Author: Carma Henry

       Partnering with the Ujima Men’s Group, the evening unfolded as a reminder that progress is never a solo journey. Families arrived with lawn chairs and shared stories, elders nodded in recognition, and children moved freely among generations—learning by watching, listening, and participating.

As 2026 approaches, many of us have high hopes. Whether it be for our finances, our family, or even in our relationships, the new year brings a certain level of hope for the future. But to enjoy any of the things we hope for, we need to be healthy. Health experts are warning of several conditions that may hinder our hopes of a health-filled year. Some see higher activity due to climate change, global travel, food supply pressures, and shifting viral patterns. While not all outbreaks will impact every community the same way, understanding what’s emerging—and how to prepare—can help you keep your family safe and healthy.

     That’s why so many sisters lean on the best multivitamin for women; it’s one less thing to overthink. Finding the best multivitamin for women can help cover gaps and keep your nutrition on track, freeing up some brain space for the rest of life.

      For anyone paying even modest attention to the current administration’s foreign policy posture, a Christmas Day bombing justified as “protecting Christians from ISIS” in Nigeria was neither shocking nor clarifying. It fits a familiar rhetorical script. What it did not fit was reality.

     Wishing, hoping and praying that the best is still yet to come. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name”. These lyrics come from the hymn, The Solid Rock by Edward Mote in 1834.

     This data indicates Democrats will need to do more than run against Trump if we want to win in 2026. To keep the momentum going, Democrats will have to show working class voters we also know how to govern in the places where we currently hold power.

     In late November, Donald Trump publicly referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as “seriously retarded” while attacking Walz’s leadership. When questioned afterward, Trump did not retract the slur. He doubled down, saying there was “something wrong with him.” This was not a stray insult or an offhand remark. It was a deliberate statement, delivered through the megaphone of presidential power, reviving a word long recognized as dehumanizing toward people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Get Ready to Honor America’s Birthday by Fighting for Freedom, Again

     Religious conservatives waged a 50-year battle to deny the rights of gay and lesbian people, especially the right to marry. As the dominate force in the GOP, they coerced traditional Republicans to formally oppose same sex marriage, and make it a national political issue in the 1990’s. They also oppose the Equality Act which would extend federal protections to LGBTQ people nationwide. And at the state level, Republican legislators, as in Florida, passed “don’t say gay” laws targeting LBGTQ people.

     Indeed, Trump has taken the lead in reducing workers’ incomes. One of his key actions along these lines occurred on March 14, 2025, when he issued an executive order that scrapped a Biden-era regulation raising the minimum wage for employees of private companies with federal contracts. Some 327,300 workers had benefited from Biden’s measure, which produced an average wage increase of $5,228 per year. With Trump’s reversal of policy, they became ripe for pay cuts of up to 25 percent.