99 year old Tuskegee Airman to lead Memorial Day parade

One of World War II's Tuskegee Airmen will lead the township's 55th Annual Memorial Day Parade this year.

Charles Nolley, a 99-year-old Edison N.J. resident, has been named the Grand Marshall in the upcoming parade, Mayor Thomas Lankey announced Friday.

Nolley was drafted into the second World War in 1943 and served as one of the first black aviators in the history of the U.S. armed forces.

He trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama to become part of the Army Air Corps' four squadrons of all all-black servicemen. Nolley flew combat mission over Europe for three years with the 99th Pursuit Squadron.

"Not only is Mr. Nolley a witness to history, he is living history. His story is one of perseverance, dedication, service and success," Lankey said in release. "We are privileged to have Charles and his wife Martha as neighbors, and we are honored to have him as our parade Grand Marshal."

[SOURCE:NJ.COM]

Chicago Student Earns Acceptance From 22 Black Universities

Ariyana Davis is an 18-year-old senior at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. She was able to apply to dozens of schools thanks to the Common Black College Application that allows students to apply to up to 50 HBCUs for a mere $35. She was accepted by 22 HBCUs, as well as Eastern Illinois University, a predominantly white institution.

“It was important for me to go to an institution that feels like home,” Davis added.

When her acceptances started to trickle in, Davis said she felt “excited and overjoyed.” The second-generation college student, who was offered a total of $300,000 in financial aid from all the schools, added that she felt “really grateful.”

Davis will attend Alcorn State University in Mississippi and is thinking about a master’s degree possibly at the University of Illinois.

Quadruplet brothers accepted into Harvard and Yale

Quadruplet brothers in Ohio have all been accepted at some of the nation's top universities, including each of them to both Yale and Harvard.

The Wade brothers of the northern Cincinnati suburb of Liberty Township say they have been notified in recent days of acceptances from a number of notable schools. Lakota East High School principal Suzanna Davis tells the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News that the four seniors epitomize academic focus but are well-rounded, "great young men" with individual personalities.

Aaron, Nick, Nigel and Zachary haven't made their decisions, though Aaron likes Stanford University and his three brothers are leaning toward Yale. Financial aid offers likely will play an important role.

The youths said they are grateful to their parents and to the Lakota schools and their teachers.

"It's really something we couldn't have done on our own without all the support we have had through our lives," Nick said. "It has been awesome."

Their mother, Kim Wade, is a junior high school principal in the Lakota district, and their father, Darrin Wade, works at General Electric Co.

"We feel like getting into these schools show who the people around us are," Nigel said.

Zachary added that they have always gotten encouragement that "the sky's the limit" with their hard work.

"We were never told that we couldn't get somewhere," Zachary said.

The Washington Post reports that Harvard doesn't comment on admission statuses and that Yale said by policy, it doesn't discuss admitted students.

[SOURCE]

Lawmakers and Advocates Rally to Support Mary Bethune Statue in Washington D.C.

FLORIDA-Several current and former state lawmakers, as well as members of the nation's oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha gathered at the state capitol today, calling on the legislature to honor the late educator and civil-rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

Bethune would replace a confederate general as one of Florida's representatives in a set of statues at the U.S. Capitol, under one proposal filed in the Senate.

The legislature voted last year to replace General Edmund Kirby Smith's statue amid a backlash against confederate symbols, following the 2015 shooting deaths of nine African-American worshippers.

State Senator Perry Thurston says the reasons to choose Bethune are many, adding it would be a good symbolic gesture.

Last June, Bethune, who founded what is now known as Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach appeared to be the favorite to replace Smith, getting the votes of all of the members of the "Great Floridians Committee".

[SOURCE:WTXL.COM]

Sen. Cory Booker Statement on Department of Justice Review of Consent Decrees

Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the Department of Justice announced a review of federal consent decrees with law enforcement agencies across the country:

“As mayor of Newark, I began as a skeptic of federal law enforcement consent decrees as we worked proactively to address long-standing issues with the Newark Police Department, working with the ACLU and residents to increase transparency and seek reforms. But I learned through my experience that these agreements can provoke meaningful changes in policing practices that improve public safety and fight crime while building trust between communities and police departments, ensuring fair enforcement of laws, and protecting civil rights. State and local police departments play a critical role in protecting our citizens and the vast majority of police officers do an incredible job in tough circumstances. Consent decrees, where necessary and properly constructed and implemented, can help keep officers and citizens safe, and improve life in the communities they serve.

“I’m deeply concerned that Attorney General Sessions’ announcement for a Department of Justice review of federal civil rights agreements with law enforcement would undermine the principle of equal justice for all Americans. I fear that this announcement paves the way for a retreat from accountability and oversight of allegations of systemic civil rights abuses. This would be a tremendous setback to both the efforts of our communities’ to fight crime and America’s ongoing commitment to fulfilling the promises of our Constitution. We need a Justice Department that takes seriously its charge to faithfully and vigorously enforce the nation’s civil rights laws and ensure that no one is above the law.”