Senate confirms Nancy Abudu for U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals judgeship

Nancy Abudu, strategic litigation director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday as a judge on the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Abudu becomes the first Black woman to sit on the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit, which hears federal cases from Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

“Today’s historic Senate confirmation of Nancy Abudu to the 11th Circuit affirms what we have always known — that Nancy is an extraordinarily qualified and experienced jurist who is committed to the U.S. Constitution and upholding the fundamental rights of all people,” said Margret Huang, president and CEO of the SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund, in a statement. “She has a brilliant legal mind and will bring the fairness and intellectual rigor this judgeship demands.”

Abudu was previously the Legal Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida from 2013 to 2018 and Senior Staff Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project from 2005 to 2013. Ms. Abudu served as a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 2002 to 2004. She was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP from 1999 to 2001. Ms. Abudu received her J.D. from Tulane University School of Law in 1999 and her B.A. from Columbia University in 1996.

[SOURCE: AL.COM]

NAACP Issues Travel Advisory in Florida

The NAACP Board of Directors issued a formal travel advisory for the state of Florida. The travel advisory comes in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis' aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.

The formal travel notice states, "Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."

"Let me be clear - failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all," said NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson. "Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon. He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We're not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation."

The travel advisory was initially proposed to the Board of Directors by NAACP's Florida State Conference. NAACP's collective consideration of this advisory is a result from unrelenting attacks on fundamental freedoms from the Governor and his legislative body.

"Once again, hate-inspired state leaders have chosen to put politics over people. Governor Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida have engaged in a blatant war against principles of diversity and inclusion and rejected our shared identities to appeal to a dangerous, extremist minority," said Chair of the NAACP Board of Directors, Leon Russell. "We will not not allow our rights and history to be held hostage for political grandstanding. The NAACP proudly fights against the malicious attacks in Florida, against Black Americans. I encourage my fellow Floridians to join in this fight to protect ourselves and our democracy."

Following Gov. DeSantis' so-called leadership in driving the state to reject students' access to AP African American studies course in March, the NAACP distributed 10,000 books to 25 predominantly Black communities across the state in collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers's Reading Opens the World program. The majority of the books donated were titles banned under the state's increasingly restrictive laws. The NAACP continues to encourage local branches and youth councils to start community libraries to ensure access to representative literature.

The NAACP encourages Florida residents to join this effort to defeat the regressive policies of this Governor and this state legislature. Interested residents and supporters can visit www.naacp.org for additional information and updates.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman calls out Marjorie Taylor Green for racist tropes

In an appearance on MSNBC Rep Jamaal Bowman called out Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of racist tropes when she characterised him as threatening during a confrontation on the steps of the US Capitol.

Congresswoman Cori Bush Introduces Legislation Urging Federal Reparations

Washington D.C. (May 18, 2023) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) introduced a resolution that forcefully argues why the federal government must provide reparations to descendants of enslaved Black people and people of African descent. The resolution outlines the various forms those reparations should take. The Reparations Now Resolution seeks to advance federal reparations, support existing reparatory justice efforts such as H.R. 40 and H. Con. Res. 44, and provide further momentum to reparations efforts at the state and local levels.

 

“I am one of the 40 million people in this country descended from enslaved Africans. Our ancestors were torn away from their homes and families, enslaved, and forced to fuel this country’s economy since the day it was founded. And then they were left landless, impoverished, and disenfranchised," said Congresswoman Bush. “Black people continue to bear the harms of slavery and its vestiges, through the Black-white wealth gap, segregation and redlining, disparities in health outcomes, a racist and destructive criminal legal system, and countless other ways. Yet our federal government refuses to acknowledge the lasting harms of slavery and the unjust world it created for Black people. We know this injustice because we experience it every day. This resolution will move us closer to a federal government that acknowledges its responsibility for this injustice and enacts a holistic and comprehensive reparations package that begins to address the harm it has caused, the wealth it has extracted, and the lives it has stolen.”

 

A copy of this resolution can be found HERE. A copy of the one-pager can be found HERE. A copy of her remarks, as prepared for delivery, from yesterday’s press conference announcing this resolution can be found HERE.

 

This resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Al Green (TX-09), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Summer Lee (PA-12), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-04) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).

 

The 2023 Urban Nerd Con is coming to Atlanta in July!!!

The Urban Nerd Con is the Premier Urban and Multi-Cultural Comic, Gaming, Cos Play & Tech event in the South East! Providing Creators of African descent across the diaspora an opportunity to show case and sell their work! This is also a place where fans will be able to come see and buy some of the BEST Indy and Urban art work, comics, novels and games from across the Diaspora! Join us July 21st - 23rd.

The convention will be hosted at The Sheraton Downtown Atlanta, 165 Courtland St NE, Atlanta, GA 30303.

2022 was the inaugural year of The Urban Nerd Con. The three-day event was the idea of Roy Eavins, an HBCU sports broadcasting professional/ multimedia nerd who saw the need for a celebration of Black fans and professionals in the South.

Roy Eavins and a team of convention enthusiasts are excited to bring The Urban Nerd Con "home" to Atlanta for 2023. In the city known for its nerd culture, notable film locations, history-makers, and world-renowned creators, Atlanta was the obvious setting for year 2.

The theme for 2023 is Urban Futurism, which we define as "Reclaiming Our History. Redefining The Future.

Urban Nerd Con will feature:

Cosplay contest.

Gaming tournaments throughout the weekend.

Panel: Learn industry tips and network with artists, animators, authors, producers, programmers, and creative professionals.

Learn more about Urban Nerd Con here: https://www.theurbannerdcon.net/