National News - Page 175

“SEEINJUSTICE” Art Honors Floyd, Taylor & John Lewis

By Liam Reilly, Three bronze busts depicting the late Congressman John Lewis, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have been placed in New York’s Union Square as part of Confront Art’s inaugural “SEEINJUSTICE” exhibition. The statues, created by Chris Carnabuci, stand 10 feet tall on platforms and “honor the lives and ongoing messages through art, tying together three iconic people,” Confront Art said in a press release. Confront Art said the “series is inspired by the events of 2020 and has empowered many to take a stand in demanding justice,” echoing the late congressman’s ethos. “We were hoping to ignite the same

White House Names 86 Outstanding 2021 HBCU Scholars

Courtesy of US Department of Education The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Initiative) announced its eighth cohort of HBCU Scholars. This program recognizes 86 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, civic engagement and much more. Currently enrolled at 54 of our nation’s HBCUs, the scholars were selected from an applicant pool of over 200 students who submitted completed applications that included a transcript, resume, essay, and letter of recommendation. Applications also required the signature of their university president, adding a level of prestige to this application process. “The HBCU Scholars announced

Tim Scott Criticized for False Claims on Police Reform Talks

By Lance Strong, Sen. Tim Scott has a record of being something of a stooge for the Republican Party and often gets marched out in front of cameras to serve in an elevated token Black role. The GOP senator made explosive claims that policing reform talks in Congress fell apart due to defunding the police being included in measures, but it appears Scott lied about it, allegedly. According to a report from The Washington Post, the South Carolina politician issued the claims after Democrats ended the talks after Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Karen Bass stated that they made several

Omarosa Wins NDA Case Against Trump Campaign in Arbitration

By Tierney Sneed, Paula Reid and Katelyn Polantz, Former Trump campaign and White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman has defeated an arbitration case brought against her by the Trump campaign, which alleged that she had violated a non-disclosure agreement with public comments and a book critical of former President Donald Trump. In a summary judgment granted Monday in Manigault Newman’s favor, the arbiter rejected the Trump campaign’s claims, saying the NDA was “overbroad, indefinite, and unreasonable.” The decision marks a rare instance of finality and financial consequence in a legal fight picked by Trump against one of his personal or political foes. Arbiter

George Floyd Act Fails: Families, Activists Demand Justice

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, Bridgett Floyd said she could barely find the words to describe her disappointment in lawmakers for failing to pass sweeping police reform legislation that bears her brother George Floyd’s name. “I’m past upset, I’m past angry,” she told CNN this week. The Floyd family, she said, waited more than a year for lawmakers to enact a law they hoped would curb police brutality against Black and brown people. They lobbied for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act at marches, rallies, visited the White House and believed President Joe Biden when he promised the family he would get the legislation

MacArthur 2021 Fellows: Meet the 25 New Genius Grant Winners

By Amir Vera, The MacArthur Foundation announced its class of 2021 Tuesday that includes an anti-racist author, a civil rights activist and a computational virologist. Colloquially known as the “genius grant,” MacArthur fellows are awarded a $625,000, no-strings-attached grant paid out over five years. Since 1981, 1,061 people have been named MacArthur Fellows, according to the foundation’s website. There are no restrictions on how the money is spent, the foundation said. “As we emerge from the shadows of the past two years, this class of 25 Fellows helps us reimagine what’s possible,” said Cecilia Conrad, managing director of the MacArthur Fellows.

Black Women Make History in National Inventors Hall of Fame

By Scottie Andrew, The National Inventors Hall of Fame lineup is full of familiar faces: Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright brothers and Eli Whitney, along with many other mostly White men. Joining them in the next class of inductees are two Black women inventors who changed the way we work and see. Marian Croak and the late Dr. Patricia Bath will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, alongside the inventors of the sports bra, ibuprofen and the Super Soaker toy. They’re the first two Black women to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. Croak, now a vice president at Google, developed Voice over Internet

Oregon Approves New Congressional Map After 2020 Census

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By Chandelis Duster and Ethan Cohen, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed the state’s redistricting bills Monday, hours before a deadline that would’ve taken the process out of the legislature’s hands and making Oregon the first state with a new congressional map after the 2020 Census. The new congressional map is a compromise that’s expected to create four Democratic-leaning seats, one Republican-leaning seat and one more competitive seat. An earlier proposal would’ve made that sixth district more Democratic as well. “For the first time in forty years, Oregon is gaining a congressional seat — another delegation member to advocate for the common good

Afro-Latino Identity Rises as More Embrace Black Heritage

By Amir Vera and Alexander Pineda, Joel Alvarado was 6 years old when his mother pulled him aside and asked him to be discreet as he was getting ready to meet his grandmother in Puerto Rico. “She made me aware that my grandmother was much darker than my other relatives, especially from her side of the family, and she didn’t want me to say anything out of turn or something about her skin color,” said Alvarado, 50, the executive vice president of the Atlanta-based government relations firm Ohio River South. “These are my blood relatives, what does that make me?”

Top Pentagon Leaders Testify on Afghanistan Withdrawal

By Zachary Cohen, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley are set to testify publicly before Senate lawmakers Tuesday, marking the first time that top military officials will appear before Congress since the full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Austin and Milley will be joined by the leader of US Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, who played an integral role in facilitating the evacuation from Kabul — an effort that has been the focus of immense bipartisan criticism since the last American military aircraft departed the Afghan capital. All three officials will

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