Washington Football Team hires first African American NFL team president

The Washington Football Team announced today that they have appointed Jason Wright team president, making him the first African American to hold that position in the NFL. In this role, Wright will be responsible for leading the organization's business divisions, including operations, finance, sales, and marketing. He will join Coach Ron Rivera, who maintains all on-field responsibilities and football decisions, in reporting directly to team owner, Dan Snyder.

"If I could custom design a leader for this important time in our history, it would be Jason. His experience as a former player, coupled with his business acumen, gives him a perspective that is unrivaled in the league," said Washington Football Team owner, Dan Snyder. "We will not rest until we are a championship caliber team, on and off the field. Jason has a proven track record in helping businesses transform culturally, operationally and financially. He is a proactive and assertive advocate for inclusion of all people and will set new standards for our organization, and for the league. There could not be a better duo than Jason Wright and Coach Ron Rivera as we usher in a new era for Washington Football."

"From football to business school to McKinsey, I have always enjoyed building exciting new things and taking on the hard, seemingly intractable challenges that others may not want to tackle. I especially love doing this with organizations who have deep history and values that set a firm foundation. This team, at this time, is an ideal opportunity for me," added Wright. "The transformation of the Washington Football Team is happening across all aspects of the organization – from football to operations to branding to culture – and will make us a truly modern and aspirational franchise. We want to set new standards for the NFL. As a DMV local and fan, I've been watching this team with interest long before I knew I could become part of it. I believe in Dan Snyder's vision for this organization, and I am looking forward to partnering with Coach Rivera, who is a champion for the players and one of the great minds in football. Together, we will define the future of the Washington Football Team."

Coach Ron Rivera added, "I remember Jason as a player, and it is no surprise to me that he went on to achieve the caliber of success that Jason has in his time in the business world. From my conversations with his former teammates and coaches plus my own with Jason, I have come to see that we share many of the same core values and beliefs. Because he knows the NFL firsthand and how fast it moves, I am excited to have him on board to head up the front office and operations, so that I can focus on what's most important to the fans in our community – winning football games."

Wright spent seven years as a running back in the NFL with stops in San Francisco, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Arizona, where he was the Cardinals' team captain and labor-union representative during the league's 2011 lockout. Upon his retirement from the gridiron, he received his M.B.A., graduating with high honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and building on his undergraduate studies in psychology at Northwestern University, where he was also an Academic All-American and captain of the football team.

Jason went on to global strategy and management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, where he quickly ascended to being named partner in the Operations Practice, based in Washington, D.C. In addition to steering some of the world's most influential Chief Human Resources Officers, Chief Financial Officers and Chief Security Officers to transformed environments, modernized operations and increased business value, he spearheaded the Black Economic Institute at McKinsey, where he additionally co-piloted their anti-racism and inclusion strategy. Jason is a trustee for the Union Theological Seminary, where he helps the institution better equip students with community organizing and social entrepreneurship skills.

National Urban League 2020 State of Black America Report

The State of Black America® is the signature annual reporting of the National Urban League. Now in its 44th edition, the State of Black America® is one of the most highly-anticipated benchmarks and sources for thought leadership around racial equality in America across economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice and civic participation.

Each edition contains penetrating commentary and insightful analysis from recognized authorities and leading figures in politics, the corporate and tech sectors, the nonprofit arena, academia and popular culture.

The 2020 State of Black America®, Unmasked, matches the national mood for serious introspection, exposing the human toll and economic devastation of a global pandemic on Black America while laying bare the deep rooted inequities that predated the pandemic and accelerated the virus’s deadly spread. Watch the State of Black America Virtual Series: 2020 Unmasked and read the full report on stateofblackamerica.org.

The 2020 Report

America caught the coronavirus and Black America caught hell. As states began to collect race-based data, a bleak picture emerged: Black, Latino and Indigenous people were getting sick and dying in higher numbers. African Americans are reportedly three times as likely to contract the coronavirus and nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as white people.

The latest findings tell a chilling tale of a nation divided along racial fault lines that first erupted at the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619, and whose institutions and laws were built on the pillars of racist ideology that continues to oppress, terrorize and disenfranchise the descendants of the enslaved today.

Against the grim backdrop of an exploding public health crisis, the nation watched as a Black man was denied his God-given right to breathe, losing his life under a police officer’s knee pressed into the back of his neck for almost nine minutes. George Floyd’s last words: “I can’t breathe,” ignited a firestorm of protests. Americans spilled out into the streets, insisting, once more, that Black lives matter.

Our reporting reveals the common denominator in the alarming and disproportionate ratio of Black people left gasping for air in emergency rooms and at the hands of law enforcement: centuries of systemic racism.

Through our partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, we examine the racial underpinnings of the pandemic, honing in on the indisputable link between our legacy of systemic racism and higher rates of Black death. Our authors tackle the insatiable reach of the outbreak into how we live, work and vote, delving into the erasure of Black wealth and job gains in the wake of the historic recession and recording setting unemployment; our interconnectedness, reminding us that prisoner health is indeed public health; the fate of HBCUs come fall; and the increased risk to our November 2020 election, undoubtedly disrupted by the pandemic, to disinformation and suppression.

The pandemic has forced Americans to grapple—yet again—with the enduring consequences of slavery and the prevalence of systemic racism in our society. Our public health systems, economic, education and housing policies, and political and criminal justice systems have all been infected by this insidious disease—and must be remedied.

The National Urban League stands united with all people committed to the monumental task of reckoning with our nation’s racist past—and present. We stand resolute and ready to leverage our influence and resources to break the pattern of empty reforms that tinker at the edges of injustice, because without justice, there can be no peace. To cure our nation, we must fearlessly acknowledge and address the straight and unbroken through-line that connects 1619 to COVID-19.

To access all State of Black America® content—including complete author essays, datasets, and a ready-for-download version of the executive summary—visit the State of Black America® website.

Tuskegee University’s Department of Architecture receives $100,000 gift to increase the number of licensed African Americans architects

Tuskegee University’s Department of Architecture has received an unparalleled contribution of $100,000 from the Cooper Carry Charitable Foundation, Inc. The gift will be used to increase access to the architecture profession for African American students.

The foundation is the charitable wing of the Cooper Carry architectural firm, located in Atlanta, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Eighty thousand dollars of the gift will be used to establish new need-based scholarships for undergraduate students. Twenty thousand of the gift is designated for a student technology scholarship that will allow students to receive technology assistance by providing laptops and/or architecture design software – as Tuskegee has transitioned to remote instruction.

“Cooper Carry has a long history of supporting schools of architecture. We have an active mentoring program, offer internships, and have endowed scholarships to support the growth and development of future leaders in architecture,” explained Cooper Carry President and CEO Kevin Cantley. “We knew Tuskegee University would be the place to develop a new and meaningful partnership – and we believe it’s important to be part of actively developing diverse voices in design and architecture.”

“The leadership in the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science has supported our concept of nurturing the growth of talented young people for over two years,” Cantley further explained. “We have great respect for Tuskegee University and have hired several recent Tuskegee alumni on our team of professionals.”

Of the approximately 100,000 licensed architects in the United States, only two percent are African American – a statistic that has not changed significantly since the 1960s. The American Institute of Architect’s Large Firm Roundtable, of which Cooper Carry is a member, is an organization of 60 of the nation’s largest design firms. The roundtable firms have committed to hiring more African Americans, with an emphasis on recruitment from HBCU programs.  

“Tuskegee is one of only seven accredited architecture degree programs, which collectively account for approximately half of all African American graduates in architecture. This gift will enhance student academic success and increase our commitment to the students by making sure they are prepared when they go out into the workforce as future architects,” noted Dr. Carla Jackson Bell, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs and former dean of the school.

“Tuskegee is proud to have the distinction of having the largest percentage of licensed architects than any other architecture program in the southeast. Our students have incredible potential and through this partnership with Cooper Carry, we will be able to not only attract more students to our program, but we’ll be able to keep our current students in the program, and on track to graduate,” said Roderick Fluker, associate professor of Architecture and interim dean for the school.

About Cooper Carry

Cooper Carry provides architecture, planning, landscape architecture, interior design, environmental graphic design, branding, and sustainability consulting services. Founded in 1960, the firm specializes in the design of education, government, hospitality, mixed-use, office, residential, restaurants, retail, senior living, science + technology, and transit projects. The firm has designed projects in 45 states and globally in the Caribbean, Middle East, Asia, Africa and Central America. Cooper Carry approaches its work as a collaborative ecosystem. Its multiple studios and services come together daily to provide each project the depth of knowledge needed to meet and exceed objectives.

Cooper Carry’s leaders are advocates and authorities for their specialties, empowered by decades of expertise to make decisions that prioritize placemaking, civic space, and the greater good of communities, tenants, residents and visitors. For more information, visit Cooper Carry’s website at coopercarry.com and follow the design firm on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

© 2020, Tuskegee University

  

Hillside’s BLM Mural Paintings and BLM Committee Continues the Movement

From left to right: Council Vice President George Cook, Councilman Craig Epps,  Freeholder Angela Garretson, and Councilman Chis Mobley

HILLSIDE, N.J. AUGUST 15, 2020

Union County, N.J. ----- The Union County Freeholder Board sponsored the
placement of the Hillside Black Lives Matter mural on Liberty Avenue in Hillside,
on August 13, 2020, the same day that honored the 100th anniversary of the Red,
Black and Green (RBG) flag – the flag that represents numerous black
organizations and movements since the civil rights era.

Freeholder Angela Garretson was on site with Hillside Council Vice President
George Cook, Councilman Craig Epps, Councilman Chris Mobley, and
Councilwoman Andrea Hyatt to witness a historic mural painting by the county
that also included the RBG flag in recognition of its anniversary (1920 -2020), and
the flag is still used widely today.

Local residents and onlookers captured the historic painting of the mural, as
residents of all ages joined in the effort to paint Black Lives Matter and the RBG
flag, on one of the most travelled streets, Liberty Avenue, near the railroad tracks
that residentially segregated the community of Hillside starting in the late 60s
when the first black families moved into the township. Hillside Councilman Cook,
Epps and Mobley were part of the effort to engage Union County Freeholders in
the mural project.

Councilman Craig Epps, said: “As a part of the leadership of the BLM committee in
Hillside, I am committed to bringing informative actions to Hillside and when I was
contacted by a local group, I reached out to the county to see how to get this
done for Hillside”

During this heighten time period of BLM actions around the county, and nation,
local communities of all sizes are addressing race and racial justice issues, and the
BLM committee in Hillside have council members that established a council
appointed, civilian review board as an exploratory committee, and named a
portion of the street BLM Way near town hall.

Council Vice President Cook, a Hillside resident for over 40 years , said: “The BLM
mural and the upcoming street signs is a sign that the times are changing for ourentire community. The location of the mural is symbolic for many generations of
Black residents who remember that Black kids weren't supposed to be on the
other side of the train tracks or the bridge after a certain time. The street sign will
also memorialize our township believes in racial justice for all.”

Democratic Chairman Anthony Salters of Hillside another committee member
helped to organize the BLM march – with a purpose to end racism, police brutality
and embrace diversity, that was attended by Governor Murphy, Senator Cryan,
Assembly members, Mayor Vertreese and Council, Freeholders, Schoolboard
members, clergy and religious communities, a professional educator sorority, and
numerous Panhellenic members. The massive crowd was filled with residents and
supporters of all ages and representatives from all over on June 7.

Freeholder Angela Garretson, a resident of Hillside, said: “The mural painted truly
culminates so many actions by my colleagues from various levels of government,
and although the railroad tracks in the past created dividing racial lines, the black
community and our community of allies who support our efforts strengthen me
to unify, strategize and advance against racism and discriminatory practices, in all
aspects of society. Some actions can be like a sprint, but more work, will be a
marathon.”

Mrs. Alyssa LaMonaco of Kenilworth was a former resident and student in
Hillside, was the local artist and her parents, including, Hillside Education
Association President Angela Lawler, Dewanna Johnson, HEA, VP, were joined by
Hillside School Board President, Kimberly Cook to paint the first mural in the
township on the high school driveway, prior to the Juneteenth flag raising
ceremony and George Floyd 8:46 Observation. The board of education members,
also members of the BLM committee in Hillside, have taken the lead to rename
buildings that reflect the present society, including the Deanna Taylor Academy,
was Calvin Coolidge and Ola Edwards Community School, was the George
Washington Elementary Schools.

Councilman Chris Mobley, said: “The times are changing in our diverse
community. We are part of organizations and committees addressing racial
injustices, and similar to the numerous efforts during the civil rights era, and now
the black lives matter work that takes on many forms, like in our town, we know
the good news is that this work can create lasting actions.”

Watch Kamala Harris first campaign speech as vice presidential candidate

In her first campaign speech, presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke about Joe Biden's empathy, her family and why President Donald Trump should be defeated in the 2020 presidential election.

Watch her full speech below: