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  • The Brandon Johnson Inauguration: What You Need to Know

    The Brandon Johnson Inauguration: What You Need to Know

    Brandon Johnson

    On Monday, Brandon Johnson will be sworn in as the 57th mayor of Chicago at Credit Union 1 Arena (UIC Pavilion). Tickets to attend his inauguration are sold out. However, there is a waitlist you can join in the event spots open up.

    Here are the details of Johnson’s inauguration.

    • Time: 10:30 a.m.
    • Place: Credit Union 1 Arena (UIC Pavilion), 525 S. Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60607

    Will the inauguration be live-streamed?

    You can live stream the inauguration on the City of Chicago’s social media channels. Good places to watch are the city’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

    Who else will be sworn in on Monday?

    Members of the City Council.

    What other events are scheduled for today?

    You can stop by City Hall and say hello to the new mayor. Johnson will host a City Hall Open House later this afternoon.

    • Time: 2 p.m.
    • Place: The Mayor’s Office, City Hall, 121 N Lasalle St, 5th floor, Chicago, IL 60602

    The post The Brandon Johnson Inauguration: What You Need to Know appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • The Defender Highlights 4 Amazing Women for Mother’s Day

    The Defender Highlights 4 Amazing Women for Mother’s Day

    This Mother’s Day weekend, the Chicago Defender shared stories by or about four dynamic women. We call them Boss Moms!

    We profiled comedian Correy Bell, entrepreneur and millennial “Boss Mom” Genesis A. Emery-Foley and Kenwood Academy Principal Karen Calloway. We also featured the emotional and heartfelt work of an award-winning artist, Debra L. Hand.

    As you wind down this Mother’s Day with us, please get to know these four incredible women who happen to be killing it professionally while holding it down for their families.

    Tap into our “Boss Moms: Chicago Defender Mother’s Day Stories” below:

    1) Meet Genesis A. Emery-Foley: Millennial’ Boss Mom’. Read more about her incredible motherhood journey here.

    2) Meet Karen Calloway: Kenwood’s Golden Apple Award-Winning Principal. Read about the day she received one of the highest honors for Illinois educators here.

    3) Correy Bell is Chaos and Comedic Genius. Need a laugh? Check the Q&A on this comedy star from the Southside here.

    4) Fight for Your Mother’s Dreams! Debra L. Hand shares powerful and uplifting words for mothers and all of us who love them. Read her moving work here.

    The post The Defender Highlights 4 Amazing Women for Mother’s Day appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Correy Bell is Chaos and Comedic Genius

    Correy Bell is Chaos and Comedic Genius

    Correy Bell

    For Mother’s Day weekend, the Chicago Defender shares stories of dynamic Black women thriving in their careers and providing loving guidance for their families.

    Correy Bell is organized chaos. 

    It’s the sum and substance of who she is. It’s the energy she comes with when she ascends upon a stage. It may also represent the Chicago comedy landscape, where the rooms differ racially, depending on what side of town you’re on, but it’s a scene she has mastered, by the way.    

    “Organized Chaos” is the title of her recently released comedy album, recorded during the pandemic. 

    “What I did was record an old school comedy album, like vinyl, like Red Foxx, like Richard Pryor. And it was what it was; it was organized chaos,” she said. “It was about the pandemic; it was about my children. It was about me being an adult, me being a grandmother. It’s about a little bit of everything that everybody can relate to.”  

    Correy Bell, Organized Chaos Album Cover

    Correy Bell’s brand of organized chaos is also being dressed to the nines to perform and remaining as real and damn funny as your big sister or favorite aunt without even trying. 

    In a recent interview, Bell talked about growing up on the South Side near 95th and Vincennes, that one time she performed at a Harold’s Chicken, and why Chicago has the best comedy scene in the country. 

    We also discussed how she and Mo’Nique remain “thick as thieves.” 

    Chicago Defender: So I read an article somewhere where you said that you got into comedy about nine years ago, right?

    Correy Bell: November will be my ninth year, what we call a comedy-versary. And I literally started comedy on a dare from a good friend of mine. I just met her at the legendary “Jokes and Notes” comedy club. And she was telling me about a room. I was like, “Oh, I love comedy.” And one day, she was like, “Listen, if you come next week, I’m putting you on stage.” And I was like, “Girl, no, you are not putting me on stage, no you will not.” I kept saying, “Well, I’m funny. One day, I’m gonna try it.” And she basically was like, “I dare you.” 

    So the next week I came, the comics went up. And she went up there and called my name. And I was like, “the nerve of her.” 

    But at this point it’s like sink or swim. And I went up there. I told one of the worst jokes that I could have ever created when I think about it, and a couple of people laughed. And I was like, let me try it one more time. Something else really silly. And people laughed. 

    And literally, from that moment, I had been bit by the bug.

    CD: Do you remember the joke? The one that made you say, “I’ve got this.”

    Correy Bell: Yes. As a matter of fact, I recently found a clip of it, way dusted in the archives, and I posted it on Instagram. It was basically about my friends trying to be uppity and they didn’t know how. And we were in a restaurant. And they told the waiter that they only drank bottled water, but then asked for a glass of ice. And I’m like, “what you think the ice come from?”

    Like you’re trying to be bougie you don’t even know how to do it. But it worked then and it worked because it was relatable. Because there’s so many people in there. Like, “I don’t drink faucet water.”

    We grew up on faucet water, the outside hose water. That’s what we grew up on. That’s why our immune system is so strong. 

    “You’ve got to be fearless before you’re funny in Chicago.”

    CD: [Chuckles] That’s right, we can survive anything after that. So when people get into comedy, there’s like this inkling, right? “I’m funny. My friends think I’m funny.” Did you have any inkling of that as you were growing up?

    Correy Bell: So I’ve always been funny to everyone else. I never considered myself funny. I just thought that I said what people were thinking, but too politically correct to say out of their mouth. Like they were not risk takers. Me on the other hand, it was like a vending machine and to go in my head, it’s going to come out my mouth. 

    My sister would always say stuff like, “You’ve missed your calling. You are supposed to be on stage. You are a clown and you missed your calling.” And it really was my oldest sister Kim, who basically was like, “You’ve got to get on stage.”

    And then the cards just aligned. You know, I’m funny. Everybody tells me I’m funny. And I’m like, “I’m not funny, I’m just real. And you guys are just scared to be who you are. So let me be your representative.” 

    And that’s kind of how that happened.

    CD: You from Chicago? Correct?

    Correy Bell: Southside baby, born and raised! 

    CD: What streets?

    Correy Bell: Listen, I am from 93rd in Ada. I’m right off 95th and Vincennes. Right before Beverly.

    CD: Okay. Talk about growing up in that area. What was that like for you?

    Correy Bell: Oh, my God, growing up on the Southside of Chicago. I look at my children now. And I look at them and I’m like, “y’all don’t know what real kid fun is.” Like these kids are so into their phones. 

    We didn’t have phones. I grew up in the village that raised the children. So, the people on my block knew the people next door on the other block, and knew the people behind us. So, when we went outside, it was safe, because everybody watched out for everybody. So, when we played ding-dong-ditch, if you got caught, they knew where you lived. So you cannot be the slow one. You got to be able to run.

    We had the community. We had the village. I could walk from my house to Evergreen Plaza and see the movies or go to Montgomery Wards. We did that at 87th Street, where we would go to the carnival, or the drive-in or go kart racing out on Halsted. My growing up years is where we developed real friendships. It was like if you had two people and one pair of skates, then we each had one skate. It’s ten people and eight bikes is ten people on the bikes, because you rode with your friends. 

    I miss that community feel, that village feel. Our children miss that. I’m like, “y’all don’t know fun.” 

    You don’t know about sleepovers and making mud pies in the backyard. Like, I’m that old. I’m mud pie old. Don’t make this face fool you here, baby. I am mud pie in the backyard, ding-dong-ditch, running bases old. So I missed that for our children. But my childhood was dope. 

    “I knew that if I wanted to be world renowned…I had to be able to play to the North Side and the South Side.”

    CD: What do you think sets you apart from everybody else in the comedy landscape?

    Correy Bell: One of the things that sets me apart, is when I step on stage, other comedians would consider it being over the top. I consider it wearing what’s comfortable for me. It would give like [the comedian] Sommore. And Sommore would come out, and baby, she is dressed.

    It’s like when I put my stuff on, I feel good. I talk about my family. I talk about my experiences. I don’t necessarily have to do a stock joke. That’s why my album Organized Chaos is what it is, because it’s who I am, what I’ve lived. 

    Because my house alone — let me tell you something — my house by itself is a complete comedy set every day. There’s a joke every single day. What sets me apart is that nobody can tell my story like me. And it’s unique, it’s relatable. Even though it’s my story, you got mothers and friends and cousins, and people out there that’s going, “Listen, I’m over 40 and I understand why we got to take a nap.” 

    You know, I tried to stray away from what they already expect for black female comedians to talk about. I don’t really talk about dating. They expect dating, sex, weight loss or weight gain and kids. That’s normally what they expect. And even though I talk about those things, there’s a whole world outside of that that I choose to talk about. So that you’re not getting what you expect that you thought you’d get. I’m gonna give you all of it.

    Correy Bell performs on stage.

    CD: What was life like before comedy? You used to work at Groupon, is that right?

    Correy Bell: Listen, I was the queen of customer service, okay.  I’ve done all of the jobs, all of the customer service jobs. I did a lot of HR. Groupon was the last job that I worked before I became a full-time comic. And when I say it was by far one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had, like, it was the most entertaining. We literally got paid to play because the CEO was only 28 at the time when he opened the company. So, he was the kid, and so were we. 

    And even in having what I would have considered, one of the most fun or one of the best jobs, when I started doing comedy, I strayed away from it. It was almost like I was serving two masters.

    CD: So you were working rooms while you were working at Groupon?

    Correy Bell: I was doing open mics and stuff like that. So if I’m out doing two or three rooms. Because, let me tell you, Chicago comedy has the best comedy scene in the country. I’m okay with arguing that with people from other places, but the monsters come from Chicago. 

    We do comedy in places that people don’t want comedy. We are in the bars. We are in the lounges. We done snuck up in libraries. I did comedy in a Harold’s chicken restaurant. 

    CD: Which one? 

    Correy Bell: 14th and Wabash. Black owned. Yeah, I did comedy in the Harold’s chicken, okay. So you have to build your character, and you got to get the tiger stripes. You’ve got to be fearless before you’re funny in Chicago. That’s why, when we go to New York and we go to LA and we go to Atlanta, stepping on the stage we are fearless. And then we slap you around with a little bit of funny. So because I had to go and fight in these rooms, when I would get up in the morning to go to Groupon, I liked it a little bit less every time because I was growing the love for what was happening over here. 

    And one day, December 1, I got a message that I no longer was an employee of Groupon. Quit, got fired, don’t matter. I didn’t work anymore. And I sat down and I talked to my husband and my husband said, “Listen, I want you to take six months, and I want you to do nothing but comedy. I got the bills, I have everything. And if in six months, it’s working, you keep going. But if, in six months, it don’t work. Baby girl, you work.” 

    So it just so happens, I was about a year in, and I landed my first TV gig with [producer] Bob Sumner and truTV. Flown out to LA within the first 14 months of me doing comedy. 

    CD: Was that Laff Tracks?

    Correy Bell: Yes, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks. So I love Groupon for everything that it gave me, but it was time to go.

    CD: I did read somewhere where you talked about the difference between a South Side room and a North Side room and having the ability to navigate those rooms? Can you talk a little bit about that?

    Correy Bell: Absolutely. There’s a big difference between the North Side and the South Side. We already know that Chicago — I didn’t really learn this until I went to New York and other places — how segregated Chicago is. So when we do comedy, if you are on the South Side, the majority of those rooms are black. Anything north of 22nd Street, when you go North Side, those are the majority of white rooms.

    And when I say rooms, I mean the clubs, the open mics, wherever they decide to do it. And what I tell people all the time is you will go to the South Side for the money. That’s where the money was. The North Side, you went for opportunity. And I say that because we don’t have any black comedy clubs in Chicago. “Jokes and Notes” is what we had, and we don’t have it anymore. So, we don’t have a place to call home. So when the Just for Laughs, ABC or NBC, any of the bigger names, they’re coming to Chicago in order to search for opportunity or whatever, they’re going to the North Side. 

    So what I decided to do was, I worked the South Side because that’s why I built my stripes. That’s where I get the punches. Because I’m in a bar with somebody sitting and they trying to watch the game. They ain’t got no interest in comedy. They trying to buy the girl a drink at a bar, it’s somebody’s birthday, and they was drunk when we got there. And now I got to stop this party and get them to pay attention to me and to laugh. That’s what you get on the South Side.

    So when you go to the North Side, because the clubs are there, which I love. I’m so grateful for all of them. When you go to Laugh Factory, Comedy Bar, Zanies, like all of these clubs on the North Side, they’re designed for comedy. So the audiences are structured. 

    I knew that if I wanted to be world renowned, if I wanted to make sure that my jokes translate and I can go anywhere. I had to do both sides. I had to be able to play to the North Side and the South Side. If you want to make it in Chicago, you’ve got to do both sides.

    CD: Now, I saw that you had tweeted, Mo’Nique, and that’s how that relationship began. Is that right? And what made you get up the nerve to do that? 

    Correy Bell: Well, what ended up happening was I went to a Jill Scott concert. And after Jill Scott’s first song, we heard a big boom. The power goes out. They tried to fix it for about 30-40 minutes. They could not get it fixed. There’s no Jill Scott. On the way out, they had all of the posters of people who had performed there in the past. We were at the Horseshoe Casino. And there was a picture of Mo’Nique and I took a picture. And I was like, “You know what, one day I’ll have a picture right next to hers.” Because that’s who I looked up to. 

    And not too long after that, I saw that she was coming to Chicago. And something in me was like, you know, “try it.” So I sent out an Instagram message. And I said, “Hey, guys, I need all my friends to tag Mo’Nique and tell her to let me open up for her at the Chicago Improv. 

    And people started tagging her. And maybe about five minutes later, she responded. She said, like you always hear her say, “Hey, my sweet baby, you know, meet me at the Improv.” And I was like, “Nah, this can’t be real.” 

    And the crazy thing was, I never got an inbox or any of that. I inboxed her. There was no meet me at this time, on this day, ask for this person.

    It was like, “How bad do you want it? You going to have to figure this out yourself.” And I had already seen in my mind, I’m like, yo, if I can’t get in…Do you remember the episode of Martin when he went on The Varnell Hill Show and showed up with K-Ci and JoJo? I was going to bum rush the stage because I am going. 

    Well, the morning of the first show on that Friday, she did an interview with WGCI. And the radio personality was basically saying, “Hey, you know, I see that Mo’Nique you’re here in Chicago, and you have Correy Bell opening up for you.” And she said, “Hey, I don’t know who this Correy Bell is, but the second that I responded to her Instagram, people were going crazy about it. So I’m excited to meet her.” 

    So at this point, now, it’s on because she knows and she remembered. Like, it is on. So I showed up and it was almost like we had never not known each other. We hugged and we talked and we embraced. And I said, “Is there anything that you don’t want me to talk about?” And she basically said, “You have seven minutes.”

    CD: Oh. 

    Correy Bell: She said, “everybody out there bought a ticket to see me. I want you to go out there and make them want to come back and see you. So don’t keep nothing. Leave it all out on the stage and have a good time.” Cool! So that’s what I did. I’m at home. This is Chicago. So, I did what I do.

    I went out, and I did my seven minutes and I came back in. And when I came into the back, she was crying. And I was like, “What did I do? What did I say?” Like, “how did I mess this up?” 

    And she said, “I’ve been looking for you. And I’ve been looking for somebody that I can pour my knowledge about comedy and this business into, and I know that that’s you. And we literally have been thick as thieves since then. 

    Right after that, I finished the weekend with her. I went out on the road with her. I did her Vegas residency, all nine months in Vegas with her. And then, she invited me to do Showtime’s Mo’Nique & Friends with her. It was amazing. And just recently, even with all the touring that we did, I opened for her Netflix special.

    So, it has been a crazy, wild ride with her. I appreciate every second that we spend together —  every conversation, every teachable moment, every interview that I’ve been able to sit in with her, every stage that we’ve shared. So to be able to sit with somebody who has more than 30 years into this business, and as fearless as she is, it’s an honor.

    CD: What’s next for Correy Bell? 

    Correy Bell: Everything! I want all of it. You have people in comedy for different reasons. I am going for my yellow jacket. Like I’m, I’m going for it. So, I will always end up on that stage. Because that stage is where my superpowers lie. 

    But TV, movies, commercials, maybe a talk show. But touring is what I love because it’s something about that instant gratification that you get when people are really quiet because they’re paying attention or they’re falling out of their seat because they thought it was hilarious. 

    That, for me, is my comfort zone. It’s my safe place. When I get on stage, nothing else matters. So the stage, TV, anything. It’s limitless. The possibilities are open. I’m open to what’s for me, whatever that entails. But I’m gonna make sure that the people know my name.

    This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

     

    The post Correy Bell is Chaos and Comedic Genius appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Technology Executives, Advocates Gather for Post-Incarceration Employment Hackathon

    In April, more than 200 justice-impacted advocates, government officials, and technology leaders met in Washington, DC, for a post-incarceration employment hackathon. The nationally acclaimed non-profit Mission:Launch hosted the two-day solutions-driven event at the Walter Washington Convention Center. Teresa Hodge, the organization’s founder and CEO organized the gathering, which included federal, state, and local government policymakers from the U.S. Department of Labor, DC Department of Employment Services, and various state workforce development officials from across the country.

    Aventiv Technologies, the leading provider of prison communications technology, co-sponsored the hackathon along with What’s Next Washington. D.C. City Councilman Kenyan McDuffie delivered remarks on the importance of greater public and private sector collaboration in support of the formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted families. Tech investors Ollen Douglass of Motley Fool Ventures and Lloyd Trotter of GenNx360 participated in a panel discussion to outline what attracts venture capitalists and investment bankers committed to tech solutions, like the background check screening company R3Score.

    Since 2017, April has been recognized as “Second Chance Hiring Month,” which is intended to raise awareness from Capitol Hill to Main Street of the need for more innovative public policy, collaborative partnerships, and technology to meet the reentry challenges formerly incarcerated individuals face in the United States.

    “Hackathons are invaluable platforms to bring together those focused on innovative solutions, not just redefining the problem,” said Mission:Launch CEO Teresa Hodge. “Data has shown by 2030, 1-in-2 working aged adults will have an arrest or conviction record. If we as a nation expect to remain a global economic superpower, we must identify and create greater, more effective employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for those who are justice impacted.”

    The Washington, DC, hackathon is the second in a series sponsored by Aventiv. In December 2022, Mission:Launch partnered with Aventiv and local workforce development agencies for a similar event in Wilmington, Delaware. Planning for hackathons in Phoenix and Seattle is currently underway.

    “It’s important for Aventiv to be working in, listening to, and learning from justice-impacted communities as we iterate on the growing role of technology to accelerate solutions for reentry. We believe that the work of successful reentry begins at the date of entry, not the day of release, and we want to help drive innovation in this space,” said Margita Thompson, Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer at Aventiv Technologies.

    To learn more about Mission:Launch and the hackathons, visit www.mission-launch.org

    The post Technology Executives, Advocates Gather for Post-Incarceration Employment Hackathon appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • President Biden Delivers Howard University’s Commencement Address

    President Biden Delivers Howard University’s Commencement Address

    You are here with your heart and through the heartache, through blood, sweat, and tears of everything that’s came before, for everything yet to come. You are here at a new moment of hope and possibilities.
    But, graduates, before we begin, as mentioned many times, tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Stand for your mothers and grandmothers. Stand and thank them.
    Where I come from, moms rule.
    To my friend – and he is my friend – Congressman Jim Clyburn, the thing that I admire most about you, Jim, is your absolute integrity in everything you do – in everything you do. This is a man of honor.
    I attended South Carolina State University’s commencement as Jim received his degree, he earned 60 years ago but never got a chance to receive it in person.
    Jim, it’s an honor to join you here today and receive an honorary degree from this great university.
    And it’s truly special – special to join fellow honorees. Prime Minister Rowley, I didn’t know you were so talented. I just thought you were foreign policies – you know, Latin American guy. I – you know, I – we got to talk.
    All kidding aside, thank you for being a strong partner in the Caribbean and for addressing climate change and supporting democracies across the Western Hemisphere.
    I’m also honored that – there’s a person here today, Dr. Tony Allen. He is President of my home state [H]BCU, Delaware State University, where I got politically started.
    I was fortunate to have Tony as a Senate staffer for a long time. Then he got his PhD, had a distinguished career in business, and became president of an HBCU.
    Now Tony chairs my White House Board of Advisors on HBCUs, which is designed to support and advance HBCU excellence with a lot more money.
    I’m also proud to say that we’re the first White House to formally convene where the real power is: the Divine Nine. Oh, you all – you all think I’m kidding? Not a joke.
    The Divine Nine not only has a seat at the table, we definitely hear you at the table. And there, first time ever, at the White House permanently.
    So, folks, in 2023, I’m truly honored to be here at Howard.
    Chartered 156 years ago by an act of Congress just after Emancipation and the Civil War. Founded – founded on a hilltop in Washington, D.C. The Mecca. The Mecca.
    Always promoting, excellence, leadership, and truth and service. It really has. And a proving ground for future leaders of science, medicine, education, business, faith, arts, entertainment, and public service.
    Trailblazing intellectuals, lawyers, doctors. The first Black – I might say – Vice President of the United States of America. You can say that again.
    Kamala sends her love. And she sent a clear message that today I have the privilege, as she points out, of speaking at the real H-U.
    Now you realize that’s going to cost me at home.
    This – there’s enormous pride in this university founded in the verses of the Howard anthem. And I quote, “Reared against the eastern sky, proudly there on hilltop high… There she stands for truth and right, sending forth her rays of light.” It matters. It matters. It matters.
    We’re living through one of the most consequential moments in our history with fundamental questions at stake for our nation.
    Who are we? What do we stand for? What do we believe? Who will we be? You’re going to help answer those questions.
    Let me take you back to January of 2009. I stood in Wilmington, Delaware, on the train station of Amtrak, carrying my folder waiting to be picked up by a guy named Barack Obama.
    The first Black man elected President of the United States.
    I was there to join him as Vice President on the way to the historic inauguration in Washington. A moment of extraordinary hope, but also, as I stood there – and this is the God’s truth – I couldn’t help think about another day I stood there.
    I wasn’t much more than your age. I’d just got out of law school.
    I was a public – I had gone to work for a big firm, but my state – because when Dr. King was assassinated, parts of it were – my city – parts were burned to the ground. We had a very conservative governor.
    He stationed the National Guard on every corner with drawn bayonets for 10 months. I quit and became a public defender.
    And I used to have to introduce my clients – no, that’s not so noble – I had to interview my clients down at the Wilmington train station when they were arrested.
    On the east side – that’s where they’d be taken in the aftermath of the riots that burned Wilmington following his assassination.
    In 2009, while waiting for Barack, I was both living history at the same time I was reliving it. A vivid demonstration: When it comes to race in America, hope doesn’t travel alone.
    It’s shadowed by fear, by violence, and by hate.
    But after the election and the re-election of the first Black American President, I had hoped that the fear of violence and hate was significantly losing ground.
    After being – no longer being Vice President, I became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania for four years.
    But in 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, crazed neo-Nazis with angry faces came out of the fields with – literally with torches, carrying Nazi banners from the woods and the fields chanting the same antisemitic bile heard across Europe in the ‘30s.
    Something that I never thought I would ever see in America.
    Accompanied by Klansmen and white supremacists, emerging from dark rooms and remote fields and the anonymity of the Internet, confronting decent Americans of all backgrounds standing in their way, into the bright light of day.
    And a young woman objecting to their presence was killed.
    And what did you hear? That famous quote. When asked about what happened, that famous quote. “There are very fine people on both sides.”
    That’s when I knew – and I’m not joking – that’s when I knew I had to stay engaged and get back into public life. No, I – I don’t say it for that reason. I say it for the journey.
    I don’t have to tell you that fearless progress towards justice often meets ferocious pushback from the oldest and most sinister of forces. That’s because hate never goes away.

    I thought, when I graduated, we could defeat hate. But it never goes away. It only hides under the rocks. And when it’s given oxygen, it comes out from under that rock.
    And that’s why we know this truth as well: Silence is complicity.
    It cannot remain silent. We are living through this battle for the soul of the nation. And it is still a battle for the soul of the nation.
    What is the soul of a nation? Well, I believe the soul is the breath, the life, the essence of who we are. The soul makes us, “us.”
    The soul of America is what makes us unique among all nations. We’re the only country founded on an idea – not geography, not religion, not ethnicity, but an idea.
    The sacred proposition rooted in Scripture and enshrined in the Declaration of Independence that we’re all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.
    While we’ve never fully lived up to that promise, we never before fully walked away from it.
    We know that American history has not always been a fairytale.
    From the start, it’s been a constant push and pull for more than 240 years between the best of us, the American ideal that we’re all create equal – and the worst of us, the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart.
    It’s a battle that’s never really over.
    But on the best days, enough of us have the guts and the hearts to st- – to stand up for the best in us.
    To choose love over hate, unity over disunion, progress over retreat. To stand up against the poison of white supremacy, as I did in my Inaugural Address – to single it out as the most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy.
    And I’m not saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU. I say it wherever I go.
    To stand up for truth over lies – lies told for power and profit.
    To confront the ongoing assault to subvert our elections and suppress our right to vote. That assault came just as you cast your first ballots in ‘20 and ‘22.
    Record turnouts. You delivered historic progress.
    I made it clear that America – Americans of all backgrounds have an obligation to call out political violence that has been unleashed and emboldened.
    As was mentioned already, bomb threats to this very university and HBCUs across the country.
    To put democracy on the ballot.
    To reject political extremism and reject political violence.
    Protect fundamental rights and freedoms for women to choose and for transgender children to be free.
    For affordable healthcare and housing.
    For the right to raise your family and retire with dignity.
    To stand with leaders of your generation who give voice to the people, demanding action on gun violence only to be expelled from state legislative bodies.
    To stand against books being banned and Black history being erased.
    I’m serious. Think about it.
    To stand up for the best in us.
    And today, I come here to Howard to continue the work to redeem the soul of this nation, because it’s here where I see the future.
    And I’m not – that’s not hyperbole.
    We can finally resolve those ongoing questions about who we are as a nation. That puts strength of our diversity at the center of American life.
    A future that celebrates and learns from history.
    A future for all Americans. A future I see you leading. And I’m not, again, exaggerating. You are going to be leading it.
    Again, let’s be clear: There are those who don’t see you and don’t want this future.
    There are those who demonize and pit people against one another. And there are those who do anything and everything, no matter how desperate or immoral, to hold onto power. And that’s never going to be an easy battle.
    But I know this: The oldest, most sinister forces may believe they’ll determine America’s future, but they are wrong.
    We will determine America’s future. You will determine America’s future. And that’s not hyperbole.
    No graduating class gets to choose the world into which they graduate. Every class enters the history of a nation up to the point it has been written by others.
    But few classes, once in every several generations, enter at a point in our history where it actually has a chance to change the trajectory of the country.
    You face that inflection point today, and I know you will meet the moment. I – just think about the many ways you already have.
    With your voices and votes, I was able to fill my commitment to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
    And, by the way, she’s brighter than the rest.
    She is one bright woman.
    Because of you, more Black women have been appointed to the federal appellate courts under – than under every other President in American history combined.
    And, by the way, I mean it. I mean it. Because of you. Because of you.
    You turned out. You spoke up. You knew. You showed up, and the votes counted. And you made people say, “Whoa, wait a minute.
    What price will I pay if I don’t do the following?”
    You feel the promise and the peril of climate change. Because of you, we’re making the biggest investment ever in the history of the world in climate change.
    Don’t ever think your voice doesn’t matter.
    I’m keeping my promise that no one should be in jail merely because of using or possessing marijuana. Their records should be expunged – just expunged.
    My student debt relief plan would help – tens of millions of people, especially those on Pell Grants.
    Seventy percent of Black college students receive Pell Grants. Many of you, the savings would be significant and even wiping out student debt completely for some.
    But – this new Republican Party is dead set against it, suing my administration to stop you from getting student debt relief.
    The same opposition who received relief loans, I might add, to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic – members of the Congress – worth thousands, even millions of dollars – most of which didn’t have to be paid back. Yet, they say it’s okay for them but not for you. I find it outrageous.
    To reduce your debt service payments when you graduate, we’re also ensuring that no one – no one with an undergraduate loan today or in the future will have to pay more than 5 percent of their discretionary income to repay their loans, down from 10. And in 20 years, it’s gone.
    Republican officials are fighting that as well. But I will always keep fighting for you. And many others will – and many in the Republican Party as well will fight for you.
    But we also know there is more to do. Because of your power, we took the most significant law on gun violence – we passed it – the most significant law in 30 years.
    But we will not give up. I got the Assault Weapons Ban passed 30 years ago, and we’re going to pass it again.
    We must pass it.
    And there’s more to do on police reform and public safety.
    During the State of the Union, I asked the rest of the country to imagine having to talk to their children and their families like your families had to talk to you.
    It’s about your security. It’s about your dignity.
    It’s demeaning and degrading and deadly when you just have to stand there and say, “When you’re stopped, turn the interior light on, put both hands on the wheel, don’t reach for your license.” What in the hell is going on in America?
    No, think about it.
    I ask all the parents of non-minority children to ask what they would say, what they would do.
    I know you’re frustrated that there are so many elected officials who refuse to pass a law that will do something.
    Kamala and I stood next to the family of George Floyd and civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials to sign the executive order I came up with requiring the key elements of the George Floyd bill be applied to federal law enforcement: banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, establishing a database for police misconduct, advancing effective and accountable community policing that builds public trust.
    And we’ll keep fighting to pass the reforms nationwide.
    Equal justice is a covenant we have with each other. It must not just be an ideal; it has to be a reality.
    You’re leading the way on this and so much more.
    That’s why Kamala and I are so committed to investing in you and HBCUs. HBCUs help produce 40 percent of Black engineers; 50 percent of Black lawyers; 70 percent of Black doctors and dentists; 80 percent of Black judges.
    Look, we see HBCU excellence in every day, with staff at every level of the White House and the administration, because I decided when I was elected, I promised I was going to have my administration would look like America.
    But we all know that HBCUs don’t have the same endowments and funding as other major colleges and universities.
    For example, denying the opportunity to build and fund research labs that will lead to new technologies and good-paying jobs.
    That’s why I asked, and we’ve invested $6 billion and counting in HBCUs, including to create new research and development labs that prepare students for jobs of the future in high-income fields, from cybersecurity, engineering, biochemistry, healthcare.

    Standing here, I think the last time I came to Howard with President Frederick and others was in my final year as Vice President to host the Cancer Moonshot on campus, because you are leading the way.
    You’re the scientists, the doctors, the advocates who will bring — do big things like ending cancer as we know it and even curing some cancers, which we’re on our way of doing.
    You’re the diplomats and global citizens making democracy work for people around the world. Lawyers defending our rights. Artists shaping our culture.
    Fearless journalists. This is real, though. You’re – this is what you’re doing. Fearless journalists and intellectuals pursuing the truth and challenging convention.
    You’re the leaders of tomorrow, but it’s coming on you really quickly.
    Because of you, I see a future we can finally move away from the narrowed and cramped view that the promise of America is a zero-sum game: “If you succeed, I fail.” “If you get ahead, I fall behind.”
    And maybe worst of all, “If I can’t hold you down, I can’t lift myself up.”
    Instead of what it should be, “If you do well, we all do well.”
    That’s what I see in you. That’s what I see in America. And more Americans are – a future of possibilities for all Americans.
    Look, no matter – that future – what it holds, my sincere hope is that each of you find a sweet spot between happiness, success, and ambition.
    That – a good life. A life of purpose.
    Because here’s the thing: You don’t know where or what fate will bring you or when. You just have to keep going.
    You have to just keep the faith. You have to just get up.
    And you can find the balance between ambition and happiness and success – that good life of purpose, of family, and, as you know here at Howard, of excellence, leadership, and truth and service.
    There is no quit in you. There is no quit in America.
    So, let me close with this. In our lives and in the life of the nation, we know that fear can shadow hope. But it’s also true that hope can defeat fear.
    In January of 2021, I stood at the U.S. Capitol to be inaugurated as President of the United States. Just days before, on that very spot, a violent insurrection took place.
    A dagger at the throat of democracy. For the first time in our history, an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power in this country.
    And they failed. Our democracy held. Again, hope prevailed.
    And this time, I was standing with a Black woman about to take a two-mile procession down Pennsylvania Avenue as President and Vice President of the United States of America.
    And who was marching alongside her? The Howard University Marching Band in lockstep and solidarity. You were.
    I give you my word as a Biden: Class of 2023, you’re the reason I’m so optimistic about the future.
    And I give you my word, I really mean it. You’re part of the most gifted, tolerant, talented, best-educated generation in American history.
    That’s a fact.

    And it’s your generation, more than anyone else’s, who will answer the questions for America: Who are we? What do we stand for? What do you believe? What do we believe? What do we want to be?
    I’m not saying you have to share this burden all on your own.
    The task at hand ahead is the work of all of us.
    But what I am saying is: You represent the best of us. And that’s the God’s truth. You represent the best of us.
    Your generation will not be ignored, will not be shunned, will not be silenced.
    So, on the hilltop high, keep standing for truth and right, and send your rays of light.
    Congratulations to you all. We need you.
    God bless you. And may God protect our troops.

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    About the author

    Stacy M. Brown

    Stacy is a veteran journalist and author of the new book, “Celebrity Trials: Legacies Lost, Lives Shattered, So What’s the Real Truth.” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V3338PJ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Stacy+Brown&qid=1562686391&s=books&sr=1-3

    He’s also the author of “Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder’s Mother,” “Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask,” and “Fighting Temptation: The Damon Harris Story.” He’s appeared on “Today,” “NBC Nightly News,” “Good Morning America,””CNN with Don Lemon,” “Anderson Cooper,” “Wendy Williams,” “Howard Stern,” and other shows.

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    The post President Biden Delivers Howard University’s Commencement Address appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • Fight for Your Mother’s Dreams!

    Fight for Your Mother’s Dreams!

    Debra L. Hand 

    For Mother’s Day weekend, the Chicago Defender shares stories of dynamic Black women thriving in their careers and providing loving guidance for their families.

    by Debra L. Hand 

    As Mothers, we have so many dreams for our children. The main one is for our children to be happy in their lives. So, imagine how any mother would feel if they saw that, at the end of their Earthly journey, all they left their children is eternal heartbreak and grief upon their transition?

    As mothers, that is not something we can change for you children who love us so deeply, and who we so deeply love; but, you can change that “for us.”  You, our children, can fight for us!

    You can fight to make a decision not to let our dreams and sacrifices for your happiness, come to a crashing halt at the conclusion of our “visible” Earthly journeys. You can fight for us — for our lives, and for our legacies. You can fight not to let our precious relationship come to an end. You can fight to know that there is not one single day that you will spend on this planet, that we will not be alive within you, waiting to continue our relationships with you. You can fight to know that we will be just as present with you as all those times we crossed your mind during our lives, yet even though we were not visible to you, you understood that we were in your lives somewhere, still. You can fight to continue our love.

    We cannot fight this fight for you, but you can fight this fight “for us.” Even when we are gone from your view, you can bring Mother’s Day flowers to our photos and place them before us, not as a commemoration of the past, but as an honorary gesture to the present day where you have transitioned our relationship into a new realm — and where you still allow us to be alive in your realities.

    I wrote the following poem after a brief health scare, years ago, because it was unbearable to me to think that I would leave my precious children broken in pieces should something happen to me. It was unbearable to think that they might not know how to fight to bring me back and to continue our love and relationship in the new realm, rather than be trapped in a perpetual state of grief believing that they had to let me go. These are the things I wanted them to know.  The poem has been shared with many who say they have found comfort in these words. I only pray that those who are facing Mother’s Day feeling broken, might find some comfort in them now.

     

    “Whenever You Are Missing Me”

    (A Mother’s Love)  by Debra Hand

    Whenever you are missing me, please read this little rhyme/

    And know that I’m not gone at all, I’m right here in your mind/

    Send smiles to me and love to me, and share your fears and joys/

    Ponder my picture in the frame and listen for my voice/

    Keep me safe inside your heart, where we’ll still talk and laugh/

    And everywhere you go, know that I’m with you on your path/

    Don’t say goodbye, don’t give me back, don’t think of me as gone/

    It’s up to you to let me go, or let our love live on/

    For wherever I’m remembered, that is the place I’ll be/

    Know that our journey is forever — together, you & me/

    Just hug yourself and think of me and you’ll feel my hug too/

    The same as if I’m standing there, for I’m still part of you/

    Pain is no match for gratitude, so always think of this/

    What if life had not chosen us to give this precious gift?/

    Please guard our gift with gratitude — bask in its beauty still/

    Yes, close your eyes and know I’m there, and let your heart be filled/

    The final thing I ask of you — the last gift you can give/

    Don’t ever let the day I crossed mean more than those I lived/

     

    The post Fight for Your Mother’s Dreams! appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Lori Lightfoot Says Farewell as Chicago Mayor

    Lori Lightfoot Says Farewell as Chicago Mayor

    On Friday, Chicago’s 56th Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, left her fifth-floor City Hall office for good.

    She will make way for Brandon Johnson, who will be inaugurated as the city’s 57th mayor on Monday.

    “I’m forever humbled and grateful to have served our city as mayor. These past four years were filled with challenges, yet we achieved and celebrated so much together. Thank you, Chicago, for the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” tweeted Lightfoot after leaving office with her wife, Amy Eshleman.

    Hundreds of well-wishers jammed the City Hall lobby to bid farewell to the teary-eyed couple. Once outside, they were feted with confetti, bagpipes, hugs and handshakes.

    Lightfoot and Eschleman were ultimately escorted away in a vintage 1940s Cadillac convertible.

    Lightfoot said she would not run for public office again during her Tuesday farewell speech.

    “I will be here as private citizen Lightfoot, continually rooting for you and every resident of our city.”

    “My work is not done,” she said. “I will roll up my sleeves in another form and fashion but continue on.”

    The post Lori Lightfoot Says Farewell as Chicago Mayor appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Meet Karen Calloway: Kenwood’s Golden Apple Award-Winning Principal

    Meet Karen Calloway: Kenwood’s Golden Apple Award-Winning Principal

    Kenwood Academy Principal Karen Calloway surprised with Golden Apple Award.

    For Mother’s Day weekend, the Chicago Defender shares stories of dynamic Black women thriving in their careers and providing loving guidance for their families.

    Kenwood Academy High School Principal Karen Calloway had yet to learn that a Friday morning event would be about her.

    When she took the stage at the school’s auditorium, she planned to celebrate the success of her senior class. They were approaching $70 million in earned scholarships, a school record.

    But minutes into the program, as a student was about to share her Kenwood experience at the podium, Illinois Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and Alan Mather, president of the Golden Apple Foundation, stormed the stage. They surprised Calloway with the Stanley C. Golder Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership.

    The mostly packed-out auditorium of students, supporters and friends roared as their principal embraced Lt. Gov. Stratton, Mather, CPS Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez and Kenwood students and staff and family and friends.

    A crowd of students, faculty, staff and friends gathered to cheer Kenwood Academy Principal Karen Calloway, recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership.

    Even, the school’s choir and drum line, assembled upstage, erupted in song.

    “Principal Calloway listens to you, she listens to faculty, she listens to staff, she listens to students, and she builds a beautiful, beautiful place for all of you to learn, to love and to grow,” said Mather as he addressed the crowd.

    Calloway was selected from a pool of 130 Pre-K through 12th-grade academic leaders across Illinois. Her recognition as a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership recipient means she “had a significant and sustained positive impact on the school, created a culture of inclusivity, and delivered dramatic student growth,” according to a release by the Golden Apple Foundation.

    Calloway also receives a $10,000 cash award, with $5,000 for her and the other $5,000 to Kenwood Academy for a project of her choosing.

    “This was extremely kind,” said Calloway after the event. “And I really, really appreciate it. And I feel very honored and humbled to be a Stanley Golder Leadership Award recipient.”

    “Mr. Golder has such an amazing vision for providing access to all students across the country,” she said. “It’s a great honor to be able to receive this award this year.”

    As the recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership, Karen Calloway receives a check.

    For Calloway, Friday’s surprise award was the culmination of the work she has been doing at Kenwood since she started at the high school in 2001 as a counselor. Since then she has served as the school’s counseling department chair, assistant principal and now principal.

    Also, receiving this prestigious honor on Mother’s Day Weekend has a special significance for her.

    “It’s exciting to know that I’ve been a mom to my own son and also to many of the students as well,” Calloway said. “So I think being celebrated on Mother’s Day and receiving this award just makes it all the more special.”

    But even then, not too long after receiving her award, Calloway focused on her students, who are, in her words, “the secret sauce” of the whole deal.

    “My job is to make our world better one student at a time, and believing in every student, setting high expectations for every student, and always supporting them all the way through adulthood,” she said.

    What motivates her as a principal and academic leader is helping people develop and achieve personal greatness, whether it’s her students or adult colleagues. For her, it’s a reward with invaluable and substantial benefits.

    “My ‘why’ is that when I leave, I want to be able to say, ‘Hey, I did my job.’ I did what I could to make our world a better place.”

    The post Meet Karen Calloway: Kenwood’s Golden Apple Award-Winning Principal appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Addressing the Real Need in Real Time

    Addressing the Real Need in Real Time

    Ben Jealous

    By Ben Jealous

    As someone who’s been organizing since I was a teenager, I can tell you that it’s hard to get people to focus on two things at once. Pick a real need and work on it in real time – that’s the way to win people over.

    We saw this play out when President Biden announced he would seek re-election. Considering the record, Biden’s presidency has been a consequential one. Employment is as high as before COVID. While inflation is higher than in recent memory, it’s basically a third of what it was last June.

    He’s made mistakes around supporting fossil fuels drilling, but President Biden has attacked the three things driving the climate crisis – vehicles, methane and power plants. And he has time to finish the job as he said in the last State of the Union Address by curbing further fossil fuel expansion.

    So why was a common response to his announcement handwringing about an “enthusiasm gap” among key voting groups – Blacks, Hispanics, and young people? The White House can’t seem to cut through the clutter to convince people it has solved a real need in real time, even when it has.

    The real need for many continues to be economic stability. I’ve talked to people in every region of the country in the last five months. Many continue to feel the only economic mobility slopes downward. It’s something that President Biden and Congress actually have done something about.

    They’ve made unprecedented commitments to spend hundreds of billions to take a giant step toward keeping the Earth cool enough to stay livable. It’s our generation’s equivalent of the Apollo moon missions. The changes will happen over a decade, their benefits may take even longer to see.

    But there will be immediate impacts, and that’s what is giving people the solution they need. Incentives for school systems to buy electric school buses and families to buy electric SUVs? Jobs. Home energy efficiency programs? Jobs. Tax credits for private sector investment in clean energy? Jobs.

    The one thing we need to bring attention to and to protect are the jobs that come from reshaping the economy from destruction to renewal. They are good-paying jobs that in many cases don’t require a college education, the kind of jobs that have made the American middle class flourish. They employ mechanics, construction workers, electricians, technicians, and people to support their work. And whether it’s the most dollars invested, or most jobs created, the states benefitting are among the reddest politically.

    It makes sense that flipping the economy in this way would be a growth engine. The biggest subsidy our country ever gave private industry was allowing it to designate certain places and certain people disposable. Poverty is what has always driven people to trade the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the land they love for a paycheck that feeds and house them and their families. Turning that past on its head will create a lasting prosperity, one that doesn’t count on fuels extracted from under another country.

    Opinion research makes clear that Americans care about the environment and will vote to protect it. They care about jobs more. For those of us fighting to reverse the climate crisis and leave a healthier, safer planet to our children, from the White House to a local rally, we must show people that a cleaner economy tomorrow brings jobs they want today.

     

    Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

    The post Addressing the Real Need in Real Time appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Meet Genesis A. Emery-Foley: Millennial ‘Boss Mom’

    Meet Genesis A. Emery-Foley: Millennial ‘Boss Mom’

    Genesis A. Emery-Foley

    For Mother’s Day weekend, the Chicago Defender shares stories of dynamic Black women thriving in their careers and providing loving guidance for their families.   

    Today’s millennial woman is layered. She has the brilliance to close multi-million dollar deals, the heart to raise amazing children and the authenticity to lead as a purpose partner with her mate. To quote Queen Bey, “…strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business.”

    This woman thrives on persevering through her day with power, skill and the ability while making non-negotiable time  for self-care. This woman is a millennial powerhouse and boss mom, Genesis A. Emery-Foley. As an award-winning Chief Marketing Officer, published author, entrepreneur, national speaker and celebrated global philanthropist, Emery-Foley is the founder of The BluePrint Haus Agency, an integrated digital marketing firm led by the industry’s most innovative brand engineers and results-driven accelerators. 

    For Mother’s Day, the Chicago Defender interviewed Emery-Foley, who talked about the meaning of success, being an impactful entrepreneur and important lessons on motherhood.

    Chicago Defender: With over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, digital marketing, brand communications, and public relations, how do you cultivate and nurture stakeholder relationships? 

    Emery-Foley: Relationship building is at the core of what I do. I cultivate relationships through networking, referrals and expressing a genuine passion to build, bond and maintain relationships both personally and professionally.

    In terms of stakeholder relationships and engagement, I focus on how my talents and expertise can best support the needs of my professional allies, create proven solutions to best solve their pain and make an impact in ways that will galvanize their efforts and foster the highest level of success. 

    Motherhood has required me to learn the importance of grace and that it’s perfectly okay to be imperfect. – Genesis A. Emery-Foley

    Chicago Defender: Your work has been published across national media platforms such as ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS and more. As a trusted accelerator among startups, what advice would you give to the entrepreneur struggling to gain national attention and brand recognition?

    Emery-Foley: My #1 rule of thumb is to lead with your “why” and convey the value that your company brings to your target audience and key stakeholders. If you start a company with the sole intention of owning a company and driving revenue, you’ll miss the most important factor — adding value to the audience you serve and driving meaningful impact in ways that will evoke global change. 

    My philosophy is that an entrepreneur’s duty is to identify solutions that will help galvanize meaningful change and make the world a better place for humanity. My second piece of advice is to understand your target market, conduct research to fully understand what your customers want, innovate a product or service that will solve challenges and address common pain points, and create strategies that will disrupt the industry and distinctively set your company apart in the marketplace.

    Remember, without having a clear understanding of why you entered into your respective industry and decided to become an entrepreneur, you’ll more than likely always struggle to create brand loyalty, drive consistent revenue and profitability and enable your company to scale. And without being a solutions-driven entrepreneur, you’ll miss the opportunity to connect with your customers, nurture and maintain relationships and build credibility.

    It’s also imperative to consider the importance of brand building, key messaging and consistency. It’s crucial to develop a strong and consistent brand message that resonates with your audience, evokes emotion and aligns with their needs.

    Taking this approach will position your brand as a leader in your industry, establish trust and credibility and build a community of loyal evangelists. Building a strong brand and gaining national recognition takes a ton of time and effort, but with dedication and a strategic approach, you can achieve your goals and garner national or perhaps even global attention.

    Genesis A. Emery-Foley and her son

    Chicago Defender: Switching lanes, as we approach Mother’s Day it is important to shine light on women that lead personally and professionally. What is the most important lesson motherhood has taught you thus far? 

    Emery-Foley: One of the most important lessons that motherhood has taught me are the values of selflessness and grace. Being a mother and full-time caregiver to a child with special needs requires me to put the needs of my son before my own and furthermore, sacrifice personal time and energy to ensure that his well-being, happiness and childhood are met, first and foremost.

    From having the experience of being a mother for the past eight years and raising a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome and ADHD, I’ve experienced so many challenges and moments where I’ve felt like I’ve failed and at times questioned if I was the best person for this assignment. However, my spiritual faith and relationship with God is a constant reminder that I was given a very special and life-changing assignment that has not only positively impacted my son’s life but also my own. As it has given me a greater sense of purpose and inspired others along the way. Motherhood has required me to learn the importance of grace and that it’s perfectly okay to be imperfect. 

    Motherhood has also allowed me to glean the importance of patience and flexibility. This role has required a great deal of adaptability, research and understanding as children’s needs and behaviors can change rapidly, and when parenting a child with special needs, there’s always new changes, behaviors, patterns and learning opportunities that we must embrace and quickly adapt to. 

    Over the years I’ve grappled with unexpected challenges. I’ve encountered my fair share of hospitalizations and emergency room visits where my son, Noah, would be connected to monitors and IV’s, and all the while I would cuddle next to him, read him books, join him in playing with his favorite toys and stuffed animals, and remind him of how much I love him and that he’ll be going home in no time. 

    Behind the scenes I might break down and cry and feel like a hopeless mom watching my son endure so much as an innocent child who never asked for any of this. However, the moment that I became his mother, I knew that I wanted nothing more in this world but to make him happy, watch him enjoy all the precious moments of his childhood and stand with him every step of the way as he continues to grow. 

    These desires have taught me the definition of unconditional love and what it truly means to dedicate your life to ensure that someone you care about feels abundance, purpose and happiness in their own life. This, for me, is motherhood. And I’m grateful to be chosen for the journey. 

    Genesis A. Emery-Foley

    Chicago Defender: Being a millennial boss is no easy task. How has your definition of success shifted 15 years in the game? 

    Emery-Foley: Over the past 15 years, the definition of success has even shifted for me. While financial success and career achievements may have been the primary markers of success in the past, many people today including myself are placing a greater emphasis on work-life balance, personal fulfillment and social impact. Prioritizing self-care and emotional health can be just as important as career success, and in fact, may contribute to greater overall happiness and fulfillment.

    For me, I enjoy spending time with my family, I enjoy being a devoted wife and mother, I enjoy constantly growing in my relationship with God and being a vessel of his promises by sharing my testimonies and experiences with others.

    And lastly I enjoy finding satisfaction and personal achievement in my hard work. What success today looks like for me is peace, joy, evolution and professional talent that will create a meaningful impact for the rest of the world.

    The post Meet Genesis A. Emery-Foley: Millennial ‘Boss Mom’ appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Mothers’ Day Gifts and Gadgets for Leveling Up

    Mothers’ Day Gifts and Gadgets for Leveling Up

    It’s Mother’s Day and a lot of us- although we adore our mothers’ – got caught off guard regarding the national holiday that some regard as one of the most fitting and deserved celebrations of non-religious or patriotic days of the year.

    That being said, Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations are typically come from time-worn traditions, like breakfast in bed, Queen for a Day status, flowers and chocolate – and of course children.

    But if you think you’re late getting on the  Mother’s Day favorite child train – you may be able to beat your siblings and the others to the station and ultimate destination – her.

    So skip the flowers and perfume and focus on her vitality, style and sensibility.

    If Mom’s wearing glasses make them spectacular. The Loise Lorraine collection eyewear is a stunning line of eyewear designed especially for Black faces and facial structures, 

    Face it, mom’s are always bosses so play to the business and practical side of your mom with top-of-the line eyewear which is all the better to see you with.

    The Louise-Lorraine collection tops our list of smart and literally visionary gifts for mom with exquisite design and detail that shows the world she’s the stand-out you think she is.

    Visit louiselorraine.com to see the full line and enhance your view.

    If Mom comes to visit from time to time, takes the annual girl’s trip or just likes her weekends away, Take OFF luggage can keep her from having that airport incident with the size of her bag and whether or not it’s a personal item or a carry-on. The Wheels on this hardshell luggage retract to make it a big purse or just a personal item, but either way she won’t have to debate or pay airline gatekeepers for an extra carry on.

    Visit Take Off luggae at https://takeoffluggage.com/

    (more…)

  • Bears 2023 Schedule: A New Rival Enters the Chat

    Bears 2023 Schedule: A New Rival Enters the Chat

    Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields

    For the first time in over 30 years, the Chicago Bears will not have to deal with a Green Bay Packers team led by a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is a New York Jet, and Brett Favre is retired and still in hot water.

    For one lifelong Bears fan, Rodgers being gone is music to his ears.

    “The fact that Aaron Rodgers is out of the picture,” said Brandon Willis, “I think it’s now time to dominate the Packers first and foremost. It’s Justin Fields’ time to establish some dominance over that organization.”

    Thanks to the NFL’s 2023 Schedule Release, we now know that Fields and the Bears will get their first crack at the Packers and starting quarterback Jordan Love to open the new NFL season on Sunday, September 10, at Soldier Field.

    What’s odd is that the next time they’ll play Green Bay is Week 18, with the date to be determined. Yes, you read that right. It will be Bears-Packers to open the season and Bears-Packers to close it out.

    Green Bay might be on a different quarterback by then.

    The Bears are Must-See Primetime TV (Once Again)

    The intrigue around Fields and the retooled squad have NFL schedule makers believing that the team will be ready for the national spotlight with four primetime games:

    • Thursday Night Football at the Washington Commanders on October 5;
    • Sunday Night Football at the Los Angeles Chargers on October 29;
    • Thursday Night Football (again) hosting the Carolina Panthers on November 9
    • and Monday Night Football at the Minnesota Vikings on November 27.

    New Division Rival?

    The Bears will have no primetime games against the Detroit Lions. But when the teams clash on November 19 and December 10, those contests might decide who wins the NFC North.

    These aren’t your granddad’s, dad’s or big brother’s Lions, perpetual NFC North bottomfeeders.

    They won eight of their final ten games last year and have one of the most talented rosters in the division.

    It’s why the Lions get to open the NFL season against the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s also why they have five primetime games.

    The prevailing belief is that those boys will be for real, and the Bears will need to be ready. For Chicago to own the North, they have to declaw Detroit.

    As for the Vikings…

    Ain’t nobody really worried about the Minnesota Vikings, said Willis.

    At the End of The Day

    Echoing the decree that Ryan Poles issued when he was introduced as the Bears GM, Willis said, “We’re going to take the north and not give it back.”

    “By next year, we should be what the Packers were for the better part of 15 years — to be top 10 in the league moving forward.”

    The Bears’ 2023 Season Schedule

    What do you think will be their record?

    Oh, and kudos to the social media team for its ode to “The Bear.” Well done — no pun intended.

    The post Bears 2023 Schedule: A New Rival Enters the Chat appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Black Student Says He Was Called ‘Monkey’, Racial Slurs At Middle School

    Black Student Says He Was Called ‘Monkey’, Racial Slurs At Middle School

    Photo: Getty Images

    A 14-year-old student in Colorado says he no longer feels safe at his middle school after facing egregious acts of racism from his peers.

    Castle Rock Middle School student Jeramiah Ganzy told Denver7 that he’s finishing the rest of the school year online due to the intense racism.

    “Mainly this year is when it got the worst on the bus and in school. They’d be calling me, like, a monkey, the N-word. At the end of Black History Month, they were telling me it wasn’t my month anymore,” Jeramiah said.

    Teachers turned a blind eye to the harassment, and Jeramiah said he was even discriminated against by a staff member who accused him of stealing a water bottle.

    “She proceeded to ask me where I got the money for it,” he said.

    In a Snapchat group of roughly 100 students, Jeramiah peers allegedly exchanged racial slurs and threatened to lynch him.

    “They were sending the N-word. They were sending things against people of the Jewish religion. They were sending things against the LGBTQ community,” Jeramiah said.

    “There was a group of them calling for a lynching because my son had snitched and ruined their college future. And at that point, [Jeramiah] was immediately removed from the school,” Jeramiah’s mother, Lacey Ganzy, added.

    In one message exchange, one student appeared to write “We should remove Blacks from the planet” and “bring back Holocaust”

    Jeramiah sent an email to the district about the racism in March, saying he felt “unwanted” at school. Castle Rock Middle School Principal John Veit told a colleague in a separate email: “It is unfortunate to hear. We are working on this, but I have a feeling it will be a long project for us. He did write very well in this.”

    The Ganzys are planning to file a lawsuit accusing the district of downplaying the student’s racism as bullying rather than classifying it as a hate crime.

    “We’re not going to keep classifying things as bullying, and we are going to classify them as hate speech and hate crime, because that’s what they are,” the student’s mother said.

    “This isn’t just, you know, kids will be kids. This is a higher level of harm to students who are subjected to racism and discrimination. And schools have a legal obligation — and a moral obligation — to make sure to put an end to that action, to that conduct, to educate its students,” attorney Iris Halpern added.

    The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.

    The post Black Student Says He Was Called ‘Monkey’, Racial Slurs At Middle School appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • GLMPI Will Host “Little Mermaid” Experience With National Geographic’s Alyea Pierce

    GLMPI Will Host “Little Mermaid” Experience With National Geographic’s Alyea Pierce

    National Geographic Explorer Alyea Pierce

    The Girls Like Me Project, Inc., in partnership with National Geographic Explorer Alyea Pierce, aims to expose girls to powerful narratives and contributions of Black girls in spaces that have otherwise muted their impact by hosting an exclusive screening of Disney’s most anticipated film, “Enchanted: The Little Mermaid,” Saturday, May 27th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Cinema Chatham: Powered by Emagine (210 W. 87th St. Chicago, IL. 60620).

    This event will create an interactive, immersive movie-going experience where Black girls connect to HERstories rooted in concepts of memory, authenticity, identity, and oral storytelling through sound and voice about maritime archaeology. To help exemplify the experience, GLMPI partnered with National Geographic Magazine’s “Into the Depths” to serve as a platform to help explore the experience.

    Special Guest Speaker, National Geographic Explorer, and Fulbright alumna Alyea Pierce will present a reflection conversation using poetry, spoken word performance, audio and photography to examine oral storytelling and folklore traditions across the African diaspora.

    As a poet and researcher, she also recently contributed to National Geographic’s podcast series Into the Depths, and was recently featured on episode 1 of National Geographic’s The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part podcast series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history.

    The Immersive experience includes:

    • Live displays of oceanic artifacts powered by National Geographic
    • Swimwear Fashion Showcase
    • Live DJ
    • Interactive STEM activities
    • Photo Booth
    • Popcorn & Drink

    About Girls Like Me Project Inc.

    The mission of GLMPI is to help African-American girls ages 13-18 critically examine social, cultural, and political ideologies in media so that they will be able to overcome stigmas and negative stereotypes. In addition, we equip them with the tools and strategies to become influential, independent digital storytellers who transform their communities and foster global sisterhood. The program intends to serve as a resourceful career-driven program in the Chicagoland area, by creating a safe space for Black girls between the ages of 12-18 who aspire to pursue careers in the media industry.

    For more information on Girls Like Me Project, Inc., visit https://www.girlslikemeproject.org/.

    The post GLMPI Will Host “Little Mermaid” Experience With National Geographic’s Alyea Pierce appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • GLMPI Will Host “Little Mermaid” Experience With National Geographic’s Alyea Pierce

    GLMPI Will Host “Little Mermaid” Experience With National Geographic’s Alyea Pierce

    National Geographic Explorer Alyea Pierce

    The Girls Like Me Project, Inc., in partnership with National Geographic Explorer Alyea Pierce, aims to expose girls to powerful narratives and contributions of Black girls in spaces that have otherwise muted their impact by hosting an exclusive screening of Disney’s most anticipated film, “Enchanted: The Little Mermaid,” Saturday, May 27th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Cinema Chatham: Powered by Emagine (210 W. 87th St. Chicago, IL. 60620).

    This event will create an interactive, immersive movie-going experience where Black girls connect to HERstories rooted in concepts of memory, authenticity, identity, and oral storytelling through sound and voice about maritime archaeology. To help exemplify the experience, GLMPI partnered with National Geographic Magazine’s “Into the Depths” to serve as a platform to help explore the experience.

    Special Guest Speaker, National Geographic Explorer, and Fulbright alumna Alyea Pierce will present a reflection conversation using poetry, spoken word performance, audio and photography to examine oral storytelling and folklore traditions across the African diaspora.

    As a poet and researcher, she also recently contributed to National Geographic’s podcast series Into the Depths, and was recently featured on episode 1 of National Geographic’s The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part podcast series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history.

    The Immersive experience includes:

    • Live displays of oceanic artifacts powered by National Geographic
    • Swimwear Fashion Showcase
    • Live DJ
    • Interactive STEM activities
    • Photo Booth
    • Popcorn & Drink

    About Girls Like Me Project Inc.

    The mission of GLMPI is to help African-American girls ages 13-18 critically examine social, cultural, and political ideologies in media so that they will be able to overcome stigmas and negative stereotypes. In addition, we equip them with the tools and strategies to become influential, independent digital storytellers who transform their communities and foster global sisterhood. The program intends to serve as a resourceful career-driven program in the Chicagoland area, by creating a safe space for Black girls between the ages of 12-18 who aspire to pursue careers in the media industry.

    For more information on Girls Like Me Project, Inc., visit https://www.girlslikemeproject.org/.

    The post GLMPI Will Host “Little Mermaid” Experience With National Geographic’s Alyea Pierce appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Daniel Penny Charged in Fatal Chokehold of Jordan Neely 

    Daniel Penny Charged in Fatal Chokehold of Jordan Neely 

    Jordan Neely

    The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced that Daniel Penny, who applied a fatal chokehold to a man on a New York City subway, will be charged with manslaughter.

    “We cannot provide any additional information until he has been arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court, which we expect to take place tomorrow,” the Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a statement on Thursday.

    Penny, a former Marine, will be arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter. The 24-year-old could face up to 15 years behind bars if found guilty.

    The charges come after Penny, who is white, applied a chokehold on 30-year-old Black man Jordan Neely almost two weeks ago while aboard the train.

    Neely, who was homeless, started yelling about being “fed up and hungry” and “tired of having nothing,” according to a CNN report.

    Neely continued to yell on the train, which reportedly rattled some passengers. That’s when Penny got behind him and applied a chokehold that lasted for seven minutes, said a man who recorded the event. Two more men came over, one attempting to intervene and another assisting Penny in restraining Neely.

    The event drew national headlines and furious protests over the threat of unchecked white vigilantism and its danger to people of color. Some likened Neely’s killing to Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old man murdered while jogging in Georgia in 2020.

    Initially, Penny was questioned by police hours after Neely died but was released without charges. Attorneys representing Penny said he never meant to hurt Neely, a subway performer known for his keen Michael Jackson impressions.

    “Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death,” the statement from Penny’s attorneys said. “We hope that out of this awful tragedy will come a new commitment by our elected officials to address the mental health crisis on our streets and subways.”

    However, as the investigation continued and public pressure ratcheted up, Manhattan District Attorney announced the charges against Penny on Thursday.

    The post Daniel Penny Charged in Fatal Chokehold of Jordan Neely  appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • YSL Trial: Rapper Young Thug Rushed To Hospital Before Scheduled Court Appearance

    YSL Trial: Rapper Young Thug Rushed To Hospital Before Scheduled Court Appearance

    Young Thug has been rushed to the hospital. The chart-topping rapper was scheduled to appear in a Fulton County courtroom this morning, but was transported to the hospital after being escorted from the Cobb County jail, according to WSB.  

    Young Thug reportedly became sick and authorities decided to take him to a nearby hospital for treatment. His health concerns were made known by one of his attorneys during a previous hearing. 

    In April, Young Thug’s lawyers requested a bond for the rapper who has been in incarcerated for one year now. 

    “Mr. Williams is sleep deprived, mandated to wake up on court days between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. and not having more than five hours of sleep per night,” lawyers said. “By the end of the week, Mr. Williams is fighting to pay attention to the goings on in his case.”

    Incarcerated since May 2022, Young Thug was arrested along with fellow rapper Gunna and other members of YSL (Young Slime Life). They were charged with the RICO Act by Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis.

    There were initially 28 defendants and 14 took plea deals. As a result of the pleas deals, any of the co-defendants named in the original indictment could be called to testify during trial.

    The trial has yet to start due to a rigorous jury selection process which began five months ago. The trial is expected to last about nine months.  

     

    The post YSL Trial: Rapper Young Thug Rushed To Hospital Before Scheduled Court Appearance appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • Police-Involved Shooting in Cobb County Leaves Many Unanswered Questions

    Police-Involved Shooting in Cobb County Leaves Many Unanswered Questions

    The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been involved in an investigation of an officer-involved shooting that took place in the early morning hours on Wednesday in Cobb County. According to eyewitness reports an officer shot at least one suspect fleeing in a vehicle near Maxham and Thornton Roads. Since the initial report it has been determined that two people were injured in the incident.

    Cobb County police initially said one person was shot and no officers were injured. Hours later, the GBI sent a news release confirming a woman inside the suspect’s car was also injured.

    The GBI said Cobb police initially responded to a home off Drennon Avenue in Austell. A 911 caller said an armed man and woman were in his home trying to take his daughter. The 911 caller gave police a description of the SUV.

    A witness reported hearing sirens, a car crash and then multiple shots being fired. “I was at my house when I heard a whole lot of police sirens and heard a car accident,” the witness stated. “So I came over to see what was wrong and apparently there was a police chase and they did I guess [the police] did what is called a pit maneuver and took out the car. Then there were a whole lot of gunshots,” the witness continued. “there were two people in the car and I saw one being taken out with a sheet over them and another person on a stretcher.”

    Police identified the two people involved as Ricardo Tuggle, 38, and Kara Johnson, 28. Police said Tuggle and Johnson were trying to convince Tuggle’s 20-year-old daughter to come with them. Officers say that Tuggle and Johnson fled the scene in a Kia Sorrento and when Cobb County police attempted to apprehend the pair, tuggle refused to show his hands and appeared to besearching around the interior of the car for what they suspected was a weapon.

    Both Tuggle and Johnson were shot, with Tuggle being shot multiple times. Both were taken to the hospital, where Johnson was treated and released, but Tuggle remains in serious but stable condition.

    This story is developing. Check back with for updates as information becomes available.

    The post Police-Involved Shooting in Cobb County Leaves Many Unanswered Questions appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • DRW Apprenticeship Program Wants People of Color in Tech

    DRW Apprenticeship Program Wants People of Color in Tech

    DRW Software Engineer Brawnski Armstrong

    As one of the few Black men in his industry, Brawnski Armstrong counts his rise to become a software engineer as lucky yet unlikely. 

    Armstrong came from meager beginnings, but he was one of those people who always knew what he wanted to do when he first touched a computer. He enrolled at the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, which has a computer curriculum, and he attended the University of Michigan on a golf caddie scholarship. His family was also supportive, he said. In summary, Armstrong found his life’s calling early and has been answering it more than 20 years later.

    “I have never wondered about my career or what I would do with the rest of my life since that day,” said Armstrong in a published interview. 

    But it should be different for people of color who want to work in the tech industry but do not have the opportunity to gain meaningful experience or attend the right schools.

    That’s why, for the last three years, he has helmed an innovative tech apprenticeship program at Chicago-based trading firm DRW, helping to create a more straightforward path for people of color who want to work in software engineering or development operations.

    “We wanted to provide opportunities for underserved people and give them a better path forward that is sustainable. That lasts,” said Armstrong.

    While Black people make up 12 percent of the overall workforce, only 8 percent of them are employed in tech, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association’s State of the Tech Workforce.

    That disparity means that candidates from marginalized communities are denied access to higher-paying jobs in tech. According to Indeed.com, the average base salary for a software engineer is $114,214. For a devops engineer, that amount is $125,230.

    “We can teach you the technology because we believe that we have the expertise to help anyone who has the grit, who has the communication, who has the perseverance,” said Brawnski Armstrong, Senior Software Engineer at DRW.

    Diversity in Tech: Answering the Call 

    Armstrong said he answered a call to action by DRW Founder and CEO Don Wilson and created the technical apprenticeship program in 2020. 

    “There have been plenty of times I’ve walked into the office with my new employer, and I’ve been the only person of color in the office,” he said, explaining his motivation for launching the program.

    The technical apprenticeship program aims to widen the talent pipeline for talented and diverse candidates to be mentored and trained for future employment at DRW or one of its organizational partners.

    Thus far, the program is doing its part. 

    For instance, 62 percent of the current DRW apprenticeship class are people of color. 

    • 46 percent are women;
    • 46 percent are people of color focusing on software development;
    • 73 percent are women concentrating on software development;
    • 83 percent are people of color focusing on DevOps (development operations)

    But Armstrong insists that establishing this program wasn’t a philanthropic or charitable act.

    “DRW gets an employee or the opportunity to train an employee for the benefit of themselves and their corporation for a very long time. It’s a win-win for everyone,” he said. 

    How the Apprenticeship Program Finds Candidates

    The program doesn’t accept resumes. You have to take a test for consideration. 

    Besides your background and proficiency in math, science and problem solving, the screening process examines whether you have these core intangibles to succeed — grit, communications skills and perseverance.

    “How do you stick through problems, how do you work your way through problems, and how do you navigate around constraints,” added Armstrong.

    “Do you recognize the rock and the hard place, and how do you get around those things?”

    Plus, you don’t have to have a technical background or computer science degree to be accepted into the program, which can last up to 18 months.

    Candidates with liberal arts degrees have enrolled, as have those with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds, said Armstrong. 

    It’s about something other than what school you attended. Having an Ivy League degree doesn’t guarantee a spot in the rigorous apprenticeship program. 

    “We can teach you the technology because we believe that we have the expertise to help anyone who has the grit, who has the communication, who has the perseverance,” said Armstrong.

    A DRW Apprenticeship Success Story

    Having a communications degree and not abundant experience won’t disqualify you either. That’s precisely the profile of Myron Castillo, an alum of the technical apprenticeship program. 

    When Castillo graduated from the University of Illinois with a communications degree, he wanted to learn software engineering and took classes on the side. 

    While working as an application developer for a company, Castillo was referred to the DRW technical apprenticeship program in 2021. Upon enrolling, he had to learn the fundamentals of finance and trading, which are core parts of DRW’s business. 

    It took him six months to complete the program, but he became a better software engineer from the experience.

    “What would tie me down a lot was I would get focused on how I can do this as efficiently as possible on the first try,” he said. “Instead of just jumping right in, ‘here’s my bare bones solution.’ I can go back out and rework it if I need to.”

    “It’s helped me work faster, and it’s helped me work a lot smarter,” he said. 

    When asked how the technical apprenticeship program has changed his life,  Castillo, a software engineer at DRW, said, “It has really solidified that I have a career.”

    “To come to this point in my career has been very inspirational for me,” he said. “It’s been very motivating so that I can continue to build up my software skills.”

    He reflected on his journey of working various jobs, including selling health insurance.

    “Compensation isn’t always the most remarkable thing to think about when it comes to career growth,” he said. “But it helps to reflect the journey that I have been on, to go from here to there…that it really helps drive that point home for me that I’ve come a long way.” 

    Castillo added, “Not only have I come a long way, but with DRW, it has shown me that there’s still much more to do. There’s still a longer way to go.” 

    To Learn More

    For more information about the DRW Technical Apprenticeship Program, visit this link.

    The post DRW Apprenticeship Program Wants People of Color in Tech appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • DRW Apprenticeship Program Wants People of Color in Tech

    DRW Apprenticeship Program Wants People of Color in Tech

    DRW Software Engineer Brawnski Armstrong

    As one of the few Black men in his industry, Brawnski Armstrong counts his rise to become a software engineer as lucky yet unlikely. 

    Armstrong came from meager beginnings, but he was one of those people who always knew what he wanted to do when he first touched a computer. He enrolled at the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, which has a computer curriculum, and he attended the University of Michigan on a golf caddie scholarship. His family was also supportive, he said. In summary, Armstrong found his life’s calling early and has been answering it more than 20 years later.

    “I have never wondered about my career or what I would do with the rest of my life since that day,” said Armstrong in a published interview. 

    But it should be different for people of color who want to work in the tech industry but do not have the opportunity to gain meaningful experience or attend the right schools.

    That’s why, for the last three years, he has helmed an innovative tech apprenticeship program at Chicago-based trading firm DRW, helping to create a more straightforward path for people of color who want to work in software engineering or development operations.

    “We wanted to provide opportunities for underserved people and give them a better path forward that is sustainable. That lasts,” said Armstrong.

    While Black people make up 12 percent of the overall workforce, only 8 percent of them are employed in tech, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association’s State of the Tech Workforce.

    That disparity means that candidates from marginalized communities are denied access to higher-paying jobs in tech. According to Indeed.com, the average base salary for a software engineer is $114,214. For a devops engineer, that amount is $125,230.

    “We can teach you the technology because we believe that we have the expertise to help anyone who has the grit, who has the communication, who has the perseverance,” said Brawnski Armstrong, Senior Software Engineer at DRW.

    Diversity in Tech: Answering the Call 

    Armstrong said he answered a call to action by DRW Founder and CEO Don Wilson and created the technical apprenticeship program in 2020. 

    “There have been plenty of times I’ve walked into the office with my new employer, and I’ve been the only person of color in the office,” he said, explaining his motivation for launching the program.

    The technical apprenticeship program aims to widen the talent pipeline for talented and diverse candidates to be mentored and trained for future employment at DRW or one of its organizational partners.

    Thus far, the program is doing its part. 

    For instance, 62 percent of the current DRW apprenticeship class are people of color. 

    • 46 percent are women;
    • 46 percent are people of color focusing on software development;
    • 73 percent are women concentrating on software development;
    • 83 percent are people of color focusing on DevOps (development operations)

    But Armstrong insists that establishing this program wasn’t a philanthropic or charitable act.

    “DRW gets an employee or the opportunity to train an employee for the benefit of themselves and their corporation for a very long time. It’s a win-win for everyone,” he said. 

    How the Apprenticeship Program Finds Candidates

    The program doesn’t accept resumes. You have to take a test for consideration. 

    Besides your background and proficiency in math, science and problem solving, the screening process examines whether you have these core intangibles to succeed — grit, communications skills and perseverance.

    “How do you stick through problems, how do you work your way through problems, and how do you navigate around constraints,” added Armstrong.

    “Do you recognize the rock and the hard place, and how do you get around those things?”

    Plus, you don’t have to have a technical background or computer science degree to be accepted into the program, which can last up to 18 months.

    Candidates with liberal arts degrees have enrolled, as have those with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds, said Armstrong. 

    It’s about something other than what school you attended. Having an Ivy League degree doesn’t guarantee a spot in the rigorous apprenticeship program. 

    “We can teach you the technology because we believe that we have the expertise to help anyone who has the grit, who has the communication, who has the perseverance,” said Armstrong.

    A DRW Apprenticeship Success Story

    Having a communications degree and not abundant experience won’t disqualify you either. That’s precisely the profile of Myron Castillo, an alum of the technical apprenticeship program. 

    When Castillo graduated from the University of Illinois with a communications degree, he wanted to learn software engineering and took classes on the side. 

    While working as an application developer for a company, Castillo was referred to the DRW technical apprenticeship program in 2021. Upon enrolling, he had to learn the fundamentals of finance and trading, which are core parts of DRW’s business. 

    It took him six months to complete the program, but he became a better software engineer from the experience.

    “What would tie me down a lot was I would get focused on how I can do this as efficiently as possible on the first try,” he said. “Instead of just jumping right in, ‘here’s my bare bones solution.’ I can go back out and rework it if I need to.”

    “It’s helped me work faster, and it’s helped me work a lot smarter,” he said. 

    When asked how the technical apprenticeship program has changed his life,  Castillo, a software engineer at DRW, said, “It has really solidified that I have a career.”

    “To come to this point in my career has been very inspirational for me,” he said. “It’s been very motivating so that I can continue to build up my software skills.”

    He reflected on his journey of working various jobs, including selling health insurance.

    “Compensation isn’t always the most remarkable thing to think about when it comes to career growth,” he said. “But it helps to reflect the journey that I have been on, to go from here to there…that it really helps drive that point home for me that I’ve come a long way.” 

    Castillo added, “Not only have I come a long way, but with DRW, it has shown me that there’s still much more to do. There’s still a longer way to go.” 

    To Learn More

    For more information about the DRW Technical Apprenticeship Program, visit this link.

    The post DRW Apprenticeship Program Wants People of Color in Tech appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • Clarence Thomas Donor Won’t Give up Goods and Secrets on the Judge

    Clarence Thomas Donor Won’t Give up Goods and Secrets on the Judge

    Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his secret benefactor, GOP megadonor Harlan Crow are in lockstep maintaining their innocence in the highly unethical case of an officer of the court accepting money and gifts. Thomas apparently has been accepting a slew of extravagant gifts from Crow including luxury vacations, private school tuition payments for his grandnephew, cash and other undisclosed gifts. undisclosed gifts.

    But both he and Crow refuse to reveal the value of the ill-gotten gains and Thomas is definitely not returning anything he accepted.

    In a letter addressed to the Senate Finance Committee, Crow stated that he will not submit a list of gifts he gave Thomas, who has dealt with renewed calls to step down in lieu of the scandal that was first reported by ProPublica last month.

    Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore, has requested full disclosure on all of the lavish gifts, trips and payments Crow has provided to Thomas over the years. In particular, Wyden wanted detailed descriptions of all of Thomas’ free flights on Crow’s private jets as well as trips on his yacht. 

    Thomas however is claiming that he checked with an advisor who assured him that the gifts were “not reportable” and that not only could he accept the gifts it was okay to remain quiet about them.

    Adding insult to injury, Crow purchased three properties in Georgia from Thomas’s family for large sums of money which may exceed the valuation of those properties.

    Defenders of the alleged improprieties between the two are claiming that neither are obliged to come forward as Congress “has no authority to engage in law enforcement investigations or to conduct investigations aimed at exposing citizens’ private affairs for the sake of exposure.”

     

    Thomas’ attorney asserts that the justice complied with ethics standards and that he is being intentionally targeted and this conduct “raises substantial separation of powers concerns.”

    Sen. Wyden is not satisfied though with Thomas and Crows off-hand dismissal of his requests for disclosure and said in a statement on Tuesday, “The assertion that the Finance Committee lacks a legislative basis for an investigation of the abuse of gift taxes by the wealthy is simply preposterous. The bottom line is that nobody can expect to get away with waving off Finance Committee oversight, no matter how wealthy or well-connected they may be.”

    The post Clarence Thomas Donor Won’t Give up Goods and Secrets on the Judge appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

  • Chuck D on Death of Takeoff: ‘When Corporations Show Up God Leaves the Room’

    Chuck D on Death of Takeoff: ‘When Corporations Show Up God Leaves the Room’

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    @StacyBrownMedia

    As family, friends, and fans, continue to mourn the death of Migos member Takeoff, the demand for hip-hop to take a stand against gun violence has grown.
    While many have expressed disbelief and anger that the shooting death of the 28-year-old, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, took place allegedly because of an argument over a dice game.

    Fans on social media and the mainstream press have quickly tossed blame at everyone from Takeoff’s bandmate Quavo to clothing boss J. Prince Jr. and even to the slain rap star himself.

    And as always, hip-hop has come under fire.

    That’s no surprise to legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, whom most recognize as hip-hop’s voice of reason.

    In putting in a perspective as perhaps only the “Fight the Power” artist can, Chuck noted that any other industry that has seen as many fatalities as hip-hop would have addressed that issue long ago.

    And Chuck doesn’t put the blame entirely on the artists.

    “This curiosity of what is this hip-hop thing, what is this Black thing. The world always seems to want to know and mimic our greatness,” Chuck asserted in a 30-minute interview with the Black Press of America’s live morning news program, “Let It Be Known.

    “And if they can find a way to finance and have our people mimic us at our worst – the stereotype that generalizes us as a bunch of murderous thugs and metastasize that over a 10-15-20-year period as being normal, then we got a problem.”

    He continued:

    “I don’t blame the youth. You’ve got to blame some adults hiding behind the scenes, pied piping and pied papering all of this madness and making this kind of thing seem normal. Was there a shootout at a dice game? Yes. Were Black men involved in that circle? Yes. But it’s somebody pushing buttons and pulling levers and not only doing so but they have been greatly enriched financially by these incidents.”

    Takeoff’s death counts among a string of murders in the hip-hop community over the past several years.

    Other high-profile murders include PnB Rock, Pop Smoke, XXXTentacion, Nipsey Hustle, King Von, and Young Dolph.

    “I was in college when Biggie and ‘Pac was killed and thought there was no way we’d ever experience anything remotely close to that again,” media personality Jemele Hill tweeted following Takeoff’s death.

    “Now,” Hill continued. “It’s happening so frequently that you barely have time to recover before someone else is killed.”

    Chuck noted that a large part of the argument about hip-hop deaths and violence comes from many who don’t consider all available facts.

    “There are hundreds of thousands of artists out there,” he said when asked whether the younger artists pay attention to the old heads.

    “Who do you count? Do you count the more successful ones because more people like them? When we start getting into followers and likes, those algorithms don’t add up to who we are as a people,” Chuck insisted.

    He explained:

    “I have ten stations on Rap Station (Radio). We play artists from the underground and under-found. We play artists with a 10-15-year career, women worldwide and in more abundance than in the United States.”

    Chuck continued:

    “If you only pay attention to what’s being washed up on your shores, you’re going to get a limited view of what it really is. There is really no kind of educational forum that people can go to like in other aspects of life. Our arts and culture should be taught to us. If we don’t control our educational curriculum, we’re going to let corporations teach us. And, whenever corporations show up, God walks out the door.”

    In a recent podcast, Takeoff spoke about receiving his flowers before he died.

    “It’s time to pop it,” Takeoff said on “Drink Champs.”

    “It’s time to give me my flowers. I don’t want them later when I’m not here. I want them right now.”

    Chuck said the life artists today lead today, compared to earlier hip-hop stars, is different.

    “At the beginning of hip-hop, especially in the real beginning, cats wanted to get away from that,” Chuck recounted.

    “They didn’t want to be in the Bronx. New York City had been deemphasized and abandoned by the U.S.A. during a tough fiscal time post-Nixon. Cats saw the emergence of hard drugs coming in out of nowhere. Guns coming out of nowhere, and cats wanted to get away from that, and they didn’t want to [rhyme] about that in the 1980s.

    He concluded:

    “You had MCs and rappers who adhered to those values and qualities. We could have “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five that talked about what’s going on, but they also made party records to not talk about things people saw every day.

    “There was a balance to at least try to bring good times into the picture. People often said Public Enemy bought a political message, but we came from the 1960s, so we remember a time of being broke but not broken.

    “Many cats came from the 1970s doing hip hop in the 1980s and 1990s.

    “We came from the Black Panther Party doing lunch programs, the Nation of Islam doing things in the neighborhood. We remember Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X being assassinated when they were living people to us.

    “On my birth certificate, it says ‘Negro.’ I remember being ‘Colored’ and ‘Black is Beautiful.’ That’s a different period that has been kind of pushed under the rug in Americana.”

  • Russia Transfers Brittney Griner to Dreaded Penal Colony

    Russia Transfers Brittney Griner to Dreaded Penal Colony

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
    @StacyBrownMedia

    Attorneys for Griner said they don’t expect to know her exact location for a couple of weeks.

    Russian authorities have transferred Brittney Griner to the country’s dreaded penal colony, a move that, while expected, she and her family had hoped could be avoided.

    Attorneys for Griner said they don’t expect to know her exact location for a couple of weeks.

    Russian officials jailed Griner in February when authorities arrested her at a Moscow airport after finding a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage.

    A court convicted Griner in August of trying to smuggle narcotics. She received a nine-year sentence, which an appeals court upheld last month.

    White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden had directed all in the administration to prevail on her “Russian captors” to improve Griner’s treatment and the conditions many must endure in the country’s penal colony.

    Individuals who’ve spent time at one of Russia’s infamous penal colonies reported that prisoners aren’t allowed outside contact for weeks.

    The colonies are notorious for corrections officers’ repeated abuse of prisoners, violence among inmates, lack of food, and inadequate sanitation.

    Confirmed reports said the United States government had offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

    Bout, who’s serving a 25-year federal prison sentence and notorious for his desire to kill Americans, reportedly has been at the top of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish list.

    “We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official said earlier this year. “We communicated that many weeks ago, in June.”

    The families of Whelan, who Russia has held for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange, if necessary, the report stated.

    During her court testimony, Griner said she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage.

    She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court.

    “I still don’t understand to this day how they ended up in my bags,” Griner said, adding that she was aware of the Russian law outlawing cannabis oil and that she had not intended to break it.

    “I didn’t have any intention to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia,” Griner said.

    U.S. officials continue to wait for word from the Russian government on whether they will accept the swap.

  • COMMENTARY: Why ‘The Woman King’ Is Revolutionary

    COMMENTARY: Why ‘The Woman King’ Is Revolutionary

    By: Dr. Stephane Dunn and Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftal | Chicago Defender

    Back in a 1974 review of the Bond-like Cleopatra Jones movie starring Tamara Dobson, Feminist and former Ms. Magazine editor Margaret Sloan spoke volumes about Black female spectatorial desire. Damn, that felt good she wrote. After viewing The Woman King, we know exactly what she meant.

    Cleopatra, a beautiful, kick-ass Black woman empowered by the U.S. government but grounded in her commitment to the Black community, was a Black Power era fantasy character. Over 40 years later, Marvel’s Afrofuturist Black Panther teased us with the cinematic possibilities of Wakanda’s supporting characters, a squad of royal Black women soldiers. The Woman King brings such women to the center and importantly marks both the evolution and realization of this on-screen representation of Black women and the cinematic evolution of its director, Gina Prince-Bythewood.

    Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood with screenwriter Dana Stevens, The Woman King is inspired by the real-life Dahomey female warriors, the Agojie, who were formed in the 1700s and became legendary fighters. Viola Davis, who plays the fictional character General Nanisca – arguably a composite nod to various African warriors like Nzinga and Yaa Asantewaa, and an emerging young Agojie, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), lead an extraordinary cast including, Lashana Lynch as the enthralling Izogie and John Boyega as young King Ghezo.

    The Woman King is not a biography or intended to be a neat history lesson on African women warriors and as such takes full creative license to reimagine the Agojie, threading together the historical realities of slavery, racial, gender, and class violence to fashion a world in which women have not only a female-centered, controlled safe space to live but literal physical and socio-political choice, voice, and visibility within the patriarchal structure of their immediate community and beyond.

    Women characters becoming sword slashing or shotgun-toting badasses (i.e., Kill Bill and Foxy Brown) or rebels against their prescribed roles (i.e. Thelma & Louise) have often still registered as objects of the traditional gaze, rendered more exotic or erotic because they take on expected tropes of masculine toughness or step out of their domestic roles and temporarily seize the day. Women wielding weapons as well as or better than men can too easily be deemed as radical representations of women with little attention to context or the problematic association of violent toughness with heroic maleness on screen.

    The Woman King has a copious amount of violence and blood; brutal warring between different African nations and between the Africans and Europeans involved in turbulent at turns reciprocal slave trafficking is one of the unfortunate realistic historical threads exploited in the film’s unapologetic anti-Atlantic slave trade and African involvement sentiment.

    However, the spectacle of physical violence is in service to the dominant and most important critical representation in the film – women whose reaffirming collective sisterhood is a formidable force against patriarchal oppression and to an extent racial and class oppression. The women the Agojie rescue or take captive after the battle are given the power to choose a rare life and identity for themselves whereas men do not generally dictate their daily movements or can willfully them to be subservient wives, daughters, or servants that they can rape and beat at will.

    To become Agojie is to fight for their male king and Dahomey, but as they remind each other, they fight for themselves and each other in service to their own double-edged quest for freedom and power as women and Dahomey people. This is not pretty work, women soldiering in battle with and against men. This is why the rare movie depiction of Black women in the community within the Agojie compound registers so magnificently.

    Here neither men’s gaze nor presence is allowed. Here women dance, train, and braid each other’s hair, tend tenderly to one another’s wounds, strategize, debate respectfully, learn to transcend ethnic differences, and grow their sense of individual and collective empowerment.

    The French slavers call them “Amazons” but this dismissive historical tag holds no weight in The Woman King. The women in the film hold the controlling narrative point of view and declare themselves, “Agojie” and “sisters” and there is the possibility of a ‘Woman King’.

    Gina Price-Bythewood’s Black romantic classic, Love and Basketball (2000) marked the debut of its promising director. Two Black leads (portrayed by Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) come to bond over their passion for playing basketball and later fall in love. We loved Prince-Bythewood’s exploration of a Black woman’s uneasy navigation of her professional ambition and the social gender expectations as her traditional mother’s daughter and boyfriend’s girl. And yet, it settled uneasily. Her passion and ambition for basketball rises, falls and rises again with the twists and turns of her romantic relationship until she’s happily settled in domestic life and in the WNBA.

    Later, in Price-Bythewood’s under-rated Beyond the Lights (2014), the exploration of women’s difficulties choosing and defining their paths and self-identity continues with a young pop singer (Gugu Mbatha-raw) struggling to navigate the expectations of her manager mother and pop stardom; a romance with a regular good guy (Nate Parker) helps her to ultimately step into the music and self-representation she truly desires.

    In real life, the Agojie were devastated by Dahomey’s ongoing conflicts – wars with other African nations and participation in and against the slave trade with the Europeans – becoming an exhibition for the Western gaze and historical record.

    But The Woman King, thank you very much, is a movie. Gina Prince-Bythewood directs her fullest, most satisfying representation of Black women’s quest for autonomy and actualization. The Woman King boldly unsettles the traditional spectacle of patriarchy and not because the women fight with such dazzling physical might and skill with their bodies or rope and machete in hand, but because the most radical thing is that the love, intimacy, and sisterhood between women, the collective power of this, sits boldly at the center of The Woman King. In American popular film, this is revolutionary.

    Words by: Dr. Stephane Dunn and Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftal

    Dr. Stephane Dunn,  PhD, MA, MFA is a writer, filmmaker, professor, and cultural critic and author of Baad Bitches & Sassy Supermamas: Black Power Action Films (2008), Chicago ’66 (2020) Finish Line/Tirota Social Impact Screenplay winner) & the novel Snitchers (2022). She is chair of the Morehouse Cinema, Television & Emerging Media Studies (CTEMS) department. Her work has appeared in a number of publications including, The Atlantic, Vogue, Ms. magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education, and TheRoot.com,  among others
    @DrStephaneDunn
    stephanedunn_writes
    Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftal is Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies and the Founder and Director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center, at Spelman College.  Sheftall published the first anthology on Black women’s literature, Sturdy Black Bridges: Visions of Black Women in Literature (Doubleday, 1979), with Roseann P. Bell and Bettye Parker Smith; Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought (New Press, 1995); Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality (Indiana University Press, 2001) and (with Johnnetta Betsch Cole  Gender Talk: The Struggle for Equality in African American Communities,
    @DrGuySheftall

    The post Why ‘The Woman King’ Is Revolutionary appeared first on Chicago Defender.

  • “Race: Bubba Wallace” and the Future of NASCAR

    “Race: Bubba Wallace” and the Future of NASCAR

    Danielle Sanders, Managing Editor, Chicago Defender

    Race: Bubba Wallace is a six-episode docuseries following the life and career of Bubba Wallace, the only full-time black driver in the NASCAR cup series. “RACE” follows Wallace as he competes on Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s racing team and uses his platform to speak out about racial injustice.

    Race: Bubba Wallace Chicago Defender
    NASCAR Driver, Bubba Wallace
    Photo courtesy of Netflix

    300 Entertainment, the label home of Megan Thee Stallion launched a content and film division, 300 Studios. 300 Studios is headed by Kevin Liles, who is chairman and CEO of both 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, with former Viacom executives Kelly Griffin as head of creative strategy and Nolan Baynes as GM.

    Race: Bubba Wallace is 300 Studios’ debut project. The studio currently has 30 projects in development including films, TV Series, and podcasts.

    Race: Bubba Wallace Chicago Defender
    Chicago native, Kelly “Kelly G” Griffin, Head of Creative Strategy (300 Studios) and one of the executive producers of “Race: Bubba Wallace”.

    With over 15 years in Music Programming, Development, and Marketing for various companies including Clear Channel, Viacom, REVOLT TV and, now as head of creative strategy for 300 Studios, Kelly “Kelly G” Griffith has honed a unique talent of identifying up and coming superstars that ultimately prove to be profitable on various linear and digital platforms through an increase in streaming, record and ticket sales as well as overall brand recognition. From his days at WGCI to his work at BET, Kelly Griffith has also established himself as a premier programmer, talent booker, and producer.

    The Chicago Defender spoke with Chicago native, Kelly “Kelly G” Griffin, head of creative strategy and one of the executive producers of the docuseries, Race: Bubba Wallace about the impact Bubba Wallace is having on the sport, the Netflix docuseries, and the future of 300 Studios.

    Race: Bubba Wallace is currently streaming on Netflix.

    The post “Race: Bubba Wallace” and the Future of NASCAR appeared first on Chicago Defender.