Dr. Jonathan Holloway to Step Down as President of Rutgers University

Jonathan Holloway, the first Black president of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, has announced his intent to step down at the conclusion of this academic year and return to a full-time faculty position. He plans to take a sabbatical for the 2025-2026 year, and will return the following year to focus on research projects prior to beginning his faculty position.

Dr. Holloway assumed the presidency of Rutgers University at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, becoming the first Black president in the university’s over 250-year history. During his five year tenure, the university has experienced record undergraduate enrollment, exceeded its fundraising goals, and expanded its medical academic programming and infrastructure. However, over the same time period, the university has experienced national controversy because of its response to the pro-Palestine protests on campus and a subsequent faculty strike.

“There is plenty to do before I complete my term and I remain focused on that work, especially that which is committed to the connections between Rutgers and civic preparedness and civil discourse,” stated Dr. Holloway. “But whatever the topic, I remain steadfast in my belief that Rutgers is on the rise and is earning the respect it has long deserved. I look forward to seeing it flourish in the years ahead.”

Before he assumed the Rutgers University presidency, Dr. Holloway spent three years as provost of Northwestern University in Illinois. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the Yale faculty for nearly two decades, ultimately serving as dean of Yale College and the Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies. He has authored several books throughout his career, most recently African American History: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2023).

Dr. Holloway holds a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Stanford University in California and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University.

[SOURCE: JBHE]

If Mayor Eric Adams leaves office Public Advocate Jumaane Williams becomes acting mayor

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is accussed of taking bribes from foreign nationals in exchange for favors, according to a federal indictment unsealed by Manhattan prosecutors Thursday.

He of course is presumed innocent until found guilty, but what happens if he resigns from his position?

According to the New York City Charter, if the mayor leaves office, the next in the line of succession is the public advocate. The public advocate would immediately become acting mayor until a special election is held to choose a successor

The current public advocate is Jumaane Williams. The public advocate office was established in 1993 and is considered a watchdog arm of the government that helps citizens with municipal complaints and inquiries.

Jumaane Williams is 48-years-old and from Brooklyn, NY. He has served as the New York City Public Advocate since 2019. He is a former member of the New York City Council from the 45th district (2010–2019), which includes East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park, and Midwood in Brooklyn.

Hakeem Jeffries statement on Republican Rep. Clay Higgins Racist Tweet

House Minority Leader Hakkem Jeffries released the following statement on Republican Rep. Clay Higgins Racist Tweet about Haitians:

My statement on Rep. Clay Higgins. pic.twitter.com/YPpdcgDSD9

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) September 25, 2024

Congressional Black Caucus Introduces Resolution to Censure Rep. Clay Higgins on Racist Post About Haitians

Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins posted to X a comment that invoked racist stereotypes about Haitians. Read his tweet below:

“These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters… but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP,” Higgins wrote. “All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.”

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (NV-04) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement regarding the resolution to censure Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03):

“Today, Representative Clay Higgins used his official account on X to publicly spew hatred, fear, and intolerance against Haitians and Haitian Americans in an overtly racist post. Referring to Haiti as the “nastiest country in the western hemisphere”, and denigrating Haitians with vile and demeaning terms goes against a foundational principle about our country: that America is a nation of immigrants where all are welcome.

“We can only hope and pray that the misinformation and racist rhetoric spewed by former President Donald Trump, Senator JD Vance, Rep. Higgins, and other right wing MAGA extremists, do not lead to violence in any Haitian or immigrant community.

“Every member of Congress must be clear that we need to eliminate hate in all its forms. It is time to turn the page on this pattern of denigrating and villainizing immigrants for political gain. Today, we have introduced a privileged resolution to censure Rep. Higgins and to make clear that bigotry and racism from a member of Congress is unacceptable.”

Why This Black Man Supports Kamala Harris For President

Why This Black Man Supports Kamala Harris For President

By George L. Cook III Send Email

WARNING STRONG LANGUAGE.

Sometimes you have to be profane to be profound

 

My name is George L. Cook III.

I am from Hillside NJ who has served in public office as both a school board member and a member of the town council. I now work with a couple of foundations to help Black students go to college and to help them pay for school when they get there.

I am also a Black man.

A Black man who supports and who is voting for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States.

Now that the introductions are out of the way it’s time for the profanity

I don’t give a fuck that her mother is Indian, and her father is Jamaican, she is Black!

I don’t give a fuck that she married a white man!

I don’t give a fuck about the lies about her putting Black men in jail!  She actually started a program called Back on Track for people charged with first-time, nonviolent offenses, like low-level drug sales in an attempt to keep people out of prison. (Ain’t hear about that shit on Youtube did you?)

I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like her laugh!

What do I give a fuck about?

I give a fuck about $35 insulin and affordable medications for us all!

I give a fuck about voting rights!

I give a fuck about students being shot down in school!

I give a fuck about us being able to band together and help each other financially without being sued!

I give a fuck about my daughter’s student debt!

I give a fuck about the healthcare my wife, daughter, and every other woman in my family may or may not receive depending on the state they are in!

I could go on, but I am sure you get the point. Now let me tell you why I am supporting VP Harris.

She is the most qualified person to ever run for president. That’s’ a fact. I don’t care what side you are on your head is up your ass if you think differently. 

She has served as the 27^th District Attorney of San Francisco, the 32nd Attorney General of California, as U.S. Senator from California, and the 49th Vice President of the United States.

She has actual policies the other person has concepts.

And to be honest unlike that other person she gives a damn about people and what happens to them.

From one Black man to another...

I don’t want to hear shit from some of you Black men who are whining about voting for a woman either. 

Many of us were raised by women and are used to seeing women in authority. You listened to your mother, auntie, grandma all your life and now you have problem voting for a woman?

Get the fuck outta here!

Brothas voting for a woman does not make you weak, as a matter-of-fact VP Harris and other Black women need our strength right now. They need us to have their back and to be there beside them as they work to make VP Harris the next president.

We need to be shouldering more of the weight! God gave us broader shoulders for a reason so stop whining and let’s help our women carry this weight! Let's carry VP Kamala Harris to victory in November!

So, what’s up? We doing this shit or what?

I’m voting for VP Harris; you can vote for the clown but don’t cry when you get a circus.