Norfolk State wins MEAC Tournament, headed to the NCAA tournament

For years, the Norfolk State men’s basketball team has fought tooth and nail to get back to the Big Dance only to fall short every time.

On Saturday afternoon, that all came to an end.

Tournament MVP Joe Bryant scored 17 points in leading North No. 2 seed NSU to a 71-63 win over North No. 3 seed Morgan State in the MEAC Tournament final. The Spartans won their second-ever MEAC title, taking the lead from the Bears midway through the first half on Saturday and never giving it up.

NSU held Morgan State to just 39 percent shooting, including 3-of-17 from the 3-point line. Along with Bryant, senior Kashaun Hicks added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds, and senior Devante Carter tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Carter was named to the all-tournament team along with Bryant.

The Spartans also won the MEAC title in 2012 when they went on to defeat No. 2 seed Missouri in their first NCAA Tournament appearance. After the MEAC Tournament moved to Norfolk Scope in 2013, NSU had advanced to the finals twice in the previous seven years it was fully held (last year’s championship was cancelled due to COVID-19), in addition to three other semifinal appearances.

NSU ended that championship drought while improving to 16-7 on the year. The Spartans led by double digits most of the second half on Saturday, and the Bears (14-8) got no closer than six late in the game.

The Spartans will find out their seeding and opponent in the NCAA Tournament, held this year in Indianapolis, on Sunday with the NCAA Selection Show beginning at 6 p.m. live on CBS.

“We knew Morgan State wouldn’t go away,” said head coach Robert Jones, who was named the MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach. “Coach Broadus is a good friend of mine, and we said all year that we were the two best teams in this league. We showed it tonight.

“It was a dogfight the whole time. We watched their first two games, and they were down by nine at the half, so we just said this wasn’t going to be the third game in a row.”

Indeed, NSU led by seven at the half. Bryant caught fire in the second period, scoring 10 points before the first media timeout as NSU stretched its lead to 13. The junior had a 3-pointer and a 3-point play for the Spartans as their lead went back to double digits. A 17-8 run was ultimately capped by buckets from senior Kyonze Chavis and sophomore Nyzaiah Chambers for a 16-point lead, 56-40, with 13 and a half minutes to go.

NSU’s largest lead of the game stood up. The Bears tried to make a run, getting as close as 11 before Bryant’s corner 3-pointer put an end to that. Morgan State was able to get the deficit to single digits late in the last few minutes, but Hicks had a pair of breakaway dunks on a full-court press to keep MSU from getting any closer than six.

The Bears were led by all-tournament honorees De’Torrion Ware (16 points, five rebounds) and Lagio Grantsaan (13 points, eight rebounds). They finished with a 42-34 edge on the glass.

It was a back and forth game in the early going before a dunk from Chambers on a nice feed from senior Mustafa Lawrence at 10:44 to put NSU ahead for the rest of the half. Carter hit a 3-point shot, and Lawrence also sank one for a six-point lead, 24-18, with less than eight minutes to go in the half.

After a 3-point play from Ware, NSU turned around and scored eight straight for a double-digit lead. Hicks had a pair of baskets during a quick 8-0 run, and Lawrence finished it with three free throws to make it 34-24.

Thanks to a late 3-pointer from Chavis, the Spartans went into the half nursing a 37-30 advantage.

NSU shot 42 percent for the afternoon, 47 percent in the second half, hitting seven 3-pointers along the way. The Spartans forced 18 turnovers and held a 24-10 edge in points off turnovers.

Lawrence added eight points while hitting all five of his free throw attempts. Chavis tallied seven points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Legendary boxer Marvin Hagler dead at 66

World champion boxer, Marvin Hagler has died at the age of 66.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler died unexpectedly at his New Hampshire home on Saturday, according to a statement from his wife, Kay, in a post made to Hagler's official Facebook fan club page.

Hagler reigned as the undisputed middleweight champion of the world from 1980 to 1987.

He successfully defended the championship belt twelve times, including a superfight against Thomas Hearns that is considered one of the greatest boxing matches in history.

He finished his professional career with 62 wins, with 52 by knockout. He lost three fights, all by decision, and had two draws.

Hagler is an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries statement on Governor Andrew Cuomo sexual harrasement allegations

New York congressman, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY 8th District) released the following statement in regard to the mounting sexual harasement allegations against New York Governor, Andrew Coumo:

Minneapolis reaches $27 million settlement with George Floyd’s family

The city of Minneapolis has settled a civil suit with the family of George Floyd for a record $27 million.

The city council voted 13-0 to approve the settlement which also includes $500,000 for the south Minneapolis neighborhood that includes the 38th and Chicago intersection that has been blocked by barricades since his death, with a massive metal sculpture and murals in his honor.

The Minneapolis City Council emerged from closed session to announce the settlement.

“I hope that today will center the voices of the family and anything that they would like to share,” Council President Lisa Bender said. “But I do want to, on behalf of the entire City Council, offer my deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd, his friends and all of our community who are mourning his loss.”

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump called a news conference for 1 p.m. that include family members.

Crump, in a prepared statement, said it was the largest pretrial civil rights settlement ever, and “sends a powerful message that Black lives do matter and police brutality against people of color must end.”

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke calls for Gov. Coumo to resign

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D NY 9th District) joined the majority of her colleagues in the Brooklyn (NY) congressional delegation in calling for the resignation of NY Governor, Andrew Coumo in light of mounting sexual harrasement allegations against him.

Clarke released the following statement calling for Governor Cuomo to step down:

In light of allthe recent allegations mounting against Governor Andrew Coumo, I have revisited my previous stance in favor of a more expedited call to action. These allegations have reached a level that I believe impedes the Governor's ability to serve the people of New York.

I remain confident that attorney General Letitia James has the resources, prowess, and ability, to conduct a comphrehensive and determinative report. However I must join my colleagues in calling for Governor Andrew Coumo to step down."

Michelle Obama To Be Inducted Into The National Women’s Hall Of Fame

The former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama will be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

The organization announced its nine-member Class of 2021 on Monday. Along with Michelle Obama, it includes soccer icon Mia Hamm, NASA’s first African American female engineer Katherine Johnson and PepsiCo’s first female CEO, Indra Nooyi.

This year’s edition of the biennial induction ceremony will take place on October 2 in-person, with Covid-19 protocols, at the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. A free live stream of the ceremony will be available.

“As First Lady, she created: Let’s Move!, a program aimed at ending childhood obesity; the Reach Higher Initiative to help students navigate and better understand job opportunities and get the education necessary for these jobs; Joining Forces, an initiative she co-lead with Dr. Biden to support military veterans, service members, and military families; and Let Girls Learn, a program to support adolescent girls’ education around the world.

“During her eight years as First Lady, Michelle Obama she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, transforming the White House into the “People’s House.” Since leaving the White House, she has continued to have a profound public impact,” the National Women’s Hall of Fame said in a statement.

Judge reinstates third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said Thursday that he will reinstate a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd.

Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine minutes May 25, is already charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, as well as second-degree manslaughter. The third-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.

Cahill dismissed the charge last fall because he believed that the circumstances of Chauvin's case did not fit, but an appellate ruling in an unrelated case provided new grounds for it days before the trial started and ordered him to reconsider.

An appeals court ruled Friday said Cahill erred when he rejected a prosecution motion to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin in October. A three-judge panel said Cahill should have followed the precedent set by the appeals court last month when it affirmed the third-degree murder conviction of former officer Mohamed Noor in the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an Australian woman had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault happening.

In a statement Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, whose office is prosecuting Chauvin, said: "We believe the charge of 3rd-degree murder is fair and appropriate. We look forward to putting it before the jury, along with charges of 2nd-degree unintentional murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter."

[SOURCE NBC NEWS]

'Graham needs to go back to church': Jim Clyburn reacts to Lindsey Graham's reparations comment

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) reacts to Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) comments that the billions of dollars in aid to Black farmers in the Covid-19 relief bill are reparations.

Senate confirms Michael Regan to lead EPA

The Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, making the state regulator the first Black man to be administrator of the agency.

Michael Regan, 44, was confirmed with a bipartisan vote of 66-34, with sixteen Republicans joining all Democrats in voting to confirm him.

The North Carolinian will lead the agency in an administration that has promised to aggressively fight against climate change and environmental injustice.

He worked at the EPA from 2001-08 in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. He joined the Environmental Defense Fund in 2008 and left in 2015 to found M. Regan and Associates, a consulting firm on environmental issues. In 2017, he became cabinet secretary for North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality.

Though Regan is not a widely known political figure, he brings his past experience leading North Carolina's environmental agency. His background includes working to hold a business blamed for the toxic PFAS pollution accountable, and his work improving regulation of his state's giant hog farms and releasing a plan to cut climate-damaging fossil fuel pollution from power plants by 70 percent within a decade.

[SOURCE: USA TODAY]

Senate confirms Marcia Fudge as Housing Secretary

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by a solid bipartisan margin.

Senators approved Fudge’s nomination to be HUD secretary on a 66-34 vote. She will be the first woman to hold the position since 1979 and the second Black woman and the third woman ever to lead the department.

Judas and the Black Messiah' Named Best Picture by African American Film Critics Association

Judas and the Black Messiah took top honors from the African American Film Critics Association, the world's largest group of Black film critics.

The film was named best picture, with star Daniel Kaluuya winning best supporting actor for his portrayal of Black Panther Party deputy chairman Fred Hampton and Dominique Fishback named best supporting actress for her role as Deborah Johnson, Hampton's fiancee and mother of his child. Helmer Shaka King also won breakout director.

“Serving alongside an all-Black producing team, Judas and the Black Messiah director Shaka King created a project that permanently enshrines pivotal Black Panther leader Fred Hampton as an American hero. Released against the backdrop of the present-day Black Lives Matter movement, the film's message of commitment and sacrifice to social justice is empowering,” AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson said in a statement. "Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton is literally on fire and is supported well by Dominique Fishback who increasingly has become an actress to watch. Our members are thrilled to award the film with our highest honor.”

For a full list of the 2021 AAFCA Award winners click AAFCA Award Winners

[SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter]

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Becomes Best-Selling African American Owned And Founded Spirit Brand Of All Time

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the most award-winning American whiskey - including Bourbon - brand of 2019 and 2020, announces it has now become the best-selling African American owned and founded spirit brand in history, selling nearly 1.5 million bottles of its sought after super premium whiskey. The company's whiskey portfolio, available in more than 21,000 locations, is currently made up of its small batch whiskey (SRP $49.99), its rare single barrel whiskey (SRP $119), and its core aged whiskey offering (SRP $59.99).

"The spirits industry has never seen anything like this in all the years that data has been tracked through the three major data collection agencies for the industry," said Donn Bichsel, founder of 3 Tier Beverages, a spirits data collection and analyzation company. "No African American founded and led spirit brand has ever come close to what the Uncle Nearest brand and team have done. We analyzed every piece of credible data and Uncle Nearest is undoubtedly the top seller of all time, with the rest of the top 10 being so far behind, that they barely registered."

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey debuted in July 2017 and expanded into all 50 states in less than two years. Built on its knack for sourcing the best of Tennessee Whiskeys and Bourbons, the whiskey is made using a non- temperature-controlled aging process and a unique post-aging double filtration method, which is then blended to perfection by fifth generation Nearest Green descendant and Uncle Nearest's master blender, Victoria Eady Butler. This process, in part, has led to the whiskey garnering more than 160 awards in its first three years, including Double Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirit Competition and back-to-back honors of "World's Best" at Whisky Magazine's World Whiskies Awards, who last month presented Butler with their coveted Icons of Whisky award for Master Blender of the Year. Additionally, the groundbreaking company was a 2020 Inc. Magazine Best in Business honoree, and earlier today was named one of the top ten Most Innovative Companies in the North America category on Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the Most Innovative Companies for 2021.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Uncle Nearest was forced to throttle its growth, according to Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of the brand. "Our bottling and distilling partner did an incredible job of ensuring every area of the distillery was socially distanced and followed the strictest COVID-19 guidelines, which meant we could only move so quickly and had to cap our third full year at 120,000 cases sold," said Weaver. In spite of that, the company recently announced to investors its ninth quarter in a row of more than 100% growth over the same time the previous year, and is on track to make that ten.

This month, Uncle Nearest greatly increased its shipping and bottling capabilities at its Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., with the company on track to sell 250,000 cases this year, only its fourth full year since their debut.

"I couldn't be more excited that this announcement is coming on the heels of International Women's Day, given that we are the only major spirit brand with an all-female executive team," said Victoria Eady Butler. "Reaching this achievement at this moment in time is important as it reminds folks that whiskey is the great equalizer. The support this brand has received has been across every race and gender. As it turns out, people just care that it's a damn good whiskey, only matched by the remarkable legacy of my ancestor."

Learn more about Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey at its website.

Churchill Downs to Honor Legendary African-American Jockey Isaac Murphy

Churchill Downs Racetrack has renamed a Derby Week stakes race to honor the legacy of a legendary African-American and native Kentuckian who was arguably the greatest jockey American racing has ever known – Isaac Murphy.

The featured overnight stakes race on Champions Day, Tuesday, April 27, has been renamed the $120,000 Isaac Murphy Marathon. The 1 ½-mile endurance race for Thoroughbreds age 4 and up was formerly known as the Champions Day Marathon.

Murphy is only the seventh individual to have a Churchill Downs stakes race named in his honor, joining Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark (Clark), former Churchill Downs President Matt Winn (Matt Winn), “My Old Kentucky Home” composer Stephen Foster (Stephen Foster), Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas (Lukas Classic), Churchill Downs all-time winningest jockey Pat Day (Pat Day Mile) and fellow African-American riding great William “Billy” Walker Sr. (William Walker), the leading jockey at six of the track’s first 13 meets and winner of the 1877 Kentucky Derby aboard Baden-Baden. More than 50 stakes races are staged at the Louisville, Ky. track annually.

“Churchill Downs strongly believes in preserving and sharing the stories of the African-American jockeys who are an integral part of the legacy of the Kentucky Derby,” said Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson. “As we continue to recognize key contributors to our storied history, we believe now more than ever, it is critical to develop new ways to share these stories widely by incorporating them into our Derby Week traditions.

“Since 2015, Churchill Downs has kicked off Derby Week on Opening Night by recognizing William “Billy” Walker Sr. with the William Walker Stakes. This year, it is a privilege to also honor Isaac Murphy by re-naming the Champions Day Marathon to the Isaac Murphy Marathon. It is important to amplify the stories of these great jockeys, to acknowledge the painful truths that led to their exclusion from horse racing in our country more than 100 years ago and to herald their legendary contributions to our sport and to the Kentucky Derby.”

Born Jan. 1, 1861 in Frankfort, Ky., the son of a former slave who was a Union solider during the Civil War, Isaac Burns Murphy made the most of his natural talent to ride Thoroughbreds, and gained fame, wealth and elite social status that was uncommon for an African-American in the 19th century.

Murphy was the first back-to-back and three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby. He rode his first Derby winner in 1884 aboard Buchanan and took back-to-back editions of the race in 1890 aboard Riley and 1891 with Kingman.

As the greatest rider of his generation, he was known for his amazingly high win percentage. When the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame announced their inaugural class in 1955, Murphy was the first jockey inducted into horse racing’s Hall of Fame. More information about Murphy is detailed online at https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/jockey/isaac-b-murphy.

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color

For over a century, Black farmers faced discrimination from the US Department of Agriculture and were largely excluded from federal loans and farm improvement initiatives.

In an effort led by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that passed on Saturday included Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act which is a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other farmers of color, to enable reforms that will assist farmers with building generational wealth.

Warnock's measure includes references to several other issues that are a priority for the Black agricultural community, such as heir’s property, access to the legal system, and better support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal of the measure is also to help instill generational wealth into Black farming families.

Warnock, who is the first Black senator to serve from Georgia, told Rolling Stone magazine that this federal assistance “will not only help farmers of color, but will also lift up the economies of our rural communities working to recover from the economic turndown.”

“We are one more important step closer to bringing emergency debt relief to Black, Native American and other Farmers of Color in this country,” John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, said in a statement. “Generations of discriminatory behavior by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has contributed to significant economic differences between white farmers and farmers of color that directly impact their access to credit. Sec. 1005 and Sec. 1006 of H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will help address the ongoing effects of discrimination by reducing the risk of foreclosure and increasing access to credit.”

Among its many facets, the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act directs the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack to “pay to each lender of farm loans guaranteed by the Secretary an amount equal to the principal and interest outstanding as of the date of enactment of this Act on all farm loans held by the lender, the borrowers of which are socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, such that the borrowers shall be relieved of the obligation to repay the principal and interest due on those guaranteed farm loans.”

Vice-President Kamala Harris statement on International Women's Day

Vice-President Kamala Harris released the following statement on International Women's Day:

Today is International Women’s Day and #ADayWithoutAWoman, an opportunity to recognize the progress we have made, to celebrate our accomplishments, and to acknowledge how far we still have to go to achieve full equality for all women. I ask everyone to look at the role of women in our society -- in our families, in our workplace, in our schools, in our government, and in our military -- and realize what a day without women would actually mean.

Imagine a day without Harriet Tubman or Dolores Huerta. Imagine a day without Shirley Chisholm or Maya Angelou. Imagine a day without Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Constance Baker Motley. Imagine a day without Ibtihaj Muhammad or Serena Williams. Imagine a day without Aung Sang Suu Kyi or Malala Yousafzai.

We stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us as well as the women who are marching in the streets and fighting for our civil rights. Today and every day, I stand with all women. I will keep fighting for you.

Charges permanently against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker dropped

A judge on Monday ruled that charges against Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, for shooting a Louisville, Ky., police officer would be permanently dropped.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Olu Stevens declared that the charges against Walker would be dismissed with prejudice preventing him from being charged with the March 13 incident that resulted in his girlfriend’s death, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

The charges were dropped after Jefferson Commonwealth Attorney Tom Wine’s office filed for their dismissal with prejudice last week.

Wine had requested a further investigation after charges against Walker were dismissed in May 2020, but his office noted last week that “no new information relevant to the charges against [Walker] in this matter has been brought to the commonwealth’s attention.”

"As such, the commonwealth moves the court to amend its prior dismissal of this matter without prejudice to a dismissal with prejudice," the document from Wine’s office said, according to the newspaper.

Walker commented on the office’s request to dismiss charges last week in an Instagram post, saying, “I’m blessed for sure but there’s a lot more to be done we gonna get justice for Breonna Taylor.”

His lawyer Steve Romines said in a statement obtained by the Courier-Journal, "We believe the city used Kenneth as a pawn to cover up the events that took place on March 13, 2020, and further used him to cover up the deep-seated failures within the Louisville Metro Police Department.”

“It does not go unnoticed that neither the city nor the LMPD has apologized for using Kenneth as a scapegoat for an improper raid gone bad,” Romines added.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Michael B. Jordan to interview VP Kamala Harris before tipoff of NBA All-Star Game

TNT’s NBA All-Star Game coverage to open with special conversation featuring the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris & Michael B. Jordan tonight at 8p ET.

They’ll talk about the important role of HBCUs, why everyone should get vaccinated when it’s their turn, and more.

President Biden urges Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act

In pre-taped remarks at the Martin & Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast which was held on the anniversary the march in Selma, President Biden urged Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

...I also urge Congress to fully restore the Voting Rights Act, named in John Lewis’ honor.

Today, on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, I am signing an executive order to make it easier for eligible voters to register to vote and improve access to voting. Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have that vote counted. If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.

I’ll close with this – a few days before he passed, Jill and I spoke with John, Congressman Lewis.

But instead of answering our concerns about him, “how are you doing, John,” he asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal and to unite this nation around what it means to be an American.

That’s the God’s truth. John wouldn’t talk about his pending death or his concerns. He said we just got to get this done.

That we are all created equal. That we all deserve to be treated equally.

On this day of reflection, please, let’s stay focused on the work ahead.

Let’s remember all those who came before us as a bridge to our history so we do not forget its pain, and as a bridge to our future so we never lose our hope.

May God bless their memory. May God bless you all.

Claressa Shields: Makes Boxing History

World champion Claressa Sheilds has made boxing history.

Her unanimous points victory over Marie-Eve Dicaire meant that she became the first fighter - male or female - to be undisputed champion in two divisions in the four-belt era.The fight was held in Shield's hometown of Flint, Michigan. The fight was also the headline act of the first ever all-women pay-per-view boxing card.

All three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Shields, who landed 116 punches to Dicaire's 31.

The victory meant the 25-year-old retained her WBC and WBO light-middleweight titles, took Canadian Dicaire's IBF crown and won the vacant WBA belt.

She had already won all four belts at middleweight.

After the fight Shields called out Britain's Savannah Marshall, the WBO middleweight champion and the only women to beat her as an amateur.

Rep. Karen Bass on passing of George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA 37th District) released the following statement on the passing of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act:

Thirty years ago today, Rodney King was viciously beaten by police officers in Los Angeles. It would be the first time the world would witness what African Americans had been organizing, marching and trying to change for more than 100 years.

Personally, I was hopeful that once everyone saw what happens in Black communities, policing in America would change. I was certain no one would deny what they saw with their own eyes and the officers involved would be held accountable for their actions.

I was wrong.

Now, thirty years later, the United States House of Representatives has voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which is just the first step to transform policing in America by raising the standards for policing in America, and holding officers who fail to uphold the ethic of protecting and serving their communities, accountable.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and across the aisle to ensure that substantive police reform arrives at the President’s desk.