Comcast Announces Six Time Olympic Medal Winner Jackie Joyner-Kersee to Serve as National Spokeswoman for Internet Essentials

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast Corporation today announced Jackie Joyner-Kersee will serve as a national spokeswoman for Internet Essentials, the largest and most successful broadband adoption program in the country. Soon to kick off its sixth annual back-to-school season, Internet Essentials has helped close the digital divide for more than 600,000 families, benefitting 2.4 million low-income Americans.

“There is no question that Jackie Joyner-Kersee is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but she has also distinguished herself in her post-Olympic career”

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“There is no question that Jackie Joyner-Kersee is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but she has also distinguished herself in her post-Olympic career,” said Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, David L. Cohen. “Through her charitable foundation, she has been working on the front lines in her community to serve as a role model for others, to help those who are less fortunate, and to inspire a younger generation to dream and lead. We are thrilled to have Jackie help us to close the digital divide and raise awareness about all that the Internet has to offer students and families.”

“The mission of my foundation is to inspire young people to develop the drive and determination to succeed in both academics and athletics,” said Joyner-Kersee. “In my community, I’ve seen first hand that’s really hard to do if you’re on the wrong side of the digital divide. So, I’m excited to go on the road this year with Internet Essentials and help more kids and families cross that divide and develop to their fullest potential.”

Joyner-Kersee, winner of six Olympic Medals, is, according to ESPN, one of the “50 great athletes of the 20th century.” She is the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the heptathlon, the first African American woman to win an Olympic Medal in the long jump, and the first woman to score 7,000 points in the heptathlon. Born and raised in East St. Louis, Joyner-Kersee is committed to ensuring that all children have access to high-quality after-school programs, safe recreational places within their communities, and caring adults to help them achieve their dreams. She launched the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in Los Angeles and, in 1995, moved it to East St. Louis. Inspired by the closing of her neighborhood community center, Joyner-Kersee grew the Foundation by raising more than $12 million to expand programming and built a comprehensive youth and sports facility and campus that opened in 2000.

Internet Essentials Key Investments

From August 2011 through December 2015, Internet Essentials has connected more than 600,000 low-income families, benefitting more than 2.4 million Americans, to the Internet at home. Also since 2011, Comcast has invested more than $280 million in cash and in-kind support to help fund digital literacy training and education initiatives, reaching nearly 4.4 million people through national and local nonprofit community partners.

• Provided more than 47,000 subsidized computers at less than $150 each.
• Distributed for free nearly 51 million Internet Essentials program materials.
• Broadcast more than 8.3 million public service announcements, valued at more than $100 million.
• Welcomed 5 million visitors to the Internet Essentials websites in English and Spanish and its Online Learning Center.
• Fielded more than 3.9 million phone calls to our Internet Essentials call center.
• Made Internet Essentials available in nearly 48,000 schools in more than 5,000 school districts, in 39 states and the District of Columbia.
• Partnered with 9,000 community-based organizations, government agencies, and federal, state, and local elected officials to spread the word.

About Internet Essentials

Internet Essentials from Comcast is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program. It provides low-cost high-speed Internet service for $9.95 a month plus tax; the option to purchase an Internet-ready computer for under $150; and multiple options to access free digital literacy training in print, online and in-person. For more information, or to apply for the program, visit www.InternetEssentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376. Spanish speakers should call 1-855-765-6995.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

Contacts

Comcast Corporation
Charlie Douglas, 215-264-8020
charlie_douglas@comcast.com
or
Meredith Wertz, 215-970-8504
meredith_wertz@comcast.com

Michelle Carter: First American woman to win gold medal in shot put

Michelle Carter, who calls herself the “Shot Diva,” unleashed a Herculean final throw in the women’s shot put competition Friday night in Rio to take home the first-ever gold medal by an American woman in the event.

Carter, 30, heaved her last shot 20.63 meters to surpass and upset two-time defending gold medalist Valeri Adams of New Zealand. Adams had set the distance to beat, 20.42, and Carter’s first five throws had ranged from 19.12 to 19.87. But she came up big on her last attempt.

Carter had never medaled at the Olympics, but took bronze at the 2015 World Championships, and won gold at the 2016 World Indoor Championships.

Carter is the daughter of former NFL defensive lineman Michael Carter. Michael won a silver medal in the shot put in 1984 in Los Angeles, and won the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers in the same year. He is the only person to win an Olympic medal and a Super Bowl in the same year.

Michelle’s gold also makes her and her father the first American father-daughter duo to medal at the Olympics.

[SOURCE]

Simone Manuel: First African-American woman to medal in an individual swimming event.

Simone Manuel won a gold medal in the women's 100 freestyle final Thursday night, surprising even herself.

Her jaw dropped as she looked up to the scoreboard and saw a tie for gold and an Olympic-record time of 52.70 seconds. A FINA official confirmed that Manuel is the first African American woman to win Olympic gold in an individual event.

The last time an American woman won gold in the event was 1984, when Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer also tied.

This is the first tie for a gold medal since Anthony Ervin and Gary Hall Jr. did it in the 50 free in Sydney in 2000.

[SOURCE]

Some black business owners strain to sell to black consumers

When Terina McKinney displays her leather bags and belts at events attended primarily by black women, they are often interested in her designs, and in her experience as an African-American business owner. But she seldom makes sales.

“They all ooh and ahh and ask a ton of questions, but don’t necessarily make purchases,” says McKinney, whose Jypsea Leathergoods products range from $20 to $325. Instead, her customers tend to be white or Asian women. While calls have been increasing for black consumers to support black-owned businesses with their buying power estimated at more than $1.2 trillion a year, social media campaigns with momentum like (hash)buyblack are relatively new. And McKinney’s frustration is shared by some other black business owners who say they can find it hard to sell to black consumers.

The factors can be logistical or practical, such as being located farther away or having higher prices than big chain stories, retail experts and civic leaders say. Scarcity can be a reason: It can be hard to find businesses owned by African-Americans. But other considerations might be emotional, like wanting a trendy design everyone is wearing, or the perception that national brands are better.

“There’s a myth that’s been placed on our communities for many generations: White people’s ice is colder. White businesses are superior to black businesses,” says Ron Busby, president of the U.S. Black Chambers, a national business organization for black-owned companies. “We have to change that mentality. We have to be better, conscientious consumers.”

Read More: Some black business owners strain to sell to black consumers

Justice Department Announces Findings of Investigation into Baltimore Police Department

The U.S. Department of Justice has released its damning findings after an investigation into the Baltimore Police Department. The report confirms that the BPD is a national disgrace to all law enforcement and is a hotbed of civil rights abuses and police misconduct. The department regularly engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution as well as federal anti-discrimination laws. BPD alos makes stops, searches and arrests without the required justification and sadly that's just the top of the iceberg. Read more about the USDOJ's findings below.

Justice Department Finds a Pattern of Civil Rights Violations by the Baltimore Police Department

The Justice Department announced today that it found reasonable cause to believe that the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution as well as federal anti-discrimination laws.  BPD makes stops, searches and arrests without the required justification; uses enforcement strategies that unlawfully subject African Americans to disproportionate rates of stops, searches and arrests; uses excessive force; and retaliates against individuals for their constitutionally-protected expression.  The pattern or practice results from systemic deficiencies that have persisted within BPD for many years and has exacerbated community distrust of the police, particularly in the African-American community.  The city and the department have also entered into an agreement in principle to work together, with community input, to create a federal court-enforceable consent decree addressing the deficiencies found during the investigation.

“Public trust is critical to effective policing and public safety,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch.  “Our investigation found that Baltimore is a city where the bonds of trust have been broken, and that the Baltimore Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful and unconstitutional conduct, ranging from the use of excessive force to unjustified stops, seizures and arrests.  The results of our investigation raise serious concerns, and in the days ahead, the Department of Justice will continue working tirelessly to ensure that all Baltimoreans enjoy the safety, security and dignity they expect and deserve.  I am grateful to all of the community members, local officials, faith leaders and current and former police officers who spoke with us during the course of our inquiry, and whose input will remain critical to our efforts as we move forward.  Additionally, I commend the city and BPD for its proactive and collaborative approach to our inquiry and for demonstrating a strong commitment to restoring public confidence by already taking steps to make needed changes.  I look forward to continuing our work together to implement urgent and necessary reforms.”

“We found that BPD has engaged in a pattern or practice of serious violations of the U.S. Constitution and federal law that has disproportionately harmed Baltimore’s African-American community and eroded the public’s trust in the police,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division.  “The agency also fails to provide officers with the guidance, oversight and resources they need to police safely, constitutionally and effectively.  In communities across America, even in communities where trust has been broken, we’ve seen transformative reform rebuild relationships and advance public safety.  In the weeks ahead, as we negotiate our consent decree with the city, we will seek input from law enforcement and community members.  With the city and commissioner’s commitment to reform, I am optimistic that we will work to drive that same progress in Baltimore.”

In May 2015, Attorney General Lynch announced the comprehensive investigation into the BPD after considering requests from city officials and hearing directly from community members about a potential pattern or practice of constitutional violations.  The investigation focused on BPD’s use of force, including deadly force; stops, searches and arrests; and discriminatory policing.

In the course of its pattern or practice investigation, the department interviewed and met with city leaders and police officials, including BPD Commissioner Kevin Davis, former commissioners and numerous officers throughout all ranks of the police department; accompanied line officers on dozens of ride-alongs in every police district; conducted hundreds of interviews and participated in meetings with community members, activists, and other stakeholders; reviewed hundreds of thousands of pages of police documents, including all relevant policies and training materials; and analyzed BPD’s data on internal affairs, use of force, sexual assault cases and pedestrian stops, searches and arrests.

During the course of its investigation, the department found that the legacy of “zero tolerance” street enforcement, along with deficient policies, training and accountability systems, resulted in conduct that routinely violates the Constitution and federal anti-discrimination law.  Throughout the investigation, the department heard consistently from both the community and law enforcement that BPD requires significant reforms to address problems that undermine its efforts to police constitutionally and effectively.  

The department found reasonable cause to believe that BPD engages in a pattern or practice of:

Conducting stops, searches and arrests without meeting the requirements of the Fourth Amendment;
Focusing enforcement strategies on African Americans, leading to severe and unjustified racial disparities in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Safe Streets Act;
Using unreasonable force in violation of the Fourth Amendment;
Interacting with individuals with mental health disabilities in a manner that violates the Americans with Disabilities Act; and
Interfering with the right to free expression in violation of the First Amendment.
The department also identified serious concerns about other BPD practices, including an inadequate response to reports of sexual assault, which may result, at least in part, from underlying gender bias.  Another significant concern identified by the department was transport practices that place detainees at significant risk of harm.

In the agreement in principle, both parties agreed that compliance with the consent decree will be reviewed by an independent monitor.  The agreement in principle highlights specific areas of reform to be included in the consent decree, including:

Policies, training, data collection and analysis to allow for the assessment of officer activity and to ensure that officers’ actions conform to legal and constitutional requirements;
Technology and infrastructure to ensure capability to effectively monitor officer activity;
Officer support to ensure that officers are equipped to perform their jobs effectively and constitutionally; and
Community policing strategies to guide all aspects of BPD’s operations and help rebuild the relationship between BPD and the various communities it serves.
The agreement in principle provides a framework for change, but the department will be doing community outreach to solicit input in developing comprehensive reforms.  Comments may be provided by email at Community.Baltimore@usdoj.govEmail links icon.  

Throughout the department’s investigation, BPD leadership remained receptive to preliminary feedback and technical assistance, and started the process of implementing reforms.  BPD leadership has proactively taken steps to address some of the findings, including updating its policies, instituting new trainings and responding to other issues identified by the department.  While these measures are an important start to cooperative reform, a comprehensive agreement is still needed to remedy all of the department’s findings.  

In October 2014, city and BPD leadership requested to enter a collaborative reform process with the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS office).  While the Civil Rights Division opened the pattern or practice investigation in May 2015, the COPS office, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs and others have maintained their ongoing efforts to offer federal resources, such as technical assistance, to the BPD, city officials and community leaders.

This investigation was conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section with the assistance of law enforcement professionals pursuant to the pattern or practice provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.  Over the last seven years, the Special Litigation Section has opened 23 investigations into law enforcement agencies.  The section is enforcing 18 agreements with law enforcement agencies, including 14 consent decrees and one post-judgment order.  For more information on the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt.

BPD Findings Report