By George L. Cook III African American Reports
The NFL passed a resolution stating that if players are on the field that they must stand for the National Anthem. Here are two reasons I believe that this new policy is misguided. Listen to my thoughts on this below:
In response to mostly African American players kneeling to protest police brutality and racial inequality, NFL owners passed a resolution on Wednesday that allows players to remain in the locker room during the national anthem but those who are on the sidelines will be required to stand. Teams -- not players -- will be fined for any actions deemed disrespectful.
The National Football League Player's Association released the following statement:
The NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new “policy.” NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about.
The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Chairman of the NFL’s Management Council John Mara about the principles, values and patriotism of our League.
Our union will review the new “policy” and challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.
Georgia Democrats selected the first black woman to be a major party nominee for governor in the United States on Tuesday, choosing Stacey Abrams, a liberal former State House leader, who will test just how much the state’s traditionally conservative politics are shifting.
By defeating Stacey Evans, also a former state legislator, Ms. Abrams also became Georgia’s first black nominee for governor, a prize that has eluded earlier generations of African-American candidates in the state. The general election is sure to draw intense national attention as Georgia voters determine whether a black woman can win in the Deep South, a region that has not had an African-American governor since Reconstruction.
She will face either Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the top Republican vote getter Tuesday, or Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Mr. Cagle and Mr. Kemp will vie for their party’s nomination in a July runoff. [SOURCE: NYTIMES]
Stacey Abrams rolled to victory with 76.5% of the vote to Stacey Evans 23.5%.
Former Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton endorsed Stacey Abrams on the eve of the primary vote, making her the latest in a string of high-profile national figures to back her bid to be the nation’s first black female governor.
Clinton recorded a robo-call that described Abrams, a former state House minority leader, as “the only candidate with bold new plans to ensure that Georgians have access to good jobs, quality public schools, affordable childcare and higher education.”
In the robo-call, Clinton touts Abrams’ platform for pushing for voting rights expansions, new restrictions on firearms and Medicaid expansion.
Listen to Hillary Clinton's endorsement below:
In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation’s history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo’s firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States.
In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile founded by Cudjo and other former slaves from his ship. Spending more than three months there, she talked in depth with Cudjo about the details of his life. During those weeks, the young writer and the elderly formerly enslaved man ate peaches and watermelon that grew in the backyard and talked about Cudjo’s past—memories from his childhood in Africa, the horrors of being captured and held in a barracoon for selection by American slavers, the harrowing experience of the Middle Passage packed with more than 100 other souls aboard the Clotilda, and the years he spent in slavery until the end of the Civil War.
Based on those interviews, featuring Cudjo’s unique vernacular, and written from Hurston’s perspective with the compassion and singular style that have made her one of the preeminent American authors of the twentieth-century, Barracoon masterfully illustrates the tragedy of slavery and of one life forever defined by it. Offering insight into the pernicious legacy that continues to haunt us all, black and white, this poignant and powerful work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture.
Hardcover----- Kindle ----- Paperback
There were many memorable moments at the Royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, but one that has many talking is the sermon given by Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry. The 13 minute sermon featured many memorable moments including the Bishop saying, 'Two people fell in love and we all showed up'.
Check out the full transcript below:
“And now in the name of our loving liberating and life-giving God, father, son, and holy spirit, amen. From the song of Solomon in the Bible, set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, passion, fears as its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods. Drown it out.
The late Dr. Martin Luther King once said and I quote, ‘We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love, and when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world.’
Love is the only way. There's power in love. Don't underestimate it. Don't even over sentimentalize it. There's power, power in love. If you don't believe me, think about a time when you first fell in love. The whole world seemed to center around you and your beloved. Well, there's power, power in love, not just in its romantic forms, but any form, any shape of love.
There's a certain sense in which when you are loved and you know it, when someone cares for you and you know it, when you love and you show it, it actually feels right. There's something right about it. And there's a reason for it. The reason has to do with the source. We were made by a power of love and our lives were meant and are meant to be lived in that love. That's why we are here. Ultimately the source of love is God himself. The source of all of our lives.
There's an old medieval poem that says, where true love is found, god himself is there. The new testament says it this way, beloved, let us love one another because love is of god and those who love are born of God and know God, those who do not love do not know God, why? For God is love. There's power in love. There's power in love to help and heal when nothing else can. There's power in love, to lift up and liberate when nothing else will. There's power in love to show us the way to live. Set me as a seal on your heart. A seal on your arm. For love, it is strong.
But love is not only about a young couple. Now the power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we're all here. Two young people fell in love and we all showed up. But it's not just for and about a young couple who we rejoice with. It's more than that. Jesus of Nazareth on one occasion was asked by a lawyer the sum of the essence of the teachings of Moses and he went back and reached back into the Hebrew scriptures and Jesus said, ‘you shall love the lord, your god, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. This is the first and great commandment.’
And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. And then in Matthews' version, he added, he said on these two, love of God and love of neighbor, hang all the law, all the prophets, everything that Moses wrote, everything in the holy prophets, everything in the scriptures, everything that God has been trying to tell the world, love god. Love your neighbors. And while you're at it, love yourself.
Someone once said that Jesus began most revolutionary movement in all of human history, a movement grounded in the unconditional love of God for the world. And a movement mandating people to live that love. And in so doing, to change not only their lives but the very life of the world itself. I'm talking about some power, real power, power to change the world.
If you don't believe me, well, there were some old slaves in America's antebellum south who explained the dynamic power of love and why it has the power, they explained it this way, they sang a spiritual, even in the midst of their captivity, something that can make things right, to make the wounded whole.
“There is a balm in Gilead to heal the soul. They said if you cannot preach like Peter and you cannot pray like Paul, you just tell the love of Jesus how he died to save us all. Oh, that's the balm in Gilead.”
He didn't die for anything he could get out of it. Jesus did not get an honorary doctorate for dying. He didn't—he wasn't getting anything out of it. He gave up his life. He sacrificed his life for the good of others, for the good of the other, for the well-being of the world, for us.
That's what love is. Love is not selfish and self-centered. Love can be sacrificial, and in so doing, becomes redemptive. And that way of unselfish sacrificial redemptive love, changes lives and it can change this world.
If you don't believe me, just stop and think and imagine, think and imagine, well, think and imagine a world where love is the way. Imagine our homes and families when love is the way. Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way. Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce when love is the way. Imagine this tired old world when love is the way.
When love is the way, unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive, when love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again. When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook. When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the Earth will be a sanctuary. When love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields, down by the riverside, to study war no more. When love is the way, there's plenty good room, plenty good room, for all of God's children because when love is the way, we actually treat each other well, like we are actually family. When love is the way, we know that God is the source of us all and we are brothers and sisters, children of God. My brothers and sisters, that's a new heaven, a new Earth, a new world, a new human family.
And let me tell you something, old Solomon was right in the Old Testament, there's fire. With this I will sit down. We got to get you all married. The French Jesuit was one of the great minds and spirits of the 20th century, a Roman Catholic priest, scientist, a scholar, a mystic, in some of his writings he said from his scientific background as well as his theological one, some of his writings, he said, as others have, that the discovery or invention or harnessing of fire was one of the great, one of the great scientific and technological discoveries in all of human history.
Fire, to a great extent, made human civilization possible. Fire, made it possible to cook food and to provide sanitary ways of eating, which reduced the spread of disease in its time. Fire made it possible to heat warm environments and thereby made human migration around the world a possibility, even into colder climates. Fire made it possible—there is no—there was no Bronze Age without fire. No Iron Age without fire. No Industrial Revolution without fire. The advances of science and technology are greatly dependent on the human ability and capacity to take fire and use it for human good.
Anybody get here in a car today? An automobile? Nod your heads if you did. I'm guessing—I know there were some carriages. But those of us who came in cars, fire, the controlled harnessed fire, made that possible. Now that the Bible says and I believe that Jesus walked on the water, but I have to tell you, I didn't walk across the Atlantic Ocean to get here. Controlled fire in that plane got me here. Fire makes it possible for us to text and tweet and e-mail and Instagram and Facebook and socially be dysfunctional with each other. Fire makes all of that possible.
And he said, fire was one of the greatest discoveries in all of human history. He then went on to say, if humanity ever harnesses the energy of fire again, if humanity ever captures the energy of love, it will be the second time in history that we have discovered fire.
Dr. King was right. We must discover love. The redemptive power of love and when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world. My brother, my sister, God love you, God bless you, and my god hold us all in those all mighty hands of love.”
Basketball Hall of Famer, and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell was released from the hospital Saturday after an overnight stay for dehydration.
Russell later posted a tweet which included a photo of him holding a glass of water. He indicated that he was OK and ready for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Back home got my water getting ready for the #CelticsVsCavs Go get a win @celtics @celticslife @nbcsports @si @espn @twittersports #CUsRise @thescore @tmzsports @bleacherreport Thank You again to everyone for the well wishes strange to read them when ur still alive! @NBA @msnbc pic.twitter.com/D030VhOWvd
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) May 19, 2018
The nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday will mark a break from royal-wedding tradition in a number of ways, from the wedding cake to the invitations. Among the wedding’s most significant deviations from the past is the very fact that the bride is Meghan Markle: as a divorced, American, Catholic-raised woman of color, she falls into into several categories that stand out on the British royal family tree.
But some experts believe that Markle — whose father, Thomas Markle, is white and whose mother, Doria Ragland, is African-American — wouldn’t be the first black royal in British history.
One leading theory is that the distinction of being Britain’s first black Queen or first biracial Queen may belong to Queen Charlotte, who became Queen when she married King George III, who reigned from 1760 to 1820. Born Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the German princess was 17 when she married the 22-year-old British monarch, whom she met for the first time about six hours after arriving in Britain. They had 15 children together, 13 of whom lived to adulthood.
According to Mario De Valdes y Cocom, who researched her roots for a PBS Frontline documentary, Queen Charlotte is directly descended from a branch of the Portuguese royal family that had its roots in Africa. When the King of Portugal in the 1200s conquered the town of Faro from the Moors — the Muslim population of the Iberian peninsula, with links to North Africa — he took the governor’s daughter as a lover, and ended up having three children with her, Valdes recently told the Washington Post. Valdes’ research suggests that one of those children married into the de Sousa family, and he has traced six different lines from 15th-century Portuguese noblewoman Margarita de Castro y Sousa down to Queen Charlotte.
There’s evidence that people back then appeared to have noticed that she looked like she may have come from a mixed-race background. The Queen’s personal physician, Baron Stockmar, described her as having “a true mulatto face,” and a poem about the coronation ceremony that was written following her wedding that described her as, “Descended from the warlike Vandal race, / She still preserves that title in her face. / Tho’ shone their triumphs o’er Numidia’s plain…” (This poem is confusing, as a piece of evidence: Numidia was a North African kingdom, but the Vandals were originally Germanic.)
Experts like Valdes also point to paintings of her, including the one shown above, which is from the 1760s and attributed to abolitionist portraitist Allan Ramsay. “She did have mixed-race features, and Ramsay was a portraitist who reflected this accurately and didn’t make her look as if she was white,” says Robert Lacey, a historian and expert on the British Royal Family who has consulted on Netflix’s The Crown and who recently appeared on British streaming service Britbox’s WED Talks series. Such treatment was not a foregone conclusion: For example, Queen-consort Philippa of Hainault, who married King Edward III in 1328, was once described as “brown of skin all over,” but portraits show otherwise.
Read more: Why Historians Aren't Really Sure Whether Meghan Markle Will Be the First British Royal of Color
Summer Lee of Swissvale Pennsylvania has won the Democratic primary as a newcomer to the 34th State House District in a wide victory against incumbent Paul Costa.
Lee is likely headed to Harrisburg next year; she will not face a Republican challenger in the general election in November. She will become one of the few African-American women in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Summer Lee’s supporters have been vocal on Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag #SummerIsComing, a play on HBO show Game of Thrones’ well-known slogan “Winter Is Coming.” The phrase is a vote of confidence for a candidate challenging a local political dynasty. And her supporters believe, like winter in Westeros, she’s a long-awaited phenomenon.
"This win means everything we've been trying to say: trust black women, elect black women," said Marita Garrett, the first black female mayor of Wilkinsburg and a Lee supporter. "By Summer shattering the glass and becoming the first black female representative from this area, it's just the beginning."
Read more: Progressive Summer Lee Defeats Incumbent Paul Costa In 34th State House District
Cleveland Cavaliers guard George Hill was among this year's graduating class at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis( IUPUI). Hill finished his degree from IUPUI's School of Liberal Arts this spring, nearly 15 years after he began his college studies.
Cleveland's starting guard was excused from practice on Saturday to receive his degree from IUPUI. As his Cavaliers teammates got in one last workout before heading to Boston for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Hill took part in graduation ceremonies at the school in Indianapolis.
The 32-year-old Hill was also one of two student speakers to address the new graduates.
In his commencement address, Hill honored all of his fellow graduates, recognizing that everyone had their own unique journey to get to this moment.
"I have been under the arena lights in some big moments in my life, but none has been bigger than this," Hill said. "For a lot of us, it wasn't easy to get here. It required much sacrifice and an incredible level of commitment, and there is no doubt we are so deserving of this recognition in this building."
Hill played for the Jaguars from 2004-08.
By the time Kwinton Adams graduates high school next month, he will already have a college degree.
California Sen. Kamala Harris said in a tweet Thursday she plans to support her fellow Democratic colleague Cory Booker's legislation, the Marijuana Justice Act to legalize marijuana.
The fact is, marijuana laws are not applied and enforced in the same way for all people. That’s why I've signed onto @CoryBooker’s Marijuana Justice Act to make marijuana legal at the federal level. It’s the smart thing to do. pic.twitter.com/JD5qqm0bfU
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 10, 2018
Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Civil Rights icons Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, is calling for the boycott of Atlanta-based chain Waffle House after a video surfaced of an incident involving a police officer at a location in Warsaw, North Carolina. The video shows an officer choking, then pushing 22-year-old Anthony Wall to the ground. Wall was in formal attire and had just taken his 16-year-old sister to the prom.
King, the CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, took to Twitter Thursday asking people to “stay out of Waffle House until the corporate office” commits to employee training and discussions on racism.
Family, let’s stay out of @WaffleHouse until the corporate office legitimately and seriously commits to 1) discussion on racism, 2) employee training, and 3) other plans to change; and until they start to implement changes. https://t.co/NJWFOBKN7i
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 10, 2018
This is the third part of a series that will focus on African Americans running for office in the U.S. Senate or The House of Representatives on November 6, 2018. A post about any candidate on African American Reports is not an endorsement of anyone unless otherwise stated. George L. Cook III African American Reports.
Tamara Harris is the Democratic candidate for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
Tamara Harris is a family advocate who helps families heal when facing challenging circumstances. A mother herself, she coaches and advises clients and their children in the U.S. and internationally on strategies to become better champions for themselves and children, both in their personal and professional lives. Navigating family difficulties is not new to Tamara. In fact, that is one of the reasons she is running for Congress today.
Tamara witnessed first-hand the importance and hardships of healthcare. Her father, who in his younger years worked as a train porter, passed away after a protracted battle in his later years. During the course of his illness, his medical insurance became insufficient and he had to rely upon Medicare and his only daughter to fund his care. Tamara understands that while she was blessed with the ability to care for her father and was supported by many in that care, this is not the case for many families in New Jersey.
She has sat with mothers and students in social service organizations to help them advocate for their mental health or the mental health of their children. Tamara has mentored students in her capacity as an adjunct lecturer at Montclair State University and New York University. She has served in leadership positions for education organizations that assist low-income and minority students. This includes the United Negro College Fund and the New Jersey Advocates for Education, where she raised more than $1 million to fund merit and need based collegiate scholarships for students residing in cities within Essex County. She has also served on the advisory board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union County in NJ.
Tamara is also an accomplished businesswoman who received her BA and MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. She previously worked for the Prudential Asset Management Group and she would later go on to have a successful career in international finance in the Hong Kong offices of Citigroup and Deutsche Bank. Her business career taught her the value of fostering innovation and creativity to solve problems.
Tamara has also been deeply involved in the democratic process supporting candidates and organizations at the county, state, and federal level. Now, after hearing from family, friends, colleagues and residents of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District calling on her to serve, Tamara has decided to use her experience as a family advocate, philanthropist and problem solver to fix Washington.
After 22 years of ineffective representation, Tamara Harris will bring fresh and unique perspective to the way we approach important policy matters. She is running because the diverse peoples of NJ-11 need a representative that will be leader in Washington, not a follower. As she has done throughout her entire career, Tamara will fight to make sure that every New Jersey resident has an opportunity to thrive and will always put working and middle class families first.
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Dolly Marshall's great-great-grandfather, a Civil War veteran who was buried at Mount Peace Cemetery in Lawnside, New Jersey. The cemetery is one of several sites in the historically African American Camden County community, Mount Peace, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But what Dolly Marshall found on her visit was a far cry from the honor. Years of neglect have taken a toll on the grounds. Many graves have sunken into the earth, headstones toppled, overgrown by wild weeds. The cemetery is littered with trash and leaves.
Luke Cage is back. 
This is the second of a series that will focus on African Americans running for office in the U.S. Senate or The House of Representatives on November 6, 2018. A post about any candidate on African American Reports is not an endorsement of anyone unless otherwise stated. George L. Cook III African American Reports.
On November 6, 2018, Democrat Adrienne Bell of Texas will face against Republican Congressman Randy Weber for a seat in the U.S. of House of Representatives after Bell cruised to victory in the Democrat primary. Bell received 79.8 percent of the vote while Levy Q. Barnes collected 20.19.
Adrienne Bell is a native Houstonian who grew up in the South Park community. Her father, who had a 6th grade education, was a car attendant for the Houston Police Department. Her mother had a 10th grade education, and worked as a waitress and a maid. Adrienne grew up believing in the American dream, and has worked hard to fulfill its promise in her life.
Adrienne wants to wield the power of government to help regular people -- to be a voice for the people ignored in our current political climate. She has served as a Deputy Field Director with Battleground Texas/Wendy Davis for Governor, and on the Houston staff for the Obama 2012 election campaign. She is currently an educator with the largest school district in Texas.
Adrienne believes healthcare is a human right, and vows to fight against the loss of protections for pre-existing conditions or coverage for mental illness by pursuing Medicare for All. She has plans for new investments through federal grants to revitalize the port cities, rebuild infrastructure, and create green jobs across the district. She will push legislation to secure equity in education, because she believes an education should not be based on a student's zip code. She believes in a woman’s right to choose, and will fight for criminal justice reform.
Learn more about Adrienne Bell here: https://www.bell2018.com/issues
Part 1 Black Democrats running for Congress: Democrat Lauren Underwood is running for Congress
This is the first of a series that will focus on African Americans running for office in the U.S. Senate or The House of Representatives on November 6, 2018. A post about any candidate on African American Reports is not an endorsement of anyone unless otherwise stated. George L. Cook III African American Reports.
Former Obama administration staffer, Lauren Underwood a Congressional candidate in the Illinois 14th, won a Democratic primary against six challengers.
She now faces off against Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren in the November midterms in this traditonally Republican, overwhelmingly white majority district.
She is committed to fighting for families and believes that strong jobs, smart investments, and access to affordable health care will put our region back on track.
Lauren Underwood grew up in Naperville, Illinois where she earned her first Girl Scout badge and attended Neuqua Valley High School. On her first day in Girl Scouts, Lauren made the pledge “to help people at all times.” Those early lessons in leadership formed a foundation of service that continues to guide her now as she looks to serve in a different way, representing Illinois’ 14th District in Congress.
Today, Lauren Underwood is a registered nurse, with hands-on experience in America’s healthcare industry. Lauren was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). During her time in the administration, Lauren helped communities across the country prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters, bioterror threats and public health emergencies. As a career public servant at HHS, Lauren helped implement the Affordable Care Act — broadening access for those on Medicare, improving healthcare quality and reforming private insurance.
During a swimming lesson when she was 8 years old, Lauren discovered that she had a heart condition, supraventricular tachycardia, which occasionally prevents her heart from maintaining a normal rhythm. The providers that helped Lauren through her initial treatment made a lasting impression and inspired her career in nursing. As an American with a pre-existing condition, Lauren also understands the real-life importance of quality, affordable health care for working families and their children.
Lauren will bring her firsthand knowledge to Washington and work to propose measures that will preserve and expand access to healthcare for Illinois families. Most recently, Lauren worked with a Medicaid plan in Chicago to ensure that it provided high-quality, cost-efficient care. Lauren also is a teacher, preparing future nurse practitioners through Georgetown University’s online master’s program.
Lauren is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University.
Learn more about Lauren Underwood here: https://www.underwoodforcongress.com/
Part 2 Black Democrats running for congress: Democrat Adrienne Bell is running for Congress
