VOL. 52, NO. 15 • JANUARY 26 – FEBRUARY 1, 2017
County’s Mel Franklin Shutout from Chairing Committee - Hot Topics / Page 4
Don't Miss WI Brigde! Center Section
Brown, Black ‘Sisters’ Nonplussed with Women’s March By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer
5 Women all over the world rang out a message demanding equality on Saturday, Jan. 21. Over a million women showed up in Washington, D.C. / Photo by Roy Lewis
Trump Sworn In — Now What? By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer It was only natural, in this social media-crazed world, that the first significant order of business after Donald Trump was sworn in as the nation's 45th president was the transfer of the commander in chief's official Twitter account. Trump inherited the @POTUS twitter handle that originated with Barack Obama, whose tweets and millions of followers were automatically moved to his new @POTUS44 account. And as power — digital and otherwise — has been transferred, many are asking, "Now what?" — particularly African-Americans still wincing
NOW WHAT Page 30
The Women’s March on Washington drew a massive crowd on Saturday, Jan. 21 with estimates placing attendance at 500,000 – three times the total of those who viewed the inauguration of Donald J. Trump one day earlier. More impressive, other “sister marches” concurrently took place in over 600 locations across all seven continents, including Antarctica, leading to a global day of action that generated a collective crowd of millions. But despite the numbers, some women of color said they weren’t impressed due to a lack of greater diversity among the participants adding that while women of all races attended, the wide range of issues that resonated with the collective made it all but impossible to establish any sense of real solidarity. “If there was intersectional unity
MARCH Page 11
Blacks Among Thousands Behind New President But those Voicing Opposition Far Outweigh Supporters By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer On Inauguration Day, thousands of Blacks converged in the nation’s capital to chant, hoist signs and to march – all expressions of their opposition to the presidency of Donald J. Trump. However, among the thousands of white Trump supporters, many wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats and other paraphernalia, stood a smaller group of Blacks proudly displaying their admiration for
INAUGURATION Page 36
5 Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, Jan. 20. / Photo by Shevry Lassiter
Celebrating 52 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area