EDITORIALS

Last month in Denver, Colorado, the City of North Charleston earned national recognition as one of ten cities to receive the National Civic League’s All-America City Award. Yet, three weeks later, a video surfaced of North Charleston juveniles beating and stomping a female police officer, portraying a troubling contrast. While Mayor Reggie Burgess is working to improve the city’s image and move North Charleston forward, others seem determined to cloud it.

Alas, it’s going to be a long, politically exhausting hot summer. Are you prepared? It’s been only a few months since the start of the 2026 midterm campaign season, countywide, statewide, and nationwide; but I am already experiencing election fatigue. The experience is exhausting—like being trapped in an endless political firestorm—and I am not even running for office. Regrettably, we still have months to go before the November midterm election.

Hate is not born; it is learned. It is planted, nurtured, repeated, practiced, and passed from one generation to the next. No child enters the world carrying a “hate” gene, wearing a white hood, or holding a sign of hatred. Hate takes root in homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. It is amplified on social media and reinforced by peers until it begins to look acceptable—even normal. But hate remains a choice, and we must choose love instead.

Every Fourth of July, Americans celebrate freedom with fireworks, parades, and speeches about liberty. But for many Black families in North Charleston, freedom can feel increasingly fragile. The American Dream has long been tied to one simple idea: owning a home. Homeownership offers stability, financial security, and the opportunity to build wealth that can be passed from one generation to the next. Yet for many Black families, buying a home—or simply keeping one—has become

Over the years, I have often found myself caught in the middle. As a Black conservative, that may not surprise some people. But what many do not understand is why. I grew up in Charleston, in a community that helped shape who I am. I learned values there. I learned resilience there. I learned the importance of faith, family, education, hard work, and personal responsibility there. Those lessons did not disappear because I became a Republican. If anything, they became stronger

A new message greets visitors and residents to Sullivan’s Island, and it says much more about the community than its few words suggest. On June 11, just in time for the Carolina Day celebration this weekend, the town mounted an addition to its welcome sign where Ben Sawyer Boulevard becomes Station 22½ Street. It reads, “Battle of Sullivan’s Island, 1776.”

The relocation crisis at Ferndale Mobile Home Park continues to disrupt the lives of residents, many of whom have lived there for more than 20 years. They were given little time, little financial assistance, and limited support to leave their homes. Ferndale residents are not only leaving their homes behind, but relationships and communal friends, as they go their separate ways. Two months ago, The Black Voice reported on the challenges residents faced after learning they wou

The approval of Senate Bill S.832 by the South Carolina General Assembly has become a growing concern for residents living near The Citadel and other state-supported institutions, including the Medical University of South Carolina, Roper St. Francis Hospital, and the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

EDITORIAL Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2026 1:46 am The economic stability once associated with the Middle Class has deteriorated significantly. Once viewed as the backbone of financial security and opportunity in America, the Middle Class now faces mounting pressures that have brought many families to the brink of bankruptcy. The challenges have intensified, making it increasingly difficult for typical households to maintain their standard of living, save for the future, or cop

The concept of compulsory voting mandates that all citizens who are eligible to vote by law must vote. The consequences of not voting then become a punitive imposition on anyone who fails and refuses to comply. There are over twenty-four countries that have implemented this type of election. Countries such as Australia have imposed compulsory voting since 1924.

Can it be said that what we have come to know as "Black History" has been pigeon holed to minimize its true origin? Should "Black History" be confined to Africans, Blacks, Negros, or any other term used for those of African descent? These are questions that must be considered when we begin to misplace and relegate "Black History to the single shortest month in the year, called February.

As we stand on the threshold of 2026, The Black Voice Newspaper reflects on where we have been, where we are, and where we must go. Our past is marked by resilience, struggle, faith, and an unbreakable will to survive. Our present is shaped by economic uncertainty, rising costs, and systems that continue to challenge our progress. Yet even now, in spite of it all, we must move forward with purpose, perseverance, and unity.

As families anxiously plan for the Thanksgiving holidays that should be filled with excitement and gratitude, the uncertainty of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) leaves many uncertain about how they will make ends meet. The ongoing government shutdown not only disrupts essential services but also casts a shadow over travel and the holiday spirit, leaving vulnerable households to wonder if they’ll have enough to eat or no food at all. As the shutdown continues,

Recent changes led by the President have contributed to a climate of fear and anxiety, resulting in discord and disconnect among the American people. People are afraid to go to work out of fear of not returning home or being separated from their families. Mental Health is on the rise. Shooters are killing children. ICE and the National Guard are being deployed in cities, rounding up and arresting people randomly, who may or may not fit the description of an undocumented imm

In moments of danger, silence is not history but erasure! You cannot hide from a storm by pretending the clouds aren’t there. You cannot stop a fire by closing your eyes to the smoke. And you cannot protect your home, your children, your future, your community by saying nothing and doing nothing.