National News - Page 139

Black Women Urge Biden to Secure Brittney Griner’s Release

By Zachary Schermele Nearly 1,200 Black women urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to “make a deal” with Russia to “immediately” bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner in a letter delivered to the White House on Tuesday. The letter, dated July 4, was signed by many prominent Black women described in the letter as intersectional and intergenerational. The group includes civil rights and faith leaders, athletes and business executives. Among the letter’s signatories are Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., three state senators and former NAACP president Hazel Dukes. (Joy Reid and Tiffany Cross, both MSNBC hosts,

NAACP, Vote.org Partner to Mobilize Black Voters

By Jane C. Timm The NAACP is teaming up with Vote.org to register and mobilize Black voters ahead of the midterm elections to boost turnout at the polls and counter new voting restrictions in almost two dozen states. The partnership will include training NAACP volunteers in the digital tools offered by Vote.org, a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote platform. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said engaging voters is “essential” for both the organization and the U.S., in light of what he called “direct attacks” on American democracy. “There will be special emphasis in targeted states, because the barriers to access and capital effectiveness has been high,” Johnson said.

Dobbs Decision Ends Federal Abortion Rights in U.S.

By Danelle Holley-Walker On June 24, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law that banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no exception for rape or incest. In upholding the Mississippi law, the Supreme Court overturned one of the most famous Supreme Court precedents, Roe v. Wade (1973). Roe v. Wade was a half-century old opinion that established that our Constitution protects a woman’s right to privacy to have an abortion, restricting the ability of states to place an undue burden on that right.

Musicians Unite Against Supreme Court Overturning Roe v. Wade

By Ann Powers and Nisha Venkat When the Supreme Court issued its decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Friday, effectively overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that codified the right to abortion, social media predictably exploded with myriad responses. Musicians were among those who immediately spoke up, and their reactions — overwhelmingly against the court’s decision — were as creative as the beats and melodies that have made them famous. Many took to Twitter and Instagram. Others spoke up from the highly visible stages of Glastonbury and the BET Awards, which became bully pulpits for people demanding respect

Akron Imposes Curfew After Protests Over Jayland Walker

By David K. Li and Safia Samee Ali  Officials on Monday set a 9 p.m. curfew for downtown Akron, Ohio, and canceled a fireworks show in the wake of protests over the police killing of Black motorist Jayland Walker. Mayor Dan Horrigan said the action was necessary due to the threat of violence and property damage in the northeast Ohio city’s downtown district. Police on Sunday released officers‘ body camera footage of the June 27 shooting, and Horrigan praised protesters for their initial “peaceful” demonstration that “did not escalate to violence and destruction.” “However, as night fell and others began to join, the

Ketanji Brown Jackson Sworn In as First Black Woman Justice

By Ximena Bustillo Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in Thursday at noon as the 116th Supreme Court justice and the first Black woman to serve on the high court. Biden nominated Jackson in February, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it! We’ve made it — all of us,” Jackson said in remarks at a White House event the day after the Senate vote. “I

Black Women Lead Fight for Abortion Access in the South

By Char Adams and Bracey Harris Tight restrictions on abortion have already placed the procedure out of reach for many Black women in America — obstacles that will grow even more daunting if the landmark Roe v. Wade is overturned. Across the Black Belt — the Southern states where the echoes of slavery reverberate in legislation that perpetuates political and social inequities — women have long confronted overwhelming costs and logistical obstacles in seeking reproductive health care. Earlier this week a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion signaled the end of abortion rights nationally, which would leave an already marginalized group,

Black Expats Celebrate Juneteenth Globally with Pride

As the United States marks only the second federally recognized Juneteenth, Black Americans living overseas have embraced the holiday as a day of reflection and an opportunity to educate people in their host countries on Black history. President Joe Biden moved quickly last year to federally recognize the day Black Americans have been celebrating since the last enslaved people were told they were free in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. In Liberia, Saqar Ahhah Ahershu, 45, from Jersey City, N.J., is organizing the country’s first “Journey Home Festival.” “Because this is part

Juneteenth: Honoring Freedom Beyond Commercialization

By Michelle Garcia “Companies that are having these picnics for their employees and feeding them fried chicken and watermelon — who made that call?” Torrina Harris of Galveston, Texas, quipped. Juneteenth may be the country’s newest federal holiday, but for many Black Americans, June 19 has long been associated with homegrown community celebrations, if not at least understood as a day to symbolize freedom.  “For Black folks, there has been a long tradition of commemorating Juneteenth,” said Amara Enyia, policy and research coordinator at Movement for Black Lives. But now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, complete with offices and schools closing

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