LSU hires William Tate IV as its first African American president

Louisiana State University has hired its first African American president.

During the May LSU Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board named William Tate IV, Education Foundation Distinguished Professor and Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of South Carolina, as the next LSU president. Tate is expected to begin his term as president in July.

“This is a very pivotal time at our university, from economic, environmental, social challenges, but we are doing great things at this place. From our academic achievements, our enrollment, our diversity, I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said LSU Board Chair Robert Dampf. “We set about to find a great leader, and we found one.”

Dampf thank the work of the Presidential Search Committee, chaired by James Williams, former chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, and vice chaired by Gabriela González, Boyd Professor in the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy, who narrowed the list of 23 candidates for president to three finalists who were invited for campus interviews, held May 2-5. He also expressed his appreciation to everyone across the LSU community who participated in some way in the search process.

Tate will replace LSU President Tom Galligan, who has served as LSU president since January 2020. The Board approved dropping the “interim” from Galligan’s title and making him LSU President, until Tate takes over the role.

Tate said he is excited about being part of the LSU system, but what drives him is students.

“What I’m really most excited about is I met students here who really are amazing, and for me, this position is all about what we can do to help students and give people access and opportunity in higher education,” Tate said. “That’s really in my DNA, how do we help people regardless of their background – we find the money, get you here and give you the opportunity to live your dream. I think there is no better place in the United States to come find your dream and to make it happen than right here at LSU.”

Tate has served as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of South Carolina since July 2020. Prior to that, he served as dean of the Graduate School & Vice Provost for Graduate Education at Washington University in St. Louis from 2002 to 2020. Tate also spent time at Texas Christian University and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

At South Carolina, Tate oversees the 13 schools and colleges on the University of South Carolina Columbia campus, UofSC School of Medicine Columbia, and the UofSC School of Medicine Greenville, as well as being responsible for the overall leadership of academic affairs of the university, including curriculum development, program assessment, establishment of academic standards and university accreditation.

During his time at University of South Carolina, Tate launched Carolina Online as the university’s comprehensive effort to deliver degree programs and professional credentials online; established the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program, which offers postdoctoral fellowships with the specific aim of increasing faculty diversity and research productivity on campus; and guided in collaboration with the Faculty Senate the development of a “Founding Documents” course for incoming freshmen.

Tate received his Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Maryland, Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Texas at Dallas, Master of Psychiatric Epidemiology from Washington University School of Medicine, and Bachelor of Science in economics from Northern Illinois University.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won't run for reelection

In a letter to her consitients Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms has announced that she will not be running for reelection.

Read her letter below:

Dear Atlanta,

My faith teaches me that to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose. Nearly five years ago, I entered a season of seeking to become Mayor of Atlanta---the city that generations of my family have called home for over 100 years.

My ancestors, direct descendants of the once enslaved, traveled by horse and buggy from the cotton fields of east Georgia, in search of a better life for themselves and their children in Atlanta. I have carried their belief for a better tomorrow in my heart, their earnest work ethic in my being, and their hopes for generations not yet born on my mind, each day that I have been privileged to serve as the 60th Mayor of Atlanta, the city that I deeply love.

Just three months into my term, we were hit with the largest cyber-attack in municipal government history, taking our systems off line for months, in exchange for a ransom that we would not pay. A far reaching and ever growing federal investigation into the prior Administration consumed City Hall, often leaving employees paralyzed, and fearful of making the smallest of mistakes, lest they too be investigated, or castrated on the evening news.

Yet, we persisted, passing sweeping ethics and transparency reform, ending our City’s longstanding contract with ICE during the family separation crisis at the border, raising the minimum wage for our employees to $15/hr and giving our police and firefighters the largest pay increase in the history of Atlanta.

We negotiated the redevelopment of the Gulch, the largest redevelopment in the Southeast in recent history. Combining commerce with compassion, community benefits included affordable housing, funding for workforce training, an affordable housing trust fund, minority and women participation requirements, along with a first of its kind requirement for minority equity ownership in the project.

The most consequential elections in our lifetime took place. With every second that I worked to elect Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Raphael Warnock, and Jon Ossoff, it was with Atlanta in my heart and the future of our country top of mind. Atlanta needed a partner in the White House, and champions in the Senate, and we now, we have them both.

As we worked to preserve and create affordable and workforce housing for teachers, nurses, sanitation workers, and other every day, hardworking people in our city, investing more than $500M in locally controlled funds and creating an affordable housing trust fund to offset rising property taxes, the world changed, almost in an instant.

A deadly pandemic swept our globe, touched my home, and a social justice movement took over our streets....and we persisted.

We served 119-thousand meals to those in need, infused $80M into our communities to offset the economic hardship many experienced because of the pandemic, worked with our partners to fund $42M towards tackling homelessness, and we addressed criminal justice reform, because our communities and our public safety partners, needed it to be done.

As Derek and I have given thoughtful prayer and consideration to the season now before us, it is with deep emotions that I hold my head high, and choose not to seek another term as Mayor.

The questions will be asked: “Can she fundraise?” YES. With the support of President Biden, I had the most successful single fundraiser of any Mayor in the history of Atlanta. “Can she win again?” ABSOUTELY. Multiple credible polls have shown that if the race for Mayor were held today, I would be re-elected.

“Is she afraid of the competition?” NEVER. I have engaged in several elections, facing multiple candidates, and never once have I cowarded from the competition.

“What does this mean for the Atlanta Mayor’s race?” It is my sincere hope that over the next several months, a candidate for Mayor will emerge whom the people of Atlanta may entrust to lead our beloved city to its next and best chapter.

“Is she running for another office?” While I am not yet certain of what the future holds, I trust that my next season will continue to be one full of passion and purpose, guided by the belief that within each of us is the power and responsibility to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

For my children, it means working each day to make Atlanta a safe place that they can call home.<:p€

For our city, it means working without ceasing, to create the beloved community that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamt of, one absent of hatred, poverty, and prejudice.

For our state, it means doing all in my power to work against the backwards policies pushed by some of our state leaders, including to restore the integrity of what some have tried to strip from us all, the sacred right to vote.

For our country, it means working to advance the agenda of the Biden-Harris Administration.

Despite the many unforeseen challenges that our city has faced, I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished, together.

As I have done each day over the many years in which I have served in public office, through the remainder of my term, I will make every decision, keeping what is best for our communities top of mind, and will continue to work diligently to improve the lives of those in our city.

I love you Atlanta. Thank you for the honor of serving as your Mayor. With Atlanta in my heart and Georgia on my mind,

TV One Slated To Air The Final Interview With The Late Rapper DMX On Sunday, May 16

Urban One Founder and Chairwoman Cathy Hughes announced TV One will air a special episode of its hit autobiographical series UNCENSORED featuring the late rapper DMX. Hughes made the exclusive announcement on the URBAN ONE HONORS: Virtual Press Conference on Wednesday, April 28. The special is slated to air on Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7C, immediately followed by the annual URBAN ONE HONORS hosted by Erica Campbell and Roland Martin at 9 p.m. ET/8C. It will feature an interview with DMX just three weeks before his passing and is confirmed to be his final and most transparent to date.

"DMX sat down with our team and was completely UNCENSORED,” said Cathy Hughes. “We have one hour with the late rapper in his own words. For DMX to be with us just three weeks before God called him home, I believe it's truly divine intervention. I thank Nikki from SWIRL films for staying the course because he kept telling her 'no', but thankfully we were able to make it happen. His family, fan club, friends, and supporters will be happy with the way he told his story for the last time. The two-part special will air directly before the annual Urban One Honors. I'm particularly excited because I feel like this will be the biggest night in TV One History."

The hit autobiographical series UNCENSORED explores the lives of popular personalities as they provide first-hand accounts of their success and the obstacles they faced throughout their careers. This episode will highlight the rapper in his own words as he discusses his more than 30-year career and legacy in hip hop. Raised in Yonkers, New York, by his mother, DMX was considered a “problem” as early as kindergarten. A tumultuous relationship with his mother caused him to bounce between boys’ homes and eventually detention centers. However, battle rapping solidified his love for the art, and his first break was a feature in The Source Magazine’s Unsigned Hype column in 1991. In 1992, he was signed to Ruffhouse Records. His debut album, It’s Dark, and Hell is Hot, didn’t arrive until 1998, but it peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200. He quickly followed up with his second album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, making him the first living artist to release two chart-topping albums in the same year. He eventually released six more studio albums, with three more reaching No. 1 and one reaching No. 2. His success in music primed him for acting. He starred in Hype Williams’ hip hop classic Belly and followed that success with roles in Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds.

Rep. Bobby Rush Introduces Legislation To Require Full, Public Release of COINTELPRO Files

Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) introduced legislation that would compel government agencies to release, and require public disclosure, of all records related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s nefarious COINTELPRO operation, a series of covert and illegal projects aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations including the Black Panther Party, and individuals including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and was a close friend to Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton, who was assassinated in his sleep in 1969 in a raid carried out as part of COINTELPRO operation.  In addition to requiring the public release of COINTELPRO records within six months, Rush’s bill would also remove J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Hoover, who led the FBI from 1924-1972, was the lead public official who devised and carried out the COINTELPRO operation.

“It is high time that the American people know about the odious and inhumane legacy of J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO operation and its assault on our nation’s civil liberties.  This exceptionally important legislation goes to the crux of power, law, and the pervasive counterintelligence program conducted against American citizens.

“COINTELPRO was spying on American citizens.  Anyone who took a political position against the status quo, anyone who wanted to make America better was subject to being penalized, investigated — and in the case of my friend Fred Hampton, assassinated — by the official legal arm of the federal government.

“As a victim of COINTELPRO, I want to know, with honesty, with clarity, and with no redactions, the full extent of the FBI’s nefarious operations.  I want to know the breadth and depth of the conspiracy to assassinate Fred Hampton and how taxpayer dollars were spent on his assassination.  I want to know why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a focus of the FBI, why Billie Holiday was a focus of the FBI — I want to know why so many young activists were harassed by the FBI.  What was the justification for the impact that it had on their lives? 

“Finally, it is beyond time for J. Edgar Hoover, who has a clear legacy as the number one assailant on America’s constitutional guarantees for its citizens, to have his name is removed from the FBI headquarters.

“I want to shine a bright light on this dark chapter of our nation’s history.  And I think it is very timely and very important that we do it at this moment,” said Rush.

The extensive spying and chicanery of the COINTELPRO operation only came to light — to the limited extent that we understand its operations today — because of a 1971 burglary of an FBI field office and a more recent wrongful death civil suit.  However, much about COINTELPRO remains unknown due to the public’s inability to view files related to the operation, which are currently in the possession of government agencies including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI. 

Rush’s bill would require government agencies including the FBI and the DOJ to release records related to COINTELPRO so that the public can determine and understand the full extent of the FBI’s monitoring of American citizens and its assault on Americans’ legal and constitutional protections. 

The bill specifies that six months after enactment of the law, any file related to COINTELPRO operation must be released and made fully public.  If an agency or branch believes that the release of a particular file is clearly and demonstrably expected to cause harm, that agency or branch must release portions of the file, a substitute of the file that conveys the necessary information, or a summary of the file.  This bill would also establish the COINTELPRO Records Review Board, which would be empowered to review determinations by government offices that do not fully disclose their records after six months, as required by the bill.  The Review Board would be comprised of outside experts in history and legal issues who would make a recommendation to the President regarding whether files that have been only partially disclosed should be fully released. 

Twenty-five years after the enactment of the bill into law, if an agency or branch still wishes to block the full release of a file, they must provide written justification explaining why the file falls within a very limited set of exemptions specified in Congressman Rush’s legislation, for example, that it would cause identifiable damage to America’s national security or intelligence operations.  This explanation would go to the Archivist of the United States as well as a senior official in the relevant branch or chamber, who could then decide to overrule the agency’s decision and release the full file. 

The text of Rush’s legislation is available HERE.

In March, Rush led his colleagues in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting the release of unclassified and unredacted versions of DOJ and FBI files related to the assassination of Fred Hampton.

Washington D.C. mayor admitted to Democratic Governors Association In Push For D.C. Statehood

Today, the Democratic Governors Association is announcing that Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is joining the organization as its newest member.

The District of Columbia, home to 700,000 residents, a majority of whom are people of color, has long lacked equal representation at the federal level. Its citizens pay taxes, serve in the military, but still lack the full rights and privileges of citizenship.

By joining the DGA, Mayor Bowser will have the opportunity to interact with other state and territory executives on policy best practices, furthering cooperation and innovation both in the District and in other states. It is also a recognition by the DGA on the positive impact D.C.’s citizens and leaders make on the country.

“Democratic governors are national leaders in expanding voting rights and on the frontlines of stopping Republican voter suppression, and we are honored to fight for D.C. statehood by welcoming Mayor Muriel Bowser to the Democratic Governors Association,” said DGA Chair Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “With more than 700,000 residents, making D.C. a state is a voting rights and civil rights issue to help ensure every American has the representation they deserve. We must especially take this important stand, as Republicans across the country continue their ongoing efforts to restrict our freedom to vote and suppress the voices of people of color at the ballot box. There’s no better way for a state to protect voting rights than to elect a Democratic governor – and that’s exactly what the people of D.C. deserve.”

Mayor Bowser said, “In Washington, DC, we are proud to fulfill all the same responsibilities of citizenship as our fellow Americans in the other 50 states. The fight for DC statehood is about demanding what is owed to us—the rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution. Like millions of Americans nationwide, Washingtonians are focused on building a fairer, more just, and more resilient nation. We know that ending taxation without representation is not only the right thing to do, it is the best way to build a stronger, more inclusive democracy.”