Pitcher Ronny Garcia, Drafted by the Houston Astros, Dies At 24 In Car Crash
Garcia began his career with the Astros in 2016.
Former Houston Astros pitching prospect Ronny Garcia, who has pitched professionally since 2016, died last week in a traffic accident alongside his father.
According to Fan Nation, the accident occurred along Las Galeras-Samaná highway in Samaná, Dominican Republic. According to KHOU 11, details on the fatal crash remain limited, but his biography on the Minor League Baseball website says his death occurred April 19.
The following morning, the Houston Astros said it was “deeply saddened” by his death on its X account.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Astros prospect, Ronny Garcia.
Garcia got his professional start at age 16 when the Astros signed him as an international prospect for his pitching abilities. During his short-lived career, he progressed from the Dominican Summer League Affiliates to U.S. baseball.
While playing in the States, Garcia posted a 2.11 earned run average (ERA) in 2021. The following year, he only had one run in 18.1 innings. His other statistics included 14 saves in 122 total appearances, with 200 strikeouts in 186.2 innings. Overall, he allowed 170 hits, 71 earned runs, eight home runs and 100 walks.
In February, Garcia signed with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. His former team, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, released a statement in light of the news.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Ronny García,” wrote the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, a Carolina League team and the a Single-A affiliate of the Astros. “Ronny spent parts of three seasons with Fayetteville, always carrying a smile around the ballpark. He was a talented pitcher and a beloved teammate. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.”
Garcia was working toward a career in Major League Baseball before the crash.
Nigerian Chess Champion Tunde Onakoya Sets (Unofficial) Record With 60-Hour Chess Marathon in Times Square
Onakoya played against Shawn Martinez, a U.S. chess champion.
Tunde Onakoya, a Nigerian chess champion and advocate for children’s education, broke a record for the longest chess marathon when he played in Times Square for 60 hours on April 19.
The Guinness Book of World Records still needs to verify his feat, as that process can sometimes take more than two weeks.
As CNN reports, Onakoya initially set his goal at 58 hours, which would have surpassed the previous mark of 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds set in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad. On Twitter/X, Onakoya announced his intention to push for 60 hours and shared what inspired his marathon chess session.
We’re pushing to 60 hours guys. We’re not stopping yet. Let’s keep going.
We have a fundraising goal to meet for the education of African children around the world. This is our why – the reason we are doing this.
Dear Shawn (@CoachShawnMar), there’s no world record without you. Together, for 60 hours, we showed the world what true collaboration means, trumping competition. We picked each other up during tough moments, both mentally and physically. And you did it with so much grace.
Onakoya’s matches against U.S. chess champion Shawn Martinez drew celebrities Adekunle Gold and Davido, Nigerian superstar musicians, and praise from Nigerian political figures like President Bola Tinubu. Tinubu congratulated Onakoya on his feat via social media.
I congratulate Tunde Onakoya @Tunde_OD on setting a new world chess record and sounding the gong of Nigeria's resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity at the square of global acclaim.
I celebrate this Nigerian Chess Champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa for his rare feat,… pic.twitter.com/VCwJx1RILV
Tinubu also praised Onakoya for “setting a new world chess record and sounding the gong of Nigeria’s resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity at the square of global acclaim.” In Nigeria, the match commanded significant attention, it was broadcast in several locations in Lagos, the capital city, and featured watch parties as well as digital billboards.
In 2018, Onakoya founded Chess in Slums Africa in Lagos, Nigeria. His organization is dedicated to empowering children in underserved communities through chess, focusing on critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Onayoka’s organization used its marathon chess session to drive donations to many posts on its Twitter/X account.
According to Taiwo Adeyemi, Onakoya’s manager, the chess match raised $22,000 in the first 22 hours. Onakoya had hoped to raise over $1 million for his organization through the game. Regardless of the amount raised, Adeyemi told Al-Jazeera that the support for Onakoya had been well-received. “The support has been overwhelming from Nigerians in the US, global leaders, celebrities and hundreds of passersby.”
“I can’t process a lot of the emotions I feel right now. I don’t have the right words for them. But I know we did something truly remarkable.” Onayoka told AFP. “[At] 3am last night, that was the moment I was ready to just give it all up… but Nigerians traveled from all over the world. And they were with me overnight. We were singing together and they were dancing together and I couldn’t just give up on them.”
The House Voted To Ban TikTok, But The App Isn’t Done Just Yet
One report found that 60% of Black small and mid-sized business owners think the ban would threaten their livelihoods.
The House voted to ban TikTok April 20. However, what comes next is not an immediate expulsion of the app.
The ban stems from an ongoing push by the U.S. for TikTok to be sold by Chinese Tech firm ByteDance Ltd. The original version of the ban initially stalled in the Senate. However, the app’s potential for national security risks continues to be a top priority for lawmakers.
According to the Associated Press, an updated version passed in the House with a 360-58 Saturday vote and now heads to the Senate. Modifications include an extended timeline of nine months to sell, with three more added if a sale is in the works.
While Democrat and Republican lawmakers are in relative agreement, Black small business owners feel the legislation would threaten their livelihoods. An Oxford Economics report shared that 60% of Black small- and mid-sized business (SMB) owners think the ban would be detrimental.
Black SMB owners stated more than any other demographic that TikTok was “critical” to remaining in operation. Furthermore, 83% also shared that their profits rose after promoting their products or services through the app.
Fortunately for this group, the ban expects to face legal challenges before coming to fruition. TikTok remains adamant that it will continue fighting for U.S. app users and shared its willingness to go to court on the grounds that it suppresses citizens’ First Amendment rights.
TikTok’s CEO directly addressed the potential ban last month. Today Online posted the footage of the TikTok video.
“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” said TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you.”
“I think it’s not going to be well-received,” explained Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). “It’s a sign of the Beltway being out of touch with where voters are.”
A campaign spearheaded by TikTok for American users to contact Congress to stop the ban remains ongoing.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott Criticizes Public Funding Allocation, Citing Lack Of Diversity In Arts Grants
Mayor Brandon Scott pointed out how all of the funding tends to go to white arts organizations.
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott expressed his deep disappointment with the allocation of public money on April 16. He claimed the funds go mostly to arts organizations that “just happen to be white-ran.”
He made his statements following the announcement of a nearly $4 million “Diversity in Arts” grant supplied by a bank for COVID-19 relief funds. The Capital grant recipients will include places like the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum on North Avenue and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.
Mayor Scott said, “For too long, public dollars have simply just gone to the big names and the big players in town. And dare I say, I know my staff is going to hate this, the big names and big players in town that just happen to be White-ran organizations in Baltimore.”
The mayor thanked the people who supported him in his fight to gain more equitable federal funding; specifically, he named President Biden and Maryland’s congressional delegation.
The new grant will also fund 24 “project” recipients. Some allocations include “$200,000 for Baltimore Center Stage and $100,000 for Creative Nomads.”
According to Mayor Scott, “Baltimore has always been a city defined by the arts, and our art community remains a cornerstone of our city’s identity, reflecting our history, diversity, and resilience. Baltimore’s arts community has always been there to express what this city is about, often giving a voice to the voiceless.”
In a statement, Wally Pinkard, chairman of the Hippodrome Foundation, expressed his hope that this attention will lead to more inclusive funding overall.
“I would hope the enthusiasm around this week’s funding announcement, coupled with the frustration felt by arts organizations that were deliberately excluded from receiving an ARPA award, will lead to discussion of more inclusive funding of the arts in the future.”
Study Reveals Racial Disparities And Botched Executions Of Black People, Sparking Calls For Lethal Injection Moratorium
In Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Georgia, 75% of botched executions involved Black people, even though Black people only accounted for 33% of executions in those states
Reprieve, a nonprofit organization, analyzed the more than 1,400 lethal injections carried out in the United States since 1977 and, in its analysis, discovered that botched executions are racially biased. According to the study, the research shows that the disparities present in the criminal justice system extend to the execution of incarcerated people.
As NPR reported, the pattern is worse in Southern states. In Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Georgia, 75% of botched executions involved Black people, even though Black people only accounted for 33% of executions in those states. Somewhat complicating things, there is no set standard for what makes an execution a botched execution. Reprieve designated executions that featured expressions of pain, an incarcerated person being conscious after a drug (or drugs in some cases) were administered, and whether execution workers struggled to find a person’s veins to administer the drugs as botched executions.
The analysis also found that it did not matter which drugs were used in a cocktail; the result remained the same. Reprieve’s Executive Director, Maya Foa, told NPR that tinkering with the formulas is not addressing the problem.
“There are botched executions, many of them, regardless of the drug, regardless of the cocktail. Continuing to tinker with the machinery of death is not making this better,” Foa said. “The analysis shows not only are we botching these executions and causing people torture more often than with many other methods.”
Foa continued, “But we are doing that to Black prisoners far, far more frequently than we are to white prisoners.”
Jeff Hood, a spiritual advisor who has been inside the death chambers of three white individuals and three Black individuals in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama, told NPR that he believes there are differences in how Black people are treated while strapped to the gurney. “I can definitely tell you that the restraints that I have seen on Black folk have been unquestionably tighter than the restraints that I have seen on white folk,” Hood noted.
Hood continued, “If your assumption is that the person who is condemned is going to resist, then you are going to take much more liberties with the body than if you believe that the person was going to be perfectly peaceful. And when you begin to take liberties with someone’s body, you leave protocol, and you leave best practices. When you leave protocol, and you leave best practices, of course, you are going to have a botched execution.”
As a result of its findings, the study recommends that an immediate moratorium be placed on lethal injections at both the state and federal levels. It also recommends that, like Virginia, Ohio, and Arizona, governors in states that carry out executions should commission independent investigations into lethal injections and the problems that arise from lethal injections. It also calls for the FDA and the DEA to enforce their existing rules against those who violate their regulations in secret and take action against those actors. As Foa told NPR, “The death penalty in its application in the United States is racist. And we cannot continue to do this.”
FBI Serves Subpoenas For Controversial Mayor Tiffany Henyard
FBI agents traveled to Dolton to serve two subpoenas, one for Henyard and another for her top aide, as a crackdown on the mayor begins.
Tiffany Henyard’s reign over the Illinois suburb of Dolton may soon be over. The FBI served the controversial mayor with subpoenas on April 19 for ongoing allegations of abusing her power.
The mayor has been at the center of numerous scandals throughout her tenure. While known for her Nino Brown from “New Jack City” governing style, Henyard has run Dolton with an iron fist. She is accused of extorting local business owners to contribute to her campaign and stealing millions in city funds for her luxury purchases.
The Village of Dolton Board of Trustees has already urged a federal investigation into Henyard’s alleged criminal activities. Although the trustees voted for an outside probe into Henyard’s spending in February, the mayor vetoed the resolution the following month.
In response, the Board of Trustees selected former Chicago Lori Lightfoot as a special investigator into Henyard’s proposed violations. However, their continued action against the mayor has reached the FBI, prompting the subpoenas.
“The house of cards are collapsing,” explained Burt Odelson, legislative counsel for the Board, to Fox 32. “I think the government is taking action.”
According to Fox News, four federal agents traveled to Dolton to serve two subpoenas. The first subpoena requested employment records, personnel files, and disciplinary reports for 25 city employees.
The second subpoena went to Keith Freeman, the city’s administrator and Henyard’s supposed right-hand man. It asks for records of all his business dealings. Police charged him with bankruptcy fraud just days before the subpoena.
Henyard did not specifically receive any of the documents, as the agents delivered the documents to Dolton’s Village Hall. However, she proclaimed in the past that an investigation into her actions seems racist, reported also by the outlet.
“Y’all got false narratives out there, and y’all should be ashamed of y’all selves,” she stated at a prior town meeting. “…Y’all are Black! And y’all sitting up here beating and attacking on a Black woman that’s in power. Y’all should be ashamed of y’all selves.”
The Mama’s Den: Empowering Voices And Advocacy During National Minority Health Month
Hosts of The Mama’s Den podcast have honest conversations about motherhood, health, race, and sexuality from a mama's perspective.
April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM). This annual observance raises awareness about the health disparities between racial and ethnic minorities and encourages people to take action to end these inequities.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in four Americans, or 77 million people, have multiple chronic conditions. Spending on patients with various chronic conditions across the United States consumes 71% of all healthcare dollars throughout all settings.
Despite the improvements in the overall health of the country, racial and ethnic minorities experience a lower quality of healthcare—they are less likely to receive routine medical care and face higher rates of morbidity and mortality than nonminorities.
Singer Melanie Fiona; entrepreneur and influencer Felicia La Tour; writer Ashley Chea; and CEO of Black Love, Inc., Codie Elaine Oliver, created The Mama’s Den to have honest conversations about motherhood, health, race, sexuality, religion, and dating. In an unfiltered community filled with authentic conversations and experiences, the hosts share insights and information all from a mama’s perspective.
In a recent conversation with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Fiona, La Tour, Chea, and Oliver shed light on various aspects of Black maternal health, from disparities in medical care to the importance of mental health support.
Raising Awareness
For Fiona, NMHM signifies an opportunity for collective action and awareness. She emphasizes the importance of utilizing platforms like social media to educate and engage communities, stating, “It’s a time for people to get educated, understand and hear what we’re saying, and listen to what we’re asking for.”
Black individuals are more likely to experience barriers to timely medical care that are not directly related to the cost of care, such as long waiting times at the physician’s office, inconvenient office hours, and lack of transportation.
La Tour echoes Fiona’s sentiment, highlighting the essential role of advocacy in addressing disparities within the medical field. Drawing from her personal experiences and those of her friends, she emphasizes the urgency of raising awareness of issues such as barriers to care, preventable miscarriages, and medical malpractice, stating, “It’s just essential. I have close friends who have experienced multiple late-term miscarriages that may have been prevented. It brings awareness to a lot of the disparities that are happening in the healthcare for Black women especially.”
Empowerment Through Education
Chea emphasizes the importance of empowerment and education in Black maternal health. She views NMHM as an opportunity to create spaces where individuals feel empowered to make informed choices about their reproductive health. Chea states, “I look at it in the hope of creating spaces and content where we feel like we have options; we feel like there’s no one way to do this thing, and can all share resources, including promoting health equity, addressing underlying social disadvantages, and shedding light on healthcare algorithmic and Artificial Intelligence Bias.”
Healthcare algorithms and AI may exacerbate disparities in healthcare outcomes among various demographic groups, such as those defined by race, ethnicity, gender, or age.
One factor contributing to bias in healthcare algorithms and AI is the absence of diversity in the datasets used for training. To mitigate this, it’s crucial to incorporate data from a wide range of patients representing diverse demographic backgrounds during the development of AI systems, ensuring equitable performance across all groups.
Oliver further emphasizes the role of education in inspiring change and healing within communities. She stresses the significance of sharing diverse birthing experiences to empower women and families, stating, “It represents a collective time and space to bring healing and awareness. Historically speaking, there has been mistrust and underutilization of services by people of color, and racism’s impact on delivering healthcare and mental health services. NMHM is inspiring change through collective action and community.”
Challenges And Advocacy In Medical Care
Black women face many challenges within the healthcare system, particularly regarding obstetric care. Fiona recounts her traumatic experience with an emergency C-section and subsequent struggles to advocate for herself during her second pregnancy. She highlights systemic biases and the need for personalized care, stating, “Some women go into these meetings, offices, and appointments where they are just treated like a statistic.”
In 2007, a method known as the VBAC algorithm was introduced to aid healthcare professionals in evaluating the potential for a safe vaginal birth after cesarean. This algorithm considers various factors, including the woman’s age, the indication for the previous C-section, and the time elapsed since the procedure. However, one study in 2017 revealed discrepancies in the accuracy of the original algorithm.
Fiona shares, “The algorithm predicted that Black/African American women were less likely to have a successful vaginal birth after a C-section than non-Hispanic white women. I opted to have a VBAC for my second pregnancy, and right from the start, I was met with resistance.”
When people go to a medical facility for help, they expect the doctor to make appropriate health decisions for optimal health and outcomes.
Chea reflects on her journey through medical neglect and misdiagnosis, emphasizing the crucial need to have one’s voice heard to champion adequate care. Recalling her struggles with postpartum depression and undiagnosed thyroid disease, she asserts, “I had to advocate for myself to secure the proper care persistently.”
After a three-year battle, which resulted in abnormal weight gain, diabetes, and hospitalization, Chea was finally provided the correct diagnosis to get back on a healthier track. “It just sucks because the doctors kept telling me that it was something else.”
Role of Allies And Community Support
It is paramount to have allies and community support in addressing the maternal health crisis by bringing community members together and working with trusted organizations to identify concerns. Oliver emphasizes the need for collective action and support from partners, healthcare professionals, and allies. She stresses the significance of listening to Black women and amplifying their voices in advocating for equitable healthcare.
“It is necessary for all of us–family, community, and health organizations–to be aware, and be thoughtful,” Oliver points out. “Public health and community-based entities have the opportunity to enhance the well-being of their communities through initiatives aimed at tackling social determinants of health.”
The Mama’s Den provides a platform for authentic conversations and experiences surrounding Minority Health and Black maternal health. By sharing personal stories, advocating for change, and fostering community support, Fiona, La Tour, Chea, and Oliver exemplify resilience and empowerment in navigating the complexities of health and motherhood.
The change I want to create, even on a bigger scale in our community through my nonprofit, is getting bills passed and changing laws,” emphasizes La Tour. “Get behind what I’m doing, what Elaine, Melanie, and Ashley are doing, or what someone you know is doing. Get in line and support, whether that is physical or monetary support.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson Introduces Bill–Aimed At Trump–To Strip Secret Service From Felons
Thompson’s bill is seen as an attempt to reckon with the possibility of former President Trump serving a prison sentence.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss), the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, introduced a bill on April 19 that would take away the Secret Service protection detail from any former official convicted of a felony demanding at least a year in prison.
Thompson’s bill, the Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable (DISGRACED) Former Protectees Act, (H.R. 8081), is seen as an attempt to reckon with the possibility of former President Trump serving a prison sentence.
JUST IN: Rep. Bennie Thompson (former chair of the Jan. 6 committee) has introduced legislation that would terminate Secret Service protection for, uh, anyone sentenced to a year or more in jail. https://t.co/0EyltMuwUapic.twitter.com/TLi2ZqXw38
As The Hill reports, Trump is the only figure afforded Secret Service protection who is currently facing felony charges. Trump is accused of 91 felonies across four state and federal cases. In a statement, Thompson provided some context for the introduction of his bill. There have been arguments from some legal experts that Trump would be allowed to serve house arrest because of the Secret Service detail and not prison time if he is convicted.
“Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentence of a protectee — even a former President.”
Thompson continued, “It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be prepared and update the law so the American people can be assured that protective status does not translate into special treatment — and that those who are sentenced to prison will indeed serve the time required of them.”
According to the bill’s fact sheet, “Under current law, Secret Service protection is authorized for some current and former high-level officials and their immediate families. Current law does not contemplate how such protection would occur—or whether it should occur—if a protectee is sentenced to prison following a conviction for a felony. As a result, current law may impede the equal administration of justice and present logistical difficulties for both the Secret Service and prison authorities at the Federal and State levels.”
According to the one-pager, the bill also does not violate any constitutional rights, citing “Flemming v. Nestor,” a Supreme Court case that suggested terminating certain benefits could raise ex post facto concerns.
“The Supreme Court in Flemming v. Nestor suggested that there could be situations where the termination of a benefit may raise ex post facto concerns. However, such a law would have to be shown to have an unlawful, punitive purpose. This bill raises no punitive concern. The purpose of this bill is to hand off inmate protection to relevant prison authorities rather than involve the Secret Service. Further, the removal of Secret Service protection does not change the criminal statutes or alter the penalty for crimes.”
Business Insider reports that Thompson’s bill is unlikely to make it out of the House and Senate, but it notes the significance of a Democrat who carries the cache that Thompson does in responding to the potential of an incarcerated former President of the United States of America. The bill was co-sponsored by Reps. Troy A. Carter Sr., Barbara Lee, Frederica Wilson, Yvette D. Clark, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jasmine Crockett, Joyce Beatty, and Steve Cohen.
New York Attorney General Seeks Void Of Trump’s $175M Bond Over Collateral Concerns
New York Attorney General Letitia James requested that the judge void the $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump over her concerns that the company he used does not have enough identifiable collateral to secure the bond.
New York Attorney General Letitia James requested that Judge Arthur Engoron void the $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump over her concerns that the company he used does not have enough identifiable collateral to secure the bond. James also wants Engoron to pursue a larger monetary damage award while Trump appeals a $454 million verdict against him in the civil business fraud case.
As CNBCreports, the request from lawyers representing James’s office notes in their filing that Knight Specialty Insurance Company (KSIC), the company Trump used to procure the bond, is “a small insurer that is not authorized to write business in New York and thus not regulated by the state’s insurance department, had never before written a surety bond in New York or in the prior two years in any other jurisdiction, and has a total policyholder surplus of just $138 million.”
According to a court filing, KSIC’s surplus of $138 million is less than the reduced bond amount of $175 million, which according to an op-ed written by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling for The New Republic, means that the company would have to spend 127% of its reserves, which is far beyond the 10% allotted by New York law.
As United Press International reports, James’ office was critical of Trump’s control of $175 million in cash he placed into an account as collateral, they said in a statement that the defendants “failed to meet their burden to demonstrate that the bond is ‘sufficiently collateralized by identifiable assets.’”
James’ office continued, “KSIC does not now have an exclusive right to control the account and will not obtain such control unless and until it exercises a right to do so on two days’ notice.”
The lawyers are also requesting Judge Engoron have Trump and other defendants put up a replacement bond within a week of his ruling on the matter, a bond dispute hearing is set for April 22. In February, Engoron found Trump and the other defendants guilty of fraud, determining that the group of defendants, including the Trump Organization, had inflated the value of various real estate assets with the goal of boosting Trump’s net worth. The $454 million that Trump has been required to pay by Judge Engoron is getting larger, as interest accrues on the amount each day it goes unpaid.
Despite this, Hankey told Reuters in an interview, “We thought it would be an easy procedure that wouldn’t involve other legal problems and it’s not turning out that way. We probably didn’t charge enough. We have been getting a lot of emails, a lot of phone calls. Maybe that’s part of the reason he had trouble with other insurance companies.”
Detroit’s Adam Hollier Receives Endorsement From Black Caucus Leaders
It is uncommon for House Democrats to endorse a primary challenger over an incumbent.
Adam Hollier, a Democrat who is challenging Democratic incumbent Shri Thanedar for his seat in the House of Representatives, received endorsements from the current and former chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus. On April 19, current CBC chair Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) and former CBC chair Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) released statements in support of Hollier.
As The Hill reports, Thanedar, who became the first Indian American to represent Michigan in Congress with his win in 2022, has faced accusations of abandoning his constituents to focus on his re-election campaign and running a toxic work environment. As a result of his election, no Black members of Congress are representing Detroit, ending a 67-year streak.
During his election campaign, Hollier also cast Thanedar as out of touch, a millionaire who bought his way into the position and abandoned the constituents once he got it.
“Thanedar’s biggest supporter is his pocketbook, but people are sick and tired of out-of-touch multi-millionaires who buy their way into Congress and then don’t lift a finger to help hardworking families here at home,” Hollier told the Detroit News.
Horsford said in his endorsement that he believes in what Hollier stands for. “From the U.S. Army to Governor Whitmer’s cabinet, Adam Hollier has spent his life serving his community and his country. I know he will continue that service as an effective representative and put people over politics,” Horsford said.
Horsford continued, “Adam is the kind of leader who understands the importance of protecting our freedoms, fighting for our rights, and ensuring opportunities for everyone.”
Beatty, meanwhile, took a shot at Thanedar’s reported social media activity, saying in her endorsement that she trusts Hollier to show up for his constituents. “While some politicians would rather tweet than show up, Adam always steps up, shows up, and delivers results.”
As the Detroit News reports, it is uncommon for House Democrats to endorse a primary challenger over an incumbent. This has led experts, like consultant Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and the CEO of Grassroots Midwest, to theorize that it is about making sure that one of the Blackest cities in America is represented by a Black congressperson.
“Separate of what anyone thinks of Shri, the endorsement is partly the message here ― that there’s not a Black Detroiter in Congress, which for one of the Blackest cities in America feels weird,” Hemond told the Detroit News.
“For the first time in 67 years, Detroit does not have a Black member of Congress. We know that Black voters are the bedrock of the Democratic party, and we know what Adam’s election will mean for so many across the community. Representation matters, and Adam’s election will energize and mobilize Black voters and young voters alike — two groups that will decide the fate of the Presidential election here in Michigan.”
The letter concludes, “Adam has shown time and again that he will always answer the call, overcome any challenge in his way, and deliver real results for those who need it most. He’s someone who we can be proud of as he walks the halls of Congress — someone who will listen, who will show up, and who will never stop fighting for us.”
