Friday, April 09, 2021

Kim Godwin to become president of ABC News

Disney has found the next president of ABC News.

Kimberly Godwin, the executive vice president of CBS News, is in the final stages of negotiations with Disney to become president of ABC News, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

Godwin, a 14-year veteran of CBS, would become the first Black woman to lead a broadcast news division. Godwin would report to Peter Rice, the chairman of Disney’s entertainment division who has been conducting a months-long search for his next news chief.

[SOURCE: YAHOO]

Thursday, April 08, 2021

Forbes list of African American billionaires

Here is a list of the richest African Americans and where they rank on the list of the world's billionaires from Forbes.

Robert F. Smith

Net Worth: $6 billion 

Age: 58  

Business: Private equity, finance, investments

Global Ranking: 451 

David Steward

Net worth: $3.7 billion

Age: 69 

Business: IT provider

Global Ranking: 807

Oprah Winfrey

Net worth: $2.7 billion

Age: 67 

Business: media and entertainment 

Global Ranking: 1,174

Kanye West

Net Worth: $1.8 billion

Age: 43

Business: Music, Yeezy sneakers, fashion, retail

Global Ranking: 1,750 

Michael Jordan

Net Worth: $1.6 billion

Age: 58

Business: Charlotte Hornets, endorsements

Global ranking: 1,931 

Jay-Z

Net Worth: $1.4 billion

Age: 51

Business: Media, entertainment 

Global Ranking: 2,141

Tyler Perry

Net Worth: $1.0 billion

Age: 51

Business: Movies, television, entertainment

Global Ranking: 2,674

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

St. Louis Elects Tishaura Jones, Its First Black Woman As Mayor

Treasurer Tishaura Jones defeated Ward 20 Alderwoman Cara Spencer in the St. Louis Mayoral election Tuesday night, becoming the first Black female mayor in the city's history.

Jones will become mayor four years after losing to Lyda Krewson by 888 votes in the Democratic primary. She has served as St. Louis Treasurer since 2013 and before that, was a Missouri State Representative.

Jones, who has touted herself as a progressive, has said she would restructure the police department and reallocate money to substance abuse and mental health.

"I can promise you this, I can promise you this. I'll get up every day, day in day out, and I will work for you," said Jones. "I believe St. Louis's brightest days are ahead of us and not behind us."

The final vote percentage was 51.68 percent for Jones and 47.77 percent for Spencer in the general election.

DA will not prosecute Rep. Park Cannon over Georgia voting law arrest

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says she won’t prosecute state Rep. Park Cannon after the lawmaker was arrested for knocking on Gov. Brian Kemp's door during the signing of Georgia's controversial new voting law.

Cannon was charged with obstruction of law enforcement and disruption of the General Assembly.

Willis released the following statement on her descision:

The office of the Fulton County District Attorney’s lawful duty is to investigate alleged felonies occurring in Fulton County and to prosecute when appropriate. This office takes seriously its duty to prosecute crimes of violence, particularly when committed against law enforcement officers.

In our investigation of the incidents leading to the arrest of Representative Park Cannon on March 25, 2021, we received full cooperation from multiple citizen witnesses who were willing to provide in-person interviews about what they witnessed. We thank them for their assistance. We also received the cooperation of the Capitol Police, who provided statements, video evidence, and multiple police reports in an expeditious manner.

After reviewing all of the evidence, I have decided to close this matter. It will not be presented to a grand jury for consideration of indictment, and it is now closed.

While some of Representative Cannon’s colleagues and the police officers involved may have found her behavior annoying, such sentiment does not justify a presentment to a grand jury of the allegations in the arrest warrants or any other felony charges.

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

FAMILY STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CONGRESSMAN ALCEE L. HASTINGS

Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, a civil rights activist and the longest-serving member of Florida's congressional delegation, has died at the age of 84.

In January 2019, he announced that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer and planned to remain in Congress during the treatment, calling it "a battle worth fighting."

Hastings first began serving in the US House of Representatives in 1993 and has been a member of the House Rules Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus.

He was re-elected 14 times, making him dean of the Florida delegation. When he faced opponents from Democrats in primaries or Republicans in general elections, he typically won by margins of at least 3-to-1. Sometimes no one even came forward to run against him.

Hastings represented most of the African American and Caribbean American communities in Broward and Palm Beach counties, though the boundaries and district numbers changed over the decades, sometimes extending to parts of Hendry, Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The family of Congressman Alcee L. Hastings released the following statement on his passing:

“It is with profound sadness and the deepest sense of loss that we announce the passing of the Honorable Alcee L. Hastings. He lived a life of triumph over adversity and his brilliance and compassion was felt amongst his constituents, colleagues, the nation and the world. He lived a full life with an indelible fighting spirit dedicated to equal justice. He believed that progress and change can only be achieved through recognizing and respecting the humanity of all mankind. He was never afraid to speak his mind and truly loved serving his constituents and his family. He will be dearly missed but his legacy and fighting spirit will forever live on.”