National News - Page 21

Presidential Candidates Pull Out of Historic HBCU Debate, First Lady Jill Biden Weighs In

By Ashleigh Fields President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have notified the Commission on Presidential Debates that they will no longer participate in university forums. This move rips three of the scheduled debates off the campaign trail and draws attention to the newly added matchups slated for June and September. Virginia State University (VSU), Texas State University and the University of Utah, all respective host institutions, have issued statements about the abrupt change. “Virginia State University is disappointed to hear media reports suggesting that the U.S. presidential candidates may not participate in the scheduled October 1, 2024, debate at VSU.

Sojourner Truth statue unveiled where she gave her 1851 ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ speech

Hundreds gathered in an Ohio city on Wednesday to unveil a plaza and statue dedicated to abolitionist Sojourner Truth at the very spot where the women’s rights pioneer gave an iconic 1851 speech now known as “Ain’t I a Woman?” Truth, a formerly enslaved person, delivered the speech to a crowd gathered at the Universalist Old Stone Church in Akron for the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention. In the speech, Truth drew upon the hardships she faced while she was enslaved and asked the audience why her humanity and the humanity of other enslaved African Americans was not seen in the

George Floyd’s murder led to a national reckoning on policing, but efforts have stalled or reversed

By Yamiche Alcindor and Fiona Glisson Four years ago, protests erupted across the country after millions of Americans watched the chilling video of the murder of George Floyd — a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. In the aftermath, Chauvin was convicted of murder and calls for a nationwide reckoning on issues related to racism and police violence reverberated in city after city. But in the years since then, some of those efforts at change, like the federal George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, have stalled. In several states, calls to pass criminal justice

American Airlines faces a discrimination suit after removing 8 Black men from flight

By Jonathan Franklin Three Black men have filed a lawsuit against American Airlines alleging they were victims of “blatant and egregious racial discrimination” after being removed from a flight. In a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday, the three plaintiffs — Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal — say that they and five other Black male passengers were removed from an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in January “without any valid reason, based solely on their race.” The eight men did not know each other and were not seated together

Reparations proposals for Black Californians advance to state assembly

The California Senate advanced a set of ambitious reparations proposals Tuesday, including legislation that would create an agency to help Black families research their family lineage and confirm their eligibility for any future restitution passed by the state. Lawmakers also passed bills to create a fund for reparations programs and compensate Black families for property that the government unjustly seized from them using eminent domain. The proposals now head to the state Assembly. State Sen. Steven Bradford, a Los Angeles-area Democrat, said California “bears great responsibility” to atone for injustices against Black Californians. “If you can inherit generational wealth, you can inherit

Biden administration cancels $7.7 billion in student debt for 160,500 people. Here’s who qualifies.

By Aimee Picchi The White House on Wednesday said it has approved $7.7 billion of student debt cancellation for 160,500 borrowers, part of its ongoing effort to provide relief after the Supreme Court last year blocked President Joe Biden’s plan for broad-based college loan forgiveness. With the latest round of forgiveness, the administration has erased a total of $167 billion in student loans for 4.75 million people, or about 1 in 10 student loan borrowers, the Department of Education said. The people who qualify for forgiveness in the latest round of debt cancellation include public servants such as teachers and law enforcement officers, as

Community rallies to replace a Jackie Robinson statue after it was stolen from a Kansas little league park

By Greg Rosenstein and Morgan Chesky Jaimarius Barnes, an 11-year-old in the Wichita, Kansas-based League 42 baseball organization, planned on suiting up for games this season just feet away from a Jackie Robinson statue. “He really inspires me because he played baseball and I now play baseball,” Jaimarius said in an interview. “It means a lot. He’s a person you can look up to.” Standing 6 feet tall and weighing 265 pounds, the bronze monument outside the McAdams Park backstop represented hope for Jaimarius and other Black children looking to learn the game. But back in January, those dreams were dashed. The statue of the

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Historical Record Of Over $16 Billion In Support For HBCUs

By Quintessa Williams The Biden-Harris Administration announced a new record in Federal funding and investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) totaling more than $16 billion from Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through current available data for FY 2024. This new reported total is up from the previously announced over $7 billion and captures significant additional actions already undertaken. The total of more than $16 billion includes over $11.4 billion between FY2021 and FY2023 through Federal grants, contracting awards, and debt relief for HBCUs; over $4 billion between FY2021 and FY2023 for HBCU-enrolled students through federal financial aid and educational benefits for veterans; and, so

Kamala Harris to speak at SEIU convention set to elect the union’s first Black president

By Monica Alba  Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver the keynote address at the Service Employees International Union convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday, one day after the group is expected to elect its first Black president. April Verrett, who is secretary-treasurer of the 103-year-old union, is running unopposed but has received the support of leaders who represent 89% of SEIU’s membership, according to a letter they wrote earlier this year. The massive union, which represents nearly 2 million workers in health care, property service and the government, has pledged to spend $200 million to help President Joe Biden and Democrats in key

Chicago teen who started college at 10 earns doctorate degree at 17

Courtesy of Arizona State University Dorothy Jean Tillman II’s participation in Arizona State University’s May 6 commencement was the latest step on a higher-education journey the Chicago teen started when she took her first college course at age 10. In between came associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. When Tillman successfully defended her dissertation in December, she became the youngest person — at age 17 — to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health at Arizona State, associate professor Leslie Manson told ABC’s “Good Morning America” for a story Monday. “It’s a wonderful celebration, and we hope … that Dorothy Jean inspires

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