Michelle Obama and Chris Paul Launch When We All Vote’s First HBCU Campaign, the VOTE LOUD HBCU Squad Challenge

Today, When We All Vote Co-Chairs Michelle Obama and Chris Paul launched the organization’s first campaign for Historically Black College and Universities called the VOTE LOUD HBCU Squad Challenge. The challenge wants HBCU students to lead efforts in voter registration, education, and mobilization on their campuses and in their communities.

HBCUs have long been critical in protecting the right to vote in Black communities, and this project builds upon that history. With an eye on the 2022 midterm elections, Squads on HBCU campuses across the country will receive grants of up to $3,000 to support their nonpartisan voter registration work.The funds can be used for hosting events and voter registration drives, training new volunteers, educating voters, and canvassing their campus and surrounding communities.

The Squads that implement the most creative and culturally relevant ideas will be eligible to win campus events and activations with celebrity appearances in partnership with BET.

Stephanie L. Young is the Executive Director of When We All Vote. She says she’s excited for this initiative. “As a proud HBCU graduate, I know that our Historically Black Colleges and Universities are the heartbeat of Black culture, and it’s critical that we make sure voting is a part of that culture.” She continued, “For decades, HBCUs have led the way in social change, and I’m excited to work with students, alumni, educators and our partners on HBCU campuses to reach our communities in real and engaging ways that allow our voices to be heard in the midterm elections and beyond. And I'm also thrilled to start this work early to end the cycle of engaging these campuses only in the fall before major elections.”

When We All Vote is an initiative of Civic Nation, which is a larger national initiative to increase participation in elections by helping to close the race and age gap. In 2020, When We All Vote reached more than 100 million people with the aim to educate them about the voting process and to get them registered to vote.

Michelle Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018, and partnered with Co-Chairs Stephen Curry, Becky G, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, H.E.R., Liza Koshy, Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Bretman Rock, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson.

Learn more about the VOTE LOUD HBCU Squad Challenge by clicking here https://whenweallvote.org/voteloud/

Cydney Gillon wins second Figure International at the Arnold Classic 2022

Cydney Gillon took first figure international at the Arnold Classic 2022

Gillon is a five-time Olympia champion and now two-time figure international winner.

Figure International Top 5

1. Cydney Gillon ($16,000)

2. Jessica Reyes Padilla ($10,000)

3. Lola Montez ($8,000)

4. Nicole Zenobia Graham ($5,000)

5. Natalia Soltero ($3,000)

Check out this interview with Cydney Gillon after her victory.

12-year-old Prosperity Wilson from Newark is missing!

UPDATE:Prosperity has been found and is safe! MISSING 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN NEWARK FOUND SAFE

Police in Newark are desperately searching for a missing 12-year-old girl who struggles with her mental health.

Prosperity Wilson was last seen just before 4 p.m. Tuesday on the 100 block of 4th Avenue.

Wilson suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

She is 5'2" tall and 234 pounds. She has a light brown complexion, short brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a tie-dyed hooded sweatshirt, gray tights, black and red Jordan sneakers, and she was carrying a pink and blue book bag.

Director O'Hara urges anyone with information about the whereabouts of Prosperity Wilson to call the Department's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477). All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.

U.S. House condemns bomb threats against HBCUs

Rep. Alma Adams

The U.S. House on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the weeks-long chain of bomb threats made to historically Black colleges and universities.

The resolution, sponsored by North Carolina Democratic Rep. Alma Adams, is in response to the more than 30 bomb threats made at dozens of HBCUs, with an uptick throughout Black History Month in February.

The Senate earlier this month by unanimous consent passed a resolution condemning bomb threats against HBCUs. The House passed its resolution with a bipartisan vote of 418-0.

“I know HBCUs can overcome any challenge, but those challenges should not include terrorism or racism,” Adams said on the House floor in support of her resolution.

She graduated from North Carolina A&T State University, an HBCU; founded the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus; and has advocated for more funding of those institutions. The House Education and Labor Committee, of which Adams is a member, has allocated about $6.5 billion in funding for HBCUs.

“While today’s resolution rightly condemns these cowardly acts of violence against our hallowed institutions, Congress must continue to respond with action — and legislation,” she said.

Read more: U.S. House condemns bomb threats made against HBCUs

Maya Wiley to Head The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights announced today that it and its sister organization, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, have selected civil rights attorney and activist, and NBC News and MSNBC Legal Analyst Maya Wiley to assume the leadership of both organizations. The chairs of the two organizations’ boards made the announcement after a joint board meeting to ratify the consensus recommendation of a 15-member joint board search committee. Wiley will hold the titles of president and CEO of both organizations and officially assume the roles on May 2, 2022.

“We cannot be more thrilled to welcome Maya Wiley to her new role,” said Judith Lichtman, chair of The Leadership Conference board. “She will bring passion, experience, and the leadership skills needed to tackle the challenges for the future. She brings a deep understanding and historical perspective of where we have been and a recognition for the painful times we live in. As we looked for a new president, we wanted someone who understood the excruciating problems of the moment that cry out for leadership for the future – and we have found that in Maya.”

Wiley, currently an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst, will succeed Wade Henderson, who has served as interim president and CEO since January 2021. Henderson previously served as president and CEO from June 1996 through June 2017. Henderson was succeeded by Vanita Gupta, who is currently serving as the Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice.

James Rucker, chair of The Leadership Conference Education Fund board, described Wiley, 58, as “precisely the kind of leader we need, both for this moment, and as we confront the challenges and opportunities of the future.”

“From her upbringing as the daughter of a civil rights leader, to the roles she has played a civil rights lawyer, to leading efforts and organizations focused on democracy and dignity for all, to serving as a educator and communicator—Maya has an acute understanding of where we are, how we’ve gotten here, and where we need to go, in service of the ideals of The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund. And she has the demonstrated leadership to help us collectively get there,” Rucker said. “We are also forever indebted to Wade Henderson, for helping us get to this moment, and for returning to the helm during a period of transition. For that, we are deeply grateful.”

Maya Wiley is a nationally respected civil rights attorney and activist who has dedicated her life to fighting for justice, equality, and fairness. The daughter of a leader in the civil rights and economic justice movements, Wiley has held key positions both inside and outside of government. Early in her career, she focused on multiple racial justice issues as a staff member of the ACLU and then the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. She has also worked in the Civil Division of the U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Wiley also co-founded the nonprofit Center for Social Inclusion, a policy organization dedicated to ending racial inequity through structural reform. She was also a senior advisor on race and poverty at the Open Society Foundations.

The first Black woman counsel to the Mayor of New York City, Wiley advised the Mayor on civil and immigrant rights, among other policy issues. Following her time at City Hall, Wiley moved to academia as a faculty member and senior vice president for social justice at the New School University and Henry Cohen professor of public & urban policy at the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment. While there, she chaired the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the city’s police watchdog agency. As chair, she successfully pushed for a vote on proceedings against Daniel Pantaleo whose illegal chokehold killed Eric Garner. That move led to the CCRB’s successful administrative prosecution of Pantaleo that resulted in his firing. Wiley’s tenure at the CCRB was marked by increased case closure rates, increased transparency, and an intense focus on public outreach so that potential victims of police abuse were aware of ways to seek the board’s assistance.

As a professor of public & urban policy at the New School, Wiley founded the Digital Equity Laboratory on universal and inclusive broadband. She also served as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

“The Leadership Conference and the coalition are the epicenter of the ongoing fight for civil and human rights that endures and has become more urgent, with the rise of hate, the attack on history, and the challenges of voting in our democracy. It has been at the forefront of American history and remains a fierce force fighting to define our future,” said Wiley. “The Education Fund provides the critical analysis and information we need to change hearts and minds, and to bring about much needed change. I am humbled and hyped to lead these organizations that are committed to making the promise of a more perfect union a reality for all people.”

“Wade Henderson and Vanita Gupta are two leaders I deeply respect and who were outstanding leaders of the organizations. I am honored to follow in their footsteps. The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund have always been necessary, but now are even more important. The progress we’ve made as a people, across our many movements, is in danger. The dangerous erosion of our democracy and our fundamental rights and the attack on truth and knowledge must be confronted. Coming together across communities and creeds, cultures and competencies, we must continue to fight for justice, fairness, and equality for all.”

The two organizations conducted a comprehensive search for Gupta’s replacement with the help of nationally renowned executive search firm BoardWalk Consulting. Ultimately, Wiley stood out for her long-standing commitment to civil and human rights, her impeccable background, and integrity.

Henderson, who plans to remain active in the struggle for civil and human rights, said Wiley would bring new energy, fresh ideas, and strong leadership to the organizations.

“I was pleased to pass the baton of leadership to Vanita, and I am again pleased to pass the baton to Maya,” said Henderson. “I have known and worked with Maya for many years, and I know she is perfect for this job. Her commitment to the principles the organizations hold dear are exactly what we need. She will take the civil and human rights movement to the next level. While our struggles are as old as the nation, the times we live in have changed, creating new challenges to overcome, but also new opportunities to build an America as good as its ideals.”

Sen. Tim Scott statement on passing of Emmet Till Antilynching Act

Senator Tim Scott released the following statement after the United States Senate passed the Emmet Till Antilynching Act:

Tonight the Senate passed my anti-lynching legislation, taking a necessary and long-overdue step toward a more unified and just America.

After working on this issue for years, I am glad to have partnered with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to finally get this done.

Sen. Cory Booker statement on Senate Passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement on U.S. Senate Passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act:

“After 200 failed attempts and over a century’s worth of efforts, I am proud to say that Congress has finally passed legislation to criminalize lynching, a shameful instrument of terror used to intimidate and oppress Black Americans. During the 19th and 20th centuries, more than 4,000 African-American men, women, and children were lynched and between 1936 and 1938, the national headquarters of the NAACP hung a flag with the words ‘A man was lynched yesterday’, solemn reminders of the dark eddies of our nation’s past. Although no legislation will reverse the pain and fear felt by those victims, their loved ones, and Black communities, this legislation is a necessary step America must take to heal from the racialized violence that has permeated its history.

“I first introduced legislation to make lynching a federal crime in 2018. Over the years, I have been proud to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure this bill passes Congress and heads to the President’s desk. The bipartisan support this bill has achieved underscores the importance of meeting this moment, of reckoning with the past, and of finally being able to say that we did the right thing.”

In 2018, Booker and then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) first introduced antilynching legislation and subsequently helped lead its unanimous passage in February 2019. After the effort stalled, Booker reintroduced the Emmett Till Antilynching Act last month to create a specific offense for lynching under existing federal hate crime statues.

In 1900, Congressman George Henry White of North Carolina introduced the first of what would ultimately become a series of more than 200 congressional bills that attempted to make a federal crime. Ninety members of the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution in 2005 apologizing to the victims of lynching for the repeated failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation. These senators expressed their deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets of the Senate to the descendants of victims of lynching, the ancestors of whom were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all citizens of the United States.

Full text of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act can be found here. The legislation is supported by: Equal Justice Initiative, The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Action Network, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Black Women’s Roundtable, Anti-Defamation League, and the National Urban League.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands Russia release WNBA star Brittney Griner

During a press conference Saturday, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX 18th) delivered remarks on Houston native and WNBA star, Brittney Griner, who was arrested in Russia on drug charges. In her statement, the congresswoman says she will be demanding her release.

Watch her entire statement below:

Vice President Harris delivers remarks in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday

Watch Vice President Kamala Harris in Selma, Alabama as she delivers her remarks on the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris to mark 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary in Selma

Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Alabama this weekend to commemorate a key moment of the civil rights movement.

Harris will speak in Selma at an event marking the 57th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” That was the day in 1965 when white police attacked Black voting rights marchers in that Alabama city.

Broadway theatre to be renamed in honor of James Earl Jones

Regarded for his work onscreen and onstage, the legendary actor James Earl Jones is being honored in a historic way. The Cort theater, a 110-year-old venue is being renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Brittney Griner arrested in Russia on drug charges

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia last month at a Moscow airport after a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges.

The Russian Customs Service said Saturday that the cartridges were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The customs service identified the person arrested as a player for the U.S. women's team and did not specify the date of her arrest. Russian media reported the player was Griner, and her agent did not dispute those reports.

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” Griner's agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas said Saturday. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

“Brittney Griner has the WNBA's full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States,” the league said in a statement.

[SOURCE: AP]

Ketanji Brown Jackson endorsed by fellow Supreme Court law clerks she served with

A group of two-dozen former law clerks from the 1999 Supreme Court term that served with Ketanji Brown Jackson have written a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of her confirmation.

In the letter to the former clerks extoll the intellect and character of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson with whom they served.

"We hold diverse points of view on politics, judicial philosophy, and much else. Yet we all support Judge Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court," the group writes, "because we know her to be eminently qualified for this role in intellect, character, and experience."

Read the entire letter below:

Supreme Court Clerks Letter by Kate Pastor

Tamya De’Anna Alexander and her daughter Serenity Williams are missing

A Georgia woman and her 2-year-old daughter have disappeared and deputies are asking for the public’s help to find them.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said Tamya De’Anna Alexander, 23, and her daughter, two-year-old Serenity Williams, were reported missing Tuesday.

Family members told investigators they last saw the mother and daughter Monday afternoon. The two were last seen getting into a blue BMW in 1900 block of Vining Circle in Macon.

Tamya is a Black woman described 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 225 pounds. She has dark hair and brown eyes.

Her daughter Serenity is a Black child with dark hair and brown eyes. No height or weight information is available.

Anyone who has seen the pair or knows more information is urged to contact Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 751-7500, or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

Congressional Black Caucus Responds to Pres. Bidens's State of the Union Address

The Congressional Black Caucus has responded to President Joe Biden's State of the Union Speech.

Rep. Colin Allred spoke about the CBC’s support of Ukraine, praised the president for creating jobs but acknowledged that unemployment for Black America is lagging. He urged for the passage of voting rights legislation.

Watch his response below:

Rep. Rush statement on the passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act (H.R. 55), legislation sponsored by U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.), overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 422–3.

Rep. Rush released the following statement on the bill's passage:

“Today is a day of enormous consequence for our nation,” said Rep. Rush. “By passing my Emmett Till Antilynching Act, the House has sent a resounding message that our nation is finally reckoning with one of the darkest and most horrific periods of our history, and that we are morally and legally committed to changing course.

“The failure of Congress to codify federal antilynching legislation — despite more than 200 attempts since 1900 — meant that 99 percent of lynching perpetrators walked free. Today, we take a meaningful step toward correcting this historical injustice. I am immensely proud of this legislation, which will ensure that the full force of the U.S. federal government will always be brought to bear against those who commit monstrous acts of hatred.

“I was eight years old when my mother put the photograph of Emmett Till’s brutalized body that ran in Jet magazine on our living room coffee table, pointed to it, and said, ‘this is why I brought my boys out of Albany, Georgia.’ That photograph shaped my consciousness as a Black man in America, changed the course of my life, and changed our nation. But modern-day lynchings like the murder of Ahmaud Arbery make abundantly clear that the racist hatred and terror that fueled the lynching of Emmett Till lynching are far too prevalent in America to this day.

“I thank my colleagues in the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate who have worked tirelessly with me throughout the last year to reach agreement on the text of this legislation. I look forward to this bill passing the Senate and being swiftly signed into law,” Rush concluded.

WWII's only Black female unit will finally get Congressional Gold Medal

The House voted Monday to award the only all-female, Black unit to serve in Europe during World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal.

The 422-0 vote follows a long-running campaign to recognize the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The Senate passed the legislation last year. The unit, known in short as the Six Triple Eight, was tasked with sorting and routing mail for millions of American service members and civilians. Only a half-dozen of the more than 850 members are still alive.

Statement from the African Union on the reported ill treatment of Africans trying to leave Ukraine

The African Union released the following statement on the reported ill treatment of Africans trying to leave Ukraine during a time of war:

The current Chair of the African Union and President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, are following closely the developments in Ukraine and are particularly disturbed by reports that African citizens on the Ukrainian side of the border are being refused the right to cross the border to safety.

The two Chairpersons recall that all people have the right to cross international borders during conflict, and as such, should enjoy the same rights to cross to safety from the conflict in Ukraine, notwithstanding their nationality or racial identity.

Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and in breach international law. In this regard, The Chairpersons urge all countries to respect international law and show the same empathy and support to all people fleeing war notwithstanding their racial identity.

The Chairpersons commend the efforts by African Union Member State countries and their embassies in neighbouring countries to receive and orientate African citizens and their families trying to cross the border from Ukraine to safety.

NAACP Releases Statement on the Treatment of Africans During Russia's Attack on Ukraine

The NAACP released the following statement on the treatment of Africans trying to leave Ukraine during the Russian attack:

The NAACP is disheartened with the events surrounding the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. In these crisis moments choosing citizenship over humanity is an atrocity.

Right now in Ukraine, Black families, immigrants from the African diaspora and other people of color – mothers, children, and students are not only facing challenges to evacuate a deadly warzone but are being pushed from trains and beaten by police officers.

These callous acts are atrocious and reprehensible. As the world comes to the aid of the Ukraine and nations support the resettlement of people fleeing the nation, every individual must be treated with dignity and humanity. We call upon the Biden Administration and the United Nations to take every necessary action to protect the rights and to ensure the safe passage of all persons fleeing this blatant attack on a Nation's sovereignty. The NAACP will do everything in its power to fight racist, cruel acts such as these – no matter where they are happening.

Senators Booker and Scott Introduce Companion Bill in Senate to Make Lynching a Federal Crime

U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) have introduced legislation to make lynching a federal crime. Booker and Scott, along with then-Senator Kamala Harris, first launched their effort to make lynching a federal crime in 2018.

Named after Emmett Till, a 14-year old boy who was brutally lynched in 1955, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act would amend the United States Code to specify that lynching is a crime that warrants an enhanced sentence under existing federal hate crime statues. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL-1) and is expected to pass the chamber today.

“Between 1936 and 1938, the national headquarters of the NAACP hung a flag with the words ‘A man was lynched yesterday’, a solemn reminder of the reality Black Americans experienced daily during some of the darkest chapters of America’s history,” said Sen. Booker. “Used by white supremacists to oppress and subjugate Black communities, lynching is a form of racialized violence that has permeated much of our nation’s past and must now be reckoned with. To that end, I am proud to introduce this legislation to help us acknowledge the pain caused by lynchings and make the shameful practice a federal crime. Although this bill will not undo the terror and fear of the past, it’s a necessary step that our nation must take to move forward.”

"While we cannot erase our nation's past, we can work toward a better future for all Americans," said Sen. Scott. "The Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act will do just that. This long-overdue piece of legislation sends a clear message: We will not tolerate hatred and violence against our fellow Americans."

“It's important that our nation affirm its commitment to rejecting lawlessness, violence and bigotry,” said Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. “It's as important today as it was decades ago which makes the bill timely and urgent.”

The efforts to pass anti-lynching legislation date back to 1918 when Congressman Leonidas C. Dyer (R-MO) became the first member of Congress to introduce a bill on the issue. His bill, intended to punish authorities who failed to prevent lynching, ultimately died in the Senate after facing stiff opposition. After 200 failed attempts by Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation, Congress is now prepared to criminalize lynching as an instrument of terror and intimidation used against more than 4,000 African-African men, women, and children during the late 19th and 20th centuries, according to data from the Equal Justice Initiative.

In 2019, Booker, Scott, and then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) led unanimous passage of an earlier version of the legislation on the Senate floor. That motion passed, marking a historic step towards the first federal anti-lynching law in the United States.

In 2005, 90 members of the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution apologizing to the victims of lynching for the repeated failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation. These senators expressed their deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets of the Senate to the descendants of victims of lynching, the ancestors of whom were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all citizens of the United States.