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Commutations cement Biden’s legacy as a champion of justice, by Marc H. Morial

“American communities, disproportionately Black and Brown, have long borne the scars of the Drug War. Extreme and racist sentences for crack cocaine offenses tore apart families. Children grew up visiting their parents behind bars. Those parents are now elders, yearning …

Pardons must not lead to the unpardonable, by Clarence Page

Hindsight, as the old saying goes, is always 20/20. That thought came to mind after a couple of the roughly 1,500 Jan. 6 offenders given pardons by President Trump said they didn’t want it.

Honoring MLK’s legacy through environmental justice work, by Rev. Faith Harris

Recently, we observed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. When I think of Dr. King’s legacy, I don’t immediately think of the overused “I Have a Dream” speech. Instead, I think of his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” essay.

What would Martin do?, by Julianne Malveaux

What would have Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. done to celebrate his 96th birthday? Sit on the sidelines and cheer for the incoming president who stands for everything that King was opposed to? Would he be wheeled to a protest …

Dr. King’s dream still offers a great agenda, by Clarence Page

As we marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, ironically on the same day as Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration, I am reminded of a famous quote from another King: “Can we all get along?”

Youngkin vetoes higher minimum wage despite economic research, by Michael O’Grady

Virginia’s minimum wage recently increased to $12.41 per hour. Democrats sought a higher increase last year but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed that effort. In his veto explanation, the governor repeated talking points used for the last half-century, including economic freedom …

President Trump will raise your energy bills, by Ben Jealous

Rate payers, beware. President Donald Trump’s eagerness to enrich his fossil fuel industry allies with a “drill baby drill” and “export baby export” agenda will raise energy costs for American households.

Urban League prepares for fight ahead, by Marc H. Morial

At the current rate of progress, it will take between 100 and 300 years for Black Americans to achieve parity with white Americans.

Carter’s funeral brings much-needed vision of peace, by Clarence Page

When he showed up at the Chicago Tribune one day in early 1976, James Earl Carter Jr., was announced by one of our young newsroom copy clerks as “that governor from Georgia who thinks he can run for president.”

Virginia Beach incident inspires fair housing initiative, by Roger Chesley

I had hoped Raven Baxter — the Black woman who was rebuffed by an elderly white home-seller from buying a Virginia Beach condo because of her race – would keep fighting until she got the keys to her castle. In …

Biden administration delivers big for coastal communities, by Ben Jealous

It may be the dead of winter, but when we think of our beaches, none of us want to picture them covered in oil.

MAGA takes on Elon Musk’s ‘tech bros’, by Clarence Page

Just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to return to the White House, the coterie of American tech oligarchs who played a decisive role in re-electing him was busy exerting their own power in ways that suggest the MAGA …

Jimmy Carter remembered as a man of faith, humility, by Julianne Malveaux

Tens of thousands of words will be published in tribute to Jimmy Carter, our beloved 37th president. A renaissance man, diplomat, philanthropist, civil rights icon and so much more, he is most aptly described, in my opinion, as a man …

The governor fiddles while Virginia smokes, by Phillip E. Thompson

The tale of Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burned has become a metaphor for leaders ignoring pressing crises. In Virginia, this imagery feels all too real as Gov. Glenn Youngkin appears content to let the state’s illegal marijuana market thrive …

Countdown on for TikTok, by Cullen Seltzer

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up TikTok’s plea for a stay of its own partial execution. The first round of briefs were due just before Christmas. The second and final round was due Jan. 3.