Cori Bush is running for congress!

Hoping to replicate the stunning success of fellow Justice Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez primary campaign, St. Louis native, Cori Bush is running to bring transformative change to Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

Cori Bush is a former early childhood educator, a community-based mental health registered nurse, and an ordained pastor.

Cori has felt the burden of being uninsured and the pain of homelessness. She has endured racism and sexism. She is a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. Cori experienced the challenges of raising children on her own, living paycheck to paycheck, making just above minimum wage, taking on student loans to continue her education.

And Cori Bush stands tall, using her experiences as fuel to fight for the disadvanged, the disenfranchised, and the voiceless.

Cori is a tireless advocate for creating dramatic change. Now is not the time for baby steps. Incremental change is no change at all when her patients can’t afford medication, and families are struggling to put food on the table and find justice in the streets.

Learn more about Cori Bush here: https://www.votecoribush.com/

Chicago lawmaker picked to run Democratic Party of Illinois

State Rep. Christian Mitchell of Chicago Tuesday was named interim executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois, replacing Timothy Mapes after his ouster in a harassment scandal.

Mitchell has a background in campaigns and community organizing, and he becomes the first African-American to hold the post of running the state party’s day-to-day operations. He has been a member of the legislature since 2013 and lives in Bronzeville.

He fills the vacancy created when House Speaker Michael Madigan in early June dropped Mapes, who served as his chief of staff since 1992 and executive director of the state Democratic Party since 1998. Mapes’ departure came after House staffer Sherri Garrett accused him of harassment and bullying.

Mitchell was selected by a panel made up of the party’s 18 state committeewomen and chaired by state Rep. Juliana Stratton, the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor on the ticket with governor candidate J.B. Pritzker.

Mitchell previously served as Midwest director of paid media and polling for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, a senior adviser for Tammy Duckworth’s U.S. Senate campaign, former campaign aide to Attorney General Lisa Madigan and former Ald. Will Burns, director of external affairs for Cook County government under Board President Toni Preckwinkle and a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago.

“I look forward to doing the work necessary to assure Democratic victories up and down the ticket and charting a new and inclusive path forward for our party,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Together, I know we can build a party that represents the diversity of our state, listens to our young people and relentlessly fights for the values that make Illinois strong.”

[SOURCE: CHICAGO TRIBUNE]

NFL Players Union files grievance against NFL's new national anthem policy

The NFL Players Association announced Tuesday it filed a grievance against the league's new national anthem policy.

The Union released the following statement:

The NFLPA union filed its non-injury grievance today on behalf of all players challenging the NFL’s recently imposed anthem policy. The union’s claim is that this new policy, imposed by the NFL’s governing body without consultation with the NFLPA, is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on player rights.

In advance of our filing today, we proposed to the NFL to begin confidential discussions with the NFLPA Executive Committee to find a solution to this issue instead of immediately proceeding with litigation. The NFL has agreed to proceed with those discussions and we look forward to starting them soon.

Meet Zakiya Smith Ellis, the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education

Zakiya Smith Ellis was confirmed as New Jersey's Secretary of Higher Education on June 7, 2018, where she will be responsible for policy development and coordination of other higher education activities for the state.

Smith Ellis previously led work at Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest foundation focused solely on higher education, to advance federal policy to increase attainment and to develop new postsecondary finance models, focusing on issues of affordability.

Prior to her work in philanthropy, Zakiya served as a Senior Advisor for Education at the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she was tasked with developing, informing, and promoting President Obama's higher education policy. She also served in the Obama administration as a senior adviser at the U. S. Department of Education, where she developed programmatic, policy and budget solutions to respond to pressing challenges in college access, affordability, and completion.

Before transitioning to work as a political appointee, Dr. Ellis served as Director of Government Relations for the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, where she authored reports on the efficacy of financial advising in college access programs, on community college transfer and articulation, and on the ability of low- and moderate- income families to afford college more broadly.

Earlier in her career, Zakiya worked directly with students in various capacities across the K-12 system, and her goal is to always bring those insights to her current work. She worked on staff in various capacities for Teach For America, helping to train new teachers, and for the federal GEAR UP program in East Boston, Massachusetts, providing college preparation and financial aid information to high school students. Ellis was introduced to federal policy as an intern on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, working for her former hometown Congresswoman.

Zakiya has been featured on C-SPAN and Fox Business News, profiled in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education and was twice named to Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30. She recently completed a three-year term as an appointed memberon the board of directors for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).

Dr. Ellis holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary education from Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and holds a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Are you a black nerd? Then you might want to check out the Blerd City Con

Are you a black nerd? Then you might want to check out the Blerd City Con.

What is that you ask?

Simply put it's a 3 day geek out for black people who like science fiction, horror, and fantasy.

“I want the audience to experience Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy by the talents of leading writers as well as filmmakers, coders and creators of the African Diaspora who are serving the community of black and Nerdy,” said founder Clairesa Clay.

The 3-day conference takes place July 13 - 15, 2018 celebrating the fantastic nerdiness in you! Through panels & workshops of Art, Science, Film, Comic Books, & Technology in Brooklyn, New York making you truly feel like a Blerd!

Blerd City is a conference dedicated to showcasing the multidimensional complexity of black nerdiness through all spectrums of creativity, invention, and innovation and this is its second year in action. You can expect panels, workshops, film screenings, Afrofuturism, special guests, and presentations. In addition, there will be a marketplace for gaming and comic books open to all ages.

The conference will take place at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York.

For more information click here: https://www.blerdcityconference.com/