Amber Guyer fired by Dallas Police Departmant

The Dallas Police Department has released the following statement on the firing of Amber Guyer, the officer that murdered Botham Jean:

Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall terminated Police Officer Amber Guyger, #10702, during a hearing held September 24, 2018. An Internal Affairs investigation concluded that on September 9, 2018, Officer Guyger, #10702, engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for Manslaughter.

Officer Guyger was terminated for her actions. She was hired in November 2013 and was assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division.

Under civil service rules, Officer Guyger has the right to appeal her discipline.”

Michelle Obama officiates wedding

Former first lady, Michelle Obama married Chicago couple Stephanie Rivkin and Joel Sircus Saturday evening at the Theater on the Lake.

Michelle Obama's connection to the newly married couple is Rivkin's mother who is the president of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, a Chicago charity launched by Penny Pritzker, who served as a commerce secretary in the Obama administration.

One attendee, Tina Newman and shared a video of Obama with the soon-to-be newlyweds at the altar on Instagram. TMZ first published the Instagram story, which has since been deleted. Check out the former first lady officiating the wedding below:

Disney redrawing Princess Tiana after lightening her skin for Wreck-It Ralph 2

Many Disney fans in the black community were outraged last month to find that Princess Tiana’s physical appearance was notably different. The character, who debuted in 2009’s Princess Tiana and the Frog, had a much smaller and thinner nose and skin that was several shades lighter while her previously tight, kinky hair had been smoothed out into looser European curls.

Disney has agreed to redraw their first black princess after outraging fans when they her facial features more eurocentric in the recent trailer and poster for Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.

Disney has reportedly consulted with Princess Tiana voice over actress Anika Noni Rose and Color of Change, an advocacy group who campaign for racial representation in Hollywood movies, to discuss how best to revise the latest Princess Tiana animation.

Color of Change celebrated the move in a statement, released on Thursday, which said: ‘Disney’s decision to restore Princess Tiana’s image to that of an unapologetically black princess with full lips, dark skin and dark hair in Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 is a victory for Color Of Change members, black children and their parents, and black audiences who want to see the variety of shades, shapes and sizes of black characters accurately represented in the arts.’ Wreck It Ralph 2 - Sneak Peek Play Video Loaded: 0% 0:00Progress: 0% PlayMute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 1:00 Fullscreen The statement continued: ‘By redrawing Princess Tiana — Disney’s first and only black princess — in Ralph Breaks the Internet as she was in Princess and the Frog, Disney has shown its commitment to addressing the concerns of Color Of Change members and the black community.’

[SOURCE: METROUK]

It's not a blue wave that's coming in the midterm elections — it's a black wave

But besides the blue wave roiling America, there is a very real black wave. And both political parties need to pay attention.

In one of the most historic election years in memory — besides the year a young U.S. senator from Chicago became the first African-American president and the year a pompous reality TV star and coddled businessman became the 45th — the American political landscape may drastically change.

Democrat Ayanna Pressley could become the first black female elected to Congress from Massachusetts.

Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams could become the first black female governor America has ever had.

Democrat Andrew Gillum could become the first black governor of Florida.

Democrat Ben Jealous could become the first black governor of Maryland by besting a popular Republican opponent. It’s a long shot, but most voters in Maryland are Democrats.

So while much has been made of the blue wave making its way across America, we better pay attention to the black wave.

But besides the blue wave roiling America, there is a very real black wave. And both the Democratic and Republican parties, which have been tone-deaf to the disdain many Americans feel for traditional politics, better wake up.

SOURCE: USA TODAY]

NEWSEUM DISPLAYING SCULPTURE OF ALICE ALLISON DUNNIGAN, FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN TO COVER THE WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESS

On Sept. 21, a sculpture of Alice Allison Dunnigan, the first African American woman to receive press credentials to cover the White House and Congress, will go on display at the Newseum. The museum will unveil the Dunnigan sculpture in a short ceremony at 1 p.m. at the “Make Some Noise” exhibit on Level 4. Following the unveiling, the Newseum will host a program at 2 p.m. entitled, “Remembering Alice Allison Dunnigan” in the Knight TV Studio. The program will feature Carol Booker, who edited an autobiography of Dunnigan, artist Amanda Matthews, who created the statue and Dunnigan’s granddaughter Soraya Dunnigan Brandon. This program is free with Newseum admission.

Dunnigan, who began her journalism career in Kentucky before moving to Washington, D.C., was a pioneering journalist who rose to the top of her profession despite racist policies that segregated black journalists and sexist attitudes that severely limited opportunities for women in a male-dominated workplace. The life-sized bronze sculpture was created by Kentucky sculptor Amanda Matthews and is being cast at the Prometheus Foundry in Lexington, Ky.

During World War II, Dunnigan moved to Washington, D. C. to work at the War Labor Board. After the war ended, Dunnigan went to work for the Associated Negro Press and became the head of that organization’s Washington Bureau on Jan. 1, 1947, a job she held for 14 years supplying stories to 112 African American newspapers across the United States.

Dunnigan was the first African American woman accredited to report on the White House, covering presidential press conferences. She also became the first African American woman to gain press credentials to report on Congress, the State Department and the Supreme Court. She also made history by being the first African American woman on a presidential tour when she went on the whistle-stop tour with President Truman.

Throughout Dunnigan’s career, she battled the rampant racism and sexism that dominated the mostly white and male professions of journalism and politics. She once famously stated, “Race and sex were twin strikes against me. I’m not sure which was the hardest to break down.”

In 2015, the Newseum hosted a program about Dunnigan, “Inside Media: Alice Dunnigan, Pioneer of the National Black Press.”The program featured Carol McCabe Booker, who edited and annotated a new edition of Dunnigan’s autobiography, “Alone Atop the Hill.”

The sculpture will be on display at the Newseum through Dec. 16, 2018. It will then be taken to Dunnigan’s hometown of Russellville, Ky., and installed on the grounds of the West Kentucky African American Heritage Center as part of a park dedicated to the civil rights movement.