Cleveland Radio Announcer Fired for Calling Senator Kamala Harris ‘First Colored Vice Presidential Candidate’
A radio announcer has been relieved from his duties at the radio station he worked at because he referred to Senator Kamala Harris as America’s “first colored vice presidential candidate,” according to Fox News.
26-year-old radio announcer Kyle Cornell had made the reference during the broadcast of a Cleveland Indians baseball game this past Wednesday on WTAM 1100. During the broadcast, Cornell said, “The U.S. officially has its first colored vice presidential candidate. More coming up after the game on Newsradio WTAM 1100 Cleveland.”
“We are aware of the reference made on WTAM by Kyle Cornell,” Ray Davis, the station’s program and promotions director said in a written statement. “We take this matter very seriously and addressed it immediately. The term used is extremely offensive and does not align with our station’s core values and commitment to the communities we serve. He is no longer with WTAM.”
WKYC spoke to Cornell and he stated he wasn’t trying to be malicious with his description of Harris.
“I wasn’t trying to be malicious or in any way decimate the character or anything like that,” Cornell said. “That was never the goal. And for that, I am truly sorry.”
He then made sure he apologized to the radio station.
“For the station of WTAM too, I feel awful for putting them through what they’ve had to go through over the past 24 hours…I just want them to understand it was a rough choice to make and that I accept my punishment and know that I still love and care about everyone at the station, wish them well and I hope that they can forgive me for making a judgment in error and something that I know is not me.”
The attacks against Senator Harris have been plentiful since the announcement by Biden of selecting her as his running mate on the upcoming election.
The First Black Student to Integrate Auburn University Gets His Master’s Degree 51 Years Later
Earlier this year, Harold Alonza Franklin Sr. returned to his alma mater, Auburn University, where he became the first Black student to integrate the school, to receive his master’s degree 51 years later.
Franklin arrived at Auburn University as a graduate student in 1964, after he sued the university and a federal judge ruled that the university had to allow him to enroll. He was escorted by the FBI because then Governor Mike Wallace had sent state troopers to prevent the integration.
He had graduated from Alabama State College, a historically Black college, in 1962, and his plan was to obtain his master’s degree in history. Things took a turn, however, when he clashed with professors over the topic of his thesis. “I wanted to write on the civil rights struggle,” Franklin said in an interview with AL.com. “One of the professors told me it was too controversial.”
Franklin changed the thesis to another subject but the new thesis never got approved either. “They still complained about this or that,” he explained to AL.com. “I had been to the thesis room and read the white kids’ thesis. I couldn’t understand why mine wasn’t acceptable and the others were.”
He spent 12 months at Auburn working toward his degree, but realized by 1969, after five years and countless tweaks, that Auburn was never going to approve his thesis.
In 2001, he received an honorary doctor of arts degree from the institution as an acknowledgment for his work. But now finally, after half a century, the university invited him back to defend his thesis—which he did successfully in February—and to obtain his long-awaited degree.
“He had earned all the credits, he did all the courses, he had written the thesis,” Keith Hebert, an associate professor of history at Auburn and the chair of the thesis committee, told AL.com, about the thesis, which Franklin had kept for all these years.
“I’m honored,” Franklin said in an interview with AL.com about the milestone. “I’m happy they finally decided after all these years. I’ll be there at graduation and get that degree.”
5 Highlighting Moments From the DNC You’ll Want to Watch Again
The promise of equality, liberty, and justice underscored the 2020 Democratic National Convention this week. The four-day virtual event featured a number of establishment leaders, Party favorites, celebrity performances, and testimonies from everyday people struggling in Trump’s America. From race relations to immigration to climate change to women’s rights, the convention stressed how these issues are being exacerbated under the Trump administration. The speakers also emphasized how the White House has failed to protect Americans from the global COVID-19 pandemic while highlighting the calls for justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
The DNC culminated in a final acceptance speech from Joe Biden, who opened with a quote from civil rights activist Ella Baker.
“Ella Baker, a giant of the civil rights movement, left us with this wisdom: Give people light and they will find a way,” he said. “Give people light. Those are words for our time. The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division,” he continued. “Here and now, I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not of the darkness,” he said.
Here are five of the best moments from the 2020 DNC.
Kamala Harris Accepts the VP Nomination
Sen. Kamala Harris made history Wednesday evening, becoming the first Black woman to accept the nomination as vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. During her speech, the HBCU grad praised her mother, who immigrated from India at the age of 19 years old, and emphasized how Black and brown communities are being affected by the coronavirus and systemic racism.
“Black, Latino, and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately,” Harris said. “This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism, of inequities in health care and housing, job security, and transportation. The injustice in reproductive and maternal health care.”
Michelle Obama Slams Trump
The convention kicked off Monday night with former first lady Michelle Obama, who delivered a passionate speech, stressing the importance of voting and her support for Joe Biden. She also offered sharp criticism of President Trump.
“So, let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she said. “He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”
Obama, who wore a VOTE necklace by a Black designer, also noted how Trump has failed to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
“Now, I understand that my message won’t be heard by some people. We live in a nation that is deeply divided, and I am a Black woman speaking at the Democratic Convention,” she continued. “But enough of you know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I’m feeling. You know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation. You know how much I care about all of our children.”
Barack Obama’s Sober Speech
Rather than offering words of hope and inspiration, former President Barack Obama delivered a speech that warned Americans about the devastation that would be caused if Trump is reelected.
“Do not let them take away your power,” Obama said during his stark address from Philadelphia. “Don’t let them take away your democracy.”
Viral Security Guard Sensation Endorses Joe Biden
A security guard at The New York Times, who went viral last year after meeting Biden in an elevator, was the first person to nominate him at the convention.
“I take powerful people up on my elevator all the time. When they get off, they go to their important meetings. Me? I just head back to the lobby. But in the short time I spent with Joe Biden, I could tell he really saw me, that he actually cared, that my life meant something to him,” said Jacquelyn Brittany, who escorted Biden through the Times building and blurted out “I love you” on camera.
“And I knew, that even when he went into his important meeting, he’d take my story in there with him,” Brittany continued. “We’ve been through a lot, and we have tough days ahead, but nominating someone like that to be in the White House is a good place to start. “That’s why I nominate my friend as the next president of the United States,” Brittany concluded.
Jacquelyn Brittany nominates “my friend” Joe Biden for president of the United States.
She is a security guard who last year told Biden “I love you” as she escorted him in an elevator. pic.twitter.com/lW1Ji4In9o
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was one of several Republicans who endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate at the convention.
“The values I learned growing up in the South Bronx and serving in uniform were the same values that Joe Biden’s parents instilled in him in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I support Joe Biden for the presidency of the United States because those values still define him, and we need to restore those values to the White House,” Powell said in a video released by the DNC ahead of the second night of convention programming.
Powell served as the Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 in George W. Bush’s administration. Other noted Republicans who appeared at the DNC included former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Cindy McCain, the wife of late Sen. John McCain.
Real Estate Developer Becomes Only Black Majority Owner In Professional Baseball
The CEO of a real estate and development company headquartered in Maryland has become the only Black majority owner of any professional baseball team in the U.S.
Brandon Bellamy, the chief executive officer of Velocity Cos., based in Prince George’s County, will become the owner of a new, yet-to-be-named expansion baseball club in Gastonia, North Carolina. The team will play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
The City of Gastonia announced the agreement Tuesday during a press conference at the Gastonia Conference Center.
“It is especially moving to me to be able to bring a team to North Carolina not that far away from where my dad grew up,” Bellamy told QCity Metro Tuesday.
Bellamy’s baseball team, which has not been named yet, will join the Atlantic League lineup next spring for the 2021 season and play in Gastonia’s 5,000-seat multipurpose ballpark once construction is completed.
According to city officials, the team’s stadium will anchor the overarching 16-acre Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment (FUSE) District, which broke ground in downtown Gastonia last October. Bellamy’s company Velocity will manage the ballpark and collaborate on economic development projects tied to the stadium, including residential, retail, hotel, and office space properties.
Gastonia Mayor Walker Reid III said the agreement is a milestone for the city.
“This is a milestone for our city and an example of how public-private partnerships can revitalize a community, proving to be beneficial for everyone,” Reid said.
During the conference, Bellamy also commented on the status of being a majority Black baseball team owner.
“I believe in hope, opportunity, inspiration, period,” he said. “So before you ask me questions like that, if you are struggling with anything in your life and you need a push or some encouragement, and you get that from my story, then I’m for you. It doesn’t matter what you look like.”
A bevy of professional sports leagues have made efforts this summer to add diversity to their front offices. Earlier this month, Jason Wright became the first Black man to hold the position of team president for an NFL franchise. In June, Xavier Gutierrez became the NHL’s first Latino CEO for the Arizona Coyotes. Also, Brandon Thompson became the first person appointed to the newly created position of Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR.
Derek Harris, who was arrested in 2008 in Louisiana for selling .69 grams of marijuana to a police officer, was re-sentenced to time served after serving nine years in prison.
Harris was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison according to CNN. In 2012 however, Harris was re-sentenced to life in prison under Louisiana’s Habitual Offender Law. The law allows judges to impose stricter sentences on someone who’s been charged before. Prosecutors in Vermilion Parish agreed to release Harris after the State Supreme Court granted him a new trial in July, according to Harris’s lawyer Cormac Boyle.
The Louisiana Supreme Court agreed with Harris’s argument claiming he had “ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing on post-conviction review.”
The District Attorney’s office also agreed that Harris had “ineffective counsel” at his sentencing and was entitled to a lesser sentence, Boyle said in a statement.
Boyle also noted that Harris developed a substance abuse issue when he returned from Desert Storm which led to his convictions.
“His prior offenses were nonviolent and related to his untreated dependency on drugs,” Louisiana Supreme Court Justice John Weimer wrote in his opinion. Weimer also added in his opinion that Harris “was not a drug kingpin and didn’t fit what they thought of “as a drug dealer, so far as I can tell.”
Weimer added that those were the main reasons Harris was not originally sentenced to the 30-year maximum and the trial court did not re-sentence Harris until after the habitual offender law was passed.
Boyle told CNN he’s still working with the Louisiana Department of Corrections on Harris’ release. Once Harris is released he will be moving to Kentucky to be closer to family.
Although Harris received his freedom from his unjust sentence, another Louisiana man, Fair Wayne Bryant, had his life sentence for stealing hedge clippers upheld earlier this month.
The Louisiana’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its decision the “litany of convictions and the brevity of the periods during which the defendant was not in custody for a new offense is ample support for the sentence imposed in this case.”
New App Aims to Raise $1 Billion for HBCUs by Collecting Spare Change
Innovation may be the key to helping ease the financial burdens and fundraising challenges faced by many historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country.
This week, Xavier Peoples unveiled HBCU Change, a new app that aims to raise $1 billion for HBCUs over the next five years by collecting spare change from users. Much like popular round-up apps Acorns and Chime, HBCU Change works by rounding up credit or debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and then automatically donating those funds to the user’s HBCU of choice. The app also keeps track of the user’s contributions and displays which schools and class years are raising the most funds.
HBCUs have always been vulnerable to economic fluctuations,” says HBCU Change founder Xavier Peoples, a serial entrepreneur who was named to BLACK ENTERPRISE’sBE Modern Man class of 2016. “Now, the impact of the pandemic has presented an even more serious threat to the stability of our beloved schools. I created HBCU Change to empower alums, philanthropists, and general supporters to give back to these institutions in a consistent and accessible way.”
Xavier Peoples, the founder and creator of the HBCU Change app (file)
To meet their ambitious goal, Peoples and his development team will execute a strategic social media campaign and influencer marketing tactics. The funds raised in this effort will go toward school endowment and scholarship funds.
Several Black institutions are participating in the HBCU Change campaign, including Alabama State University, Benedict College, Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, and Morris Brown College. Additional schools are expected to sign on throughout the rest of the year.
“Some of these schools have received major donations but the reality is that you can’t always rely on these major donations,” Peoples told Forbes. “This app provides consistency that they can count on. They will be able to engage alumni and allow alumni to give back and have a tremendous impact on the school.”
He added, “I understand how vital the HBCU system is to the Black ecosystem.”
Activists and Celebrities to Kick Off ‘BreonnaCon’ in Louisville to Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor
It’s been five months since Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black EMT worker, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers while sleeping in her home. Yet, inconceivably, no one has been charged for her death. Activists, however, are amplifying the calls for justice.
Until Freedom, an organization geared toward fighting systemic and racial injustice, announced BreonnaCon, a multi-day event in Louisville, Kentucky, to direct resources, talent, and energy towards achieving justice for Taylor.
The event starts tomorrow, Aug. 22, and will culminate Aug. 25 with a massive demonstration.
According to a press release, this “first-of-its-kind community convention” will include workshops, training, women’s and men’s empowerment programs, a school supplies giveaway, community BBQ, and a Faith Revival at Kingdom Fellowship Center.
“BreonnaCon will engage, activate, and transform the Louisville community by building a comprehensive slate of programming that will amplify the urgent need for Justice for Breonna,” said Until Freedom Co-Founder Tamika Mallory. “BreonnaCon will address a number of issues impacting the community including food insecurity.”
Several reality TV stars will participate in the four-day event, lending their voices to the amplification of the grave injustices surrounding Taylor’s case. Slated to participate are former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks; Love & Hip Hop New York star and entrepreneur, Yandy Smith-Harris, and Real Housewives of Potomac cast member Gizelle Bryant.
Real Housewives of Atlanta personality Porsha Williams, who is facing five years in prison on a felony charge for participating in a Louisville protest last month, is also slated to attend.
Until Freedom has organized several large-scale events in Louisville and neighboring communities since June, including a sit-in at Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home last month. The New York-based organization was founded by activists Tamika D. Mallory, Mysonne Linen, Linda Sarsour, and Angelo Pinto.
Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg sits on the board while entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Monique Idlett-Mosley serves as the board chair.
Georgia Police Officer Placed On Desk Duty After Video Shows Controversial Arrest
A Gwinnett County, Georgia, police officer was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the arrest of a woman Tuesday.
Cellphone video of the arrest was recorded Tuesday and posted to TikTok Wednesday. Since then, it has been shared more than 214,000 times and viewed nearly 20 million times, prompting the Gwinnett County Police Department to release a statement Thursday.
“The police department takes all use of force seriously,” Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Collin Flynn said, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “All use of force cases are administratively reviewed through the chain of command. An investigation into this incident is being conducted.”
In the video, White officer Michael Oxford is seen trying to detain a Black woman on a porch. After the woman, identified as Kyndesia Smith, tries multiple times to evade Oxford, he pulls out his taser and fires it once at the woman, who falls into bushes in front of the home.
Warning: The video contains violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l40YkrzwEw0
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Oxford was responding to a 911 call about property damage.
A neighbor told police that a group of people gathered in front of her home and threw a bottle at her car which left a liquid on it. The incident was captured on the woman’s surveillance system, which she later showed to the cops. The woman also told Oxford one of the women in the group threatened to “kick her son in the head” before going to a house across the street.
Oxford wrote in his police report that one of the women matched the description of the person in the neighbor’s security footage. The woman was later identified as Aytra Thomas.
As Oxford approached the house, the group of women began shouting at him, making him unable to question Thomas about what happened.
“The other people that were on scene with her continued to yell and scream at me, making it very difficult to speak with Aytra and further conduct my investigation,” Oxford wrote.
Smith, Thomas’ daughter, began shouting at Oxford, who told Smith she needed to quiet down if she didn’t want to be arrested for obstruction.
“I’m not going nowhere, it doesn’t matter,” Smith responded, as seen in the video. “You’re on our property. We did not call you.”
After a few more seconds of arguing between Oxford and Smith, he attempted to place her in handcuffs. Smith pulled away from Oxford and stood behind her mother, who was seated on the porch. According to Oxford’s report, a physical struggle began as he tried to take her into custody.
Oxford said he then pulled out his taser and fired, striking Smith in the right thigh after Smith refused his order to “get on the ground.”
Afterward, Oxford wrote, he “utilized (an) arm lock/leverage technique on Smith’s left arm in order to get the left arm behind her back to be handcuffed.”
Smith was charged with obstruction and simple battery against an officer. She was later released after posting a $5,900 bond.
In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, Thomas called Oxford’s actions excessive since he was never in any danger.
“Her side where the Taser went in is messed up,” Thomas told the news station. “Her neck, her back, my shoulder. It ain’t have to go that way.”
According to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training records, Oxford has worked for the department since February 2019 and has no disciplinary history.
There have been a rash of incidents between Georgia police and Black residents this summer, despite the Black Lives Matter protests and the Defund The Police movement.
In June, Rayshard Brooks was shot in the back and killed by an Atlanta police officer after falling asleep in his car at a Wendy’s drive-thru. Later that month, a man filed a lawsuit against a Valdosta, Georgia, police officer for slamming him to the ground and detaining him after the officer confused him for a suspect.
Jay-Z, Pharrell Team Up For New Song ‘Entrepreneur’ In Conjunction With TIME Magazine
The Black Lives Matter protests have sparked new conversations around race and calls to support Black entrepreneurs around the country.
Music has also taken up this new beat.
This week, superstar Pharrell Williams and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z have released a song in conjunction with Time Magazine about the importance of Black culture.
The single, “Entrepreneur,” which comes with a visual video, is part of Time‘s “New Revolution” series. “New Revolution” highlights conversations with numerous public figures—civil rights icon Angela Davis, tennis player Naomi Osaka, and musician Tyler the Creator—about the systemic inequalities that Black people have faced throughout the country’s history.
“The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with,” Williams told Time. “Especially as someone of color, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?”
“When you have successful beehive-type communities where you can circulate money within your community, it makes a huge difference,” he added. “They keep saying the American Dream is about the house and picket fence, the wife and two kids. Come on—let’s be honest. It’s always boiled down to money and an opportunity.”
“The song is trying to communicate that when we stick together, treat each other better, and welcome each other, there’s more money and more opportunity for everyone.”
Michigan Officials Announce $600 Million Settlement In Flint Water Crisis
The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $600 million to residents of Flint, whose health was afflicted by lead-tainted drinking water.
The offices of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel announced an agreement Thursday, after 18 months of negotiations with lawyers representing thousands of Flint residents who have filed lawsuits against the state.
Whitmer, who took office last year, said in a statement that the money may still not be enough in some people’s minds. “Many will still feel justifiable frustration with a system and structure that at times is not adequate to fully address what has happened to people in Flint over the last six years,” she added.
“Healing Flint will take a long time, but our ongoing efforts and today’s settlement announcement are important steps in helping all of us move forward,” Whitmer told NBC News.
Nessel told reporters the majority of the settlement will go toward resolving claims that benefit children who were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. According to health officials, exposure to lead can lead to behavioral problems and learning disabilities in children.
Under the settlement, the state will set up a $600 million fund for residents to file claims for compensation. The amount an applicant receives will be based on how badly they were harmed. The settlement also calls for 80% of the fund to go to people who were younger than 18 during the period when Flint was using river water.
“This settlement focuses on the children and the future of Flint, and the State will do all it can to make this a step forward in the healing process for one of Michigan’s most resilient cities,” Nessel said in a statement.
“Ultimately, by reaching this agreement, I hope we can begin the process of closing one of the most difficult chapters in our State’s history and writing a new one that starts with a government that works on behalf of all of its people.”
The Flint water crisis started in 2014 when the drinking water source for the city of Flint was changed from treated water from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water. As a result, lead from aging pipes leaked into the water supply. Between 6,000 and 12,000 children were affected.
Government officials announced in 2017 that the water in Flint met federal standards, but the mayor at the time, Karen Weaver, along with scientists and residents of Flint, did not believe the claims.
