Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee wants Juneteenth to be a federal holiday

Every year, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee introduces a resolution to recognize the historical significance of Juneteenth. Introduced June 15, this year it has more than 200 co-sponsors — and that’s not all: she also plans this week to introduce a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The road to such a holiday becoming a reality may be long, the Democrat acknowledges, noting it took nearly 20 years for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to become a national holiday, but she’s optimistic that the time is right for increasing awareness about slavery and how its legacy has carried over into modern racism.

“There needs to be a reckoning, an effort to unify. One thing about national holidays, they help educate people about what the story is,” Jackson Lee says. “Juneteenth legislation is a call for freedom, but it also reinforces the history of African Americans. We’ve fought for this country. We’ve made great strides, but we’re still the victims of sharp disparities. Our neighborhoods reflect that. We’ve been denied the same opportunities for housing, access to healthcare and, in 2020, [during] COVID-19, all of the glaring disparities are shown. Because of that, I think this is a time that we may find people who are desirous to understand the history not necessarily only of African Americans, but the history of America.”

[SOURCE: YAHOO]

Senate confirms Brown to be 22nd Air Force chief of staff

The U.S. Senate confirmed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., June 9, to be the 22nd Air Force chief of staff, clearing the way for the decorated pilot and experienced commander to become the first African American in history to lead a branch of the U.S. military as its highest-ranking officer.

The vote was 98-0.

In advance of today’s vote on his confirmation, Brown testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing May 7. During the hearing, Brown pledged to ensure Air Force readiness to support the National Defense Strategy, if confirmed. “I am committed to the Air Force achieving irreversible momentum towards implementation of the National Defense Strategy and an integrated and more lethal joint force,” Brown said.

Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett congratulated Brown on his confirmation and highlighted the important role he will play leading the Air Force into the future and carrying on the strategic vision of the current Air Force chief of staff, Gen. David L. Goldfein.

“I join leaders, Airmen and Space Professionals from across the forces in congratulating Gen. Brown and his wife Sharene,” Barrett said. “Leaders of their caliber will perpetuate the legacy of excellence that Gen. Goldfein and Dawn Goldfein have epitomized over the last four years. Gen. Brown’s unrivaled leadership, operational experience and global perspective will prove crucial as we continue modernizing the Air Force to meet tomorrow’s national security challenges and protect our nation.”

Goldfein also congratulated Brown and cited his unparalleled qualifications to be the next Air Force chief of staff. “There is no one I know who is better prepared to be chief of staff, no one who has the experience and the temperament to lead the Air Force,” Goldfein said. “The Air Force and our nation will be in good hands under his leadership.”

Chief of Space Operations and fellow service chief, Gen. Jay Raymond also congratulated Brown on his confirmation.

"Gen. Brown is an innovative leader who clearly understands the complex and evolving strategic environment we face today as a Department," Raymond said. "He clearly understands the importance of leading across all domains to compete, deter and win — especially in war-fighting domains like space. I am thrilled with Gen. Brown’s confirmation. I couldn’t ask for a better teammate.”

Brown was commissioned in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University. He is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.

Brown currently serves as the U.S. Pacific Air Forces commander and the air component commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. U.S. Pacific Air Forces is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports more than 46,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, South Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.

Brown will replace Goldfein Aug. 6 at a swearing-in ceremony.

NAACP STATEMENT ON UNJUST KILLING OF RAYSHARD BROOKS

27-year old Rayshard Brooks was killed by an Atlanta Police officer on the evening of Friday, June 12, 2020. In light of this development, the NAACP released the following statement:

From Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP:

“Our prayers go out to the family and friends of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks of Atlanta, GA. It is unconscionable that a country still feeling the sting of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, would be sitting here addressing another wound dealt to us by the those who have sworn to protect and serve. An oath or declaration from law-enforcement was once accompanied by confidence and expectation from the community. Sadly, that confidence has been marred under the stains of countless incidents in which deadly force by law-enforcement was resolved as the only resort, rather than the last resort. Rayshard Brooks did not deserve to die Friday night. The actions of the Atlanta Police Department underline a systemic issue that has plagued the Black community within this country for centuries. Until this nation is willing to address the systemic racism that has been allowed to manifest itself in police brutality, criminal justice, education, voting rights, economic wealth-gaps, and every other imaginable area that affords us an equal and sustainable life, America remains in breach of contract with the Black community.

As the NAACP’s Georgia State Conference and Atlanta Branches seek answers about the circumstances surrounding Rayshard Brooks’ death, the National office will remain vigilant until accountability and justice are served for the countless individuals who lose their lives to negligent and misguided police practices throughout the country. Even as we call for accountability by those charged with protecting the community, we call on the community to act–collectively and calmly until we secure justice for the family of Rayshard Brooks.

Police officer that killed Rayshard Brooks fired

Just after midnight on Sunday, an Atlanta Police spokesman confirmed that the officer involved in the deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks has been fired. A second officer has been placed on administrative leave.

Officer Devin Brosnan has been placed on administrative duty and Officer Garrett Rolfe has been terminated. Brosnan has been with the department since Sept. 20, 2018, and Rolfe was hired on Oct. 24, 2013.

Police had been called to the scene after reports of a man asleep at the wheel in the Wendy's drive-thru. Officers said Brooks failed a field sobriety test. A struggle began when officers tried to take Brooks into custody.

Witnesses said Brooks took one officer's Taser and began to run away. That's when he was shot.

[SOURCE: 11 ALIVE]

Family of first Black full-time in NASCAR driver reacts to Confederate flag ban

Nearly six decades after Wendell Scott became the first African-American to be a full-time driver in NASCAR's top division, his family is applauding the company's decision to ban the Confederate flag at events.