National News - Page 66

HBCU students share angst and resilience at congressional hearing on bomb threats

By Donna M. Owens  One by one, student leaders representing several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country described to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday their anguish over the recent racially charged threats their educational institutions had faced, while emphasizing their resolve to move forward. For Kylie Burke, president of the Howard University Student Association, the resulting anxiety has felt like a “weight” as she and her peers navigate classes and campus life in the nation’s capital. “Students were repeatedly woken up to safety alerts as late as 2 a.m.,” said Burke, a senior political

Black women allege Google fosters ‘racist culture’ in lawsuit against the company

By Curtis Bunn Google fosters a work environment that marginalizes Black employees, denies people of color advancement opportunities and ignores sexual harassment claims, among other indiscretions, according to plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed against the company in California this week. At a press conference in San Francisco on Monday, attorney Ben Crump and two former employees of the search engine behemoth detailed what they called a “racist culture” at the enterprise headquartered in Mountain View, California. “These women tried to ring the alarm, tried to raise awareness about the discriminatory and bigoted culture,” Crump said. “And Google did not retaliate

High Schools In Risk of Losing AP Classes If ‘Required Topics’ Are Banned From Being Taught

By Murjani Rawls The Anti-Critical Race theory movement and book banning attached in certain states threaten to change the way we see history in the United States. There are some people out there who do not want to be reminded of the harrowing plights Black people have had to go through. In other words, some folk just don’t want to learn from the past, but rather ignore it. It is easier for them to render everything colorblind, but we all know that’s not the case. As more of these bills go through state legislators, there is no end in sight. However, according to Today, the College

‘Good Times’ actor Johnny Brown dies at 84

By Nicole Acevedo The actor, also known for his work as a regular performer in the comedy sketch TV show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” passed away on Wednesday, according to his daughter. Actor Johnny Brown, best know for his role as housing project superintendent Nathan Bookman in the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” has died. He was 84. His daughter, Broadway actress Sharon Catherine Brown, confirmed the news in an Instagram post Friday. “Our family is devastated,” she wrote. “We respectfully ask for privacy at this time because we need a minute to process the unthinkable.” According to the Instagram post, Brown passed

Biden introduces Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Supreme Court nominee

By Kristen Welker, Pete Williams and Lauren Egan  President Joe Biden announced Friday that he will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. “For too long our government, our courts, haven’t looked like America,” Biden said in an event at the White House. “I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation.” If confirmed, Jackson would become the first Black woman to serve on the court. At 51, she would also be the second-youngest justice on the current

Obama, America’s first Black president, puts the spotlight on others with presidential center

By April Ryan A U.S. presidential library typically stands as a marker of time for a commander and chief and his years of service inside the Oval Office. However, a new library being constructed on the south side of Chicago for America’s first Black president Barack Obama is different. The Obama Presidential Center is actually the polar opposite of the historic libraries that currently stand in honor of past United States presidents. The library for the 44th U.S. president will focus on others — an emphasis on the “we” in the “Yes, we can!” slogan from Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign

Group Seeks Clemency for 110 Black Soldiers Convicted in 1917 Houston Riot

By siawi3 A group of attorneys and advocates have pledged to seek clemency for 110 Black soldiers who were convicted in a mutiny and riots at a military camp in Houston in 1917. The South Texas College of Law Houston and the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have signed an agreement to continue fighting for clemency for the soldiers of the all-Black Third Battalion of the US Army’s 24th Infantry Regiment, the Houston Chronicle reported. They plan to ask the secretary of the army to posthumously grant honorable discharges and urge the army board for

Barrier-breaking Black prosecutor faces deadly racist threats

By Christina Carrega, The first Black woman to lead the US Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts was sworn in Monday as she faces an uptick in threats against her following a contentious confirmation process. The violent and often racist threats against Rachael Rollins have been reported to authorities, and she is seeking protection from the US Marshals Service, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The threats escalated shortly after the Senate narrowly voted to confirm her to the post in December, according to one source. Vice President Kamala Harris had cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Rollins after Republicans questioned what

Ahmaud Arbery’s killers sentenced to life in prison for 25-year-old Black man’s murder

By Dakin Andone, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Alta Spells and Devon M. Sayers, Three White men who chased and murdered 25-year-old Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in south Georgia were sentenced to life in prison Friday, with two having no chance of parole. Travis McMichael, 35, his father, Gregory McMichael, 66, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted in November on a raft of charges, including felony murder, for Arbery’s death. Judge Timothy Walmsley sentenced the McMIchaels to life in prison without the possibility of parole, while Bryan was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The 52-year-old will be

An Arctic blast sets the Northeast and Upper Midwest in a deep freeze as a tornado strikes Alabama

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By Haley Brink, Gene Norman and Holly Yan, As frigid, arctic air engulfs the Upper Midwest and Northeast, some Gulf Coast states are at risk for more tornadoes. About 10 million people are under wind chill advisories in parts of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, where wind chills are expected to plummet to -25 to -40 degrees Monday. Parts of New York, Vermont and Massachusetts are also under wind chill advisories through Tuesday, with wind chills expected to plunge to about 35 degrees below zero. Such “dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as

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