Tulsa Race Massacre survivors testify before Congress

On May 19, 2021 siblings Hughes Vann Ellis, age 100, and Viola Fletcher, age 107, testified at a congressional hearing looking into legal remedies to compensate survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Watch their testimony below:

Charles Barkley giving $1K to each employee of Alabama school district

NBA legend Charles Barkley is giving $1,000 to every employee of the school system in his Alabama hometown.

The Leeds County school system released a statement announcing the donation on Facebook:

Through the years, the Leeds School System has been fortunate to have the support of its biggest fan and most famous graduate, Charles Barkley, Class of 1981. Over the past three decades, Charles has quietly and without any attention drawn to himself, provided over $3million in scholarships to Leeds graduates, funds that have helped hundreds of students attend college. Charles has also been a huge supporter of both the boys and girls basketball programs at Leeds High--he's even known to show up occasionally to cheer on the Greenwave.

Now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Leeds' favorite son has come to the rescue again. Charles has secured laptops for virtual learners, Wifi hotspots, and donations from Clorox Corporation to help the Leeds staff keep the facilities sanitary as we fight the pandemic this year.

We are humbled and wish to express our sincere gratitude to Charles Barkley for providing a $1,000 gift to each and every Leeds City Schools employee for going the extra mile this school year. Being a school employee is tough, but driving a bus, teaching, coaching, or working in the cafeteria, all while maintaining safety protocols, has been a daunting task during a worldwide pandemic. Although it's been challenging, the Leeds staff has persevered and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are beyond thankful to know our hometown hero and benefactor, Charles Barkley, recognizes the hard work and dedication of the Leeds staff, even under the toughest of circumstances. Thank you, Charles!

Monty Williams Named the 2021 Recipient of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award

Phoenix Suns Head Coach Monty Williams is the 2021 recipient of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

The Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award recognizes the dedication, commitment and hard work of NBA Head Coaches and is presented annually to a Head Coach who helps guide his players to a higher level of performance on the court and shows outstanding service and dedication to the community off the court. It honors the spirit of Mr. Goldberg, the esteemed long-time Executive Director of the NBCA, who set the standard for loyalty, integrity, love of the game, passionate representation and tireless promotion of NBA coaching. The award is unique in that it is voted upon by the winners’ peers, the Head Coaches of all 30 NBA teams.

The depth of coaching excellence in the NBA is reflected in this year’s voting as a total of 7 Head Coaches received votes. In addition to Williams, the following also garnered votes: Scott Brooks, Michael Malone, Nate McMillan, Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder and Tom Thibodeau.

“Congratulations to Monty Williams on this most deserving recognition,” said Dallas Mavericks Head Coach and NBCA President Rick Carlisle. “In just two years, Monty has taken the Suns from a 19-63 team to the second-best record in the NBA this season and the Suns’ first Divisional title since 2007. To win the vote of our peers makes the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award one of the most meaningful in all of pro sports.”

Coach Williams led the Phoenix Suns to a 51-21 season, the second-best record in the NBA and their first Divisional title since 2007. The Suns were 43-13 since January 28, the NBA’s best record over that span. Phoenix also had the league’s best road record at 24-12. The Suns ranked 7th offensively and 6th defensively, one of only four teams to rank in the Top 10 in both categories. Their winning percentage of .708 is the fifth best in franchise history.

Just two years ago Coach Williams inherited a team that had finished 19-63 and tied for the second worst record in the league. The Suns won 34 games (in a total of just 73 games) in 2019-20, an improvement of 15 games. This year’s squad improved by 17 (in a total of just 72 games), making the Suns just the fifth team in NBA history to improve by 15 games or more in successive seasons. It is just the third time in 45 years that a team has jumped in the standings from the bottom two to the top two in two seasons or less.

Coach Williams was named NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for March.

“I am overjoyed to receive the Michael H. Goldberg Coach of the Year Award from the National Basketball Coaches Association,” said Phoenix Suns Head Coach Monty Williams. “I hold the utmost respect and admiration for the coaches in this league, so to be recognized by my peers is an incredible honor. Every coach in our league sacrifices a ton to make their teams and organizations better, so this is unbelievably humbling.

To be recognized in Mr. Goldberg’s honor is special. He had a unique and kind manner, and cared for all of the coaches deeply. His suspenders and bow ties were always on point.

This award is far bigger than myself and is a result of the work put in everyday by our players, coaching staff, and the entire Suns organization under the leadership of James Jones and Robert Sarver. This has been a unique year in its challenges, and I am grateful for the tremendous spirit with which our players and staff have approached each day to make this a special season – Everything Counts!

In reference to my life and career, God knocks the ball out of the park and I get to run the bases. It is a blessing and a privilege to be able to coach this team, alongside this staff, for this organization – it is a get to, not a got to.

To our players and staff, I am so grateful for each one of you. I am blessed to work with you all daily. You truly have made me a better man.”

“I was very fortunate to have had Michael Goldberg as one of my mentors,” said David Fogel, NBCA Executive Director and General Counsel. “Monty Williams embodies the same high levels of integrity and excellence that Michael displayed every day of his life. Coach Williams’ hard work and devotion to his craft led to a remarkable season for the Suns. Congratulations to Coach Williams, the Suns Assistant Coaches, and the entire staff. This honor is most deserved.”

In 1980, just four years after the NBCA was founded, Goldberg became its first Executive Director. Building on the existing NBCA foundation, he guided it during the years of the greatest growth in professional basketball. He helped gain significant benefits for NBA Coaches, including increased retirement funds and disability insurance. Prior to the NBCA, Goldberg was General Counsel of the American Basketball Association.

The prior recipients of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award are:

2020: Mike Budenholzer and Billy Donovan

2019: Mike Budenholzer

2018: Dwane Casey

2017: Mike D’Antoni and Erik Spoelstra

The NBA will announce the winner of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the NBA’s Coach of the Year during its coverage of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

About the NBCA: The National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) is the labor association that represents basketball coaches in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1976 by legendary Boston Celtics player and coach, Tommy Heinsohn, the NBCA consists of all NBA Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches and alumni, and works closely with the NBA on all matters that pertain to the coaching profession.

Stacey Abrams Announces a National Speaking Tour

TOBIN ENTERTAINMENT presents political leader, voting rights activist, entrepreneur, and NYTimes bestselling author, Stacey Abrams in a national speaking tour, A Conversation with Stacey Abrams. The tour will launch in San Antonio at The Tobin Center's H-E-B Performance Hall on September 20, 2021, before heading on to eleven other US cities (full touring schedule below).

Stacey Abrams will present an evening of candid conversation and insights on politics, leadership, entrepreneurship, social justice, and being a true voice for change. Designed around worldwide and national events, as well as questions from the audience and community, this conversation with Stacey Abrams aims to inform and empower.

Abrams' New York Times bestselling book Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change, is a personal and empowering blueprint for outsiders who seek to become the ones in charge. From her experiences launching a company to building Georgia into a premier battleground state, Abrams illuminates that finding what you want to fight for is as critical as knowing how to turn thought into action. Our Time is Now is a blueprint to end voter suppression and chronicles a chilling account of how the right to vote and the principles of democracy have been and continue to be under attack. Abrams is also the author of the fictional political thriller While Justice Sleeps.

Dedicated to civic engagement, Abrams has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at both the state and national levels. She is the 2021 recipient of the inaugural Social Justice Impact Award from the NAACP Image Awards.

National Tour Schedule**:

September 20, 2021 · The Tobin Center, San Antonio, TX

September 22, 2021 · The Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI

September 23, 2021 · Detroit Opera House, Detroit, MI

October 12, 2021 · Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

October 13, 2021 · Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO

October 25, 2021 · Chevalier Theatre, Medford, MA

October 26, 2021 · Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, NY

November 9, 2021 · The Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL

November 10, 2021 · The Theater at Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, TX

November 16, 2021 · Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, TN

November 17, 2021 · Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC

November 18, 2021 · Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, NC

** All attendees will be required to follow the CDC guidelines concerning COVID health and safety protocols at the time of the event.

Hakeem Jeffries endorses Wiley in New York mayor's race

New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley on Sunday announced an endorsement from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Jeffries, who is the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said that he endorsed Wiley because she is a “change candidate” running in a “change election.” Jeffries also cited Wiley's humble beginnings.

“Maya’s life experiences, if she can get out and tell that story, will be particularly compelling,” Jeffries said. “An African-American woman who lost her father at a very young age but rallied back from that adversity to follow in her father’s footsteps as a civil rights champion is a quintessential change candidate.”

Jeffries also reportedly added that he is drawn to Wiley's proposed policies including her promise to lead an equitable economic recovery coming out of the pandemic.

“Those communities who have been hurt the most in terms of an economic crisis have often been helped the least,” Jeffries said, according to the Times. “Those communities that have been hurt the least have often been helped the most. It seems to me that Maya Wiley is the person to make sure that this time will be different.”

[SOURCE: THE HILL

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