In the heart of Women’s History Month, four enterprising Black women gathered to address the power in their collective voices at Trice Edney News Wire’s annual Stateswomen for Justice Luncheon at National Press Club in Northwest D.C. on March 19.
“This is the 14th Stateswomen for Justice Luncheon,” said Hazel Trice Edney, founder of the media outlet, during the event themed “We’ve Got the Power.” “We skipped it one year due to COVID but we have had it ever since.”
In a conversation moderated by Zina Pierre, economist Julianne Malveaux, Transformative Justice Coalition President Barabara Arnwine, National Council of Negro Womem (NCNW) President Shavon Arline-Bradley and Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes spoke about their work, current challenges facing the Black community and nation, and offered calls to action.
“I want to say hail to the 92%,” said Arnwine, referring to the high level percentage of support that Vice President Kamala Harris received from Black women in her 2024 bid for the presidency. “It was a historic, record turnout with Black women and they were part of the 75 million Americans who said no to Trump.”
The powerhouse panel tabulated the importance of organizationally and strategically resisting setbacks for minorities amid the Trump administration’s elimination of federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, threats to take away funding for teaching Black history, and seize control of the District’s sovereignty.
“The president’s trying to take over the city, trying to get rid of Home Rule,” Barnes said. “We couldn’t vote for President of the United States. We couldn’t even vote for our own elected officials. We had no power. And that’s what they’re trying to return us to today.”
Malveaux’s remarks largely focused on the government’s attempt to strike support services with attacks on labor and subsidies.
“If you look at Project 2025, the part on labor…. believes in the value of work. Therefore, we do not believe in subsidies. So what that means is, we’re going after food stamps, or TANF… or SNAP,” Malveaux said of the current administration’s actions. “You have to work for your Medicaid. If you’ve got Medicaid, you owe them post.”
The federal effort surrounding subsidies comes amid book bans, memos outlawing the teaching of critical race theory and the dismantling of the Department of Education.
“Once you uneducate people, then you own them,” Malveaux continued. “And when you own them and you don’t believe in subsidies, then you can actually take them.”
As the nation navigates challenges, Barnes shared the true work and mission of the Black Press.
“So when people talk about the Black Press being the voice of the Black community, I don’t believe that. We aren’t the voice,” she said. “You all are the voices. And it’s our job to amplify those voices. It’s our job to help to communicate and get those voices out, to make sure the stories are being told.”
Stateswomen Offer Call to Action
At a divisive moment in the nation and challenging time for Black Americans, the leaders offered the large audience calls to action.
“I lead an organization that was created by Mary McLeod Bethune,” said Bradley. “Mary McLeod Bethune was the foremost radical intellectual of her time.She appeared to be non-threatening but she was playing a radical inside-outside game strategy. She was ahead of her time.”
Bradley noted that the agenda of the founding of the NCNW are the same issues that “were present 90 years ago.”
“The NCNW dealt with housing, economic development, education and good health care back then and we are still dealing with those things now,” Bradley said.”It’s been 90 years too long to talk about the same things.”
Bradley said Jesus Christ was the first civil rights icon and noted that while African Americans have faced “the devil,” meaning presidents who didn’t support civil rights or Black aspirations. However, she said the present occupant of the White House was different from the others.
“This devil wants a monarchy,” she said.
Bradley said Black America must have a strategy to deal with the subtle anti-Black rhetoric and actions of the Trump administration, and her ideas consisted of “five Cs:” consumers, constituents, communications, court, and commitment.
“We need a consumer strategy,” she said, noting that if companies don’t want to embrace DEI, then they do not need Black America’s $1.7 trillion spending power,” Bradley said.
“There must be a constituent strategy because so many of the members of the president’s Cabinet are unqualified to lead the agencies they were appointed,” she continued.
The NCNW president then added the need for a court strategy, saying that Black people must legislate and agitate. Next is communications.
“The Black media is our secret weapon,” she said. “It is our Underground Railroad movement.”
A commitment strategy to Black businesses and institutions was also a critical part of necessary action for Bradley.
“We need to support HBCUs,” she said. “HBCUs should never have to worry about funding.”
Malveaux emphasized the importance of collaborating across organizations in order to combat regressive policies and anti-diversity efforts.
“We have agendas. The issue is the mobilization of our people. And we have so many new organizations,” she said. “But the issue is to get all these people to a table.”
Arnwine said those in power in the country presently do not want to share it with people of color and are blunt about that.
“They do not want to see a multi-racial democracy,” said Arnwine. “They are trying to kill it.”
Barnes emphasized the importance of supporting Black people across the African Diaspora.
“We call ourselves African Americans, most of us. But what relationship do we have with the continent? You know, what do we do to support that? When we talk about the loss of money for USAID and the countries that it’s impacted, it’s the countries that we come from,” Barnes said, considering the agency’s recent loss of funding and the president’s longtime criticism of countries with predominantly Black and brown residents.
As he sat in the room, she pointed out someone who’s doing the work and that others can help.
“There’s no reason why Mel Foote’s Constituency for Africa organization should be struggling with a one-man operation,” she said. “We need to be supporting his organization.”
Barnes, who became Washington Informer publisher in 1994 after the death of her father Dr. Calvin Rolark, the publication’s founder, talked about the fight ahead in the Black Press. Using her own experiences and examples of resilience, she encouraged the audience to be fearless in their work toward justice.
“I’m not fearful. I am excited. I am determined. I’m ready for the fight. My daddy did not do this for me to shrink and say ‘Oh woe is me.’ I’ve been through some hard times with this newspaper,” she said as the audience roared with applause and affirmations. “It has been tough. Bring it on.”
Guests Leave Inspired, Empowered
Angenette Planter, an environmental and biology educator at the Columbia Heights Education campus attended the luncheon with 10 of her students.
“We are an all-women science club,” said Planter, 50. “I wanted these young women to see the future of their life. We need more female leaders, especially in the sciences.”
Planter said she and her students found the luncheon “empowering” and should raise the level of expectations of achievements for them.
Karen Ann Carr, a resident of Ward 7 in Northeast, enjoyed the luncheon but emphasized that it is important to stop talking about the problems and do something.
“We just can’t keep meeting and gathering,” said Carr, 71. “We have to do something. We have to do more than march and chit-chat.”
While much of the event was critical of the current Trump administration and GOP, Deanna Bass Williams, a registered Republican who lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said that Edney’s annual event is valuable for the Black community.
“I am right of center but Hazel is doing a good thing by having this luncheon,” said Bass Williams, 52, a friend and supporter of Trice Edney’s work. “Just because I am a Black conservative doesn’t mean that I am not pro-Black or don’t support Black causes. I even disagree with Hazel but that doesn’t affect my friendship with Hazel. We don’t have to agree on everything.”
During the meeting and the question-and-answer period with the speakers, Williams said that Black leaders should try to find common ground with the Trump administration and not be so hostile.
Trice Edney told The Informer that this year’s luncheon was incredibly successful.
“This is the best we have ever had,” she said. “It has to do with the power of the prayer that took place. People are afraid, they don’t know what to do. I call this a God moment. This is a chance for us to seize control of our destiny.”