Barack Obama speaks out on politics, life in the White House, and Donald Trump

In his first television interview since the election of Joe Biden as the 46th President, former President Barack Obama sits down with "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King to discuss the first volume of his memoirs, "A Promised Land." He talks about the enormous opposition he experienced as he entered the White House; the impact of his political career on his family; and why he campaigned for his former vice president – and spoke out so vociferously against his successor, President Donald Trump.

What happened to Quawan “Bobby” Charles

It's been two weeks since 15-year-old Quawan "Bobby" Charles disappeared from his father's Baldwin home in St. Mary Parish (Louisiana) and 10 days since officers discovered his body in the rural Iberia Parish village of Loreauville. Little information has been released by law enforcement in the case, which gained widespread attention after Bobby's family released a graphic image they say was taken while confirming the teen's identity to authorities.

Kentucky Democratic Party elects first African American chairman

The Kentucky Democratic Party will have an African American chairman for the first time in its history.

A party news release says Colmon Elridge was elected chairman of the party on Saturday after Gov. Andy Beshear nominated him for the position.

Elridge is a Cynthiana native and served as a special advisor to former Gov. Steve Beshear from 2007 to 2015. He also recently was the government relations director for the Kentucky Education Association and has served in Democratic Party-related roles.

Elridge will replace Ben Self, who became chairman in 2017 and announced in September that he would resign at the end of the year.

Elridge graduated from Transylvania University, holds an MBA from Sullivan University and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of the Cumberlands.

“As a Black man who was the first person in his immediate family to have been born with the right to vote, it is an honor to be able to make history today,” Elridge said in the news release.

In a statement, Beshear lauded Elridge as a “devoted father and husband who is committed to trying to build a better world for his kids and all of Kentucky’s kids.”

[SOURCE: KENTUCY.COM]

California Legislative Black Caucus: Rep. Karen Bass or Rep. Barbara Lee should replace Kamala Harris is Senate

The California Legislative Black Caucus met via Zoom with other Black leaders Friday and urged Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint an African American woman to fill the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated when Kamala Harris takes office as the first African American female Vice President of the United States.

Speakers at the Zoom conference included the leader of the California Legislative Black Caucus, Dr. Shirley Weber; the Vice Chair of the Caucus, Steven Bradford; a newly elected Los Angeles Councilmember, Mark Ridley Thomas and the Chair of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus, Taisha Brown.

The group unanimously recommended either Karen Bass or Barbara Lee as appointees to the California Senate seat vacated by Harris.

Karen Bass formerly served in the California State Assembly for six years, the last two as speaker. As a Los Angeles native, Bass is currently the Congresswoman for the 37th congressional district of California.

As such, Bass was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2018, serves as Chair of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and for the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

The other highly qualified candidate suggested by the Caucus is Barbara Lee. Lee was elected to the State Assembly in 1990, where she served for six years prior to being elected to the State Senate.

As a legislator, Lee authored almost 70 bills and resolutions that were signed into law by then Republican Governor Pete Wilson. These different pieces of legislation addressed a wide variety of issues ranging from public safety to environmental issues.

In 1995, Lee authored the California Schools Hate Crimes Reduction Act, which affords protection from hate crimes to all students in public schools regardless of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other. During her time in the State Senate, Lee was a strong advocate for African Americans, and for women.

In 1998, Lee was elected as Congresswoman for California’s then 9th district where she took controversial stances on many different issues. She has been a strong advocate for legislation to end poverty, ending the HIV epidemic and the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11 attacks.

As Dr. Shirley Weber noted in her remarks Friday morning, both women “have confidently built strong coalitions across diverse communities, and will do so in the senate.”

[SOURCE: DAVISVANGUARD]

Lauren Underwood wins re-election to House of Representatives

In a very tight race Democrat Lauren Underwood (IL, 14th District) defeated her Republican challenger Jim Oberbeus to win re-election to the House of Representatives.

The Associated Press called the close race for Underwood on 11/12/2020.

Underwood got 50.6% of the vote to Oberweis' 49.4%.

Vote Totals

Democrat: Lauren Underwood 200,638

Repulican: Jim Oberweis 196,034

Nikema Williams wins John Lewis' congressional seat

Democratic State Senator Nikema Williams won the race for U.S. Representative John Lewis’s seat, representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District.

Nikema Williams is also Georgia’s Democratic Party chairperson. She received more than 90% of the vote, beating out Republican Angela Stanton King. She says she’s proud to succeed her hero and civil rights icon Representative Lewis.

“To think that voters in this district could deliver for the presidency and get Donald Trump out of the White House is just poetic justice,” she said.

Williams says she plans to make addressing the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic her number one priority in Congress, specifically drawing attention to the healthcare disparities hurting the black community.

“We have to get this right. Our economy is hurting. Our education is hurting. Our healthcare is at risk, because we have not had leaders willing to address this pandemic,” said Williams.

She says she also plans to address voting rights, advocating for standardized processes nationwide to make sure all votes are counted equally.

[SOURCE: CBS Atlanta]

Naval Academy announces first African American female brigade commander

History will be made at the Naval Academy in Annapolis next year.

When spring semester midshipman leadership positions were announced last week, they included Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber, of Lake Forest, Illinois, who will become the academy's first African American female brigade commander.

Barber will be the sixteenth woman selected for brigade commander in the 44 years women have been attending the Naval Academy.

Barber is a mechanical engineering major and aspires to commission as a Marine Corps ground officer. She is also on the Navy Women’s Varsity Track and Field team, and has lettered all three years of competing. She is a USNA record holder for the outdoor 4x400m relay. She is the co-president of the Navy Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club, secretary for the National Society of Black Engineers, and a member of the USNA Gospel Choir and Midshipman Black Studies Club.

“She is a catalyst for action, a visionary, a listener, a doer, and a person driven by compassion, by faith, by a fierce sense of passion and heart full of love,” said Midshipman 1st Class Ryan Chapman, who currently holds the semester-long brigade commander position. “Sydney is the perfect person to lead the brigade.”

[SOURCE: WJLA]

Rep. Donald Payne Jr. thanks voters for re-electing him

NJ Congressman Donald Payne Jr. released the following statement thanking voters for his re-election:

I want to thank all my constituents in New Jersey's 10th District for electing me to represent you in the halls of Congress again. It is an honor and a privilege I don't take for granted for a second. Again, I thank you for your confidence to represent your will.

Dr. Marcella Nunez Smith to co-chair Biden coronavirus task force

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office, he announced a new COVID-19 task force as he plans to make coronavirus a priority.

Among those hired for the newly formed advisory board include Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, serving as co-chair. She works as a professor at Yale and advisor to Connecticut’s state response to coronavirus.

According to her official bio provided by Yale, Dr. Nunez-Smith is an Associate Professor at the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Deputy Director for Health Equity Research and Workforce Development for the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Core Faculty in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, and Research Faculty at Yale’s Global Health Leadership Institute. She earned a BA from Swarthmore College, an MD from Jefferson Medical College, and an MHS from Yale University.

[SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS]

The Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Presidential Victory of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris

The Congressional Black caucus released the following statement congratulating President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris on their historic victory:

Congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris on your historic victory today. You fought for the soul of America. Today marks a new dawn in our country and the beginning of our journey on the road to repair after four long years of repressive policies towards communities of color.

The Congressional Black Caucus is proud of our very own, Sen. Kamala Harris who will be the first woman Vice President and the first Black and South Asian Vice-President. Vice President-Elect will be the second member of the Congressional Black Caucus to ascend to the White House after President Barack Obama.

A graduate of Howard University, an HBCU, and a Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a Black sorority, VP-Elect Kamala Harris is a product of these long-standing institutions in our community. We are confident that her zeal for improving the upward mobility of marginalized groups in America will continue to be a priority in this next phase.At a time when democratic backsliding is being experienced in different parts of the world, our ability to defend our democracy in the midst of unprecedented obstacles including voter suppression and COVID-19, is a win for democracy everywhere. Black America's commitment to freedom and democracy runs so deep that even when we were denied the right to vote, we formed resistance movements to challenge discriminatory and racist laws. We marched, we stood in long lines, we beat the odds. As we waited for election results in key battleground states, Black Americans in cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Detroit, overwhelmingly voted for President-Elect Biden and Vice-President Elect Harris. It was these cities that got us through the finish line.

We show up every election season because to us there is nothing more important than leading this nation to its highest ideals: liberty and justice for all. Today’s victory is a testament to this.

The Congressional Black Caucus looks forward to working with this new Administration to increase the upward mobility of Black families in America.

Democrat Lucy McBath re-elected to the U.S. house of Representatives

Democrat Lucy McBath has won a second term representing Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, the Associated Press projects. The congresswoman beat Republican Karen Handel who she unseated in 2018.

Vote Totals

Democrat Lucy McBath 215,680

Republican Handel, Karen: 179,398

Election puts spotlight on HBCUs, a historic VP and two influential Georgians

Kamala Harris becoming Vice-President Elect is now a defining moment of pride for historically black colleges and universities - and how those institutions foster Black excellence in this country. And it brings the spotlight to three Black women proudly breaking barriers. Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams and Keisha Lance Bottoms each graduated from historically black colleges and universities.

Michelle Obama congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on presidential election victory

Former First Lady Michelle Obama offered her congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris via Twitter after their historic presidential election victory.

I’m beyond thrilled that my friend @JoeBiden and our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President, @KamalaHarris, are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House. Our country sorely needs it.

Watch Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris full victory speech

Watch Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered her first national address after American voters chose her running mate Joe Biden as the country's 46th president. Harris is America's first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president-elect.

President-Elect joe Biden to Black Community: I'll have your back

During his victory speech President-Elect Joe Biden took the time to thank Black voters for their support and to let them know that he will always have their back.

#BREAKING: President-elect Joe Biden pounds the podium: "The African American community stood up again for me. You've always had my back -- and I'll have yours." pic.twitter.com/tUg0651KJ6

— The Hill (@thehill) November 8, 2020

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority congratulates their soror, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. took to Twitter to congratuale their sorority sister, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris:

We call her sister, and now the nation calls her Madam Vice President! Congratulations to America's first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president-elect Kamala Harris. You represent the new face of political power and continue to be a barrier-breaker. #OurMadamVP

Sen. Cory Booker statement on Kamala Harris becoming Vice president-Elect

Sen. Cory Booker (NJ) released the following statement via Twitter about his "sister", Kamala Harris becoming Vice-President Elect:

I feel like our ancestors are rejoicing.

For the first time, a Black and South Asian woman has been elected Vice President of the United States.

My sister has made history and blazed a trail for future generations to follow.

We love you,

@KamalaHarris

Howard University: Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Wayne A. I. Frederick, the President if Howard University released the following statement on Joe Biden and HbCU graduate Kamala Harris winning the 2020 presidential election:

Dear Howard University Community,

A new dawn has broken in America.

On behalf of the entire Howard University Community, I extend a sincere congratulations to President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. His life abounds with examples of the power of perseverance in overcoming a childhood disability, family poverty, and personal tragedy to devote his life to public service as a United States Senator, Vice President, and he now prepares to assume the highest office in the land. Senator Kamala Harris has swung her Howard hammer and shattered the proverbial glass ceiling into pieces that will not be put back together. In an election that saw more Americans cast a ballot than ever before, a majority of Americans have selected Vice President Biden to be the 46th President and our distinguished alumna Senator Harris to serve as the 49th Vice President of the United States.

From her first time running for representative of the Liberal Arts Student Council as a freshman at Howard University, to the nearly 20 years she broke through barriers serving as an elected official for the residents of California, Senator Kamala Harris has demonstrated her unmatched strength, determination and leadership in fighting for the people. As the new Vice President-elect, we know she will continue advancing her vision of a nation where all people – regardless of race, creed, gender, background, or ethnicity – have access to equitable opportunities to grow and succeed. At a time when the Black community is coping with the disproportionate social and economic impacts of COVID-19, a global reckoning with systemic racism, and the loss of some of our cultural and social icons, we are proud to call Howard University alumna Kamala Harris a monumental catalyst for collective joy and positive change.

Regardless of who you voted for I hope you would get to know HERstory, for it is indeed an important testament of what is possible in our imperfect nation even as we continue our work to build a more perfect Union for all.

In Truth and Service,

Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA

President

Barack Obama statement in Joe Biden winning presidential election

Former U.S. President Barack Obama released the following statement on his former VP, Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election:

I could not be prouder to congratulate our next President, Joe Biden, and our next First Lady, Jill Biden.

I also couldn’t be prouder to congratulate Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff for Kamala’s groundbreaking election as our next Vice President.

In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen. And once every vote is counted, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory.

We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he’ll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril.

I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote. So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support. The election results at every level show that the country remains deeply and bitterly divided. It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who worked, organized, and volunteered for the Biden campaign, every American who got involved in their own way, and everybody who voted for the first time. Your efforts made a difference. Enjoy this moment. Then stay engaged. I know it can be exhausting. But for this democracy to endure, it requires our active citizenship and sustained focus on the issues – not just in an election season, but all the days in between.

Our democracy needs all of us more than ever. And Michelle and I look forward to supporting our next President and First Lady however we can.

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris statement on winning election

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris released the following statement via Twitter after several news organizations projected Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election:

This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.