National News - Page 81

A salute to our unsung heroes during National Nurses Week

By Prairie View A&M University On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak a global pandemic, and our world view of health forever changed. Suddenly, a large spotlight was shown on health care and the hard work of individuals working in the health care system, including nurses. Night after night, the media highlighted sick patients, health care workers and the care they were providing. We saw wonderful stories of nurses giving care: A nurse in New York City who performed rap songs to cheer up patients. We saw nurses holding cell phones so that

Columbia University to publicly mark its historic ties to slavery, racism

By Reuters The markers include signs at residence halls named for slaveowners John Jay and Samuel Bard, noting that they had connections to the university. Columbia University will add historical markers to four residence halls to acknowledge legacies of slavery and racism and to commemorate African American students, a university professor said on Tuesday. The markers, part of a university-wide project initiated by President Lee Bollinger after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, include signs at residence halls John Jay Hall and 50 Haven Avenue, formerly Bard Hall, noting that slave owners John Jay and Samuel Bard had

Alabama church of ‘Bloody Sunday’ on endangered places list

Like religious congregants all over, the people of historic Brown Chapel AME Church turned off the lights and locked the doors at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic because it wasn’t safe to gather for worship with a deadly virus circulating. For a time, the landmark church that launched a national voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, was off limits. What members found when they returned was heartbreaking: Termites had eaten so much wood that parts of the structure weren’t stable anymore, said member Juanda Maxwell, and water leaks damaged walls. Mold was growing in parts of the building, where hundreds met

Misinformation may only worsen for Black voters in lead-up to election, experts warn

By Donna M. Owens Expert witnesses have warned members of Congress that misinformation targeting Black voters and other voters of color is likely to intensify as the midterm elections unfold. Joi Chaney, the executive director of the National Urban League’s Washington bureau, testified Thursday in a virtual hearing of the House Administration subcommittee on elections that the civil rights organization had noted an “increasing number of disinformation campaigns that directly target Black communities and the civil rights that have long been fought for.” “Further, these disinformation attacks on Black communities are also a broader attack on our democracy and a threat to the

Harris tests negative for Covid and will return to White House

By Jasmine Wright Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for Covid-19 on Monday, the vice president’s spokesperson said in a statement, nearly a week after she tested positive. Harris will return to the White House on Tuesday, her spokesperson Kirsten Allen noted, and wear a “well-fitting mask” while around others for an additional five days. “Today, the vice president tested negative for Covid-19 on a rapid antigen test. The Vice President will return to work, in person, tomorrow. Following (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines, she will wear a well-fitting mask while around others through the 10-day period.” CDC guidelines

Judge lets Tulsa race massacre reparations lawsuit proceed

An Oklahoma judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre can proceed, bringing new hope for some measure of justice for three survivors of the deadly racist rampage who are now over 100 years old and were in the courtroom for the decision. Tulsa County District Court Judge Caroline Wall ruled against a motion to dismiss the suit filed by civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons in 2020. The Tulsa-based attorney said after Wall announced her ruling that it is critical for living survivors Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107, Viola Fletcher, 107, and Hughes Van Ellis, 101.

Why a bookstore owner is working to make Harriet Tubman Day a reality

By Julianne McShane Jeannine Cook has been fascinated with Harriet Tubman ever since she picked up a book about the abolitionist in her school library as a child. Cook, 38, learned everything she could about Tubman’s life and how she led over 100 enslaved people to freedom before serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. In Tubman, Cook saw the embodiment of what women, Black people and people with disabilities could achieve at a time when equal rights for all had not yet entered the American lexicon. In February 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Cook opened Harriett’s Bookshop,

London officers face misconduct review over stop of Black athletes

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Five officers from London’s Metropolitan Police will face a gross misconduct hearing over the stop and search of two Black athletes, the force said Wednesday. Bianca Williams and her partner, Ricardo Dos Santos, who are both professional sprinters, were stopped in west London on July 4, 2020, while traveling with their 3-month-old baby in a car. Both were handcuffed and they were searched for weapons and drugs, but nothing was found. Williams, a sprint relay gold medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 European Championships, accused police of racial profiling and filed a complaint. “I welcome this decision and

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins will be the first Black woman to spend months in space

By Rina Torchinsky After a successful launch Wednesday morning, Jessica Watkins and her crewmembers onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule are well on their way to a months-long space trip. The mission is notable for more than just their lengthy stay aboard the International Space Station. Watkins, who is 33, is making history as the first Black woman to live and work on the ISS for an extended mission. Watkins and her team on the Crew-4 mission are planning to spend five to six months on the outpost. She’s also one of the astronauts tapped for NASA’s next program called

‘Great sign’ or ‘very unfortunate’? Black Lives Matter supporters split over $6M purchase

By Randi Richardson and Claretta Bellamy When Kulia Petzoldt first learned of George Floyd’s death in 2020, she and her teenage daughter ventured to Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, to protest alongside a mass of people demanding justice. Petzoldt, who is white, said growing up around different cultures and having friends who were Black made her feel more conscious of the racial discrimination Black people faced. The Black Lives Matter movement solidified that awareness. “We can’t just do nothing,” Petzoldt, 42, said, “and particularly those of us who are sort of protected by society.” Beyond protesting, Petzoldt and millions of others donated a

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