Barack Obama pays tribute to Nipsey Hussle

Former President Barack Obama paid tribute to rapper and community activist  Nipsey Hussle in a letter that was read at a Hussle's memorial. 

The full text follows:

Dear Friends and Family of Nipsey:

I'd never met Nipsey Hussle, but I'd heard some of his music through my daughters, and after his passing, I had the chance to learn more about his transformation and his community work.

While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets, and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep going. His choice to invest in that community rather than ignore it -- to build a skills training center and a coworking space in Crenshaw; to lift up the Eritrean-American community; to set an example for young people to follow -- is a legacy worth of celebration. I hope his memory inspires more good work in Crenshaw and communities like it.

Michelle and I send our sympathies to Lauren, Emani, Kross, and the entire Asghedom family and to all those who loved Nipsey.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

Georgetown Students Vote to Pay Reparations

As debate over reparations heats us, Georgetown University students voted Thursday by a large margin to impose a fee on themselves to pay reparations for the university's ties to slavery.

The student election commission announced the results early this morning. The measure attracted just under two-thirds of voters and passed, 2,541 to 1,304.

The measure calls for the university to start with a fee of $27.20 per semester in fall of 2020, "in honor of the 272 people sold by Georgetown," referring to the slaves sold by Jesuits to finance the university in its early days. The resolution says that proceeds from the fund "will be allocated for charitable purposes directly benefiting the descendants of the GU272 and other persons once enslaved by the Maryland Jesuits -- with special consideration given to causes and proposals directly benefiting those descendants still residing in proud and underprivileged communities,"

The proposed fee would be a tiny fraction of the price of attending Georgetown, where tuition alone is more than $55,000 this year.

While the measure is not binding on the university, the vote comes as Democratic presidential candidates have elevated the national debate over reparations. The vote also marks a potential shift in higher education.

In recent years, many colleges -- including Georgetown -- have conducted studies of their ties to slavery. Those studies have led to publications, academic conferences and monuments that honor the labor of slaves.

But the vote by Georgetown is the first move to have students pay reparations.

[SOURCE: INSIDEHIGHERED]

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.”