News, White House Report

Comcast Accused of Assault on Civil Rights Act

April Ryan
October 4, 2019

Comedian and media mogul Byron Allen poses for a picture Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 13 in a $20 billion lawsuit Allen filed against Comcast, with the outcome also affecting a $10 billion case he filed against Charter Communications. If Allen wins, it will become easier for black-owned businesses to bring and win civil rights lawsuits like his that allege discrimination in contracting. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) have joined with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Urban League, National Action Network, ACLU, the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund, the National Women’s Law Center, and the NAACP to protect a Reconstruction era statute to ensure African-Americans enjoyed the same rights and freedoms of all US citizens.

Media mogul Byron Allen’s $20b lawsuit against NBCUniversal parent company, Comcast, has been litigating for nearly four years in the courts. Comcast received a major boost from the Trump administration on August 15 when the Justice Department filed a brief that seeks to tighten the definitions of Section 1981 in Comcast’s favor.

April Ryan spoke with NAACP President Derrick Johnson.

Click ▶️ to listen to AURN Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan’s White House Report:

April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House, a position she has held with AURN since the Clinton era. Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her heightened insight into the racial sensitivities, issues, and attendant political struggles of our nation. April has written three books; The Presidency in Black & White: My Close-Up View of Three Presidents and Race in America, At Mama's Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White, and Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House. Twitter: @aprildryan