Opinion

Let’s dive right in: It’s time more African Americans join the Republican Party. No, seriously. And I’m not talking about being that lone speck of pepper in a sea of salt, either. We need to show up and we need to...
On Saturday, Feb. 3, Kroger will close two Memphis stores — one serving Orange Mound and the second on South Third Street. In the weeks since the company’s abrupt announcement, the business move has sparked outrage and concern over food...
by Sandra (Saidi) Upchurch, Special to The New Tri-State Defender Quite often, I have been asked by strangers, “sister, can you spare your change with me?” Usually, the request is money to buy food or gasoline. If I had any...
By Julianne Malveaux (NNPA Newswire Columnist) Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) was the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to leave his job after the “MeToo” hashtag galvanized women to speak up about sexual misconduct, harassment and more. Too bad...
by Edmund Ford Jr. Nationally, people have been making relevant noise about how dark money should not influence their elections. I believe in transparency and disclosure in government as well in campaigns. Unfortunately, this did not occur in our local...
by Edmund Ford Jr., Special to The New Tri-State Defender Voting should be an easy, trusted process. Registered voters should be able to go to their precinct, provide proper ID, push the button for their choice of candidate for each race,...
by Rev. Rosalyn Regina Nichols, Special to The New Tri-State Defender As an African-American woman, I find myself pondering a question that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked 50-plus years ago: “Where do we go from here?” I do so in...
When I first heard of the movie “If Beale Street Could Talk” I got excited about the possibility of seeing the legendary Beale Street of Memphis on the big screen. To my utter disappointment this movie has nothing to...
by Rep. Antonio Parkinson -- House Bill 2698/Senate Bill 1777, if it were to become law, would require unwed, prospective fathers to provide the results of a DNA test to Vital Records when voluntarily signing a birth certificate. I am the...
by Raynard Jackson -- Two weeks ago, I went to the theater to see Jordan Peele’s latest movie, "Us." This was his follow-up movie to the box office hit Get Out. Peele is an extraordinarily gifted writer. He has written for...