Although Prosecutors won't file criminal charges against the Metropolitan Police officer, Brian Trainer who shot and killed an unarmed black man, Terrence Sterling, the Washington D.C. police chief has is asking for the officer to resign.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Navy honors 102-year-old vet, black pioneer
The Navy recognized a 102-year-old World War II veteran Thursday by inaugurating a new barracks in his name, a rare honor for a living recipient.
From his wheelchair, retired Chief Steward Andy Mills waved to the sailors attending the ceremony Thursday at the naval base, in Coronado, California, near San Diego. Mills told reporters softly before the ceremony that he was overjoyed by the honor.
"Oh beautiful," he told reporters when asked to describe how he felt seeing the barracks in his name, shaking his head side to side. "That's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen so far." He added moments later: "I think I have a lot of friends."
One of the maritime branch's first black chiefs, Mills risked his life for the service despite facing discrimination in a then-segregated Navy.
In 1942, Mills volunteered to board the USS Yorktown after it was attacked by the Japanese during the Battle of Midway. He cracked open a safe containing documents and bills on the heavily damaged ship. He and a paymaster stuffed them in a suitcase, got a rope and lowered it down off the ship before the Japanese attacked again, destroying the Yorktown and the USS Hammann next to it.
Capt. Stephen Barnett met Mills two years ago at an event in San Diego and said he was so moved by the man and what he had done that he wanted to honor him and have young sailors learn about the inspiring chief.
"He wasn't treated like his shipmates but it never stopped him from his duty — a duty he carried out with courage, honor and commitment — and that remains a cornerstone of his character now," Barnett told the crowd at the ceremony.
Mills vividly recalled to reporters one of the officers saying "but I need one of those black boys over there" to go back on board the ship after it had been attacked by the Japanese. Mills, one of two African American sailors on the ship, agreed to go.
When the paymaster accompanying him could not open the safe on the USS Yorktown, Mills asked if he could have a go at it.
"Click. I went up there and turned it. Click," he said, grinning. "Money fell all out of it."
Family friend Deborah Thompson, of San Diego, said it meant so much to his family to see him finally honored for his bravery.
"It brought tears to our eyes," she said as she held on to the back of Mills' wheelchair.
The barracks will house 934 sailors. Carrying their seabags on their backs, some of the sailors gathered around Mills for a photo in front of Andrew Mills Hall.
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Al Sharpton: 'Progressives' are shortchanging African Americans — again.
Food for thought! While African Americans are not monolithic and Al Sharpton does not speak for all of us, he is on target with this opinion piece that he wrote for USA Today about progressives failure to speak to African Americans. George L. Cook III African American Reports.
By Al Sharpton
Democrats might care about issues that are important to us. But are they fueling African-American participation or interest? Not even close.
When Jesse Jackson ran for president during the 1980s, as when I ran in 2004, there were progressives in America just like there are today. Those progressives were well meaning individuals and politicians who shared our views and strongly believed in what we believed in. Despite this progressive political presence, our presidential campaigns were so important and necessary because the voices of black, brown and poorer white voters were not heard by the elites in American politics and government. Our agendas were not getting carried out. There was a great deal of talk back then, but no real action. That same dynamic holds true today.
The press speaks a great deal about the supposed fact that the “Democratic base” is riled up and activated by the state of play in America. This assessment ignores the most important segment of that base: the African-American voter. We are not motivated by anyone right now. While Sen. Bernie Sanders did a remarkable job in the 2016 presidential primaries and went further than anyone thought possible, he did so without the African-American vote, losing among African-American voters by more than 50 percentage points.
While that progressive coalition purported to speak FOR the African-American voter, it did not talk TO African Americans. The so-called Hillary Clinton base of the party, while crushing Sanders, attracted substantially fewer black voters to turn out than in recent presidential primaries, and in the general election, running against a novice, the black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, falling 7 percentage points compared to 2012. Arguably, that disinterested black vote cost Clinton the presidency.
Read more: Al Sharpton: 'Progressives' are shortchanging African Americans — again.
Tuesday, August 08, 2017
Spike Lee holding rally for Colin Kaepernick at NFL headquarters
The noted film director and writer announced with a tweet Tuesday he is staging a rally to support his fellow social activist Kaepernick at NFL headquarters in New York on Aug. 23.
— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) August 8, 2017
Monday, August 07, 2017
A question to those against a $15 minimum wage.
Rev. Jesse Jackson visits Fla., discusses voter suppression
The Rev. Jesse Jackson says there was no evidence of voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election but says President Trump's Commission on Election Integrity should look at the suppression of minority voters in certain states, including Florida.
The civil rights activist visited St. John Baptist Church in Orlando Sunday to encourage voter participation and to talk about voter suppression.
In a call with The Associated Press, Jackson said between 1.3 and 1.7 million voters don't have the right to vote in Florida because they have a felony conviction although they are no longer incarcerated.
Jackson says his Rainbow PUSH Coalition has set up its own commission of scholars and activists to look into such voter suppression. The group is also focusing on voter registration in closely watched elections in Virginia and New Jersey. And in Florida, the group is focused on restoration of voting rights for felons.
Sunday, August 06, 2017
Claressa Shields a pro champ already!
In just her fourth pro fight Olympic boxing champion Claressa Shields has become the Women's WBC and IBF Super Middleweight champion.
"Who's better than me?" Shields asked after pummeling Nikki Adler on Friday night, giving the two-time Olympic champion the two world titles. "I don't know of anybody yet. And if I do find somebody, I'm ready to take her out."
The lopsided fight was mercifully stopped at 1:34 of the fifth round, awarding Shields a victory by technical knockout. She used a combination of powerful punches that left Adler defenseless in a matchup of previously unbeaten boxers.
Shields (4-0, 2 KOs) didn't let up in the second, stunning Adler (16-1) with a left hook midway through the round. Shields went to her body in the third round before aiming high in the fourth, hitting Adler squarely in the face with a right that seemed to set up the end of the fight in the fifth.
In the end, Shields landed 136 of 340 punches while Adler connected on just 6 of 84. In the first and fifth round, Adler failed to connect once.
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN: AMERICA'S MOST FORGOTTEN ASSET by AMIA P. WRIGHT
Within this book, the author aimed to restore, rehabilitate, and mend African American Women and the community. The entire world has acknowledged issues African Americans face as a culture, however, no one has advanced towards assimilating relationships within the culture. As resilient of a people as African Americans are the culture still need a leader, still need guidance, and still need reassurance. It is believed that African American Women is the key to turning everything around and remodeling the foundation that was once laid. The potency of African American Women is so prodigious that it has the power of an atomic bomb. Today’s leaders for African Americans are outnumbered and rejected because in the community today, stupidity reigns over knowledge and foolishness is the new cute. There are many problems within the culture, however, this book has the influence to generate the opportunity for revolution.
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PAPERBACK--------KINDLE
Will you go see "Detroit"?
While it has garnered good reviews it is not getting a good reception in the black community. Some have issues with it being directed by Kathryn Bigelow, a white director and the fact that it was written by a white writer, Mark Boal. Others have issues with the level of violence in the movie. This controversy has hurt the film at the box office with the movie barely taking in $8 million in its first week of full release.
Those that have seen the movie complain about the violence and have said that it was like watching a torture porn movie like watching a "Saw" with black men being tortured and killed. Some have walked out, while others that stayed have vowed to tell others not to see the movie as they see no value in doing so.
Others have pointed out that the film does nothing to inspire African Americans and as often happens in Hollywood movies it is white people that take on the savior role coming off as the good guys while the black characters we should be emphasizing with come off as weak and helpless.
In fairness some have stated that we as African Americans should see the movie so that we don't forget the past and realize that 1967 is not that far in the past. They hope that America seeing the violence and police brutality will open the eyes of many to what African Americans go through.
So which camp do you fall in, will you go see "Detroit"? If you have seen Detroit would you recommend it to others or see it again?
Saturday, August 05, 2017
2018 NAACP Image Awards Set For MLK Jr. Day
The NAACP will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day next year by holding its 49th annual Image Awards on the holiday. The group said today that its trophy show will be held January 15, airing live on TV One.
It will mark the first time since 1994 that the Image Awards will be handed out in January, with the show being staged in during Black History Month in February eight of the past nine years. The two-hour special also will include a live pre-show from the red carpet.
“The NAACP is proud to air our 49th Image Awards live telecast on the nation’s most significant civil rights day of the year celebrating the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Leon W. Russell, chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors. “In alignment with the National Martin Luther King Day of Service, we are encouraging our nominees, celebrity presenters and performers, network representatives, staff, directors, trustees, sponsors, and branches and units in all 50 states to join us in a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King. As the nation commemorates the 50th anniversary of his assassination on April 4, 1968, we are reminded of the ageless principles of non-violence, truth and justice, humility, and service that he taught all Americans.”
The Image Awards celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film, and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Nominations will be announced during the week of November 13, when final voting will open.
Friday, August 04, 2017
'Nobody kill anybody': Baltimore activist hopes for homicide-free weekend
That's a lot to ask for in a city on pace to record its highest annual homicide toll, a place still reeling from the racially-charged riots that followed the 2015 death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police.
So Bridgeford and other community leaders have been hitting the streets of West Baltimore, urging drug dealers and gang members to put their guns down from Friday through Sunday.
"This is about a culture shift," she said. "It's about helping people realize they have a choice in their decision-making. Not just about committing violence but about feeling hopeless that there's nothing we can do about the level of violence in our communities."
With 208 homicides so far this year -- compared with 318 for all of 2016, according to a tally by The Baltimore Sun -- and police-community relations stretched thin, some residents doubt the ceasefire will be successful. Others see it as a way to start taking back control of crime-plagued neighborhoods.
Read more: 'Nobody kill anybody': Baltimore hopes for homicide-free weekend
Thursday, August 03, 2017
Sen. Booker acts to prevent Trump from firing special counsel
U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Lindsey Graham moved Thursday to prevent President Donald Trump from dismissing special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible ties between his campaign and Russia.
Booker (D-N.J.), who has called for an independent outside investigation, and Graham (R-S.C.), who did not endorse the Republican presidential nominee after his own campaign for the White House fizzled, introduced legislation to block such a move.
The Special Counsel Independence Protection Act would let the attorney general remove the special only after asking a federal court to rule that there was "misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause for removal."
A look at the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump and whether his campaign colluded with Russia.
"A special counsel's duty is to follow the facts and the law wherever that leads," Booker said. "They should never be subjected to interference or intimidation because of where an investigation takes them."
The lawmakers acted amid criticism by Trump leveled against his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who recused him from any involvement in the probe after it was disclosed that he met with the Russian ambassador during the campaign after telling the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had no such contacts.
Read more: Booker acts to prevent Trump from firing special counsel
Stephen King: Why couldn't Roland the Gunslinger be black
There has been a minor bit of controversy that Idris Elba was cast as what many believe to be a white character known as Roland the Gunslinger in the upcoming Dark Tower movie. Stephen King, the author of The Dark Tower series doesn't seem to have a problem with it all and wonders why couldn't the gunslinger be black. Read the statement King made to CinemaBlend on this below:
What I said in a tweet, after all of that discussion started, was that I didn't care what color he was, so long as he could command the screen, draw fast and shoot straight. It doesn't make any difference to me. I don't even really see people when I'm writing. If I'm writing about a character, I'm behind their eyes. Unless they walk by a mirror or something, I don't even really see what they look like.
What really sort of made it an issue, in my mind, when they cast Idris as Roland was... all of those books were illustrated, to start with. And in all of those pictures, Roland is a white guy. I never thought about that one way or another. But obviously that became part of the mindset.
But you know, it's weird, isn't it? Why shouldn't he be black? Why couldn't it be a black guy to do this? You know what's weirder than that? You see this show Game of Thrones? About Westeros? They're all British! Westeros is basically England, right! And nobody ever questions that. [Laughs] To me, the idea that a black man would play Roland is minor, compared to that.
Wednesday, August 02, 2017
Statement from Congressional Black Caucus Chairman on DOJ Plans to Attack Affirmative Action
“Attorney General Sessions continues to show us again and again who he is and what he is about.
“In January of this year, the CBC expressed grave concerns about the nomination of then Senator Sessions to the post of attorney general because of his decades-long record of hostility to civil rights and equality issues. The New York Times report that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning to use tax payer funds to expand its current assault on communities of color is more proof that our concerns were well-founded. In fact, with each passing day of the Trump Administration, the CBC’s worst fears about Attorney General Sessions are quickly becoming reality.
“Instead of standing up for himself to a president who called him ‘very weak’ and ‘beleaguered,’ Attorney General Sessions has chosen to pick on minority students who are in pursuit of a college education, opportunity, and the American Dream. In doing so, he’s appealing to the lowest common denominator in our country, people who wrongly believe that minority students who benefit from efforts to promote diversity and equality are ignorant, undeserving, and unqualified.
“Also, in doing so, he is re-litigating last year’s Supreme Court ruling upholding decades of precedent in favor of affirmative action in higher education. His re-litigation of settled law promotes the false narrative that efforts to ensure more people of color have access to higher education is a war on white people. It also chills diversity and equality efforts in higher education by intimidating the academic community.
“In Fisher v. University of Texas, the Supreme Court held that colleges and universities had a ‘lawful’ and ‘compelling interest’ in including racial diversity as a part of their mission because of the ‘educational benefits that flow from student body diversity.’ The court also held that race could be considered along with merit-based criteria in admissions decisions. Now, Attorney General Sessions wants to turn back the clock to the darker days in our history when minority students couldn’t get into the schools of their choice because of racist admissions practices.
“In addition to this attack on Affirmative Action, Attorney General Sessions has taken steps to increase voter suppression, promote private prisons, revive the failed war on drugs, and incentivize mass incarceration, which hurts families and communities. The CBC is strongly opposed to these efforts and will continue to push back on DOJ’s obvious attempts to limit the rights of communities of color.”
John Conyers statement on Trump Administration Plans to attack affirmative action
“While we cannot comment on the veracity of this alleged memo, we are deeply concerned by news reports that the Department of Justice intends to challenge the application of affirmative action programs in colleges and universities. What is already clear is the Trump Administration’s public record of attacking civil rights protections on multiple fronts.
“As ranking members, we led 86 Members of the House in an amicus brief in support of affirmative action programs in higher education. We were one of nearly 70 organizations to take the same position, including retired Chiefs of Staff of our nation’s Armed Services, leading Fortune 500 companies, academics, 19 state governors, the faith community and many others. The position that we took was ultimately affirmed by the Supreme Court – the consideration of race and ethnicity to achieve diversity in admissions is a constitutional and is a compelling state interest that can be achieved through narrowly tailored means.
“Whether it is the Department of Justice’s decision to examine the use of consent decrees with state and local police departments, which are designed to reduce instances of police brutality and discriminatory treatment; Attorney General Session’s decision to return to the harsh application of mandatory minimum sentences which have been proven to be racially discriminatory and counterproductive to reducing crime; the White House’s so-called election integrity commission which purports to “solve” voter fraud while requesting the most personal data of the Nation’s 200 million registered voters; or efforts to weaken the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) – agencies charged with the enforcement of employment nondiscrimination laws, the Trump administration has not wasted any opportunity to roll back existing civil rights protections for underrepresented minorities.
“Further, the Administration’s reactionary efforts were signaled in the White House’s proposed budget to which reduces or eliminated funding tied to the enforcement of federal civil rights laws. The Trump Administration’s budget undermines the constitutional promise of Brown v. Board of Education by cutting federal funding to support public schools that serve our nation’s poorest students. It proposes elimination of the environmental justice program, gutting the primary tool to examine and address the impact of environmental policies and decisions on communities of color, low-income and tribal communities. And proving the adage “any rights without remedies are no rights at all,” the President’s budget proposes eliminating federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) that provides civil legal aid for low income Americans to help them have their day in court.
“These actions, already on the record, provide a clear, yet unsettling picture of this Administration’s hostile view of the federal government’s role in protecting civil rights.”
NAACP denounces DOJ's plan to target Affirmative Action Programs
The NAACP, the country’s original and largest social justice organization denounces the U.S. Department of Justice’s plans to investigate and sue higher education institutions whose admission policies promote the inclusion of people of color. The NAACP issued the following statement.
Trump’s Justice Department seems laser-focused on achieving rights and privileges for ‘just-us’; totally excluding people of color. It’s not enough that President Trump proposes to radically cut the 2018 education budget and undermine public schools which would adversely affect African-Americans and his supporters alike, but now his Administration is preparing to investigate and prosecute colleges and universities that strive to admit more people of color.” said Derrick Johnson, interim president and CEO. “Affirmative action was not created as a way for African-Americans, Latinos, or Asian-Americans to get an unfair advantage over their white peers. It’s a mechanism to level the playing field and create equal opportunity for people of color following decades of oppression. We should foster efforts to promote diversity on college and university campuses not hinder it.”
“The Supreme Court has ruled time and time again that affirmative action policies are consistent with our Constitution. For the Justice Department to even suggest otherwise is not only disrespectful to the highest court in the land, it’s un-American and plain ol’ nasty,” said Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP board of directors. “Practices like investigating universities and colleges for affirmative action policies continue to demonstrate that President Trump is wholly disinterested in the prosperity of black people. The NAACP counts education as one of the essential elements African-Americans — and all Americans – need to achieve a healthy community. The Justice Department’s covert decision to make higher education more difficult for African-Americans to attain is underhanded and won’t be tolerated.”
Tuesday, August 01, 2017
Cory Booker Introduces Bill to End the Federal Prohibition on Marijuana
U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced a landmark bill to reverse decades of failed drug policy that has disproportionately impacted communities of color. Booker announced the bill earlier today on Facebook Live.
The Marijuana Justice Act would remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances, making it legal at the federal level. The bill would also incentivize states through federal funds to change their marijuana laws if those laws were shown to have a disproportionate effect on low-income individuals and/or people of color.
The bill is retroactive and would apply to those already serving time behind bars for marijuana-related offenses, providing for a judge’s review of marijuana sentences.
“Our country’s drug laws are badly broken and need to be fixed,” Senator Booker said. “They don’t make our communities any safer – instead they divert critical resources from fighting violent crimes, tear families apart, unfairly impact low-income communities and communities of color, and waste billions in taxpayer dollars each year.
“Descheduling marijuana and applying that change retroactively to people currently serving time for marijuana offenses is a necessary step in correcting this unjust system. States have so far led the way in reforming our criminal justice system and it’s about time the federal government catches up and begins to assert leadership.”
"This bill is the most ambitious marijuana bill we have seen in Congress,” Queen Adesuyi, Policy Associate at the Drug Policy Alliance, said. “Uniquely, it recognizes the fact that people of color have borne the brunt of the failed war on drugs and seeks to repair the damage done. We applaud Senator Booker for his leadership on this issue.”
Arrests for marijuana now account for more than half of all drug arrests in the U.S., and black Americans too often bear the brunt of these misguided laws. Blacks are nearly four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession as whites are, despite the fact that there’s no difference in marijuana use between the two groups.
Current drug laws have led police officers to arrest more Americans for possession of marijuana than for all violent crimes – armed robbery, murder, sexual assault – combined.
The Marijuana Justice Act seeks to reverse these troubling trends and fix our broken marijuana laws.
Specifically, the Marijuana Justice Act will:
· Remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances, making it legal at the federal level;
· Incentivize states through federal funds to change their marijuana laws if marijuana in the state is illegal and the state disproportionately arrests or incarcerates low-income individuals and people of color for marijuana-related offenses;
· Automatically expunge federal marijuana use and possession crimes;
· Allow an individual currently serving time in federal prison for marijuana use or possession crimes to petition a court for a resentencing;
· Create a community reinvestment fund to reinvest in communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs and allow those funds to be invested in the following programs:
o Job training;
o Reentry services;
o Expenses related to the expungement of convictions;
o Public libraries;
o Community centers;
o Programs and opportunities dedicated to youth; and
o Health education programs.
Booker has seen the effects of our broken marijuana laws first-hand, dating back to his time as a tenant lawyer, City Council member, and Mayor of Newark, where he created the city’s first office of prisoner re-entry to help formerly incarcerated individuals re-integrate into their communities.
In the Senate, Booker has been an outspoken critic of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ effort to revive the failed War on Drugs. Earlier this year, he re-introduced the bipartisan CARERS Act, which would allow patients to access medical marijuana in states where it’s legal without fear of federal prosecution. He is also co-author of bills to restrict the use of juvenile solitary confinement and reform the way women are treated behind bars.
Monday, July 31, 2017
HBO statement on #NoConfederate
There has been controversy around HBO's upcoming show Confederate since it was announced. During last nights airing on Game of Thrones #NoConfederate began trending. The hashtag is part of a campaign to get HBO to cancel the show before it even airs.The campaign was organized by April Reign, the activist behind #OscarsSoWhite.
This Sunday at 9pm ET, during @GameOfThrones, we ask you to stand with us. We want to send a message to @hbo using hashtag #NoConfederate.
— April (@ReignOfApril) July 28, 2017
Many are upset because Confederate is a show that will chronicle events leading to the "Third American Civil War". It takes place in an alternate timeline, where the southern states have successfully seceded from the Union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution.
HBO has released the following statement on #NoConfederate:
“We have great respect for the dialogue and concern being expressed around ‘Confederate.’ We have faith that Nichelle, Dan, David and Malcolm will approach the subject with care and sensitivity. The project is currently in its infancy so we hope that people will reserve judgment until there is something to see.”
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Announces 47th Annual Legislative Conference
Washington, D.C. -- Join the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) for the 47th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) in Washington, D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, September 20 - 24, 2017.
This year's conference theme, "And Still I RISE" reflects a legacy of resilience that emphasizes the collective strength of the black community to rise above continued racial inequalities.
Don't miss this awe-inspiring 5-day policy conference with legislators, thought leaders, subject experts, and celebrities! Purchase your tickets today before pre-conference registration ends on Saturday, September 9. Tickets can be purchased at cbcfinc.org/alc.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Simone Manuel takes 100-meter gold at FINA World Championships
American swimmer Simone Manuel proved her winning performance in the 100-meter freestyle at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro wasn’t a fluke on Friday when she added another gold to her growing medal collection by winning the event at the FINA World Championships in Budapest.
Manuel, who had never medaled in the event at worlds before, set a new American record on Friday, winning in 52.27 seconds.
The 20-year-old also beat out heavy favorite Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, who holds the world record in the event and had days earlier swam the length in 51.71 seconds as part of Sweden’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. (Incidentally, Team USA, which included Manuel, ended up winning that event, too.)
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