National News - Page 129

Vanessa Bryant Reaches $29M Settlement in Photo Lawsuit

By Paradise Afshar and Nouran Salahieh Vanessa Bryant has reached a nearly $29 million agreement with Los Angeles County to settle a lawsuit over photos that were taken at the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, her daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others. The settlement caps several years of litigation related to the January 2020 helicopter crash on a Calabasas, California, hillside and photos that circulated in its aftermath. “Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Luis Li, an attorney representing Bryant, said in

Miss Coppin State Faces Backlash, Stands Firm in Her Role

By Edwin Flores When Keylin Perez became the first Latina to be crowned Miss Coppin State University in Baltimore, she was thrilled. She had been named the university’s Miss Sophomore and Miss Junior previously and was eager to continue representing the school with pride as the 91st Miss Coppin State University queen. But after a TikTok video she posted went viral, she received backlash, including harassment, from online critics who said the role should be given to a Black woman, since Coppin State University is a historically Black university, known as an HBCU. “I never considered stepping down,” Perez told NBC News.

Black Medical Students Push for Equity in U.S. Healthcare

By Jacqueline Howard When being truly honest with herself, Seun Adebagbo says, she can describe what drove her to go to medical school in a single word: self-preservation. Adebagbo, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Boston, said that as a child, she often saw tensions between certain aspects of Western medicine and beliefs within Nigerian culture. She yearned to have the expertise to bridge those worlds and help translate medical information while combating misinformation – for her loved ones and for herself. “I wanted to go into medicine because I felt like, ‘Who better to mediate that

Shelby County Approves $5M Reparations Study Initiative

By Alicia Victoria Lozano Officials in Tennessee’s largest county, which includes Memphis, voted Wednesday to study reparations for descendants of enslaved people, adding to a growing list of local and state governments that are considering or are launching similar programs. The Shelby County resolution will allocate $5 million to study and find “actionable items” addressing five key areas: increased access to affordable housing and homeownership, health care parity, criminal justice reform, enhanced career opportunities, and financial literacy and generational wealth. The resolution was overwhelmingly approved with the support of all eight Black members of the 13-member Board of County Commissioners

Uncle Nearest, SusieCakes Fund HBCUs With Whiskey Cupcakes

By Amira Castilla Two woman-owned and founded companies, Uncle Nearest and SusieCakes, have joined forces to raise money for historically Black colleges and universities during Black History Month as a part of Uncle Nearest’s #HBCUChallenge. We sat down with the Chief Business Officer of Uncle Nearest, Katharine Jerkins, and CEO of Susie Cakes, Susan Sarich, to learn more about the whiskey and baked dessert collaboration. How the collaboration came to be The idea of the collaboration first came together in 2021. Fawn Weaver, the CEO and Founder of Black-owned whiskey company Uncle Nearest, has traditionally ordered SusieCakes treats for important events in her life, and so have her employees. So combining

Hank Willis Thomas’ “The Embrace” Redefines MLK Legacy

By Adrienne Childs Arms and hands can represent the gamut of physical and emotional lives of humans. A gesture can express strength, protest, aggression, fear, love, hate, passion, comfort and much more. Rosie the Riveter’s pumping bicep and the soaring fists of John Carlos and Tommie Smith have communicated some of the most potent cultural messages in American history. Using the powerful language of gesture — one that has long been part of his symbolic repertoire — artist Hank Willis Thomas has created “The Embrace,” a public monument to American icons Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Unveiled on

Tyre Nichols Case Spurs Renewed Push for Police Reform

By Kalyn Womack The videos of Tyre Nichols being brutally beaten by Memphis police officers left the public in shock and disgust. Barack and Michelle Obama joined the nationwide call for police reform in a statement reacting to the footage. “The vicious, unjustified beating of Tyre Nichols and his ultimate death at the hands of five Memphis police officers is just the latest, painful reminder of how far America still has to go in fixing how we police our streets,” read a tweet from the former President and First Lady. President Biden said in a statement he was “outraged” and “deeply pained” to see the video.

Sharpton Leads March Against FL Ban on Black History Course

Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network (NAN) founder and MSNBC host, led a march to the Florida Capitol on Wednesday to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rejection of a high school African American history course, accusing the Republican of censoring a fundamental chapter of the nation’s past. The civil rights leader walked through Tallahassee to the Statehouse with dozens of supporters who criticized the state’s blocking of the Advanced Placement pilot course. “Our children need to know the whole story. Not to not only know how bad you were, but to know how strong they are,” Sharpton told the crowd, adding,

NJ Expands AP African American Studies Amid FL Backlash

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that his administration is expanding Advanced Placement African American Studies courses next year from one school to 26 in New Jersey after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked the course from being taught in public schools in Florida. Murphy’s move comes about a month after the administration of DeSantis, a potential presidential candidate, declared without citing any evidence that the course violates state law and isn’t historically accurate. Murphy cited Florida as he prepared to unveil the course expansion Tuesday during a visit to a Newark high school, saying DeSantis is prioritizing “political culture wars” over academics. “New

Families Demand DOJ Probe Into Deaths at Houston Jail

By Amy Simonson Families of three men who died last month in custody at Houston’s Harris County Jail are calling on the US Justice Department to investigate what their attorneys call an “extraordinary number” of deaths and “a pervasive pattern and culture of death” at the facility. “No one should receive a phone call, no one, telling them that their loved one is deceased and (get) no answers,” said Octavia Wagner, the older sister of the late Jacoby Pillow, whose relatives joined those of Kevin Smith Jr. and Smith’s uncle – who also died at the jail – at a news conference

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