Deion Sanders named SWAC Coach of the Year

In just his second year as a head coach Deion Sanders was named the South Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on Monday.

Sanders led the Jackson State University Tigers to a 10-1 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in SWAC regular season play. Under Sanders' leadership the Tigers are currently ranked in the top 15 of the FCS Coaches Poll and are also ranked in the top 25 of the Stats FCS Poll. The Tigers claimed the SWAC East Division title for the first time since the 2013 season. For his efforts Sanders has been named a finalist for the Stats Perform FCS Eddie Robinson award.

15-year-old Emya Johnson Reported Missing

SYOSSET, N.Y.—Police on Long Island are trying to find a teenager who has been reported missing.

Emya Johnson, 15, hasn’t been seen since staff at the MercyFirst facility in Syosset drove her to the Bronx for an authorized visit with family Saturday afternoon.

Emya is described as 5 feet, 1 inch tall and approximately 100 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Police said descriptions of her clothes or possible destinations were unknown.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Missing Persons Squad at 516-573-7347 or 911. Callers remain anonymous.

Maryland teacher, Keishia Thorpe Wins $1M Global Teacher Prize

Keishia Thorpe, a high school teacher from PG County, Maryland, is the winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in 2021 mainly for her work in opening up college education for students who are underprivileged.

The award was given by Varkey Foundation to Thorpe after being selected from over 8,000 nominations and applications from 121 countries around the world. Thorpe, who teaches English at International High School Langley Park in Bladensburg, Maryland, “completely redesigned the 12th-grade curriculum for the English department to make it culturally relevant to her students who are first-generation Americans, immigrants, or refugees from mostly Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and South and Central America,” according to the Global Teacher Prize’s website.

Her efforts resulted to 40% increase in her students’ reading. She was also responsible for helping high school students gain fully-funded scholarships. In fact, she helped seniors win $6.7 million in scholarships in 2018-2019 alone.

Thorpe knew firsthand the struggles of underprivileged students as she herself migrated to the US from Africa on a track and field scholarship. She and her twin sister Dr. Treisha Thorpe also founded a non-profit organization called U.S. Elite International Track and Field, Inc. that aims to help “at-risk” student-athletes across the globe connect with college coaches to access fully-funded scholarships in the US.

Prior to the recent achievement, Thorpe was also honored with the Medal of Excellence from the governor of Maryland and was chosen as the National Life Changer of the Year in 2018-2019.

Coast Guard honors service’s first African American diver

The Coast Guard honored Ralph Berry, the service’s first African American diver, Tuesday, in a ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

In 1979, Berry became the first African American to graduate from the Navy Dive and Salvage Center in Panama City, Florida. He was assigned to the Atlantic Strike Team in Elizabeth City, and dove on the sunken Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn in 1980. Berry was also attached to the Coast Guard Cutter Basswood in Guam, and the Coast Guard Cutter Sassafras in Hawaii.

Altogether Berry’s family has more than 400 years of combined service in the Coast Guard, which includes Richard Etheridge, the first African American to command a Life-Saving Station.

The ceremony saw active duty members of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard’s dive program and family and friends of Berry in attendance.

“The Coast Guard is proud to celebrate and recognize a member who continually challenged himself and kept true to the Coast Guard core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty,” said Capt. Lamont Bazemore, chief of enlisted personnel for the Fifth District. “In 1994 I was attending Elizabeth City State University when I received a flyer over the Christmas break about the Minority Officer Recruitment Effort program. Chief Berry shepherded me through the recruitment process, but more importantly, seeing a Black man in a leadership position helped me to see myself in the Coast Guard. Chief Berry was always a soft-spoken, supportive leader. It was my honor today to shake his hand and thank him for opening a door to my more than 27 years of service.”

African American Businesses you can support on Black Friday / Cyber Monday #BuyBlack

It's the day after Thanksgiving and online shopping is booming. Here is a list of African American online retailers that you may wish to support.

Milions will be spent between now and Cyber Monday, let's do our part to #BuyBlack during that time and spread the wealth around.

If you know of any more Black owned companies just drop the link in the comments section.

CultureFit

Shop CultureFit Here: https://www.culturefitclothing.com/

Bevel

Shop Bevel Here: https://getbevel.com/shave-kit

Becki Oakley

Shop Becki Oakley Here: https://www.beckicoakley.com/

PerryCo

Shop PerryCo Here: https://perrycoshoes.com/

Agnes Badoo

Shop Agnes Badoo Here: https://www.agnesbaddoo.com/

Mahogany Books

Shop Mahogany Books Here: https://www.mahoganybooks.com/

Talley & Twine

Shop Talley & Twine Here: https://talleyandtwine.com/

Third Crown (Jewelery)

Shop Third Crown Here: https://www.thirdcrown.com/

BLAC Minerals (make up)

Shop Blac Minerals Here: https://www.blacminerals.com/

The Lip Bar (make up)

Shop The Lip Bar Here: https://thelipbar.com/

Uhai Hair (hair care)

Shop Uhair Hair Here: https://uhaihair.com/ /a>

Flawless by Gabrielle Union (hair care)

Shop Flawless by Gabrielle Union Here: https://www.amazon.com/flawlessbygabrielleunion?tag=1258948-shoppingblackownedbiz-20

Brown Butter Beauty (skin care)

Shop Brown Butter Beauty Shop Here: https://www.brownbutterbeautyshop.com/

Hanahana Beauty (skin care)

Shop Hanahana Beauty Here: https://hanahanabeauty.com/