Fundraiser launched to help Black students finish college on MLK Weekend

Please donate to the Close the Gap Fund here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/488350812907518/

Five years ago former Hillside NJ councilman and African American Reports owner, George L. Cook III was invited to a fundraiser given by the Union County College Foundation to support something called "Close the Gap”.

The Close the Gap campaign was intended to accelerate the pace of African American student success at Union County College by providing financial assistance to students approaching graduation as well as resources for other academic needs.

Cook was so impressed by the initiative and the passion of those who started it that he asked to join the Union County College Foundation to help out in any way that he could. After becoming a foundation trustee Cook struggled in that first year to see where he could fit in with the mission of both Close the Gap and the Union County Foundation.

At that time Facebook started allowing users to run fundraisers. Cook had over 5,000 friends so he started a fundraiser for the foundation. That initial fundraiser took in $920 and in the three years since over $6,000 more has been raised in an annual fundraiser Cook starts on Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend.

This year the councilman launched his fundraiser on January 15, 2021, the actual birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.

Cook says that he chose that date to honor Dr. Martin Luther King and that King understood the importance of education. He then quoted King.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education."

Mr. Cook also stated that giving to help these Black students finish school is also a way to help fulfill King's dream.

"Many of these students just need money for transportation, books, to eat while at school, or just to pay for that last class they need to graduate." said Cook.

In these times of Covid-19 that has become all that much more difficult as students must now struggle with other issues like helping their families pay rents or pay the bills. These students need our help now more than ever. As we all know that when a student drops out there is a good chance that they will not come back. Let us not let that happen."

"Thanks to the Close the Gap initiative, the graduation rate for male African-American students has more than quadrupled at Union County College in the five years since its launch. Let us keep that progress going. Please donate today through Facebook by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/488350812907518/

Please donate to the Close the Gap Fund here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/488350812907518/

Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit. The UCCF will receive donations from Network for Good within 45-75 days after a donation.

Congressional Gold Medal to be awarded posthumously to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley

The Senate has passed a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Emmett Till, the Chicago teenager murdered by white supremacists in the 1950s, and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, who insisted on an open casket funeral to demonstrate the brutality of his killing.

Till was abducted, tortured and killed after witnesses said he whistled at a white woman in Mississippi, a scenario contradicted by others who were with Till at the time.

The killing galvanized the civil rights movement after Till’s mother insisted on an open casket and Jet magazine published photos of his brutalized body.

Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Richard Burr, R-N.C., introduced the bill to honor Till and his mother with the highest civilian honor that Congress awards. They described the legislation as a long overdue recognition of what the Till family endured and what they accomplished in their fight against injustice.

“At the age of 14, Emmett Till was abducted and lynched at the hands of white supremacists. His gruesome murder still serves as a solemn reminder of the terror and violence experienced by Black Americans throughout our nation’s history,” said Sen. Booker. “The courage and activism demonstrated by Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, in displaying to the world the brutality endured by her son helped awaken the nation’s conscience, forcing America to reckon with its failure to address racism and the glaring injustices that stem from such hatred. More than six decades after his murder, I am proud to see the Senate pass long-overdue legislation that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to both Emmett and Mamie Till-Mobley in recognition of their profound contributions to our nation.”

The House version of the legislation is sponsored by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill.

Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby indicted on federal perjury charge

Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been indicated by a federal grand jury on charges of perjury related to a COVID-19 financial hardship withdrawal and a false statement on a loan application.

This comes amid an ongoing federal investigation involving Mosby and her husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, over campaign records.

In March federal prosecutors started investigating the personal business and tax records of the Mosbys. Federal officials subpoenaed the Maryland State Board of Elections seeking business and campaign finance records dating back to 2014.

Federal prosecutors subpoenaed records from Marilyn Mosby’s campaign, along with Nick and Marilyn’s business records.As part of the investigation, federal prosecutors requested tax returns, bank statements and loan documents.

The couple’s lawyer, A. Scott Bolden, issued a statement calling the investigation a “political witch hunt.”

“My clients are progressive change agents, making them unfair targets of unnecessary scrutiny by federal investigators. Nevertheless, I can assure you and the people of Baltimore, they have done nothing illegal, inappropriate or unlawful,” he said.

[SOURCE: WBAL]

12 Year Old Naquan Lindsey is Missing

Authorities are asking for the public’s help to find a 12-year-old New Jersey boy who has been missing since last week.

Naquan Lindsey left his home in Winslow in Camden County on Friday and was due to return on Sunday. The child who was reported missing on Tuesday, is known to visit East Camden, officials said in an earlier statement.

He is 5-foot-4-inches tall, weight about 100 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Camden County Central Communications tip line at 856-783-4900 or Winslow police at 609-567-0700.

Tips can also be sent anonymously to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.

Congressional Black Caucus Holds News Conference on Filibuster For Voting Rights

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) held a news conference on voting rights from Capitol Hill. The CBC called on the Senate to change the filibuster rules to allow a vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Watch that news conference below: