NJ high school principal dies after bone marrow donation to help 14-year-old boy

A selfless act of kindness by Westfield High School (NJ) Principal Derrick Nelson to donate bone marrow to a 14-year-old boy in France led to the month long coma that ultimately took his life Sunday, according to his family.

Nelson, 44, underwent the donation procedure at a Bergen County hospital in February, his 81-year-old father Willie Nelson said Tuesday in an interview with NJ Advance Media.

“After the procedure he did, he couldn’t speak and was lying in the bed,” his father, 81, said. “His eyes were open and he realized who we were. But he couldn’t move. He never spoke again.”

Nelson said he and his wife, Juanita, also 81, his son’s fiancé, Sheronda, and the couple’s 6-year-old daughter kept vigil at his room at Hackensack University Hospital for weeks, hoping he would recover. Nelson died Sunday.

At Westfield High School on Tuesday, students recalled the beloved principal for his selfless act and compassion.

"I always knew that he was a great man. He was the type of man that used authority but was still such an approachable man. I can’t name a single person that didn’t like him,” said Marcela Avans a 16-year-old junior at Westfield High School. “When I found out that he was first ill, it broke my heart because he was helping someone, but it really made me respect him and appreciate his service to the community even more.”

Nelson’s grieving parents said they plan to have a funeral later this week at St. John’s Baptist Church in Scotch Plains. They said they would try to finalize and announce services later Tuesday.

Nelson served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve for more than 20 years and had recently re-enlisted, his father said. His military service included an assignment in the Middle East, school officials have said.

An online petition has been started to rename Westfield High School in the memory of Principal Derrick Nelson. You ca sign the petition here: Change the name of Westfield high school to Derrick Nelson high school

[SOURCENJ.COM]

EBONY Media Operations not affected by Johnson Publishing Company Bankruptcy Filing

EBONY Media Operations, LLC brands, which include EBONY magazine, EBONY.com, digital magazine JET at jetmag.com and its related businesses, have viably operated independently of Johnson Publishing Company dba/ Fashion Fair Cosmetics (JPC) since Black-owned Ebony Media Operations, LLC (EMO) purchased the media assets of JPC in 2016. Black-owned investment firm CVG Group LLC assisted in the formation of EMO.

EMO is unaffected by the Chapter 7 bankruptcy announcement regarding the dissolution of JPC. EMO is not able to comment further and is not familiar with the facts or events of the JPC business.

EMO looks forward to continuing to delight and serve the Black community in America and worldwide for years to come.

[SOURCE EBONY.COM]

NAACP STATEMENT ON BLACK CHURCH BURNINGS IN THE SOUTH

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, made the following statement in response to recent outbreak of Black church burnings:

“What is happening in Tennessee and Louisiana is domestic terrorism and we must not turn a blind eye to any incident where people are targeted because of the color of their skin or their faith. The spike in church burnings in Southern states is a reflection of the emboldened racial rhetoric and tension spreading across the country. But this is nothing new. For decades, African American churches have served as the epicenter of survival and a symbol of hope for many in the African-American community. As a consequence, these houses of faith have historically been the targets of violence. The NAACP stands vigilant to ensure that authorities conduct full investigations.”

Police arrest two over vandalism of African American monument in North Carolina

Police on Monday arrested two people over the vandalism of a memorial to slaves and African American workers who helped build the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a campus still roiled by last year's toppling of a Confederate monument.

The Unsung Founders' Memorial, erected in 2005 at UNC's flagship campus, was vandalized at about 1:30 a.m. on March 31 by two people, including one with ties to a group called Heirs to the Confederacy, the university police said.

Vandals wrote racist language on it with permanent marker and defaced it with urine, police said, adding that the suspects were later identified through security video.

Media outlets, including news website Chapelboro.com, said Nancy McCorkle, 50, of Newberry, South Carolina and Ryan Barnett, 31, of Sanford, N.C., were arrested on misdemeanor charges of vandalism and ethnic intimidation, and released on bond.

A police representative was not immediately available to comment to Reuters early on Tuesday, and it was unclear if McCorkle and Barnett had legal representation.

[SOURCE: YAHOONEWS]

Cory Booker Announces Introduction of Bill for Study of Reparation Proposals for African-Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced he will introduce a bill to form a commission for the study of reparation proposals for African-Americans. Final legislative language of the bill will be filed shortly. The bill is the Senate companion to HR40, introduced earlier this year by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).

The Commission will aim to study the impact of slavery and continuing discrimination against African-Americans and will make recommendations on reparation proposals for the descendants of slaves.

"Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations," Booker said. "Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining. This bill is a way of addressing head-on the persistence of racism, white supremacy, and implicit racial bias in our country. It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed."

"Since the initial introduction of this legislation in 1989, the importance of examining the institution of slavery in the United States has been recognized across a broad range of our society," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said. "I am pleased that Senator Booker has introduced a Senate Companion to H.R. 40. I salute his dedication to elevating the discussion of reparations and reparatory justice, and look forward to the dialogue that this issue engenders on and off Capitol Hill."