National
Dolores Spikes, Trailblazer as President of Southern University, Dies at 78
William Grimes, THE NEW YORK TIMES
(The New York Times) — Dolores Spikes, who became the first woman to head a university system in the United States when, in 1988, she was named president of the Southern University and A & M College System in Louisiana, and who fought court-ordered desegregation of the state’s colleges to protect Southern’s identity as a black institution, died on June 1 in Baton Rouge, La. She was 78.
Edward Pratt, a university spokesman, said she had been suffering from a long illness, which he did not specify.
In the early 1980s, the Department of Justice ordered Louisiana to revamp what the department described as a racially segregated system of higher education. In 1989, it issued an order calling for the merger of the governing boards and operations of the state’s black and white university systems and the introduction of racial quotas to integrate student enrollment.
Administrators at Louisiana’s historically black schools, which included Grambling State University, feared that the new system would lead to a dilution of their mission to serve black students and an erosion of state financial support. Southern’s total enrollment of about 14,000 made it the largest black university in the country.
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
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Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza
On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.
By California Black Media
On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12).
“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.
The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.
“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.
The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.
Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.
“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.
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