National News - Page 40

Judge refuses to immediately block grant program for Black women entrepreneurs

A federal judge in Atlanta ruled Tuesday that a venture capital firm can continue offering a grant program only to Black women entrepreneurs, saying a lawsuit arguing it illegally excluded other races was not likely to succeed. Senior U.S. Judge Thomas Thrash denied a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the grants by the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund. The judge issued the decision in court after hearing arguments from attorneys and said he planned to issue a written order by the end of the week. The Fearless Fund is a tiny player in the approximately $200 billion global venture capital market, but

Black UAW workers say they’re striking to keep the promise of a middle-class life

By Curtis Bunn When Tiffanie Simmons joined her father for Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, she left knowing that one day she’d return to the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant as an employee. She was 12. Sure, the self-proclaimed “Daddy’s girl” wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, but more crucially, she understood that her family lived a comfortable middle-class life as a Black family in Detroit. “My father supported an entire household with one paycheck,” she said. In 2012, after toiling part time for five years, Simmons, now 38, joined the same Ford Michigan Assembly Plant as her dad, fulfilling

Supporters of reparations for Black residents urge San Francisco to push forward

 Reparations advocates urged San Francisco supervisors Tuesday to adopt recommendations aimed at shrinking the racial wealth gap and otherwise improving the lives of Black residents as atonement for decades of discriminatory city policies, including the granting of a lump-sum $5 million payment to every eligible adult. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors was expected to vote this week to accept the final reparations plan issued by the city’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee. The city has set aside $4 million to open an office of reparations, but it has not acted on major recommendations. Supervisors have expressed enthusiasm for reparations but

Biden taps Harris to lead new federal office of gun violence prevention

By Myah Ward Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a new federal office of gun violence prevention, the White House said Thursday. President Joe Biden will formally announce the new office Friday during a Rose Garden event where several advocates and lawmakers have been invited to attend. Harris, who has played a leading role in gun safety policy, will oversee the office, according to a White House statement. Longtime Biden aide Stefanie Feldman, who has worked on gun policy for more than a decade, will serve as its director. “The new Office of Gun Violence Prevention will play a critical

Illinois Became The First State To Fully Abolish Cash Bail, Here’s What That Means

By Jessica Washington Criminal justice advocates in Illinois are celebrating a major victory this week. On Monday, Illinois became the first state to fully abolish the cash bail system, meaning defendants will no longer be held in jail because they can’t pay. The provision of the SAFE-T Act abolishing cash bail went into effect on Monday, revolutionizing the bail process state-wide. But what exactly does it mean to abolish cash bail? The Root has you covered with everything you need to know about the changes. What Is Cash Bail? Cash bail is the money a defendant is required to pay as a

Justice Jackson urges Americans to confront ‘uncomfortable lessons’ about race

By Laura Jarrett and Lawrence Hurley Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday urged Americans not to shy away from uncomfortable facts about the history of violence against Black Americans. The first Black woman on the nation’s highest court offered her frank assessment of the tendency to avoid acknowledging racism in a speech in Birmingham, Alabama. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans have recently led the charge in public school curriculum changes that critics say whitewash the country’s past. Her remarks were part of a ceremony at the 16th Street Baptist Church marking the 60th anniversary of the racist 1963 bombing of the building, in which four

There’s Still Resistance to Black People Receiving Reparations, Despite Evidence That We Deserve Them

By Noah A. McGee California has been the most proactive state when it comes to organizing a reasonable plan to give Black people reparations for the harm that slavery has caused them for hundreds of years. The California Reparations Task Force has been extremely instrumental in doing the research into how chattel slavery affected generations of Black people in the state and led to disproportionately high levels of incarceration, policing, and housing discrimination. But despite their efforts and their detailed research that shows how the state was complicit in slavery, there are still those who do not think the state should be making amends

California Prepares to Hit School Districts in the Pockets for Implementing Book Bans

By Angela Johnson In an effort to protect schools from a complete conservative takeover, California Governor Gavin Newsom is preparing to sign a bill that hits school boards in the pockets for attempting to ban books and materials related to underserved communities. “California is the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them,” Governor Newsom said. “All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves.” Assembly Bill 1078, which is sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Corey Jackson, passed in the state’s senate

Black lawmakers in California push to overcome resistance on reparations

By Curtis Bunn The California Congressional Black Caucus is gearing up to launch a statewide campaign to educate its citizens on the critical nature of reparations for Black people — including cash payments — for the harms of slavery. This comes on the heels of a University of California, Berkeley, poll released this week that shows most Californians oppose Black residents receiving any financial compensation as part of reparation recommendations from the state Assembly. Among all of those who responded, 59% rejected the idea of cash payments to Black descendants of slavery in the state. Meanwhile, 76% of Black respondents were in favor

VP Kamala Harris Visits Ground Zero To Commemorate 9/11 Anniversary

By Candace McDuffie On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris commemorated the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 by representing the administration at a ceremony located at ground zero. The event took place at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum, with politicians like Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attending as well. President Biden, on the other hand, will delivered remarks to more than 1,000 service members and first responders as well as their families at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Biden just finished trips to the G20 summit in India as well as Vietnam. He

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