Florida to replace Confederate statue in US Capitol with statue of black woman

Florida could soon help diversify the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, by replacing a Confederate general's likeness with the hall's first statue honoring an African-American woman.

The state Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to install a statue of educator Mary McLeod Bethune in the spot where a statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith still stands.

"It's a way of recognizing our history, but also our diversity. It shows Florida in our best light," said the bill's sponsor, Democratic Sen. Perry Thurston. "It's a major message. It shows not only Florida, but the nation that we are coming together and trying to recognize all of our history."

Bethune founded Daytona Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904, which eventually became Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach.

Two years ago the state Legislature voted to remove Smith's statue from the U.S. Capitol over the objection of some members who said that was an effort to erase Southern history.

Smith is famously remembered as the last Confederate officer to surrender a significant force at the end of the Civil War, nearly two months after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia and formally ended the war on April 9, 1865.

The law requiring the removal of the Smith statue set up a process to replace it.

An independent committee reviewed 130 recommendations from Floridians and presented the Legislature with three choices: Bethune; Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who wrote "The Everglades: River of Grass" and is credited with helping create that national park preserving 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares) of wetlands in southern Florida; and George Washington Jenkins, who started the Publix supermarket chain.

Bethune was the committee's only unanimous choice.

[SOURCE: ABC NEWS]

Congressional Black Caucus to Trump: Thank Obama for black unemployment rate

President Donald Trump opened his first State of the Union address Tuesday night touting low unemployment rates among black Americans.

The Congressional Black Caucus was not very impressed and released the following tweet in response:

Much like the money he inherited from his father to start his business, @realDonaldTrump inherited the low black unemployment rate from @BarackObama. #SOTU #ThanksObama

— Black Caucus (@OfficialCBC) January 31, 2018

The CBC also showed their lack of enthusiasm for Trump's remarks about the African American unemployment rate by giving little to no response:

Members of Congressional Black Caucus offer no reaction as Pres. Trump says "African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded" in #SOTU address https://t.co/q18EZzVe9p pic.twitter.com/Xxkqc7hFt9

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2018

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History Wins 2017 Design of the Year

Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup’s Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. has been selected as the winner of the Beazley Design of the Year for 2017.

Presented by the Design Museum in London, the award is given to the project that best meets the criteria of design that “promotes or delivers change, enables access, extends design practice or captures the spirit of the year.”

In being named both overall winner and winner of the architecture category, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture outpaced impressive shortlisted projects from OMA, Zaha Hadid Architects, and more, as well as winners from five other categories: Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Product, and Transport.

'We couldn’t look any further than the Smithsonian for the overall award. It is a project of beautiful design, massive cultural impact, delivers an emotional experience and has a scale deserved of this major award,” said jury member Ozwald Boateng OBE. “You enter the building clouded in darkness and work your way through the displays and end bathed in light - this is a project that feels like a major turning point.’

Read more: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History Wins 2017 Design of the Year.

Black Mayors Vow “To Protect Immigrants”

Toni Harp, the president of the African-American Mayors Association — made the following statement vowing to protect immigrants on behalf of “more than 500” black mayors across the country:

“This nation has always been a melting pot of people from different countries, different ethnicities and different races. Rather than celebrating this diversity, the current Administration continues to attack immigrants and people of color, many of whom have spent their entire lives in the U.S. and do not know another home. Nearly 44 million immigrants currently reside in the U.S. Over 20 million of them are naturalized citizens. Thirty six percent of U.S.-born children of immigrants are college graduates— 5 percent higher than the national average —and 64 percent are homeowners, which is on par with the national average. Immigrants are our neighbors, colleagues and friends and are productive members of our society.

“Mayors have an obligation to defend the cities they are elected to serve, and protect society’s most vulnerable citizens. The rhetoric coming out of the White House is disheartening and offensive to the hardworking immigrants living and working legally across the country. The cities we represent are not ridden with gangs, cartels and criminals as this Administration claims. In fact, a 2017 Cato Institute study found that the 2014 incarceration rate for 18 to 54 year-old immigrants — both authorized and unauthorized — was considerably lower than that of the U.S.-born population.

“It’s time this Administration holds itself to a higher standard. This is not a country of racists and bigots. We are a country that proudly houses a diverse population, each with a unique background and story. It is un-American to attack immigrants and the people seeking to protect them. We stand with the hundreds of mayors who want their cities to remain safe places for immigrants to call home. Our communities will continue to safeguard American values, and remain welcoming places for all, for the sake of our security and our national character.”

Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires

With Black History Month approaching I thought that a book titled, Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires by Shomari Wills might be of interest to many.  George L. Cook III African American Reports.

The astonishing untold history of America’s first black millionaires—former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring Twenties—self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.

While Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Will Smith are among the estimated 35,000 black millionaires in the nation today, these famous celebrities were not the first blacks to reach the storied one percent. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of smart, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.

Black Fortunes is an intriguing look at these remarkable individuals, including Napoleon Bonaparte Drew—author Shomari Wills’ great-great-great-grandfather—the first black man in Powhatan County (contemporary Richmond) to own property in post-Civil War Virginia. His achievements were matched by five other unknown black entrepreneurs including:

• Mary Ellen Pleasant, who used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of abolitionist John Brown;
• Robert Reed Church, who became the largest landowner in Tennessee;
• Hannah Elias, the mistress of a New York City millionaire, who used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem;
• Orphan and self-taught chemist Annie Turnbo-Malone, who developed the first national brand of hair care products;
• Madam C. J Walker, Turnbo-Malone’s employee who would earn the nickname America’s "first female black millionaire;"
• Mississippi school teacher O. W. Gurley, who developed a piece of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a "town" for wealthy black professionals and craftsmen" that would become known as "the Black Wall Street."

Check Out The Book

Maxine Waters set to respond to Trump after State of the Union

Auntie Maxine BKA as Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is slated to deliver a televised address immediately following President Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

Waters, one of Trump’s most vocal critics, will appear on “Angela Rye’s State of the Union” on BET, according to BuzzFeed News.

Rye, a Democratic strategist and commentator, is set to produce quarterly news programs for the network focused on issues affecting black Americans.

A spokesperson for BET told BuzzFeed that activists and other elected officials will join Waters to discuss the first year of the Trump presidency following his speech, and will discuss “building black politics and the value of engagement across today’s socio-political landscape."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Cory Booker: Trump ‘doesn’t see himself as subject to the rule of law’

During an appearance on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 show, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said that he is concerned by President Donald Trump's behavior and troubled by the reports that he attempted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

Jemele Hill Statement On leaving ESPN's 'SportsCenter'

Jemele Hill, the “SportsCenter” anchor who found herself in the middle of a political firefight last year after tweeting about President Trump, is leaving “SportsCenter” to work at The Undefeated, ESPN’s sub-site focused on race and culture. Sports Illustrated reported that the move is believed to be Hill’s decision. Read Hill's statement on her departure below:

NAACP sues Homeland Security over Haiti immigration policy

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) designation for Haitian immigrants discriminates against immigrants of color, in violation of the Fifth Amendment, according to a new lawsuit filed today on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

The lawsuit claims that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), former Acting DHS Secretary Elaine C. Duke, and current DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielson took irrational and discriminatory government action, denying Haitian immigrants their right to due process and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.  The NAACP, acting on behalf of its Haitian members who are TPS protected, argues that DHS intended to discriminate against Haitian immigrants living in the United States because of their race and national origin.

“This is a simple case. Our democracy rests on the bedrock principle that every person is equal before the law. Governmental decisions that target people based on racial discrimination violate our Constitution,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President & Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. “The decision by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants was infected by racial discrimination. Every step taken by the Department to reach this decision reveals that far from a rational and fact-based determination, this decision was driven by calculated, determined and intentional discrimination against Haitian immigrants.”

“The action by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants is clearly racially motivated,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO. “The U.S. Constitution prohibits singling out certain immigrants for harsh treatment based on their skin color and/or ethnicity.  But more than that, basic fairness militates against this draconian action taken by DHS under the direction of President Trump.”

The lawsuit seeks to enjoin DHS’s November 2017 decision to rescind Temporary Protective Status for Haitian immigrants, as it reflects “an egregious departure from the TPS statute’s requirements and the intent to discriminate on the basis of race.” The lawsuit also asks the Court to declare that DHS violated the United States Constitution and the rule of law in rescinding the Haitian TPS, and to declare the action void and without legal force.

As evidence of the intent to discriminate, the lawsuit cites public reporting that DHS sought crime data on Haitians with TPS, as well as information on how many Haitian nationals were receiving public benefits. The lawsuit alleges that the Department’s efforts to gather this specific data on Haitian TPS designees “trades on false anti-Black stereotypes about criminality and exploitation of public benefits, and suggests the effort to manufacture a public safety rationale for the planned rescission.”

The complaint further alleges that President Trump’s public hostility toward immigrants of color was a contributing factor in the decision to rescind Haitian TPS. For example, in a recently reported White House meeting with several U.S. Senators, Trump disparaged a draft immigration plan that protected people from Haiti, El Salvador and some African countries, and noted his preference for immigrants from mostly white European countries.  Earlier in 2017, the President suggested that Haitians “all have AIDS,” upon learning that 15,000 Haitians had received visas to enter the United States. He reportedly asked, “Why do we need more Haitians?”

“It’s disheartening to see the Haitian community targeted and mistreated in this way, but it also is not surprising,” said Raymond Audain, Senior Counsel at LDF. “This decision reflects a shameful and persistent pattern of conduct by this Administration in which racial stereotypes drive policy decisions.”

Haitian immigrants first received Temporary Protective Status in 2010 as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to assist the country after it was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. Haiti’s TPS designations have been extended multiple times due to many factors, including multiple hurricanes and a cholera outbreak. On November 20, 2017, the DHS announced its plans to terminate temporary protective status for Haiti, which would go into effect in May 2019, ignoring bipartisan pleas to extend TPS designation for Haitian immigrants.

“Our great nation fought a civil war to establish the bedrock principle that the government may not discriminate against any person, whether citizen or non-citizen, based on that person’s race or ethnicity.  The NAACP stands ready to challenge any violation of that principle, as today’s action clearly demonstrates,” said Bradford M. Berry, General Counsel of the NAACP.

The full complaint can be read here.

Get Out receives four Academy Award nominations

Jordan Peele's horror film Get Out, which has received praise for its performances and thought-provoking take on race in America, received four Academy Award nominations Tuesday, including one for best picture.

Peele made history becoming the first black director to receive nominations in the writing, directing, and producing categories for his first feature film.

Peele tweeted his gratitude to the fans that made the movie both a critical and commercial success:

Right now I’m just thinking about everyone who bought a ticket and told someone else to. You did this. Thank you. ✊🏾

— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) January 23, 2018

Get Out was nominated for:

Best Picture

Directing: Jordan Peele

Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Kaluuya

Original Screenplay: Jordan Peele

Virginia Lt. governor protest honoring Confederate general

Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, the second African-American to serve in that role, stepped off the dais where he presides over the state Senate on Monday when Republicans moved to adjourn in memory of Confederate Gen. Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson.

“It’s a personal decision for me,” Fairfax said afterward. “There are people in Virginia history that I think it’s appropriate to memorialize and remember in that way, and others that I would have a difference of opinion on.”

Fairfax was going to do the same last Friday after learning about plans honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose birthday is a state holiday. In the mid-1980s, Virginia began marking Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday the same as Lee-Jackson-King Day. In 2000, Gov. Jim Gilmore called for separating them.

Fairfax said that when he was sworn into the statewide office on Jan. 13, he kept in his pocket a reproduction of a document freeing members of the Fairfax family in Virginia from slavery in 1798.

“I felt … in honor of my family and in honor of the journey that Virginia has taken and so many others have taken for progress, that I would prefer not to preside over those adjournment motions.”

Kamala Harris: Why she voted against ending government shutdown

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement today on her vote against the motion to invoke cloture on the stopgap spending bill:

“Our government made a promise to our Dreamers and it is long past time that we kept that promise. These are young people who are Americans in every respect except on paper. They have been waiting far too long to live securely in the only place they have ever called home.

“The Majority Leader’s comments last night fell far short of the ironclad guarantee I needed to support a stopgap spending bill. I refuse to put the lives of nearly 700,000 young people in the hands of someone who has repeatedly gone back on his word. I will do everything in my power to continue to protect Dreamers from deportation.

“It is also time that we stop governing from crisis to crisis and ensure that priorities critical to Californians are funded for the future. I will continue to work with my colleagues to find a long-term solution that supports members of our military and national security priorities, funds children’s health insurance and community health centers, provides resources for those recovering from disasters like the California wildfires, and guarantees a future for young immigrants who are as American as all of us.”

Lowe's donates $500,000 to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

In recognition of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, Lowe’s has donated $500,000 to UNCF’s 37 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to award emergency student aid to graduating seniors who need financial support. UNCF’s Emergency Student Aid (ESA) is a lifeline for UNCF-supported HBCU students with unanticipated needs or special circumstances such as the loss of a parent’s job. Nearly 240 seniors received aid during the 2016-17 academic year, allowing them to stay in school and on track to graduate.

“This gift given at this time is a fitting tribute to the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO. “For more than 30 years, Lowe’s has been a vital partner in UNCF’s continuing mission to increase post-secondary access and success for students attending its member schools who need critical funding to earn their degrees. We want to say ‘thank you’ to Lowe’s for its substantial investment in better futures for students across the United States.”

Since 2009, Lowe’s has partnered with UNCF’s emergency student aid program to provide $4.7 million in just-in-time aid. Thanks to Lowe’s long-term commitment to increasing post-secondary success for students at UNCF member schools, more than 1,700 students have been able to graduate on time. A UNCF partner since 1985, Lowe’s has donated more than $5 million to UNCF over the past three decades.

“Lowe’s commitment to improving communities begins by supporting organizations that give students the resources to become tomorrow’s business and community leaders,” said James Frison, Director of Community Relations. “By supporting organizations like UNCF, Lowe’s is contributing to a cause that is important to our customers and employees and invests in helping students achieve their fullest potential by completing their college degrees.”

UNCF, the nation’s largest and most effective minority education assistance organization, launched ESA in 2009 to help recession-impacted students at risk of having to interrupt their studies and delay their degrees due to unpaid tuition balances, textbooks and room and board fees. In supporting UNCF’s ESA, Lowe’s offered support in a major way again this academic year to help students walk across the finish line. Since 2009, more than $27 million has been raised and disbursed to UNCF-supported students attending UNCF-member HBCUs.To donate to UNCF’s Emergency Student Aid, visit UNCF.org/ESA.

Viola Davis speaks up for women and girls of color at Women's March

Actress Viola Davis speaks up for all women, especially women of color and of her own experience of sexual abuse at the Women's March in Los Angeles. Watch her full speech below:

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser: Local government will remain open during shutdown

Washington D.C. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called a news conference from the National Mall Friday morning to assure residents the District government would remain open and continue to provide uninterrupted service.

“Regardless of whether or not the federal government shuts down, D.C. government will be open for business,” Bowser said.

City officials reiterated Friday a potential shutdown would have no effect on city trash collection, traffic monitoring, first responders and public safety activities.

And Bowser said she has called on her agencies “where we are able, to step in for the federal government.”

D.C. Department of Public Works Director Chris Shorter said the District would be collecting trash on the National Mall and 126 other national parks throughout D.C. and servicing 372 litter cans on federal land throughout the city during a shutdown.

“While we are picking up the slack for the federal government, I want to assure all District residents that the city services that they count on, such as trash, recycling collections as well as parking enforcement will continue as normal,” Shorter said.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donohue said the extra work for trash collection on federal land would amount to about $100,000 per week in personnel costs. Bowser said the city will be tracking those costs and plans to seek reimbursement from the federal government.

[SOURCE: WTOP]

Former RNC chair: 'This shutdown rests at the feet of the GOP'

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele says that the GOP is to blame for the government shutdown after lawmakers missed the deadline to pass a funding bill late Friday.

"Despite the rhetorical effort to paste Democrats with 'Schumer's Shutdown' and to redefine what constitutes majority control of the Senate ('60'? Really?), the fact remains that this shutdown rests at the feet of the GOP and it appears a majority of Americans agree," Steele told Politico.

Steele, who chaired the RNC from 2009-2011, before former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, called the shutdown "pitiful" and said it "certainly could have been avoided."

The former Republican Party chief blamed President Trump for sinking a potential deal, saying Trump "wound up negotiating against himself by taking a potential agreement off the table."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Facebook appoints first African American to its Board of Directors

Facebook announced today the addition of Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO of American Express, to its board of directors. His appointment becomes effective Feb. 5, 2018.

“I’ve been trying to recruit Ken for years,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a press release. “He has unique expertise in areas I believe Facebook needs to learn and improve — customer service, direct commerce, and building a trusted brand. Ken also has a sense of social mission and integrity I admire and the perspective that comes from running an important public company for decades.”

Chenault, who joined American Express in 1981, has been chairman and CEO of the massive financial services company since 2001. In addition to serving on Facebook’s board, Chenault serves on the boards of IBM, Procter & Gamble, the Harvard Corporation and others.

Unlike Facebook’s other board members, Chenault is black. In fact, Chenault is the first black person to serve on Facebook’s board of directors.

“I’m delighted to join the board and look forward to working with Mark and the other directors as Facebook continues to build communities that help bring people closer to friends, family and the world around them,” Chenault said in a press release.

[SOURCE: TECHCRUNCH]

Congressional Black Caucus Introduces Resolution to Censure Trump for Racist Comments

Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the House Judiciary Committee – led by CBC Chairman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02) and Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10) respectively – introduced a resolution to censure President Trump for the racist “shithole” comments he made about Haiti and African countries during a bipartisan January 11, 2018, meeting on American immigration policy. The resolution currently has nearly 150 Democratic co-sponsors.

Specifically, the resolution censures President Trump for the following:

·         Questioning whether Haitians needed to be included in the compromise. “Haitians, why do we need more Haitians? Take them out,” President Trump said.

·         Referring to African countries as “shitholes” or “shithouses;” and

·         Suggesting that instead of accepting immigrants from predominately black Haiti and African countries, the United States should instead allow more immigration from predominately white countries like Norway.

Joint Statement from CBC Chairman Richmond and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Nadler:

“We were deeply disturbed and offended by President Trump’s remarks regarding Haiti and African countries. The countries he called ‘shitholes’ produce immigrants that are remarkable and make significant contributions to our country. A high percentage of those immigrants have college degrees and when they get here they create businesses and jobs.

“These remarks have compelled us to prepare a resolution of censure with our colleagues, to condemn President Trump for his racist statements. This censure resolution is important because America is a beacon of hope. We have to show the world that this president does not represent the real feelings of most of the American people which is part of the reason why he lost the popular vote.

“The President’s bigoted fearmongering is not acceptable and his remarks completely warrant total condemnation and censure from Congress. American immigration policy cannot and should not be guided in any way, shape or form by racism.  

“We will be asking Republican Leadership to bring our resolution of censure up for swift consideration and approval. Congress must speak with one voice in condemning these offensive and anti-American remarks. There is no excuse for it.”

In addition to Chairman Richmond and Ranking Member Nadler, co-sponsors include House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn, House Democratic Chairman Joe Crowley, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Constituents can become “community co-sponsors” of the resolution by clicking here.

In August, a majority of the CBC and House Judiciary Democrats co-sponsored a resolution to censure President Trump for his “both sides” response to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville. That resolution was led by Ranking Member Nadler, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), a House Judiciary Committee member, and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), a CBC member.

Trump lies: His African American approval rating has not doubled.

Here's more confirmation of President Trump's delusional views about the relationship between himself and the African American community.

President Donald Trump bragged on Twitter that his approval rating with black Americans has doubled. It hasn't.

Only 15% of black Americans said they approved of Trump's job performance in the days following his inauguration last January — and it's only gone downhill from there. In the most recent Gallup weekly numbers, only 6% of black Americans said they approved of the President's job performance.

The most recent CNN polling, from December, shows that only 3% of black Americans said they approved of how Trump is handling his job nearly a year into his White House tenure.

A whopping 91% said they disapproved.

But that didn't stop Trump from tweeting on Tuesday morning that his approval among black Americans had doubled. "Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better!" he wrote.

It is true that black unemployment has fallen to 6.8% in the most recent data — the lowest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the number in 1972 but still higher than the 4.1% national unemployment rate among all races.

[SOURCE: CNN]

'Black Lightning' is CW Network's biggest premiere in 2 years

The CW’s latest superhero series Black Lightning is looking to be both a critical and ratings hit for the network, and the pilot boasted the network’s highest-rated premiere in two years.

TV Line reports Black Lightning’s pilot episode, “The Resurrection,” scored 2.31 million total viewers and a very solid 0.8 demo rating, the network’s best series premiere in two years behind the launch of Legends of Tomorrow (3.2 million/1.2 demo rating).

Based on the DC Comics property, Black Lightning tells the story of Jefferson Pierce, who retired as Black Lightning after the life of a vigilante became too much of a burden on his family life. Almost a decade later, Jefferson, now a high school principal, must don the costume yet again to fight the evil gang known as The One Hundred. The series premiere has met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, China Anne McClain as his younger daughter Jennifer Pierce, Nafessa Williams as his older daughter Anissa Pierce, Christine Adams as Lynn Pierce, James Remar as Peter Gambi, Damon Gupton as Henderson, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III as Tobias Whale and Chantal Thuy as Grace Choi.