AfricanAncestry.com Partners With Sierra Leone to Help Black People With Roots To The Country Gain Citizenship
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 27, 2021

AfricanAncestry.com Partners With Sierra Leone to Help Black People With Roots To The Country Gain Citizenship

For those Black people considering a move to Africa, you might want to see if you have any lineage to the country of Sierra Leone.

The West African country has partnered up with AfricanAncestry.com to help Black people locate their possible roots in the country and secure citizenship. The government of Sierra Leone signed a groundbreaking agreement with the ancestry site that promises to increase tourism, business opportunities, investments, and construction projects in Africa’s fifth most peaceful country.

Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and its facilitating agency The Monuments and Relics Commission aided in the partnership between the government and AfricanAncestry.com. The site’s President and Co-founder, Dr. Gina Paige, met with Sierra Leone Minister of Tourism Madam Memunatu Pratt in State House, Freetown, on April 29 to mark the special Agreement Signing.

“This partnership is perhaps the most significant milestone for African Ancestry since we created a way for Black people to trace their African roots using DNA 18 years ago,” said Dr. Gina Paige. “It has transformed the total experience of what it is to be an AfricanAncestry.com customer.”

During the event, 59 Sierra Leone passports were given out to the inaugural recipients under the new partnership. The Agreement was signed in the presence of Sierra Leone’s President, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, who expressed his support and commitment to the partnership.

“We welcome you to acquire land, live in our communities, invest, build capacity and take advantage of business opportunities,” President Bio said during the ceremony.

Those seeking to receive citizenship to Sierra Leone must first obtain an authentic AfricanAncestry.com Certificate of Ancestry featuring a special Seal validating Sierra Leone ancestry. As part of the AfricanAncestry.com Family Reunion trips, there is a second trip scheduled to the country this fall. People interested in locating their possible Sierra Leone ancestry can visit www.AfricanAncestry.com for more information or submit a request at travel@africanancestry.com.

With the Sierra Leone partnership set in stone, AfricanAncestry.com is working to expand the program to more than 30 countries in Africa where they trace ancestry within the coming years.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 27, 2021

Howard University Renames College of Fine Arts After Alumnus Chadwick Boseman

The name Chadwick Boseman will live on at his alma mater.

Howard University will name its newly reestablished College of Fine Arts in honor of the Oscar-nominated actor and Black Panther star who was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016. Boseman died in his home last year, with his wife and family by his side.

“When Chadwick Boseman returned to campus in 2018 to serve as our commencement speaker, he called Howard a magical place. During his visit, I announced our plans to re-establish the College of Fine Arts and he was filled with ideas and plans to support the effort in a powerful way,” said university president Frederick. “Chadwick’s love for Howard University was sincere, and although he did not live to see those plans through to fruition, it is my honor to ensure his legacy lives on through the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts with the support of his wife and the Chadwick Boseman Foundation. I’m also elated to have the support of The Walt Disney Company’s Executive Chairman Bob Iger, who has graciously volunteered to lead the fundraising effort to build a state-of-the-art facility and endowment for the college.”

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While attending Howard, Boseman led a student protest against the absorption of the college of fine arts into the college of arts & sciences. Even after graduating, he engaged in conversations with administration. Plans to re-establish the college of fine arts were announced in early 2018.

“Chad fought to preserve the College of Fine Arts during his matriculation at Howard and remained dedicated to the fight throughout his career, and he would be overjoyed by this development,” the Boseman family said in a written statement. “His time at Howard University helped shape both the man and the artist that he became, committed to truth, integrity, and a determination to transform the world through the power of storytelling. We are confident that under the dynamic leadership of his former professor and mentor the indomitable Phylicia Rashad that the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts will inspire artistic scholars for many generations.”

Iger is leading the fundraising efforts in honor of Boseman to build a new, state-of-the-art facility to house the college and an endowment for the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.

“Chadwick Boseman was an extraordinarily gifted, charismatic, and kind-hearted person whose incredible talent and generous spirit were clearly reflected in his iconic performances, including as King T’Challa in Black Panther, and in his tireless commitment to helping others,” Iger said. “Through his tremendous example, he inspired millions to overcome adversity, dream big, and reach beyond the status quo, and this College named in his honor at his beloved Howard University will provide opportunities for future generations of artists to follow in his footsteps and pursue their dreams.”

NFL Will Host HBCU Combine In Alabama, Reese’s Senior Bowl
by Derek Major

May 27, 2021

NFL Will Host HBCU Combine In Alabama, Reese’s Senior Bowl

The Reese’s Senior Bowl in collaboration with the NFL will hold the first historically Black college and university (HBCU) Combine.

The event will take place at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, where the Senior Bowl takes place and will feature the top seniors from the CIAA, MEAC, SIAC, and SWAC HBCU football conferences and other HBCU football teams. In addition to workouts, agility and skill testing, the HBCU Combine will give NFL teams, scouts, and front office personnel a chance to gather medical information and interview prospects.

The initial event was set to take place last year but was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several former football players including Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders expressed shock and anger at the fact that last year no HBCU football players were drafted.

RELATED CONTENT: NFL Hall Of Famer And Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders Furious No HBCU Players Selected In NFL Draft

Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said the event will help HBCU athletes achieve their dream of playing professional football.

“The Reese’s Senior Bowl is honored to be collaborating with the National Football League to host the inaugural HBCU Combine in Mobile, Alabama,” Nagy said in a statement. “Over the years, the Senior Bowl has served as a showcase for some of the top Black college football players in America, including seven of our game’s 56 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this event will help many more HBCU players secure further attention and exposure from all 32 teams.”

An HBCU Scouting Committee, which will be made up of former and current league executives, will evaluate and select the participants.

Notable HBCU alumni who played in the NFL include Grambling State alum Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl; Former New York Giants defensive end and Texas Southern alum Michael Strahan, and Jackson State alum Walter Peyton, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

The date of the combine has yet to be announced, but the 2022 Senior Bowl will take place Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022.

Los Angeles Testing National Cop Registry to Track Police Misconduct
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 27, 2021

Los Angeles Testing National Cop Registry to Track Police Misconduct

Los Angeles is set to test the LEWIS Registry, the first comprehensive national database of police officers who have been terminated or resigned due to misconduct.

Named after the late Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, the Law Enforcement Work Inquiry System or LEWIS Registry aims to bring transparency and accountability to law enforcement nationwide, NBC News reports. The USC Safe Communities Institute (SCI) announced the pilot roll-out of the LEWIS (Law Enforcement Work Inquiry System) Registry on Monday.

The registry uses public records from sources such as official department statements, court records, police notices, news reports, and other open sources, to document details of a police officer’s history of misconduct. The database keeps track of reports related to incidents of excessive force, corruption, domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment, perjury, hate group affiliation, or filing a false police report. The system serves to prevent terminated or resigned officers from getting rehired at another police department.

“A national police misconduct registry of abusive, violent and corrupt police officers is necessary to ensure transparency,” said U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA 37rd District). “This will hold officers accountable to the people they are supposed to serve and protect, as well as prevent bad officers from leaving one department and being hired in another.”

State laws have protected the personnel records of reprimanded officers for years. But California lawmakers are working to pass legislation that would force departments to decertify officers with serious misconduct history so that they cannot get hired by another agency.

“The common term is called bouncing and they bounced from department to department. California, unfortunately, is one of five states that when you get terminated, you keep your post,” Dr. Erroll Southers, director of USC Safe Communities Institute, and a former police officer and FBI agent.

 

He continued. “We’re only focused on officers that have been terminated, resigned due to misconduct so they can’t go to another department. We think that agencies across the country need to know who they are. They need to know where they came from and to give them an opportunity to not rehire them.”

by Jeffrey McKinney

May 27, 2021

Latest Actions of Bank of America’s Pledge To Combat Racial Inequality Includes Boosting Its Equity Investment Target For Minority Entrepreneurs By Another $150 Million

Aiming to help enlarge Black wealth, Bank of America is boosting its investment in venture capital funds supporting minority entrepreneurs.
The nation’s second-largest bank is raising its target for equity investment in minority-focused funds to $350 million from $200 million. The new move will allow the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender to increase its direct equity investments in funds that provide capital to Black, Hispanic-Latino, Asian, Native American, along with other underrepresented minority and women entrepreneurs.
The bank is adding the extra $150 million because it surpassed a goal it set last fall sooner than projected. In September, the bank stated it would invest $200 million over four years and topped that in a matter of months instead.
   
The fresh funding is geared to help the targeted firms establish and grow their businesses moving forward. The additional money will enable the bank to expand its investments to more minority funds.

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Further, the bank also noted it has already committed over $250 million to 90 minority-focused investment funds in the U.S. Some firms that will benefit include Jumpstart, Elevate Capital, Avenue Growth Partners, and Greenwood. A list of others gaining from the funding is here.
 The bank reports the action articulates the need for more capital in funds led by diverse managers as well as the need for more growth equity funding for the minority entrepreneurs they support.
The bank has completed a total of 17 direct equity investments—including investments in additional institutions—in minority depository institutions and community development financial institution banks as part of its  $50 million commitment made last year.

RELATED CONTENT: Bank of America Funds New Training Centers for Black Entrepreneurs at Spelman and Morehouse

As part of that commitment, the bank says it will acquire up to 4.9% of common equity in MDIs and CDFI banks facilitating benefits in the communities the institutions serve through lending, housing, neighborhood revitalization, and other banking services. See the list of where new investments were made here.

“Equity investments in minority-focused funds, MDIs, and CDFI banks help address a persistent gap in access to growth capital,” Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, stated in a news release. “By providing this capital, we’re helping to level the playing field and open more doors for minority-led businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovation.”

The investments are part of Bank of America’s $1.25 billion racial equality and economic opportunity commitment. The pledge focuses on addressing and advancing social issues in minority populations, such as health, jobs, education, housing, and capital inequality, and will facilitate benefits across multiple states and communities.

Bank of America joins other large U.S. banks who last year made major financial commitments to battle racism after the police shooting of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests.

Debbie Allen Celebrated Among Kennedy Center Honorees
by Andrea Blackstone

May 26, 2021

Debbie Allen Celebrated Among Kennedy Center Honorees

Actress and choreographer Debbie Allen was among the artists honored earlier this month at the 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors.

Singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez; country singer-songwriter Garth Brooks; violinist Midori; and actor Dick Van Dyke also had medallions placed on their necks in what USA Today called a “short, small ceremony.” The ceremony will air Sunday, June 6, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

On the Kennedy Center’s website, Allen remarked that she is humbled to receive the honor.

“This is so much more than our nation’s Highest Artistic Award, it is a measure of how my footprint has resonated as a path of light over the years and in this time of tremendous uncertainty, fear, and search for hope. This glorious achievement I share with my family, mentors, and students who have inspired and pushed me all the way. I look forward to being part of a fresh start for America and reminding the world how essential the Performing Arts are in our lives. Much Gratitude,” Allen added.

Allen earned a BFA from Howard University in theater and classical Greek studies. An award-winning producer, director, writer, actor, and choreographer, Allen has also choreographed the Academy Awards’s ceremony 10 times. Among the artists she has choreographed and directed: Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dolly Parton.

The legend did not take all of the credit for the prestigious honor. On the Kennedy Center’s Instagram account, Allen shared the recognition with her family and community, including actress Phylicia Rashad, her sister. Some of her family members were in attendance.

 

(Image: Instagram/@therealdebbieallen)

 

“Legacy—no one builds a legacy by themselves. No one even can find a purpose by themselves. It’s fueled by your family, your community: what is needed, what is missing, what needs to be celebrated, what needs to be changed,” Allen said.

by Derek Major

May 26, 2021

At Least Eight People Killed In Mass Shooting At Rail Yard In San Jose

Reuters – At least eight people were killed when a transit employee began shooting at a light rail yard in San Jose, California, on Wednesday morning, the county sheriff’s office said.

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy Russell Davis said at a news conference the gunman was also dead. The gunman was a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) employee, he said.

Davis said he could not say how the gunman died or whether police officers fired their weapons at the scene.

The shooting took place just before 7 a.m. Pacific Time (1400 GMT) at a light rail yard run by the VTA near the city’s main airport. A bomb squad was searching the yard after “at least one” explosive device was found, Davis said.

“A horrible tragedy has happened today and our thoughts and love go out to the VTA family,” Glenn Hendricks, the chairman of the VTA board, said at the news conference.

He said the shooting took place in a part of the yard where workers do maintenance on vehicles, and was not in the yard’s operations and control center.

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San Jose, a city with about 1 million residents, lies at the heart of Silicon Valley, a global center of technological innovation and home of some of America’s biggest tech companies.

“We are in a very dark moment,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said at the news conference. “We will do everything possible to ensure this never happens again in our city.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had agents assisting at the crime scene.

Mass shootings are common in the United States, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world.

In March, eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were shot dead in a string of attacks at day spas in and around Atlanta, and less than a week later, 10 people were killed at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.

(For a factbox on recent mass U.S. shootings, click on)

(Reporting by Peter Szekely, Jonathan Allen and Maria Caspani in New York; Editing by Howard Goller and Sonya Hepinstall)

Amy ‘Central Park Karen’ Cooper Suing Former Job Because She Was Fired For Being Racist, But Where’s The Lie?
by Christian Spencer

May 26, 2021

Amy ‘Central Park Karen’ Cooper Suing Former Job Because She Was Fired For Being Racist, But Where’s The Lie?

The woman infamously known as “Central Park Karen” has filed a lawsuit in the District Court for the Southern District of New York against her former employer, Franklin Templeton.

The asset management firm fired Amy Cooper in May 2020 because she went viral for falsely calling the police on a Black bird watcher who reminded her to put her dog on a leash in the famed New York City park, The Hill reported.

“We believe the circumstances of the situation speak for themselves and that the Company responded appropriately. We will defend against these baseless claims,” a representative for Franklin Templeton told The Hill via emai. 

In an interview with Bloomberg, Jenny Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton., said the decision to fire Cooper was an easy one to make.

“The U.S. is in a lot of pain right now. Our African American colleagues are in a lot of pain right now. Making it a time to really reflect internally all of us as leaders of our assets. We can’t control everything, but we can control the environment in which we operate our companies, and it starts with leaders ensuring that discrimination is not tolerated and that we create an environment that is absolutely feels inclusive for all employees,” Johnson said.

Related stories: AMY COOPER, WHITE WOMAN WHO CALLED COPS ON BLACK BIRD WATCHER IN CENTRAL PARK, CHARGED WITH FILING FALSE REPORT

The decision to fire Cooper was widely praised within the company, Johnson said.

Cooper was charged with misdemeanors that could have led to a year in prison, but the case was ultimately dismissed in February because state prosecutors fought against it.

According to The New York Post, a judge granted Manhattan prosecutors’ request to dismiss Cooper’s case after she completed five therapy sessions “designed for introspection and progress,” Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said at a brief virtual hearing.

“Psychoeducation about racial equity is woven into each therapy session to prompt understanding and reflection,” prosecutor Illuzzi-Orbon told the judge.

Court Papers Show DMX’s Estate Worth Less Than $1 Million
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 26, 2021

Court Papers Show DMX’s Estate Worth Less Than $1 Million

Despite being a platinum-selling artist who sold 74 million records worldwide, DMX left behind an estate worth less than $1 million.

The revelation comes as five of the late rapper’s 15 children work to gain access to his estate. Court papers show the “Party Up” emcee’s estate might have been worth less than $50,000, The New York Daily News reported.

The Ruff Ryders frontman, who died April 9 at age 50 following a massive heart attack, appears to have left behind assets in the forms of music rather than dollars and cents. The documents were filed in Westchester County on May 10 from DMX’s daughters Sasha Simmons and Jada Oden. Separate court papers dated May 21 were filed on behalf of his sons Xavier, Tacoma, and Sean Simmons.

Both sets of children are seeking to become administrators of the rap star’s estate. The sisters identified DMX’s estate at $50,000 while his three sons listed it as under $1 million. The rapper’s other 10 children have yet to file paperwork in court, Radar Online reported.

DMX,addiction, drug, heart attack, emcee,overdose,rapper
(Image: DMX/Instagram)

If a deal is made, there could be a battle between his 15 children over the rapper’s trademarks, royalties, and music catalog. The rights to his music are estimated to add millions to DMX’s estate over the next couple of years. His songs skyrocketed to the top of the streaming charts following his death.

The news comes after the rapper dominated the hip-hop scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s. According to Daily Rap Facts, DMX was the first rapper to have his first five albums debut at number-one as well as releasing two number-one albums in the same year, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.

Following his death, his family released a statement and asked for privacy ahead of the funeral arrangements. ”

We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days. Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end,” the statement read.

RELATED CONTENT: Russell Simmons Admits ‘DMX Saved Def Jam’ Record Label and Wished ‘We Could Have Saved Him’

President Joe Biden: Intelligence Community Divided On Coronavirus Origin
by Derek Major

May 26, 2021

President Joe Biden: Intelligence Community Divided On Coronavirus Origin

Reuters – President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the U.S. intelligence community was divided on the origin in China of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, including whether it came from human contact with an infected animal or a laboratory accident.

Biden said in a statement that he has called for further investigation into the pandemic’s origins.

He said that U.S. intelligence are looking into two different scenarios, that they do not have high confidence in their current conclusions and that they are divided on which is most likely.

“I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days,” Biden said.

“As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China.”

U.S. agencies have been aggressively investigating COVID-19’s origins since the U.S. government first recognized the virus as a serious health risk in early 2020.

Earlier this week, U.S. government sources familiar with intelligence reporting and analysis said a still-classified U.S. intelligence report circulated during former President Donald Trump’s administration alleged that three researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care.

The source of this early intelligence or how reliable U.S. agencies rated it is not known. It remains unclear whether the afflicted researchers were hospitalized or what their symptoms were, one of the sources said. The virus first appeared in Wuhan and then spread worldwide.

RELATED CONTENT: Dr. Anthony Fauci: Coronavirus Will Become ‘Seasonal’ Like The Flu

Intelligence committees of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are investigating how U.S. agencies have reported on and gathered information about COVID-19’s origin, how it spread and how governments have responded to it.

A report issued by House intelligence committee Republicans earlier this month focused particularly on the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The Republican report asserted that there was “significant circumstantial evidence raises serious concerns that the COVID19 outbreak may have been a leak” from the institute, suggested the Wuhan lab was involved in biological weapons research, and that Beijing had attempted to “cover up” the virus’ origins.

However, the origin of the virus remains hotly contested among experts.

In a report issued in March written jointly with Chinese scientists, a World Health Organization-led team that spent four weeks in and around Wuhan in January and February said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that “introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway.”

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Mark Hosenball and Timothy Ahmann; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)

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