While on CNN"s Reliable Sources April Ryan, the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks discussed not being invited to the White House Christmas Party. She stated that she believes that they simply did not want her there. Watch her comments below:
A bust has been unveiled at the University of Chicago honoring an African-American woman who obtained a doctorate degree when the school was a bastion of white males.
Georgiana Rose Simpson’s story came alive after university seniors and political science majors Shae Omonijo and Asya Akca stumbled upon it.
Simpson arrived at Chicago in 1907 after teaching in Washington, D.C. Her presence in a dormitory sparked controversy because she was black, and she was forced to move off campus. She completed her master’s degree in 1920 and her doctorate in 1921 at age 55.
Simpson went on to write articles for W.E.B. Dubois’ publications and retired after teaching German at Howard University.
Nearly $50,000 was raised for the bronze bust of Simpson. It was unveiled Tuesday at the Reynolds Club, once reserved for white men.
The resentencing ended a 12-year legal saga for William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, whose case made headlines in 2005 after he was caught with $90,000 stashed in his freezer.
Jefferson walked out of an Alexandria courtroom a free man Friday, now facing only a year of post-release supervision after serving five years and five months of his original 13-year-prison sentence.
"I'm going to go back home and get a Christmas dinner," a smiling Jefferson told reporters after Friday's hearing.
Jefferson, 70, was convicted on 10 bribery-related counts in a 2009 trial. In October, though, the judge who sent him away ordered him freed. He said that a 2016 ruling by the Supreme Court overturning the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on corruption charges changed the law as to what constitutes an "official act" for which a public official can be charged with bribery.
The judge, T.S. Ellis III, tossed out seven of ten counts of conviction against Jefferson, and said Jefferson was entitled to a new sentencing hearing on the three counts that held up.
The new landscape prompted prosecutors and Jefferson's lawyers to negotiate, and this week they jointly proposed a universal settlement in which Jefferson's sentence would be reduced to time served plus a $189,000 fine, which amounts to what has already been collected on a $470,000 judgment entered at the time of his conviction.
At Friday's hearing, Ellis had the option to impose a stiffer sentence, but said the negotiated deal represented a reasonable conclusion to the case.
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Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) predicted on Saturday that Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) would make "the right decision" and resign in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.
"I can tell you that John Conyers right now, at this very moment as we are on this air, is contemplating his future and his legacy," Cleaver, a Congressional Black Caucus member, said on Fox News.
"And I can almost assure you that John Conyers is going to make what I would think is the right decision for his own legacy, and that is to step down and try to enjoy the rest of his life," he added.
Steadfast in his fight for social justice and committed to his beliefs no matter the cost, Colin Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.
Colin Kaepernick made his truth known when he first decided not to stand for the national anthem. He had a lot of football left to play and a lot more money to make when he made his decision. It was late August, 2016. People who were anonymous in life had become famous in death. Philando Castile. Eric Garner. Alton Sterling. Freddie Gray. They were tragic symbols of a society that had taken a terribly wrong turn. As the anthem played ahead of the 49ers' preseason game against the Texans, Kaepernick, San Francisco's 28-year-old quarterback at the time, quietly took a seat on the bench.
It took two weeks for anyone from the media to ask him about it. Kaepernick explained that he was making a statement about inequality and social justice, about the ways this country “oppresses black people and people of color.”
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he added. “There are bodies in the street,” he said then, “and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
In the last 16 months, Kaepernick’s truth has been twisted, distorted and used for political gain. It has cost him at least a year of his NFL career and the income that should have come with it. But still, it is his truth. He has not wavered from it. He does not regret speaking it. He has caused millions of people to examine it. And, quietly, he has donated nearly a million dollars to support it.
For all those reasons—for his steadfastness in the fight for social justice, for his adherence to his beliefs no matter the cost—Colin Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. Each year SI and the Ali family honor a figure who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy and has used sports as a platform for changing the world. “I am proud to be able to present this to Colin for his passionate defense of social justice and civil rights for all people,” says Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s widow. “Like Muhammad, Colin is a man who stands on his convictions with confidence and courage, undaunted by the personal sacrifices he has had to make to have his message heard. And he has used his celebrity and philanthropy to the benefit of some of our most vulnerable community members.”
Previous Legacy winners—including Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus and Magic Johnson—were deserving. But no winner has been more fitting than Kaepernick. Ali lost more than three years of his career for his refusal to serve in the military in opposition to the Vietnam War. Kaepernick has lost one year, so far, for his pursuit of social justice.
Read more: Colin Kaepernick Is Recipient of 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award
