NAACP PRESIDENT AND CEO, DERRICK JOHNSON, RELEASES STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CIVIL RIGHTS ICON, VERNON JORDAN

NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson released the following statement on the passing on civil rights icon Vernon Jordan:

“Today, the world lost an influential figure in the fight for civil rights and American politics, Vernon Jordan. An icon to the world and a lifelong friend to the NAACP, his contribution to moving our society toward justice is unparalleled. In 2001, Jordan received the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal for a lifetime of social justice activism. Vernon started his career as Georgia Field Secretary for the NAACP in the 1950s. He served along with Medgar Evers, in Mississippi; Robert Saunders in Florida; and I. DeQuincey Newman in South Carolina during the period after Brown v. Board of Education. He went on to become a courageous leader within the National Urban League and a stalwart in the Movement. He was an NAACP giant and a mover and shaker in the legal and political world. His influence and his inspiration will be missed. His exemplary life will shine as a guiding light for all those who seek truth and justice for all people.”

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First Black secretary of U.S. Senate sworn in

Sonceria “Ann” Berry was sworn in as the Senate’s new secretary Monday afternoon, becoming the first Black American and eighth woman to hold the appointed position.

A veteran Senate aide, Berry most recently served as deputy chief of staff for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who swore her in for her new role.

“We begin this week on a joyful note welcoming an upstanding individual to serve as the new Secretary of the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said following Berry’s swearing in. Schumer named her to the position in February.

Schumer added that Berry’s elevation to the position was a “testament to her outstanding career as a public servant of the highest caliber over her 40 years in Washington.”

The Secretary of the Senate has existed since 1789, when Congress was still in its infancy. Per the Senate website, the upper chamber’s secretary is responsible for a wide array of “legislative, financial and administrative functions” in support of the legislative body’s “day-to-day operations.”

[SOURCE: THE HILL

NBA star, Russell Westbrook to open new middle and high school in Los Angeles area

NBA star, Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards has announced that he is launching a new middle school and high school called the Russell Westbrook Why Not Academy in the Los Angeles area.

I am excited to announce my @WhyNotFdn is partnering with @LAPromiseFund to launch the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy. Creating & supporting educational opportunities for underserved youth has always been my passion & now it is coming to life...this is just the beginning pic.twitter.com/w5ERsDqbSW

— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) February 24, 2021

Watch: Rev. Al Sharpton's exclusive interview with VP Kamala Harris

Rev. Al Sharpton is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris in an exclusive interview. The female first talks the significance of Black History Month, the impact of coronavirus on communities of color, and the safety of getting the vaccine. During the interview Harris implores Black Americans to get Covid vaccines despite 'righteous skepticism'

Watch the interview below:

Pamela A. Smith is now the first African-American woman to be US Park Police chief

Pamela A. Smith, a 23-year veteran of the United States Park Police (USPP), is the first African American woman to lead the 230-year-old agency.

During her decorated law enforcement career, Smith has served as a patrol officer, field training officer, canine handler, academy instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, executive lieutenant to the chief of police, assistant commander of the San Francisco Field Office, commander of the New York Field Office, acting deputy chief of the Homeland Security Division, and deputy chief for the Field Operations Division. She was also the first woman to lead the New York Field Office as its Major.

Smith has received many awards and honors, including the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Public Service Award, United States Marshal Service Distinguished Law Enforcement Career and the National Park Service Equal Employment Opportunity Program Recognition of Outstanding Excellence. In many of her leadership roles, on and off the Force, Smith serves as a mentor and an advocate for personal and professional development. She is an active member of her church, has volunteered as a youth mentor and has coached youth sports.Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 265) and a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and International Association of Chiefs of Police. She is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.