The Greene County Democrat

Category: Celebrity

  • Newswire : Haiti – Blinken on visit announces US support for Kenyan Peace Keeping Force

    UN Peace Keeping Forces in Haiti

    By New York Carib News

     

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Haiti to demonstrate American backing for an international initiative aimed at reducing gang-related violence in the Caribbean country.
    On September 5, 2024, Blinken landed in Port-au-Prince, where he presented a fresh round of assistance to refugees and met with interim prime minister Garry Conille.

    Blinken informed reporters, “At this critical moment, we do need more funding, we do need more personnel to sustain and carry out the objectives of this mission.” Since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021, gangs have taken control of large areas of Haiti. Eighty percent of Port-au-Prince, the capital, is included in this estimate.
    Amidst its crisis of legitimacy, the Haitian government has found it difficult to retake power and preserve calm. The violence in Haiti has spread to ten departments, and the interim administration there widened the country’s state of emergency just one day before Blinken’s arrival.

    Before, the Ouest department—which includes Port-au-Prince—was the only territory covered by the state of emergency. However, a spokesman for Prime Minister Conille claimed that the enlarged emergency designation is a reflection of gang conflicts occurring in departments such as Artibonite, which is a sizable area that grows rice.

    The United Nations estimates that in 2024, the violence will have pushed a record 578,074 people from their homes, making it the world’s greatest internal displacement disaster due to crime. An estimated 2,500 people lost their lives or were injured in the ongoing conflict in only the first quarter of 2024.

    However, to support Haiti’s law enforcement, the Kenyan government dispatched 200 police personnel in June. Out of an anticipated 1,000 Kenyan policemen, a second wave of 200 came the next month. Nevertheless, Blinken cautioned that the Kenyan military might not be sufficient to stem the flow of gang-related violence on their own.

    He has publicly asked whether a UN peacekeeping force is necessary, as have other US officials. However, it is a contentious idea in Haiti, where on their most recent deployment, UN forces caused a fatal cholera outbreak.

    Between 2010 and 2019, the illness claimed the lives of around 10,000 individuals.
    Many in the country view international troops with caution due to the lengthy history of foreign intervention. The priority, according to Blinken during his visit, was to make sure the international community was ready to help the Kenyan soldiers going forward, who had arrived as part of a mission known as the Multinational Security Help Mission.

    Last October, the operation was authorized for a one-year duration. The UN should get together again and decide on an extension, according to Blinken. “The mission itself needs to be renewed,” he noted. “That’s what we’re working on right now. But we also want something that’s reliable, that’s sustainable, and we’ll look at every option to do that. A UN peacekeeping mission is one option.”

    The US has provided the most financial assistance for the project, with a $360 million pledge from President Joe Biden’s administration.

    Recent news of an extra $45 million in humanitarian relief for Haiti was released.
    During his visit, Blinken again emphasized the need to have a stable, democratically elected administration. He urged Haitian authorities to organize fresh general elections for the next year. “That is the critical next step,” he noted. “We want to make sure Haiti is back on a clear democratic track.”
    Previous to the killing of President Moise, Haiti had not had federal elections. Its most recent democratically elected authorities reached the end of their terms in January 2023, and there was nobody to take their place.

    At that moment, the late Moise nominated former prime minister Ariel Henry to lead the cabinet soon before his passing. However, because Henry was an unelected official and hence not very popular, local gangs took advantage of this mistrust of the government to further their own agendas and become more powerful.

    In the end, Henry resigned in April, which made way for the formation of a transitional council entrusted with restoring democratic standards. “Much remains to be done, and we’re determined to continue,” Blinken noted. “It’s starting to move.”

  • Newswire : Bloomberg Philanthropies announces $600 million gift to Historically Black Medical Schools

    By : NNPA Newswire

     

    In a monumental move to address the underrepresentation of Black physicians in the United States, Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $600 million donation to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Officials said the donation is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, which aims to advance racial wealth equity and address systemic underinvestment in Black institutions and communities.
    Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine will each receive $175 million, while Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Additionally, Bloomberg said $5 million in seed funding will support creating a new historically Black medical school in New Orleans, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.

    The historic investment will more than double the endowments of three medical schools, significantly boosting their financial stability and capacity to educate future Black physicians.

    A recent study highlighted the need for such support, revealing that only 5.7% of U.S. physicians identify as Black or African American. This is despite Black Americans comprising 13% of the population. According to research, treating black patients by black doctors results in better health outcomes and more frequent medical care. For instance, Black patients are 34% more likely to receive preventative care if they see Black doctors.
    The four historically Black medical schools receiving funding reportedly graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S. but have been traditionally underfunded due to systemic inequities, including lower federal and state support. Since the early 1900s, discriminatory practices and the impacts of the Flexner Report have led to the closure of 10 Black medical schools in the United States. The financial boost from Bloomberg Philanthropies should have a transformative impact.

    Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, Democratic presidential candidate, and founder of Bloomberg LP, will formally announce the donation at the National Medical Association’s annual convention. “This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country,” Bloomberg said.

    In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies granted $100 million to these same medical schools to reduce the debt load of enrolled students facing severe financial burdens exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, noted that the 2020 gift relieved an average of $100,000 in debt for each student, significantly enhancing the school’s ability to fundraiser and support its students.
    Denise Smith, deputy director of higher education policy and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, emphasized the importance of such philanthropic gifts. She pointed to MacKenzie Scott’s donations to HBCUs in 2020 and 2021 as pivotal in sparking increased support from other large donors. “Donations that have followed are the type of momentum and support that institutions need in this moment,” Smith told the Associated Press.

    Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, expressed relief upon hearing about Bloomberg’s gift, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action and attacks on programs promoting inclusion and equity.

    “This opportunity and this investment affect not only just those four institutions but our country’s health and future,” Lawson asserted.
     

     

  • Newswire : ‘They invited Trump to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her up. The single most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen at NABJ’

    Panel of Black female journalists question Donald Trump at NABJ convention

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent



    Donald Trump’s controversial appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual convention in Chicago may have been even more of a disaster than most had anticipated. The nasty vitriol the twice-impeached former president immediately brought should only heighten calls for the hierarchy of NABJ to resign.
    The disgraceful event began with tension as well-respected ABC News journalist Rachel Scott asked Trump about his past racist comments and why Black voters should trust him. “First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump responded. His statement was met with audible gasps from the audience, setting a combative tone for the 34-minute discussion that followed a nearly hour-long delay.
    During the discussion, Trump, among his many rant-filled and off the rail’s diatribes, questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity, asking, “Is she Indian or is she Black?” He falsely claimed that Harris, who has long identified as Black and attended a historically Black university, previously identified as Indian before “all of a sudden” becoming Black. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned Trump’s comments as “repulsive” and “insulting,” asserting that “no one has any right to tell someone who they are.”
    The 34 times convicted felon and former president also reiterated his openness to pardoning January 6 rioters, stating, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.” When Scott drew attention to their convictions, Trump dissembled by asserting falsely that pro-Palestinian protesters had attacked the Capitol last week, confusing it with the recent protests at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station.
    Throughout the panel discussion, which included Scott, FOX News personality and Trump apologist Harris Faulkner, and Kadia Goba from Semafor, Trump continued to clash with the audience and the panelists. He labeled Scott “nasty” for her questions, prompting shouts of “false” and boos from the crowd.
    Trump also addressed his running mate, J.D. Vance, downplaying the significance of a running mate following Vance’s controversial remarks about childless women. Toward the event’s conclusion, Trump declared his intentions to “close the border” and lower energy prices and interest rates if re-elected. “I want people to come into our country, but they have to be vetted, and they have to be checked,” he told the crowd. He also doubled down on his insult to African Americans by stating that illegal immigrants were taking “Black jobs,” to which the audience again hissed and booed.
    The aftermath of the event has led to significant fallout within the NABJ. Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist and co-chair of the convention, resigned in protest over the decision to invite Trump. In her resignation announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Attiah expressed disappointment over not being consulted about the decision.
    Prominent members of the journalism community also voiced their disapproval. Jim Trotter, a sportswriter for The Athletic and NABJ’s 2023 Journalist of the Year, called the decision “difficult to put into words.” CBS Sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss, journalist-turned-publicist Dave Jordan, and media strategist April Reign joined the chorus of criticism.
    Ameshia Cross, a Democratic strategist and political pundit, and former NABJ journalist of the year Ernest Owens highlighted the irony of inviting Trump, given his history of attacking Black journalists and efforts to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. “Shame on you NABJ,” Owens tweeted. “A disgrace. Defund and divest.”
    The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) also condemned the invitation, with NNPA National Chair Bobby Henry and President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis denouncing the decision as harmful and contrary to NABJ’s values of inclusion and solidarity. “They invited him to disrespect a Black woman and did nothing to protect or back her up,” journalist and author David Dennis Jr. tweeted. “The single most disgraceful thing I’ve ever seen at NABJ.”
    Harris communication’s director Michael Tyler also denounced Trump’s hostile engagement with NABJ.
    “The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people,” Tyler stated.
    “Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch, he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us. “Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign.”

  • Newswire : Kamala Harris’ VP pick,Tim Walz, established a George Floyd Remembrance Day in Minnesota

    Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris and her Vice-presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

    By Hazel Trice Edney


    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Vice President Kamala Harris, now the official Democratic nominee for President of the United States, has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate, establishing the full ticket to run against former President Donald Trump and Sen. J. D. Vance (R-Ohio) in the Nov. 5 election.
    Harris and Walz, president of the Democratic Governors Association, appeared together in the coveted battleground commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tuesday evening before a blitz through other swing states.
    Democrats will then head for a Chicago convention August 19-22, where they will be celebrated. Harris will become the first Black woman and first Indian American to win the presidential nomination of a major political party. She is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
    This, no doubt, will begin a hard-fought race against Trump and Vance, both of whom have proven to be candidates willing to say just about anything – including attack Harris’ race and gender – with hopes to win far right voters and Trump’s base supporters. However, those tactics could easily backfire, given Walz’ background.
    Harris’ choice of Walz, elected governor of Minnesota in 2018, will no doubt resonate with Black and progressive voters across the nation largely due to his sensitivity to key issues. On May 25th this year, Walz issued a proclamation, declaring a George Floyd Remembrance Day. Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, by police officer Derek Chauvin who callously knelt on his neck. 
    “George Floyd’s murder ignited a global movement, accentuating the systemic racism that Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color have endured for centuries,” Walz stated in the proclamation. “We must continue to do everything in our power to deconstruct systemic racism and inequities in our state ….”
    Until now, Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, football coach, and retired sergeant major in the Army National Guard, has been relatively unknown on a national stage. Recently his description of Trump-Vance as “weird” has caught hold on social media and beyond. Having run in a largely Republican district, Walz spent six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Minnesota governor in 2018, largely due to votes from the suburbs of Minneapolis, according to the New York Times. He was re-elected in 2022.
    Walz, 60, has led on other issues important to the Black community, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage. the organizing of unions, workers’ rights and free breakfast and lunch for school children.
    The Walz selection was applauded by former President Barack Obama, said to have advised Harris as she decided between the vice-presidential candidates.
    “By selecting Tim Walz to be her vice president from a pool of outstanding Democrats, Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner – and made it clear exactly what she stands for,” said a statement from Barack and Michelle Obama. “Governor Walz doesn’t just have the experience to be vice president, he has the values and the integrity to make us proud. As governor, Tim helped families and businesses recover from the pandemic, established paid family leave, guaranteed the right to an abortion, and put common sense gun safety measures in place to keep communities safe.
    “Tim’s signature is his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect – not all that surprising considering the fact that he served in the National Guard for 24 years and worked as a high school social studies teacher and football coach before being elected to Congress. Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.”
    The entry of Vice President Harris, a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU, into the race since President Joe Biden decided not to run, has – in just a few weeks – infused powerful new life and excitement into the race, initially between Biden and Trump. The choice of her vice-presidential running mate was her first major decision.
    The murder of George Floyd by now convicted and imprisoned former police officer Derek Chauvin at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic quickly became an iconic symbol of long-standing injustices by police in the Black community. In the Black community, much vetting will now take place of Tim Walz. But he is already getting wide applause that might help Harris’ election which will not happen without vast Black support. 
    “Gov. Walz shows what our communities can look like when we lead with empathy. He is a labor champion who will take pro-worker values with him to the White House. Together with Kamala Harris, they will defend our freedoms — to care for our families, to have a voice on the job, to thrive. We look forward mobilizing the full strength of our union to ensure that this dynamic ticket wins on November 5,” said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), in a statement.
    “Tim Walz personifies what public service is all about: Doing for others and never leaving anyone behind. He learned these values while serving in the National Guard, and he lived them as a teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota. He has always been the first to lend a helping hand in his community, and today, this is how he governs – empowering worker voices and defending those who have made public service a career,” Saunders continues. “As governor, he took on billion-dollar corporations to ban private prisons in Minnesota, keeping profit motives out of the justice system while protecting the jobs of AFSCME corrections officers. He went on to pass legislation guaranteeing free breakfast and lunch for young students statewide, giving AFSCME school employees the tools they need to keep kids energized and ready to learn. Walz did all this for Minnesota’s communities while getting state workers a historic contract with across-the-board raises.”

  • Greene County celebrates 55th ‘Freedom Day’ to commemorate Special Election of July 29, 1969, when Black people took control of the County Commission and School Board

    Mrs. Ida Bonner awarded the Coretta Scott King Freedom Award by Elder Spiver Gordon; Spiver Gordon presents plaque to Bill Edwards; Spiver Gordon presents plaque to Mr. Tony Clayton District Attorney of Port Allen, LA; Mr. Morris Hardy awarded the Dr. MLK Jr. Freedom Award by Elder Spiver Gordon.

    On Sunday evening, in the William M. Branch Courthouse, about 100 people from Greene County celebrated the 55th anniversary of the Special Election in 1969, when Black people were elected to control the County Commission and School Board in the county. Greene County was the first county in Alabama where Black people were able to control the county government.

    The U. S. Supreme Court ordered the 1969 Special Election, because local white officials had deliberately left the mostly Black candidates of the National Democratic Party of Alabama (NDPA) off the November 1968 ballot. The decision was made in US Supreme Court case no. 647, Hadnott vs. Amos, 394 US 358 (1969).

    In the election of November 1970, Judge William M. Branch was elected the first Black Probate Judge in Alabama and America. Thomas Gilmore was elected Sheriff and over the next few years, Blacks were elected to all political positions in the county.

    The program was sponsored by the Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Movement under the direction of Spiver W. Gordon, President. Gordon has been celebrating Freedom Day in Greene County for many years to remind people of the importance of using their voting rights to push for more justice, equity and progress in the county.

    The theme of the program was ‘Rejoicing about the Past – Causality in looking to the Future”. There were two main speakers: Bill Edwards, who now lives in Oregon, but was active with NDPA, Miles College, FOGCE Federal Credit Union and Community Service Programs of West Alabama in the 1965-1985; and Tony Clayton, District Attorney of West Baton Rouge, Iberville. and Pointe Coupee Parishes in Louisiana.

    After a spirited devotional, Mayor Latasha Johnson of Eutaw, Alabama, gave greetings and keys to the city to the two guest speakers. Lorenzo French, Chair of the Democratic Executive Committee, in his occasion for the meeting, lamented that most of the Black elected officials in Greene County were not present for Freedom Day. “Where are the Probate Judge, Circuit Clerk, Revenue Commissioner, Sheriff, Mayors and Council members of Union, Forkland and Boligee?” asked French.

    Several persons gave special commendations for Bill Edwards in his work as Director of Community Service Programs of West Alabama. District 1 Commissioner, Garria Spencer, who was chair of the CSP-WA Board lauded Bill’s work with the anti-poverty agency. Ms. Sandra Fair who worked with Bill thanked him. Judge John H. England thanked Bill for his work in building new houses and replacing the shotgun shacks in Belchers and Barr’s Quarters in Tuscaloosa.

    Rev. Wendell Paris spoke on the importance of voting in all elections, especially the election coming up on November 5, 2024. John Cashin, son of his namesake from Huntsville, Alabama, who headed the NDPA and was instrumental in the lawsuit that created the special election on July 29, 1969, spoke on the importance of the NDPA, as a grassroots response to the racist regular Democratic Party of Alabama, which was controlled by George Wallace.

    Three speakers commented on looking to the future, including Rev. Kenneth Popleon of Plaquemine, Louisiana; Arthur Crawford, Probate Judge of Hale County and Carol P. Zippert, former school board chair. Zippert asked, “Where are the youth leaders, people between 18 – 40 years old, today? We must reach out to them. Fifty-five years ago, Judge Branch, Gilmore and most of the other leaders were young people under 30. It is frightening that this whole generation is missing.”

    Spiver Gordon introduced Tony Clayton, the District Attorney of three parishes in Louisiana. Clayton said he owed his election to places like Greene County which rose up for Black people and electing Black people to office in the1960’s, when it wasn’t easy. He said Jesse Jackson, Obama and now Kamala Harris owe their political future to what Greene County people did fifty-five years ago.

    After the speaking, Spiver Gordon presented awards to many of the speakers, participants and ‘foot-soldiers’ of Greene County-who contributed their time, skills and money to the civil rights movement in the Alabama Black Belt.

  • SOS to commemorate signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, in Selma, on Tuesday, August 6, 2024

    An inspirational Celebration and Commemoration of the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is set for Tuesday, August 6th, at 2:30 p.m. at the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute and Statue Park on the Montgomery side of the bridge in Selma. The public is invited and encouraged to attend, and elected officials are specifically invited to participate. August 6th is the 59th Anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s signing this landmark piece of legislation into law.

    Former State Senator Hank Sanders said,” We must come back to the bridge for this momentous anniversary. This event is also an opportunity to encourage all voters to fully exercise their right to vote in the 2024 November General Election and in all elections. Passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act would not have been possible without the sacrifice of countless individuals whose names are both known and unknown. “

    So many people from diverse backgrounds and from across this country fought for the right to vote for all United States citizens. Some gave the ultimate sacrifice – their lives – for the right to vote, including men and women, Blacks and Whites, young and old, and members of the clergy. Selma played a crucial role in the Movement that brought about the 1965 Voting Rights Act and is a worldwide symbol for struggles for the right to vote.

    Attorney Faya Rose Toure said, “This may be the last election we will be able to participate in, if some candidates, with an authoritarian streak, get elected and start to dismantle our Constitution and destroy our democracy. WE must return to the bridge on August 6, 2024.”

    Leaders of national organizations have been invited to participate, and some participating in the August 6th event include Southern Christian Leadership Conference National President & CEO Charles Steele and others with SCLC. U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (CD 7) has been invited as has the Democratic nominee for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, Shomari Figures.

    A cookout is being held as part of the Voting Rights Celebration and Commemoration with all food being provided at no cost to all those in attendance. School children also played a pivotal role in the Voting Rights Movements, and free basketballs have been provided by North Star Beloved Community Corporation in conjunction with Kay Doherty and Sharing, Inc and will be given to children who participate in the August 6th Celebration and Commemoration.

    This event is sponsored by SOS – the Save Ourselves Movement for Justice and Democracy and other social and economic justice organizations in the state. The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute is located at 6 US-80 East in Selma on the Montgomery side of the foot of the Bridge.

    For more information contact: Shelley Fearson at 334-262-0932; John Zippert at 205/657-0273 and Hank Sanders at 334/782-1651.

  • Local artists plan arts activities for festival’s Kid’s Tent

    Kid’s Tent at annual festival engages youth in hands-on art activities

    Mynecia (Mya) Steele and Noelle Goodson Hines,

    By Carol P. Zippert

    The annual Black Belt Folk Roots Festival was conceived and planned as a community celebration, lifting the culture and traditions of the region, and is currently in its 49th year.
    The festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25 on the Thomas Gilmore (old courthouse) square.
    A special feature of the annual Black Belt Folk Roots Festival is the Kid’s Tent which provides hands-on-art activities for young people at the festival site on Saturday, August 24, 2024. The Kid’s Tent will welcome young people on the festival grounds to participate in the various hands-on-arts activities beginning at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 24. As a community celebration is is important that the festival is inviting to the children. We must assure that they have a place in this special community gathering.
    The Kid’s Tent will be located on the Northern area of the town square, across from Eutaw City Hall.
    Greene County artists, Mynecia (Mya) Steele and Noelle Goodson Hines, will lead the youth activities engaging them in creative exercises including drawing, painting, face painting and more. The participating youth will take home their creations as well as additional art supplies.
    Mynecia Steele is a published author and graphic artists who will also have a selection of her works for display and sale at the festival. Her various children’s books, themed posters and myriad creations have become treasured items locally as well as throughout the worldwide web, under her brand This is Myne Design. Mya is also sought out as a festival and other events planner. Mya is a native of Greene County, educated in the Greene County School System and a graduate of Troy University.
    Noelle Hines, a graduate of Alabama A&M University, is a Visual Artist, Graphic Designer, and all around creative. Affectionately known as “the Paintbrush Pimp”, she hails from Mobile, Alabama. Noëlle first realized her talent at the age of 5, and has been honing her craft for over 30 years. Noëlle is a traditional artist who creates visually stimulating designs that enhance thinking capacity and persuasion, exhibits cultural diversities, and spirited individuality. She is the owner and CEO of JoyeuxWorks: graphics.art.design, an art and design firm that creates branding packages and stationery, logos, websites, invitation suites, social media posts, billboard layouts, product design, mockups, push marketing visuals, t-shirt design, custom artwork, portraits, murals, and much more. Noëlle’s work can be viewed on the streets of Downtown Mobile, Alabama and on the walls of various schools throughout the state of Alabama, including Robert Brown Middle School in Eutaw (Greene County). Noëlle lives in Eutaw Alabama with her husband, daughter, and stepson.

  • Newswire : Allyson Felix introduces nursery for athlete moms at Paris 2024 Summer Olympics

    Allyson Felix

    By Analisa Novak, CBS News

     

    Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete in history, understands the challenges athlete moms face. The retired sprinter and mother of two is advocating for Olympic moms, leveraging her experience to provide them with better support during the upcoming Paris Olympics.
    Felix, who holds a record 20 World Championship medals and 11 Olympic medals, including seven golds, has teamed up with Pampers to create the first-ever Pampers Nursery in the Athletes Village at the Paris Olympics. This nursery will offer a space for Olympic moms to bond with, nurse and play with their babies, helping to alleviate some of the pressures of competition.
    “I just knew how difficult it was to compete at the top level after I had my daughter, and some practical things were really hard. And so when I joined the Athletes Commission of the IOC, I really wanted to be that voice for athlete moms, and just take away one less thing for them to worry about in the pressure of competition,” said Felix.
    The Pampers Nursery will be located in the heart of the Athlete Village Plaza, where athletes live during the games. It will be a place where athletes can step away and have private time with their babies, Felix said.
    “I think it really tells women that you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game and not have to miss a beat,” said Felix.
    Felix will be attending the Paris Olympics, but in a new capacity. She says she feels a mix of emotions as she prepares for her first Olympics in two decades without competing. There’s a bit of loss and grief, Felix said, but also excitement for this new chapter. 
    “I’m bringing my whole family, and we will be able to take in the games and watch them with a lot less nerves. So I’m looking forward to that as well,” she said.
    For first-time Olympians, Felix offered simple advice. “Embrace it. This is a moment that does not come around, it’s not guaranteed. You have so much pride to represent your country and just really to take it all in and give it your absolute best.”
    Felix also shared her excitement about a $20 million grant from the Melinda French Gates Foundation to support Black maternal health. Upon learning about the grant, Felix said she was initially shocked and deeply humbled, especially after hearing that French Gates had been following her advocacy efforts. 
    “I’m so humbled to receive it, and I’m excited to put the money to good work,” said Felix.

  • Newswire : Federal Judge halts Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan: Administration vows to fight on

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    President Joe Biden’s ongoing efforts to alleviate the burden of student loan debt have hit another significant obstacle. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross, an Obama nominee, issued an order halting further loan forgiveness under the Biden administration’s income-driven repayment plan known as SAVE. This decision is a component of a more significant legal conflict that several Republican-led states started.
    Judge Ross stated that the administration is “preliminarily enjoined from any further loan forgiveness for borrowers under the Final Rule’s SAVE plan until such time as this Court can decide the case on the merits.” The ruling is a major setback for Biden, whose administration launched the SAVE plan after the Supreme Court quashed a more comprehensive debt relief initiative last year. That plan had aimed to eliminate up to $20,000 in federal student debt for approximately 43 million borrowers.
    The judge rejected the administration’s motion to dismiss the case, affirming that the states involved had standing and “are likely to succeed on the merits of their argument that the early loan forgiveness provisions… were promulgated in a manner exceeding the Secretary’s statutory authority.”
    The Biden administration, undeterred, quickly responded. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre vehemently disagreed with the ruling, asserting that the Department of Justice would continue to vigorously defend the SAVE Plan. “Since day one, the President and his Administration have fought to fix a broken student loan system and make sure borrowers aren’t saddled with unmanageable student loan debt,” she emphasized.
    Jean-Pierre pointed out the SAVE Plan’s immediate benefits: lower monthly payments for 8 million Americans and accelerated debt cancellation for hundreds of thousands of borrowers. She criticized Republican officials and their allies for obstructing these efforts, accusing them of fighting to prevent their constituents from accessing much-needed financial relief.
    Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, representing one of the states that filed the lawsuit, celebrated the ruling. “By attempting to saddle working Missourians with Ivy League debt, Joe Biden is undermining our constitutional structure,” Bailey declared. “Only Congress has the power of the purse, not the President. Today’s ruling was a huge win for the rule of law and for every American who Joe Biden was about to force to pay off someone else’s debt.”
    Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin echoed this sentiment: “With Independence Day fast approaching, another court has reminded President Biden that he is not a king. He can’t go around Congress and unilaterally cancel student loans. He should have learned that from Schoolhouse Rock!”
    According to the lawsuit, which Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma have joined, the SAVE Plan allegedly violates the Constitution’s guarantee of the separation of powers. Despite the ruling, Judge Ross noted that other beneficial aspects of the program, such as lowering monthly payments and limiting interest accrual, could continue, acknowledging that the states had not demonstrated harm from these provisions.
    Adding to the administration’s challenges, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree issued a separate ruling blocking parts of the SAVE Plan set to take effect on July 1. Crabtree found that while the states had not shown irreparable harm from provisions already in effect, they had demonstrated potential harm from the forthcoming provisions.
    The Biden administration has made significant strides in debt relief, forgiving substantial amounts under the SAVE Plan. Last month, officials announced $613 million in debt cancellation for over 54,000 borrowers, part of a broader effort that has resulted in $167 billion in loan forgiveness for 4.75 million people through various administrative actions.
    Despite legal setbacks, the Biden administration remains resolute. “Today’s rulings won’t stop our Administration from using every tool available to give students and borrowers the relief they need,” Jean-Pierre affirmed. “President Biden and his administration will continue to build off of the progress made in delivering debt cancellation to over 4.75 million Americans through various actions, and we will never stop fighting for students and borrowers, no matter how many roadblocks Republican elected officials and special interests put in our way.”

  • Newswire: Vice President of the Republic of Malawi and none others are killed in an airplane crash

    By BlackmansStreetToday

     

    Dr. Saulos Chilima, the vice president of the Republic of Malawi, and nine others were killed in an airplane crash. 

    Chilima, 51, and the other passengers were on their way to the funeral of the country’s former attorney general when their plane veered off the radar. 

    Air traffic officials said the plane had been unable to land at Mzuzu airport, about 200 miles north of the capital, due to poor visibility. The pilot had been advised to return to Lilongwe when the flight disappeared.

    Soldiers had been searching Chikangawa Forest overnight and into the morning in an effort to find the plane.

    In a news briefing on Tuesday, President Lazarus Chakwera said the Malawi Defence Force commander informed him that the search and rescue operation had been completed and the plane was found.

    President Chakwera said he was “deeply saddened and sorry” to inform Malawians of the terrible tragedy.

    Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa.