Author: Carma Henry

From battling frostbite to walking through someone’s live shot, journalists at the 2019 National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention & Career Fair this month learned what to do and not do when covering a storm.

     According to ADL’s Center on Extremism, 73.3% of U.S. extremist-related murders in the past decade were committed by right-wing extremists, including white supremacists. Texas’ Republican Governor Gregg Abbott announced that the murders in Texas will be prosecuted as a hate crime. Crusius allegedly posted a manifesto in which he mentioned the phrase “Hispanic invasion.”

     “Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, “Harriet” tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history,” a write-up by Focus Features read.

     Ojiambo, who graduated from St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York and who specializes in pre-clinical Pharmaceutical Research, is also the founder of the Sickle Strong Initiative—a Kenyan-based NGO whose mandate is to raise awareness around sickle cell disease and advocate for better health care opportunities for patients suffering from the disease in Kenya.

     The recent news of the president’s encouragement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to block Representative Ilhan Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib from visiting the Israeli occupied West Bank and Jerusalem reminds us of our country’s long history of “whitelisting” people who speak out about their political beliefs. The news mirrors what happened over fifty years ago, when actress Eartha Kitt was forced to leave the country in order to find work after voicing her opposition to the Vietnam War. She says, “No, I wasn’t blacklisted. I was whitelisted.”

The arrival of the first captives to the Jamestown Colony, in 1619, is often seen as the beginning of slavery in America—but enslaved Africans arrived in North America as early as the 1500s.

Stochastic terrorism vs instigating

     Hundreds of students joined by their grateful parents received all the back to school supplies they will need to get them off on the right foot for the upcoming school year thanks in part to the efforts of the New Mount Olive Baptist Church, the Westside Gazette Newspaper, and numerous vendors representing public and private interest. The Back   2 School Kickback and Summit took place Saturday August 10 at the church. The event also provided haircuts, health screenings, food, and entertainment.

The commemoration kicks off on Friday, August 23 at 12:00 p.m. at the Hampton Roads Convention Center where Byron Pitts of ABC Nightline, and formerly of CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes, will host the African American Political Firsts Luncheon featuring panelists Kentucky Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton; L. Douglas Wilder, former governor of Virginia; U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (VA-3), and former mayor and North Carolina State Senator Howard Lee.

According to authorities, Patrick Crusius, the 21-year-old white male identified as the shooter, drove nearly 10 hours from his hometown of Allen, Texas, about 30 miles north of Dallas, to carry out an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against the Hispanic community. Mr. Crusius surrendered to police shortly after his reign of terror, leaving many baffled as to why he didn’t take his own life like many mass shootings suspects.