BLACK CAUCUS BILLS PROTECTING BLACK CHILDREN, UNION WORKERS ADVANCE

By Antonio Ray Harvey CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA

Pro-public service legislation introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor’s (D-Inglewood), Assembly Bill (AB) 1, moved closer to becoming law when it was passed by the Assembly with a 66-3 vote late last month.

It is now under consideration in the Senate.

If passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Newsom, the bill will permit California legislative staff to unionize and collectively bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions, regardless of their political affiliation.

“Legislative staff aren’t looking for special treatment. They are looking for the same dignity and respect afforded to all represented workers,” said McKinnor in a statement after her colleagues voted to advance the legislation.

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Kristen Welker Making History as first black ‘MEET THE PRESS’ MODERATOR

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA NEWSWIRE SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

NBC’s long-standing political panel show, “Meet the Press,” will experience a history-making change as Chuck Todd, the current moderator, announces his departure after nearly a decade. Stepping into his shoes will be Kristen Welker, the first Black host of the renowned program.

During his announcement, Todd, 51, stated that he wanted to put his family first and avoid letting work consume him, citing examples of friends and family who regretted not doing the

By Ralph E. Moore Jr.

THE AFRO AMERICAN NEWS

The families of Negro League baseball players are calling for a national day of recognition and attention for the Negro Leagues, the Black ballplayers who were excluded because of race from Major League Baseball teams. The descendants have come together to form the Negro Leagues Family Alliance (NLFA), established in February.

NLFA is calling on Major League Baseball (MLB) to establish May 2 as annual “Negro League Day” in all 30 Major League Baseball parks across the nation, marking the day the first Negro League game was played. The con- test that spring day pitted the Indianapolis ABCs and the Chicago Giants against each other.

The family members that makeup NLFA represent ten Negro League players: Dennis Biddle, Bill Foster, Rube Foster, Josh Gibson, Pete Hill, Buck Leonard, Fran Matthews, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, Norman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes and Ron “Schoolboy” Teasley, who is 96 years old. Teasley was drafted by Major League Baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 after playing for the New York Cubans of the Negro League. His daughter, Lydia Teasley, is a member of NLFA.

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