NBA 2K22 Reveals Candace Parker Cover for the WNBA 25th Anniversary Special Edition

Candace Parker will be the first woman to be on the cover of the NBA 2K. She will be on the cover of the WNBA 25th Anniversary Special Edition, which will be available only in the United States and Canada.

Parker commented on being chosen for the cover of the WNBA 25th Anniversary Special Edition of the game, saying:

"The cover of NBA 2K is such a pivotal platform to inspire young ballers, and I wanted future WNBA stars to know that they can be cover athletes too. Representation matters, so this is a special moment of progress for the sport and the series. To be part of this historic cover is a testament to the growth and rising popularity of the women's game, and I'm proud to be the first female cover athlete to be the face of NBA 2K."

Lovecraft Country garners 18 Emmy nominations

Congratulations are in order for the creator of Lovecraft Country, Misha Green and the entire cast and crew. Although the HBO show was not renewed for a second season, it garnered 18 Emmy Award nominations.

Those nominations are:

Outstanding Drama Series

Drama actor (Jonathan Majors)

Drama Actress (Jurnee Smollett)

Drama Supporting Actor (Michael K. Williams)

Drama Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis)

Drama Guest Actor (Courtney B. Vance)

Casting for a Drama Series

Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes

Main Title Design

Prosthetic Makeup

Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)

Music Supervision

Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)

Special Visual Effects In A Season or a Movie

Stunt Performance

Writing for a Drama Series

Sha'Carri Richardson To Race 100 & 200 Meters At Prefontaine Classic

Sha’Carri Richardson leads off the stars lining up for the Prefontaine Classic, and in a rare treat fans can enjoy her electrifying flair twice.

Her competitors will be the fastest available, as meet organizers aim to load fields with Tokyo medalists as the Pre Classic kicks off the post-Olympic sequence of Wanda Diamond League meets. In Richardson’s case, that’s two events as she intends to race both the 100 and 200 meters, an unusual one-day double in Diamond League competition.

“I’m looking forward to running fast and putting on a show,” Richardson told meet staff succinctly.

Even at age 21, this generational talent already has a history of doing both.

Just three weeks ago, the Dallas native sizzled the surface of reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon with a blistering 10.64 in the 100-meter semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Even though the race was wind-aided, she noticeably eased up to a time that only Florence Griffith Joyner and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have ever surpassed under any conditions.

Later that same day Richardson won the final easily, her nails and brightly-colored flowing hair making a fashion statement to match her speed.

Richardson rose to stardom in her home state of Texas when as an LSU freshman she stormed to a collegiate record 10.75 to win the 2019 NCAA Championships in Austin. Later that day she fell just 0.01 seconds short of winning the 200.

One-day doubles (and triples) have continued in her career, even in the pandemic year of 2020. In August of last year she ran a pair of sub-11 times in the 100, plus her 22.00 PR in the 200, all on the same day.

Doubling in Pre Classic sprints has been historically rare, even before the Diamond League began in 2010. The last man or woman to win both the 100 and 200 in the same year was Maurice Greene in 1999, two years after Inger Miller came closest in women’s events in 1997 with a first in the 100 and second in the 200.

Additional entries in both the 100 and 200 meters will be announced in the coming weeks.   

Tickets for the 46th annual edition of the Prefontaine Classic, to be held August 20-21 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., will be available at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, July 12 at GoDucks.com. Purchase gains entry into both Friday night and Saturday sessions of the meet. All seats are reserved for both sessions.

Accreditation requests for bona fide members of the media wishing to cover the Prefontaine Classic can be placed online at portal.diamondleague.com. Media accreditation questions and other inquiries can be sent to media@preclassic.com.

The Prefontaine Classic is the longest-running outdoor invitational track & field meet in America and is part of the elite Wanda Diamond League of meets held worldwide annually. The Pre Classic’s results score has rated No. 1 or No. 2 in the world 8 of the last nine years it has been contested.  

The meet has been sponsored by NIKE continuously since 1984, the longest running title sponsorship of a single sports event in the United States.  

The NIKE Prefontaine Classic will be shown live to an international audience by NBC on Saturday.

Steve Prefontaine is a legend in the sport of track & field and is the most inspirational distance runner in American history. He set a national high school 2-mile record (8:41.5) while at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, that is the fastest ever in a National Federation-sanctioned race. While competing for the University of Oregon, he won national cross country championships (3) and outdoor track 3-Mile/5000-meter championships (4), and never lost a collegiate track race at any distance. As a collegiate junior, he made the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and nearly won an Olympic medal, finishing 4th in the 5K at the 1972 Munich Olympics, at age 21.  After finishing college in 1973 and preparing for a return to the Olympics in 1976, he continued to improve, setting many American records. His life ended tragically on May 30, 1975, the result of an auto accident, at age 24. The Pre Classic began that year and had been held every year since, until 2020 when it fell victim to the pandemic. Now a new string begins.

Southern University offers Zaila Avant-garde a full scholarship

Southern University is offering a full-ride scholarship to Zaila Avant-garde, the Harvey 14-year-old who won the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Ray L. Belton, the Southern University president-chancellor made the offr viw Twitter:

I am pleased to announce that @Southernu_BR is offering #ZailaAvantgarde a full scholarship and "#Zaila Day" at SU, part of the nation’s only #HBCU system. Our student leaders, faculty, and alumni look forward meeting with you. We welcome you to the #JaguarNation! #WeAreSouthern pic.twitter.com/4eeSI457yr

— Ray L. Belton, Ph.D. (@SUSprez) July 10, 2021

Prince William condemns racist attacks of Black English Soccer Players

Prince William took to Twitter to speak out on the "racist abuse" directed at Black English soccer players following Sunday's loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 match.

I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match.

It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour.

It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 12, 2021

Barbie® Releases Naomi Osaka Role Models Doll

In 2019, she was a Barbie® Shero, honored with a doll in her likeness. Now, in 2021, we're thrilled to honor tennis player Naomi Osaka with a Barbie® Role Models Doll that's available for collectors and tennis fans around the world!

Osaka represents Japan as a professional tennis player. She became the first Japanese player in history to win a Grand Slam (one of the four major annual tennis tournaments) at the U.S. Open in 2018. The following year, she won another Grand Slam tournament (the Australian Open) and reached #1 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. She already won her fourth career Grand Slam title earlier in 2021, and she's using her platform to speak out about issues surrounding human rights and racial injustice. Naomi is a force, on and off the court!

To make the Naomi Osaka Doll a reality, Barbie® Signature turned to designer Carlyle Nuera. He's well-known for the research he puts into his subjects, and when asked for his thoughts about her, he says, "Obviously Naomi’s athletic skill is unmatched, that's a fact. But what I personally admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform, the spotlight on her and her voice, to raise awareness about social justice."

The Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll wears a Nike tennis dress with brushstroke print, inspired by a look she sported at a major match in 2020. With a white Nike visor, light blue athletic shoes, and a replica of her Yonex tennis racket, she’s ready to hit the court.

The doll body Carlyle chose for the Naomi Osaka doll is the Made to Move™ original doll body, which features 22 total points of articulation, for endless posing possibilities. The included display stand will help you set up some great action shots for your social posts, too.

The Barbie® Role Models Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll is part of our Black Label® series of dolls, available for $29.99 in the online shop. When she debuts, there will be a limit of two (2) dolls per person, so as many Naomi Osaka and Barbie® fans as possible can add her to their collections. (This limit is subject to change at a later date.)

This doll also represents the Roles Models who play a part in our ongoing Barbie Dream Gap Project. It's a global initiative designed to introduce girls to women’s stories from all walks of life, because imagining they can be anything is just the beginning. Actually seeing that they can makes all the difference!

With displayable packaging and so many true-to-life details, this collectible doll makes a great gift for tennis fans of any age. Get your Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll in the shop today!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE NAOMI OSAKA ROLE MODELS DOLL

LSU president offers National Spelling Bee winner, Zaila Avant-garde full scholarship

Louisiana State University (LSU) on Saturday offered Zaila Avant-garde, the first African American contestant to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a full scholarship.

In a tweet on Saturday, LSU President William F. Tate IV said Avant-garde, 14, “performed at the highest level in the National Spelling Bee.”

Zaila Avant-garde @basketballasart performed at the highest level in the National Spelling Bee. Your academic performance reflected scholarship first! You modeled intellectual excellence. @LSU_Honors awaits. I write to offer you a full scholarship to attend LSU. Here for you! pic.twitter.com/LopV3bdeWI

— William F. Tate IV (@WFTate4) July 10, 2021

Zaila Avant-garde: First African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Zaila Avant-garde won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night, making her the first African American champion of the contest.

Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Harvey, La., won the Scripps Cup in the 18th round. She is the first African American contestant to win in the competition's 96-year history.

When presented with her final word, murraya, she first asked if it included the English name Murray, "which could be the name of a comedian."

Even with the pronouncer's response — "I don't see that here" — Avant-garde spelled the word correctly, winning the title and the $50,000 prize.

“I was pretty relaxed on the subject of Murraya and pretty much any other word I got,” Zaila said.

Zaila also told the media she hoped her victory would be followed by greater representation for her and other minority groups in future.

“I’m hoping that within the next few years, I can see a little bit of an influx of African Americans, and not many Hispanic people, either, so I’m hoping to see them there, too,” she said.

John Lewis statue installed in Atlanta park

A statue of John Lewis was installed on Wednesday at a new park in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Ambassador Andrew Young debuted the statue, at the new Rodney Cook Park on the Westside.

National Association of Black Journalists wants meeting with ESPN over Maria Taylor/Rachel Nichols issue

The National Association of Black Journalists released the following statement on the developing situation between ESPN, Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is outraged to read reports in The New York Times and other publications that uncover a toxic ESPN culture that appears to promote bias.

According to the Times, a white sideline reporter and host of “The Jump,” Rachel Nichols, was recorded inferring that Maria Taylor, a qualified, talented Black journalist, analyst, and host of “NBA Countdown,” was only in her position because ESPN was “feeling pressure about (its) crappy longtime record on diversity.” Nichols issued an apology earlier this week and yesterday it was announced that her role as NBA Finals sideline reporter was given to Malika Andrews, who is Black.

Nichols’ comments and the actions that followed over the last year were not only disappointing but disparaging given the ongoing reports by Black journalists of white men advancing at ESPN because of their skin tone and not by merit. ESPN’s response to the matter was even more appalling, as the Times has documented what appears to be an attempt by ESPN to sweep the matter under the rug until it was recently exposed in greater detail. The company’s actions could have alienated Taylor and left another Black employee punished for exposing the matter.

According to some reports, the last time the matter was addressed on record was in a statement ESPN issued to Yahoo Sports in July 2020 that did not address the racial insensitivity on display: “We are extremely disappointed about the leak of a private conversation. It’s indefensible and an intrusion on Rachel’s privacy. As for the substance of the conversation, it is not reflective of our decision-making on staffing assignments for the NBA, which has largely been driven by the circumstances of the pandemic.”

“The NABJ Board of Directors is disturbed to learn the details of this situation and what appeared to be a lack of accountability and a desire by ESPN to provide accommodations for a white employee who mocked diversity and a well-qualified co-worker while seemingly ignoring how Taylor and others who later heard the conversation may have been affected,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker. “The silence and apparent inaction by ESPN leaders over the last year is deafening and, as a result, NABJ is requesting a meeting with Bob Iger, executive chairman at The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN; Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN.”

ESPN issued the following statement to NABJ but did not directly address Nichols’ behavior and the subsequent fallout.

“We’re proud to lead the sports media industry in making significant progress to develop and place diverse talent on-air and in key leadership positions,” a spokesperson said. “Diversity, Inclusion and Equity are top priorities at ESPN. We recognize more work needs to be done, and we will continue our commitment to creating a culture that reflects our values. Our partnership with NABJ is an integral part of that commitment.”

NABJ looks forward to meeting with top leaders at the company to present our concerns, demand answers and change at ESPN.

Eric Adams Wins Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City.

According to an unofficial tally of votes published by the New York City Board of Elections, Adams has secured 50.5% of the vote to former sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia's 49.5% with few ballots left to be counted.

In a statement, Adams called his nomination an historic win brought about by a "five-borough coalition led by working class New Yorkers."

"Now, we must focus on winning in November so that we can deliver on the promise of this great city for those who are struggling, who are underserved and who are committed to a safe, fair, affordable future for all New Yorkers," he said.

Adams is now the favorite to become the next mayor of New York City in the November general election against the Republican primary winner Curtis Silwa, a talk show host and founder of the Guardian Angels.

2021 Black Heritage stamps honor August Wilson

“No one should think that Black history is confined to the month of February, when evidence to the contrary appears everywhere and in every month. Black History Month is not a token,” says Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, national president for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). “It is a special tribute — a time of acknowledgement, of reflection and inspiration — that comes to life in real and ongoing activities throughout the year, just as the work of ASALH has for 106 years steadily asserted both racial pride and the centrality of race and the black experience to the American narrative and heritage.”

Black History Month officially kicks off each year when the Postal Service announces the Black Heritage Forever stamp. The 2021 honoree is legendary playwright August Wilson. He is 44th in the series of distinguished African American men and women who have received one of the nation’s highest honors — appearing on a U.S. postage stamp. The first in the series featured abolitionist Harriet Tubman in 1978. Also included is Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black history and creator of Negro History Week, which later became Black History Month.

August Wilson’s work focused on the black experience and he was hailed as a trailblazer for helping to bring nonmusical African American drama to the forefront of American theater.

As a literary genius, Wilson collected innumerable accolades, including seven New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards; a Tony Award for 1987’s “Fences”; and two Pulitzer Prizes — for “Fences” and 1990’s “The Piano Lesson.” His play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was recently adapted for film and released on Netflix.

You can celebrate Black Heritage and own a piece of history by purchasing the August Wilson Forever stamp at Post Office locations nationwide and online at usps.com/wilsonstamps.

Nikole Hannah-Jones and Howard alumnus Ta-Nehisi Coates joining the Howard University faculty

Howard University announced today that Nikole Hannah-Jones and Howard alumnus Ta-Nehisi Coates will join the Howard University faculty. Hannah-Jones will be a tenured member of the faculty of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, filling the newly created Knight Chair in Race and Journalism. Coates, journalist and author, will be a faculty member in the flagship College of Arts and Sciences. Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, will also found the Center for Journalism and Democracy, which will focus on training and supporting aspiring journalists in acquiring the investigative skills and historical and analytical expertise needed to cover the crisis our democracy is facing. The center hopes to work across multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) that offer journalism degrees and concentrations. 

The appointments are supported by nearly $20 million donated by Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation, as well as by an anonymous donor, to support Howard’s continued education of and investment in Black journalists. 

“It is my pleasure to welcome to Howard two of today’s most respected and influential journalists,” said Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, president of Howard University. “At such a critical time for race relations in our country, it is vital that we understand the role of journalism in steering our national conversation and social progress. Not only must our newsrooms reflect the communities where they are reporting, but we need to infuse the profession with diverse talent. We are thrilled that they will bring their insights and research to what is already a world-class, highly accomplished team of professors.

“Further, we are grateful to the Knight, MacArthur and Ford foundations, as well as to an anonymous donor, for their support in our continued efforts to train the next generation of journalists and to provide a diverse pipeline of talent to America’s newsrooms,” said President Frederick.

Hannah-Jones, the creator of the 1619 Project, will be the inaugural Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and will begin her faculty role this Summer. Award-winning author Coates will hold the Sterling Brown Chair in the Department of English and will begin this position following completion of several current obligations.

“I am so incredibly honored to be joining one of the most important and storied educational institutions in our country and to work alongside the illustrious faculty of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications and the brilliant students it draws in,” Hannah-Jones said. “One of my few regrets is that I did not attend Howard as an undergraduate, and so coming here to teach fulfills a dream I have long carried. I hope that the decision that Ta-Nehisi and I made to bring our talents to an HBCU will lead others to make a similar choice.

“We are at a critical juncture in our democracy, and yet our press does not reflect the nation it serves and too often struggles to grasp the danger for our country as we see growing attacks on free speech and the fundamental right to vote,” Hannah-Jones continued. “In the storied tradition of the Black press, the Center for Journalism and Democracy will help produce journalists capable of accurately and urgently covering the challenges of our democracy with a clarity, skepticism, rigor and historical dexterity that is too often missing from today’s journalism. I am so grateful to the Ford, Knight and MacArthur foundations for the initial funding to launch the center and hope to very quickly meet the center’s $25 million fundraising goal.”

“I heard a wise man once say, ‘A man who hates home will never be happy.’ And it is in the pursuit of wisdom and happiness that I return to join the esteemed faculty of Howard University. This is the faculty that molded me. This is the faculty that strengthened me,” Coates said. “Personally, I know of no higher personal honor than this.”

For 50 years, the Howard University School of Communications has trained the nation’s top communicators and media professionals, from award-winning news anchors and journalists to filmmakers, public relations executives and researchers. The school will celebrate its 50th anniversary during the 2021-22 academic year, highlighting its history of disseminating truth through communications and providing community service through storytelling. 

The College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) is at the heart of Howard University, recognized worldwide as a premier, comprehensive research university. COAS is often referred to as the University’s flagship because it is the oldest and the largest of the University’s 13 schools and colleges. Its predecessor was founded in the second year of the University’s existence, and today it enrolls more than 3,000 students – making it the most popular choice among Howard’s undergraduates.

Three foundations and an anonymous donor have contributed nearly $20 million to support the University’s demonstrated academic and journalistic excellence.

Knight Foundation is providing $5 million total to establish an endowment at Howard University to support a Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and to develop symposia, directed by the Knight Chair, to support journalism students and faculty across the network of HBCUs. Howard selected Hannah-Jones as the inaugural Knight Chair.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is providing a $5 million grant to support the Center for Journalism and Democracy. Up to $1.25 million of the funding will be dedicated to supporting the next phase of the 1619 Project. Hannah-Jones and Coates are both MacArthur Fellows from the class of 2017 and 2015 respectively.

The Ford Foundation will provide $5 million for general operating support for the creation of the center at Howard University, which will be spearheaded by Hannah-Jones. Ford’s funding is designed to support the infrastructure of the center and its programs to help increase the number of Black professionals entering journalism and enhance their career-readiness.

An anonymous donor contributed $5 million to fund the Sterling Brown Chair in English and Humanities and to establish the Ida B. Wells Endowed Fund to support the Knight Chair.

Frederick Douglass “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” Speech Transcript

On July 5, 1852, Douglass gave a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, held at Rochester's Corinthian Hall. It was biting oratory, in which the speaker told his audience, "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." And he asked them, "Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"

Read the transcript of his speech below:

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too Ñ great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory....

...Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation's sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation's jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the "lame man leap as an hart."

But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ÑThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people!

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth."

Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!" To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America.is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery Ñ the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.

But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, "It is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, an denounce less; would you persuade more, and rebuke less; your cause would be much more likely to succeed." But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!

For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!

Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Amercans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.

What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their mastcrs? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.

What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument is passed.

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.

Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival....


...Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. "The arm of the Lord is not shortened," and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from "the Declaration of Independence," the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. Nations do not now stand in the same relation to each other that they did ages ago. No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. The arm of commerce has borne away the gates of the strong city. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. Wind, steam, and lightning are its chartered agents. Oceans no longer divide, but link nations together. From Boston to London is now a holiday excursion. Space is comparatively annihilated. -- Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are distinctly heard on the other.

The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. The Celestial Empire, the mystery of ages, is being solved. The fiat of the Almighty, "Let there be Light," has not yet spent its force. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light. The iron shoe, and crippled foot of China must be seen in contrast with nature. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. 'Ethiopia, shall, stretch. out her hand unto Ood." In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it:

God speed the year of jubilee
The wide world o'er!
When from their galling chains set free,
Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee,
And wear the yoke of tyranny
Like brutes no more.
That year will come, and freedom's reign,
To man his plundered rights again
Restore.

God speed the day when human blood
Shall cease to flow!
In every clime be understood,
The claims of human brotherhood,
And each return for evil, good,
Not blow for blow;
That day will come all feuds to end,
And change into a faithful friend
Each foe.

God speed the hour, the glorious hour,
When none on earth
Shall exercise a lordly power,
Nor in a tyrant's presence cower;
But to all manhood's stature tower,
By equal birth!
That hour will come, to each, to all,
And from his Prison-house, to thrall
Go forth.

Until that year, day, hour, arrive,
With head, and heart, and hand I'll strive,
To break the rod, and rend the gyve,
The spoiler of his prey deprive --
So witness Heaven!
And never from my chosen post,
Whate'er the peril or the cost,
Be driven.

Nike releases statement of support for Sha’Carri Richardson after positive test

Nike released the following statement after the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that Richardson tested positive for marijuana and will serve a 1 month suspension.

“We appreciate Sha’Carri’s honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time.”

Richardson has been a Nike athlete since 2019, and remains so after positive marijuana test and one-month suspension

Alvin Braggs wins Manhattan DA Democratic primary, poised to become Manhattan’s first Black district attorney

Alvin Bragg declared victory late Friday, July 2, in the hard-fought Manhattan District Attorney Democratic primary after his top challenger Tali Farhadian Weinstein conceded the race. Unlike the other city primary races, the DA race did not have rank choice voting (RCV) as it is technically a state and not city office. “This has been a long journey that started in Harlem. And today, that 15-year old boy who was stopped numerous times at gunpoint by the police is the Democratic nominee to be Manhattan District Attorney,” Bragg said in a statement.

“I applaud all the candidates for their passion and ideas to transform the Manhattan District Attorney's office, thank them for making me a better candidate and better prepared to lead the office, and look forward to working with them to bring the change that New York’s criminal justice system so desperately needs. “We are one step closer to making history and transforming the District Attorney’s office to deliver safety and justice for all. One that ends racial disparities and mass incarceration. One that delivers justice for sexual assault survivors and holds police accountable. One that prosecutes landlords who harass tenants, employers who cheat their workers, and stands up to hate crimes. And one that stops the flow of guns onto our streets,” he added.

According to unofficial election night totals, including early voting ballots Bragg had 33.84 percent of the vote (71,947 votes) to Weinstein’s 30.42 percent (64,682 votes). “We have now counted a majority of paper ballots, and though we fought a hard race, it has become clear that we cannot overcome the vote margin. When all votes are counted, we expect to come in second by a few percentage points,” said Weinstein. “I spoke with Alvin Bragg earlier today and congratulated him on his historic election as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney,” Weinstein added. “We had important disagreements throughout the campaign, but I am confident in Alvin’s commitment to justice, and I stand ready to support him. I wish him and the women and men who serve in the district attorney’s office every success.”

Bragg most recently served as the state Chief Deputy Attorney General. He will face Republican attorney Thomas Keniff in the November general election in the heavily Democratic borough.

[SOURCE: MSN]

Rep. Bennie Thompson to lead committee investigating Jan. 6 riot

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday named Rep. Bennie Thompson chairman of a newly created House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

“I take the work of the committee seriously and look forward to making sure that the American people and people around the world know exactly what happened.” Thompson said.

“Our bipartisan, good-faith proposal was met with a filibuster. Now that Senate Republicans have chosen to block the formation of an independent commission, it falls to the House to stay the course and get the answers they deserve,” said Thompson.

[SOURCE: MISSISSIPPI TODAY]

Ayanna Pressley endorses Nina Turner in Ohio congressional race

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) on Tuesday threw her support behind former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner (D) in her bid to represent the Ohio's 11th Congressional District.

"If we are going to make real progress on the urgent crises facing all of our communities, we need lawmakers who are committed to legislating boldly - that's Nina," Pressley said in a statement endorsing Turner.

Pressley said Turner, who previously served as a national co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign, has been "unapologetic in her advocacy and her vision for the communities" in her district.

"As I've always said, policy is my love language, and I know Nina shares my belief in what we can accomplish when we create policies intentionally and in deep partnership with the community. I'm proud to endorse her candidacy, and look forward to working with her in Congress," she added.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

UNC Grants Tenure To Nikole Hannah-Jones

Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted Wednesday afternoon at a closed session to give tenure to star New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones several months after refusing to consider her proposed tenure.

The case inspired a bruising debate over race, journalism and academic freedom. It led both to national headlines and anger and distress among many Black faculty members and students at UNC. Some professors there have publicly said they were reconsidering their willingness to remain at the university over the journalist's treatment.

"We welcome Nikole Hannah-Jones back to campus," the UNC's board chairman, Richard Stevens, said at the close of statements after the three-hour special session of the trustees. "Our university is not a place to cancel people. Our university is better than that. Our nation is better than that.

"We embrace and endorse academic freedom and vigorous debate and constructive disagreement," Stevens said. He also said the campus was not a place for calling people "woke" or "racist." The trustees, he said, had to endure terrible insults but could not respond for privacy reasons involving the decision.

[SOURCE: NPR]

Randy Moore: First African American named to lead US Forest Service

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Randy Moore will serve as the 20th Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service.

“Randy Moore has been a catalyst for change and creativity in carrying out the Forest Service’s mission to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations,” said Secretary Vilsack. “In his role as Regional Forester, Randy has been a conservation leader on the forefront of climate change, most notably leading the Region’s response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California over the last decade. His proven track record of supporting and developing employees and putting communities at the center of the Forest Service’s work positions him well to lead the agency into the future at this critical time in our country.”

Upon swearing in, Moore will serve as the first African American to hold the role of Chief of the Forest Service.

Current Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen will step down from her role on July 26. Chief Christiansen and Regional Forester Moore will continue to collaborate on an intentional leadership transition between now and then as the Forest Service gears up for a tough summer of predicted elevated fire activity across the Western United States.

Background:

Randy Moore has been serving as Regional Forester in the Pacific Southwest Region in California since 2007 where he has responsibility for 18 national forests, covering one-fifth of the state on 20 million acres of land. Additionally, he oversees State and Private Forestry programs in Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.

Previously, Moore served as the Regional Forester for the Eastern Region headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisc., for five years.

Moore started his career in conservation in 1978 with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Dakota. His Forest Service career began on the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado and the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas. He served as Deputy Forest Supervisor on the National Forests of North Carolina and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri before serving as Forest Supervisor of the Mark Twain National Forest. Moore also has national-level experience in Washington, D.C., serving as acting Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System and the National Deputy Soils Program Manager.

Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He and his wife Antoinette have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.