NAACP and Singleton Schreiber Announce Official Partnership to Pursue Justice for Sickle Cell Patients Harmed by Pfizer’s Oxbryta

The NAACP and Singleton Schreiber are proud to announce an official partnership to investigate cases involving the recalled sickle cell medication Oxbryta (Voxelotor), aiming to secure justice and compensation for patients adversely affected by the drug's undisclosed safety risks.

Sickle cell disease predominantly impacts communities of color and poses significant health challenges to millions worldwide. Oxbryta, approved by the FDA in 2019 under accelerated conditions before full trials were completed, was intended to improve patient outcomes by normalizing red blood cell counts. However, troubling studies revealed that the drug carried severe potential side effects and long-term health impacts, including increased risks of vaso-occlusive crises and deaths. Pfizer, which acquired Oxbryta's original manufacturer Global Blood Therapeutics in 2022, withdrew the medication from the market in September 2024 due to these risks. By then, Oxbryta had been in use for nearly five years, long enough for significant harm to have already occurred.

"The NAACP has long been committed to protecting the health and safety of communities of color," said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. "The troubling impacts of this medication and the circumstancessurrounding Oxbryta's approval and subsequent recall highlight the urgent need to hold corporations accountable when they bypass normal protocols and place profits over people's lives."

Singleton Schreiber is honored to serve as legal co-counsel alongside the NAACP, guiding affected patients through the complex legal process. Oxbryta cases are being filed as individual claims ensuring each patient's unique experience and health impacts are recognized.

"Too often, vulnerable communities suffer in silence when corporations fail to disclose critical safety information," said Letitia Johnson, Managing Partner of Singleton Schreiber's Southeastern Region. "By partnering with the NAACP, we are stronger in our fight to support sickle cell patients and their families, seeking the justice they deserve."

Individuals who took Oxbryta and suffered serious complications, including vaso-occlusive crises, strokes, or death, may be entitled to compensation. Even those who did not experience negative side effects are encouraged to come forward for better understanding of the impact of this medication.

Together, Singleton Schreiber and the NAACP are committed to amplifying awareness, providing legal support, and challenging the systemic issues that allowed these risks to go undisclosed for so long.

PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS PROTESTED IN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON ON CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH ANNIVERSARY

The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) participated in demonstrations in New York and Washington DC to protest against racial, economic, and political injustice and to mark an important anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement.

August 28th marked the 62nd anniversary of the 1963 March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom. It was also the 70th  anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till whose death gave impetus to the struggle for racial equality.

In New York City POP members attended the March On Wall Street sponsored by the National Action Network (NAN) and led by the Rev Al Sharpton. Many came to the protest with others on a bus sponsored by the Newark chapter of NAN. Others traveled by car and public transportation.

The march began at the African Burial Ground on Broadway, proceeded to Wall Street and ended with a rally. POP members carried banners and signs calling for an end to the Trump administration, economic justice, and support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.  

“We felt it was important for our organization to participate in this demonstration because Wall Street is the epicenter of capitalism in the U.S. Wall Street and the Stock Exchange are the symbols of plutocracy, oligarchy, and the exploitation of the working class in this country,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.

“Wall Street business, financial, industrial, and commercial practices and policies have caused poverty, inequality, and the greatest upward redistribution of wealth in the history of the nation and perhaps the world,” Hamm said.

“Wall Street has a historical relationship to African Americans. At the beginning of the colonial era it was a place where enslaved Africans were bought, sold, and held in bondage. Later it became the financial center of the slave trade,” he said.

“We also joined the march to protest against support Wall Street firms have given the Trump administration and to demand that they continue to support, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs,” he said.  

Other POP members traveled to the nation’s capital to participate in two events there. The first was the “Day of Prayer for Washington DC” which was held at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington DC.

The church began in 1821 and has been a center for African-American religious, cultural, and civic life. The funerals of Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks were held there.

Several years ago the church was vandalized by the Proud Boys,  who were ordered by a court to pay the church 2.8 million dollars and hand over control of trademarks they owned.

Rev William H. Lamar, Pastor of Metropolitan AME Church presided over the prayer service. Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, leader of the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church gave remarks.

The guest speaker was Rev Jamal Bryant, Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, Georgia. During his fiery sermon he discussed several racial justice issues including the successful boycott of Target which he led.

A number of other religious and community leaders were invited to make remarks including POP chairman Lawrence Hamm.

He said that he and another POP member Nello Ramsey “drove 225 miles to stand in solidarity with you to demand an end to the military occupation of Washington, the total restoration of home rule, and statehood for the District of Columbia.”

After the conclusion of the prayer service POP members also attended the “Solidarity Season: Labor Day 2025 Rally & March.” The event was sponsored by more than 30 labor unions and advocacy groups such as FREE DC.

It began with a rally at DuPont Circle in the capital. It was led by Samuel Epps, President, Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO. Many labor leaders representing different unions addressed the crowd.

By the time the march started several thousand people had gathered. The march filled the streets of Washington bringing traffic to a standstill along a three mile route.

Marchers carried signs and banners, yelled chants, blew horns, beat drums, and chanted over bullhorns. Two POP members carried a banner they brought with them from New Jersey that said “End Military Occupation, D.C. Statehood Now.” The march ended at Logan Circle.

For more information call the People's Organization For Progress (POP) at (973)801-0001.

REV. AL SHARPTON ADMONISHES TRUMP TAKEOVER OF WASHINGTON,

Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), slammed President Trump’s unprecedented takeover of Washington, D.C. today, warning of the long-term repercussions to First Amendment rights in his latest bid to distract from criticisms over the handling of the Epstein files.

“Donald Trump was inspired to take this disgusting, dangerous, and derogatory action solely out of self interest. Let’s call the inspiration for this assault on a majority Black city for what it is: another bid to distract his angry, frustrated base over his administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Trump is simply trying to feed them red meat in hopes they’ll be full after he broke one of his biggest campaign promises to them. In the process, the people of Washington, D.C. — especially those living on the streets, who need the most care — will suffer, alongside the core principles of our Democracy.

How do we know this is the case? Trump claims crime is rampant in D.C., despite Mayor Bowser’s tremendous work over the last decade to improve public safety. Violent crime in D.C. is down 26% since this time last year, reaching historic lows. Why then, if Trump claims he’s a Christian, does he fly in the face of the core message of compassion that is the foundation of Scripture? Trump continues to use the Bible and Washington, D.C. as political props in his reality show that elevates his own brand and pushes down the core freedoms promised to all Americans. Remember, this is the same man who pardoned January 6th rioters yet now suddenly cares about public safety.

We cannot, nor will we, take this lying down. Trump already made it clear today that this glorified version of Martial Law will make it easier to punish protestors in the future. Threatening to hit if people spit, calling all Black and low-income neighborhoods slums, and throwing away the humanity of homeless people by equating them to criminals is the beginning of the end if we don’t stand up. This is the ultimate affront to justice and civil rights many of us have dedicated our lives to protecting and expanding.

The right to peacefully assemble has been ingrained in our nation for as long as it has existed. He can try cheap distraction tricks to drown out any opposition, but he can never, ever scare us out of peacefully protesting. Our parents and our grandparents were beaten and bled and died in the name of that right. We cannot dishonor their legacy by sitting on our hands and wishing someone would do something. That’s why on August 28th we will lead the March on Wall Street, starting around the corner where Trump was convicted of 31 felonies, and ending a block away from the Trump Building on Wall Street. National Action Network and its partners will send a clear, resolute message that we will not be victims of his destructive policies — not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Trump Seizing Control of D.C. Police, Deploying National Guard

Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Trump Seizing Control of D.C. Police, Deploying National Guard

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:

“President Trump does not care about keeping Washington, D.C., or any of our communities safe. His claims about crime in the District — where violent crime is now at a 30-year low — are patently false. On his first day in office, Trump granted pardons to nearly 1,500 individuals convicted of or charged in connection with the deadly January 6th Capitol attack, eliminating any credibility he has on the issue of public safety. Taking over local control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police and deploying the National Guard under the guise of public safety puts residents in danger. This unprecedented attack on D.C. home rule is a blatantly racist and despicable power grab, and it won’t stop in Washington, D.C.

“While we don’t yet know the full impact this decision will have on D.C. and the Black and minority communities Trump has suggested he may target next, we do know this: militarized over-policing will inevitably lead to increased fear and mistrust among communities that have too often been treated as occupied populations, rather than as citizens who deserve to be served and protected.

“It is clear that President Trump will do anything to distract from the crises plaguing his administration — from the Epstein files to the disastrous jobs report — including putting the residents of D.C. and the American people in harm’s way. Any and all failures that result from this dangerous overreach of power will fall squarely on his shoulders.

“The CBC will continue fighting to protect D.C.’s right to self-governance and we urge all Americans to recognize this for what it is: a test run for broader authoritarian overreach. The stakes are high not just for Washington, D.C., but for the future of democracy in every corner of this country.”

NJ ACTIVIST GROUPS CONDEMN TRUMP TAKEOVER OF WASHINGTON DC

Two activist organizations in New Jersey have condemned President Trump’s takeover of Washington DC. 

The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) and The Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance (MLKPCJR) both condemned Trump’s announcement that he would be exercising greater federal control over the district. 

Yesterday Trump declared that National Guard troops would be deployed in the district and that there would be a federal takeover of one of the police forces there. 

“We stand in complete solidarity with the people of Washington DC who have expressed total opposition to National Guard troops being deployed in their city, and to the federal takeover of police in the district,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.

Hamm said he was speaking on behalf of both groups. POP is a volunteer grassroots organization working for racial, social, and economic justice. The MLKPCJR is a coalition of 287 organizations that endorsed the convention which was held in April. 

“This was absolutely unnecessary and the reasons given by the president for doing so were spurious and unfounded. He said he was doing this because of a spike in crime when statistics show the opposite is true,” Hamm said. 

“This has absolutely nothing to do with crime and public safety and everything to do with the acquisition of greater power and control by the president. Obviously, being a political dictator is not enough. He wants to be a military dictator too,” he said. 

“The president seems to want to do a lot with the National guard these days. He sent them to Los Angeles when there was no need to do so. He’s bringing them to Washington when there is no need to do so,” he said. 

“However, when the Capitol was under violent attack by the January 6 rioters attempting to overthrow the government he waited hours to mobilize the guard when they were needed much earlier. This caused more people to be injured and killed ,” Hamm said. 

“This move by Trump may be calculated to distract public attention from his more pressing problems such as his unpopular domestic and foreign policies, the pain inflicted on working people by his cuts in social programs, billion dollar tax breaks for the rich, his declining poll numbers, and the Epstein files,” he said. 

“However, we believe there is more to it than that. This is yet another racist attack by Trump and his fascist MAGA movement on African Americans,” he said. 

The cities where he wants to send troops have majority or large black populations and most of them have black mayors. “Trump’s attack on Washington DC is an attack on black self-determination and black political power which are seen as obstacles by white supremacists to their apartheid agenda for the US,” Hamm said. 

“Home rule for Washington DC was something that African Americans fought very hard for. It is seen by many as a step along the path to statehood for the nation’s capital which black people and other DC residents have demanded for decades,” he said. 

“DC home rule is targeted for elimination in Project 2025. Republicans have introduced legislation to end home rule in the district,” he said.  

“Trump is trying to terrorize us into submission. We will not capitulate. We have faced troops before during our struggle for freedom and liberation. Troops or not we will continue to resist,” he said. 

“We want the troops out of Washington. We want control of the police returned to the district. We want statehood for Washington DC. We want an end to the Trump regime,” he said. 

For further information call the People’s Organization For Progress at 
(973)801-0001.