Author: Carma Henry

       Americans are consuming ultra-processed foods at staggering levels, and a newly released report warns the products are fueling rising rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and other chronic illnesses across the country, including in the District of Columbia.

     Wasserman Schultz announced her candidacy last week, seeking to represent the heavily Democratic Broward-and-Palm Beach-based district after major changes to Florida’s congressional map reshaped her current seat. Her entry immediately transformed the race into a high-profile contest featuring longtime political figures, community activists, and former elected officials. 

In the wake of Artemis II’s historic return from its mission around the moon, some of the nation’s most accomplished Black astronauts, engineers, and aerospace pioneers came together for an intergenerational conversation about perseverance, representation, and the future of space exploration. The discussion became a meditation on history, possibility, and the cultural significance of who now gets to shape humanity’s future beyond Earth.

    While many of us are cutting back on groceries, travel, health care and other necessities to pay almost five bucks a gallon for gas (more than $5/gallon in some states), oil companies are raking in mega bucks. According to the politically centrist publication, The Hill, since President Trump started the war with Iran the world’s eleven largest oil companies are earning about 30 million dollars every hour. That comes to $720 million a day or more than $5 billion every week. Feeling ripped off? You should, but the price you pay at the pump is only what you see and feel. A lot of your tax dollars go to Big Oil too.

            The rapper — born Robert Ginyard — passed away peacefully after a private battle with cancer on Friday surrounded by family … just four days after celebrating his birthday.

‘Test Your Bible Knowledge’

     Long before researchers coined phrases like “food insecurity” or “food apartheid,” Black congregations were feeding families abandoned by segregated systems, economic inequality and government neglect. But a new generation of faith leaders is asking a harder question: What if the church stopped merely responding to hunger and started confronting the system producing it?

During a Special School Board Meeting, members of the Broward County School Board presented a proclamation honoring the life, vision, and enduring legacy of Levi Henry Jr. to the Henry family and staff of the Westside Gazette, recognizing his lifelong commitment to community service, leadership, and advocacy throughout Broward County and beyond.

       Republican lawmakers in Tennessee approved a controversial new congressional map that removes the state’s only majority-Black U.S. House district, centered around the city of Memphis. The decision has sparked protests, lawsuits, and national debate over voting rights and representation.  

Salenah Cartier, a 23-year-old African American woman from Houston, Texas, has become the youngest PhD graduate at the University of Houston. She earned a doctorate in education and continues focusing on improving learning access for underserved communities.