Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has granted executive clemency to Cyntoia Brown, who has been serving a life sentence for a murder she committed when she was 16 years old. Brown’s cause was championed by a number of celebrities, including Rihanna.
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Lisa Thomas-McMillan and her husband Freddie have just opened a new type of restaurant in Escambia County that feeds people whether they have any money or not. It was 1995 and Lisa was a cashier at a local Walmart. One of her customers had no money to buy the groceries she needed. After speaking with the lady for a few minutes, she realized there were many others who were in the same boat.
B.L.A.C.K. 2 Life has worked tirelessly this past year enacting their mission across the globe, but they need more volunteers and financial support. Since the organization’s founding in 2017, B2L has given out over 30,000 free books to children in 18 cities in 14 states.
There’s also another key woman and legislator that is making history. Congresswoman Maxine Waters is now the first Black and the first woman to chair the powerful House Financial Services Committee. Having served on this committee since 1995, and its Ranking Member in the previous Congress, Waters will set the committee’s agenda in key areas affecting the economy, banking, housing, insurance and securities.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies commended the U.S. Senate for confirming Geoffrey Starks as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. Starks was confirmed by a unanimous vote.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), was sworn in as the 26th Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which grew to a historic 55 Members. During the 116th Congress, five of those Members will chair full House Committees and 28 will chair House Subcommittees.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s book Becoming, which sold over 1.4 million copies in its first week of release, has inspired many Black women all over the world. Having been inspired by the book herself, Lauren Christine Mims, a former assistant director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, chose Becoming to be a curriculum for Black girls to enhance their learning and development.
The award, founded by President Bush and established during his presidency, is given daily by the Points of Light organization which is recognized worldwide for its dedication to volunteer service and recognizing extraordinary volunteers who are donating their time and talent to better their communities.
“The fact that slavery was underway for a century in South America before introduction in North America is not widely taught nor commonly understood,” said Felicia Davis of the HBCU Green Fund.
Born on May 11, 1906, Richard Arvin Overton, a member of what is often called America’s “Greatest Generation,” died on December 27th in Austin, Texas. At 112 years and 230 days, Overton was believed to be the oldest living man in the United States as well as America’s oldest veteran.