5-star basketball prospect, Makur Maker commits Howard University

One of the top high school basketball recruits in the country made history Friday, announcing he will play for Howard University, a historically Black university.

Makur Maker is No. 16 on the ESPN 100 list for 2020. As such, Maker is the first five-star prospect to commit to an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) since ESPN began ranking prospects in 2007.

"I need to make the HBCU movement real so that others will follow," Maker tweeted. "I hope I inspire guys like Mikey Williams to join me on this journey. I am committing to Howard U & coach Kenny Blakeney."

Maker, a 6-feet 11-inch center, chose Howard over his three other finalists: UCLA, Kentucky and Memphis, according to The Undefeated.

ESPN reports Maker "averaged 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 73% on 2-pointers last spring and summer with Dream Vision on the Adidas grassroots circuit."

The University of Maryland Welcomes Its First African American President

Dr. Darryll J. Pines began his role as the University of Maryland’s 34th president on July 1. Previously the Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering and the dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, he’s the university’s first African American president.

“I understand the symbolism that it represents to the African American community and to the community at large here at the University of Maryland and what it represents at these times of uncertainty and social justice,” Pines said.

He began his role by announcing twelve new initiatives, including increasing the university’s mental health staff; hiring a coordinator for immigrant and undocumented student life; naming new residence halls after figures who contributed to University of Maryland’s diversity; and establishing a taskforce on campus policing.

“Excellence and diversity, equity and inclusion for me are synonymous with greatness,” Pines said. “And that’s what I intend to do for this university.”

[SOURCE:DIVERSE EDUCATION]

NFL will play 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' before each Week 1 game

Four weeks after commissioner Roger Goodell vowed to listen to and work with players in their fight for racial equality, the NFL is in the process of solidifying plans to honor victims of systemic racism with a number of in-game programs during opening week of the 2020 season.

Starting with the nationally televised regular-season opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 10, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem, will be performed before every Week 1 kickoff, before "The Star-Spangled Banner," according to a person familiar with ongoing discussions. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because plans have not yet been finalized and announced by NFL officials.

Both anthems will be televised Sunday afternoon, and on "Sunday Night Football" and "Monday Night Football" contests as well. ESPN’s "Undefeated" first reported news of these plans.

[SOURCE: USA TODAY]

Job Lewis: Good Trouble available On Demand July 3rd!

Using interviews and rare archival footage, JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE chronicles Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. Using present-day interviews with Lewis, now 80 years old, Porter explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family and his fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. In addition to her interviews with Lewis and his family, Porter’s primarily cinéma verité film also includes interviews with political leaders, Congressional colleagues, and other people who figure prominently in his life.

DIRECTED BY Dawn Porter

PRODUCED BY Laura Michalchyshyn, Dawn Porter, Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon.

Click here to see what streaming services are now showing John Lewis: Good Trouble: WATCH AT HOME.

Watch the trailer below

Yvette Clarke wins NY House primary

Rep. Yvette Clarke has won the June 23 Democratic primary in New York’s 9th District, leaving her well placed to win an 8th term in November in the safe blue district.

Clarke won with 62 percent of the vote, prevailing over closest rival Adem Bunkeddeko, who had garnered nearly 18 percent, according to The Associated Press.

Bunkeddeko also challenged Clarke in 2018, with the New York lawmaker prevailing over the community activist by 53 percent to 47 percent.

Results were called on Wednesday after a surge in mailed-in ballots delayed results.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Netflix investing $100 million in Black banks and financial institutions

Netflix is going to allocate two percent of our cash holdings - initially up to $100 million - into financial institutions and organizations that directly support Black communities in the U.S.

Netflix believes bringing more capital to these communities can make a meaningful difference for the people and businesses in them, helping more families buy their first home or save for college, and more small businesses get started or grow. According to the FDIC, banks that are Black-owned or led represent a mere one percent of America’s commercial banking assets. This is one factor contributing to 19 percent of Black families having either negative wealth or no assets at all - more than double the rate of White households - according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. Black banks have been fighting to better their communities for decades but they’re disadvantaged by their lack of access to capital. The major banks, where big multinational companies including ours keep most of their money, are also focusing more on improving equity, but not at the grassroots level these Black-led institutions can and do. The company wants to redirect some of its cash specifically toward these communities, and hope to inspire other large companies to do the same with their cash deposits.

As the first step in this $100 million commitment, the company will be holding $35 million of our cash in two vehicles:

$25 million will be moved to a newly established fund called the Black Economic Development Initiative. It will be managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a non-profit with a track record of developing underinvested communities. They will invest the funds into Black financial institutions serving low and moderate-income communities and Black community development corporations in the U.S. $10 million will go to Hope Credit Union in the form of a Transformational Deposit to fuel economic opportunity in underserved communities across the Deep South. Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE, has spent the last three decades advancing economic mobility in distressed communities.

This capital will fuel social mobility and opportunity in the low- and moderate-income communities these groups serve. The plan is to redirect even more cash to Black-led and focused institutions as the company grows, and to hope other companies will do the same. For example, if every company in the S&P 500 allocated a modest amount of their cash holdings into efforts like the Black Economic Development Initiative, each one percent of their cash would represent $20-$30 billion of new capital. And that would help build stronger communities, offering more Black families pathways to prosperity and a more equitable future.

Richmond Virginia mayor orders the removal of confederate statues in the city

Virginia's capital city began taking down its statue of Stonewall Jackson after is African American Mayor Levar Stoney ordered the immediate removal of multiple Confederate statues in Richmond.

Stoney says he has the powers to remove the statues immediately because of powers he holds during a declared state of emergency.

Watch the mayor explain his actions in the video below:

Mississippi governor signs bill to retire state's Confederate-themed flag

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday evening to retire the last state flag in the U.S. that includes the Confederate battle emblem.

His office announced a signing ceremony at the Governor's Mansion, two days after a broad coalition of legislators passed the landmark measure to change the flag.

As soon as the Republican governor signed the bill, the flag lost its official status.

Several Black legislators, and a few white ones, kept pushing for years to change it. After a white gunman who posed with the Confederate flag killed Black worshipers at a South Carolina church in 2015, Mississippi's Republican speaker of the House, Philip Gunn, said his religious faith compelled him to say that Mississippi must purge the symbol from its flag.

But the issue was still broadly considered too volatile for legislators to touch, until the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off weeks of sustained protests against racial injustice, followed by call after call to take down Confederate symbols.

A groundswell of business, religion, education and sports leaders called on Mississippi to make this change, finally providing the momentum for legislators to vote.

Biden compiling list of possible Black women nominees for the Supreme Court

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden said Tuesday that he’s compiling a list of Black women that could be potential nominees to the Supreme Court.

“We are putting together a list of a group of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be in the court,” Biden said during a press conference in Delaware. “I am not going to release that until we go further down the line of vetting them as well.”

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

MSNBC’s Joy Reid expected to replace Chris Matthews on primetime show

MSNBC is reportedly eying Joy Reid to replace Chris Matthews as the host of a primetime news and opinion program.

The network is negotiating with Reid to step into a 7 p.m. slot and precede MSNBC’s primetime programs hosted by Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes, sources told The Wall Street Journal.<:p>

Reid currently hosts the network’s weekend morning program “AM Joy.”

She’d fill a void that came when Matthews abruptly resigned from his longtime role as “Hardball” host in early March after a sexual harassment allegation had surfaced against him.

Both sides are still discussing Reid’s new role and an agreement hasn’t been reached.

[SOURCE: PAGE SIX]

NBA plans to paint 'Black Lives Matter' on courts in Orlando

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are planning to paint "Black Lives Matter" on the court inside both sidelines in all three arenas the league will use at the Walt Disney World Resort when it resumes the 2019-20 season late next month in Orlando, Florida, league sources told ESPN.

Players have insisted that the fight for racial equality and social justice be a central part of the NBA's return.

On a conference call with reporters Friday, leaders of both the NBA and the NBPA said the league and union were discussing several ways to use the NBA's platform in Orlando to call attention to racial equality, social justice and police brutality. Over the weekend, Chris Paul, president of the players' union, told ESPN that the league and union were collaborating to allow players to wear uniforms with personalized messages linked to social justice on the backs of their jerseys in place of players' last names.

[SOURCE: CNN]

NJ State Senate Votes to Make Juneteenth a State Holiday

Acting to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and to honor the history and contributions of Black Americans, the Senate today approved a bill that would make Juneteenth an official state holiday. The bill is sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senator Sandra Cunningham and Senator Joe Cryan.

“Juneteenth marks a day of freedom for Black Americans who suffered the cruelty of slavery and an opportunity to honor the history and contributions of African Americans,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “This takes on greater significance as the entire country is confronting the racism and inequality that is the bitter legacy of slavery. We can use June 19th and the days that follow to undue past harms and renew our commitment to justice and equality for all.”

“It feels especially fitting to be voting on this legislation in the week leading up to the July Fourth holiday. For many Black Americans, the Fourth of July does not hold the same meaning of freedom and independence that it does for other Americans, because Black Americans were not free on July 4, 1776,” said Senator Cunningham (D-Hudson). “Hopefully, through this legislation, as well as deeper education and a more honest review of our history, more New Jerseyans can realize the significance of Juneteenth as a true day of freedom, even as we continue to work towards ‘justice for all.’”

“This is a way of recognizing the end of slavery in America as an important milestone in the Nation’s history,” said Senator Cryan (D-Union). “A state holiday won’t change everything, but it will provide a platform to increase the understanding of what has happened in the past so that we can learn from it. When we recognize the experiences of history, we are better for it. We can be enriched as a state and more able to move towards equality for everyone.”

It was on June 19, 1865 when enslaved people in Texas were finally told about the Emancipation Proclamation. Since then, Juneteenth has evolved as a date to celebrate the end of slavery, to cultivate an appreciation of African American history and culture, and to address the injustices Black Americans continue to experience.

Van Jones Helped Craft the Trump Police Reform Executive Order???

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Now we know why CNN's Van Jones praised President Trumps weak executive order so much.

In a report from The Daily Beast it appears that Jones actually helped to craft the order.

I remember listening to CNN when the news of Trump signing the executive order broke and thinking to myself that Jones was going all out to praise this order. I thought at the time he was going a little over board.

Van Jones called President Trump's executive order on police reform "a good thing" and a "a step in the right direction" following a White House signing ceremony on Tuesday.

"The executive order is a good thing," Jones said on "Inside Politics." "Mainly because you saw the support of law enforcement there. That gives you a sense of where the bottom is, where the floor is for reform, and that floor is higher than it has been."

Now let’s be clear there is nothing wrong with working with Trump’s people on an executive order that you think may help African Americans survive police encounters. God bless Van Jones for that. I understand the whole if your not at the table you’re on the menu concept.

There is nothing wrong praising and supporting the order on CNN.

But there is something wrong with not divulging to the audience watching that you worked on the order you are praising so much.

The viewers had a right to know. That information not being divulged shows a lack of journalistic integrity.

We have to wonder if Van Jones told or didn’t tell CNN he worked on the order, and if he did why did CNN decide to put him on air without acknowledging that fact

Someone has some explaining to do...

Group proposes to become NFL’s first Black team owners

A group of predominantly African American business owners and community leaders has proposed to the NFL that it brings a franchise back to Oakland, and becomes the first Black ownership group in the league’s history.

Sen. Cory Booker Statement on Failure of Flawed JUSTICE Act

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the below statement after the GOP forced a vote, which ultimately failed, on the inadequate, deeply flawed Justice Act:

“We will not meet this moment with half-measures and half-steps that don’t meaningfully fix our broken policing system. The Justice Act is woefully inadequate, deeply flawed, and painfully weak, but don’t take my word for it – take the word of the more than 130 civil rights and faith-based organizations that have condemned the bill for not creating the type of accountability and transparency that is truly needed to end police brutality and change the culture of law enforcement in this country.

“The question is simple: who do you trust more on police reform in America – the NAACP or Mitch McConnell?

“Americans in all 50 states are not chanting in the streets, ‘Give us a commission, we want more data!’ They’re chanting for real accountability, meaningful transparency, and an end to dangerous and excessive policing practices. The JUSTICE Act falls far short of the change the American people are demanding, and what our country so desperately needs in this moment.”

Booker is the co-author of the Justice in Policing Act, introduced with Senator Kamala Harris in the Senate in early June. The groundbreaking legislation, which has the support of 37 Senators and more than 220 members of the House of Representatives, would address police brutality and change the culture of law enforcement departments by holding police accountable in court for egregious misconduct, increasing transparency through better data collection, and improving police practices and training.

Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. Supports Bill to Protect Homeowners during Coronavirus Crisis

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. co-sponsored the COVID-19 Homeowner Assistance Fund Act today. The $75 billion bill (H.R. 6729) would provide financial assistance to homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage during the coronavirus global pandemic. It would help them pay their mortgage as well as property taxes, property insurance, utilities, and other housing-related costs to prevent foreclosures.

“The loss of housing is one of the most common concerns for constituents in my district,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. “I wanted to co-sponsor this bill because it gets people the money they need to stay in their homes during this public health and economic crisis. We are still struggling to reopen our country. We don’t need a housing crisis during this difficult time.”

Rep. Payne, Jr. has been working diligently to fight for his constituents and all Americans during the coronavirus global pandemic. He introduced a bill to get hazard pay for the nation’s federal frontline workers, such as TSA agents, daycare workers, and veteran health care workers. He co-wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve a ventilator design that could help supply local hospitals in New Jersey and the rest of the country that the FDA approved a week later. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response & Recovery of the House Committee on Homeland Security, he has been in constant contact with FEMA officials to support them in their efforts to aid and protect the American people.

In addition, he has voted to approve five coronavirus-related aid bills in the House to help the nation survive this public health crisis. The most recent legislation, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (H.R. 6800) was a $3 trillion emergency stimulus package that would provide roughly $1 trillion to state and local governments to help them pay coronavirus-related costs, another $1,200 payment to low and middle-income Americans with a maximum of $6,000 per family, $200 billion in hazard pay to essential workers, and an additional $75 billion to improve the country’s coronavirus testing and contact tracing.

The first law, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074), provided $8.3 billion to fund medical efforts. The second one, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201), allowed Americans to get free coronavirus testing and workers to get mandatory paid sick leave. The third one, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) authorized more than $2 trillion to Americans in coronavirus aid, including direct payments to low and middle-income workers, increased unemployment benefits, $349 billion to small businesses through grants and interest-free loans, $150 billion to state and local governments to help them handle coronavirus-related expenses, and $200 billion to support America’s hospitals and health care workers.

The fourth bill, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266), allocated $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program to allow small businesses to pay their employees, $75 billion to health care facilities for protective equipment and care, and $25 billion to enhance the country’s coronavirus testing capability.

Billionaire Robert Smith Launches New HBCU Initiative to Ease Burden of Student Loans

Billionaire Robert F. Smith–the billionaire who donated $34 million last year to cover the student debt of the Morehouse College class of 2019, 400 graduates–announced this week the Student Freedom nonprofit initiative, in order to help ease the heavy burden of student loans at Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Starting in Fall 2021 at up to 11 HBCUs, the organization will offer 5,000 juniors and seniors each year a flexible, lower-risk alternative to high-interest private student loans–an ISA.

According to Time.com, the initiative is launching with a $50 million grant from Fund II Foundation, a charitable organization of which Smith–the wealthiest Black man in the United States, according to Forbes– is founding director and president, and has set a goal of raising at least $500 million by October to make the program “self-sustaining” through investments and graduates’ income-based repayments.

The program’s partners include Michael Lomax, CEO of the United Negro College Fund; Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard; the Jain Family Institute, and the Education Finance Institute.

As Inside Higher Ed analyzed, Similar Income-Share agreements have been criticized in the past since high-earning graduates could end up paying more than they would with traditional student loans. Supporters say that the programs are innovative ways to fund higher education.

[SOURCE: IBL NEWS]

Washington D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on passage of D.C. statehood bill

After managing the debate on the District of Columbia statehood bill (H.R. 51) on the House floor, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated House passage of the bill today with House leadership and her colleagues following overwhelming support by 232 Democrats, most of them cosponsors of the bill. The bill had 227 cosponsors, more than enough to guarantee passage. Neither chamber of Congress had passed the bill before.

“We are buoyed by the priority the House gave D.C. statehood at a time when COVID-19 has meant that only essential bills are coming to the floor this year,” Norton said. “We are undaunted by the lack of support in the Republican-controlled Senate, and the White House. We are certainly not discouraged by President Trump’s outspoken opposition to home rule and his attempts to control the District of Columbia and the city’s police force in acts of brazen presidential irresponsibility.

“Far from underestimating the work to come, however, our strategy is in place for full speed ahead. That strategy will soon become apparent, but today we celebrate.”

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser statement on historic vote for statehood

Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted 232-180 to pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51), the first time a chamber of Congress has approved a bill to make the District the 51st state.

Today, with this historic vote, DC is closer than we have ever been to becoming the 51st state.

More than 160 years ago, Washingtonian Frederick Douglass told us: Power concedes nothing without a demand. As Washingtonians and as taxpaying American citizens, we are demanding what is owed to us – the rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution.

It is past time to fix this injustice. It is true that DC is more brown and more liberal than many other states. But the issue of taxation without representation was settled more than 200 years ago through the Declaration of Independence, and disenfranchising more than 700,000 taxpaying Americans is wrong no matter our politics or demographics. Who we elect is our business, and denying us statehood based on who we might send to Congress is both undemocratic and un-American.

Now, just as generations of Americans have worked over the centuries to build a more perfect union, we, too, are ready to seize this moment. Today, we stand on the shoulders of generations of Washingtonians who demanded access to our nation’s democracy – from the abolitionists of the 1800s to the Home Rule activists of the 1900s.

Power concedes nothing without a demand. And statehood is our demand.

On behalf of all Washingtonians, I congratulate Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. On both a personal and professional level, this is an extraordinary accomplishment for the Congresswoman, and we are all grateful not only for her tireless work on statehood, but also her commitment to uplifting DC residents and putting DC in the best position to become the 51st state.

I was born without representation, but I swear – I will not die without representation. Together, we will achieve DC statehood, and when we do, we will look back on this day and remember all who stood with us on the right side of history.

NAACP APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF “GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT”

The NAACP applauded the bi-partisan passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 7120, the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.” The legislation represents unprecedented action and a significant first step to prevent and address violence against the Black community by law enforcement all over the country.

While there is more to be done, the legislation seeks to hold law enforcement officials accountable for their actions. It bans chokeholds and “no-knock warrants,” requires body-worn cameras, removes iron-clad protections for police officers such as “qualified immunity,” provides stronger investigative authority for federal and state officials, ends racial and religious profiling, limits military equipment on American streets, and classifies lynching as a hate crime.

Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, of the NAACP, stated: “This legislation represents the only way forward. If we’ve learned anything from these past weeks, it’s that the American people are demanding systemic change. We need bold, transformative action to rethink policing and reimagine public safety in our communities.

For far too long, police across the country have operated with impunity and no regard for the people they are sworn to protect and serve. We have witnessed the tragic consequences in the brutal killings of George Floyd to Breonna Taylor to Elijah McClain, and countless others who have lost their lives to state-sponsored violence.

We now call upon the Senate to put partisanship aside and do the right thing by passing this seminal legislation. The Black community and, indeed, our entire nation cannot afford to risk one more life and wait for one more day. Congress must seize this extraordinary moment in time to push for the elimination of racism in policing and in the criminal justice system writ large, and to rid our society of the structural inequality that has tormented and held back our nation for far too long.