Staff Report
Black Press USA
On Monday, Black Press USA’s morning show, Let It Be Known, began with a video examining the racial bias that NFL prospect Shadur Sanders likely faced during the 2025 draft. The presentation compared Sanders’ treatment to white quarterbacks like Peyton and Eli Manning, sons of NFL icon Archie Manning. The presentation noted how Manning is described as “football royalty” while Sanders is labeled “spoiled” and “arrogant.” The video also featured a story about a Black child attending private schools and moving into Fortune 500 spaces, where Black success was viewed with suspicion rather than celebration. Host Stacy Brown and co-host Niele Anderson debated the fallout from Sanders’ slide in the NFL draft. Brown called for Black America to stop seeking validation from institutions like the NFL, arguing that Sanders and his family are financially secure, and the focus should shift to uplifting others still facing systemic barriers. Anderson countered that the way Sanders was treated could not be ignored, pointing to the pattern of alleged collusion among NFL owners to diminish confident and successful Black families. Both agreed that Sanders’ draft position, falling to 144th, sent a message beyond sports.
The show also turned to political resistance against Donald Trump’s administration. Brown reported on the sit-in led by New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The hosts noted that while the event grew in numbers, there was a missed opportunity for broader media coverage due to the lack of advance notice. In Atlanta, activists including Joy Reid, Angela Rye, and Pastor Jamal Bryant launched the State of the People “Power” tour at Dream Center Church, where organizers called for grassroots mobilization nationwide. Coverage then shifted to the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner, which unfolded without a sitting president, comedian, or large celebrity presence. Eugene Daniels, the outgoing president of the WHCA, hosted the gathering and recognized veteran White House correspondent April Ryan of Black Press USA as the longest-serving White House correspondent in history. Daniels also forcefully defended the free press and its role in covering the government. During the show, Brown called out remarks at the dinner by an Axios reporter who accused journalists of hiding President Biden’s cognitive issues, calling the remarks wrong and out of place.
The show also covered Walgreens’ $350 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice for improperly filing opioid prescriptions. Anderson pointed to the racial disparities in justice, noting that corporate drug dealing is treated far differently than offenses committed by individuals, particularly Black Americans. In church news, Bishop T.D. Jakes officially stepped down as lead pastor of The Potter’s House, handing leadership to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts. Anderson also discussed the Black church’s push to support the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture amid funding threats. The broadcast closed with Brown revoking the “Black card” of Pastor Darrell Scott, calling his defense of Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrectionists disgraceful and unacceptable. The show’s final moments celebrated Beyoncé’s launch of her “Cowboy Carter” tour, the 30th anniversary of the film Friday, and a salute to the New York Amsterdam News as the Black-owned newspaper of the day.
For the latest Black news and commentary, viewers were encouraged to visit BlackPressUSA.com.
