Dr. Bernice King delivers message about commerating the MLK Holiday and voting rights

Dr. Bernice King, the King Center CEO and daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., offered an explanation of the center's and her family's plans for the MLK Day holiday in 2022 after her brother, Martin Luther King III indicated this week they would not formally celebrate it unless voting rights bills pass in Congress.

In a video message posted to social media, Bernice King said she stands in solidarity with her brother, Martin Luther King III, in "calling our nation's attention to securing and protecting the most sacred right of our democracy, which is the right to vote."

Hello, family. Here is a message from me about commemorating #MLKDay, my mother's work to establish a holiday in honor of my father's life and legacy, and #MLKGlobal. Let's educate, advocate and activate. #MLK #CorettaScottKing #ShiftingPriorities pic.twitter.com/UtJNy14V7l

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) December 17, 2021

South Carolina State Wins Celebration Bowl To Become HBCU National Champion

Deion Sanders and his Jackson State Tigers were favored to win the Celebration Bowl. Unfortunately for JSU South Carolina State Coach Oliver "Buddy" Fields and his Bulldogs had other ideas.

South Carolina State QB, Cory Fields Jr. threw for four touchdowns, three to Shaquan Davis, and South Carolina State stunned Jackson State 31-10 on Saturday in a game for the national championship of historically Black colleges and universities.

Sgt. Alwyn Cashe becomes 1st African American recipient of Medal of Honor since 9/11

President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military award for valor -- to three U.S. soldiers for risking their lives "above and beyond the call of duty" during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, the first Black service member to be so honored since the 9/11 attacks.

"Today, we honor three outstanding soldiers, whose actions embody the highest ideals of selfless service," Biden said at the ceremony. "We also remember the high price our military members and their families are willing to pay on behalf of our nation."

Cashe suffered fatal injuries while serving in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005, after rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Salah Ad Din Province, according to the White House.

Cashe died 16 years ago at the age of 35 and his widow, Tamara Cashe, accepted the posthumous award on his behalf during a White House ceremony.

Cashe grew up in Oviedo, Florida, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1989 after graduating from Oviedo High School. He was deployed in the 1991 Gulf War and served in Korea and Germany before being deployed to Iraq in 2005 while serving as a platoon sergeant in the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Cashe was initially awarded the Silver Star, the Army's third-highest honor for valor in combat, but his battalion commander, Lt. Gen. Gary Brito, and other officers advocated for years that Cashe deserved to be upgraded for the Medal of Honor. Cashe-White said that Brito and the 3rd Infantry Division had "been with us every step of the way."

When the vehicle that Cashe was commanding became engulfed in flames during an attack, his uniform caught fire and he sustained severe burns while extinguishing the flames and rescuing his fellow soldiers, according to the White House. Even after suffering injuries, he repeatedly approached the vehicle and helped four soldiers escape while being targeted by live fire.

"He went back into the inferno for a third time and got everyone out of that inferno," Biden said at Thursday's ceremony. "That was his code; his love for his Third Infantry Division ran deep. No soldier was going to be left behind on his watch."

Stacey Abrams releases new children's book: Stacey’s Extraordinary Words

The debut picture book from iconic voting rights advocate and #1 New York Times bestselling author Stacey Abrams is an inspiring tale of determination, based on her own childhood.

Stacey is a little girl who loves words more than anything. She loves reading them, sounding them out, and finding comfort in them when things are hard.

But when her teacher chooses her to compete in the local spelling bee, she isn’t as excited as she thought she’d be. What if she messes up? Or worse, if she can’t bring herself to speak up, like sometimes happens when facing bullies at school?

Stacey will learn that win or lose . . . her words are powerful, and sometimes perseverance is the most important word of all.

Check Out Stacey’s Extraordinary Words

Keechant Sewell to be NYC's first woman police commissioner

Nassau County Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell will be named New York City's first woman police commissioner, a spokesperson for Mayor-elect Eric Adams confirmed Tuesday evening.

A formal announcement is expected Wednesday morning at the Queensbridge Houses.

“Keechant Sewell is a proven crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the safety New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve," Adams said in a statement. "Chief Sewell will wake up every day laser-focused on keeping New Yorkers safe and improving our city, and I am thrilled to have her at the helm of the NYPD.”

Sewell, a native of Queens, has not served in the NYPD, unlike recent police commissioners. But she is a 25-year veteran of policing, and recently made history as the first Black woman to lead Nassau County’s detectives.

She will be just the third Black police commissioner in New York City history.

Adams, whose signature campaign issue was public safety, had promised to name a woman to lead America's largest police force. The NYPD has about 36,000 uniformed officers and 19,000 civilian workers, a much larger force than that of Nassau County. Sewell oversees a few thousand detectives in Nassau.

Sewell will take over at a time the city is seeing a sharp increase in shootings, and as the city seeks to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

[SOURCE: NY1.Com]