Kevin Johnson Won't Seek Re-Election Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations

Amid sexual abuse allegations former NBA star and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announced he will not be seeking a third term in office next year.

In a statement posted to his Twitter account late Tuesday night, he said he was "humbled" by the opportunity to serve and "he wouldn't change a single moment" of his time in office.

"After much thought and soul-searching I have decided not to run for a third term as Mayor. It was an incredibly difficult choice, but one that I feel confident about. As I'm sure there will be much speculation on this, let me proactively say that I am not leaving for another specific job or position. While there are many intriguing opportunities out there (and I'm excited to explore them) I honestly don't know what's next for me."

n recent weeks, Johnson has faced increased scrutiny stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct that took place nearly two decades ago. Last month, Deadspin published articles featuring a woman who alleges that when she was 16, the basketball star sexually abused her, then signed a draft agreement to pay her a six-figure sum in hush money.

The Sacramento Bee reports:

"Johnson said resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct against him had nothing to do with this decision, saying he has 'never made a life decision' based on those allegations.

" 'When it was time to run in the first place (in 2008), I would have never run if those allegations were something that concerned me,' he said.

"Johnson added he has no immediate plans to seek higher office after his term ends next year and indicated he will remain in Sacramento."

According to the Sacramento Bee, the allegations were first reported in 2008 by the paper, which said the accuser and Johnson "signed a draft settlement agreement worth $230,000."

Read more: Sacramento Mayor Won't Seek Re-Election Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations

Ben Carson dismisses idea anti-voter fraud measures racist

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Wednesday dismissed the idea restrictive anti-voter fraud requirements could be racist, echoing the position of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach – a champion of such measures who has called accusations of racism a personal insult.

“I’ve made it my personal project, every time I visit a country outside the U.S. to ask what do they do to ensure the integrity of voting? There’s not one single country anywhere – first world, second world, it doesn’t matter – that doesn’t have official requirements for voting,” Carson said.

“My question to those people who say we’re racist because we apply those standards: Are all the other countries of the world racist? I don’t think so. Voting is an important thing. Obviously, you want to make sure that it’s done by the appropriate people.”

Read more: Ben Carson, GOP presidential candidate, dismisses idea anti-voter fraud measures racist

Bernie Sanders keeps promise made in private to Sandra Bland’s mother

In an era when every moment is tweeted and politicized, Bernie Sanders elected not to capitalize on a meaningful meeting with the mother of Sandra Bland.

The chance encounter reportedly took place at East Street Café, a Thai restaurant at Union Station in Washington, D.C., five days before the first Democratic presidential debate.

The Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner, a pastor at St. John’s Church in downtown Houston, wrote in her blog about noticing the Vermont senator at another table while she was eating dinner with Geneva Reed-Veal, whose daughter became a face of the Black Lives Matter campaign following her death in police custody in July.

The pastor said she approached Sanders and asked if he would like to meet Reed-Veal and told him their group had asked if he would take a picture with them.

“He did not impose upon Ms. Geneva to ask for a picture of his own. He did not use the moment as an opportunity to promote his campaign,” she wrote. “He took no record; he made no statement. He did not try to turn it into a publicity stunt.”,/p>

Bonner, who is a Black Lives Matter activist, said she was impressed by everyone’s sincerity during the serendipitous moment.

The Democratic presidential candidate told Reed-Veal that the death of her daughter was inexcusable and promised he would continue to “say her name.” At the debate on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas, Sanders stayed true to his word when answering a question submitted by a law student through Facebook: “Do black lives matter, or do all lives matter?”

Read more: Bernie Sanders keeps promise made in private to Sandra Bland’s mother

EBONY editor-in-chief Speaks on the Controversial Cosby Cover

Kierna Mayo, editor-in-chief of EBONY, sits down with Don Lemon to talk about the controversial Cosby cover, and why we have to have this discussion now. Watch that interview below.

MLK Monument Planned for Georgia's Stone Mountain

Planning is underway to place a Liberty Bell replica atop Stone Mountain near Atlanta as a memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that recalls a famous line from his "I Have a Dream" speech, officials say.

The planned tribute to the late civil rights activist would broaden the story told by the Georgia state park, long home to a giant carving of former Confederate president Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, said Bill Stephens, chief executive of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association.

"Two years ago, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's speech, a small group of Georgia's civil rights leaders met atop the mountain to ring a bell," Stephens said in an email to journalists. "This began thought and discussions which evolved into the present concept of a Freedom Bell."

Read more: Monument to Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Planned for Georgia's Stone Mountain