It seems as though Pharrell will be producing a few songs on the album. In a post on Instagram, she wrote “Cooking up with the mf legend himself @pharrell. We been going in for 3 days straight he calling me meg thee machine ! #SUGA.”
According to the black college student, “B.*.T.C.H” serves as the opening track on Suga. It definitely will set the tone for one of the most anticipated albums of 2020.
I understand that I am a little bias when it comes to historically black colleges and universities. But if you ever attended a black college then you know that there is nothing quite like the HBCU experience. With that being said, I hope that future young sports stars like Zaire Wade, a 6’2 senior point guard and son of former NBA star Dwyane Wade, decides to attend an HBCU.
Just two weeks ago, North Carolina Central University offered Lebron James’ eldest son and namesake a.k.a. “Bronny” a basketball scholarship. Now the black college’s rival, North Carolina A&T, is trying to one-up NCCU, offering Wade’s son and his teammate Shy Odom basketball scholarships. According to CBS17.com, Odom is a 6’6 forward with multiple offers including Georgetown, Boston University, and Tulane. And while many critics would say that the pair, along with Bronny, will never choose to attend an HBCU for whatever given reason, I have got to ask: What if these young men and student-athletes do decide to go HBCU?
North Carolina A&T (@NCATAGGIES) offers basketball scholarships to teammates Bronny James & Zaire Wade, sons of LeBron James & Dwyane Wadehttps://t.co/r7bTUgas6B
Soca Caribbean Yacht Charters is a new boutique travel agency founded by a Hampton University and Howard Law School graduate Shelia Ruffin. Growing up on the eastern shore of Virginia, Ruffin always had an affinity for boats. Her grandfather was an avid boater and this allowed her the opportunity to spend her childhood on the water.
Ruffin eventually attended law school but failed to pass the bar on the first try. This led her to land a job on the island of St. Thomas where she decided to practice law. While there, Ruffin decided to become a certified travel associate, but she wanted to do more than just be a travel agent.
“I googled yacht agencies that were one-stop-shops, but I couldn’t find any,” Ruffin told Travel Noire. “This gave me an idea of what I could do. Plus, I couldn’t find any people of color within the industry. Therefore, I set out to start my own company.”
From there, Soca Caribbean Yacht Charters (SCYC) was born.
“We offer a door to dock-to-door service,” Ruffin said. “The minute you step out of your home, there is a luxury car waiting to take you to the airport. Once you arrive in your Caribbean destination, we provide transfers to the dock where you board your yacht. After your trip, we also provide all services in reverse.”
SCYC works with yacht companies in the Bahamas, Grenada, St. Lucia, the British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and St. Martin. The company provides access to yachts featuring a private chef and captain.
“To be the anchor between the yacht industry and millennials and people of color is amazing,” Ruffin said. “It’s not easy. I’m entering into space where black women aren’t normally present. It’s an amazing feeling.”
SCYC also wants to encourage people of color to experience the high-end luxury yacht experience. Ruffin told the Miami Times, in 2018 black people “contributed $63 billion to America’s travel and tourism industry and Hispanic Americans contributed $56 billion.”
With that type of tourism purchasing power, this black-owned company looks to gain increased market share in the Caribbean.
This post was written by Justin Barton, a writer at Black Enterprise, where it was originally published. It is published here with permission.
Howard University has received a collection of African American art valued at more than $2.5 million in honor of the former dean of the school’s political science department, Ronald W. Walters.
Walters’ wife, Patricia Turner Walters, gifted her collection to the school.
“It is an incredible honor to receive this generous gift of precious art from the Walters family,” said President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “This collection of sculptures and portraits and paintings will be an excellent complement to our gallery and a beneficial focus of training in our art history courses.”
Howard University will also establish the Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics.
The art collection includes 152 pieces of African American art in various forms. It includes original pieces, sculptures, rare prints, photographs and pieces from notable eras, including the Harlem Renaissance.
Patricia Walters began her collection in the late 1980s with most of her pieces acquired after 2002.
“I could not be more delighted about the decision to give my art collection to Howard, the institution that my husband cared so deeply about,” said Walters. “I always knew I wanted to do something like this to honor my husband’s legacy, but I never imagined that I would get to see it happen in my lifetime.”
Ronald W. Walters was a Howard professor from 1971 to 1996. He died in 2010.
Flight General Manager Brandon Harper is urging fans to give the new team in the Gem City a chance, insisting that they have talent produced right here.
“We’ve got the NBA, and you have a level right under that you can enjoy right here in your backyard,” Harper said. “We have homegrown talent. Instead of going overseas, they’re right here making a name for themselves and competing for a championship. They’re going to put on a show and take flight in the city’s backyard. This is monumental. We have professionals. Just like the Dayton Dragons have done it for 20 years, we’re looking to start our own legacy here in the city.”
According to Dayton Daily News, the new Dayton minor league basketball team starts its season with two home games, playing the Columbus Condors at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 and play the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jackals a day later at the same time.
Flight starts a 10-day training camp on Friday. In total, 26 players will be attending the event. Only half of that number will remain by the start of the season.
“The competition is going to be crazy,” Harper said. “I’m feeling bad for guys we’re going to have to send home because we’re going to send some talented guys home who won’t make our roster.”
Events like this help UNCF change the narrative of HBCUs across the nation by helping more students get to and through college
Columbus, GA, Jan. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — COLUMBUS, GA —UNCF (United Negro College Fund) will host the 15th annual UNCF Columbus Mayor’s Masked Ball at 6 p.m., Saturday, March 21 at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center. More than 600 guests will attend the major fundraising event, including honorary host Mayor B.H. “Skip” and Mrs. Karon Henderson; U.S. Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-GA); and business, civic and education leaders who support UNCF’s mission.
Benefitting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), UNCF is striving to change the HBCU narrative across the nation by equipping more minority students with the resources necessary to transition into college, graduate and ultimately expand and diversify America’s highly educated workforce.
“A college education is more important than ever, but it is more expensive than ever. We are living in a time when official support for getting a college education—state support for state colleges and universities, federal support for Pell Grants and other student aid—is under attack and losing purchasing power,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “So that means that more students of color than ever before are looking to UNCF to invest in them. Events like the Columbus UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball helps us meet their needs.”
With the help of the Columbus community, more than $10 million was awarded last year in scholarships and programs for UNCF’s Georgia member institutions, including Spelman College, Morehouse College, Interdenominational Theological Center, Clark Atlanta University and Paine College. In addition, students received UNCF support at Columbus State University, Albany State University, Georgia State University, Emory University, and other Georgia HBCUs, colleges and universities. UNCF’s publication, HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, proved that Georgia’s HBCUs contributed $1.3 billion in total economic impact and generated more than 12,000 jobs across the state last year.
“The UNCF fundraising campaign in Columbus continues, year over year, to show itself in support of UNCF’s mission,” says Justine Boyd, regional development director, UNCF Atlanta. With the growing support of our friends and supporters in Columbus, along with Mayor and Mrs. Henderson, a multitude of deserving students will have will their financial burdens lifted so they may focus on their education.
In addition to raising an astounding $34.5 million in the final quarter of 2019 and taking the lead in Iowa just weeks away from the state’s Feb. 3 caucuses, Sen. Bernie Sanders seems to be making headway in wooing black voters in his quest for the White House. A poll conducted by VICE News-Ipsos last week reveals that just as many voters of color would support the Vermont senator as they would former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election should either of them win the Democratic nomination. When asked would you consider voting for the following candidates for president in 2020?, 56% of African Americans said they would consider supporting Sanders in the general election while 54% said they would back Biden. Meanwhile, more Hispanic respondents said they would “consider voting for” Sanders than those who said they’d consider voting for Biden.
“Despite frequently being described as a ‘socialist’ or ‘too liberal’, Bernie Sanders has as many, if not more, minority Americans considering voting for him as any other candidate,” Ipsos Public Affairs Vice President Chris Jackson told Vice News.
According to the report:
Fully 56% of African-Americans said they’d “consider voting for” Sanders in 2020 — a statistical tie with the 54% who said the same about former Vice President Joe Biden and significantly higher than any other candidate.
Only 23% of African-Americans said they wouldn’t consider voting for Sanders, about the same number as the 24% who said they wouldn’t consider voting for Biden.
Sanders does even better relative to Biden and the rest of the field among Hispanics: 47% say they’d consider voting for Sanders, while 37% said they’d consider voting for Biden. More Hispanics say they wouldn’t consider voting for Biden (37%) than wouldn’t vote for Sanders (31%).
The survey reveals that Biden and Sanders are the most popular Democratic candidates with black and brown voters at this point in the race. In comparison, only 39% of African Americans said they would consider voting for Sen. Elizabeth Warren in comparison to 29% who said they would not. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they would support former Michael Bloomberg compared to 37% who say they would not, while 17% said they would back Pete Buttigieg if he won the primary and 42% would not.
LESSONS LEARNED
Since losing the 2016 Democratic Primary to Hillary Clinton, Sanders has made a concerted effort to reach more voters of color in his 2020 campaign. “His failure to win over more non-white voters, especially early on in the primaries, was a big reason Hillary Clinton won the nomination,” reports Vice News. Biden, however, still maintains a tight lead on the black vote in the Democratic Primary race. A new Washington Post-Ipsos pollshows that 48% of African Americans said they would vote for Biden if the primary or caucus was held in their state today. That’s a 28-point lead over Sanders, who gained just 20% of support. On the other hand, Sanders is leading among black voters under age 35.
Nevertheless, the polling suggests that black voters are fired up to vote this November for whoever lands on the Democratic ticket. When asked what the biggest reason for them to vote in 2020 was, more than half, 52%, of African Americans said: “to vote against President Trump.”
This post was written by Selena Hill, a writer at Black Enterprise, where it was originally published. It is published here with permission.
Alexia Gillis has launched a trending eyelash brand called The Lash Pharmacy while attending Florida A&M University.
The second-year Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate posted her lashes in prescription pharmacy vials on Twitter during the Christmas break. The post allowed her brand to go viral.
In less than three months, she gained more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. According to her page, her lashes are priced at $17.
Student Alexia Gillis showing off her lashes. Photo courtesy of Gillis
Gillis has implemented her passion for pharmacy and makeup throughout her brand.
“I purchased lots of makeup over the years and found myself purchasing several types of lashes, but could never find one that I loved,” the New Orleans native said. “So, I decided to do some research and find exactly what I was looking for.”
Gillis’ lash brand unexpectedly skyrocketed on Instagram from multiple shares on Twitter.
“I started off with about 20-26 followers, which was mostly just friends and family. As of today, I am at about 52,000 on my business Instagram. I think people genuinely want to see me win and for that I am grateful,” Gillis said.
Sophomore criminal justice student Morgan Head shared her thoughts after coming across Gillis’ lash brand.
“I think what makes it different is the packaging itself. She really made her business stand out by doing something that was not only eye-catching but cost-efficient,” Head said.
Customers have been raving on social media about how creative her lash brand is.
“I definitely expect to see more from her especially since she has a creative eye. I will be ordering from her soon,” Head added.
The growth from her lash brand has helped her network with photographers, YouTubers, and others.
Jay Heart, a social media influencer did a review after receiving lashes from The Lash Pharmacy after seeing how much publicity the brand received.
“The lashes came in the same packaging I saw on Twitter, also in a cute prescription bag. I have seen a lot of lash companies come and go, but I really do see potential in her brand. Influencer marketing is the key to success in the makeup industry these days no matter how big or small; these influencers can push your products to new audiences,” Heart said.
YouTube influencer Jay Hearts thumbnail from her review on The Lash Pharmacy. Photo courtesy of Jay Heart
Gillis plans to expand her brand and continue to network with others. She says her followers can expect much more from her soon.
“I am really overwhelmed by the support and I am open to working with others. You can expect luxurious, sustainable, quality products. You can also expect to see me launch my biggest idea in the near future, which has nothing to do with retail,” Gillis said.
To learn more, see @TheLashPharmacy to keep up with Gillis’ latest posts on her lash business.
HBCU family, in an effort to be more successful than Sen. Bernie Sanders in regards to engaging younger voters on the yard at historically black colleges, Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden recently rolled out a new outreach program to recruit and organize HBCU students. This comes after Sanders emerging as a potent force on HBCUs.
Texas Southern University student Adunola Rachel Osinuga, who has been named one of three student leaders by the Biden campaign, told BuzzFeed News over the phone that “I don’t discount elderly individuals. I think he has a very wise attitude in the way he deals with people of my generation, and he’s someone who has had a lot of experience in politics. So you have to give credit where credit is due.”
The announcement comes as Biden surrogates are launching a bus tour in South Carolina ahead of what could be a potentially lethal stretch of voting in Iowa and New Hampshire, mostly white states where Biden enjoys strong support but hasn’t yet drawn enough excitement to pull away from some of his Democratic challengers. Biden has maintained strong support among black voters.
“Joe Biden has always been, and continues to be central to civil rights activism and social justice, and produce outstanding young leaders. … The campaign is proud to have student leaders on HBCUs across the country organizing and volunteering for our campaign, and their strength will help us win the nomination and beat Trump,” campaign aide Kamau M. Marshall said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
HBCUs have been a quandary for national Democrats — and attention has turned increasingly toward them in 2020. At many HBCUs, students are upset and impatient with the lack of racial progress and economic opportunities. Students attend institutions that lack resources (unlike well-known HBCUs like Howard University and Spelman College) — many are barely scraping by, sustained by the educators and administrators. Biden, Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg have all released plans to specifically address funding issues for HBCUs and students who attend them; Biden’s proposal includes a $70 billion investment.
Sanders has emerged as a potent force on HBCUs, with strong support among young black voters nationally. In recent polling from the Washington Post, Sanders led all candidates in support among black voters under 35, while Biden led with black voters overall and among older age groups.
The other two student leaders of the “HBCU Students For Biden” program are the Student Government Association president at Spelman College in Atlanta, Nia Page, and William Fairfax of Claflin University.
HBCU family, remember late last year when Russell Simmons took to Instagram to post an open letter to Oprah Winfrey in regards to her role as executive producer on an Apple+ documentary focusing on sexual misconduct claims against him?
Well, the Tennessee State University graduate announced that she will no longer serve as executive producer, stepping aside from the documentary.
According to an official statement, Winfrey said “I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers’ desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it’s best to step aside. I will be working with Time’s Up to support the victims and those impacted by abuse and sexual harassment.”
Although stating that she “unequivocally believes and supports the women” behind the allegations, she explained that her decision stems from her belief that “there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision.”
The yet-to-be-titled documentary mainly focuses on former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon, who accused Simmons of rape a few years back. Simmons has repeatedly denied both the latter accusation and the dozen other sexual misconduct claims he’s been denounced of throughout the years.
The filmmakers behind the documentary, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, said in a statement, “Revealing hard truths is never easy, and the women in our documentary are all showing extraordinary strength and courage by raising their voices to address sexual abuse in the music industry,” taking the film to Sundance.
”While we are disappointed that Oprah Winfrey is no longer an executive producer on the project, we are gratified that Winfrey has unequivocally said she believes and supports the survivors in the film,” the duo said.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) — It appears as though Florida A&M football has found life after Ryan Stanley: Former Kansas State Quarterback John Holcombe announced his intention to transfer to FAMU and play for the Rattlers on Monday.
Holcombe was a three-star dual threat QB in the class of 2018 according to 247Sports, signing to K-State while longtime coach Bill Snyder was still in charge. The Humble, Texas native redshirted the Wildcat’s 2018 campaign. He entered the transfer portal early in the 2019 season, as new KSU Head Coach Chris Klieman stuck with QB Skylar Thompson.
Holcombe was a three-star dual threat QB in the class of 2018 according to 247Sports, signing to K-State while longtime coach Bill Snyder was still in charge. The Humble, Texas native redshirted the Wildcat’s 2018 campaign. He entered the transfer portal early in the 2019 season, as new KSU Head Coach Chris Klieman stuck with QB Skylar Thompson.
While Holcombe has announced his intentions to transfer, a Florida A&M representative has told WCTV he has not officially sent any paperwork to the university.
FAMU’s starting QB for the 2019 season, Ryan Stanley, tweeted about Holcombe’s announcement.
Unable to keep up with Salem University, the Central State University Marauders fell to the Tigers at home in Wilberforce, 88-72.
CSU led the game 63-58 at the 12:11 mark. Then, on a fast break dunk but whistled for hanging on the rim, Darweshi Hunter picked up his second technical foul and was ejected from the game.
This played a pivotal role for SU ultimately winning the game.
A crucial turning point in the contest came at the 12:11 mark as CSU’s Darweshi Hunter slammed home a fast break dunk but was whistled for hanging on the rim and ejected after picking up his second technical foul. Up 63-58 at the time of Hunter’s ejection, a deflated CSU team surrendered an 18-2 run to SU and trailed by 11 by the 7:07 mark. CSU battled back to within six, 78-72, with 3:36 remaining but Salem closed the game on a 12-0 run to seal the victory.
SU made 56.1% (32-57) of its shot attempts and outrebounded CSU 45-37. CSU converted 34.2% (26-76) from the field and were 12 of 24 from the free throw line.
Four SU players scored in double-figures led by Shawn Christian’s 23 points. Marko Tutonivic, Jordan Forbes and Ralph Diaz all recorded double-doubles in the win.
Harris Brown led CSU with a game-high 25 points. Hunter’s shortened night included 20 points and five rebounds.
CSU is now 7-8 overall while SU gets another win and is 10-7 on the season.
According to MarauderSports.com, CSU will play conference opponent Lane College on Monday.
Believe it or not, Hollywood has always been obsessed with Black women and our culture.
Maybe obsessed is not the word… fetishized by how absolutely amazing we are. We are more than just a hashtag. And while #BlackGirlMagic is a cool idea… there is no such thing as hocus pocus when it comes down to Black women. We are intentional and our stories are more than sister-girl-fairy-dusted tropes. Thus, when we think about Black women and the very sensitive portrayal of their lives in sororities, one can’t help but take caution. Does Hollywood care to get it right? Or will sorors be portrayed as petty girls who are all elite snobs, looking for husbands in their brother frats.
We say “nope.”
Thank goodness three Black cinematic offerings, written or directed by Black filmmakers have gotten it right.
ONE: DO THE RIGHT THING
Many people were exposed to the thrills of Black College by watching Spike Lee’s School Daze in 1988. While it was filmed in the historic Atlanta University Center, this fictional school was a composite of the schools at the time that were housed in the consortium. At one time there were seven: The former Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark College, Morris Brown College, Interdenominational Theological Center and Morehouse School of Medicine. School Daze presented them as Mission College and while you might think that the scenes being referenced regarding sorority life are “The Coronation” or the “Wannabe/ Jiggaboo” musicals… there is a more intimate moment that got Delta all the way right.
Do you remember when Dap and Rachel got into an argument in his room?
Rachel had shared with Dap that she wanted to pledge Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (like of course) and he tried to forbid it. She told him that she like what they were doing, that they were positive and about serving the community.
Old Spike got this all the way right! Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, 107 years ago. From the very beginning of her origins, the organization had scholarship, sisterhood, and service at its core. Rachel indeed would have been a great Delta at the fictional Mission College.
TWO: QUEEN SUGAR
There has to be someone on the staff that is either a Delta or Delta-ish, because there have been all kinds of Easter eggs throughout the seasons that point to the largest sorority in the world. Like that time that Mellisa Harris-Perry, a decorated member of Delta Sigma Theta, came on to chat it up with her soror, Nova Bordelon.
While they don’t say it, why wouldn’t she be one? Sure she has some deep-seated thangs going on, by Nova is a go-getter and the exceptional. She and her sister Charlie both ferociously attack social justice and civil rights with all of their hearts, and what makes us believe that is a “Crimson and Cream” family is all those African Violets planted all over the place. The African Violet is the official flower for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Yup… them two supposed to be Deltas in the show.
Earlier this week, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner, a graduate of Harris-Stowe State University filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city of St. Louis, police union and others of a racist conspiracy to remove her from her office.
State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore’s top prosecutor announces her support for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio
Let’s take a look at the both, the specifications of the lawsuit and the events that led Attorney Gardner to this point.
Lawsuit Specifications
In the lawsuit filed on Monday, Gardner alleges:
· Violations of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and other civil rights violations
· Black people are underrepresented in the police department, especially in managerial and upper level roles
· The St. Louis Police Officer’s Association makes deliberate attempts to support and endorse officers who are accused of inordinate force against African Americans
· The St. Louis Police Department “unreasonably delayed any potential investigation” into threatening and reported letters sent to Garder’s office “even thought at least one of the letters had a name and return address on it.”
· The city of St. Louis, the St. Louis Police Officers Association, its business manager Jeff Roorda are defendants in addition to retired police officer Charles Lane who filed a civil suit against Gardner over her office hiring outside law firms during the special prosecutors grand jury investigation; Special Prosecutor Gerard Carmody and his son’s Ryann and Patrick Carmody are also defendants, his son’s played a part in the special prosecutors investigation into the behavior of Garner’s office during the trial of Governor Eric Greitens.
· The special prosecutor’s investigation into her office is efforts of the city conspiring and is completely unsubstantiated. It also claims that Carmody and a lawyer who represented former Governor Greitens are “lifelong friends going back to their days in the same class of 1967 and playing on the same sports teams at Chaminade.”
· Gardner proposed independent investigations of officer-involved shootings but the police union was against it, causing the board of alderman to deny Gardner’s recommendation
· There were consistent head bumps made between the special prosecutor and her office for “overly vague” search warrants.
In response to the lawsuit:
The City Of St. Louis vehemently denies what it considers to be meritless allegations levied against it by Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. The City fully expects to be vindicated once this case is adjudicated in a court of law.
— statement from the Mayor’s Office
This is just the last act of a desperate woman I think…We’re the ones trying to make St. Louis a better place for people of color and every citizen, and Kim Gardner has been an impediment to that.
— Jeff Roorda, Business Manager for The St. Louis Police Officers Association
Read the full statement released by the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association:
Shared to the St. Louis Police Officers’ Associations Twitter.
Timeline of Events
Attorney Gardner’s lawsuit did form itself overnight. Let’s take a look at the series of unfortunate events that led to this point. We’ll need to flashback nearly two years ago, February 2018.
FEBRUARY 2018
Gardner’s office indicted then-Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, accusing him of invasion of privacy, tied to a 2015 affair. Her office later dropped the charge one day after Greitens’ announcement stating that he was resigning.
AUGUST 2018
Attorney Gardner no longer accepted criminal cases from 28 policy officers in the city because she said they had issues with their credibility. She began reviewing open cases for viability.
DECEMBER 2018
Gardner settled a $63,009 fine issued because the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) determined her election committee committed seven campaign finance violations. Public file here.
Violations include exceeding cash contribution limits and failure to record finance reports of the campaign in a timely and accurate manner. The MEC believes it found evidence to support the fact that Gardner’s campaign failed to file 255 expenditures equaling approximately $90,000.00 and almost 100 monetary gifts or donations that add up to more that $305,000.00! Gardner’s office issued the following press release.
JUNE 2019
The former FBI agent Attorney Gardner hired to investigate former Governor Greitens named William Don Tisaby was charged with 7 felonies. The alleged felonies include perjury and tampering with evidence.
Tisaby was unsurprisingly charged with (1) intentionally concealing information and documents away from Greitens’ team, (2) lying about he and Attorney Gardner coordinated to share information and collaborate before and after interviews with Greitens’ mistress.
JULY 2019
A retired Judge named Michael Bradley was named as the special prosecutor to investigate the public officer tampering allegations against the lawyers who represented Greitens in 2018, while being investigated for invasion of privacy.
Though Greitens lawyers deny, KSDK reports Gardner “told The Associated Press in a 2018 interview that several of Greitens’ lawyers came to her office in March 2018 to try to persuade her to drop the case.”
DECEMBER 2019
A case from Attorney Gardner’s office against two police officers (William Olsten and Joe Schmitt) was thrown out by St. Louis Circuit Judge Beth Hogan. Gardner’s office charged the officers with felony assault after a shooting at Bomber O’Brien’s bar in south St. Louis. Hogan reprimanded Gardner’s office for withholding evidence from the police’ attorneys. DETAILS:
The first grand jury declined to indict the officers and when the second grand jury indicted the men, Judge Hogan noticed the grand jury was not privy to the fact that the victim made a deal with prosecutors to testify against the officers and they were not showed the surveillance video of the shooting.
JANUARY 2020
Chief Trial Assistant for Gardner, Rachel Smith resigns after 19 years and after being the fourth prosecutor to assume the role since January 2017 when Gardner assumed her office.
Under Gardner’s tenure, 65 attorneys have been fired or resigned.
This Harris-Stowe State University graduate is definitely shaking things up!
The Cannes Film Festival announced Tuesday that Spike Lee would serve as president of its jury in May, making the American director the first black person to do so in the French festival’s 73-year history. Catch the full story shared by Sonia Rao of The Washington Post.
Director Spike Lee, pictured at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival during a photo call for “BlacKkKlansman,” will head the festival’s jury this year. (Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
In a statement signed from what he called “Da People’s Republic of Brooklyn, New York,” Lee detailed his history with the prestigious festival dating to his 1986 debut feature, “She’s Gotta Have It,” which won the Prix de la Jeunesse, an award honoring young directors. Lee, 62, has since returned to Cannes six times. His most recently chosen film, 2018′s “BlacKkKlansman,” won the Grand Prix, or second place overall.
“In this life I have lived, my biggest blessings have been when they arrived unexpected, when they happened out of nowhere,” Lee wrote. “When I got the call that I was offered the opportunity to be President of Cannes Jury for 2020, I was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time.” Read more via Washington Post.
J. Charles Jones, the civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the civil rights eventsthroughout the 1960s has died, The New York Times reports. The Chester, South Carolina native was a spokesman for the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in Charlotte. Jones was 82.
The son of the former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee member said that his father passed from Alzheimer’s disease and sepsis.
Jones will be remembered for his participation in the protest that desegregated lunch counters throughout the city of Charlotte. He also attended the meeting at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C. that the S.N.C.C. was birthed from. In 1960, Jones chose to spend 30 days in jail on a chain gang rather than be bailed out. It was a strategic effort known as “Jail, No Bail.”
The Howard University Law school alum was a civil rights attorney for 35 years, often speaking to media and members of the community about the movement that pushed for the Civil Rights Bill of 1964.
In a tweet, Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles said, “Charles and I had a connection deep as the roots of the trees that line Biddleville’s streets. As the principal of the segregated school in Chester, South Carolina, Charles’ mother became my own mother’s friend and mentor as she worked as [a] teacher at the same school.
She continued, “Charles Jones organized people, bringing them together to change the way we all experience and are treated in this country. He will be missed by many, and his legacy will be forever felt by this entire nation. Well done good and faithful servant.”
