Michigan House elects Rep. Joe Tate as first Black House speaker

Democratic state Rep. Joe Tate made history Thursday after he was selected to lead the Michigan House of Representatives in the upcoming 102nd Legislature as the first Black person ever to do so.

Tate, D-Detroit, is additionally not only the first Black lawmaker to become speaker of the House but the first Black lawmaker to ever oversee either of Michigan’s legislative chambers.

Following the vote, Tate told reporters that Michiganders could expect forward motion on issues like health care, gun safety regulations, transparency in the legislature, education and worker’s right’s.

“First and foremost, we’re going to get started immediately,” he said. “I think you saw the message that we talked about, our values, over the campaign trail for most of the year. ... So, there won’t be any surprises, because we’ve been talking about Democratic values for years.”

Tate was first elected to state office in 2018 after garnering 73% percent of the vote in the 2nd House district. He was overwhelmingly reelected under new maps to Michigan’s 10th House district with 68.4% of the vote to his Republican opponent’s 31.6%.

Tate previously was an offensive lineman in the NFL, splitting time between the Jacksonville Jaguars, the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons over his two years in the league. Following his pro football career, Tate enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy.

He also possesses a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan, as well as a Master of Science in Kinesiology from Michigan State University. Tate first graduated from MSU in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy.

[SOURCE: MSN]

President Biden Nominates Stephanie Dawkins Davis to 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals

President Biden has nominated U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis to serve on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If the U.S. Senate confirms Davis, she will become the second Black woman to serve on the 6th Circuit and the first from Michigan.

Davis, 55, is currently serving on the U.S. Courthouse in Flint.

She graduated from Wichita State University in 1989 and Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1992.

Davis previously served as a magistrate judge, appointed in 2016. One of her high-profile cases involved arraigning Amor Ftouhi in the 2017 terrorism and stabbing attack at Flint’s Bishop International Airport. Ftouhi was later convicted.

Davis started her career as a civil defense attorney at the firm Dickinson Wright PLLC in Detroit before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she worked as a federal prosecutor for 18 years, starting in 1997. McQuade later appointed her as her executive assistant U.S. attorney in 2010 — a post she held through 2015.

Majority Black City In Faces Water Lead Levels Higher Than Flint Michigan

Stories like this illustrate what environmental racism looks like, and why the U.S. Congress needs to stop playing games and get an infrastructure bill passed immediately.

The state of Michigan told the residents of Benton Harbor -- a majority black city -- not to drink their tap water -- this was almost three years after lead was detected in the city's pipes, with numbers far higher than the federal action level, and higher than Flint's at the height of its water crisis.

African Americans more likely to die from coronavirus illness

Early data from U.S. states shows African Americans are more likely to die from COVID-19, highlighting longstanding disparities in health and inequalities in access to medical care, experts said.

In Illinois, black people make up about 30% of the state's cases and about 40% of its coronavirus-related deaths, according to statistics provided by the state's public health agency. However, African Americans make up just 14.6% of the state's population.

In Michigan, black people account for 40% of the state's reported deaths, according to data released by the state, but its population is only 14% African American.

The World Health Organization has said people with pre-existing conditions like asthma and other chronic lung disorders, diabetes and heart disease appear to develop serious illness more often than others.

That makes the virus particularly dangerous for African Americans, who because of environmental and economic factors have higher rates of those illnesses, said Dr. Summer Johnson McGee, dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven.

McGee said she was not surprised the U.S. black population is experiencing a worse outcome during the pandemic. Racism has led to a lack of investment in African American communities and worse health care for the population in general, McGee said.

"A pandemic just magnifies the disparities in healthcare that many communities of color face," she said.

[SOURCE: MSN]

Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist endorses Joe Biden

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist has endorsed Joe Biden for president just ahead of the Michigan Democratic Primary.

Gilchrist released the following statement explaining his endorsement:

Leadership is about showing up, listening, and responding to make things happen, and Vice President Joe Biden has shown up for Michigan time after time. He has been there for Detroit, and the entire state of Michigan, as a friend and a leader. That is why I am endorsing Vice President Joe Biden to be our nominee for president.

“This is not a decision that I take or make lightly because the stakes are so high for our communities. Joe Biden is listening to a broad range of progressive, moderate, and other voices across the political spectrum. He will defeat Donald Trump’s dangerous, backwards-moving agenda by assembling a diverse, dynamic, and driven coalition that creates the conditions for people to thrive across Michigan and across the nation.

“He helped expand healthcare in Michigan, and will go further as president. Joe has helped expand access to the internet and public transit across our state, and he will go further as president. Joe Biden led President Obama’s efforts to protect and expand economic opportunity for working people by negotiating the deal that saved the auto industry, including tens of thousands of jobs in our state, and he will go further as president.

“The challenges that we are now confronting open the door to generational opportunities. This is our moment to replace Trump’s destruction and division with a unified, expansive vision of the future that we can build when we come together. I trust Joe Biden to lead with us into that future as our nominee and the next president.

Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus endorses Joe Biden for president

The Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus, which previously supported Senator Kamala Harris, is endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States.

“We have seen Donald Trump wreak havoc in our communities, create division and inflame hate for three years. The stakes in this election could not be higher. This is not the time for experimentation. This is the time for steady leadership from the White House. Joe Biden fought for our communities as Barack Obama’s Vice President. Together, they passed and implemented Obamacare, expanding health care to millions of Michigan residents, protecting millions more with pre-existing conditions. And, together they saved the auto industry and strengthened the United Auto Workers, putting our workers first," said Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus Chair Keith Williams.

The endorsement of the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus adds to endorsements that Biden already garnered in Michigan — including from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, State Representatives Joe Tate, Karen Whitsett, and Tenisha Yancey, and State Senator Marshall Bullock.