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Middle School Student Arrested After Refusing to Recite Pledge of Allegiance
Ana Alvarez, a substitute teacher, asked the student why he continues to live in the U.S., "if it's so bad here."
An 11-year-old boy was arrested for not following orders and "causing a disruption" when he refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in class.
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State Sen. Nikema Williams: 'I Was Unlawfully Arrested at the Georgia Capitol — My Workplace'
Williams is taking a stand to prevent the mistreatment of women of color by law enforcement.
Georgia State Sen. Nikema Williams, the first Black woman elected to lead the state's Democratic party, was jailed last year for just standing among protesters at the state Capitol. Williams is now taking a stand to prevent the mistreatment of women of color by law enforcement.
Cassandra Hollemon, Elected in Historic Group of Black Female Judges, Dies at 57
Hollemon was a part of the "Black Girl Magic" group of candidates who won seats in Harris County courtrooms.
Judge Cassandra Hollemon, one of the 17 Black female judges who made history when they were elected to serve in Harris County, Texas, in November, has died at the age of 57.
Hollemon's daughter, Brandy Hollemon, said her mother passed away Monday, about a week after being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, according to The Associated Press.
Senate Backs Legislation to Make Lynching a Federal Hate Crime
"Lynching is a dark, despicable part of our nation's history and I'm hopeful this measure will swiftly pass the House," Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted.
It's 2019 and lynching still hasn't been properly outlawed. A bill, introduced by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), was cleared on Thursday in the Senate to make lynching a federal crime. The measure will now go to the House. Harris, Booker and Scott are the only Black members of the Senate.
Harris tweeted on Thursday:
BREAKING: Our anti-lynching bill, which would make lynching a federal crime, just unanimously passed the Senate. Lynching is a dark, despicable part of our nation's history and I'm hopeful this measure will swiftly pass the House.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 14, 2019
It's outrageous that lynching still isn't considered a federal crime. Congress tried and failed near 200 times between 1882 to 1986. About to ask the Senate to unanimously pass our anti-lynching bill. Let's right this wrong.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 14, 2019
Congress has tried more than 200 times to pass an anti-lynching law, but has failed. The Senate passed a resolution in 2005, apologizing to lynching victims.
The bipartisan bill acknowledges the harms of lynching, which is a form of domestic terrorism, and the federal government's failure to stop it.
It defines the crime as "the willful act of murder by a collection of people assembled with the intention of committing an act of violence upon any person."
In December, the Senate also passed the bill. But it was days before the 115th Congress went out of business, and the measure never reached the House floor.
"It's not the first time we've come down to this body to try to right the wrongs of history," Booker said on the Senate floor.
"For too long we have failed, failed to ensure justice for the victims of history and failed to make clear in the United States of America, in this great country, lynching is and always has been not only a federal crime but a moral failure."
According to the NAACP, "From 1882-1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred in the United States."
"Of the total, 3,446 of the victims were Black, accounting for approximately 72.7 percent; and 1,297 were white, which is 27.3 percent."
"These numbers seem large, but it is known that not all of the lynchings were ever recorded," the organization stated.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Explains Her Race and Ethnicity
"I am the descendant of African slaves. I am the descendant of Indigenous people. I am the descendant of Spanish colonizers," explained Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in an MSNBC interview.
Conversations around race and ethnicity have been prominent in the media because of the onslaught of diverse newly elected public officials. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is one of them. In an interview on MSNBC, she addressed her heritage with respect to her race.
Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Call Kaepernick 'Controversial' and Remove His Name From Black History Resolution
"Beyond outrageous that we, as the Legislative Black Caucus, had to get the permission of our white colleagues to pass our Black History Month resolution," tweeted Rep. Shelia Stubbs.
Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick is so "controversial" to GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin that they refused to include his name in a resolution to honor prominent Black Americans during February. But for members of the Legislature's Black caucus, Kaepernick, who was born in Wisconsin, is anything but controversial.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was the first NFL player in 2016 to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. Kaepernick, along with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and baseball legend Reggie Jackson, are some of the more than two-dozen names suggested by the Black caucus to include in the resolution.
Republicans refused to support a resolution naming Kaepernick "for obvious reasons," Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke of Kaukauna said during a news conference on Tuesday. He added, "Colin Kaepernick is obviously a controversial figure."
Steineke and others in the GOP are following the lead of the head of their party, who has called NFL players who kneel during the national anthem "sons of bi***es."
Kaepernick is currently pursuing a grievance against the NFL. He claims that ever since he opted out of his contract with the 49ers in early 2017, team owners and executives have colluded to keep him out of the league.
Wisconsin Republicans initially blocked the Black caucus' resolution. But then they amended it to delete Kaepernick's name on a 61-34 party-line vote. Democrats had to decide whether to go against their own resolution or accept it without Kaepernick. They wound up agreeing to remove his name, and the state Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday.
For the second year in a row, the Republicans, who are all white, in the Wisconsin Legislature objected to how Black lawmakers wanted to honor — Black History Month.
One of the Black lawmakers who authored the resolution, Democratic Rep. David Crowley of Milwaukee, called the incident "a textbook example of white privilege."
Wisconsin's population is 87.3 percent white, a much less diverse population than average.
Crowley also said that Kaepernick, who is a philanthropist, was included, in part, because he gave a $25,000 donation to a nonprofit for teens in Milwaukee called Urban Underground.
Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) tweeted on Tuesday:
Beyond outrageous that we, as the Legislative Black Caucus, had to get the permission of our white colleagues to pass our Black History Month resolution. We still stand with @Kaepernick7 https://t.co/Yt4eczrO2F
— Shelia Stubbs (@RepStubbs) February 12, 2019
State Sen. Lena Taylor said on Wednesday, that she would offer an amendment to include Kaepernick to the resolution.
.@SenTaylor tells @CBS58 she will be request the Senate to amend the #BlackHistoryMonth resolution to include the name of Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7). The Assembly passed the resolution yesterday that took out any mention of Kaepernick. The Senate takes it up this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/q7lC8OS3RC
— Victor Jacobo (@victorjacobo_) February 13, 2019
West Virginia Politician Compares LGBTQ Community to KKK
"The LGBTQ is a modern day version of the Ku Klux Klan, without wearing hoods with their antics of hate," said West Virginia delegate Eric Porterfield.
West Virginia State Representative Eric Porterfield is in hot water after he compared the LGBTQ community to the Ku Klux Klan on Feb. 8.
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CBS is Paying for the Office Space of Les Moonves' New Company
It may not be the $120 million from the original settlement that is now in dispute, but it's still supporting his career.
CBS is paying for the office space that Les Moonves, who left the company in September amid sexual misconduct allegations, is using to build his two new businesses on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Moon Rise Technologies, said, in a filing, that it planned to provide "streaming services and distribution," and Moon Rise Productions, said it planned to provide "film and television production" services.
The office building has no directory.
"We don't have a directory because our tenants don't want people to know they are here," a security guard on duty told The New York Times.