NAACP PRESIDENT DERRICK JOHNSON STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP ASKING GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE TO RECALCULATE VOTES

NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement after President Trump pressured Georgia secretary of state to recalculate votes in his favor:

“This is a racist attack on Black voters. President Trump’s desperate and futile attempts to invalidate and falsify votes cast by Georgia voters add to a growing list of criminal acts that must be addressed. His blatant disregard of the election’s accurate results is harmful to the American people and democracy itself.

The NAACP calls for the Fulton County District Attorney’s decision to investigate the state law violations committed by President Trump after he pressured Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to overturn Georgia’s election results.

We’ve repeatedly seen attempts to delegitimize democracy by trying to disenfranchise voters, specifically Black voters. In December, we witnessed the Trump campaign and a Trump elector file a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Fulton County, challenging the state’s presidential election results and asking for a new presidential election or for the court to prohibit the appointment of the slate of presidential electors. On December 10, 2020, the NAACP-Georgia State Conference filed a motion to intervene as a defendant in the lawsuit because of their interests in ensuring their members’ votes are counted.

Once again, if the NAACP must intervene to protect our community, we will do so swiftly and assuredly.”

Gov. Newsom nominates Dr. Shirley Weber as California Secretary of State

Hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom picked California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to be California’s next United States senator, he announced that he will submit to the state Legislature the nomination of Assemblymember Dr. Shirley N. Weber, D-San Diego, to replace him. If confirmed, Weber will become the first-ever African American to serve as secretary of state for California.

“Dr. Weber is a tireless advocate and change agent with unimpeachable integrity. The daughter of sharecroppers from Arkansas, Dr. Weber’s father didn’t get to vote until his 30s and her grandfather never got to vote because he died before the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965.

“When her family moved to South Central Los Angeles, she saw as a child her parents rearrange furniture in their living room to serve as a local polling site for multiple elections. Now, she’ll be at the helm of California’s elections as the next secretary of state – defending and expanding the right to vote and serving as the first African American to be California’s chief elections officer,” Newsom said.

Weber, an assemblymember since 2012, is a former president of the San Diego Board of Education and a retired Africa Studies Department professor for 40 years at San Diego State University. Her nomination is subject to confirmation by the California State Assembly and Senate. A decision must be made within 90 days.

“I am excited to be nominated for this historic appointment as the secretary of state of California. I thank Gov. Newsom for the confidence he’s placed in me and his belief that I will stand strong for California. Being the first African American woman in this position will be a monumental responsibility, but I know that I am up for the challenge. Expanding voting rights has been one of the causes of my career and will continue to motivate me as I assume my new constitutional duties,” Weber said.

[SOURCE: SFBAYVIEW]

Tia McWilliams: First Black Female sheriff in Rural Georgia

History is being made in Taliaferro County, Georgia.

Tia McWilliams is now the first African-American woman to be sheriff in one of the most rural counties in the state.

She joined weekend Good Morning Augusta anchor Shawn Cabbagestalk to talk about the achievement. Watch that interview below:

Judas and the Black Messiah release date Feb. 12, 2021

Judas and the Black Messiah, a movie that tells the story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal is set to be released February 12th, 2021. The movie will be released simultaneously in theatres and on HBO Max for a month

The film is directed by Shaka King.

“Judas and the Black Messiah” stars Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out,” “Widows,” “Black Panther”) as Fred Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield (“Atlanta,” “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”) as William O’Neal. The film also stars Jesse Plemons (“Vice,” “Game Night,” “The Post”), Dominique Fishback (“The Hate U Give,” “The Deuce”), Ashton Sanders (“The Equalizer 2,” “Moonlight”) and Martin Sheen (“The Departed,” TV’s “The West Wing,” TV’s “Grace & Frankie”).

WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW

Pamela Oliver inducted into the National Association of Black Journalist Hall of Fame

Fox Sports reporter, Pam Oliver has been inducted into the National Association of Black Association Hall of Fame.

Renowned as a trailblazer in the sports media landscape, Pam Oliver long ago established herself as one of the premier sports reporters on network television. Armed with league-wide respect and esteem, her straightforward and open interviewing style consistently produces topical and substantive reports.

Oliver has contributed to FOX Sports’ coverage of eight Super Bowls. She was the lead feature reporter on FOX NFL SUNDAY for many years. She served as co-anchor of FSN South’s “Southern Sports Report” from 2000 to 2003. Prior to joining the network, she was an ESPN reporter, gaining football experience covering the NFL Playoffs and NFC Championship Games. In addition to her duties as feature reporter on “NFL Prime Monday,” Oliver covered each Monday Night Football matchup.

In 2016, Oliver worked as a Correspondent for “60 Minutes Sports,” contributing several features to the program. In 2014, she served as moderator for President Barack Obama’s Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit at the White House

Pam has received numerous awards in her career, including the Atlanta Women in Sports Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and in 2018, she was honored with a Gracie Award by the Alliance for Women in Media. In 2008, WISE (Women In Sports and Events) honored Oliver with one of its “Women of the Year” designations.

As an undergraduate at Florida A&M University, Pam was an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) track and field All-American in the 400 meters and mile relay and held the distinction of participating on the first women’s team from Florida A&M to win a national championship (AIAW). She was inducted into the Florida A&M Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 for her individual accomplishments in the sport and again in 2016 when FAMU’s women’s mile relay team was recognized.

Oliver is a board member and event host with the Trey Whitfield Foundation, an organization that awards scholarships to economically disadvantaged inner-city children to help them pursue prep school educations and later attend college.

She lives in Atlanta with her husband.

Other 2020 NABJ Hall of Fame inductees:

Fred Sweets: Photographer and Editor

Cathy Hughes: Founder and Chairperson
 Urban One, Inc.

Mary A. Mitchell: Columnist, Chicago Sun-Times

John McCaa: Longtime Anchor, WFAA

Pam Johnson, Ph.D.: Former Director, School of Journalism, Western Kentucky University

Clarice Tinsley: Longtime FOX4 Reporter and Anchor