Author: Carma Henry

The Westside Gazette Back To School

‘All the young people should be recording these interactions with law enforcement,’ says lawyer

   Weeks after Target Corporation infuriated Blacks across the country with its $300,000 donation to a prominent Baptist organization, the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) at its annual conference in Chicago this week, blasted the retailer and officially joined a nationwide boycott.PNBC did so in response to Target agreeing with President Donald Trump to eliminate its DEI programs and initiatives.

   The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) has extended a special invitation to Bobby Henry, Sr., publisher of the Westside Gazette, to moderate a Presidential Townhall titled “The State of Black America — A Public Safety Perspective.” The townhall will be held Saturday, August 9, 2025, from 7–9 p.m. at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, as part of NOBLE’s Annual Training Conference (Aug. 8–12).

When a community comes together to honor its own, something powerful happens. On August 1, 2025, that power was on full display as Kayla Turner, founder of Kayy Love Management, and the Positivity Pays Foundation, co-founded by Ramon Robinson and Brandon Freeny, hosted a sold-out celebration honoring five exceptional community figures through the Community Anchor Trading Card Series.

Proposed budget cuts, Medicaid overhaul and delayed grants might threaten progress.

   The Founding Fathers, in their infinite wisdom, understood that change was inevitable—even for the Constitution. That’s why they included Article V, which outlines how amendments can be added, revised, or repealed. Its purpose was clear: to ensure that no amendment would become a “sacred cow” immune to challenge or reconsideration. This includes the 22nd Amendment, which limits a President to two terms.

   Keisha Lance Bottoms and Stacey Abrams may both be running for Governor in Georgia and Al Lawson and Byron Donalds, a Republican, will battle Lawson, a Democrat, in the Sunshine State possibly.

        We are living in a time of heightened self-awareness and social reckoning. Across the country, and especially in Black communities, people are reexamining their place, their purpose, and their power. There’s a growing call to move beyond survival into systems-building, healing, and legacy work. But first, we must be honest with ourselves: In this moment, are we the Spider, the Web, the Fly, or the Exterminator?

       A mediator friend described a case in which a tenant lost her job, got behind on rent, and started using drugs. Happily, she had an epiphany, turned her life around, and got a new job – but still owed a lot of rent. In the mediation, she apologized and took responsibility for the situation but wasn’t sure how quickly she could repay what she owed. She was afraid eviction could push her off her healthy trajectory.