Sometimes a simple social media post can introduce us to people and organizations doing meaningful work right in our own backyard. Photo: Tyrone Parker Community activist Tyrone Parker, a brother known for building relationships with people and organizations from many walks of life, recently shared his experience with Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. His post came after attending

The Willie Lynch Question: Are We Still Following the Script? BLXCR Special Edition | Knowledge of Self, Social Engineering and the Power of Unity There is a reason the so-called Willie Lynch Letter continues to circulate throughout Black America. Historians have raised serious questions about its authenticity, and credible scholarship has pointed to language and terminology that do not fit a document supposedly written in 1712. We should acknowledge that truth rather than bu

Behind the Walls: Bringing Light, Brotherhood and Hope to Our Brothers By Brother Levon X | BLXCR There is a kind of service that takes place away from the cameras, away from the applause and, in many cases, behind walls most people would rather forget exist. Brother Frank Muhammad recently joined his Godbrother, Brother Anthony Muhammad, Student Minister of Muhammad Mosque No. 4 in Washington, D.C., for another Prison Reform Ministry visit to the men inside the D.C. Jail. It

Trayon White Sr. Ward 8 D.C council-member The federal bribery trial of D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. cannot be responsibly understood through one video clip, one envelope of money or one headline. The allegations against Brother Trayon are serious, and the evidence presented by the government deserves to be examined. But so does the complete record of the man being accused, the government operation that produced the evidence, the testimony that has emerged during trial

There are some images in America that carry a history all their own. For Black people, the sight of a Black man or woman hanging from a tree is one of them. So when it happens in 2026, people are going to ask questions. Those questions don't automatically mean that every hanging is a lynching or that suicide is impossible. But they also shouldn't be brushed aside as conspiracy simply because authorities announce that a death appears to be suicide. There is too much history b

Sometimes we use the word sacrifice so much that we can lose sight of what it really means. Imagine being a young Black man in the 1950s with a promising career in entertainment. You can play the violin, sing, command a stage, and have the potential to earn as much as $500 a week at a time when that was serious money. You have an opportunity to build a comfortable life for yourself and your family, and possibly create something that could benefit generations after you. Now im

By BLXCR | One Village, One Fight Sometimes society can overlook the very people who helped build our communities—our elders. At BLXCR, we have covered a number of stories coming out of Potomac Gardens in Washington, D.C., highlighting the people and positive work taking place within the community. (r) Brother Frank and Brother Anthony (l) During that coverage, we came across Brother Anthony Muhammad doing something simple, yet meaningful: giving his time to walk with seniors

BLXCR Editorial Comment We came across this story and couldn't help but see the beauty of humanity within it. In a world where racism and prejudice too often dominate the conversation, we must never forget that kind hearts exist in every walk of life. When we learn to judge one another through the lens of freedom, justice and equality, we leave room to recognize the goodness in people. This story is a beautiful reminder of what can happen when humanity comes first. — BLXCR |

THE TWELFTH CHAIR Race, Justice and the Questions Left Behind by the Lindsay Clancy Mistrial Some stories demand compassion before judgment because tragedy has already touched everyone involved. The Lindsay Clancy case is one of them. Before there was an insanity defense, a divided jury or a national argument surrounding one Black juror, three young children lost their lives inside their Massachusetts home. Cora Clancy was 5 years old, Dawson was 3, and Callan was only 8 mont

In an age when children can ask technology to write an essay, answer a question or solve a problem within seconds, Brother James is asking young people to do something increasingly important: use their own minds, develop their own hands and learn how to build. That philosophy was at the center of the second annual Youth Day organized through Young Saviours Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, where education, technology, skilled trades and community involvement came together

For Sister Stacey M. Sottile, sickle cell disease is not something she learned about from a medical textbook. It has been part of her life since infancy. Diagnosed at just 11 months old, Sister Stacey grew up carrying a challenge that many people around her could not see or fully understand. She was the youngest of seven children and the only one born with sickle cell disease. Her parents were once told by doctors that she might not live beyond her teenage years. Today, as Si

Behind every person who needs care, there is often someone quietly doing the caring. It may be a mother caring for a child with unique needs. It may be a husband or wife caring for a spouse. It may be an adult child watching the roles of life reverse as an aging parent begins to depend on them. Whatever the circumstance, caregiving can become a 24-hour responsibility—physically demanding, emotionally exhausting and, at times, incredibly lonely. But who cares for the caregiver

There are some people whose work cannot be measured by how many cameras show up, how many headlines carry their name, or how much recognition they receive. Their true measure is found in the lives they touch, the people they feed, the conflicts they help prevent, and the generations they refuse to give up on. Brother Al Malik Farrakhan Brother Al Malik Farrakhan is one of those brothers. Through Ceasefire: Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters, Brother Al Malik has spent decad

When Brother Edward Tate of Message in the Music asked us to sit down with Washington, D.C. vocalist Yendy Brown, better known as Ms. Yendy, we expected to talk about music. What unfolded became something much deeper. For those familiar with the DMV music scene, Ms. Yendi is known for bringing an old-school quality to the stage—where singing is only part of the performance. There is presentation, musicianship, personality and an understanding that an audience came not only to

Sister Jayne's journey from Kenya to the international chess stage shows what can happen when talent meets opportunity. There are stories that don't need tragedy or controversy to make them important. Sometimes we discover a young person doing something extraordinary, reminding us that while much of the world competes for our attention with everything going wrong, there are still children quietly showing us what can go right. Sister Jayne Awuor is one of those children. At ju

When greatness becomes a platform for something greater There are moments in sports history when an athlete becomes larger than the uniform, championship or statistics attached to his name. Muhammad Ali understood that. Jim Brown understood it. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar understood it. Decades later, Colin Kaepernick made a decision that placed him within that same American tradition: the athlete willing to risk comfort and acceptance to speak about conditions affecting people beyon

As the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party approaches, history gives us an opportunity to look beyond the black berets, raised fists and photographs that became symbols of an era. The more important question is what conditions caused young Black men and women to believe that another organization was necessary after generations of struggle had already produced abolitionists, Reconstruction leaders, civil-rights organizations, churches, activists and ordinary citizens d

As children across America return to school, a major Florida recovery operation gives families another reason to talk about where our children are, who they are communicating with, and whether they know what to do when something goes wrong. As another school year begins across much of America, families are returning to familiar routines. School buses are rolling again, after-school activities are beginning, teenagers are reconnecting with friends, and children are spending mo

Sometimes the most important story coming out of a disaster is not only what went wrong. Sometimes it is what people decide to do next. On August 11, 2026, a powerful derecho tore through northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana. The National Weather Service recorded a 99 mph wind gust at Gary/Chicago International Airport, while later assessments estimated winds reaching 100 to 110 mph in portions of the region. Trees came down. Utility lines were damaged. Homes and businesse

For generations, Black families have understood that owning a home means more than having somewhere to live. Property can provide stability, build wealth and leave the next generation something tangible to build upon. For many of our elders, acquiring that property came during a time when discrimination in housing and lending made Black homeownership far more difficult than it should have been. That history makes what happened in a series of New York property cases worth our