NAACP TO PROTEST PAT SESSIONS ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINATION ACROSS ALABAMA

NAACP President Cornell William Brooks to Join Protests at Sessions’ Mobile, AL Office Jan 3

Protests at Five Offices in Alabama Scheduled

MOBILE, AL—NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks will join with local Alabama chapters of the NAACP for a statewide protest against the nomination of Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III for U.S. Attorney General.

Alabamians Against Sessions for Attorney General will include five protests at the five Alabama offices of Sessions, located in Mobile, Huntsville, Dothan, Birmingham and Montgomery.

“As a matter of conscience and conviction, we can neither be mute nor mumble our opposition to Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions becoming Attorney General of the United States.  Senator Sessions has callously ignored the reality of voter suppression but zealously prosecuted innocent civil rights leaders on trumped-up charges of voter fraud. As an opponent of the vote, he can’t be trusted to be the chief law enforcement officer for voting rights,” said NAACP President/CEO Cornell William Brooks.

President Brooks will be joined at a January 3 press conference and protest at Sessions’ office in Mobile by Alabama State Conference President Benard Simelton and Mobile Branch President Lizetta McConnell.

“Despite 30 years of our nation moving forward on inclusion and against hate, Jeff Sessions has failed to change his ways,” said Alabama State Conference President Benard Simelton. “He’s been a threat to desegregation and the Voting Rights Act and remains a threat to all of our civil rights, including the right to live without the fear of police brutality.”

The press conference featuring NAACP President Cornell William Brooks, Alabama State Conference President Benard Simelton and Mobile (AL) Branch President Lizetta McConnell will take place in Mobile, AL on January 3, 2017 at 11 a.m. at the Office of Senator Jefferson Sessions, 41 West Interstate 65 Service North, Mobile, Al 36608

“Some of us in Alabama recall, Senator Sessions saying he liked the Klan,” said Mobile Branch President Lizetta McConnell. “He said it was a joke, but saying something like that while discussing a case where the Klan murdered a young black man says a lot about a person. We need someone who realizes that attorney general has got to actually care about the people’s rights he’s protecting and not just doing it because it’s his job.”

Local members of the NAACP will hold multiple Press Conferences around the state on January 3, 2017 at four of Sessions’ other district offices:

• 200 Clinton Avenue West #802, Huntsville, Al 35801

• Vance Federal Building, 1800 5th Avenue North, Birmingham, Al 35203

• 100 West Troy Street #302, Dothan, Al 36303

• 7550 Halcyon Summit Drive #150, Montgomery, Al 36117

Quincy Jones Not Attending Trump’s New Year’s Eve Party

Contrary to what Trump spokesman Sean Spicer music great Quincy Jones will not be attending President-Elect Donald Trump's New Years Eve party.

A spokesman for Quincy Jones says that he will be spending New Year’s Eve with his family in Los Angeles and will not be attending a party hosted by President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Earlier on Friday, in a transition team call with reporters, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said that Jones and actor Sylvester Stallone were among those on the guest list for the party, with about 800 guests attending.

Jones’s spokesman, Arnold Robinson, said that he wouldn’t be attending, and didn’t know where Trump’s team got the information.

Jones, the legendary music producer, has been a longtime supporter of Democrats, and donated to Hillary Clinton in the recent presidential campaign. He has promoted the idea of creating a White House position devoted to the arts, perhaps a “secretary of the arts.”

[SOURCE: VARIETY]

N.J. congresswoman, Bonnie Watson Coleman vows to defy proposed GOP broadcast ban

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman has no plans to let a $500 fine get in the way of a protest.

Coleman called on House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and other GOP lawmakers to "bring your fines" because she'll "keep on fighting" after news of a plan to pass a rule that would fine lawmakers for using electronic devices to transmit from the House chambers surfaced this week.

Coleman (D-12th Dist.) tweeted the rebuff of the proposed rule change, which was spurred by a July protest in the House chamber on gun safety that Coleman helped organize.

I will not let @HouseGOP & @SpeakerRyan keep Americans in the dark. Bring your fines; I'll keep on fighting. https://t.co/3eUj3V905D

— Bonnie WatsonColeman (@RepBonnie) December 28, 2016

The tweet was a reaction to news that House Republicans next week plan to take steps to prevent Democrats from again taking over the chamber and broadcasting their protests.

The fine would be $500 for the first offense and $2,500 for each subsequent violation. House Republicans could vote on it next week.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

Statement by the President Obama on Kwanzaa

President Obama has released the following statement on the celebration of Kwanzaa:

In this holiday season, Michelle and I send our best wishes to those celebrating Kwanzaa. For families across the country, today marks the beginning of a joyous time to reflect on the rich African-American culture and to remember the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith - principles that reflect our most cherished values as Americans.

As we reflect upon this year, we look forward to the blessings and aspirations that await us in the year to come and we wish those families that will gather together and light the Kinara blessings for a happy and healthy new year.

How Women of Color Are Taking the Hair Business Into Their Own Hands

Marrying tech and beauty isn’t a new concept, but most of the existing hair service apps don’t include a diverse enough range of options, nor provide the right information to help a woman with a relaxer or an afro decide if a stylist is right for her. Swivel allows salon and home styling seekers to search its directory by specific hair texture and the type of look desired. A user can read reviews and see ratings of not only the stylist’s skills, but also the overall vibe of the salon, so she knows what to expect before she books. The app is a must-download for women who are new in town, need a stylist, and want to avoid a disappointing trial and error process. It’s also appealing to those who don’t want to rely on just one stylist to meet all of their needs.

While Swivel is on a quest to make the search for a stylist less painful, Lux Beauty Club, is tackling another common hair complaint—the cost. Co-founder Victoria Flores, a former Wall Street executive affectionately describes the company as a cross between “Warby Parker and Dollar Shave Club.” Created with her long-time friend, Leslie Wilson-Namad, the goal of the service is to make high-quality human hair extensions accessible and affordable for a multi-cultural range of women. “My business partner and I have been wearing hair extensions since birth,” jokes Flores, who grew up in El Paso, Texas and now resides in New York City. After years of spending an obscene amount of money to get our hair done, we said enough is enough. There has to be a better way.”

Read more: How Women of Color Are Taking the Hair Business Into Their Own Hands