Black members of congress respond to Republican healthcare bill

Today Republicans passed a healthcare bill in the House of Representatives with many not having even read it, and it not being scored by the Congressional Budget Office. Not many House Democrats were happy about it and black members of the House such as John Lewis and Bonnie Watson Coleman took to Twitter to vent about it. Read those post below.

Never have I seen legislative action that reveals such clear disdain for the human dignity of the most vulnerable among us.

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) May 4, 2017

Not going to sugarcoat it - this #Trumpcare bill is astonishingly evil. One of the worst bills I’ve seen in all my years in Congress.

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) May 4, 2017

This is shameful, despicable, and #unAmerican. My fight to #ProtectOurCare is not over. Not at all. Not ever. https://t.co/FduGQSrbXc

— Bonnie WatsonColeman (@RepBonnie) May 4, 2017

52 years in the House, and I can't recall such a blatant sell out of the American people for insurance companies

— John Conyers, Jr. (@RepJohnConyers) May 4, 2017

#Trumpcare means higher costs, more than 24M Americans losing coverage, gutting key protections, a crushing age tax & stealing from Medicare

— Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (@RepMarciaFudge) May 4, 2017

The fate of healthcare now rests in the Senate’s hands to protect the coverage of millions. Know that our fight continues. pic.twitter.com/4twQk9gQ4e

— Congressmember Bass (@RepKarenBass) May 4, 2017

April Ryan Named 2017 NABJ Journalist of the Year

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2017) – April Ryan has been selected as the 2017 Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). The annual award recognizes a black journalist who has a distinguished body of work that has extraordinary depth, scope and significance to people of the African Diaspora.

A 30-year journalism veteran, Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House – a position she has held for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) since January 1997. Her position as a White House correspondent for AURN has afforded her unusual insight into the racial sensitivities, issues and political struggles of our nation’s last three presidents.

“April Ryan is a true trailblazer and truth seeker. She’s dogged and unapologetic about her pursuit of the story,” said NABJ President Sarah Glover. “In the White House press corps circle, where too few black women have been given an opportunity to report, April has excelled and persevered in spite of the many obstacles she has confronted. Her work has risen to the top.”

Trailblazer adequately describes Ryan, who received the 2016 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Trailblazer Award from the National Council of Negro Women, an honor she was ecstatic about receiving. She has served on the board of the prestigious White House Correspondent’s Association. She is one of only three African Americans in the association’s more than 100-year history to serve on its board. She is also a member of the National Press Club.

On behalf of American Urban Radio Networks’ 300 affiliates, and through her “Fabric of America” news blog, Ryan delivers her readership and listeners a “unique urban and minority perspective in news.”

A Baltimore native and Morgan State University graduate, Ryan gives back by serving as a mentor to aspiring journalists, and helps develop up-and-coming broadcasters. As much as she loves her job, which has expanded since recently joining CNN as a political analyst, Ryan is especially proud of what she calls her greatest life’s work — her two daughters, Ryan and Grace.

“It is wonderful to be honored by such an esteemed organization,” said Ryan. “I am humbled and honored. So many of these [NABJ] journalists do important work and I am so thankful they would think of me for this honor. It has been an amazing couple of months and you guys give me some wind to say ‘keep going.’”

Ryan has made headlines while working her beat at the White House. She had public exchanges with President Donald J. Trump over the Congressional Black Caucus and with Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Her tense exchange with Spicer helped fuel the #BlackWomenAtWork hashtag.

While thankful for the honor, Ryan also took a minute to reflect on the industry and encourage black journalists to remain vigilant because “we add to the stories.”

“We all have a job to do and some of the stories we are doing wouldn’t be told if it weren’t for us,” Ryan elaborated. “We all need to keep pressing because the First Amendment is under attack.”

Ryan is more than deserving of this award,” said NABJ Vice President-Broadcast Dorothy Tucker. “She has had a stellar career and we know that she will continue to cover the White House providing accurate, fair and exceptional reports, while asking the tough, probing questions that we know and respect her for.”

Ryan is the author of the award winning book, “The Presidency in Black and White,” garnered her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author. Her latest book, “At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White,” published in December 2016, looks at race relations through the lessons and wisdom that mothers have given their children. A paperback version of “The Presidency in Black and White,” with updates about President Trump, will be published later this year.

Ryan will be recognized at the NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards at the NABJ Convention and Career Fair on Aug. 12, 2017 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. NABJ Convention registration and Salute to Excellence Awards tickets are for sale here.

NABJ congratulates April Ryan on this well-deserved honor.

[SOURCE: NABJ

Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won't Save Black America

New book, Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won't Save Black America by Stacey Patton

A challenge to the cultural tradition of corporal punishment in Black homes and its connections to racial violence in America

Why do so many African Americans have such a special attachment to whupping children? Studies show that nearly 80 percent of black parents see spanking, popping, pinching, and beating as reasonable, effective ways to teach respect and to protect black children from the streets, incarceration, encounters with racism, or worse. However, the consequences of this widely accepted approach to child-rearing are far-reaching and seldom discussed. Dr. Stacey Patton’s extensive research suggests that corporal punishment is a crucial factor in explaining why black folks are subject to disproportionately higher rates of school suspensions and expulsions, criminal prosecutions, improper mental health diagnoses, child abuse cases, and foster care placements, which too often funnel abused and traumatized children into the prison system.

Weaving together race, religion, history, popular culture, science, policing, psychology, and personal testimonies, Dr. Patton connects what happens at home to what happens in the streets in a way that is thought-provoking, unforgettable, and deeply sobering. Spare the Kids is not just a book. It is part of a growing national movement to provide positive, nonviolent discipline practices to those rearing, teaching, and caring for children of color.

CHECK OUT THE BOOK

PAPERBACK------ KINDLE VERSION

Michael Slager pleads guilty in shooting death of Walter Scott

HIS NAME IS WALTER SCOTT. In a case that has been under the radar the police officer who murdered Walter Scott has taken a plea to federal charges against him. This wont bring Walter Scott back but Slager wont be on the street to kill anyone else for awhile. George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com.

In a plea deal with prosecutors, former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager admitted to using excessive force in the 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott.

Slager shot Scott in the back as the unarmed man was running away from Slager after a traffic stop. In a reversal from his previous account, Slager admitted in court Tuesday that he did not shoot Scott in self-defense and said that his use of force was unreasonable.

With his family and Scott's family present, Slager pleaded guilty Tuesday in US District Court in Charleston to a federal charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law. In exchange for the plea, state murder charges, as well as two other federal charges, will be dismissed.

The civil rights offense has a maximum penalty of life in prison. The plea agreement states that the government will ask the court to apply sentencing guidelines for second degree murder, which carries up to 25 years in prison. He was taken into custody after the hearing and will remain there until sentencing later this year.

Scott's mother said the sentence mattered little to her now that Slager had admitted responsibility.

"What made me feel good about it is that Michael Slager admitted what he did. That was enough years for me," she said in response to the question how much time she wanted Slager to serve.

"No matter how many years Michael Slager gets, it would not bring back my son," she said. "This is a victory for Walter. This is justice for the family, but this is just the beginning."

[SOURCE: CNN]

Ohio quadruplets choose Yale

After being accepted into several ivy league schools, all of the Wade quadruplets have decided they will attend Yale University in the fall. Aaron, Nigel, Nick and Zachary Wade announced their decision during the Today Show Monday. Watch their announcement below.

Police Account Changes in Killing of Jordan Edwards

HIS NAME IS JORDAN EDWARDS! Thank God for the body cams on the police officers involved in the murder of Jordan Edwards. The officers had fabricated a story about the car coming at them and were going to paint Jordan Edwards,an honor student, his brother, and his friends as thugs and the aggressors. We now know that that story is false and the boys had not been drinking. Well lets see if Trump comments at all or at least ask his "Justice" department to look at the case. George L. Cook III African American Reports.

As family and friends mourned the death of a 15-year-old boy shot in the head by a police officer in a Dallas suburb over the weekend, the police chief said Monday that new evidence showed the killing did not unfold the way the authorities had originally claimed.

The Police Department in Balch Springs, Tex., said Sunday that the officer, whose name has not been released, fired on a car carrying the teenager, Jordan Edwards, a freshman at Mesquite High School in Balch Springs, because the car was reversing down a street toward the officer in an “aggressive manner.”

But Jonathan Haber, the police chief, told reporters at a news conference on Monday afternoon that video showed the opposite. He said the officer fired when the car was “moving forward as the officers approached,” according to The Associated Press. The Dallas County medical examiner’s report ruled the death a homicide caused by a “rifle wound” to the head.

Lee Merritt, a lawyer for the Edwards family, praised the police chief for his willingness to admit the department’s mistake and called the new account “a big deal.”

Read more: Police Account Changes in Killing of Texas 15-Year-Old

Sigma Pi Phi donates $20,000 to the NAACP to help in fight for equality and justice

During its April executive committee meeting in Baltimore, the Grand Boule of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, announced a new strategic alliance to increase its support of NAACP’s work in protecting civil rights. 

The agreement encourages members of the Grand Boule, the nation’s oldest African American Greek lettered fraternity to promote lifetime NAACP memberships among its group, increase organizational participation in civic engagement and “get out the vote” efforts, as well as expanded engagement in activities in support of the NAACP’s strategic plan. 

Additionally, the Northern, Virginia based Beta Nu and Epsilon Zeta-member Boules, presented the Legacy Award, a monetary donation of $20,000, to NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks in support of the organization’s continued fight for equality and justice.

“The NAACP applauds the Grand Boule and the Beta Nu and Epsilon Zeta-member Boules for its gracious donation and continued support of our work as the nation’s leading defender of civil rights for all people. Their commitment to serve as an influential and engaged ally, sets a powerful example for all organizations within our community,” said NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks, also a member of the Boule.

“The nation’s oldest civil right organization and oldest fraternity are developing a strategic alliance to more effectively address issues of people of color. The NAACP stands on the vanguard of issues ranging from discrimination, criminal justice, education, and economic parity, just to mention a few,” said Royce West Chair of the Grand Boule’s Public Policy Committee.“Sigma Pi Phi has men with considerable expertise, experience and influence in many of these areas. The alliance of these organizations will facilitate cooperation on the national, state and local level,” he added.

The Grand Boule, also known as the Boule, is the nation’s first Greek-letter fraternity founded by African American men. The Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity is best known as the Boule, a Greek term meaning “council of noblemen.” Founded in 1904, Sigma Pi Phi is the oldest Greek-letter organization comprised primarily of African-American men. 

The Boule has more than 5,000 members and 119 chapters throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Its membership consists of some of the most accomplished, affluent, and influential men-leaders who are making lasting contributions to their communities, our society, and the world.

Purple Rain Re-Release to be released June 23,2017

Prince’s “Purple Rain” is finally getting the royal reissue treatment it deserves. As expected, Warner Bros. and NPG Records will re-release the landmark 1984 movie soundtrack with bonus material on June 23, based on a deal that Prince made with his former record label about a year before his death.

Both the “Deluxe” and “Deluxe Expanded Edition” will feature a remastered version of the original album -- the refurbishing of which Prince himself purportedly oversaw -- along with a second disc featuring other studio tracks recorded around the same time but never formally released, including “Electric Intercourse,” “Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden” and the instrumental “Father’s Song,” all of which have been hot bootleg tracks for Prince completists over the years. Six of the tracks were supposedly unearthed from the Paisley Park vault for the project and never before heard, including studio versions of “Possessed” and “Katrina’s Paper Dolls” and a 10-minute track whose title, “We Can F---,” probably explains why it never saw daylight.

The “expanded edition” will also feature a third disc, “Single Edits & B-Sides,” plus a DVD of a concert on the “Purple Rain” tour recorded March 30, 1985, in Syracuse, N.Y. The former features alternate cuts of tracks like “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry” alongside such beloved B-sides as “Erotic City” and “17 Days.”

Fans can pre-order the album starting today and will receive a download of “Electric Intercourse” if they do. The full track listings are below.

PURPLE RAIN DELUXE
 Disc One:  Original Album (2015 Paisley Park Remaster)
1. Let's Go Crazy
2. Take Me With U
3. The Beautiful Ones
4. Computer Blue
5. Darling Nikki
6. When Doves Cry
7. I Would Die 4 U
8. Baby I'm A Star
9. Purple Rain
 
Disc Two:  From The Vault & Previously Unreleased
1. The Dance Electric
2.  Love And Sex
3.  Computer Blue ("Hallway Speech" version)
4.  Electric Intercourse (studio)
5.  Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden
6.  Possessed (1983 version)
7.  Wonderful Ass
8.  Velvet Kitty Cat
9.  Katrina's Paper Dolls
10. We Can F--k
11. Father's Song
 
PURPLE RAIN DELUXE - EXPANDED EDITION
Includes Disc One and Disc Two as Listed Above
Disc Three:  Single Edits & B-Sides
1.  When Doves Cry (edit)
2.  17 Days
3.  Let's Go Crazy (edit)
4.  Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix)
5.  Erotic City
6.  Erotic City ("Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive")
7.  Purple Rain (edit)
8.  God
9.  God (Love Theme From Purple Rain)
10. Another Lonely Christmas
11. Another Lonely Christmas (extended version)
12. I Would Die 4 U (edit)
13. I Would Die 4 U (extended version)
14. Baby I'm A Star (edit)
15. Take Me With U (edit)
 
DVD:  Prince And The Revolution, Live at the Carrier Dome,  Syracuse, NY, March 30, 1985
1. Let's Go Crazy
2. Delirious
3. 1999
4. Little Red Corvette
5. Take Me With U
6.  Do Me, Baby
7.  Irresistible Bitch
8.  Possessed
9.  How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
10. Let's Pretend We're Married
11. International Lover
12. God
13. Computer Blue
14. Darling Nikki
15. The Beautiful Ones
16. When Doves Cry
17. I Would Die 4 U
18. Baby I'm A Star
19.  Purple Rain

Omarosa Manigault: Blacks not trying hard enough to work with Trump

Here's another example of Omarosa's and the Trump administrations tone deafness to the black community. They don't seem to get that the onus is in them to earn the trust and respect of the community through THEIR actions and not the other way around. Refusing to enforce consent decrees, cuts to education and HBCUs, attacks on healthcare (ACA), Jeff Sessions appointment as Attorney General, talking about making stop and frisk the law of the land, not doing anything about discriminatory voter ID laws, and cutting environmental protections don't give the impression that the Trump administration wants to work with African Americans. George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.

President Donald Trump's liaison to the black community, the former "Apprentice" star Omarosa Manigault, says African-American activists aren't trying hard enough to work with the new administration.

The White House aide delivered the pointed message in an interview with The Associated Press in advance of an appearance Thursday at the annual convention of an activist organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton.

"We're here waiting, willing to work with the community," Manigault said when asked about Trump's moves to slash programs that benefit minorities. "This president wants to engage. It's not a one-way street."

She was more measured Thursday afternoon as she faced hundreds of black activists, who, like African-American voters across the nation last fall, overwhelmingly opposed Trump's presidency.

Several participants refused to utter the president's name in convention sessions, referring to the 45th president only by the number 45. Trump got just 8 percent of the African-American vote last November, according to exit polls.

"I'm ready," Manigault told the crowd as some murmured their disapproval. "I know what I came into, and I ain't never scared."

She insisted she's spent her first 100 days in Washington fighting for the black community. She noted that Trump has met personally with the Congressional Black Caucus and the presidents of historically black colleges and universities.

Manigault called on black leaders to help the struggling institutions as well.

"As I fight for you from the White House, I need you to fight on the outside," she said from the podium of a Manhattan hotel ballroom.

Read more: Trump Aide: Blacks not trying hard enough to work with Trump

Eric Holder Rips Republicans For Trying To Make It More Difficult To Vote

Former Attorney General Eric Holder says it’s “shameful” Republicans are seeking to implement photo ID laws and other measures that make it more difficult to vote.

Holder, who is leading a national redistricting reform effort, accused Republicans of trying to suppress potential voters who are less likely to support them. He made the remarks during the National Action Network’s annual convention in New York City on Wednesday.

“Some Republicans have declared, ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, change the rules.’ Make it more difficult for those least likely to support Republican candidates to vote,” he said. “This is done with the knowledge that by simply depressing the votes of certain groups, not even winning the majority vote of these groups, elections can in fact be effective.”

“The attempts in certain states to make even registration more difficult are shameful,” he added.

Holder went on to cite a 2014 study by the Government Accountability Office showing that voter ID laws in Kansas and Tennessee reduced turnout among young and African-American voters.

“If one were to try to find vote fraud or a rigged election system, that is exactly where it is,” he said.

Read more: Eric Holder Rips Republicans For Trying To Make It More Difficult To Vote

Fox News anchor Kelly Wright discusses suing network for racism

Fox News anchor Kelly Wright is the latest on-air personality to sue the network. This afternoon, Wright joined a racial-discrimination case filed last month in Bronx Supreme Court against Fox News, its parent company 21st Century Fox, general counsel Dianne Brandi, and former comptroller Judith Slater. Watch Wright explain why he joined the lawsuit below.

Beyonce giving scholarships to four women

Beyonce Knowles announced today that she will be giving away four scholarships via a posting on her website:

FORMATION SCHOLARS

To add to the celebration of the one-year anniversary of LEMONADE, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter announces the establishment of Formation Scholars awards for the 2017-2018 academic year, to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident.

Four scholarships will be awarded, one per college, to female incoming, current or graduate students pursuing studies in creative arts, music, literature or African-American studies. The schools selected for participation are Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design and Spelman College. All details and application deadlines are available directly from the colleges.

Everything Wrong with Charter Schools on Display in New Orleans

New Orleans is the nation’s largest and most complete experiment in charter schools. After Hurricane Katrina, the State of Louisiana took control of public schools in New Orleans and launched a nearly complete transformation of a public school system into a system of charter schools.

The birthing of the charter system occurred in 2005 when the community was displaced by Katrina. Control of the public school system was taken away from a board which had an elected majority of African American officials and was given to the white majority board of the state system

The first casualty of the abrupt change was the termination of the South’s largest local union and the firing of over 7000 most African American female teachers. Attorney Willie Zanders told the NAACP of the years of struggle for those teachers which, though initially successful, ended in bitter defeat years later. The city’s veteran black educators were replaced by younger, less qualified white teachers from Teach for America and Teach NOLA.

The change to charters reduced the percentage of black teachers from 74 percent to 51 percent. There are now fewer experienced teachers, fewer accredited teachers, fewer local teachers, and more teachers who are likely to leave than before Katrina. Five charter schools have tried to unionize with United Teachers of New Orleans. Though two schools cooperated, two other charters have said they are exempt from NLRB – a position rejected by the National Labor Relations Board. One of those charter schools shut out the public in 2016 by meeting privately and online over how to respond to unionization efforts.

New Orleans now spends more on administration and less on teaching than they did before Katrina. One charter school executive, who oversees one K-12 school on three campuses, was paid $262,000 in 2014. At least 62 other charter execs made more than $100,000. This compares with the salary of $138,915 for the superintendent of all the public schools in Baton Rouge.

Read more: Everything Wrong with Charter Schools on Display in New Orleans

11 year old Shaun Stokes is missing!

The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing boy who was last seen on Sunday, April 23.

Shaun Stokes, 11, was last seen around 6:00 p.m. in the 7000 block of Leghorn Street.

Shaun is described as a black male, four-feet eight-inches tall and weighing approximately 75 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue plaid shirt, tan pants, and white Nike sneakers.

Shaun is known to frequent the 2100 block of Dodge Avenue and the 400 block of Mall Boulevard. He also has family in Rincon, Georgia.

Anyone with information on his location should call 912-651-6675SCMPD or 912-652-6500

Newark NJ native Shakur Stevenson wins pro boxing debut

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson won his professional debut, beating Edgar Brito by technical unanimous decision in the sixth round Saturday at the StubHub Center. Check out some of the action below.

Republican Florida state senator who used a racial slur resigns

Those who run the Republican Part in Florida think that they are slick. They released this story on a Friday in the hope that not many would notice but some of us were paying attention! George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Frank Artiles, a Florida state senator who used a racial slur and vulgar language in a conversation with two African-American colleagues resigned Friday, saying the incident is causing a distraction to the legislative process.

Republican Sen. Frank Artiles submitted a resignation letter to Republican Senate President Joe Negron and issued a separate statement.

"I clearly made comments that were hurtful, unacceptable and inappropriate. The American people and Floridians want their leaders to be accountable and responsible, and by resigning my elected office I believe I am demonstrating those qualities they desire and deserve," Artiles said in the statement released by a publicist.

Negron said the resignation was the right thing to do, and he dropped an investigation into the incident.

"All of us are accountable for our actions and our comments, so I think it's an appropriate resignation," Negron said.

The Florida Legislative Black Caucus filed a complaint about the incident on Wednesday and asked that Artiles be removed from office.

The matter began Monday night during a private conversation with Sens. Audrey Gibson and Perry Thurston at the Governors Club, a members-only establishment near the Capitol. Artiles used vulgarities in talking with Gibson, including one particularly offensive to women. Sen. Perry Thurston intervened and Artiles, a Cuban-American from the Miami area, used a variation of the "n-word" and used a vulgarity to describe Negron, according to the complaint filed Wednesday by Thurston.

Read more: Florida state senator who used a racial slur resigns

Tuskegee Airman Buford A. Johnson dead at 89

Buford A. Johnson, a Tuskegee Airman who served as a mechanic and crew chief in the Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force and spent his retirement years introducing new generations to the history of the World War II African-American fighter corps, has died.

Johnson, of Highland, died Saturday, April 15. He was 89 and a retired master sergeant after an Air Force career that included World War II and the Korean War, according to his family obituary.

Johnson served from 1945 to 1966, starting with the famed 99th Fighter Squadron formed for African-American service members in Tuskegee, Ala.

Johnson was with the 99th from 1946 to 1948, the year President Harry S Truman issued an executive order desegregating the armed forces.

[SOURCE: http://www.pe.com]

Atoning for Slavery Ties, Georgetown University Renames Buildings

On Tuesday, April 18, with a Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition and Hope, Georgetown University performed more penance for its 1838 sale of slaves, owned by the Maryland Jesuits, that directly benefited the fledging college financially.

There were mea culpas offered during a moving liturgy in Gaston Hall in the school's landmark Healy Building and at dedications in the Quadrangle, where newly renamed buildings stand near Dahlgren Chapel.

The two buildings, which once bore the names of the 19th-century Jesuit priests who managed the deal that sent 272 slaves from Maryland to Louisiana, were dedicated in the names of former slaves: Isaac Hawkins, whose name is shown at the top of the bill of sale, and Anne Marie Becraft, a freed African American woman who founded a school for Catholic black girls in Georgetown.

At the Gaston Hall ceremony, attended by descendants of the slaves sold off by the university, Georgetown's president, John DeGioia, said the school — like others on the East Coast — participated in America's "original sin," slavery. "We offer this apology for the descendants and your ancestors humbly and without expectations, and we trust ourselves to God and the Spirit and the grace He freely offers to find ways to work together and build together," DeGioia said.

Rev. Timothy Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, said, “Today the Society of Jesus, which helped to establish Georgetown University and whose leaders enslaved and mercilessly sold your ancestors, stands before you to say: We have greatly sinned, in our thoughts and in our words, in what we have done and in what we have failed to do.” He added: "We betrayed the very name of Jesus for whom our least society is named."

“Penance is very important,” said Sandra Green Thomas, president of the GU272 Descendants Association. “Penance is required when you have violated God’s law.”

The university selected the day because it was a few days after D.C. Emancipation Day, which commemorates the freeing of slaves in the District of Columbia by President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862.
[SOURCE: Georgetowner]

DEATH OF APPEALS COURT JUDGE SUSPICIOUS, POLICE SAY

Police are calling the death of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam suspicious because there is no clear indication of suicide or criminality.

"We're looking it at as a suspicious death at this point. We haven't found any clear indications of criminality, but at this point we can't say for sure. We're hoping if anyone could shed any light into the hours before her disappearance, it would help us establish what happened," said Stephen Davis, NYPD Spokesman.

The Medical Examiner is still planning to perform an autopsy on Abdus-Salaam, after the body of the 65-year-old Court of Appeals judge washed up on the shore of the Hudson River.

Police say Abdus-Salaam was last seen around 7 p.m. Monday, then spoke last Tuesday morning with her assistant by phone. Detectives are now looking for any possible surveillance video in her Harlem neighborhood, for any clues to how and why she ended up in the Hudson.

[SOURCE: abc7ny.com]