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Rep. Keith Ellison left open the possibility Friday night that he will leave Congress, and his seat representing Minneapolis, to take the top job at the Democratic National Committee.
Speaking at a forum in Denver to state Democratic Party chairs from across the country, Ellison said the DNC job is more important than his congressional seat, though he continued to insist that he could do both jobs simultaneously.
“Though I love being in Congress because it allows me to serve my neighbors, I do think that it is more important to build, strengthen the DNC,” Ellison said. He added that he is continuing to have conversations with DNC voting members and will decide what to do soon.
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The Grambling State Tigers (10-1) are the SWAC champions once again. After being down 17-0 at halftime the Tigers stormed back behind running back, Martez Carter and Quarterback Devante Kincade to beat Alcorn State Braves 27-20.
Carter rushed for 135 yards on 15 carries, had 66 receiving yards, and 142 return yards while Kincade passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
The game was a rematch of the 2015 SWAC title game, which Alcorn State won 49-21. This marks the seventh championship game win for the Tigers, and the first for GSU coach Broderick Fobbs.
The SWAC champions will now head to the Air Force Celebration Bowl to play the champions of the MEAC conference and the winners of last years Celebration Bowl, the North Carolina A&T Aggies for the black college championship.
That game will be played on December 17, 2016 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
With the election of Donald Trump, a big proponent of school choice, and his like-minded pick for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, the topic of charter schools is likely to attract more attention. But among African-American parents and the NAACP, the debate over school choice and its impact on public education is already a heated one. From Memphis, Education Week’s Lisa Stark reports.
George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com
Many in the black community had doubts that Michael Slager would be convicted of murdering Walter Scott even before the trial started. Those doubts were only magnified when a predominantly white jury was picked with only the jury foreman being African American. It turns out that those suspicions may be well founded.
A video clearly shows Walter Scott running way and being shot five times in the back. That same video shows Slager planting a taser by Scott's body. And on top of that, the North Charleston police department fired him for using excessive force. In spite of all that one lone white juror refuses to convict him of either manslaughter or murder.
What's very sad is that the juror is not saying that Slager is not guilty, and even refers to him as a killer but that he can't and won't convict him under any circumstances.
In an unusual move the juror bypassed the jury foreman sent a letter directly to the judge in the case, Judge Newman stating why he could not and would not convict.
Newman read the letter to the court in which the juror wrote:
"I can’t in good conscience approve a guilty verdict”.
“I regret to say we may never reach a unanimous decision,”
“We all struggle with the death of a man,” the juror continued. “My heart does not want to have to tell the Scott family that the man who killed their son, brother and father is innocent. But with choices, I cannot and will not change my mind.”
Judge Newman has instructed the jury to come back on Monday and to resume deliberations. If the jury can come to no verdict, the judge has said that he would declare a mistrial. Unfortunately, that looks like where we are headed.
George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com
