Feb. 16, 2026

Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It has been more than two weeks since Alex Pretti was senselessly killed by CBP agents in Minneapolis. Americans across the political spectrum have spoken out.

The message is clear: there must be real and meaningful reforms to  ICE and CBP (Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol).

In response, Democrats proposed a set of commonsense reforms. These changes would protect people’s constitutional rights, improve public safety, and ensure law enforcement acts responsibly:

1. Targeted Enforcement: Require a judge’s warrant before entering private property.
2. No More Masks: Ban ICE agents from wearing face coverings.
3. Officer Identification: Require agents to show identification and state who they are when asked.
4. Protect Sensitive Locations: Stop enforcement actions at schools, daycares, churches, hospitals, and similar places.
5. Stop Racial Profiling: Ban DHS officers from targeting people because of their race, job, or the language they speak.
6. Use-of-Force Rules: Set clear limits on the use of force and require certification of officers.
7. State and Local Oversight: Allow state and local governments to run independent investigations and require evidence to be preserved and shared.
8. Detention Standards: Make sure detention facilities meet basic standards of care and access.
9. Body Cameras for Accountability: Require body cameras, but ban their use to monitor people exercising their First Amendment rights, such as protesting.
10. No Paramilitary Policing: Set clear rules for the uniforms and equipment used by DHS officers.

Unfortunately, President Trump and Republicans in Congress have refused to agree to these commonsense reforms.

Democrats are continuing to negotiate in good faith. So far, the White House has offered only a vague counterproposal that does not seriously address the concerns raised by the American people.

At the same time, funding for the Department of Homeland Security—which oversees ICE and CBP—expires this Friday night at midnight.

Let me be clear: I will not vote to extend ICE and CBP’s funding unless these negotiations yield real progress toward reforms that stop these agencies’ lawless behavior and restore accountability.

Feb. 15, 2026

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - When initiating “Negro History Week” in 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform. It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping Black history: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. After Lincoln’s assassination in 1856, the Black community celebrated the fallen President’s birthday.

In addition, since the late 1890s, Black communities across the nation celebrated the birthday of Frederick Douglass. Negro History Week kept the tradition of commemorating two great men while reforming the celebration to include the study of a great race. Though Woodson admired both men, he had never been fond of celebrations held in their honor. Woodson believed that history was made by the people, not simply by great men. He envisioned the study and celebration of the Negro as a race, not simply as the producers of a great man. Woodson wanted the Black community to focus on the countless Black men and women who had contributed to the advancement of human civilization. Negro History Week, with the goal of raising racial pride and consciousness, ultimately became Black History Month. A dedication to honor the struggles and central contributions of Black Americans to U.S. history and culture. One individual who deserves recognition for continuing the legacy of our Black ancestors is Jefferson McClellan.

Jefferson McClellan is not a famous person, nor does he have a familiar name, but the 13-year-old from Prince William County, Virginia, is an American hero. He is a middle school student who used his personal heartbreaking experience as a teaching moment and valuable lesson to those within his community. McClellan experienced something that no person should ever have to experience.

The pain of racism is real and is no respecter of age. The 8^th-grader boldly confronted the racism he encountered by speaking truth to power, delivering an emotional speech publicly to members of his local school board. In his statement, he emphasized that racism was a serious problem in his school. He added that he had also been called a monkey and the N-word. McClellan stated, “These are racial slurs said directly to me by other students.” In his speech, he explained that he had previously reported the harassment, but nothing was done, and the abuse continued. Eventually, he took matters into his own hands and physically fought back after another student told him, “Shut up, N-word.” He was suspended for three days; the suspension was later reduced to one day.

In referencing the suspension, McClellan stated to the board members, “I’m here asking why when racism was directed at me, the response is slow or silent, but when I react to it, the response is immediate and clear.” He continued, “I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking you to stop allowing people to hurt me.” Unfortunately, Jefferson McClellan is a teenager who has experienced the same dark and ugly side of America experienced by his ancestors. The hurt, the pain, and the humiliation he describes as an 8^th-grade student are the same as those that past leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, and John Lewis fought against. They fought against this during their era, so that McClellan’s generation would not have to feel the pain and abuse as much. Racism persists when it is passed from generation to generation. The abuse McClellan is receiving comes at the hands of other 8^th graders his age. McClellan’s story highlights how racism is embedded in certain households when passed down from the parent to the child. The child then becomes a terror to boys and girls like Jefferson McClellan.

McClellan turned what may have been intended as a typical school board meeting into a classroom for Black history. “It’s sad, it’s hurtful and disrespectful that I have to deal with this from middle school to grown-up age; it’s not going to stop,” McClellan said. “If it does stop, that’s a miracle. The world we live in is not going to stop because people can say and do whatever they want without consequences.” The source of racism, in the case of Jefferson McClellan, came from the schoolhouse. In the cases of Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland and former President Barack Obama, the racism came directly from the White House. Recently, President Trump posted a video to his Truth Social account that contained an image depicting President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. Gov. Moore was also the target of racism from the President, as he was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner. As the nation’s only sitting Black governor, he was singled out for exclusion, as was Colorado's Gov. Jared Polis. Polis is the first openly gay and first same-sex marriage governor in the U.S.

Jefferson McClellan said he was hurt but wanted to speak up so that no other student would have to experience what he did. For that reason, he is a changemaker worthy of recognition during Black History Month. Our nation needs more young people like him who are willing to take a stand and make a conscious and courageous decision to make the world a better place for everyone.

David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and the author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.

Dec. 8, 2025

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It was during the 1930s when renowned author Zora Neale Hurston popularized the African American proverb, “all skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.” While she didn’t invent the phrase, it highlights the unfortunate reality that a shared racial identity among people does not automatically translate into racial loyalty and shared community commitment. Malcolm X would later use the phrase.

It is a powerful reminder of the challenge of maintaining racial solidarity when justice, fairness, and human dignity are under attack. Just because people share the same color and ethnicity does not mean they share the same desire or concern to support one another. Ideally, the community needs to become a unified village where its members bond together when resisting any form of external oppression. Therefore, the community needs to become a “family.” And like any family, the internal differences should be put aside when there are multiple external threats to its members. But when you have “skinfolk” who are not kinfolk, their sense of alignment is more with the external threat, even when the threat is white supremacy. The word betrayal comes to mind when someone considered dependable violates trust, confidence, or loyalty. Betrayal comes in different forms.

In July of last year, Salman Fiqy stood in the front row behind President Trump during a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Fiqy, who first immigrated to the United States from Somalia in 2009, said he was proud to campaign for Trump. Now, things are different, and Fiqy’s support for the Republican Party is over. After threatening to end the Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota, President Trump has called Somali immigrants living in the United States “garbage” and wants them to leave, claiming that “they contribute nothing.”

CBS News is reporting that ICE is now targeting Somali people with final deportation orders in Minneapolis and St. Paul. “We felt betrayal by the president, the one we organized for and did an outreach for,” Fiqy said. Imam Tawakal Ismail, a self-described religious leader in Minnesota, is joining Fiqy in disavowing his connection to the GOP at both the local and national levels. “We expected leadership that stands up for truth and justice. That did not happen.” Ismail said.

Donald Trump has always shown who he is as a man and president. This is his second term; therefore, Fiqy and Ismail should have already known what Trump stood for. It should be no surprise to them that Trump is not a man of character. It is not only Trump who betrayed the Somalis, but Fiqy and Ismail when they followed through on an opportunity for the GOP to gain further ground in the Somali community.

Ismail has released a statement expressing disappointment that Minnesota Republicans did not come out in support of the Somali people after the president’s derogatory remarks. What did they expect when Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans campaigned on the issue of mass deportation? Did Fiqy and Ismail feel comfortable in thinking that anti-immigrant and dehumanizing rhetoric targeted toward Hispanics wouldn’t catch up and apply to the Somali community? As Fiqy and Ismail aligned themselves with white supremacy, being labeled as garbage was the outcome. The Somalian people, like all human beings, regardless of their ethnicity, were created in the image of God, and God doesn’t create garbage.

The internal betrayal is not limited to the Somali community. As the African American community produced its share of Clarence Thomas’s, Ben Carsons, and Tim Scotts, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was supported by Black MAGA despite its long-term damage to the upward mobility of the Black middle class. The short-lived initiative was effectively dissolved in less than one year. DOGE’s institutionalized changes have systematically harmed Black communities by attacking federal jobs, DEI, and civil-rights infrastructure, and the flow of grants that disproportionately support Black workers, institutions, and neighborhoods. Black workers, compared with other segments of the population, are significantly overrepresented throughout the federal workforce. As a result, federal jobs have become a pipeline into the middle class and Black earning power. Thousands of positions in agencies such as Education, HUD, Social Security, Treasury, and the Veterans Administration, where Black employment is concentrated, were targeted for thousands of job eliminations. Many Black families relied on these federal positions to sustain homeownership and intergenerational stability. The same is true with federal programs designed to support Black businesses.

The Department of Education’s recent reclassification and downgrading of degrees will disproportionally harm Black women. The holders of professional degrees related to education, social work, counseling, public administration, criminal justice, and health administration are “community-building” and “caregiving” individuals who are Black women in large numbers. The long-term impact is cruel. Not only will this hurt Black economic mobility, but the long-term service to the most vulnerable people within Black and Brown communities may never recover. At least Salman Fiqy and Tawakal Ismail eventually woke up and spoke in defense of their kinfolk.

David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and the author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”

Dec. 1, 2025

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—A few days ago, I was on my way out of the country going to Ghana where I was to be an honoree at a celebration. I heard UNANIMOUS CONSENT!  I had found it difficult to pack while waiting on pins and needles to find out how the vote would come out to release the Epstein files so the women who were young girls (some just 14 years old) went through hell while grown men and a woman abused them.

The woman has been convicted of her role in this tragedy. Jeffrey Epstein died at what we’re told was by his own hands—something many found hard to believe.  Many I talk with don’t find that explanation credible; however, that’s what is on the record.  Epstein’s friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving her time in a Texas prison where it’s reported she’s serving with special privileges. 

Brave women, still suffering from the impact of what happened to them have had enough of the harm caused by Epstein, Maxwell and later by Donald and his friends who’ve delayed justice by refusing to release the files we know existed. Epstein’s family was honorable enough to share what they had.  From those files, we learned some important things.    

While waiting for some manner of justice, these women kept up the fight; they earned a lot of support from Democrats immediately, but not Republicans, because the President held them hostage and prevented them from supporting the resolution to have the complete files released.  There was even talk of Trump planning to pardon and release Ghislaine Maxwell.  Naturally, when asked about that rumor, Trump sat feigning innocence by saying he hadn’t ruled it out.

Meanwhile, we went through a lot of drama where nearly all Republicans were waiting for their dear leader to give them instructions. With few exceptions, Republicans were on hold, and the fact that the bill to force the Justice Department to release the files passed the House, and sooner than we had thought, it passed the Senate where it passed by UNANIMOUS CONSENT after their dear leader released them to vote to pass it once he learned enough Republicans were already going to vote for the bill to pass anyway!  That must have come as a shock to him. Never-the-less, the bill was immediately headed to Trump to sign.  At the time of the overwhelming vote to pass the bill, and by unanimous consent in the Senate, Speaker Johnson appeared crushed and blamed our leader in the Senate—not the President!

For once I can say, thank you to Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who withstood Trump’s accusations and calling her a traitor.  She’d pivoted too much truth telling about healthcare and how much it would cost her family. I wonder what Trump thinks about the overwhelming vote against his real wishes!  We know his announcement of “releasing” them to vote came after learning how many were going to do it anyway! Are they all traitors?

We must be cautious about this seeming victory upon releasing the files. This still must stop by AG Pam Bondi.  There’s always the possibility that her gross behavior will be the same she exhibited when called before Senators, after admitting the files were on her desk and she was called in to explain herself once it wasn’t convenient for her to admit she had the files, and claim she was so busy with other matters that she allowed staff to handle the biggest case of her tenure!  

 I guess defending Trump was just far more important to her than doing her job for the people!  She’ll probably have a lot of time to look at the files now because I don’t think she will enjoy being in Washington defending Trump after the way she handled these files and how she sassed the Senators—something not in her job description!

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of The Dick Gregory Society.)