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☆ Jordan Neely Will Be Mourned at Funeral in Harlem
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Maria Cramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jordan Neely spent the last few weeks of his life riding the subways of New York, hungry, desperate and alone. At his funeral on Friday, which will be held at 11 a.m. at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, friends and family members will gather to mourn him. The May 1 killing of Mr. Neely, who the police said had been acting in a “hostile and erratic manner” on an F train before another subway rider placed him in a chokehold for several minutes, quickly divided political leaders and led to protests around the city. It has sparked debate around the country between those who believe the man who killed Mr. Neely, Daniel Penny, responded with violent vigilantism to a person who needed help, and those who believe he acted because he was trying to stop a threat. And it has raised questions about safety on the subway and the care provided to homeless and mentally ill people living in the city.

☆ At Harlem Funeral for Jordan Neely, an Outpouring of Grief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Maria Cramer | Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jordan Neely spent the last few weeks of his life riding the subways of New York, hungry, desperate and alone. But at his funeral on Friday at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, hundreds gathered to mourn him, including friends, family members, prominent Democratic politicians and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered his eulogy, in a public outpouring of grief for a man who spent his final days in solitude and anonymity. It has sparked debate between those who believe that the man who killed Mr. Neely, Daniel Penny, responded with violent vigilantism to a person who needed help, and those who believe he was trying to stop a threat. And it has raised questions about safety on the subway and the care provided to homeless and mentally ill people living in the city.

☆ Supreme Court: New documents show how Sandra Day O'Connor helped George W. Bush win the 2000 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Justice Sandra Day O’Connor provided the early framework that steered the outcome in the dispute over the 2000 presidential election and ensured George W. Bush would win the White House over Al Gore, Supreme Court documents released on Tuesday show. They also demonstrate the tension among the nine justices being asked to decide a presidential election on short deadlines. The five conservative justices (O’Connor, Kennedy, Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas) sided with Bush. The Florida results had been too close to call at the end of Election Day, November 7. The next day, Kennedy wrote to the chief justice, “Sandra’s memorandum sets forth a very sound approach” and said he wanted to build on it.

☆ As Biden Runs Again, Black Voters’ Frustration Bubbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Maya King | Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In his campaign announcement, Mr. Biden made no secret of the importance of Black voters to his re-election. The state party is preparing to hold its presidential primary first in the nominating process — a move Mr. Biden and Democrats said was made to give Black voters more influence. Mr. Biden’s allies maintain that his administration has delivered for Black voters but that he has failed to trumpet some of his progress. The economy, a top concern for Black voters, has recovered from its pandemic doldrums, though inflation, which spiked last summer, remains higher on a sustained basis than it has been for decades. “The president and vice president have made issues Black Americans care most about a priority and are running to finish the job,” said Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Mr. Biden’s campaign.

☆ Wrongly accused Central Park 5 member cheers Trump's indictment with a single word statement: 'Karma'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump declined to apologize for his controversial position in 1989 on the Exonerated 5. Yusef Salaam said on Twitter that Trump "never said sorry for calling for my execution." Now that Trump has been indicted in New York, a member of that exonerated group has a concise response: "Karma." —Yusef Abdus Salaam (@dr_yusefsalaam) March 30, 2023In 1989, Trump bought newspaper advertisements calling for New York State to adopt the death penalty after the attack on the jogger. "Let's not forget that it was Donald Trump who took out full-page ads calling for these five Black and Brown young men to get the death penalty.

CHICAGO — Former Rep. Bobby Rush, a longtime African American leader in Illinois, plans to throw his support behind Paul Vallas in the mayor’s race, providing Vallas a potential boost among Black voters heading into next month’s election. The endorsement announcement, first shared with NBC News by Vallas’ campaign, is expected Tuesday morning. Rush plans to offer his backing at an event on the city’s South Side that will include an anti-violence march, according to a spokeswoman for the Vallas campaign. Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas speaks during a press conference at his campaign headquarters on Feb. 3, 2023 in Chicago. Al Sharpton, who’s a host on MSNBC, is set to hold a large get-out-the-vote rally at a church whose pastor has backed Johnson.

☆ In Selma, Biden presses for voting rights on 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SELMA, Alabama, March 5 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden pressed for the passage of measures to strengthen U.S. voting rights during a visit to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday to commemorate the 58th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when state troopers beat peaceful protesters marching against discrimination. It also came as his efforts to pass voting rights legislation have stalled in Congress. Coverage of the brutality of that day against the marchers, including John Lewis, a Black civil rights activist who went on to become a U.S. congressman, shocked the nation and helped spark the 1965 Voting Rights Act. DeSantis recently rejected an Advanced Placement high school course in African American studies claiming that it contained a political agenda, drawing criticism from civil rights leaders and educators. In January, Biden spoke at the Atlanta church of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.Biden's visit to Selma follows Vice President Kamala Harris's trip there last year for the anniversary of the march.

☆ Tyre Nichols Funeral to Be Attended by Al Sharpton, Kamala Harris
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Hundreds are expected to gather here Wednesday for the funeral of Tyre Nichols , weeks after an encounter with police led to his death and sparked an outcry across the country. Al Sharpton , the civil-rights leader, will eulogize Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker who was pulled over by police on Jan. 7. Body-camera footage released by the city showed Mr. Nichols was repeatedly struck by officers. He died in a Memphis hospital three days later.

☆ At Tyre Nichols Funeral, Al Sharpton Delivers a Eulogy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Hundreds gathered Wednesday for the funeral of Tyre Nichols , weeks after an encounter with police led to his death and sparked an outcry across the country. Al Sharpton , the civil-rights leader, delivered a eulogy for Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker who was pulled over by police on Jan. 7. Body-camera footage released by the city showed Mr. Nichols was repeatedly struck by officers. He died in a Memphis hospital three days later.

☆ Photos of Tyre Nichols' funeral at Mississippi Boulevard Church in Memphis show a community jolted into activism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tyre Nichols' funeral was held Wednesday at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. A man arranges flowers around Tyre Nichols' casket at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP, PoolThe funeral of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Memphian who was brutally beaten by five police officers on January 7, was held Wednesday at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. Nichols, who has a 4-year-old son, has been remembered by his family and friends as a lover of sunsets, photography, and skateboarding. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, on Tuesday, accepting her invitation to the funeral.

☆ Tyre Nichols funeral draws civil rights leaders, U.S. vice president
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Alyssa Porter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Al Sharpton will eulogize Nichols, and another prominent civil rights leader, attorney Ben Crump, will deliver a "call to action" during a funeral at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Nichols' adopted hometown of Memphis. Among those planning to join the mourners was U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Crump said the Nichols family invited. Harris spoke with Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, in a private telephone call on Tuesday, he said. Two other officers implicated in the events leading to Nichols' death have been relieved of duty - effectively suspended - and are under investigation. "What happened to Tyre Nichols here is a disgrace to this country," Sharpton told reporters, flanked by Nichols' mother and his stepfather, Rodney Wells.

☆ VP Harris to attend Nichols funeral as prosecutors weigh more charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Alyssa Pointer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Alyssa PointerMEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan 31 (Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris will attend Wednesday's funeral of Tyre Nichols, the Black man who died three days after Memphis police officers savagely beat him following a traffic stop earlier this month, the White House said on Tuesday. Nichols will be eulogized by the Reverend Al Sharpton at a service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis on Wednesday morning. Family members of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, who were killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis in 2020, will also attend. "We are looking at all individuals involved in the events leading up to, during, and after the beating of Tyre Nichols," his office said, adding that the investigation is incomplete. In an apparent reference to Hemphill, the office said an officer present during the initial encounter with Nichols may also face charges.

☆ Parents of Tyre Nichols invited to State of the Union address after public outcry following his death: 'Law enforcement has an obligation to do its job'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The parents of Tyre Nichols are invited to next week's presidential State of the Union address. Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, extended the invitation. Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, extended the invitation to Nichols' grieving parents. "Everyone should agree people should be safe, safe in our communities and law enforcement has an obligation to do its job," Horsford told host Rev. Reuters reported the war in Ukraine is expected to be a prevalent topic in the annual speech, but Nichols' death has reignited national protests and political conversation about police accountability and reform that may also be highlighted.

Towns said the lawmakers could have until early spring, otherwise, to develop and fine tune any proposals that emerge from Nichols' death. Share this -Link copiedMemphis police’s vaunted Scorpion unit is deactivated after Tyre Nichols' death Memphis police’s vaunted Scorpion unit has been permanently deactivated. Share this -Link copiedNFL calls for change after 'senseless death' of Tyre Nichols A day after the release of video showing the police beating of Tyre Nichols, the NFL on Saturday condemned the violence. Demonstrations continued Saturday in Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte following the release of video footage showing five former Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols, who died on Jan. 10. Attorney Blake Ballin’s comments follow the release of video footage showing the officers punching and kicking Tyre Nichols during a Jan. 7 traffic stop.

Al Sharpton: 'This video should be all a jury needs to convict'Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton released a statement on Twitter early Saturday, ahead of speaking at a New York rally condemning Nichols’ death. “Nearly three years after the murder of George Floyd shook the world, here we are. This video should be all a jury needs to convict each of the five officers who relentlessly beat Tyre Nichols to death,” Sharpton said. He added “the sad reality is that police brutality will be an ever-present threat for Black and Brown Americans unless cops continually see that those who use blunt force will go to jail.”Sharpton, who will be delivering the eulogy at Nichols’ funeral on Wednesday, echoed the family’s pleas for non-violence and warned “the more you act up, the more these cops will use it as an excuse for their despicable actions.”

☆ On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her father’s legacy into a “comfortable and convenient King” offering easy platitudes. The service, organized by the center and held at Ebenezer annually, headlined observances of the 38th federal King holiday. ... A prophetic word calls for an inconvenience because it challenges us to change our hearts, our minds and our behavior,” Bernice King said. At Ebenezer, Warnock, who has led the congregation for 17 years, hailed his predecessor’s role in securing ballot access for Black Americans. But, like Bernice King, the senator warned against a reductive understanding of King.

☆ At MLK event, Biden courts Black vote and bashes Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In his remarks, Biden said he has delivered for Black Americans in many areas in his two years in office and said he wants to get more support in Congress for stalled voting rights legislation. Black voters were a key part of the base of support that lifted Biden to victory in 2020 after pledging to do more to defend voting rights and address other racial justice issues. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson 1 2Since taking control of the House, Republicans have gone on the attack against Biden. Renewing his appeal for raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations, Biden said Republicans' bid to cut taxes for the wealthy showed that "these guys are fiscally demented. Some House Republicans have floated ideas to slash funding for the Internal Revenue Service and replace the federal income tax with a national sales tax.

☆ Biden Honors Martin Luther King Jr. Declaring a ‘Time for Choosing’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Al Sharpton and President Biden at the National Action Network’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast in Washington on Monday. WASHINGTON—President Biden declared the nation at “a time for choosing” in a Monday speech marking the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . holiday and paying tribute to the civil rights icon’s legacy. “This is a time for choosing,” Mr. Biden said at an annual breakfast in Washington hosted by the National Action Network and the Rev. Al Sharpton on what would have been Dr. King’s 94th birthday. “Will we choose democracy over autocracy, community over chaos, love over hate?

☆ In tribute to rights leader King, Biden invokes 'battle for the soul of this nation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Marking Monday's national holiday celebrating King, Biden delivered a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church at the invitation of its pastor, Democratic U.S. King worked for voting rights, Biden said, but "we do well to remember that his mission was even deeper. King was pastor of Ebenezer church from 1960 until his death. "The battle for the soul of this nation is perennial," Biden said in his tribute to King. Many presidents, including Biden, have visited Ebenezer to honor King, usually during events around the time of his birthday.

☆ President Biden to give sermon at Martin Luther King's church in Atlanta
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan 15 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will become the first sitting American president to speak at a Sunday service at Martin Luther King Jr.'s church in Atlanta as he seeks to bolster support among African Americans ahead of an expected run for re-election in 2024. Marking the national holiday celebrating the slain civil rights leader, Biden will deliver a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church at the invitation of its pastor, Democratic U.S. King was pastor of Ebenezer church from 1960 until his death. Many presidents, including Biden, have visited Ebenezer to honor King, usually during events around the time of his birthday. The Atlanta visit comes as Biden girds for what is expected to be an announcement of his re-election bid in the weeks ahead.

☆ 'Ain't No Mo'' earns more time on Broadway but raises questions about gatekeeping
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Uwa Ede-Osifo | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Broadway play “Ain’t No Mo’” has been extended to Dec. 23 after its cast and fans mobilized online support to prevent the show from closing just two weeks after its debut at the Belasco Theatre. The traditional decision-makers around Broadway’s financing and marketing “don’t know what to do with your type of audience,” Cooper said. “Our stories are not niche.”Cooper said “Ain’t No Mo’” was not given a fair shot to establish an audience. “I’m trying to make a Broadway theater look like an HBCU homecoming,” he said. When plays such as “Ain’t No Mo’” struggle to fill seats, Shade, of Broadway Black, said the blame is cast onto Black people for not attending.

☆ 15 Best Dress Shoes for Men, According to Style Experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

The laces and classic body shape are characteristic of traditional men’s dress shoes, while the rugged rubber soles still make a statement with any formal outfit. “Good leather shoes are not an arena in which it pays to cut costs,” he says, recommending investing in “the pair of a decade” from this made-in-England favorite. (Crockett & Jones has regal and Hollywood credentials: the brand received a Royal Warrant of Appointment in 2017, and this is the style of dress shoes worn by Daniel Craig’s James Bond). Sleek sneakersEcco Soft 7 City Sneaker $170 at NordstromThe key to dressed-up sneakers is finding a leather pair free of busy accents or logos. The style is “acceptable to wear with dress clothes,” confirms Los Angeles-based personal stylist Rayne Parvis, who advises people to wear these sneakers in place of brown lace-up dress shoes.

☆ Rev. Calvin Butts, influential pillar of Harlem, dies at 73
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Calvin O. Butts III, who welcomed generations of worshippers as well as political leaders from across the nation and around the world at Harlem’s landmark Abyssinian Baptist Church, died Friday at age 73, the church announced. “The Butts Family and entire Abyssinian Baptist Church membership solicit your prayers for us in our bereavement,” the church said on its website. Butts began serving as a youth minister at Abyssinian in 1972 and was senior pastor there for more than 30 years. Calvin O. Butts III speaks onstage during the André Leon Talley Celebration of Life at The Abyssinian Baptist Church on April 29, 2022 in New York City. Al Sharpton called Butts a major pillar in the Harlem community.

☆ Rep. Elissa Slotkin says Democrats need 'new blood' in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said Sunday the Democratic Party needs "new blood" in Congress and the White House in 2024 but committed to support President Joe Biden if he runs for re-election. But she also noted: "I have been very vocal, including with my own leadership in the House, that we need a new generation. We need new blood, period, across the Democratic Party — in the House, the Senate and the White House. In July, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., also called for a generational change in leadership, adding that he didn't think Biden, 79, should run for president again. Al Sharpton last month he will seek a second term in a private conversation at the White House.

☆ Mitt Romney officially ends his 2012 presidential campaign by transferring $92,000 in leftover cash to his Senate coffers
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-02 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dozens of zombie congressional campaign committees together are sitting on nearly $200 million, NBCLX reported. More than half of the Romney presidential committee's remaining $92,000 was transferred to his US Senate committee, which reported about $325,000 cash on hand as of June 30. Asked why it took so long for Romney's campaign to shut down, a former Romney campaign official said it's a "several years' long process to shut down a presidential campaign committee." Obama terminated his 2012 presidential campaign committee more than two years ago, on July 15, 2018. Santorum's 2012 presidential committee owes about $450,000, while his 2016 presidential committee remains about $520,000 in arrears.

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