates calls for drug dealers to face Capital punishmentHe publicly gave mixed signals about where he stands on marijuana. Despite the indication that the issue of legalization of marijuana needs to be left to countries-most of which adopted provisions regarding decriminalization or legalization of the drug-trump, during his first term he moved to cancel the Memorandum from the Obama era, which ordered federal prosecutors to not implement marijuana prosecutors in the states through which the drug is legal.
Trump’s administration has now inherited the ongoing trial of the federal government to alter marijuana from the schedule and to schedule III based on the Act on controlled substances – a movement initiated by President Joe Biden. The administrative court trial is infinite in sight; However, what is going on in the coming months, and possibly even years, will tell about where the movement goes to decriminate and legalize.
“Trump’s administration was not a priority yet … I do not know if at this moment he rises to the level of priorities to set anything forward,” said Cat Packer, director of drug markets and legal regulations in the Second Policy Alliance.
Doubts remain about the change of marijuana, which can occur in the near future, because each nominated by Trump and the duties of the Director for Drug Enforcement (DEA) discredit drugs in public. Acting Director Derek Maltz accused Biden about “placing politics above public security” with a choice to recommend a change in marijuana schedule. Terry Cole, nominated for Trump for DEA, has been repeatedly suggested Marijuana is a threat to community health, especially young people, despite research also showing some medical advantages.
“If Trump initiated or directed the process, this is probably the only way in which this process will be determined priority and performed,” said Packer.
There is at the very least some hope amongst the supporters that Trump can save the day due to movement to at the very least decriminalization of marijuana. As a presidential candidate in 2024 Trump expressed In the matter of social truth, he supported the move of Biden administration to alter the deadline, in addition to other reforms, comparable to decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana and provisions on protected banking for corporations authorized by the state. At that point, Trump announced that he would vote like a voting card in Florida, which might make a drug in Sunshine.
“We also need to implement intelligent recipes, while providing adult access to safe, tested products,” wrote Trump.

“This is a position that most Americans support regardless of their political affiliation. At this point, it seems that there is a disconnection between people and leadership,” she said.
According to SUCK STUDY The study in 2024. An enormous 88% of adults in the USA claims that marijuana needs to be legal for medical or recreational use.

Even if President Trump or Republicans in the Congress support some minor reforms related to banking, because they expressed interest on this, supporters are afraid that without federal decrimination or legalization of the Black and Brown community, they’ll proceed to feel the burden of enforcement of the crime.
Packer noticed that the south can be particularly “left” in the evolving marijuana industry without federal motion. For example, if President Trump really supports the decriminalization of marijuana’s possession, she said that he should use his presidential influence to “manage the congress to adopt a policy” that she would do.

“Most of the Black Americans live in the south, such as Texas, Florida and Georgia, where they still bear the burden of various damage,” she explained. “I do not know if without federal leadership, both in Congress and the MA of the ME Presidential Administration, this type of damage will not only be eliminated, but potentially sharpened when large immigrant communities are attacked.”
She added: “We can actually see reforms, but they can be those that prioritize profit, as opposed to public health, public security, consumer rights, human rights – and this is a problem.”
“In the past, President Trump has expressed openness to the reform of cannabis policy. Does the approach within his administration focused on the reform of the judiciary in criminal matters and the community reinvestment is to debate, but certainly economic potential can refer to his business instincts,” said Phillips.
She added: “I often hope that supporters are working on good cannabis policy at the state level, acting as the first line of defense in the protection of the rights of a small company (covering social capital operators) and maintaining the line to make sure that the withdrawal of politics no longer pay influence on black and brown communities.”

)
Politics and Current
Barbara Lee wins the race of the mayor of Oakland, the oath unite “deeply divided city” – essence

Mayor’s candidate Barbara Lee during the Watch Party Electoral Evening in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 (photo of Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle by Getty Images)
The former Congressmen Barbara Lee might be the next mayor of Oakland in California, which is a return to local management after greater than 20 years representing the city in Washington.
The Democrat veteran secured just over 50% of the votes, while Loren Taylor finished with nearly 45%, in keeping withSecretary of Voters of Alamed. Taylor officially awarded the race on Saturday, April 19, he ended as much as closely watched elections.
“Although I strongly believe in respecting the democratic voting and voting process, they will still be calculated … The results are clear that the inhabitants of Oakland chose me as the next mayor,” Lee said in a press release. “Thank you, Oakland!”
Lee, Trailblazer in progressive politics, withdrew from Congress last 12 months after the failed run of the US Senate. Her campaign for the mayor focused on the bridging of divisions in the city facing serious challenges.
“Oakland is a deeply divided city and I responded to the call to escape, unite our community – that I could represent every voter and we can all cooperate as one Oakland to solve our most burning problems,” she said in a press release made available on social media. She also thanked tons of of volunteers and approving who fueled her campaign, emphasizing efforts corresponding to 71 domestic events, 1000’s of shipyard marks and over 150,000 information of voters separated throughout the city.
In a press release published to X, Taylor congratulated Lee and confirmed the influence of his supporters. “Although the result was not the one we worked for and what we were counting on, I am incredibly proud of the race we were leading,” he wrote. “I pray that the mayor of Elect Lee meets his involvement in the unification of Oakland, genuinely engaging 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic leadership based on results.” He also noticed the bottom -up strength of his campaign, which, he said, pushed away from heavy expenses by political people from outside and trade unions.
Special elections were called after The voters dismissed the former mayor of Sheng Thao In November, amongst the growing frustration related to the crime and leadership of the city. On the same day, voters also dismissed the District Prosecutor. Thao, who was casual for just two years, became the subject of the FBI investigation and was later accused of allegations of bribery.
-
Press Release1 year ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Press Release1 year ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance11 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Business and Finance1 year ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Theater1 year ago
Telling the story of the Apollo Theater
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
The families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright hold an emotional press conference in Minneapolis
-
Theater1 year ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Theater11 months ago
Cultural icon Apollo Theater sets new goals on the occasion of its 85th anniversary