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Dem Cherelle Parker wins Philadelphia’s mayoral race
PHILADELPHIA—Democrat Cherelle Parker, a former member of the Philadelphia City Council, has been elected the city’s next mayor, NBC News reported, which makes her the first woman to hold the office.
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Parker cruised past her Republican opponent, David Oh. But before she got to the general election, she had to battle through a crowded Democratic primary in May.
Former Councilmember Cherelle Parker now becomes the first woman to hold the office of Philadelphia mayor.
Parker defeated five other Democratic candidates, winning 32 percent of the primary vote. After securing the party’s nomination, Parker’s victory as the next Democratic mayor of Philadelphia was all but certain. The city hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1952.
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Parker’s platform was rooted in her upbringing in a blue-collar majority-Black neighborhood in Philadelphia. Amid rising concerns of violence and threats to public safety, as mayor, she hopes to restore the “village” that raised her.
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“I’m uniquely prepared to make the city the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation with access to economic opportunity for all,” she said.
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Current Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney did not officially endorse a candidate to succeed him, but his vote for Parker in the primary election was a signal of support for her candidacy.
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Parker was a Democratic representative in the Pennsylvania state House from 2005 until 2015 when she was elected to the Philadelphia City Council. Parker resigned in September 2022 when she launched her mayoral campaign.
Southwest Fest in Detroit, MI is a great opportunity for community members to come join in activities and share space in imagining the ways they can better their communities.
Art collaboration this weekend for Black August in Detroit
DETROIT—Communities around the country and in Michigan are celebrating Black August and promoting liberation of all diversities.
Anthony Baber, director of communications and culture for Detroit Action, said parts of the city have been forgotten and need support, adding Southwest Fest in Detroit is a great opportunity for community members to come join in activities and share space in imagining the ways they can better their communities, the ways they envision their communities, and a chance for them to bring about art and culture.
"What are the things that you envision?" Baber asked. "That art installation is just a fun chance for people to make their own description of what safety looks like. To add something as far as paint or drawing or even words; the things that come to mind when people imagine safety and abundance."
Community members can come by the Detroit Action booth at Southwest Fest this Saturday from 2-7 p.m. and contribute their art which will then be put together as one completed piece to signify what they feel means liberation joy and justice.
Black, brown and other marginalized communities in Michigan face several challenges. Detroit Action and other advocacy groups also strive for justice with the environment, utilities, over-policing and general wellness.
Baber emphasized people need to be caring about the betterment of their communities.
"That lack of security, that lack of safety and really that lack of joy within communities," Baber observed. "It puts us at a deficit where we're not able to care for ourselves or each other."
Baber acknowledged some solutions from the city council and the mayor in Detroit have been to revitalize the forgotten and ignored areas for outsiders and newcomers. However, he believes in order for the city to thrive, it has to be supported by the people who have spent generations trying to build its communities.
Research suggests Black women are often targeted by corporate grooming policies.
CROWN Act aims to end discriminatory policing of Black hairstyles
DETROIT (MNS)—Some Ohio lawmakers are following in the footsteps of federal legislators with a bill to ban the policing of hairstyles based on racial stereotypes.
Eboney Thornton, communications coordinator at the Center for Community Solutions, said some businesses or schools have policies discouraging ethnic hair types, and even prohibit styles like braids, Bantu knots, cornrows and locs and dreadlocks.
"People of color, particularly Black women and Hispanic, end up having to do something to their hair that's unnatural for them," Thornton explained. "Or they may wear wigs, they may chemically process their hair to be in compliance of that particular dress code."
The US House passed the CROWN Act in March to prohibit the denial of employment or educational opportuni- ties because of a person's hair texture or protective hairstyle. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who voted against the measure, called it a distraction from more important issues. Shortly after, House Bill 668 was introduced at the state level.
The term CROWN in CROWN Act means "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair." prohibits racial discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles. It prohibits discrimination based on a per- son's hair texture or hairstyle if it is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.
Currently, Civil Rights Act Title VII only offers protections for the hairstyle known as an Afro.
The CROWN Act protects students’ rights to wear or treat their hair however they desire, without the threat of racial discrimination or loss of access to school, participation in activities, and inclusion in opportunities inside and beyond typical classrooms.
Thornton pointed out often, policies intended to discriminate against certain cultures also penalize others.
"A lot of the dress codes, a lot of rules say you can't color your hair a certain way. You can't wear certain braids; you can't have your hair a certain length," Thornton outlined. "It doesn't just affect Black and brown. It affects White girls; it affects White boys who may be growing their hair out to donate."
A dozen states have passed laws prohibiting discrimination based on hair texture. Thornton argued as the world grows and changes, hair-based discrimination could drive qualified and talented workers away from Ohio, hind- ering economic progress.
"And that's kind of what Ohio is built on," Thornton contended. "We are creative, we are innovative, and we want to keep building that. So, if we stop penalizing people for how they look or how they're wearing their hair, just imagine how great that we can be."
Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland Heights and Columbus have passed similar CROWN Act laws.
Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.