School named for confederate general renamed for Barack Obama

A Virginia elementary school named for a Confederate general will now carry the name of America’s first black president Barack Obama!

The moniker of a Confederate general will be stripped from a Richmond elementary school and replaced with the name of the nation’s first African American president, the latest example of a Southern city seeking to address vestiges of segregation.

Richmond’s school board voted 6 to 1 Monday night to rename J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School after President Barack Obama. The change was recommended by school district Superintendent Jason Kamras before earning the board’s endorsement, schools spokeswoman Kenita Bowers said.

Kamras saw the renaming as an opportunity to honor a “prominent African American figure” who resonated with students, Bowers said, noting that the name is especially powerful given Richmond’s history: It was the capital of the Confederacy.

“I’m thrilled that the students of J.E.B. Stuart — who recommended Barack Obama as one of their top choices for the new name — will now have the opportunity to attend a school that honors a leader who represents the great promise of America,” Kamras said in a statement.

[SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST]

NJ Governor Phil Murphy and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver recognize Juneteenth

About two days ago I reached out to the office my governor, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to ask whether the governor intended to recognize Juneteenth with a brief statement. You can imagine my surprise when today I received a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth from Governor Murphy's office signed by not only Murphy but by Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver also. Thank you Governor Murphy! George L. Cook III African American Reports.Read the proclamation below:

Patrice Harris to serve as next American Medical Association President

The American Medical Association House of Delegates elected Patrice A. Harris, MD, a psychiatrist from Atlanta, as its president-elect at the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. She is the first black woman to win the office, and when she assumes the post of AMA president in June 2019, Dr. Harris also will be the Association’s first African-American female to hold that office.

“It will be my honor to represent the nation’s physicians at the forefront of discussions when policymaker and lawmakers search for practical solutions to the challenges in our nation’s health system. I am committed to preserving the central role of the physician-patient relationship in our healing art,” said Dr. Harris.

“The American Medical Association has well-crafted policy concerning the changing health care environment in this country and I look forward to using my voice to help improve health care for patients and their physicians,” she added.

First elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2011, Dr. Harris has held the executive offices of AMA board secretary and AMA board chair. Dr. Harris will continue to serve as chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force, and has been active on several other AMA task forces and committees on health information technology, payment and delivery reform, and private contracting. She has also chaired the influential AMA Council on Legislation and co-chaired the Women Physicians Congress.

Dr. Harris continues in private practice and consults with both public and private organizations on health service delivery and emerging trends in practice and health policy. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Kamala Harris calls on Homeland Secretary Nielsen to resign over family separation policy

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Monday called on Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy that separates families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Read Sen. Harris' statement below:

"The government should be in the business of keeping families together, not tearing them apart," Harris sad in statement. "And the government should have a commitment to transparency and accountability. Under Secretary Nielsen's tenure, the Department of Homeland Security has a track record of neither. As a result, she must resign."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman Statement on Shooting at Trenton Art All Night

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the following statement on the shooting at the Art All Night festival in Trenton early this morning:

“I am saddened and angered at the violence that took place at Art All Night early this morning, and I am praying for all of the families involved, but, as I’ve said before, that’s not enough. After every shooting, we talk about motive, mental illness and every other distraction from the real problem — guns.

“New Jersey has some of the strongest gun safety legislation in the country. That should make it very clear that this is a problem we can only solve at the national level, with Congress leading the way. Despite all of our state’s efforts, New Jersey is not an island — we can’t make our neighborhoods safe as long as guns can come in across a bridge or state line, from Pennsylvania or North Carolina. There has to be federal action.

“So many times since being elected to Congress, I’ve begged people to take this seriously. As it comes home to my own district, I’m heartbroken knowing we could make it harder to access these weapons. Dozens of the congressmen and women I work with every day have gotten the call I got this morning alerting them to a shooting in their district. For anyone that hasn’t, I’m asking to work with you now, before it happens to you. There are bills ready for consideration right now. We just need to be brave enough to call for votes.”