Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Hampton Friday. She visited Hampton University to discuss the administration’s efforts to invest in strengthening historically Black colleges and universities and to recognize minorities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Democrat Kenyatte Hassell is the newest member of Alabama's House of Representatives.
Hassell won the vacant District 78 seat in an election Tuesday, garnering 1,028 votes — or 80.1% — in unofficial returns posted on the Alabama Secretary of State's website. Hassell's opponent, Republican Loretta Grant, received 254 votes — or 19.8%, the website said.
Turnout for the election was 4.8%.
Hassell fills the seat that became vacant earlier this year when then-Rep. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, won election to the Alabama Senate. He served as a campaign manager and strategist for Hatcher and has consulted with other campaigns. He's also a member of the Alabama State Democratic Executive Committee.
In a speech streamed on his Facebook page, Kenyatte Hassell thanked his family and said he hoped “to help people” in his time in the House, The Montgomery Advertiser reported. During the campaign, Hassell spoke of focusing on economic development and improving local schools.
Hassell is a native of Montgomery and has lived in the district, which encompasses north and west Montgomery, his entire life. He will fill the remainder of Hatcher's term before facing voters again in the 2022 election.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech in Shanksville, Pa., honoring the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93 on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Watch her entire speech below:
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) today announced her appointment to serve as Congressional Representative of the United States to the Seventy-Sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. This is the fifth time Congresswoman Lee has been appointed to this position. Congresswoman Lee will continue to represent the 13th Congressional District of California while she assumes the duties of a Representative to the United Nations.
“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to represent my colleagues at the United Nations. I’d like to personally thank President Biden for this appointment and Speaker Pelosi for her support. This year’s General Assembly theme, ‘Building resilience through hope’ underscores the importance of Congress’s work with the United Nations to recover from COVID-19, promote sustainability, respond to the climate crisis, and uphold the rights of all people.
“In this role and as Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, I will continue to support diplomacy, foreign assistance, and development programs and will use the UN Sustainable Development goals as a guide to address global poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, and reproductive rights. As we recover from a global pandemic that has once again shown us the painful legacy of systemic racism and discrimination, I will also focus on the specific challenges experienced by people of African descent around the globe.
“I look forward to continue working with my colleagues to engage with the United Nations as we reaffirm our commitment to peace, security, and lifting up marginalized communities.”
Breonna Taylor‘s likeness and image have been kept alive and circulating widely on t-shirts and on murals thanks to the striking portrait by famed artist Amy Sherald.
On Friday, Taylor’s famous portrait that graced the cover of the September 2020 issue of Vanity Fair will now hang in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which is part of the Smithsonian, in a new exhibition called “Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.”
The graceful portrait, which is now co-owned by the NMAAHC in Washington, D.C. and The Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, depicts Taylor in a flowing turquoise gown, beaming with statuesque beauty and an engagement ring on her finger — a nod to the married life that was to come before her life was tragically cut short.
“I am honored and proud of the work the museum has accomplished over the past five years to share African American history and culture with the world,” said Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Taylor’s display is part of the the Black Lives Matter movement installation.
