WASHINGTON—Dr. Elsie L. Scott, interim president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF), released the following statement regarding the resignation of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee as chair of the Foundation’s board of directors.
“The mission of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public. As chair of CBCF’s board of directors, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s longstanding commitment to inspire young people to become involved in their communities and government, coupled with her outstanding leadership and vision, helped the Foundation fulfil its mission.
We are grateful for Rep. Jackson Lee’s unswerving commitment to the Foundation, and her efforts to help shape and elevate our programming for the last two years as chair, and a number of years as a board member.
The congresswoman values the Foundation’s ideals and does not want to be a distraction during the legal proceedings of the suit filed against the CBCF.
While the board selects an interim chair, CBCF will continue to facilitate academic, leadership and professional development opportunities for emerging black leaders.”
“BlacKkKlansman,” Spike Lee’s crime drama about a black detective who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan, is heading back to theaters after picking up six Oscar nominations.
The film will be re-released in 168 theaters across the country this weekend. “BlacKkKlansman” will play in over 30 states, including New York, California, and Florida. Academy members will be allowed in showings free of charge with their membership card.
Focus Features initially released “BlacKkKlansman” in theaters in August, where it debuted with $10.8 million — the third-best opening weekend of Lee’s career. It went on to earn $48.5 million at the domestic box office and $40.8 million overseas.
“BlacKkKlansman” recounts the true story of black detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who goes undercover to expose the Colorado Springs chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. After over 30 years of making movies, “BlacKkKlansman” finally landed Lee a best director nomination, making him only the sixth black filmmaker to receive a nod in that category. If he wins, he would be the first black director to do so. He is also the first black writer to be nominated in the screenplay category more than once.
NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors met with everyone's favorite president....Barack Obama on Thursday after declining to visit the White House to meet with that other guy.
The team visited the former President on Thursday before their game against the Washington Wizards in the nation's capital.
The Warriors posed with Obama in a picture of the visit that surfaced on social media Thursday.
With no end in sight for the government shutdown, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she is taking steps to help protect its residents who are furloughed federal workers.
Today, the REFORM Alliance announced that renowned activist and TV personality Van Jones will serve as the organization's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The REFORM Alliance is a newly-established organization that is committed to advancing criminal justice reform and eliminating outdated laws that perpetuate injustice, starting with probation and parole.
In his role with the REFORM Alliance, Jones will oversee the implementation of the organization's mission to drastically reduce the number of people who are under control of the criminal justice system while keeping communities safe by changing laws and public opinion.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Jones said. "I have spent my entire adult life preparing myself to help lead an initiative of this magnitude. I'm looking forward to working with this powerful group of founders to disrupt the status quo and shift the criminal justice system landscape for generations to come."
REFORM is backed by a bi-partisan and diverse group of sports, entertainment and business leaders, including award-winning recording artist Meek Mill; Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin; entrepreneur and business mogul Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter; Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Brooklyn Nets co-owner and philanthropic investor Clara Wu Tsai; Third Point LLC CEO and founder Daniel S. Loeb; Galaxy Digital CEO and founder Michael E. Novogratz; Vista Equity Partners founder, chairman and CEO Robert F. Smith.
"I don't think we could find a better person to lead this movement than Van Jones," said Rubin, who is the co-chairman of the REFORM Alliance alongside Meek Mill. "He has devoted most of his adult life to criminal justice reform and his passion is unparalleled. With the incredible founding partners that we've assembled standing alongside Van as our leader, I'm confident that we will make a real difference."
A Yale-educated attorney, Jones has spent nearly 25 years laboring on social change causes, with a recurring focus on criminal justice issues.
Jones co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in 1996. Based in Oakland, that organization has been a leading force in criminal justice reform for more than two decades. The center played a key role in closing five abusive youth prisons in California and blocking the construction of a Super-Jail for youth in Oakland.
In 2013, Jones co-founded #cut50, a bipartisan justice reform initiative of the Dream Corps. #cut50 played a vital role in passing criminal justice reform at the federal level last year. The New York Times called the bill -- the First Step Act -- the most significant criminal justice breakthrough in a generation.
Jones will continue to appear occasionally on CNN and host his bimonthly weekend program on CNN, The Van Jones Show.
About REFORM AllianceThe REFORM Alliance is committed to advancing criminal justice reform and eradicating laws and policies that perpetuate injustice in the United States. To achieve that objective, the REFORM Alliance will strive to pass probation bills at the state level, use media to amplify the need for comprehensive reform and build an inclusive, bi-partisan alliance of leaders from the business, entertainment, sports and community industries who share a cohesive vision for ambitiously and efficiently transforming the criminal justice system.
