Sunday, May 21, 2017
OPINION: Why the NAACP is letting Cornell Williams Brooks go.
Congressman Al Green receives death / lynching threats after calling for Trump impeachment
Congressman Al Green gained national attention as the first representative to call for President Donald Trump's impeachment on the house floor, but he told town hall attendees in Houston that move has also brought threats of lynchings and death threats to his congressional offices.
OPINION: George cook African American Reports, You can't make death threats
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Sheriff David Clarke plagiarized portions of his master's thesis on homeland security
Controversial Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who this week announced he will be joining Donald Trump's administration as assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, plagiarized sections of his 2013 master's thesis on US security, a CNN KFile review has found.
Clarke, a visible surrogate for Trump during the campaign known for his incendiary rhetoric, earned a master's degree in security studies at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. In his thesis, "Making U.S. security and privacy rights compatible," Clarke failed to properly attribute his sources at least 47 times.
In all instances reviewed by CNN's KFile, Clarke lifts language from sources and credits them with a footnote, but does not indicate with quotation marks that he is taking the words verbatim.
According to guidelines on plagiarism posted on the Naval Postgraduate School's website, "If a passage is quoted verbatim, it must be set off with quotation marks (or, if it is a longer passage, presented as indented text), and followed by a properly formulated citation. The length of the phrase does not matter. If someone else's words are sufficiently significant to be worth quoting, then accurate quotation followed by a correct citation is essential, even if only a few words are involved."
The school's honor code defines plagiarism as "submitting material that in part or whole is not one's own work without proper attribution. Plagiarism is further defined as the use, without giving reasonable and appropriate credit to or acknowledging the author or source, of another person's original work, whether such work is made up of code, formulas, ideas, language, research, strategies, writing or other form(s)."
Sources Clarke plagiarized include a 2002 ACLU report about "The Government's Demand for New and Unnecessary Powers After September 11," a 2003 ACLU report critical of the FBI's records-collection practices, a 2007 ACLU report on "fusion centers," and a 2011 ACLU report on the need to overhaul secrecy laws.
Other sources Clarke lifted words from include: the 9/11 Commission Report, a 2011 article in the Homeland Security Affairs journal, the Pew Research Center, a 2012 report by the Constitution Project, a 2003 report by the US General Accounting Office, a 2011 Brennan Center report, a 2013 Washington Post article about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Comparative Homeland Security: Global Lessons, a textbook by Nadav Morag, and Safe Cities Project, a research paper published by the Manhattan Institute.
Read more: Sheriff David Clarke plagiarized portions of his master's thesis on homeland security
Cornell Williams Brooks out as president as NAACP heads in a new direction
The NAACP was founded more than a century ago in response to the rampant and violent lynching of black Americans. Over the past 100 years, the black community and communities of color as a whole have experienced tremendous advancements. Yet, as we continue to march towards the arc of justice, additional barriers have been placed in our way in the forms of voter suppression: increased police brutality, over criminalization of black bodies, income inequality and inadequate health care as well as anti-immigrant sentiments.
The NAACP intends to aggressively and nimbly respond to the current climate of political unrest, as well as the assaults upon human and civil rights that threaten our very democracy, as only it can. To do so demands that the Board of the NAACP ensure that organization has the right plan and the right leadership to address these 21st-century challenges.
In keeping with its longstanding history, and legacy, the NAACP Board announced today a transformational, system-wide refresh and strategic re-envisioning. The objective is to best position the respected national organization to confront the realities of today’s volatile political, media and social climates.
Board Chairman Leon W. Russell and Vice Chair Derrick Johnson, who were elected to their current positions in February 2017, will manage the organization on an interim basis until a new leader is named. Current CEO and President Cornell Brooks, will remain at the organization until June 30th, the end of his current term.
Article continues below the video
“Our organization has been at the forefront of America, making tremendous strides over the last hundred years,” said Leon W. Russell, chairman of the Board of Directors. “However, modern day civil rights issues facing the NAACP, like education reform, voting rights and access to affordable health care, still persist and demand our continued action.”
“In the coming months, the NAACP will embark upon a historic national listening tour to ensure that we harness the energy and voices of our grassroots members, to help us achieve transformational change, and create an internal culture designed to push the needle forward on civil rights and social justice,” said Derrick Johnson, vice-chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors.
In their announcement today, the NAACP Board made it clear that everyone will have a place at the table, including its invaluable staff, the new movements for social change, local organizers helping to rebuild our neighborhoods, the faith leaders and other traditional and historic African-Americans organizations that provide much needed services to their communities, social justice advocates tackling income inequality, the millions of marchers who have taken to streets for women rights and immigrant rights, the activists who are fighting for equality for the LGBTQ Americans, business leaders and philanthropists lending private sector support, and the long-time civil rights guardians who have spilled blood so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.
As part of that commitment, the NAACP Board also announced today that they will embark on a listening tour, for the first time in its history. As the organization reimagines ourselves, it is determined to be formed in the likeliness of the people whom it serves – and to do so, the Board will work to see, meet and listen to them.
“These changing times require us to be vigilant and agile, but we have never been more committed or ready for the challenges ahead. We know that our hundreds of thousands of members and supporters expect a strong and resilient NAACP moving forward, as our organization has been in the past, and it remains our mission to ensure the advancement of communities of color in this country,” said Russell.
ABOUT THE NAACP:
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting NAACP.org.
ABOUT LEON W. RUSSELL:
Leon W. Russell was elected as Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors in February 2017. Prior to assuming that role, Russell served as Vice Chair of the NAACP Board and has been a board member for over 27 years. He served as President of the Florida State Conference of Branches of the NAACP from 1996-2000, after serving for fifteen years as the First Vice President. He is also the former assistant secretary of the Board and the former Director of the Office of Human Rights for Pinellas County Government, Clearwater, Florida from 1977-2012, where he was responsible for implementation of the county’s human rights and affirmation action ordinances. The recipient of numerous civic awards and citations, Russell was also elected for two terms as the President of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies. The IAOHRA represents civil rights agencies from the US and abroad responsible for enforcing state and local civil rights laws and the promotion of inter-group relations.
ABOUT DERRICK JOHNSON:
Derrick Johnson was elected as Vice-Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors in February 2017. Before taking this position, Johnson was the State President of the Mississippi NAACP and Executive Director of One Voice Inc. A former Mel King Community Fellow with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Johnson also serves on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and as an adjunct professor at Tougaloo College.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Sheriff David Clarke says he's taking job in Department of Homeland Security
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. said Wednesday he would leave office next month to accept a federal appointment as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
He said he would work in the department's Office of Partnership and Engagement as a liaison with state, local and tribal law enforcement and governments.
"I'm looking forward to joining that team," Clarke said Wednesday on Vicki McKenna's radio talk show on WISN-AM (1130).
The fourth-term sheriff said he would start the job in June.
Shoe company accused of racism towards Serena Williams
Managers for the luxury shoe company Gianvito Rossi called tennis star Serena Williams "disgusting" and refused to give her the same discounts as white celebrities, a former employee claims in a stunning new racial discrimination lawsuit.
Whitney Wilburn, who is black, says she was recruited to work for Gianvito Rossi in 2015 from "another Madison Avenue fashion house" where she'd been for five years.
But once she was hired to run the Manhattan boutique, her boss, Grace Mazzilli, was immediately "hostile to Wilburn based upon her race and age," the suit alleges.
Wilburn, 46, claims in the Manhattan civil suit that her "experience with Mazzilli left no doubt about Mazzilli's racial animosity toward African-Americans."
"For instance, when the world famous athlete Serena Williams, via her staff, asked for a discount on her extensive purchases, Gianvito managers responded with racially disparaging comments about Ms.
Williams which made it clear that the company did not want African-American women to wear its shoes," the suit says.
The managers "referred to Ms. Williams as 'disgusting' and refused to offer any discount," according to court papers.
Read more: Tennis: Shoe company accused of racism towards Serena Williams
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Congressman Al Green calls for Trump impeachment
Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump Wednesday morning, the first member of Congress to officially request leveling charges against the President from the House floor. Watch video of his request below:
pppppppppppppp
ppppppppppp
ppppppp
pp
CLIP: @RepAlGreen: "I rise today...to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America for obstruction of justice." pic.twitter.com/k3OMGcZbEF
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 17, 2017
What it's like to be the target of racism on campus
Taylor Dumpson was elated. On May 1, she became student government president at American University -- the first African-American woman ever to hold the job.
But less then 24 hours after she officially took office, her joy turned to pain. Dumpson got a message from a friend as she was on her way to campus. Bananas had been found hanging from nooses at three different spots on campus, her friend said.
One had the words "Harambe bait" scrawled on it, after the gorilla that was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo for dragging a child who fell into his enclosure.
Another was marked with the initials of the historically black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, of which Dumpson is a member.
The discovery shook her to her core. The nooses were a clear reference to lynching, Dumpson said, the bananas a play on the racist trope that African-Americans are monkeys.
"I think the message that they were trying to send is, I shouldn't be in the position I am," she said.
At first, Dumpson said, being targeted left her feeling numb. "It's just overwhelming," she said. "I didn't see this coming. But now I am here. And I haven't had time to just stop ... I still have to lead."
What happened at American University isn't an isolated incident. So far over the course of the 2016-2017 school year, there have been at least 153 racist incidents on 108 campuses across 34 states, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Read more: What it's like to be the target of racism on campus
NAACP: NCCA should move softball tourney from Mississippi because of rebel flag
A civil rights group is asking the NCAA to move a regional softball tournament out of Mississippi because the state flag contains the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi NAACP president Derrick Johnson calls the emblem a “racial hate symbol.”
The University of Mississippi in Oxford is hosting an NCAA regional tournament Friday through Sunday, based on the team’s performance.
Since 2001, the NCAA has not scheduled a “pre-selected championship,” such as a football bowl game, in a state where the rebel flag flies prominently. However, the NCAA allows schools in those states to host events in which the team earns a home field advantage.
The NCAA praised South Carolina in 2015 for removing a Confederate battle flag from the statehouse. The collegiate sports group called the flag a “symbol of racism.”
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Local NAACP President is missing.
Liz Smith, the president of the Eureka, California branch of the NAACP, was listed as a missing person Monday afternoon, according to Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Stacy Hanson.
The following is a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Monday, May 15, 2017 at about 1540 hours, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a concerned friend of Elizabeth Ana Smith stating that Elizabeth was missing. Her friend was concerned for Elizabeth’s welfare due to her making statements that she possibly wants to harm herself.
Elizabeth is descripted at a Black female, age 39, 5’3, 185 pounds with brown eyes and long brown hair. Elizabeth is associated with a 2007 black Lexus, Ca plate 5TYB663.
Anyone with information regarding Elizabeth’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
Cory Booker statement on Trump sharing classified information with Russians
NJ Senator Cory Booker released the following statement after news reports broke stating that Trump had shared classified information with the Russians:
These revelations are appalling and deeply disturbing. This sharing of extremely sensitive, classified intelligence information with Russia undermines our national security, breaks the trust of our allies, and puts lives at risk.
Patriotic Americans and our allies put their lives on the line every day to gather the intelligence that protects this country and keeps us safe. If literally anyone else did what President Trump is reported to have done, there would be an immediate criminal investigation because such actions are extraordinarily dangerous.
When will Congressional Republicans do their job and begin holding President Trump accountable for his actions?
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Michelle Obama Slams Trump School Lunch Changes
SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS CHALLENGES HOWARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATES TO FORGE A WAY FORWARD
United States Senator Kamala Harris delivered the commencement address Saturday morning at Howard University, urging students to go to the front lines to fight for the nation’s deepest values of justice and equality.
“History has proven that each generation of Howard graduates will forge the way forward for our country and our world, and now graduates it is your turn,” Harris said. “You are graduating in a very different time than you arrived a few short years ago.”
The Howard University alumna applauded the members of the class of 2017 for their social activism as college students, including their contribution to the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and participation in the roiling protests of social injustice throughout the country.
“You students have joined the fight for justice — you protested,” Harris said. “From the streets of Ferguson to the halls of the United States Congress, you have lived the words of James Baldwin, ‘There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.’”
Harris is both the first African-American and first woman to serve as Attorney General for the state of California. She is the second African-American woman in history to be elected to the United States Senate.
The University has marked the 150th anniversary of its founding throughout the academic year. Howard University President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick has said the establishment of the University constituted one of the most noteworthy accomplishments in the history of American colleges and universities.
“It is evident that the success of Howard University is the result of a labor of love and a deeply-rooted desire to pursue a very radical idea, ‘education for all,’” Dr. Frederick said at the ceremony. “As we grapple with the uncertainties of this nation, Howard University will fervently provide solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.”
Howard University conferred 2,173 degrees, including 318 master’s degrees, and 105 Ph.Ds. More than 375 students received professional degrees in law, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. Howard University has the only dental and pharmacy colleges in the District of Columbia. The 2017 graduates represented 47 states and 39 countries; 157 graduates were from the District of Columbia.
This year’s commencement celebration featured an all-women list of honorary degree recipients.
Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray was posthumously recognized with an honorary Doctor of Laws. Murray, a 1944 Howard University School of Law graduate, was a quiet force behind some of the most iconic civil rights and social justice events of the 20th century. She was one of the founding members of the National Organization for Women. Murray was also the first African-American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1977.
Maureen Bunyan received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Bunyan is an award-winning journalist and news anchor who is a founder and board member of the International Women’s Media Foundation, and a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. In her remarks, Bunion said opportunities for Blacks in the mainstream media were born out of the urban rebellions of the 1960s. She urged students to hold the media accountable and to promote the interests of African Americans, immigrants, and other marginalized people.
Howard University also celebrated one of its own renowned scholars. Dr. Eleanor W. Traylor received an honorary Doctor of Letters. Dr. Traylor is a Howard University graduate professor of English and an acclaimed scholar and critic in African-American literature and criticism.
Dr. Traylor said Howard inspired her vocational commitment “to prepare the next generation for its work – seriously, relentlessly, and even ruthlessly.” She said the institution had “mapped a way out of no way on the road to excellence” in its 150-year history. “The real beauty of this day is equaled only to that day when the idea of our University was born.”
About Howard University
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private research university comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Over the past 20 years, the University has produced four Rhodes Scholars, nine Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, over 80 Fulbright recipients, 22 Pickering Fellows and one Schwarzman Scholar. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones donates $20K to Negro Leagues museum
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, the target of racial taunts during a recent game in Boston, has donated $20,000 to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jones visited the museum and spoke with its president, Bob Kendrick, on Saturday before the Orioles continue their series against the Kansas City Royals.
The museum, founded by a group of former Negro Leagues stars, is located in the historic 18th and Vine district, a hub of black culture in Kansas City during the first half of the 20th century.
Jones' experience on May 1 in Boston touched off a discussion of racism across the sports landscape. Major League Baseball is reviewing security protocols at all 30 of its stadiums, and the Red Sox banished a fan from Fenway Park for using a racial slur against another fan in a separate incident.
He said Saturday that the widely condemned racial insult hurled at him at Fenway illustrates the need for dialogue about race and for fans to police each other.
Texas Southern cancels unwanted Republican's commencement address
Texas Southern University said Friday that Sen. John Cornyn will no longer speak Saturday during the historically black college’s commencement ceremony.
The announcement — two days after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was booed during a commencement address at a historically black college in Florida — comes in the wake of opposition to the Texas Republican’s appearance by many graduates. A petition signed by some students expressed opposition to Cornyn’s votes for DeVos’ and Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmations, among other issues.
The Houston-based university released the following statement via Facebook:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING COMMENCEMENT:
Texas Southern University’s number one priority is student success and completion. We are proud to announce that 1,138 students have completed their academic journey and are now positioned to compete on a national level. Commencement exercises are special moments for our students, their families and the entire University. Every consideration is made to ensure that our students’ graduation day is a celebratory occasion and one they will remember positively for years to come. We asked Senator Cornyn to instead visit with our students again at a future date in order to keep the focus on graduates and their families. We, along with Senator Cornyn, agree that the primary focus of commencement should be a celebration of academic achievement.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
National Mama's Bailout Day
Money kept them in.
Black love got them out.”
— Pat Hussain, Co-founder of Southerners on New Ground
The week before Mother’s day organizations in Oakland, Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, Montgomery, Memphis, Minneapolis, Durham, Atlanta and beyond will bail out as many mothers as possible who otherwise would spend Mother’s Day in a cell simply because they cannot afford bail.
National Mama’s Bail Out Day will give incarcerated mothers an opportunity to spend Mother’s Day with their families and build community through gatherings that highlight the impact of inhumane and destructive bail practices on our communities!
We will bail out mama’s in all of our varieties — queer, trans, young, elder, and immigrant.
The impact of money bail on our Mamas…
Everyday an average of 700,000 people are condemned to cages and separated from their families simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. Since 1980 the number of incarcerated women has grown by 700%. Black women and Trans women are especially vulnerable to incarcerated. Black women are twice as likely as their white counterparts to be jailed. One in five transgender women have spent time in prison or jail and one in three of them reported being sexually assaulted while there.
Eight in ten incarcerated women are mothers and nearly half are in local jails, locked in cages for crimes they have not been convicted of. Most of the women in jail are accused of minor drug and ‘quality of life’ offenses and are languishing in cells simply because they cannot afford to pay bail.
In addition to the over $9 billion wasted to incarcerate people who have been convicted of no crime, pre-trial incarceration has catastrophic impacts on families and communities. Even a few days in jail can ruin a woman’s life. She may lose her job, her family may lose their housing and some even lose their children.
What we can do…
We can buy their freedom and push against mass criminalization and modern bondage!
In the tradition of our enslaved Black ancestors, who used their collective resources to purchase each other’s freedom before slavery was abolished, until we abolish bail and mass incarceration, we’re gonna free ourselves.
It is going to take our collective effort to give as many Black mamas their freedom this Mother’s Day, as possible. Now more than ever, we must support our people and dismantle this system that destroys our humanity and breaks up our families.
Click Here Donate to National Mamas Bailout Day
Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown convicted of federal fraud charges
On Thursday, a federal jury in Jacksonville convicted Corrine Brown, a former 12-term Florida congresswoman on 18 of 22 corruption counts ranging from mail fraud to filing a false federal tax return.
Brown and Ronnie Simmons, her chief of staff who previously pleaded guilty in the case, were named last year in a 24-count federal indictment relating to a scheme led by Brown in which she used her official post as a member of Congress to help solicit $800,000 in contributions for a sham education charity, One Door for Education.
She will be sentenced later this summer.
Cory Booker Statement on Comey Firing
U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement in response to the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
“The President of the United States just fired the person who was investigating his campaign, which should set off alarm bells across the country. The last time a presidential firing raised this many questions, America was in the middle of the Watergate crisis.
“For months, I’ve been calling for an independent special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the US election. The need is even more urgent now.
“The Russians undermined our election. How exactly they were able to do that with so much success is a question we need to answer – to prevent a similar attack in the future and hold those responsible accountable. In order to give the American people full confidence in this investigation, it should be handled by an independent counsel who does not answer to President Trump.
“Past nominees to be FBI director have enjoyed broad bipartisan support for their confirmation. The next pick should be no exception.”
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Statement on Firing of FBI Director James Comey
The Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA-02), released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s firing of FBI Director James Comey:
"The out-of-the-blue ouster of FBI Director James Comey is more proof that we need an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate any and all ties between the Trump Administration and Russia.
“When the Attorney General, who supposedly recused himself from the Russia investigation after it was revealed that he lied under oath about conversations with Russians, recommends firing the only person at the Department of Justice leading that investigation, then there is no one at the Department who can be trusted to investigate. As Ranking Member Cummings has said, there is now a 'crisis of confidence' at the Department of Justice. This Administration can’t be trusted to investigate itself.
“The American people deserve to know the truth. I call on Republicans to put patriotism before party and join Democrats in creating an independent, bipartisan commission so we can get to the truth. If they don’t, then they’ll be aiding and abetting collusion and coverup.”
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Betsy DeVos booed at Bethune-Cookman University Commencement Ceremony
During her commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University Education Secretary Betsy DeVos learned that although her money may have bought her a cabinet position in Trump's administration, it can't buy her the respect that she seems to think she deserves. The graduating students let her know how they felt about her being there by both booing and turning their back on her.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)