Target Corporation’s stock plummeted by approximately $27.27 per share by the end of February, erasing about $12.4 billion in market value. The drop came on February 28, the designated economic blackout day, and coincided with mounting backlash over the retailer’s decision to abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) has taken action through its Public Education and Selective Buying Campaign. NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. said, “Black consumers helped build Target into a retail giant, and now they are making their voices heard. If corporations believe they can roll back diversity commitments without consequence, they are mistaken.”

Reverend Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, has led calls for a “40-Day Target Fast,” urging Black consumers to withhold their spending at the retailer. “Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” Bryant said. “If we withhold our dollars, we can make a statement that cannot be ignored.”

The NAACP also issued a Black Consumer Advisory in response to Target’s DEI rollback, warning Black consumers about corporate retreat from diversity initiatives. The advisory urges them to support businesses that remain committed to investing in Black communities.

Target is also facing legal battles. Shareholders have filed lawsuits challenging the company’s DEI policies, arguing that the commitments hurt financial performance. Meanwhile, conservative groups have sued over Target’s diversity efforts, claiming they discriminated against white employees and other groups.

“Consumers have the power to demand change, and Target is learning that lesson the hard way,” Chavis said.

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By Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President, National Newspaper Publishers Association

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing the Black Press of America, has announced the planning and implementation of a national public education and selective buying campaign across the nation in direct response to those corporate entities that have dismantled their respective Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitments, programs and staffing. “We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not be silent or nonresponsive to the rapid rise of renewed Jim Crow racist policies in corporate America,” stated NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr.

“The Black Press of America continues to remain on the frontline keeping our families and communities informed and engaged on all the issues that impact our quality of life.” At a recent convening of NNPA member publishers and editors, a united resolve was reached that each member publication of the NNPA will begin a national public education campaign coupled with the release of research data on those America companies that are engaging in efforts to sanction racial injustice, inequitable polices, divisive leadership, and economic apartheid in America.

“We note forthrightly that Black Americans spend $2 trillion dollars annually as consumers of products and services throughout the United States,” NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. emphasized. “We now must evaluate and realign to question why we continue to spend our money with companies that do not respect us,” Chavis continued. “This now must come to an end.

These contradictions will not go unchallenged by 50 million Black Americans who have struggled for centuries to ensure equality, fairness and inclusion in our nation’s democracy.” A selective buying campaign involves exercising the right to select what we spend our money on and who we spend our money with. The following are some of the major American companies that have publicly retreated from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Target, Lowe’s, John Deere, Walmart, Meta, and Tractor Supply.

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By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

In a bid to amplify Black voices and highlight diverse stories, Chevrolet, in collaboration with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), invites budding journalists, content creators, and communications enthusiasts to embark on the summer internship of a lifetime through the Discover the Unexpected (DTU) Fellowship.

The DTU Fellowship is geared towards historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students who are passionate about storytelling and eager to contribute to the media landscape. This opportunity offers a platform for aspiring journalists and provides financial support in the form of a $10,000 scholarship and an $8,000 stipend.

One of the key aspects of the DTU Fellowship is the chance to collaborate with some of the largest and most influential Black-owned newspapers in the community. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between emerging talents and established media outlets, fostering an environment of mentorship and shared knowledge.

The selected DTU fellows will embark on a transformative journey beyond conventional internships. This experience promises exploration, learning, and, most importantly, amplifying their voices. The fellowship recognizes the unique perspectives of HBCU students and aims to provide a platform for these voices to be heard.

What sets the DTU Fellowship apart is the hands-on guidance and mentorship provided by industry professionals who understand the power of diverse perspectives. Fellows can elevate content and gain career-building knowledge through interactions with seasoned journalists and media experts.

The importance of diverse storytelling has never been more evident, and Chevrolet, in partnership with the NNPA, is committed to empowering the next generation of storytellers. By offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the DTU Fellowship seeks to make a lasting impact on both the individuals selected and the media landscape.

As the application deadline approaches, interested individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity. The application window for the DTU Fellowship closes on April 1, 2024. The tight deadline emphasizes the urgency and exclusivity of the opportunity, urging potential applicants to act promptly.

The Discover the Unexpected Fellowship by Chevrolet and the National Newspaper Association represents a unique chance for HBCU students to receive financial support for their education and gain invaluable hands-on experience in collaboration with influential Black-owned newspapers. By taking part in this transformative journey, aspiring journalists can leave a lasting impact on the media industry. Don’t miss out on the chance to elevate your content and amplify your voice – apply before the April 1, 2024 deadline!

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The media’s bias against the vice president has surfaced in many ways, including intermittent headlines and articles suggesting a split as to whether she should be on the re-election ticket with President Biden.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

During a December 2021 trip to Paris, Vice President Kamala Harris purchased a $375 cooking pot. America’s mainstream media didn’t approve.

The media lamented high inflation in the United States and said that her purchase came as American residents barely made ends meet.

“After a very significant and highly successful bilateral meeting in France on issues that are about national security, on issues that are about climate, on issues that are about what we are doing in terms of international norms and rules on everything from cyber to space. Come on,” Harris retorted.

Despite Harris’ impressive list of accomplishments as vice president and her stellar political track record, Dr. Bre Haizlip, a retired psychology professor, observed that the most devastating impact of unconscious racial bias in political media “is the ability to make one of the highest-ranking officials in our nation invisible.”

The media’s bias against the vice president has surfaced in many ways, including intermittent headlines and articles suggesting a split as to whether she should be on the re-election ticket with President Biden.

During an infamous March 2023 Zoom gathering of high-profile Democratic donors in Hollywood, suggestions abounded that Harris’ alleged lack of popularity would doom Biden.

Those in attendance included former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, actress Helen Hunt, and Ron Livingston.

The negative coverage of Harris included a 2021 Newsweek headline that blared, “How Left-Wing Media Turned on Kamala Harris.”

“CNN, Politico, and The Washington Post have all published articles over the past few weeks citing anonymous sources such as aides and Democratic officials who have described apparent chaos in Harris’ office,” the article declared.

“Harris has frequently been a target of criticism from conservatives, particularly for her role in dealing with immigration and the southern border, but it now appears that left-leaning news sources are painting a picture of a struggling vice president,” Newsweek continued.

But often ignored are Harris’s many accomplishments during her two-plus years as second in command.

Harris, a Howard University graduate, has been on the frontlines of the Biden administration’s record funding of historically Black colleges and universities.

She spent much of her first two years breaking an unprecedented 29 ties in an evenly divided Senate while ushering through administration appointees.

Harris proved vital in getting the American Rescue Plan through Congress, providing a $2 trillion stimulus relief bill that kept America’s businesses and residents afloat during the pandemic.

Harris also ensured maternal health for women before and after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“Unconscious racial bias in political media may include an inadvertent assumption that Black politicians’ accomplishments are less newsworthy or the propensity for the media to focus on negative or controversial aspects of a Black politician’s career, rather than highlighting their successes,” Haizlip explained.

“In Harris’ case, the controversy and scandal meteor fall far below the media threshold.”

Haizlip also warned Black media outlets about unconscious internalized racism.

She said unconscious internalized racism in Black media refers to the unconscious internalization, adoption, and perpetuation of negative stereotypes and biases about Black people within the Black community and media.

“This can include the reinforcement of Eurocentric leadership standards, the portrayal of Black people in a negative light, or the erasure or marginalization of Black political voices and perspectives that do not conform to dominant narratives,” Haizlip stated.

“It’s important for all of us as media consumers to be more aware of the potential for unconscious bias and to seek out diverse sources of information to ensure we are getting a full and accurate picture of any given issue or politician,” she stated.

Harris made history when she took the oath of office in January 2021 as the first Black and first female vice president.

Harris’s political career began in San Francisco, where she served as a prosecutor. She quickly gained a reputation for her tough stance on crime and her ability to bring criminals to justice.

She won election as District Attorney, where she implemented several innovative programs to reduce recidivism and improve public safety.

She also made headlines for successfully prosecuting several high-profile cases involving a notorious drug dealer and a corrupt police officer.

In 2010, Harris became the first woman and individual of color elected Attorney General of California.

During her tenure, she focused on consumer protection, environmental justice, and civil rights issues.

She also successfully defended California’s same-sex marriage ban in court, a decision that drew criticism from some progressive activists.

Harris’s political career continued to soar, and in 2016, she was elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming only the second Black woman to serve in the Senate.

During her time in the Senate, Harris fiercely advocated for progressive causes, including criminal justice reform, healthcare, and immigration.

Harris also received positive reviews across 18 countries in a 2022 Pew Research Center survey.

Pew found that about 55% of adults in these countries have confidence in Harris handling of world affairs, including half or more who hold that view in 14 countries.

Confidence in Harris is exceptionally high in Sweden, where 77% of adults view her positively.

“It’s unfair how narratives become so powerful and take on a life of their own. These lies threaten to affect the discourse around the 2024 Presidential Race and even Vice President Harris’s political future as she remains a key contender for the Democratic Nomination for President in the future,” Randall Barnes wrote in a March 2023 editorial for HBCU Pulse.

“She is one of the best, if not the best, vice presidents of all time, and she’s done her constitutional duties with excellence and often does even more to advance important causes for the Biden Administration that isn’t a part of her job description,” Barnes asserted.

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By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

According to a new draft recommendation statement, the US Preventive Services Task Force proposes that women with an average risk for breast cancer begin screening at age 40 to reduce their risk of death.

It is a change from the 2016 recommendation, in which the task force recommended that biennial mammograms (breast x-rays) begin at age 50 and that the decision for women to screen in their 40s “should be an individual one.”

Some organizations, including the American Cancer Society, have recommended that women begin mammograms in their forties.

USPSTF Vice Chair Dr. Wanda Nicholson, senior associate dean, and professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, told CNN, “Our new task force recommendation recommends that women begin breast cancer screening with mammography at age 40 and continue screening every other year until age 74.”

The USPSTF, a group of independent medical experts whose recommendations help steer doctors’ decisions and influence insurance plans, proposed an update to its breast cancer screening recommendations on Tuesday, May 9.

The task force announced it would share a draft evidence review and draft modeling report along with the non-final recommendation on their website for public comments until June 5.

The proposed recommendation is for all individuals assigned female at birth, including cisgender women, trans men, and nonbinary individuals, to be at ordinary risk for breast cancer.

According to Nicholson, women with dense breasts and a family history of cancer typically fall into this category, but not women whose family history contains breast cancer or genetic mutations, such as mutations on the BRCA gene, as they are regarded as being at high risk.

The revisions would not apply to those with an increased risk of breast cancer who may have already been advised to undergo screening at age 40 or earlier.

However, they should adhere to the monitoring procedures recommended by their physicians.

Black women reportedly have the highest incidence of breast cancer-related deaths in America.

Nicholson stated that the revised recommendation “will save more lives among all women.”

This is especially significant for Black women, who have a 40% higher risk of breast cancer-related death.

According to the JAMA Network Open, the breast cancer death rate among women in their 40s was 27 per 100,000 person-years for Black women, compared to 15 per 100,000 for white women and 11 per 100,000 for American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander women.

As a result, researchers recommended that Black women begin screening at an earlier age, 42, as opposed to 50.

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The jury, which awarded Carroll $5 million in damages, also deemed Trump liable for defaming the writer when he publicly discredited her claims.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The long and humiliating path to ignominy for Donald Trump continued when a jury in New York found the twice-impeached and presently criminally indicted former president liable for sexually assaulting author E. Jean Carroll.

The jury, which awarded Carroll $5 million in damages, also deemed Trump liable for defaming the writer when he publicly discredited her claims.

In a minor victory for Trump, the jury did not determine that he had raped Carroll.

The trial lasted approximately one week in Manhattan, where a grand jury indicted Trump last month on more than thirty criminal counts related to alleged hush money payments he made to cover up a sexual relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump was the first former president to be criminally indicted.

Congress impeached him twice during his presidency, an unprecedented disgrace in American history.

Carroll, a well-known columnist, alleged that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s at the Bergdorf Goodman department store.

Trump slandered Carroll by denying the allegation, indicating she fabricated it to boost book sales and claiming she was not his type.

Trump has denied all the allegations.

Under the New York Adult Survivors Act, enacted in May 2022, survivors of sexual offenses may file a civil complaint against a perpetrator for damages even if the statute of limitations has expired, so long as they can also demonstrate that the offense qualifies as a sex crime.

Carroll’s legal team presented eleven witnesses in seven trial days, including the author herself.

Earlier in the trial, the jury viewed portions of Trump’s October 2017 videotaped deposition for this case.

Trump vehemently denied Carroll’s rape allegations, claiming they were baseless and that he did not know Carroll.

In addition, he asserted that Carroll was not his type and had the right to disparage women who falsely accused him.

During the trial, former news anchor Carol Martin testified that Carroll confided in her immediately following the incident.

Martin informed the jury that the two friends had finished recording their respective programs and that Carroll had requested to visit Martin’s home close to the studio.

Martin stated that Carroll was “agitated” during their hour-long conversation in her kitchen.

Carroll’s “effect was anxious and agitated, but she can be that way on occasion, so it wasn’t all that unusual, but what she was saying initially made no sense.”

Martin recalled that Carroll began her story by saying, “You won’t believe what happened to me the other night.”

Martin reported that Carroll told her she did not wish to report the incident and urged her to remain silent.

However, Martin stated that she regretted advising her friend and colleague not to report the incident, although Carroll had disclosed the alleged rape to another associate.

Martin testified, “I am not proud; this is what I told her.”

“I’m here because I want to reiterate and remember what my friend E. Jean Carroll told me 27 years ago. I believed it then, and I believe it today.”

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By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

According to the freshly published jobs report for April, the jobless rate for African Americans in the United States maintained its steady slide to new historic levels, just one month after hitting a record low for the previous lowest level ever recorded. On Friday morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the unemployment rate for African Americans dropped below 5% for the first time in US history.

This is new ground for the labor force in the country.

The employment report for April showed that the unemployment rate for Black people in the United States declined by three-tenths of a percentage point, a drop that cannot be considered negligible.

The employment report for April showed that the unemployment rate for Black people in the United States decreased by three-tenths of a percentage point, which is not an insignificant drop. That represents a 4.7% decrease overall.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for Black men, in particular, and for Black youths, fell.

After Black women reached a historic low in joblessness in March, their unemployment rate slightly increased, according to a jobs report.

Overall, the rate of joblessness in the United States has fallen to its lowest point in half a century, at 3.4%.

The rate includes white workers, and their rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point, reaching 3.1%.

Bharat Ramamurti, the deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, referred to it as “an incredible milestone.”

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By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

Whether we accept it or not, obesity continues to be a complex, chronic disease that kills thousands of Black Americans every year. Indeed, nearly half of Black Americans live with obesity, so we cannot afford to ignore this national emergency any longer.

The public discourse around weight loss that has taken over recent headlines has entirely missed the mark. Our mainstream media, social media, and content providers are all either dissecting whether a movie star used weight loss medication or analyzing whether these medications are safe to take, even though they’re FDA approved.

The fact of the matter is that we are squandering a critical moment to focus on the deadly disease of obesity, and missing the opportunity to save thousands of lives, particularly Black lives. Within the next seven years, researchers anticipate that half of American adults will live with obesity. This is a personal health burden and a public health crisis, and we should talk about it as such.

Turning the narrative around on this disease, and on Black wellness overall, is critical to stemming obesity’s growth. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a trade association of more than 250 Black-owned community newspapers and media companies from across the United States, has consistently been the voice of the Black community since its founding 83 years ago.

I serve as the organization’s President and CEO and right now, we’re calling on our members to elevate the conversation on the obesity crisis to one that clarifies the facts, shares reliable resources, and advocates for impactful changes for the benefit of our community’s health and longevity. We can address obesity in a way that gives hope, because this is not a hopeless fight.

To start, it’s vital that we correct the misinformation. Too often, people don’t know that obesity is a chronic disease and a long-term illness, with multiple contributing factors outside of a person’s control: environmental circumstances, inherently racist healthcare programs, poverty, and genetics. In cities across the country, like Washington, D.C., where nearly half the population is Black, food deserts and food swamps have become the norm in Black communities. This makes it nearly impossible for many Black residents to eat well even if they wanted to. That is to say, many people cannot access one of the key tools for combating obesity — a healthy diet — because of factors outside of their control.

It’s also important to note that obesity is a complex disease that may require more than diet and exercise. Our understanding of the disease has changed drastically over the years thanks to scientific research and advances. Where diet and exercise are not enough, some people may need the extra support of anti-obesity medications to fight the disease. Just as many of us take medications to manage hypertension, diabetes, or cholesterol — conditions you may have inherited — medications for chronic weight management may be needed as well.

Further, combating severe obesity may even require bariatric surgery. Chronic diseases are treated with a range of treatment options, and obesity is no different.

To be clear, the perception that people who live with obesity just need to take better care of themselves is false and dangerous, as it prevents thousands from receiving or seeking the care they need. Societal weight biases strain the mental health of people living by obesity, prevent people from living their healthiest lives, and contribute to our country’s stagnant healthcare policies that exacerbate obesity’s disproportionate impact on Black communities.

From less access to quality healthcare, to the exclusion of anti-obesity medications from Medicare, and most Medicaid and general insurance coverage, our healthcare systems under-prioritizes the well-being of Black Americans. And we’ve learned from history that until we make our voices heard, this crisis will continue to be brushed aside.

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an expert on obesity, noted that we have been living through three pandemics: COVID-19, racism, and obesity. We must prioritize combating the obesity pandemic with the same energy we use to combat COVID-19 and racial injustice. Our lives depend on it.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr is President and CEO of the NNPA, Executive Producer/Host of The Chavis Chronicles on PBS TV stations throughout the United States, entrepreneur, global business and civil rights, and can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org

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The March 17 luncheon at the National Press Club included remarks from Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, who highlighted the crucial need for a thriving Black Press and broke the kind of news sure to go viral.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The State of the Black Press in America in 2023 is strong, resilient, and getting stronger day by day.
Black Press Week culminated with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., delivering the State of the Black Press.

More than 30 NNPA publishers and journalists followed up the address with a special White House visit in which Shalanda Young, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke exclusively to the group.

Young, the first Black woman to lead the White House budget office, detailed the importance of the President’s fiscal plan to communities of color.

Jean-Pierre engaged the NNPA in her office, where she promised that the administration has continued to push for equity and equality for Black Americans.

“I would happily argue with anyone that this administration has done more for Black people than any other administration in history,” Jean-Pierre proclaimed.

Though she acknowledged there’s still more work needed legislatively, Jean-Pierre noted what the Biden-Harris administration has accomplished through executive orders and legislation like the American Rescue Plan, the Child Tax Credit, a historic more than $6 billion to HBCUs, and other measures.

“The president,” she said, “ensured that our community didn’t get left behind.”

Before the trip to the West Wing, Dr. Chavis delivered a searing message about where the Black Press stands as the institution celebrates its 196th year.

The March 17 luncheon at the National Press Club included remarks from Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, who highlighted the crucial need for a thriving Black Press and broke the kind of news sure to go viral.

Thompson, who deftly led the Congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, insurrection, told the large Press Club gathering that he expects a federal special counsel to hand up indictments in the coming weeks.

“As for January 6, what you saw with your eyes is the absolute truth,” Thompson remarked. “Don’t believe [Fox Host] Tucker Carlson. Who are you going to believe, him or your lying eyes.”

Thompson reminisced about America’s history of settling political differences at the ballot box. “But lo and behold, that president [Donald Trump] convinced everybody that [he] would be President for life,” the congressman said.

“If it weren’t for the Black Press that kept raising the issue all along about how much of a fraud that person happened to be [the outcome may have been different].”

Thompson continued:

“Most of you know there is a double standard in America. No person of color with [Trump’s] history could have run for dog catcher and got anything. It’s that double standard that you fight every week in your newspapers.

“Our elected officials must be held accountable. Over the next few weeks, our work will be crystalized with some indictments, and we have shared a lot of our work with the special counsel that Tucker Carlson thought he had.

“A lot of those individuals are being called in under subpoena now and we will see what they tell the special counsel. Nobody is above the law, not even the President of the United States.

“What we saw after interviewing more than 1,000 people – the majority of whom identify with the Republican Party – we are convinced that whatever happened, happened because of one person. So, we are clear in our recommendation.”
Dr. Chavis, master of ceremonies Rev. Mark Thompson, NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards, and other NNPA Board members presented Thompson with the 2023 NNPA Global Newsmaker of the Year Award.

“In the growing digital age, the Black Press of America today, in 2023, is advancing and making steady progress to engage in the necessary technological innovations to ensure the future viability and sustainability of the Black Press of America for the next 100 years,” Dr. Chavis declared.

During his address, Dr. Chavis unveiled the new NNPA World News app, which contains global news items of interest to African Americans.

“It is revival time,” Dr. Chavis exclaimed, pivoting to a sermon-like delivery.

He declared that the NNPA would soon travel around the country for a series of Black Church, Black Press, and Black family revivals.

“We also are going to promote nationwide voter registration and massive get-out-to-vote campaigns in preparation for the 2024 national elections,” Dr. Chavis continued.

He said the NNPA would also engage in a national “James Baldwin and Fannie Lou Hamer Drop the Pen Tour” at HBCUs and other college and university campuses and some high schools to emphasize raising up a new generation of “freedom-fighting journalists, publishers, videographers, and social media influencers.”

“With that foundational understanding of the evolution of the Black Press, we are much better able to explain and to understand why the Black Press in 2023 remains the trusted voice of Black America,” Dr. Chavis added.

“Trust is something that you cannot buy or something that you cannot fabricate. Trust, especially for African Americans, is genuine and authentic. You cannot fake it. Trust for us is deeply rooted in the social fabric of our families and the communities we serve and represent.”

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New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries provided a masterclass on leadership and served up a clear reminder of what an up-and-coming senator from Illinois named Barack Obama once did during a divided America.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

It’s possible that after the bitter campaign for House Speaker ended on January 7th, Americans – especially Black Americans – felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries provided a masterclass on leadership and served up a clear reminder of what an up-and-coming senator from Illinois named Barack Obama once did during a divided America.

“Progress asserted itself tonight, manifested in [Hakeem] Jeffries, even amidst a hostile takeover of the House by neo–fascists,” Jason Randolph of Vote.org commented.

Randolph said Jeffries delivered “what’s likely the best political speech not given by Obama in generations.”

On July 27, 2004, during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, a 42-year-old Barack Obama, who a few months earlier won a Senate primary in Illinois, spoke eloquently and inspiringly about the divide facing America.

“Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of ‘anything goes,’” Obama asserted.

“Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America; there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.”

Nineteen years later, in 2023 where many say politics are as divisive and dangerous as ever, Jeffries, 52, channeled Obama by providing a masterclass on leadership.

He called for “maturity over Mar-a-Lago,” a direct shot at new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s praise of Trump.

Throughout Jeffries’ speech, Trump supporting Republicans jeered while Democrats rose to applaud the Brooklyn born congressman.

Jeffries smoothly went through the alphabet to capture all the ails America, and what’s needed to repair the divided nation.

“House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the Constitution over the cult, democracy over demagogues,” Jeffries asserted.

“Freedom over fascism, governing over gaslighting, hopefulness over hatred quality of life issues over Q’Anon, reason over racism, substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over ugliness, and voting rights over voter suppression.”

Earlier, the Republican Party did, in fact, select a speaker, albeit grudgingly; however, given the 15 rounds it took for McCarthy to secure the necessary votes, it’s possible that his tenure as speaker won’t last.

Whether or not McCarthy remains speaker, his ascension to the top post in the chamber is unlikely to be remembered as the 118th Congress’ defining moment.

McCarthy, despite multiple defeats before winning the speakership race and his previous condemnation of former President Trump’s role in the 2021 insurrection, still praised Trump.

The person elected to lead Congress and look out for America’s best interests praised an alleged would-be over thrower of the U.S. government just two years and one day after the Trump-inspired insurrection in which several lives were lost.

Although a congressional committee recommended criminal charges and numerous members of Trump’s inner circle testified to the committee about the former president’s guilt.

McCarthy, upon being presented with the speaker’s gavel, remarked, “I do want to especially thank President Trump.”

“Do not doubt, in my opinion; in fact, no one should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning. So, thank you, President Trump.

However, two years earlier, McCarthy held that “the President bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.”

McCarthy’s moments aside, many people who watched the inauguration of the 118th Congress said that Jeffries, the first African American to lead a major political party in Congress, demonstrated true leadership.

“McCarthy’s speech should have contained some of the words Jeffries spoke,” Dean Obeidallah, a lawyer and host of a self-titled SiriusXM show, opined.

“[McCarthy] should have made it clear he denounces autocracy, fascism and the grave threats facing our democracy by Trump and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party,” Obeidallah insisted.

The radio host wasn’t alone.

“Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks truth to power,” declared attorney Ben Crump.

“Politicians must remember that they represent U.S. All of us. Let’s encourage our lawmakers to work together and pass policy that helps all American people and that preserves our democratic form of government,” Crump said.

“This is what leadership looks like, sounds like and does,” podcaster Chris Hahn tweeted.

Strategist Steve Schmidt added, “The early morning hours of January 7 marked the rise of a new American leader: Hakeem Jeffries. The thunderclap was the magnificence of his voice rising in defense of the American creed and his taking his place in a long line of liberty’s defenders.”

Actor Rob Reiner simplified the outpouring of accolades resulting from Jeffries’ speech.

“A star is born,” Reiner declared.

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