Howard University Rescinds Honorary Degree Issued to Sean Combs

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A Howard University spokesperson released the statement below on behalf of the Howard University Board of Trustees regarding honorary degree recipient Sean Combs, following the conclusion of a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board on June 7, 2024. 

“The Howard University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014. This acceptance revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. Accordingly, the Board has directed that his name be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients of Howard University. 

Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor. 

The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence. 

The Board has also directed the University administration to immediately take the following actions: terminate a 2016 gift agreement with Mr. Combs, disband the scholarship program in his name, return his $1 million contribution, and terminate a 2023 pledge agreement with the Sean Combs Foundation.  

No payments toward the $1 million pledge have been due or made by the Sean Combs Foundation as of this date, therefore no funds are due to be returned under the 2023 pledge agreement.” 

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NAACP Calls on American Airlines to Respond to Pattern of Discrimination

Following a lawsuit filed by several African-American men accusing American Airlines of discriminatory behavior, additional reports of discrimination have surfaced which convey a troubling pattern of a failure to address harmful behaviors. Upon the lawsuit filing, American Airlines released a statement regarding an open investigation into these incidents. As of June 4, the airline's leadership has yet to provide an update on the pending investigation. 

NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson has released the following statement, requesting a swift and decisive response from American Airlines:

"The NAACP is proud to champion efforts to hold corporations accountable. The removal of our travel advisory in 2018 came as a result of a commitment to deliver on key stipulations that would prevent future discriminatory acts, one of which was a diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory council. Amidst the resurgence of attacks on DEI, American Airlines disbanded the panel in 2023. 

Recent discriminatory actions from company employees prove that there is a dire need for continued accountability and resolution to this clear pattern. We encourage American Airlines to come revive the advisory panel and reconvene with the NAACP to devise a path forward that ensures equitable experiences for all American Airlines customers. Without a swift and decisive response, the NAACP will be forced to reinstate an advisory against the airline."

Following reports of hostility toward Black passengers in October 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory, warning Black Americans of potential discrimination they could face when flying with the airline. The Association extended an opportunity for the corporation to resolve this issue through several stipulations, one of which included the advisory council referenced above. Upon acceptance of the terms, the NAACP lifted the advisory in July 2018. 

The NAACP continues to work, forging a path forward where diversity, equity, and inclusion are ingrained into the fabric of corporate America, holding corporations accountable to their duties to Black consumers who drive our nation's economy. To learn more about NAACP's corporate responsibility work, visit our website. NAACP | Leading the Fight to End Racial Inequality

Hakeem Jeffries blasts Byron Donalds for his ignorant Jim Crow remarks

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) blasted Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) for Donald's inflammatory comments Donalds made regarding Black families' quality of life during Jim Crow-era racial segregation.

Here is what Donalds said:

“One of the things that’s actually happening in our culture that you’re now starting to see in our politics is the reinvigoration of Black family with younger Black men and Black women, and that is also helping to breathe the revival of a Black middle class in America,” Donalds said. “You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively. And then H.E.W., Lyndon Johnson — you go down that road, and now we are where we are.”

Here is the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies said:

US appeals court blocks Fearless Fund a grant program for Black women-owned businesses

Venture capital fund Fearless Fund cannot resume making grants to Black women-owned businesses, a divided U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday, siding with an anti-affirmative action group that sued over the program.

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the group's discrimination lawsuit was likely to succeed, reversing, opens new tab a judge’s decision that the program should be allowed to continue while the case moves forward.

The 11th Circuit panel, led by Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom, an appointee of former Republican U.S. President Donald Trump, concluded that Fearless Fund’s program did not warrant speech protections under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

Another Trump appointee, Robert Luck, joined Newsom’s order. Circuit Judge Robin Rosenbaum, an Obama-era appointee, dissented, accusing the plaintiffs of pretending to be harmed by the program. The grant initiative had been on hold following an earlier decision from the appeals court.

Fearless Fund had argued to the court in January that it had a constitutional right to express its belief in the importance of Black women to the economy through charity.

Attorneys for Fearless Fund in a statement said Monday's ruling contradicted more than 150 years of civil rights law. They said the decision "is not the final outcome in this case."

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announces she has pancreatic cancer

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee issued the Following Statement on her having pancreatic cancer: