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Councilman Faces Call for Resignation for Juneteenth Message
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Councilman Faces Call for Resignation for Juneteenth Message

Sentinel News WireJune 17, 2019

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — The president of a northern Virginia NAACP branch is calling for a town councilman’s resignation after he wrote a negative message on a Juneteenth proclamation rather than sign it. The Leesburg Town Council passed a resolution proclaiming June 19-20 as Juneteenth and urging residents to recognize “this celebration in African-American history.” Juneteenth celebrates slavery’s end in the U.S. The resolution also recognizes lynchings that occurred in Virginia, including one in Leesburg. Councilman Thomas Dunn didn’t sign the proclamation, instead writing “This is a celebration lynchings are not” in his signature line. Loudoun County NAACP President Michelle

Danny Glover to Testify at House Slavery Reparations Hearing
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Danny Glover to Testify at House Slavery Reparations Hearing

Associated Press - ERRIN HAINES WHACKJune 14, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The topic of reparations for slavery is headed to Capitol Hill for its first hearing in more than a decade with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and actor Danny Glover set to testify before a House panel. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is scheduled to hold the hearing next Wednesday, its stated purpose “to examine, through open and constructive discourse, the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, its continuing impact on the community and the path to restorative justice.” The date of the hearing, June 19, coincides with Juneteenth, a cultural holiday

Lester Holt, Colleagues to Moderate First Democratic Debate
Daily BriefsNationalNewsPolitical

Lester Holt, Colleagues to Moderate First Democratic Debate

Sentinel News WireJune 12, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — Lester Holt and four of his NBC News colleagues will share moderating duties for the first debate of 2020 Democratic presidential contenders. The debate, shown on NBC News networks, will unfold over two nights in Miami on June 26 and June 27. For each night, Holt will anchor the first hour, where he’ll be joined by Savannah Guthrie of the “Today” show and Jose Diaz-Balart of Telemundo. The second hour will feature MSNBC opinion host Rachel Maddow and “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd. The Democratic National Committee is expected to announce later this week which

WATCH: Central Park Five and the Impact on American Law
Daily BriefsNationalVideos

WATCH: Central Park Five and the Impact on American Law

Sentinel News WireJune 12, 2019

The new Netflix series “When They See Us” is reigniting debate over how police treated the Central Park Five during the investigation into the brutal attack on a female jogger in 1989. Attorney Paul Martin joined CBSN to explain what he thought of the original case and why the system is still rigged against black and brown teens.

WATCH: Taraji P. Henson on Mental Health before the Congressional Black Caucus
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WATCH: Taraji P. Henson on Mental Health before the Congressional Black Caucus

Sentinel New WireJune 12, 2019

Taraji P. Henson opening statement before the Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health: “We, in the African American community, we don’t deal with mental health issues. We don’t even talk about it. We’ve been taught to pray our problems away.” Watch full video here: https://cs.pn/2WwSAub

Analysis: Golden State Won, but Both Teams Lost Game 5
Daily BriefsSports

Analysis: Golden State Won, but Both Teams Lost Game 5

Associated Press - TIM REYNOLDSJune 11, 2019

TORONTO (AP) — The scoreboard said Golden State 106, Toronto 105. The reality was that both teams lost. It’s almost unimaginable: an NBA Finals game where neither team felt like celebrating afterward. That was the bizarre reality on Monday night, after the Warriors staved off elimination by rallying in the final moments to beat the Raptors and send this series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 — on a night when Kevin Durant’s season came to an end. Durant has an Achilles injury. The Warriors know it’s bad. They’ll find out how bad on Tuesday. “It’s devastating,” Toronto forward

John Legend John Legend on abortion law boycotts: ‘Money talks’
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John Legend John Legend on abortion law boycotts: ‘Money talks’

Associated Press - AMANDA LEE MYERSJune 11, 2019

John Legend courtesy photo LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Legend says Hollywood should consider boycotting Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and other states that pass restrictive abortion laws. Legend admits he’s not sure if a boycott would be successful, but says “it’s a conversation that needs to be had. “Particularly when these studios are hiring people and bringing people to the state and saying, ‘Come work with us here in this state,’ but if you get pregnant there you’re going to be treated like a second-class citizen,” he said. “That’s a tough conversation to have with your staff. And so I think

UPDATE: Geto Boys’ Bushwick Bill Dead at 52
Daily BriefsEntertainmentMusicNationalNews (Entertainment)

UPDATE: Geto Boys’ Bushwick Bill Dead at 52

Sentinel News ServiceJune 9, 2019

A publicist for rapper Bushwick Bill says the founder of the iconic Houston rap group the Geto Boys has died. Bill’s publicist, Dawn P., told The Associated Press that the rapper died Sunday at 9:35 p.m., local time, at a Colorado hospital. The publicist says the rapper, whose legal name is Richard Shaw, was surrounded by family when he died. 12:30p.m. Representatives of pioneering rapper Bushwick Bill say he is hospitalized in critical condition but still alive, contrary to some reports. Bill’s publicist, Dawn P., told The Associated Press that the rapper is on a ventilator at a Colorado hospital. She says

Rep. Bass, Bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Host 100+ Foster Youth For 8th Annual Shadow Day
Daily Briefs

Rep. Bass, Bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Host 100+ Foster Youth For 8th Annual Shadow Day

Sentinel News WireJune 5, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (CCFY) hosted more than 100 current and former foster youth from across the country as part of the 8th Annual Foster Youth Shadow Day in Washington, D.C. Every year, the event allows youth to share their experiences in foster care directly with their Member of Congress to help inform and improve child welfare policy. “Each year our participants have a real hand in making change – from CHAFEE grant extensions, to the passage of the Family First Act just last year, this group’s voices

Central Park 5 Prosecutor Resigns from Nonprofit Boards
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Central Park 5 Prosecutor Resigns from Nonprofit Boards

Sentinel News WireJune 5, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — A former prosecutor in the Central Park Five case has resigned from at least two nonprofit boards as backlash intensified following the release of the Netflix series “When They See Us,” a miniseries that dramatizes the events surrounding the trial. On Tuesday, the president of Vassar College posted a letter on its website saying that Linda Fairstein had resigned as a Board of Trustees member. “I am told that Ms. Fairstein felt that, given the recent widespread debate over her role in the Central Park case, she believed that her continuing as a Board member would

Judge says Nipsey Hussle Documents will Stay Sealed for Now
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Judge says Nipsey Hussle Documents will Stay Sealed for Now

Associated Press - ANDREW DALTONJune 5, 2019

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge has ruled that grand jury transcripts in the killing of rapper Nipsey Hussle will remain sealed, for now. Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry in a hearing Wednesday ordered that the documents will remain sealed for at least three more weeks while defendant Eric Ronald Holder’s lawyer expands her argument that they should be kept secret. The grand jury returned an indictment May 9 charging holder with Hussle’s murder. He has denied the allegations. The transcripts under California law would have become public May 31, but Holder’s lawyer Lowynn Young argued that

Bill Cosby Drops Defamation Claims against 7 Accusers
Daily BriefsEntertainmentNationalNews (Entertainment)

Bill Cosby Drops Defamation Claims against 7 Accusers

Sentinel News WireJune 4, 2019

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Bill Cosby has dropped his countersuit against seven women who accused him of sexually assaulting them. Court papers filed Friday show the four-year defamation case in Massachusetts is now over. Cosby’s insurer had settled with the women last month for an undisclosed sum. The 81-year-old comedian objected to the settlement and vowed to pursue his counterclaims. Spokesman Andrew Wyatt said Friday that Cosby dropped the case “to focus on other matters.” Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year sentence in Pennsylvania for drugging and molesting a different woman in 2004. The women involved in the defamation

‘Moonlight’ Filmmaker Barry Jenkins to Direct Film about Choreographer Alvin Ailey
Daily BriefsEntertainmentMoviesNews (Entertainment)

‘Moonlight’ Filmmaker Barry Jenkins to Direct Film about Choreographer Alvin Ailey

Sentinel News WireJune 4, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — Barry Jenkins will direct a film based on the life of choreographer Alvin Ailey. A spokesperson for Fox Searchlight on Monday confirmed that the studio is developing the project, with the “Moonlight” filmmaker directing. Jenkins last helmed the Oscar-nominated James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Raised in segregated rural Texas, Ailey became a pioneering choreographer, dancer and director who helped popularize modern dance. He died in 1989 at the age of 58 from AIDS-related complications. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded him a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. The film will be partly based

Bill to End Hair Discrimination Passes First Assembly Policy Committee
Daily BriefsPolitical

Bill to End Hair Discrimination Passes First Assembly Policy Committee

Sentinel News WireJune 4, 2019

SACRAMENTO  – The CROWN Coalition, a national alliance comprised of the National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color Of Change, and Dove, announced today the bill they are sponsoring, Senate Bill 188, The CROWN Act, passed its first policy test in the Assembly. Introduced by Sen. Holly J. Mitchell, SB 188 aims to “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair” (the CROWN Act) by clarifying that traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyle, be protected from discrimination in the work place and in our K-12 public and charter schools. “Many Black