Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Trump Administration Rule to Cut SNAP Benefits

After the Trump Administration issued a final rule that threatens the welfare of hungry Americans in need of SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released the following statement:

The decision by the Trump Administration to hurt poor and working-class Americans by requiring Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) to submit to more onerous restrictions to qualify for food stamps is disgraceful.

Over 36 million Americans rely on SNAP for nutrition assistance. This final rule weakens SNAP, the nation’s most effective anti-hunger program. Enough is enough.

Unfortunately, the Trump Administration fails to understand that people want a hand up, not a handout. There is no dignity in taking food away from the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens.

It is immoral, insensitive, and cold-hearted.

For all public servants, we have to do the most for those who have the least. As the ‘Conscience of the Congress,’ the CBC must stand up and speak for Americans trying to make ends meet, and call out this callous Administration for hurting the ‘least of these’ during the holidays and beyond.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Presents Latest Exhibition “Now Showing”

Exhibition About African American Movie Posters On View Through Nov. 1, 2020.

“Now Showing: Posters from African American Movies” opened at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Nov. 22. The temporary exhibition will be on display until November 2020. It showcases how movie poster design has been used to frame ideas, create moods and stoke interest in films and characters. More than 40 objects and graphics celebrating black films, filmmakers and actors from the museum’s expansive poster collection will be on display in the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts (CAAMA) gallery.

“Now Showing” is the first exhibition in the National Museum of African American History and Culture to feature augmented reality (AR). Through AR, visitors will have the unique opportunity to have an interactive experience with objects inside the gallery by using their mobile devices. Once inside the exhibition, visitors will go to hi.si.edu on their mobile web browser from their smart device and view exclusive content on various objects inside the exhibition.

Many of the items featured in “Now Showing” are from the Larry Richards Collection, a poster collection acquired by the museum in 2013 that includes more than 700 objects. This exhibition features original posters, lobby cards and select ephemera highlighting more than 70 years of African American image making.

The exhibition is divided into four sections: Film Pioneers, The Problem of the Color Line, A Star Is Born and Black Power & “Blaxploitation”. Each thematic category highlights the role African American films have played on the perception of African American culture and society as a whole.

“Film can serve as a peek into ideals about culture and society,” said Rhea L. Combs, curator and head of CAAMA. “This exhibition introduces visitors to films featuring African Americans they may be less familiar with, and at the same time, it recognizes some of the most historically and culturally relevant films made over a 70-year period. The significant artistry and design work that goes into creating not only the films, but the posters that promote the films, are not to be underestimated. When one explores the long-standing history of African American images on screen, these posters become significant artifacts about the perception and perspective of race, gender and culture that have been a part of our social landscape for decades.”

In the first section of the exhibition, Film Pioneers, visitors can view some of the earliest influencers in African American cinema, like actors Laurence Criner, Ralph Cooper and Lena Horn. This section also examines how non-black filmmakers created content for patrons excited to see black performers on the silver screen. The Problem of the Color Line examines the phenomena known as “passing,” where a mixed-race person passes as an accepted member of another racial group to avoid discrimination. A Star Is Born shows how increased interest in films helped create celebrities, increased representation in films and instilled a sense of pride in black communities across the country due to increased number of African Americans appearing in this new medium. The exhibition concludes with Black Power & “Blaxploitation,” which highlights the rise of movies geared toward black audiences in the 1960s–70s. During this era, Blaxploitation films centered around black casts and were usually set in and around urban environments. These films often brought black communities together by promoting black empowerment and breaking down racial barriers.

First Exhibition With Augmented Reality Experience

For the first time at the museum, AR will play a role in the exhibition experience. Visitors can interact with eight select posters and learn more about the objects using their mobile devices. The feature will use video and other pop-up displays to educate visitors on the objects in the gallery—creating a unique, one-of-a-kind experience.

“Now Showing: Posters from African American Movies” is in the museum’s CAAMA gallery, a temporary exhibition space located on the second floor. The public can be a part of the online conversation by using #CAAMALens.

About the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed more than 6 million visitors. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.

Bernard Hopkins & Shane Mosley elected to International Boxing Hall of Fame

The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the members of the Class of 2020. Inductees include boxing greats Bernard Hopkins and “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

Upon hearing of his induction Hopkins said, "I'm glad I'm entering the house of greatness past and present. Thanks to boxing, I became a greater inspiration to the world."

Hopkins is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed middleweight title from 2004 to 2005, and the lineal light heavyweight title from 2011 to 2012.

Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal for the WBC and lineal light heavyweight titles. This victory made Hopkins the oldest boxer in history to win a world championship at the age of 46, breaking George Foreman's record set in 1994. Hopkins later broke his own record by winning the IBF light heavyweight title from Tavoris Cloud in 2013, and again in 2014 when he won the WBA (Super) title from Beibut Shumenov, at ages 48 and 49, respectively.

Hopkins retired in 2016 after losing a fight to Joe Snityh Jr.

"I just wanted to be a fighter and fit into the world of boxing, and this is a dream come true. I'm always excited to come back to Canastota but to come back this year will be very special." said Mosley after hearing about his induction into the Hall of fame.

Mosley fought professionally from 1993 to 2016. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF lightweight title; the WBA (Super) and WBC welterweight titles; and the WBA (Super), WBC, and Ring magazine light middleweight titles. He is also a former lineal champion at welterweight (twice) and light middleweight.

On August 16, 2017 Mosley announced his retirement after being a professional for 24 years. Speaking to ESPN, he said his body was no longer in a state where he could get through training.

In a statement, he said, What happened was my arm is breaking down, my knees, shoulders. My back is starting to break down. My body is telling me I’m older and I can’t do it at 100 percent. I can’t see myself fighting again. I’d have to say I’m retired.

He retired with 61 fights in the paid ranks. He won 49, with 41 coming inside the distance, 10 losses, having only been stopped once, 1 draw and a no contest.

The 2020 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend will be held June 11-14th in Canastota, NY. Many events in “Boxing’s Hometown” of Canastota throughout the four-day celebration, including a 5K Race / Fun Run, golf tournament, boxing autograph card show, VIP Cocktail Reception, Parade of Champions and the Official Induction Ceremony on the Hall of Fame Museum Grounds, are scheduled. The Hall of Fame Weekend evening events include Friday night’s Fight Night at Turning Stone and Saturday’s Banquet of Champions. Both events will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in nearby Verona, NY.

Here is the full list of inductees:

Bernard Hopkins

Juan Manuel Marquez

“Sugar” Shane Mosley

Barbara Buttrick

Christy Martin

Lucia Rijker

Lou DiBella

Kathy Duva

Dan Goossen

Bernard Fernandez

Thomas Hauser

MIT student Megan Yamoah named Rhodes Scholar

Megan Yamoah, from Davis, California, is a senior majoring in physics and electrical engineering. The daughter of immigrants from Ghana and Thailand, she seeks to expand on her engineering background to tackle questions involving technology and international development. At Oxford, she will pursue an MPhil in economics to acquire knowledge in development economics and study how innovation can positively impact emerging economies.

A Goldwater Scholar with several first-author publications and a patent to her name, Yamoah has focused on the cutting edge of quantum computing. As a high school student, she conducted research in the Goldhaber-Gordon Laboratory at Stanford University. Since her freshman year at MIT, she has been assisting Professor William Oliver in the Engineering Quantum Systems Group in the Research Laboratory of Electronics. She also did a summer research internship in the Q Circuits Group at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon. This past summer, Yamoah attended workshops for the MIT Regional Acceleration Program (REAP) where she connected with diverse stakeholders from around the world on developing initiatives for spurring innovation.

As president of the MIT chapter of the Society of Physics Students, Yamoah worked to develop a physics department statement of values, the first of its kind at MIT. She is an executive board member of Undergraduate Women in Physics and has served multiple roles in the Society of Women Engineers. As a project committee member for MIT Design for America, Yamoah organized workshops for teams creating technology-based solutions for local challenges such as food insecurity.

Ole Miss student Arielle Hudson named Rhodes Scholar

An Ole Miss senior is making history as the university’s first African-American female Rhodes Scholar.

Arielle Hudson is an education major at Ole Miss and in late November was chosen as one of 32 candidates from across the US to participate in the prestigious global program at the University of Oxford in the UK.

Hudson said she’s still stunned that she’s a Rhodes Scholar. Hudson becomes Ole Miss’ 27th Rhodes Scholar and the university’s first African-American woman to receive the honor.

“To be the first African-American woman, it shows how much progress is being made not only in Mississippi but also within our world,” she said.

Hudson is a second-generation Ole Miss student, studying secondary English Education. She’ll head to the University of Oxford for two years to earn dual master’s degrees and then return to Mississippi to teach for five years, as part of her undergraduate scholarship requirement.

Arielle Hudson graduates from Ole Miss in May, and she’ll head over to the UK to begin her studies in Oxford in fall 2020.