Obama returning to Georgia to campaign with Warnock

Former President Barack Obama will return to Atlanta on Thursday to campaign with Sen. Raphael Warnock and encourage Georgians to cast their ballots during the final days of early in-person voting for the runoff election.

Warnock is locked in a runoff battle with Republican challenger Herschel Walker after nether passed the percentage threshold to claim the seat in the general election.

The event will take place Thursday, December 1 from 4:30 – 8pm EST and is free and open to the public.

It will be at the Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers St. Northeast in Atlanta. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:15 p.m.

[SOURCE: WRDW]

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY MARCHING BAND GETS HISTORIC GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands (AOB) has been nominated for a Grammy for their album The Urban Hymnal in the Best Roots Gospel Album category.

AOB also received a second Grammy nod for their collaboration on Spoken Word Artist and Poet, J. Ivy’s album, The Poet Who Sat By The Door.

The groundbreaking album has 10 tracks filled with organic sounds that were created on TSU campus and features trailblazers within the gospel music industry. The AOB is the first collegiate band in history to earn a Grammy nomination.

“This is a tremendous day in the history of our beloved Tennessee State University,” Dr. Reginald McDonald, director of bands, said. “This is not just a band accolade, but a university-wide accomplishment. I personally appreciate our President, Dr. Glenda Glover’s vision for our university.”

“The university is very proud of this accomplishment by the Aristocrat of Bands that is celebrated by the TSU family and all of Tennessee,” said TSU President Glenda Glover.

“The AOB’s historic Grammy nominations add to the legacy of excellence that is TSU and cements the band as a part of the mystique that is Music City.”

AOB assistant director Larry Jenkins described this moment as “surreal.”

“The Aristocrat of Bands receiving a Grammy nomination is a dream come true,” Jenkins said. “This serves as a truly historic and monumental moment for all of our students, staff and the university at large. Thank you to every band student, artist, producer and each person who contributed to our album. Thank you to the Recording Academy for making this moment a reality. Like our fellow HBCU, Fisk University, did in 2020, we hope to bring another Grammy Award down Jefferson Street soon.”

The executive producers for the album are AOB Director Dr. McDonald, Prof. Jenkins, two-time Grammy award-nominated songwriter and artist Sir the Baptist, Grammy award-winning songwriter and artist Dallas Austin, and TSU alum and platinum recording artist Dubba-AA.

Kyra Harris Bolden Becomes 1st Black Woman to Serve on Michigan Supreme Court

Kyra Harris Bolden has been appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court, making history as the first Black woman to serve on the state’s high court.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has chosen Bolden, whom she described Bolden as “passionate about the law, to fill a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court. “She will bring a unique perspective to our high court as a Black woman — and as a new, working mom — that has too long been left out,” Whitmer said, according to the Detroit News. “Kyra is committed to fighting for justice for generations, and I know she will serve Michigan admirably, building a brighter future for her newborn daughter and all our kids.”

Bolden, who is 34 years old, is the first Black woman and the youngest member of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Prior to that, Bolden has been a member of the Michigan House since 2018. She also previously served as a judicial clerk for Judge John A. Murphy in Wayne County and later practiced civil litigation at Lewis & Munday.

Bolden’s appointment comes after she lost a campaign for one of the two open seats on the Michigan Supreme Court in the November 8 election. Bolden was chosen to replace retiring former Chief Justice Bridget McCormack. She will join the court at the start of 2023 and serve a partial term that will end on January 1, 2025.

“I am incredibly honored to be chosen by Gov. Whitmer for this appointment to the Michigan Supreme Court,” Bolden said. “I will ensure equal access to justice, apply the law without fear or favor, and treat all who come before our state’s highest court with dignity and respect.”

2022 African American Finalist for the National Book Awards

Established in 1950, the National Book Awards are American literary prizes administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization. The Awards currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature, published each year.

Below are the four African American Authors who have been nominated for the 2022 National Book Awards in the categories of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry.

Finalists for Nonfiction Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa for their book His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice

Robert Samuels

Robert Samuels is a national political enterprise reporter for The Washington Post who focuses on the intersection of politics, policy, and people. He previously wrote stories about life in the District for the Post’s social issues team.More about this author >

Toluse Olorunnipa

Toluse Olorunnipa is the White House Bureau Chief for The Washington Post. He joined the Post in 2019 and has covered three presidencies. He previously worked at Bloomberg, where he reported on politics and policy from Washington and Florida.

Check out their book His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice on Amazon.

Finalists for Fiction Gayl Jones for her book The Birdcatcher.

Gayl Jones

Gayl Jones was born in Kentucky in 1949. She attended Connecticut College and Brown University and has taught at Wellesley College and the University of Michigan.More about this author >

Check out her book, The Birdcatcher on Amazon.

Finalist for Poetry Roger Reeves.

Roger Reeves

Roger Reeves is the author of King Me and Best Barbarian. A 2021-2022 Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow, Reeves is also the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation, and a 2015 Whiting Award, among other honors.More about this author >

Check out his book, Best Barbarian on Amazon.

Irene Cara Passes away at 63

Irene Cara, the Oscar-winning singer of the title tracks to "Fame" and "Flashdance," has died at age 63, her publicist announced late Friday.