Arkansas
Sylvia Perkins, the mother of 15-year-old Bobby Moore III, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Little Rock Police Department, as well as its former police chief and an officer as a result of the shooting death of her son. The officer, Josh Hastings, was fired and charged with manslaughter, after he reportedly shot and killed Moore; however, both times Hastings was tried resulted in hung juries. The lawsuit alleges that Hastings caused Moore’s death through use of excessive force in violation of his civil rights, and that “the city, through (Police Chief Stuart) Thomas and other supervisory officials, consciously disregarded the high risk that Hastings would commit excessive force upon an African American Little Rock citizen, such as Bobby.” The lawsuit cited the fact that the department hired Hastings despite that it was known that he attended a Klu Klux Klan meeting prior to joining the police force. Hastings also reportedly had a number of complaints lodged against him revolving around Black citizens.
California
A Black female activist was charged with lynching in Sacramento. Maile Hampton was arrested in January during a Black Lives Matter protest and charged with felony lynching, even though no one was hurt or killed in the incident. However, according to the Associated Press, the 20-year-old woman was booked under a 1933 section of the California penal code that applies the word “lynching” to the crime of attempting to seize someone from police custody. The charge was later reduced, but the word “lynching” stirred up controversy among a variety of community leaders, so much so that the state’s lawmakers passed a measure to strike the word from the state’s laws. “To come full circle in 2015 and have a woman of color charged with that crime—the irony was not lost on me,” said Sen. Holly Mitchell, the legislator who introduced the bill. She said that although the code was originally designed to protect African Americans in police custody, the word “lynching” should no longer be attached to a law.
Parents of a 5-year-old African American boy say their son was unfairly punished because of his haircut and have filed a discrimination suit against the school involved. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Jalyn Broussard showed up in school last December with a fade. Within a half hour, his kindergarten teacher phoned his mother and told her she had to come and get him because his haircut was “inappropriate.” The boy’s mother, Mariana Broussard, asked the school principal if Jalyn could stay the rest of the day and she was told he could. The teacher and principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Belmont told Mariana that Jalyn’s hair cut, which they called a “modern fade,” was in violation of the school’s code and “distracting to his classmates.” Broussard picked her son up after school and took him to cut his hair so that he would be allowed to return to school that evening and sing in the Christmas program. After having his head shaved, he was allowed to sing. The school is predominantly White and the Broussards believe that their son was treated unfairly because he is Black. After seeing non-Black children at the school wearing similar hair cuts, the Broussards removed Jalyn and his brother from the school and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights division.
Lee Daniels, the producer of the hit television series “Empire,” has solidified a deal with Fox to write and direct more series. “Lee Daniels has a gift for telling authentic, provocative stories that are both truthful and wildly entertaining,” said Fox TV Group CEO Gary Newman. “His casting instincts are incredible, whether he is discovering tomorrow’s stars or attracting the most accomplished performers to his project.” In addition to “Empire,” Daniels worked on movies such as “The Butler,” “Precious” and “Shadowboxer.”
Connecticut
Members of the psychiatry residency program at Yale University School of Medicine have formed the Yale Solomon Carter Fuller Association in honor of the nation’s first Black psychiatrist. Nationwide, Blacks only make up about 6.6 percent of all psychiatric residents. But at Yale, the percentage is more than double the national average. The leader of the new support group is Marilise Hyacinth, a third-year psychiatry resident. “I applied to Yale’s psychiatry residency because it was one of the most diverse programs,” she explained. “As we get further into our careers, groups like this become increasingly important, not only to support each other but also to create more opportunities for professional mentorship.”
District of Columbia
Ethel Payne was among the most important people in the Civil Rights Movement. In a new book, James McGrath Morris intends to bring her life to light. Morris will discuss and sign “Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press” (HarperCollins, 2015) at noon on Tuesday, July 21, at the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Library’s Manuscript Division. It is free and open to the public. Payne was a journalist for the Chicago Defender. She continually advocated that President Dwight D. Eisenhower support desegregation. She continued throughout her career to report on the struggles of the Civil Rights era, and her work is credited with persuading many African Americans to take up the cause. President Lyndon B. Johnson acknowledged her contributions by presenting her with one of the pens he used to sign the Civil Rights Act. When she went to work for CBS in 1972, she became the first African American woman to be a commentator for a national network.
Georgia
After a hiatus of nearly two years, hip-hop spiritual radio personality CoCo Brother is back on the air—this time in the ownership seat. He’s introducing Radio Condrey, his own syndication company, with the first show—“CoCo Brother Live: The Weekend”—which
premiered last Sunday on Streetz 94.5 in Atlanta. The station isn’t the only one airing the show. Other stations initially on board include: WFXM-FM (Power 107.1) Macon, WFMV-FM (95.3) Columbia, (Kiss 105.1/7) Macon, WYPZ-FM/AM (Praise 95.5/1350), WZAZ-AM (1400) Jacksonville, WSPX-FM (Gospel 94.5) Orangeburg, WJLI-FM (Gospel 98.3) Sumter, WTUA-FM (Power 106) Saint Stephen and WPDT-FM (Gospel 105.1) Florence. CoCo says he spent years building relationships with people and feels that his track record—which includes interviews with First Lady Michelle Obama for BET—will make this show and his network a success.
The second annual National HBCU Pre-Law Summit and Law Expo is set for Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights on Sept. 25-26. The event focuses on addressing the unique issues, concerns and challenges facing HBCU students and graduates interested in going to law school and becoming lawyers. Students and graduates from all across the country are invited to take part in two days of eventthat are designed to expose them to game-changing information, resources and connections that will help them achieve success in a field in great need of diversity. Confirmed keynote speakers include Joseph K. West, Esq., president and CEO of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association; Marilyn J. Mosby, Esq., State’s Attorney for Baltimore; and Paulette Brown, Esq., partner and chief diversity officer at Locke Lord LLP and president of the American Bar Association. There will also be panel discussions including an unprecedented HBCU Deans Panel featuring the deans of all six HBCU law schools. Admission to the Summit and Law Expo is free and open to the public, with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, go to www.hbcuprelawsummit.org.
Illinois
As the country continues to face stories of gun violence in churches, schools and other public places, in one eight-hour span in Chicago, 30 people were shot. Three died and another 27 were injured. Among the dead is Amari Brown, a 7-year-old from the west side of the city. According to the Huffington Post, the shootings all happened between 9:30 p.m. Saturday (July 4) and 4:45 a.m. Sunday. The youngster was playing outside with family members near Humboldt Park, when a gunman opened fire nearby, killing Amari and also injuring a 26-year-old woman. According to police, neither Amari nor the woman were the targets. During the whole weekend, from late Thursday until Sunday, nine people died in total and 35 were wounded.
Louisiana
Film director Ava DuVerenay has turned down an offer to direct a movie from Marvel Comics called “Black Panther.” While at the Essence Music Fest in New Orleans, she told the Huffington Post, “It’s not for me. I loved exploring it. I loved the character. I love that they called me about it, but ultimately, when I delved into it, it wasn’t a good match, so I wish them luck.” DuVernay, however, does have a new project in the works—an original television drama with Oprah Winfrey for Winfrey’s OWN. She is also working on another feature film project with actor David Oyelowo, who she worked with on “Selma.” The movie centers around a love story that took place during Hurricane Katrina, which occurred 10 years ago this August.
New York
Misty Copeland has become the first Black female principal of the American Ballet. Copeland, 32, has been dancing with the company for more than 14 years. Her most recent appearance was as Odette in “Swan Lake” at the Met. “Something that my mother instilled in me, as a biracial woman herself, and me being biracial, was that the world was going to view me as a Black woman, no matter what I decided to do,” Copeland said at a gala, where she was honored. “I had no idea that that was going to be my truth at some point in my life, when I moved to N.Y., City at 17 years old and joined American Ballet Theatre and realized I was the only African American woman in a company of 80 dancers.”
Biiftu Doresso, 18, is the valedictorian of her class at Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School in Rochester, and her dad, Jamal Abdullahi, is the janitor. Duresso brought her dad to tears last week, as she honored him and thanked him during her graduation speech. Abdullahi is an Ethiopian immigrant who works the night shift at the school. She also thanked her mom. “My parents, Jamal and Zubaida, made their way to Rochester, N.Y., from Ethiopia in the ’80s and ’90s,” she explained. “They had the audacity to imagine something better for me and my siblings.” Abdullahi reportedly made his way to the U.S. when he couldn’t even speak English, but he took on odd jobs to make a life for his family. In addition to working, he took classes and earned his GED and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree. “I know the feeling of struggle, I know how it feels and that’s way I am happy she is succeeding,” he said.
Compiled by Carol Ozemhoya.
