National News - Page 76

A statue of a trailblazing Black educator gets a home in the U.S. Capitol, replacing a Confederate general

Civil rights leader and trailblazing educator Mary McLeod Bethune on Wednesday became the first Black person elevated by a state for recognition in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. Florida commissioned the project after a grassroots campaign succeeded last year in removing a statue of Edmund Kirby Smith, among the last Confederate generals to surrender after the Civil War. Bethune joins John Gorrie, a pioneer in air conditioning and refrigeration, in representing Florida. Bethune was born in South Carolina in 1875, seven years after the ratification of the 14th Amendment, with its guarantee of equal protection under the law for all in the United States. She died in

Members of Brittney Griner’s Russian team defend her character, on and off the court

By Rachel Treisman Brittney Griner’s defense argued her case in a Russian court on Thursday, one week after the WNBA star pleaded guilty to drug charges and nearly 150 days after she was first detained. It was the third hearing in the trial of the Phoenix Mercury center and Olympic medalist, who could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. And it comes amid growing public pressure on the Biden administration to make a deal to secure her release. Griner was arrested on Feb. 17 — a week before Russia invaded Ukraine — after authorities at a Moscow area airport

Clotilda descendants mark anniversary of last slave ship

Descendants of the last African people abducted into slavery and brought to America’s shores gathered over the weekend on the banks of an Alabama river to pay tribute to their ancestors. The descendants of the 110 people aboard the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring enslaved African people to the United States, held a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the vessel’s arrival. Dressed in white and walking slowly to the beat of an African drum, the descendants made their way to the banks of the Mobile River near Alabama’s coast. A wreath of white, yellow and red flowers

Oprah’s father Vernon Winfrey dead at 88

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By Jessica Bennett Oprah Winfrey has confirmed the death of her father, Vernon Winfrey, shortly after local Nashville news outlets reported his passing Friday night. He was 88 years old. “Vernon Winfrey 1933-2022,” the media maven, 68, captioned a video of her dad from July 4th, revealing that their immediate family was aware that he was battling cancer. “Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps saluted him with song,” she continued. “He FELT the love and reveled in it until he could no longer speak. “Yesterday with

1,200 Black women press Biden to ‘make a deal’ to bring Brittney Griner home

By Zachary Schermele Nearly 1,200 Black women urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to “make a deal” with Russia to “immediately” bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner in a letter delivered to the White House on Tuesday. The letter, dated July 4, was signed by many prominent Black women described in the letter as intersectional and intergenerational. The group includes civil rights and faith leaders, athletes and business executives. Among the letter’s signatories are Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., three state senators and former NAACP president Hazel Dukes. (Joy Reid and Tiffany Cross, both MSNBC hosts,

NAACP to partner with Vote.org to boost Black voter turnout in midterms

By Jane C. Timm The NAACP is teaming up with Vote.org to register and mobilize Black voters ahead of the midterm elections to boost turnout at the polls and counter new voting restrictions in almost two dozen states. The partnership will include training NAACP volunteers in the digital tools offered by Vote.org, a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote platform. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said engaging voters is “essential” for both the organization and the U.S., in light of what he called “direct attacks” on American democracy. “There will be special emphasis in targeted states, because the barriers to access and capital effectiveness has been high,” Johnson said.

The Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling: Explaining What It Means for the Law and for Women in America

By Danelle Holley-Walker On June 24, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law that banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no exception for rape or incest. In upholding the Mississippi law, the Supreme Court overturned one of the most famous Supreme Court precedents, Roe v. Wade (1973). Roe v. Wade was a half-century old opinion that established that our Constitution protects a woman’s right to privacy to have an abortion, restricting the ability of states to place an undue burden on that right.

Musicians react to Supreme Court decision on right to abortion

By Ann Powers and Nisha Venkat When the Supreme Court issued its decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Friday, effectively overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that codified the right to abortion, social media predictably exploded with myriad responses. Musicians were among those who immediately spoke up, and their reactions — overwhelmingly against the court’s decision — were as creative as the beats and melodies that have made them famous. Many took to Twitter and Instagram. Others spoke up from the highly visible stages of Glastonbury and the BET Awards, which became bully pulpits for people demanding respect

Akron, Ohio, sets downtown curfew, cancels fireworks in wake of Jayland Walker protests

By David K. Li and Safia Samee Ali  Officials on Monday set a 9 p.m. curfew for downtown Akron, Ohio, and canceled a fireworks show in the wake of protests over the police killing of Black motorist Jayland Walker. Mayor Dan Horrigan said the action was necessary due to the threat of violence and property damage in the northeast Ohio city’s downtown district. Police on Sunday released officers‘ body camera footage of the June 27 shooting, and Horrigan praised protesters for their initial “peaceful” demonstration that “did not escalate to violence and destruction.” “However, as night fell and others began to join, the

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