Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Rev. Al Sharpton will visit Capitol Hill and Meet With Lawmakers

On Monday, September 13th, 2021 Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Rev. Al Sharpton will visit Capitol Hill to urge congressional leaders to pass federal voting rights legislation and deliver an open letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell requesting a meeting to discuss the necessity of passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act, the For The People Act, and the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.

During the visit, the Kings and Rev. Sharpton will meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. This visit comes as a follow-up to the August 28th March on For Voting Rights, which brought together 250 partners to hold 101 marches and activations nationwide, uniting tens of thousands of people in the fight against voter suppression. #VotingRightsMarch reached over 100 million people online.

At 2:45p.m., following the meeting with Sen. Schumer, the Kings and Rev. Sharpton will hand-deliver a letter to Senate Minority Leader McConnell before holding a press conference outside of the U.S. Capitol.

Vice President Kamala Harris visits Hampton University

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 wins election to fill vacancy in Alabama House of Representatives

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.

[SOURCE: MACON.COM]

Vice President Kamala Harris speech on 9/11 anniversary honoring United Airlines Flight 93 heroes

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 Appointed Democratic Congressional Representative to the United Nations

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.”