Mississippi Gov. ignores work of Rep. Bennie Thompson, takes credit for Medgar Ever's home being named a national monument

Last month, Congress passed a massive lands bill that, among other things, added four national monuments, including Medgar Evers' home located in Jackson, Mississippi. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law earlier this week.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, a Trump ally, felt it appropriate to thank the president and the state's Republican senators, but left out Bennie Thompson the African American congressman who has worked over the years, has testified at hearings, proposed legislation and called for a study of the feasibility of the National Park Service taking over the Evers' home.

"Thank you to @realDonaldTrump for signing legislation today to designate Medgar and Myrlie Evers home as a National Monument," he tweeted. "@SenatorWicker & @SenHydeSmith have worked very hard on this for some time and are to be commended."

The head of the Congressional Black Caucus weighed in Friday on a simmering dispute in Mississippi over who deserves credit for the push to designate civil rights icon Medgar Evers' home a national monument.

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant "despicable" and accused him of ignoring the work of Rep. Bennie Thompson, the lone Democrat and African-American in the state's delegation, who has advocated for years for Evers' home to be named a national monument.

"I don’t know much about the governor of Mississippi, but he is clearly despicable," Bass said in a call with reporters Friday. "There is no way in the world that he should not have acknowledged the decades of work that Congressman Bennie Thompson has put in. So for him to specifically ignore him is really just an example of his pettiness."

“You can take my word the entire Congressional Black Caucus was highly offended that he would be so disrespectful of one our most important members and a member who chairs a full committee – the Homeland Security Committee," Bass said. “For him to disrespect him in the manner that he did, I hope the governor of Mississippi knows that the slight will not go unnoticed."

Evers' widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams, told SiriusXM radio host Joe Madison Friday she was "incensed'' that only a few were credited, noting that Thompson and others worked for 16 years to get the historic designation.

"I have given too much to sit down and be quiet about something that I feel is unjust,'' said the 87-year-old civil rights veteran. "How dare that be taken and given credit to one or two people who are new."

Thompson tweeted:

After years of working to enact the home of Medgar and Myrlie Evers as a national monument, I am proud to announce it has been signed into law. I hope this enactment affords my long-time friend Myrlie Evers some assurance that her husband’s legacy lives on. pic.twitter.com/lFInLfyZnW

— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) March 13, 2019

[SOURCE YAHOO NEWS]

Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep Andre Carson statements on New Zealand Mosque shootings

Rep. Ilhan Omar(MN 5th District) and Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN 7th District) who are both Muslim members of Congress, responded to Friday’s targeted killing of worshipers at a New Zealand mosque that left 49 people dead and dozens more injured.

Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. This is chilling news to wake up to. In the face of this horror, I’m mourning with, and holding our community extra close today.

We must not live in fear. I will be at Jumu’ah today and I hope others will too. Jummah Mubarak.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 15, 2019

Today I’m grieving for the victims of this horrific terrorist attack in #Christchurch, New Zealand, praying for their loved ones grappling with this shocking loss of life, and reaffirming my commitment to eradicate hatred and #Islamophobia.

— André Carson (@RepAndreCarson) March 15, 2019

Employees Sue UPS For Discrimination Citing Slurs, Nooses In Warehouse

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is being sued by 19 employees at an Ohio distribution center who allege the company fostered a "racially hostile work environment."

The lawsuit, filed in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas on March 13, accuses UPS and five specific supervisors of "enabling and tolerating" a racist culture in the Maumee facility.

"The Defendants have maintained a hostile work environment through these employment decisions, as well as by tolerating, and failing to remedy known racist comments and conduct," the lawsuit claims. "They have promoted and tolerated an atmosphere of racism in which individual employees feel free to display overt racial biases through conduct."

The lawsuit calls for compensatory damages exceeding $25,000, legal fees and an undetermined amount of punitive damages for the plaintiffs who say they experienced incidents of apparent racism from white co-workers and supervisors.

In July 2016, a defendant reportedly hung nooses above the workstation of an African-American employee, after which the defendant was fired, but the plaintiff was allegedly told not to discuss or photograph the incident.

Just days after the noose incident, another African-American employee reports receiving text messages from white co-workers in a group chat referencing potential lottery winnings, asking "can we buy another noose with the winnings," and "If you feel down and out, the noose is loose," but no disciplinary action was taken when the issue was taken to management.

In September of the same year, an employee was fired after referring to a minority neighborhood as "N-----ville" and refusing to deliver a package, but was reinstated to her position almost immediately, according to the suit.

Other incidents in the lawsuit include:

A slur written in bathroom graffiti

Employees using racial slurs toward and in the presence of African-American employees

Talking about attending a Ku Klux Klan meeting and buying rope to "hang ‘em high"

Displaying a cellphone video hangman game with an African-American effigy

Posing a large monkey doll dressed as a UPS employee at the top of a ladder near the work stations of African-American employees.

Read more: Employees Sue UPS For Discrimination Citing Slurs, Nooses In Warehouse

UNCF Delivers First Annual State of the HBCU Address

On March 5, 2019 the UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) – on the heels of delivering over $100 million in additional federal funding to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – held an inaugural “State of the HBCU Address” hosted by Bakari Sellers. This address set the agenda for federal lawmakers in the 116th Congress and highlighted the progress and accomplishments of HBCUs over the past year. Because of their legacies and continued powerful combined impact, HBCUs serve a vital purpose in American higher education and the United States economy. Congress, by law, has a continued responsibility to help fuel HBCUs and ensure they have the ability to serve their students and communities as they have for decades.

THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW Premieres March 18th on TV One

Noted comedian, actor and REACH Media Syndicated Radio host, DL Hughley is bringing his own brand of comedy and commentary to TV One with his new nighttime talk show THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW, premiering Monday, March 18 at 11/10C PM. The show will air four nights a week, Monday through Thursday.

Hughley is one of the most unapologetic voices of our time and does not shy away from controversy. THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW dives head first into hot topics of the day and dishes on the latest news, entertainment, pop culture and what's trending in social media.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to expand my radio show and bring it to a late night television audience,” said DL Hughley. “I want to talk about things that matter to our community and this show will mirror what everyone is talking about every day.”

Always insightful and informative, Hughley and his co-host Jasmine Sanders use humor to deliver everything from hard news to lighter fare. Featuring stories relevant to a rapidly evolving African American community, the one-hour show, which is a hybrid of Hughley's existing radio show and fresh content created specifically for a nighttime audience, will offer everything from covering the day’s major headlines and roundtable discussions to celebrity guest interviews and comedy bits.

“We are excited to grow our partnership with an amazing talent like DL Hughley, who’s already a part of our Urban One family,” said Michelle Rice, TV One General Manager. “DL will courageously shine a light on the issues facing black America with his unique brand of humor, intelligence and thought-provoking perspective.”

Shot in a stylized studio, the look and feel of THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW is patterned after a traditional radio show, adapted for television and will be taped in-studio four days a week from Burbank, CA.

THE DL HUGHLEY SHOW is produced for TV One by Pygmy Wolf Productions with DL Hughley and KP Anderson serving as Executive Producers. Sonya Vaughn and Charlie Gerencer serve as Co-Executive Producers and Jade Mills serves as Executive in Charge of Production. Melanie Massie serves as Talent Producer. For TV One, Susan Henry and Regina Thomas serve as Executive Producers in Charge of Production.

For more information about the DL HUGHLEY SHOW, visit TV One’s microsite at https://tvone.tv/show/the-d-l-hughley-show and check out exclusive, behind the scenes content.TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hash tags #THEDLHUGHLEYSHOW, #TVONE and #REPRESENT.