Congressional Black Caucus issues statement in defense of Maxine Waters

Unlike the current Democratic "leaders," Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who have offered only criticism and no support to Maxine Waters after her comments asking supporters to confront those who work for Trump, The Congressional Black Caucus has stated their support of Waters:

“Congresswoman Waters has been a champion for justice her entire life so it should not be a surprise to anyone who knows her that she has chosen to stand up and speak out against something as unjust as separating young immigrant children from their parents and is encouraging others to do the same. This is who she is and this is who she will always be, and our country is better because of it. 

“In exercising her constitutional right to freedom of speech at a recent rally, Congresswoman Waters did not, as she has made clear, encourage violence, like President Trump has been doing since the election. She, instead, encouraged Americans to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly by letting President Trump and members of his Administration know that separating young immigrant children from their parents is not who we are as a country. 

“We cannot forget that President Trump, as a candidate, encouraged his supporters to beat up his detractors at rallies, and, as president, morally equated white supremacists with anti-racist activists and encouraged police officers to beat up suspects. In fact, almost every day President Trump says something that makes this country more dangerous for people who look like Congresswoman Waters and other minorities. Where is the national conversation on civility in these moments? 

“Does the Administration have a plan to reunite the 2,300 immigrant children who have been separated from their parents? If so, where is it and when will it be implemented? These are the questions we should be asking. But, for some reason, too many folks find it easier to question the motives of the congresswoman who is protesting the unjust policy, instead of the president and administration officials who are implementing it.”

Marilyn Mosby wins re-election as Baltimore state's attorney

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby won a contentious Democratic primary election Tuesday and became the city’s first top prosecutor to be re-elected in a dozen years after fending off weeks of attacks from her two challengers, defense attorney Ivan Bates and former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah.

Mosby, 38, emerged on Maryland’s political scene four years ago with a stunning victory over the city’s previous state’s attorney. She rose to national prominence months later by filing charges against six Baltimore police officers involved in Freddie Gray’s arrest.

With 90 percent of precincts counted at 11 p.m., Mosby was leading with about half the nearly 71,000 votes cast. Bates, 49, was in second, and Vignarajah, 41, trailed both. Vignarajah conceded.

In heavily Democratic Baltimore, winning the party’s primary is tantamount to election. No one from another party filed to run in the general election, so Mosby will be the only candidate listed on the ballot in November.

[SOURCE: BALTIMORE SUN]

Ben Jealous wins Maryland Democratic primary race for governor

Former NAACP chief Ben Jealous won Maryland’s Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, promising to deliver a progressive agenda that makes college free, legalizes marijuana and raises the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Bolstered by support in the Baltimore region, spending from outside groups and an aggressive union-backed turnout machine, Jealous emerged from the six-way primary as Democrats’ bet to take on popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in November.

His victory over fellow front-runner Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, who was backed by the state’s political establishment, demonstrated the growing influence of the progressive wing of the Maryland Democratic Party. His win was part of a wave of victories against establishment candidates in state government.

“Our goal is to not just win an election but to build a movement, which will allow us to lead into law the new agenda that this state so desperately needs,” Jealous told supporters at his Baltimore victory party.

“I know there is skepticism that Larry Hogan can be beaten. Well, we’ve got a message for those who think this race is already over. Larry Hogan will lose in November because he is not ready to run against someone who knows how to build a true people-powered grassroots campaign.”

Maryland has never elected an African-American governor, and Jealous’ victory is just the second time the state has nominated a black man for the job.

[SOURCE: THE BALTIMORE SUN]

Wesley Snipes new book: TALON OF GOD A Novel about the Battle to Prevent Hell on Earth

The acclaimed actor makes his fiction debut with this enthralling urban fantasy in which a holy warrior must convince a doctor with no faith to help stop a powerful demon and his minions from succeeding in creating hell on earth—a thrilling adventure of science and faith, good and evil, damnation and salvation.

Imagine that everyone you have ever known or loved was forced against their will into a state of demonic possession and spiritual slavery. Imagine an unholy cabal of the world’s richest and most powerful men directing this sinister plan in order to cement their unbridled control of the planet.

Imagine two heroes emerging from that darkness to do battle with the forces of evil.

Set in the mean streets of Chicago, Talon of God is the action-packed adventure centered around the Lauryn Jefferson, a beautiful young doctor who is dragged into a seemingly impossible battle against the invisible forces of Satan’s army and their human agents that are bent on enslaving humanity in a mission to establish the kingdom of hell on Earth.

But Lauryn is a skeptic, and it’s only as she sees a diabolical drug sweep her city and begins to train in the ways of a spirit warrior by the legendary man of God, Talon Hunter, that she discovers her true nature and inner strength. Facing dangerous trials and tests, it’s a true baptism by fire. And if they fail, millions could die. And rivers of blood would flow throughout the land.

Imagine such horror. Such pain. And imagine what it would take to fight against it. For only the strongest and most faithful will survive?

Get ready. Armageddon approaches quickly.

KINDLE---- PAPERBACK----- HARDCOVER

Maxine Waters calls on supporters to confront Trump officials

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) on Saturday called on her supporters at a rally to confront Trump Cabinet officials in public spaces like restaurants and department stores to protest the administration's policies.

"I have no sympathy for these people that are in this administration who know it is wrong what they're doing on so many fronts but they tend to not want to confront this president," Waters said at a Los Angeles rally on Saturday.

"For these members of his cabinet who remain and try to defend him they're not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they're not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they're not going to be able to shop at a department store, the people are going to turn on them, they're going to protest, they're going to absolutely harass them until they decide that they're going to tell the president 'no I can't hang with you, this is wrong this is unconscionable and we can't keep doing this to children,'" she continued.

Waters' call comes as the Trump administration faces major backlash over the handling of its "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which has resulted in the separation of immigrant families.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Two African Americans are leading candidates in Maryland's Democratic Primary for governor

Only two African Americans have won governorships in U.S. history. On Tuesday, Maryland voters will face an almost unprecedented showdown between two prominent African American candidates running for the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

The front-runners are Rushern Baker, the Prince George’s County executive, and Ben Jealous, the former head of the NAACP. A third leading contender, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, died suddenly last month.

Baker is seen as the more pragmatic candidate, while Jealous has raced to embrace a more progressive agenda. The results will hint at which direction voters in this deeply blue state want their party to take. Baker has support from local Democratic stalwarts like Sen. Chris Van Hollenand former Gov. Martin O’Malley, while Jealous has backing from Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

Polls show a tight race, with Jealous on the rise. But Baker has a firm base in the vote-rich Washington suburbs; four years ago, when then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) won the Democratic primary, he took 50,000 more votes out of Prince George’s County than his two leading rivals combined.

The winner faces a tough task in November, against popular Gov. Larry Hogan (R), whose approval rating even among Democrats is north of 50 percent. But in a blue wave, the Democratic nomination is worth having: Maryland’s last Republican governor, Bob Ehrlich, lost his re-election bid to O’Malley even though his approval rating was strong.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Ava DuVernay: First African American woman to direct a $100 million grossing film

Congratulations are in order for Ava DuVernay, the acclaimed film director of films like 'Selma' and '13th'. Her film, A Wrinkle in time has crossed the $100 million dollar mark making her the first African American female director to hit that milestone.

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

Due to Incredibles 2 playing in drive-in theaters, Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time has jumped the $100 million mark at the domestic box office, a first for a black female director. The two films are playing together at drive-ins, with revenues split between them. A Wrinkle in Time, which is otherwise done with its theatrical run, had earned around $98 million before Incredibles 2 debuted last weekend.

Tuskegee University develops new breast cancer test

A team led by Tuskegee University researchers have developed a new way to detect the most aggressive and fatal form of breast cancer.

The university and researchers hope the new method may hold the potential for earlier detection and more informed treatment decisions.

The breakthrough was detailed in an article in PLOS ONE,a publication tied to the Public Library of Science. The article, “AR Negative Triple Negative or ‘Quadruple Negative’ Breast Cancers in African-American Women Have an Enriched Basal and Immune Signature,” shows researchers have developed a fourth testing marker to complement the other three biomarker-based methods.

Dr. Clayton Yates, a professor of biology and director of Tuskegee University’s multidisciplinary Center for Biomedical Research, published the team's findings. Support for the research come through the National Cancer Institute’s Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity program, otherwise known as the U54 program.

“Scientifically speaking, our research suggests that the expression of the androgen receptor (the receptor for testosterone), should be added to the current set of prognostic markers — estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 — used to test for classify and determine the aggressiveness of breast cancer,” Yates said.

“As with any fight, you have to know your enemy. Imagine going into battle not knowing if you needed a BB gun, a shotgun, or a bazooka,” Yates said. “With this additional testing option, physicians will be able to better define the enemy and develop a more precise treatment plan. This, in turn, promises to be more effective for the patient — not to mention safer and less expensive — in the long run.”

Breast cancer currently is the second-most common cancer among females. The new testing method shows significant promise for detecting the most aggressive types of breast cancer, especially among black women. Black women are more likely than white women to be diagnosed at later stages in life and are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer after initial diagnosis.

Read more: Tuskegee University develops new breast cancer test

Twin valedictorians headline New Jersey high school graduation

At a remarkable high school graduation in New Jersey Thursday, there was not one, but two valedictorians on stage.

By coincidence, the Woodbridge High School graduates will be going to the same university this fall. Perhaps not by coincidence, they happen to be twin brothers.

School named for confederate general renamed for Barack Obama

A Virginia elementary school named for a Confederate general will now carry the name of America’s first black president Barack Obama!

The moniker of a Confederate general will be stripped from a Richmond elementary school and replaced with the name of the nation’s first African American president, the latest example of a Southern city seeking to address vestiges of segregation.

Richmond’s school board voted 6 to 1 Monday night to rename J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School after President Barack Obama. The change was recommended by school district Superintendent Jason Kamras before earning the board’s endorsement, schools spokeswoman Kenita Bowers said.

Kamras saw the renaming as an opportunity to honor a “prominent African American figure” who resonated with students, Bowers said, noting that the name is especially powerful given Richmond’s history: It was the capital of the Confederacy.

“I’m thrilled that the students of J.E.B. Stuart — who recommended Barack Obama as one of their top choices for the new name — will now have the opportunity to attend a school that honors a leader who represents the great promise of America,” Kamras said in a statement.

[SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST]

NJ Governor Phil Murphy and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver recognize Juneteenth

About two days ago I reached out to the office my governor, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to ask whether the governor intended to recognize Juneteenth with a brief statement. You can imagine my surprise when today I received a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth from Governor Murphy's office signed by not only Murphy but by Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver also. Thank you Governor Murphy! George L. Cook III African American Reports.Read the proclamation below:

Patrice Harris to serve as next American Medical Association President

The American Medical Association House of Delegates elected Patrice A. Harris, MD, a psychiatrist from Atlanta, as its president-elect at the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. She is the first black woman to win the office, and when she assumes the post of AMA president in June 2019, Dr. Harris also will be the Association’s first African-American female to hold that office.

“It will be my honor to represent the nation’s physicians at the forefront of discussions when policymaker and lawmakers search for practical solutions to the challenges in our nation’s health system. I am committed to preserving the central role of the physician-patient relationship in our healing art,” said Dr. Harris.

“The American Medical Association has well-crafted policy concerning the changing health care environment in this country and I look forward to using my voice to help improve health care for patients and their physicians,” she added.

First elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2011, Dr. Harris has held the executive offices of AMA board secretary and AMA board chair. Dr. Harris will continue to serve as chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force, and has been active on several other AMA task forces and committees on health information technology, payment and delivery reform, and private contracting. She has also chaired the influential AMA Council on Legislation and co-chaired the Women Physicians Congress.

Dr. Harris continues in private practice and consults with both public and private organizations on health service delivery and emerging trends in practice and health policy. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Kamala Harris calls on Homeland Secretary Nielsen to resign over family separation policy

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Monday called on Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy that separates families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Read Sen. Harris' statement below:

"The government should be in the business of keeping families together, not tearing them apart," Harris sad in statement. "And the government should have a commitment to transparency and accountability. Under Secretary Nielsen's tenure, the Department of Homeland Security has a track record of neither. As a result, she must resign."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman Statement on Shooting at Trenton Art All Night

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the following statement on the shooting at the Art All Night festival in Trenton early this morning:

“I am saddened and angered at the violence that took place at Art All Night early this morning, and I am praying for all of the families involved, but, as I’ve said before, that’s not enough. After every shooting, we talk about motive, mental illness and every other distraction from the real problem — guns.

“New Jersey has some of the strongest gun safety legislation in the country. That should make it very clear that this is a problem we can only solve at the national level, with Congress leading the way. Despite all of our state’s efforts, New Jersey is not an island — we can’t make our neighborhoods safe as long as guns can come in across a bridge or state line, from Pennsylvania or North Carolina. There has to be federal action.

“So many times since being elected to Congress, I’ve begged people to take this seriously. As it comes home to my own district, I’m heartbroken knowing we could make it harder to access these weapons. Dozens of the congressmen and women I work with every day have gotten the call I got this morning alerting them to a shooting in their district. For anyone that hasn’t, I’m asking to work with you now, before it happens to you. There are bills ready for consideration right now. We just need to be brave enough to call for votes.”

What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America

Check out Michael Eric Dyson's latest book on race in America,What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America . A book about which Harry Belafonte says:

“Dyson has finally written the book I always wanted to read. I had the privilege of attending the meeting he has insightfully written about, and it’s as if he were a fly on the wall...a tour de force...a poetically written work that calls on all of us to get back in that room and to resolve the racial crises we confronted more than fifty years ago.”

In 2015 BLM activist Julius Jones confronted Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with an urgent query: “What in your heart has changed that’s going to change the direction of this country?” “I don’t believe you just change hearts,” she protested. “I believe you change laws.”

The fraught conflict between conscience and politics – between morality and power – in addressing race hardly began with Clinton. An electrifying and traumatic encounter in the sixties crystallized these furious disputes.

In 1963 Attorney General Robert Kennedy sought out James Baldwin to explain the rage that threatened to engulf black America. Baldwin brought along some friends, including playwright Lorraine Hansberry, psychologist Kenneth Clark, and a valiant activist, Jerome Smith. It was Smith’s relentless, unfiltered fury that set Kennedy on his heels, reducing him to sullen silence.

Kennedy walked away from the nearly three-hour meeting angry – that the black folk assembled didn’t understand politics, and that they weren’t as easy to talk to as Martin Luther King. But especially that they were more interested in witness than policy. But Kennedy’s anger quickly gave way to empathy, especially for Smith. “I guess if I were in his shoes…I might feel differently about this country.” Kennedy set about changing policy – the meeting having transformed his thinking in fundamental ways.

There was more: every big argument about race that persists to this day got a hearing in that room. Smith declaring that he’d never fight for his country given its racist tendencies, and Kennedy being appalled at such lack of patriotism, tracks the disdain for black dissent in our own time. His belief that black folk were ungrateful for the Kennedys’ efforts to make things better shows up in our day as the charge that black folk wallow in the politics of ingratitude and victimhood. The contributions of black queer folk to racial progress still cause a stir. BLM has been accused of harboring a covert queer agenda. The immigrant experience, like that of Kennedy – versus the racial experience of Baldwin – is a cudgel to excoriate black folk for lacking hustle and ingenuity. The questioning of whether folk who are interracially partnered can authentically communicate black interests persists. And we grapple still with the responsibility of black intellectuals and artists to bring about social change.

What Truth Sounds Like exists at the tense intersection of the conflict between politics and prophecy – of whether we embrace political resolution or moral redemption to fix our fractured racial landscape. The future of race and democracy hang in the balance.

CHECKOUT THE BOOK AT AMAZON

Hardcover------ Kindle

NBA star Taj Gibson takes students on a shopping spree

NBA star Taj Gibson and Brooklyn NY native shad a surprise fifth graders from his former elementary school, P.S. 67. The 6-foot-9 power forward, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves took the students on shopping spree so that they could buy new outfits for graduation. Big shout out to Taj for not forgetting where he comes from and for more importantly giving back!

Democrat Vangie Williams is running for Congress

Vangie Williams prevailed Tuesday night in the Democratic primary election for the Virginia 1st Congressional District, which includes Stafford, Fredericksburg, portions of Spotsylvania, the Northern Neck and on to Hampton Roads.

Williams went up against Prince William County’s John Suddarth and Stafford County’s Edwin Santana Jr., in the race. Williams prevailed by 11,001 total votes (39.91 percent), with Santana pulling in 9,020 votes (32.72 percent) and Suddarth walking away with 7,546 votes (27.37 percent), according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.

If Williams makes her way to Congress, she will be the first black woman to represent Virginia in the House of Representatives.

In November, Williams will face incumbent Republican Rob Wittman, R-1st, who was unopposed in a Republican bid for the seat. The election will take place Nov. 6. [SOURCE: INSIDENOVA

Click here to see where vangie Williams stands on the issues: https://vangieforcongress.com/issues/

London Breed is the next mayor of San Francisco!

London Breed became the first African-American woman elected to lead San Francisco on Wednesday, when her opponent conceded a tight race.

Breed will serve until 2020, finishing the term of the late Mayor Ed Lee, who died in December at age 65.

At a short news conference, Breed praised Lee and thanked her supporters, as well as the other candidates, including Mark Leno, a former state senator who conceded the race hours earlier. She struck an optimistic tone about the city's future.

"I am London Breed, I am president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and soon to be mayor of the city and county of San Francisco," she said to cheers.

Breed said: "I am so hopeful about the future of our city, and I am looking forward to serving as your mayor. I am truly humbled and I am truly honored."

[SOURCE: CNN]

4 missing women / girls, all from same Chicago neighborhood

Since March, at least four women and girls have gone missing on the West Side of Chicago. Those missing are Sadaria Davis, 15; Shantieya Smith, 26; Victoria Garrett, 15; and Anna Stanislawczyk, 18. Sadaria was found dead in an abandoned building May 11. The other three are still missing.

While residents believe that the cases may be linked the Chicago Police Department has not determined the cases are related. Detectives continue to investigate.

Here is more information about the three remaining missing woman/girls:

Shantieya Smith, 26, was last seen May 25 in the 1600 block of South Central Avenue. Smith is described as a 5-foot-8 black woman weighing 115 pounds with black hair with red tips. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Area Central Special Victims Unit (312) 747-8380.

Victoria Garrett, 15, was last seen June 5 in the 4000 block of West Grenshaw Street. Garrett is described as a 5-foot-4, 160-pound black girl with brown eyes, black hair and a dark complexion. Anyone with information about Garrett’s whereabouts should call Area North SVU at (312) 744-8266.

Anna Stanislawczyk, 18, was last seen March 16 in the 3600 block of West Filmore Street.Stanislawczyk was described as a 5-foot-7 white woman, weighing 100 pounds with red hair and brown eyes, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Area North SVU detectives (312) 744-8266.

Anyone with information about Sadaria Davis' death is asked to call detectives at (312) 744-8266.

U.S. charges Arizona man with threatening Harvard's black commencement

An Arizona man who made racially-charged online threats to shoot students attending Harvard's first black commencement ceremony last year and to bomb the university has been arrested, federal authorities said on Saturday.

A federal grand jury in Boston indicted Nicholas Zuckerman, 24, on two counts of "transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce a threat to injure the person of another." Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Zuckerman was arrested on Friday and will be brought to U.S. District Court in Boston. A federal court in Arizona will appoint a lawyer for him on Monday, federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said. They did not say where Zuckerman was being held or if he had any connection to Harvard.

After Harvard announced it would hold a special commencement ceremony on May 23, 2017, to celebrate the accomplishments of black students graduating from the university, Zuckerman made two threatening posts on the university's Instagram account, the indictment said.

In his first posting, the indictment alleged, Zuckerman commented on May 11 under an image of three young black women: "If the blacks only ceremony happens, then I encourage violence and death at it. I'm thinking two automatics with extendo clips." He also used a racial epithet.

He followed two days later with a comment under an American flag he had posted on the university's account saying, "#bombharvard and end their pro-black agenda," the indictment said.

Organizers of last year's black commencement said it was open to all graduating students, as was Harvard's official commencement, which was held two days later. The university held its second black commencement last month on May 22.

[SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS]