African American 2019 Rhodes Scholars

Elliot F. Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, today announced the names of the 32 Americans chosen as Rhodes Scholars representing the United States. Congratulations to all 32 scholars and here are four African American students who were selected to attend University of Oxford.

Anea B. Moore, Philadelphia, is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania concentrating in law and minoring in Africana Studies. A Truman Scholar, Anea is committed to the needs of low-income families, reflected in a variety of important roles in Philadelphia public schools, for City Council members, and at her university. She is co-president of a non-profit that serves first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college students and co-chaired the largest FGLI student conference in the world. Her sociology research has focused on issues related to gentrification, race, class, and family engagement and well-being. At Oxford, Anea intends to do masters degrees in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and in Comparative International Education.

Lia Petrose, Laurel, Maryland, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Economics with a minor in Chemistry. A Truman Scholar, she has a vision of improving how data is used to facilitate health care delivery. Lia wrote three firstauthored papers in leading medical journals and is currently a research assistant for Dr. Heidi Williams at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As an undergraduate, she was elected to the executive board of the student government and served as the student member of the Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Affairs. She was born and raised until adolescence in Ethiopia. Lia will read for a B.A. in Computer Science and Philosophy at Oxford.

Leah Crowder, Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona in 2018 with a B.A in Middle Eastern and North African Studies. Throughout her undergraduate career, she maintained a perfect GPA. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in the same program. Leah is researching how to end cyclical violence and move towards peace in areas divided by deep cultural and political differences. She has utilized big data to ascertain a causal relationship between militarized curfews and civilian casualties. Starting in her teenage years, she has worked on the ground in Turkey to advance a variety of peacekeeping efforts. Most recently, she interned at Art Anywhere Association, in Mardin, Turkey, to plan child protection activities in remote villages affected by regional violence. At Oxford, Leah will pursue a D.Phil. in International Relations.

Austin T. Hughes, San Antonio, Texas, is a senior at the University of Iowa triple majoring in English (Creative Writing), Theatre Arts, and Japanese Language and Literature. Austin was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. A Beinecke scholar, he has won numerous awards for his poetry and creative writing at both the university and national level. As Co-President of The English Society, Austin maintained a network of educators, writers, and authors to showcase student literature to campus and beyond. He is a cellist, a cross-country runner, and has written Twilight fanfiction. At Oxford, Austin will read for an M.Phil. in Japanese Studies.

Cleveland Browns want to interview Condoleezza Rice for head-coaching job

UPDATE: Browns GM says Condoleeza Rice has not been discussed in head coaching search

Browns general manager John Dorsey said last week that he was open to hiring a woman as Cleveland's next head coach, and one prominent name is on the team's wish list to interview.

The Browns would like to interview former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their head-coaching job, a league source tells ESPN.

If the Browns follow through on it, Rice would become the first woman to interview for an NFL head-coaching job.

Cleveland's interest in interviewing Rice comes at a time when women recently have moved into decision-making roles in men's professional sports. The San Antonio Spurs hired Becky Hammon as an assistant coach, the Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as a quality control assistant, the Oakland Raiders hired Kelsey Martinez to their strength staff, and the San Francisco 49ers hired Katie Sowers as an offensive assistant.

[SOURCE: ESPN]

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Urges Trump to Stop Verbally Abusing Black Women

Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02), Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s repeated verbal abuse of black women.

“This president is an insecure bully and lacks basic respect for others. In recent days, while nursing wounds from a major political rejection this week, he has found a way to say abusive and disrespectful things about the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, and three reporters who have been ably and professionally doing their jobs, April Ryan, Abby Phillip and Yamiche Alcindor. This is just the latest series of aggressive and unhinged attacks from a president that consistently fails to set a good example for this country. He has also repeatedly attacked Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Reps. Frederica Wilson and Maxine Waters. This president clearly has demonstrated animus toward women in general, but black women in particular. This has to stop. I would call for him to apologize for his various disrespectful statements, but I know he lacks the compassion, self-awareness, and magnanimity to do so. Instead, I urge him to study these intelligent, strong, and accomplished women in order to learn lessons in grace, class, and dignity.”

Channing Dungey resigns as ABC Entertainment President

ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey has stepped down.

Dungey’s departure — she will leave after a transition period — comes less than three years after she made history by becoming the first African American to lead a major TV network.

Her exit was not unexpected, given the wholesale changes to Disney’s television empire in Burbank. Disney is spending $71.3 billion to buy much of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox media company, in large part, to turbocharge its TV operations because the company plans to roll out a Disney-branded streaming service in late 2019.

Dungey, 49, was promoted to the post in early 2016 at a time when a lack of diversity in Hollywood’s executive suites was drawing increased scrutiny. A veteran development executive, Disney leaders championed Dungey’s taste and collaborative approach.

She repaired relationships with high-profile producers and guided the launch of a few new hits, including “Speechless,” “The Good Doctor,” “The Rookie” and “Roseanne,” which exploded into one television’s biggest hits. But that sit-com fell apart last spring after its star, Roseanne Barr, made racist remarks on Twitter. Dungey pushed for Barr’s firing — a move that was supported by the Disney brass.

“I’m grateful to Channing for her significant contributions and unwavering dedication to the success of ABC over the past 14 years,” Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said in a statement. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to work with and mentor Channing; her curiosity, passion and creativity will ensure she is successful in whatever path she chooses going forward.”

Dungey, in a statement, said she was “incredibly proud of what the team and I have accomplished over the years, and all the meaningful and impactful programming we’ve developed. This job has been the highlight of my career.”

[SOURCE: LA TIMES]

NAACP VOTER TURNOUT EFFORTS SPUR INCREASED BLACK VOTER PARTICIPATION

NAACP civic engagement campaign helped generate record midterm election turnout among Black Voters 

BALTIMORE – From the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which restored voting rights to convicted felons to the record number of early voting among voters of color – including a 77% increase among African American voters, the NAACP’s civic engagement initiative, The Demonstration Project, helped propel Black voter participation during the midterm election to historic heights.  

“Nothing can discredit the fact that leaders, activists, including NAACP supporters and partners, helped increase civic engagement in ways many thought would not be possible,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “This election not only further proved the power of the Black vote but was an overwhelming rebuke of Trump and Trumpism, and a show of support for candidates who look like America and campaigned on a bold, forward-looking and inclusive vision.”    

The NAACP, along with GSSA, LLC, a Colorado data analytics group, mapped out metrics for the Black community – across six states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan), to test new targeting models for low propensity and moderate propensity black voters, impact the elections and identify parity in registration and increase the turnout of Black voters in battleground states.   

NAACP door-knocking efforts produced the following numbers: 

• Florida: NAACP and partners knocked on approximately 165k doors and completed over 24k contacts. 
• Pennsylvania: approximately 30k doors and completed over 11k contacts.  
• Georgia: approximately 30k doors and completed over 6k contacts. 
• Ohio: approximately 17k doors and completed over 9k contacts.

NAACP voter protection work included:    

• Worked with County Board of Elections in various states, in real-time to ensure that issues at the polls were addressed in a timely manner and to support voters who had issues in casting their ballots. 

• Participated in litigation pressure efforts to extend voting hours due to voting administration irregularities in Georgia and Tennessee.  

NAACP victories to state-by-state include: 

• Helped flip the North Carolina Supreme Court 
• Helped to pass Amendment 4 in Florida – automatically restored voting rights in the state for people previously convicted of felonies   
• Helped to pass Proposal 3 in Michigan – Promote The Vote (Same Day Registration) 

NAACP communication and digital work included: 

• Reached over 575 thousand infrequent voters directly through peer to peer text messaging platform called, Hustle. 

Total Text Messages Sent:

• 512,014 (Across the six Demonstration Project states) 
• 578,569 (Including Maryland and Key Urban Centers) 

• Sent three flights of mail to our targeted universe of infrequent voters which included over 600k individual households. 

Unfortunately, voter suppression played a huge role in the silencing of the political voices of the Black community and all people of color during the election season. In Georgia and Tennessee alone, Republicans engaged in a massive voter suppression strategy that has included further rolling back the Voting Rights Act.  

“Now is the time to look forward and prepare for the 2020 Census, and the imminent threat that the Census will substantially undercount African-Americans and other people of color in communities throughout the United States,” President Johnson continued. “This would further dilute the votes of racial and ethnic minorities, deprive their communities of critical federal funds and undervalue their voices and interests in the political arena. We can’t let this administration use yet another mechanism to devalue and stifle the voices of people of color.”   

***Please note: The data above is just a preliminary count of the campaign’s efforts. Additional analytics and our full analytics will be produced over the coming weeks*** 

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ABOUT THE NAACP: 

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting naacp.org.