'Black Minds Matter' under fire from conservative group

A coalition of conservatives and some civil rights activists is calling on San Diego State University to withdrawal its support of a doctoral class that helps to educate future teachers about how to make black male students more successful, and that is inspired by Black Lives Matter.

“Now we want to give them taxpayer dollars to train educators on how to indoctrinate our children?” organizer Craig DeLuz said in a press release Tuesday. “That’s insane.”

SDSU professor of education J. Luke Wood developed the course, Black Minds Matter, and said its purpose is not indoctrination, but rather to educate future teachers about how to make black male students more successful in school.

“Our goal is to change the paradigm as to how educators view their role,” he said, adding that doctoral students will learn about challenges black male students face and strategies that can help them succeed.

The course will be taught to SDSU students studying to become education professors, or teachers of teachers. Wood said interest in the course has been so high that he’s also creating a free public course that will allow people to watch the first hour of each class online.

DeLuz, a trustee in the Robla School District in Sacramento, said he heard about the course through a Facebook post and plans to send a letter to SDSU demanding its cancellation before its scheduled Oct. 23 start. He’s started a Facebook page, Education Not Indoctrination, and enlisted leaders of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Frederick Douglass Foundation of California in his effort.

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Sorry Trump but President Obama did not pardon Chelsea Manning

By George L. Cook III African American Reports

Trump pardoned Sheriff (I'm a racist) Joe Arpaio this past weekend, and it caused a stir among both Democrats and sane Republicans alike. But of course, there were those Trump sycophants that rushed out to defend what their idol had done. They quickly used the "President Obama did it!" defense. Their common refrain and Trump's is that President Obama pardoned that traitor (their words not mine) Chelsea Manning. Problem with that talking point is that it never happened.

Obama commuted Manning's sentence. In Criminal Law, commutation is the substitution of a lesser punishment for a greater one. So instead of doing a thirty-five-year sentence Manning only did seven, which by the way is the longest term anyone has ever served for the type of crimes he committed. Manning's record will not be expunged; she will forever be a convicted felon.

What Trump did for Arpaio is something altogether different. He gave Arpaio a full pardon. So what that means is that not only will Arpaio never serve a minute in prison but that his crimes didn't happen. So after violating the human rights of thousands and violating a judge's direct order the sheriff goes just goes free, no record, no nothing.

Here's the definition of pardon from legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com:

A president or governor may grant a full (unconditional) pardon or a conditional pardon. The granting of an unconditional pardon fully restores an individual's civil rights forfeited upon conviction of a crime and restores the person's innocence as though he or she had never committed a crime.

So you see Manning will carry the stain of what she did for the rest of her life. Arpiao can just pretend he never did anything wrong because there will be no legal record of his wrongdoings.

In short one president, Obama made sure justice was served while the other, Trump performed a miscarriage of justice.

By George L. Cook III African American Reports

WWII veteran awarded long lost medals at age 99

Richard Bell Jr. made the 12-hour, overnight hauls by starlight.

A driver during WWII in the famed Red Ball Express, he was one of a group of primarily African-American servicemen responsible for speeding supplies to the front lines in France after the invasion of Normandy.

“No lights, period,” he said. “You took the fuse out of the truck. That’s the way you did it.”

After the war, Bell was honorably discharged and returned home to Baltimore where he worked 30 years at Bethlehem Steel.

Now 99 and living in Blackstone, his great-nephew was preparing a family history when he discovered that Bell had been awarded a series of medals but never received them.

“When I saw that he had these awards, I asked to see them,” said Benjamin Sessoms Jr., an Ettrick resident. “He looked at me and said he didn’t have them. I said, ‘Did you lose them? What happened?’ He said he just didn’t have them.”

Bell said he’d never been that concerned about it: “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t worried about any medals at the time. I was worried about getting home.”

Undeterred, Sessoms made it his mission to see that his great-uncle receive the honors he had earned.

And on Saturday, it happened. Decades after those long, 12-hour hauls, Bell, surrounded by generations of family members who’d gathered for a family reunion at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, received six service medals. They include the American Campaign Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII, Sharpshooter Badge and Rifle Bar, and the World War II Victory Medal.

In attendance was U.S. Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th, whose office helped facilitate efforts to get Bell his medals; U.S. Army Brigadier Gen. Jeffrey W. Drushal; and a full color guard from Fort Lee.

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U.S. senators call on FDA to ban sale of menthol cigarettes

A Massachusetts Democrat noted that African-Americans suffer the greatest burden of tobacco-related mortality of any ethnic or racial group in the U.S.

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey is calling for a ban on menthol cigarettes, arguing that tobacco companies disproportionately target African-Americans when they market and promote the cigarettes.

The Massachusetts Democrat is leading a group of fellow senators in calling on the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the cigarettes, noting that African-Americans suffer the greatest burden of tobacco-related mortality of any ethnic or racial group in the U.S.

The letter to the FDA sent earlier this week was also signed by fellow Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, and Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut.

[SOURCE: DENVER POST]

UNCF Sends Letter to White House Regarding 2017 National HBCU Conference Postponement

On August 23, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) issued a letter to the White House requesting that the 2017 National HBCU Conference be postponed, given that a new Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) has not been appointed, and the lack of progress on HBCU initiatives. The letter was addressed to Andrew Bremberg, Director, Domestic Policy Council for the White House, and Betsy DeVos, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. Read that letter below:

Dear Director Bremberg and Secretary DeVos:

On behalf of UNCF and our member historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), I am writing in regard to the 2017 National HBCU Week Conference sponsored by the White House Initiative on HBCUs and the U.S. Department of Education.

After thoughtful deliberation, UNCF joins with other HBCU advocacy organizations in requesting a postponement of the annual HBCU conference in September sponsored by the White House Initiative on HBCUs, and we ask you to reconsider yesterday’s announcement that the White House will move forward with the conference. At a critical time in our nation, and in the spirit of unity among our HBCUs, we believe this postponement would allow us to work together to develop a common agenda that will serve the best interests of our HBCUs, and especially our students.

UNCF recommends that the White House postpone the HBCU conference in order to focus on appointing an Executive Director of the White House Initiative who has the respect of the HBCU community and establishing this office as part of the Domestic Policy Council, as set forth in Executive Order 13779 signed in February; convening the President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs; and developing a meaningful plan of action with concrete commitments to invest in and advance HBCUs. UNCF previously has provided the Administration with a roadmap for such investments, and we look forward to working with you to identify the highest short-and long-term priorities.

UNCF and our member institutions believe that these actions would best actualize the Administration's commitment to HBCUs in lieu of the convening planned for September. Further, UNCF will not release, as part of the conference, an important national HBCU economic impact study that we have commissioned if the conference occurs as planned.

We make this recommendation in the spirit of sincerely advancing our mutual goals of promoting excellence and innovation at the nation's HBCUs and enhancing their unique educational, economic and civic contributions to the country.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like additional information on UNCF's views.

Sincerely,

Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D.

President and CEO