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IN MEMORIAM: African Americans Who Have Died of COVID-19
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Michigan has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 virus. A Flint, Mich. Bishop and pastor in the area both died after recently falling ill after contracting the coronavirus. Bishop Robert Smith Sr., 83, and Pastor Kevelin Jones Sr., 72, with the Bountiful Love Ministries Church of God in Flint, both had their lives cut short by COVID-19. Both died on March 26.
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor
The inaccurate internet memes and false online conspiracies that “Blacks can’t get coronavirus” are contrary to reality. African Americans are not immune to COVID-19.
On April 2, the Pentagon was looking to provide civilian institutions with more body bags after it was reported that over 1,000 people were reported to have died of COVID-19 in one day, April 1st, in the U.S. It was the highest number of deaths in one day. The total number of deaths in the U.S. as of April 1 was 4,841 with 214,461 total cases at a rate of 25,000 new cases per day. African Americans have not been immune from the statistics or the fatalities.
Jazz musician Wallace Roney, 59, died of COVID-19 on March 31 in Patterson, NJ. Roney was a trumpet player and a Grammy-award winning artist mentored by Miles Davis.
Michigan has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 virus. A Flint, Mich. Bishop and pastor in the area both died after recently falling ill after contracting the coronavirus. Bishop Robert Smith Sr., 83, and Pastor Kevelin Jones Sr., 72, with the Bountiful Love Ministries Church of God in Flint, both had their lives cut short by COVID-19. Both died on March 26.
Activist Marlowe Stoudamire, 43, of Detroit died on March 24 from complications related to COVID-19. He was a prominent member of the Detroit community. His friends and family reported that Stoudamire had no underlying health issues.
Also, in Michigan, an African American father and son died after being infected by the coronavirus. Freddie Brown Jr, 57, and Freddie Brown III, 20, died on March 24 and March 29th. Both resided in Flint, Michigan.
Dezann Romain,36, died of COVID-19 on March 23. Romain “ran a school for young people who fared better in a smaller setting; she was the first school employee in New York City to die of the coronavirus” as reported by the New York Times. Romain was respected by her students who struggled in a regular high school setting.
Bassey Offiong, a college student at Western Michigan University, died due to coronavirus on March 28. Offiong studied engineering and was scheduled to graduate in May. His sister, Asari Offiong, told reporters that her brother was turned away multiple times for COVID-19 testing when he attempted to get tested in and around Kalamazoo.
NBC employee Larry Edgeworth, 61, died on March 19. Several NBC and MSNBC anchors paid tribute to him on the air and tweeting photos on location with him after word of his passing became public. Edgeworth was survived by his wife and two children.
Bronx, New York nurse Freda Ocran, 50, died of COVID-19 on March 29. Ocran was the head nurse of Jacobi Medical Center’s psychiatric unit in the Bronx. She pushed for more coronavirus testing before dying of the illness. “She had concerns, especially with working with patients and other staff and how long it was taking to be tested,” said Kwame Ocran, of his mother to the NY Post.
Another hospital worker, Priscilla Carrow, 65, died on March 30, 2020. Carrow worked as the coordinating manager at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY. She was also the director of community relations with the New York Senate and an active member of her Queens, NY community.
On April 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested 100,000 body bags from the Defense Department. The Pentagon is looking into purchasing more.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC and RolandMartinUnfiltered.
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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.
Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.
Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”
Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.
“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”
The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.
Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.
President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.
Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.
Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.
Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.
Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.
Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.
Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.
The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.
In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.
The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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