National News - Page 62

Justice Jackson makes waves in first Supreme Court arguments

By Lawrence Hurley  As the Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed a conservative attempt to weaken the landmark Voting Rights Act, enacted in 1965 to protect minority voters, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court delivered a history lesson on the divisive issue of race in the United States. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in just her second day on the bench, spoke about the enactment of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, stressing how its aim was to redress historic harms to Black people in the aftermath of the Civil War and the end of slavery. It was a symbolic moment in

First Monument Honoring The Bravery And Heroism Of Black U.S. Veterans Unveiled In Buffalo

By Brandee Sanders The sacrifices made by Black servicemen and women have often gone overlooked. To ensure their contributions are celebrated and remembered, NBC reported a new monument in Buffalo, New York, has been created to honor the heroism and bravery displayed by African Americans across the five military branches. The commemorative project, dubbed the African American Veterans Monument, was designed to amplify the unsung legacies of those who served in the Army, the Marines, the Air Force, the Navy, the Coast Guard and those who are current active-duty members. Nestled in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park,

Vice President Harris Is Right To Highlight The Importance Of Equity In Disaster Relief

By Anoa Changa Conservatives stay looking for reasons to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris. The hyper-online right is big mad the vice president made it a point to highlight the importance of equity even in disaster relief. Even team DeSantis, who has gone out of its way to eradicate equity gains in the Sunshine State, is among those faking being annoyed at the vice president’s recent remarks.   In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, communities across Florida were slammed by the fierce storm. And without the express commitment to equity in the recovery process, flooded communities like an Orange County low-income housing complex that flooded or

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Takes Part in Formal Swearing-in Ceremony

By Brenton Blanchet Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson completed a formal swearing-in ceremony on Friday, three months after her official swearing-in was conducted, and three days before the court begins a new term. The ceremony for Justice Jackson, 52, now the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, was attended by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as their respective spouses, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Also in attendance were Attorney General Merrick Garland, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, Jackson’s husband Patrick Jackson, and the seven other Supreme Court Justices. “Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has already brought uncompromising integrity, a

NAACP says Jackson’s water problems are a civil rights issue

By Melvin Strong In a federal complaint Tuesday, the NAACP said Mississippi officials “all but assured” a drinking water calamity in Jackson by depriving the state’s majority-Black capital city of badly needed funds to upgrade its infrastructure. The organization asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the state’s alleged pattern of steering money to white communities with less need. The group said the state’s refusal to fund improvements in Jackson culminated in late August when the water system suffered a near-total collapse after a heavy rainstorm. Over 25 years, it said, Jackson received funds from an important federal program only

Buffalo celebrates Black service members with historic monument dedication

By Claretta Bellamy For the first time, Black veterans are getting a monument to acknowledge their service and contributions in all U.S. wars. The African American Veterans Monument was unveiled Saturday in Buffalo, New York, to honor Black veterans and active-duty military service members who served in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines and the Coast Guard — both past and present. Military members, veterans and city and state officials, including New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, gathered in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, the largest naval park in the country, for the unveiling ceremony.

Stacey Abrams calls Georgia ‘essential’ to Democrats’ keeping control of Congress in midterms

By Rebecca Shabad and Blayne Alexander  Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee in Georgia’s governor race, said Wednesday that key House and Senate races in her state are likely to play a decisive role in determining whether Democrats maintain their slim congressional majorities this fall. “Georgia is essential. We know that Raphael Warnock is going to be essential to holding the Senate. We know that Sanford Bishop’s race down in the 2nd District can be part of the puzzle to holding the House,” Abrams said in an interview with NBC News correspondent Blayne Alexander. Heading into November, Abrams indicated that issues like abortion, gun violence and

Baltimore Police Department Unveils New Internship Program With Local HBCUs

By C. Sanchez A new Baltimore Police Department program has been designed to cultivate talent from two nearby HBCUs. Learn more in the story by Nick Fenley at Yahoo News. To bring about meaningful change, the Baltimore Police Department has developed an internship program to get local HBCU-goers into law enforcement. This 10-week program’s inaugural cohort will be made up of eight students and recent-graduates from Morgan State University (MSU) and Coppin State University. The hope is that these HBCU students will join the police force and help improve the Baltimore Police Department’s relationship with the community it serves. “If you look at what’s happening

Conference on slave rebellions offers in-depth way to teach history some don’t want in schools

By Curtis Burn As the campaign to quash the teachings of America’s brutal history of slavery intensifies, Joseph McGill Jr. has waged a counterattack by way of a poignant three-day conference in this antebellum port town that was once responsible for the most sales and transports of enslaved Africans to major cities in the U.S. A contained glee emanated from McGill, a historian and the founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, which kicked off its seventh annual conference last week with a focus on the 1739 Stono Rebellion, an uprising of enslaved people who killed plantation owners and their families in

Bank of America announces zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgages for first-time homebuyers in Black and Hispanic communities nationwide

By Rob Wile Bank of America said it is now offering first-time homebuyers in a select group of cities zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgages to help grow homeownership among Black and Hispanic/Latino communities. The option will first become available in certain neighborhoods in Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles and Miami. The new mortgage, called the Community Affordable Loan Solution, aims to help eligible individuals and families obtain an affordable loan to purchase a home, the bank said. Applicants do not have to be Black or Hispanic to qualify for the product, a bank representative said. “Homeownership strengthens our communities and can help individuals and

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