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Journalist Gwen Ifill Recognized with Commemorative Stamp

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Update: The United States Postal Service released its Black Heritage Series stamp on February 3, 2020 memorializing the late pioneering journalist, Gwen Ifill. The stamp is the 43rd in the series. Ifill made history as the first Black woman to host a national political talk show when she was named moderator of the PBS program Washington Week in Review. She also worked for The New York Times and The Washington Post and authored the book, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. Ifill died of cancer at age 61 in 2016.

Journalist Gwen Ifill is being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a commemorate stamp. Ifill became one of America’s most trusted journalists as her work moved her from print reporting at The New York Times to NBC News as a correspondent to PBS where she was the co-host of “PBS NewsHour.” She built a stellar career on the tenets of integrity, credibility, and professionalism. Ifill died in 2016 after a battle with cancer

The President of the National Association of Black Journalists, Dorothy Tucker said, “NABJ encourages our members to break barriers, to fight for what is right, to innovate, to use their pens and their voices to make an impact! Throughout her career, Gwen Ifill showed us exactly how to use our platforms to effect change.”

Praise for the decision filled the social media timelines of journalists around the country.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid tweeted, “No one deserves this more. Gonna buy a whole pack of Gwen Ifill stamps!”

The founder of The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest video and oral history archive, also celebrated the tribute to Ifill. In 2014 Julieanna Richardson partnered with PBS to produce the series, “An Evening with Gwen Ifill” which was highly acclaimed and showcased the achievements of well-known and accomplished African Americans. At the time of Ifill’s passing, Richardson wrote, “She was our friend and ardent supporter…her loss shook our very core.”

Ifill’s skills were witnessed by the entire country during the 2004 and 2008 Presidential campaigns when she became the first African American reporter to moderate the Vice-Presidential debates. She also shared her insights on the historical election of President Barack Obama in the “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” Ifill received many honors during her distinguished career including induction into the NABJ Hall of Fame in 2012.

Tucker added, “I am proud that her name is placed among our iconic NABJ Hall of Famers and that she will forever be memorialized by the US Postal Service, for indeed she is worthy of every honor that ensures her enduring legacy.” 

Black History

Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

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Black History

President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

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President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

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Black History

The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

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The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

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