Colin Kaepernick receives civil rights award from National Education Association

Former San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick received the National Education Association’s highest honor, the NEA President’s Award, for his work to fight racial oppression through education and social justice activism with his Know Your Rights Camp.

The youth camp aims "to raise awareness on higher education, self empowerment, and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios," according to its website.

"The human and civil rights champions we honor tonight are the epitome of the fierce urgency of now that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about in his 'I Have a Dream speech,'" NEA President Lily Eskelsen García said Sunday. "Through their deeds and actions, they have demonstrated remarkable courage and conviction to stand up for racial and social justice. They have shown an unrelenting resolve and ferocity to make a real difference for public education, students and our nation’s future. They are shining examples of social justice activism, fighting against injustices every day, and making sure that our great nation lives up to its promise."

200 Black female leaders criticize Pelosi, Schumer for 'failure to protect' Waters

In a letter black female leaders and allies expressed their “deep disappointment“ with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for their “recent failure to protect“ Rep. Maxine Waters “from unwarranted attacks from the Trump administration and others in the GOP.“ Read that letter below:

200 Black female leaders letter in support of Maxine Waters by Councilman George L. Cook III on Scribd

Black state rep has police called on her while she was campaigning

You can now add campaigning for elected office to the list of things that black people can't do without the police being called on them.

A black Oregon state representative says someone called the police on her while she was canvassing door-to-door in her district.

Rep. Janelle Bynum represents District 51, which includes the area of Clackamas County, where she was campaigning.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Democrat wrote that a woman notified police that Bynum was suspicious because she was "spending a lot of time typing on my cell phone after each house."

Bynum is running for reelection in the fall, and said she takes notes when she's visiting her constituents to keep an account of what her community cares about.

She praised the deputy who responded for being professional, and said she asked him if she could meet the woman who made the call, but she was not available.

"The officer called her, we talked and she did apologize," Bynum said, without specifying the race of the caller.

Bynum told local media that someone called 911 and reported that she was spending too much time at houses in the area.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Virginia State University named best HBCU of the year

On Friday, June 22, Virginia State University (VSU) was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest. In addition, the University’s Board of Visitors received the Best Board of Trustees of the Year award and Trojan Brianna Bundick-Kelly was named the Female Student of the Year.

“Virginia State University demonstrated excellence across virtually all areas of the academic enterprise,” said Jarrett Carter Sr., founding editor of HBCU Digest. “The institution showcased stability in leadership, productivity in research and outreach in its programs of strength - agriculture, education, and business. Among all HBCUs, Virginia State was a top performer within the public higher education sector in attracting and retaining first-time college students, and it was among the most competitive institutions in excellence among its men’s and women’s athletic programs. Virginia State University was a model of success for all institutions, historically black or otherwise, during the last academic year and it was an honor to recognize the achievements of their executives, students, faculty and alumni at our annual ceremony.”

The HBCU Awards is the first and only awards ceremony honoring achievement at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) throughout the United States. The ceremony was hosted by HBCU Digest, an online blog site which reports on the news of HBCUs. Winners were selected by a panel of previous HBCU Award winners, presidents and chancellors, and members of the media, which cover HBCUs.

During his acceptance speech of the HBCU of the Year award, VSU President Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D. shared with the audience what makes VSU the best.

“It’s because of the incredible hard work and commitment of our wonderful faculty and staff who give of their time to our students,” President Abdullah said. “It’s our alumni who set a high standard for our students to follow. It’s the dedication of our Board of Visitors for all that they do for the University. I am proud to be the 14th president of Virginia State University.”

VSU was named as a finalist in seven categories. The other five categories were as follows: Best Male Athlete of the Year, Alumna of the Year, Male Coach of the Year, Best Men’s Team of the Year and Male President of the Year. Last year, VSU’s Reginald F. Lewis College of Business earned the Best Business Program award and President Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D. was named the Male President of the Year.

Rep. Cedric Richmond bashes Trump’s move to scrap affirmative action

The head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) hammered the Trump administration on Tuesday for revoking federal guidelines that encourage colleges to consider race in their admissions determinations, calling the move an unveiled attack on minorities.

Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), who has long accused President Trump of pursuing policies that are overtly racist, said rescinding the Obama-era affirmative action guidelines will “turn back the clock” on efforts to encourage diversity on college campuses across the country.

“Yet again we see that this administration's goal and vision for ‘Making America Great Again’ is to reduce the role of the state in making sure our society prizes diversity and inclusion,” Richmond said in a statement. “While I am not surprised, I continue to be disappointed that the President of this great country demonstrably cares so little for its non-white residents and their interests."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]