First African-American attorney general for Nevada wants to ‘open the door’ for others

U.S. Attorney General Jason Frierson’s job comes with an additional responsibility.

As the first African-American U.S. attorney general for Nevada, he said that he wants to show other students and young lawyers what’s possible.

“It can be exhausting being the first, because you want to open the door so you’re not the last,” he said. “You are an example. You are paving the way for other people, and you want to make sure that you leave it in a good place for other people.”

Frierson, a former prosecutor, public defender and state lawmaker, was confirmed as the U.S. attorney general for Nevada in April 2022, becoming the first African-American man to serve as the state’s top federal law enforcement official.

During a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Frierson recalled moving to Nevada after growing up in Compton, completing law school, becoming a politician and fighting a cancer diagnosis.

The University of Nevada, Reno recruited Frierson with a full scholarship to play football in 1988.

Frierson said that he wanted to get away from Southern California, either through an athletic scholarship or by joining the military. He grew up “in the midst of the development of Compton’s reputation,” and was briefly sent to boarding school after another student pointed a gun at him in junior high school, he said.

Frierson loved playing football, and was happy to move to Nevada if it meant that he would be able to afford higher education. He was leading the country in rushing yards and was about to meet with recruiters for the Dallas Cowboys when a career-ending knee injury forced him to change paths, focusing more on school instead of athletics.

It was around that time that UNLV was about to open the Boyd Law School.

Frierson was already well known at UNR for being an activist and student body president, but he said he hadn’t considered becoming a lawyer until watching a friend go to law school before him.

“If you don’t see it, it’s not real for you,” he said.

Frierson was one of about 80 people who graduated with the first class at Boyd Law School. His first job was as a prosecutor with the attorney general’s office, even though he said he initially struggled with the idea of “putting people in jail.”

“I felt like people who look like me were over-represented in the criminal justice system, and I didn’t feel like I wanted to contribute to that,” he said.

But Frierson was instead persuaded to use his experiences to help prosecute cases with fairness. As he moved on to the Clark County public defenders office and then the county district attorney’s office, Frierson said he wanted to focus on “making sure that the system worked fairly.”

Frierson became a Nevada assemblyman in 2010, and was named speaker of the assembly in 2017. Frierson said that during his time in the assembly, he was especially proud of his work helping restore voting rights for people with felonies upon their release from prison.

In 2021, while he was still speaker of the assembly, Frierson announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Nearly three years later, Frierson said he’s still receiving treatment, but is hoping to be deemed cancer-free in the next few months.

Going public with his diagnosis was a way to encourage others to get treatment for prostate cancer, Frierson said. Especially for older African-American men, who are at a higher risk for the disease.

“I thought it was important for me to talk about it publicly, to get more folks willing to talk about it and get screened for it,” he said.

Lawrence Weekly, the former Clark County commissioner and current chief diversity officer for the College of Southern Nevada, said he’s known Frierson since they attended UNR and were members of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity together.

He called Frierson’s career as a lawyer, politician and now attorney general a “testament to his hard work and willingness to serve.”

Weekly has experienced a first for himself, when he previously served as the first African-American man to chair the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors. He agrees with Frierson that achieve a “first” can feel exhausting.

“I think it’s so important in the 21st century that we see diversity across the board,” he said. “And it’s such a shame here in America that we are still experiencing a first.”

Boyd law professor Ann McGinley taught workplace law to Frierson during his years in law school. She said it’s been exciting to watch his career, and to see how current law students look up to him. She said Frierson is in a position to “deliver justice” as the U.S. attorney general.

“I have confidence that he will be very just and careful to go about his decisions whether to prosecute individuals,” she said.

Frierson said when he first joined the attorney general’s office after law school, he was the only African-American lawyer working for the agency. Now, he wants to ensure that the office reflects all of Nevada’s communities.

“I would imagine this job won’t last forever, but it’s just a really unique opportunity to serve the public,” he said. “I’m trying to leave it better than I found it, just like every other job in public service I’ve had.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.

Celebrate women and girls in science at Shreve Memorial Library

Did you know that February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science? It is, and it celebrated each year as a way to recognize the critical roles that women and girls play in science and technology. If you have not heard of the holiday before, International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a joint effort of UNESCO and UN-Women, along with collaboration from institutions and civil society partners. The observance is not only a way to recognize women and girls in science, but also an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in the fields of science and technology.

While the official holiday takes place on February 11, Shreve Memorial Library will be celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science all weeklong, February 5 through February 13. Library patrons are encouraged to visit their favorite Shreve Memorial Library branch and participate in a wide variety of STEAM and STEM-based programs, designed to educate and inspire. Programs will take place throughout Caddo Parish and are designed for children and teens, but everyone is welcome to attend.

At Shreve Memorial Library, participants can learn about the stories of women such as Maria Mitchell, the first female astronomer in the United States, Katherine Johnson, one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist, and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, among others. Other programs will aim to inspire future generations to consider ways they will leave their marks on science and technology.

Perhaps my favorite part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebration at Shreve Memorial Library is the plethora of hands-on activities and science experiments that will be available for kids to do at the library. Children can make tie-dye slime, rainbow fireworks or galaxies in a jar, bouncy balls, lava lamps, and chemical reactions at the library, while also learning how to code, engineering basics, how DNA strands works, and what is chromatography – a process for separating components of a mixture (I know… I had to look that one up myself).

The best part is that all of these programs are free and open to all, as are all Shreve Memorial Library programs. You can find a complete list of programs and events online at www.shreve-lib.org. Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of everyone in science, especially women and girls, and encourage everyone to continually dream, discover, do.

What’s New at the Library

Wellmania: Extreme Misadventures in the Search for Wellness by Brigid Delaney (non-fiction)

Cold-pressed juices, “clean” eating, colonic vacations, mindfulness apps, and Paleo: health-care trends and miracle diets seem to be more plentiful each year. But do any of these tactics actually work? What does “wellness” even mean? In Wellmania, longtime journalist Brigid Delaney tackles the good, the bad, and the just-a-little-ridiculous of the wellness industry, using herself as the guinea pig. Starting with a brutal 101-day fast, she leaves behind her thirty-something-year-old lifestyle of late-night parties and all-day hangovers to test the things that are supposed to make us healthy and whole: yoga classes, meditation, CBT, Balinese healing, silent retreats, group psychotherapy, and more. Writing with self-deprecating wit and refreshing honesty, she sorts through the fads and expensive hype to find out what actually works, while asking, What does all this say about us? Is total wellness even possible? And why do you start to smell so bad when you haven’t eaten in seven days? According to comedian Judith Lucy, the result is “a bloody entertaining read that leaves you wondering whether you want to do yoga or get mindlessly drunk and despair at the state of the world.”

Random in Death by J.D. Robb (fiction)

Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life. It’s the last night of her life. Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle – and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas. After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body – and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted. And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.

Pandora: A Novel in Three Parts by Susan Stokes-Chapman (fiction)

Steeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance. London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes – including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name. But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear. A story of myth and mystery, secrets and deception, fate and hope, Pandora is an enchanting work of historical fiction as captivating and evocative as The Song of Achilles, The Essex Serpent, and The Miniaturist.

About Shreve Memorial Library

Shreve Memorial Library transforms Caddo Parish lives with resources, services and support to create a better world by focusing on developing young readers, sparking imaginations, encouraging curiosity, fostering connection, and providing comfortable places. Shreve Memorial Library’s 21-branch system is maintained by a parish-wide property tax millage to support the informational, educational and recreational needs of its constituents.  For more information, visitwww.shreve-lib.org, and like, follow and subscribe on social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube. Dream, discover, do – Shreve Memorial Library and you!

Masked Singer’s Eiffel Tower ‘named’ as huge 80s popstar who once sparked row with Rita Ora

THE Masked Singer fans are convinced they know the real identity of Eiffel Tower after it belted out a Rihanna track.

Viewers of the ITV series were previously sure the striking architectural wonder costume concealed American singer Macy Gray.

The Masked Singer fansare convinced they know the real identity of Eiffel Tower

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The Masked Singer fansare convinced they know the real identity of Eiffel TowerCredit: ITV
ITV viewers reckon house music singer Kym Mazelle is the face behind the iconic landmark costume

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ITV viewers reckon house music singer Kym Mazelle is the face behind the iconic landmark costumeCredit: Getty
Kym has previously taken aim at The Masked Singer judge Rita Ora

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Kym has previously taken aim at The Masked Singer judge Rita OraCredit: Eroteme

Yet now The Masked Singer regulars have thrown another US singer’s name in the frame

They insist house music pioneer Kym Mazelle, 63, is hidden behind the Parisienne landmark mask.

The Indiana-born songstress was a former member of British music group Soul II Soul before finding solo fame.

After Eiffel Tower performed a stunning rendition of Stay by Rihanna last night, one fan took to X to insist: “Eiffel Tower is Kym Mazelle.”

Another posted: “I’m pretty sure that is Kym Mazelle,” as a third wrote: “Watching on +1 so may have dippy egg on my face but Eiffel Tower is @KymMazelle surely…”

One then added: “Just caught up with @MaskedSingerUK. Don’t usually tweet my guesses but here they are from my most to least confident. Eiffel Tower – Kym Mazelle.”

Kym is known for hits including Wait, No More Tears and Young Hearts Run Free.

Yet she was also embroiled in a race row with The Masked Singer judge Rita ora back in 2020.

Most read in Reality

Kym accused the How We Do star of appropriating black culture to “monetise her fame.”

The singer told Good Morning Britain at the time she had an issue with how Rita was being “marketed” as a black artist.

In a lengthy rant she said: “I think that there is a very big problem with it because a lot of this appropriation goes from monetising and people use this look and our culture to monetise their fame and to fund their lifestyle whereas we ourselves cannot even monetise our own looks, so I have a problem with that,’ she said.

“She knows she’s Albanian, the rest of the world and most people do not because she’s marketed as a black artist, as if she is biracial or of some black origin.

“She’s agreed with it, she’s made lots of money with it, she’s been very successful in her career with it, and that’s the way they market her, that’s how she keeps her job.”

Meanwhile, back on the show, some fans have switched tack from singers to TV stars, suggesting actress Hannah Waddingham is the famous face behind Eiffel Tower.

Other viewers have insisted Eighties popstar Tiffany is behind the mask while a handful reckon EastEnders star Vicki Michelle is mimicking the French landmark.

Previously, Eiffel Tower has performed Miley Cyrus’ Flowers and Robbie Williams’ stellar track, Angels.

It comes as Maypole was revealed in last night’s episode.

Read more on the Scottish Sun

Meanwhile, BBC presenter Nicky Campbell was exposed as the cute foodie, Dippy Egg.

Keep up to date with the latest news, gossip and scandals on our celebrity live blog

Kym, 63, was a member of British group Soul II Soul

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Kym, 63, was a member of British group Soul II SoulCredit: Getty
Fans were convinced after the character performed Rihanna track Stay

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Fans were convinced after the character performed Rihanna track StayCredit: ITV

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Radio Ulster DJ Siobhan Brown founds ‘Soultrane’, the first festival celebrating music of black origin to arrive in NI

‘When I first came here and wanted to go out and listen to a little soul, there was nothing out there’

The event is the brainchild of soul singer and Radio Ulster presenter Siobhan Brown and husband David.

The Bangor couple, whose eldest son recently made his international rugby debut for Jamaica, told Sunday Life they wanted to create a space to promote black arts and culture and give musicians more opportunities.

Siobhan said: “This is very much about celebrating music of black origin. We want people to really be able to celebrate its roots, the people and culture.

“You don’t have to be black to enjoy it. The whole point of Soultrane is to celebrate art by bringing different communities together.

“Hopefully it will help break down barriers just by having people all in one space enjoying the music.”

The event is headlined by soul singer Omar, who will be performing his 1991 hit There’s Nothing Like This.

Siobhan continued: “It’s kind of disappointing it hasn’t been done before. It’s 2024 and we’ve never had a soul festival. It’s actually mad, but we’re here now. It’s been more than a challenge to get everything ready in time. My hair’s gone grey and Dee (David) has none.

“It’s been really tough as we didn’t wait for the normal channels of funding. We just went ahead and did it on faith and ticket sales.

“Whenever a major music festival has a soul act like Lionel Richie, Soul2Soul, Sister Sledge or Grandmaster Flash and so on, those gigs sell out here, so there is a real appetite.

“Well, there’s a new thing in town and it’s here to serve you. Our hope is that any money raised will go back into serving the local community and helping musicians with their craft.

“Those are opportunities I didn’t have as an artist who has travelled the road, so I want to be able to provide that for others.”

Soultrane will be held at Mandela Hall at Queen’s University on February 17, welcoming a number of high-profile and homegrown artists.

Siobhan’s band Manukahunney will be performing alongside Omar and a host of other acts, including August Charles, Beyond the Blue, Dana Ali, Nesha Nycee and more.

Siobhan’s partner said the day of music, art, culture and food would be like a tasting menu in a restaurant.

David added: “It’s going to be an all-dayer with band after band, DJs, merch and food and drink, enough to keep everybody going all day and night.

“People should wear comfortable shoes and get ready to get their funk on. We can’t wait.

“Omar is internationally renowned and has been doing soul for decades. August Charles is a bit like Michael Kiwanuka and has toured with Emeli Sandé. He’s going to be huge, I think.

“Beyond the Blue are probably one of the best up-and-coming jazz bands in the UK. These guys are classically trained and very cerebral. They are just amazing.

“For a lot of the guys on the bill, it’s their first time in Northern Ireland too. Our plan is to make Belfast a destination for international artists because often it gets bypassed.

“We’re hoping to really put down roots here for high-quality soul and inspire current and future artists.

“It’s a bit like a taster menu in a restaurant where you get a bit of everything. We’ve got hip hop, jazz, soul of all kinds, gospel, Celtic sounds and more. There should be something for everyone.

“It’s great value for money too with the amount of musicians we have performing, so hopefully we’ll get a big turnout and everyone will get something out of it. There’s something for everyone.”

​Siobhan moved from south London to Northern Ireland in 1991 and has been yearning for a space for soul, jazz and funk since then.

“When I first came here and wanted to go out and listen to a little soul, a little something, it just wasn’t there,” she told Sunday Life.

“The seed was sown with me around 2010, and by 2012 I had started Manukahunney. We started playing motown, funk and neo-soul.

“At first people wanted us to play the classics like Proud Mary and so on, but then we saw an opportunity to really explore some of these genres a bit more.

“Dee is a huge vinyl collector and started to introduce me to stuff I’d never even heard of and we just kept going from there.

“There’s been a community for some time around soul music, but not much of a scene. There’s nowhere that you can take someone, like a regular spot.

“Soultrane is a community interest company and its sole interest is to build that foundation, to be an agent or ambassador for the scene.

“That will allow musicians here to have somewhere of their own to play, to hone their craft.”

Tickets for Soultrane are available at soultranefestival.com

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: To be or not to be a banana republic…that is the question

We begin today with Timothy Snyder writing for his “Thinking About…” Substack that arguments seeking to maintain a place for Trump on the ballot are in bad faith and not in keeping with the plain language of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Those arguing for Trump push the plain wording past the breaking point.  It is impossible in good faith to believe that the president of the United States is not an officer of the United States.  But, were there to be any doubt about this or the other issues, the majority of the members of the Supreme Court take the view that the legislative, political, and social context would decide what is meant.

This is where historians come in.  These bad arguments have been met by good history, provided in two amicus briefs signed by two groups of prominent historians with expertise on the issues in question.  The two briefs come to the same conclusions, and I will cite them both.  One is signed by twenty-five historians and the other by five historians; I will cite the Brief of Twenty-Five as “25” and the Brief of Five as “5”  with page numbers.

The first bad argument, that the president of the United States is not an “officer of the United States,” might be dismissed on commonsensical grounds. If not the president, then who?

Philip Bump of The Washington Post looks at polling that strongly suggests that over half of Republicans know little or nothing about Trump’s legal troubles.

YouGov presented American adults with eight legal scenarios to judge the extent of the public’s awareness. Two were invented: that Trump faces charges related to emoluments or related to drug trafficking. Happily, less than a quarter of respondents said those legal threats actually existed.

The other six were real. The one that was familiar to the most people was the federal classified-documents case that is moving forward in Florida; 6 in 10 Americans said they were aware of that case. The one that had the least awareness was the civil suit in New York in which a judge determined that he’d fraudulently inflated the value of his assets. Just under 50 percent of Americans knew about that.

But the pattern among Republicans is clear. At most, 45 percent of Republicans said they knew about legal issues: specifically, the documents case and his being found liable for assaulting the writer E. Jean Carroll. Only a quarter knew about the value-inflation suit, and only 4 in 10 knew about the criminal charges in Manhattan related to the hush money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels.

When I read this story, I really didn’t even think of Trump and MAGA. First thing that popped to mind was the disbelieving faces of Sen. Mitt Romney’s supporters on Election Night 2012 once Ohio— and the presidency—  was called for President Obama.

John Cassidy of The New Yorker sums up the good economic news.

President Joe Biden may have been exaggerating a bit this past Thursday, when he told a group of autoworkers in Michigan that America has “the strongest economy in the whole damn world.” But he has good reason to be upbeat. In the past week or so alone, there have been half a dozen encouraging economic reports, covering everything from the rate of G.D.P. growth to the rate of inflation and the level of consumer confidence. The jobs report was the topper. It showed robust hiring in retail, health care, professional and business services, social assistance, and the government sector. With more people returning to the labor force—another good sign—the unemployment rate stayed at 3.7 per cent. It has been below four per cent for nearly two years, which is something that hasn’t happened since the late nineteen-sixties.

As always, it’s important not to make too much of one month of data. And buried in the January report there were a couple of notes of caution. The average length of the work week fell a bit, and statistical issues having to do with seasonal adjustment may have flattered the headline jobs figure. But the payroll survey is still the gold standard of economic indicators, and it shows that, in the past three months, the economy has generated more than three quarters of a million jobs. Nearly four years into a post-pandemic economic recovery, that is an impressive performance.

Indeed, the U.S. economy is looking so strong that Donald Trump, after spending three years claiming that Biden is driving the economy into a ditch, has changed tack and is now trying to take credit for some recent developments. “THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET,” Trump wrote on his social-media platform earlier this week. He went on to assert that investors are expecting him to win in November, and that’s why stock indices have been making new highs. Nice try, but no cigar. The main reasons that the stock market has been going up and employers have been making new hires are that economic growth has been a lot stronger than many economists predicted, and inflation has been coming down faster than expected. That double dose of good news has revived the spirits of investors.

Adam Mahoney of The New York Times identifies pollution as one of the factors in Black people moving back to The South.

Since August 2022, I’ve crisscrossed the United States, chatting with dozens of people about this new Great Migration, what’s driving it and how it’s reshaping Southern life. While most of the research and reporting on the causes of the exodus have rightfully focused on factors like taxes and economic mobility, I’ve found that pollution is also contributing to Black Americans’ decision to move South, in a trend that worries me as much as it moves me.

[…]

The roots of this crisis date back to the first Great Migration, when millions of Black people left the South to escape segregation, indentured servitude and lynching and went north in search of jobs and stable housing. Early on, many of the jobs available to them were dangerous ones in polluting steel mills, factories and shipyards. Government policies, such as redlining, forced them to live near these toxic industries, unable to escape contaminated air, water and soil.

The U.S. government has known for decades that these people might one day be forced to flee industrial pollution, uprooting their lives in search of healthier places to raise their children. A 1981 study commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agencyoutlined how Americans were already fleeing “from industrialized areas to the relatively less polluted areas of the country.” But policymakers in those regions did little to prepare for the influx while allowing their own pollution problems to fester.

Nick Paton Walsh of CNN thinks that President Biden has calibrated the retaliatory attacks against Iran just right.

Friday night tried to sound loud, but will likely not echo for long. US Central Command said the US deployed heavy bombers — the B-1B Lancer — to hit 85 targets in seven locations. The strikes may be determined to have caused more damage when the sun rises. But it was far from the most pain the Pentagon was capable of delivering. […]

That was a clear and calculated choice. The Biden administration faced a near-impossible task: Hit hard enough to show you mean it, but also ensure your opponent can absorb the blow without lashing out in return. The US had telegraphed its response for over five days, with senior US officials briefing about its nature, its severity, and even hinting at its targets.

This warning was likely designed to reduce the risk of misunderstanding, and perhaps enable the militias targeted to shift locations, and lessen the loss of life. It may have also been intended to ensure US strikes were not mistaken for the work of Israel, which could have sparked retaliation against the Israelis and risked another cycle of escalation.

Rory Carroll of the Guardian writes that in spite of the historic agreement leading to Sinn Féin coming to power in Northern Ireland, Irish unity remains a long way off.

It could appear that nationalism’s day has finally come. Sinn Féin’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald, this week spoke of a “historical turning of the wheel” and said Irish unity was “within touching distance”.

Except it’s not. Political and demographic winds blow favourably but the republican dream remains distant. The party’s breakthrough at Stormont has symbolic and psychological force but does not signify a looming united Ireland. […]

…a recent Irish Times opinion poll found that 30% would vote for unification in a referendum versus 51% that would vote against, with the rest undecided or inclined to abstain. Other polls have consistently shown a clear majority favour remaining in the UK, albeit with fluctuating margins.

Faid Husain  writes for AlJazeera that in the sunup to Pakistan’s elections this coming Thursday, he is not buying former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s (currently incarcerated) victimhood act.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, hailed as one of the most popular politicians in the country, has already been knocked out of the contest. This week a local court handed down two jail sentences that also mean that he is barred from holding any public office for a decade. He can still appeal to the higher courts but as far as the February 8 elections are concerned, his name is already off the ballot.

There are, however, bigger issues at play in Pakistani politics today than the holding of an election. In fact, this electoral outcome may not fully reflect the multiple fault lines that have developed within the political and social fabric of the country.

These fault lines had started to emerge almost a decade ago when Khan and his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Justice Party) had found traction among the voters and formed a government in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013. After years of twists and turns in which Khan first found favour with the military establishment and then fell afoul of it, the real rupture happened on May 9, 2023. The events that transpired on this date – hundreds of Khan’s followers attacking, torching and ransacking military buildings across the country – have reshaped the politics of Pakistan. The tremors are reverberating to this day.

At least it seems that Pakistan and Brazil know what to do with their insurrectionist former presidents. Speaking of Brazil…

Finally today, Bruno Kelly of Reuters reports that Brazil is deploying military reinforcements to its northern border in response to the Venezuela/Guyana situation involving Guyana’s Esequibo region.

More than two dozen armored cars arrived in Manaus by river transport and some left by road for Boa Vista, capital of Roraima state, where the local garrison will be increased to 600 soldiers, the army said in a statement.

The armored vehicle reinforcements include six Cascavel, a six-wheeled Brazilian armored car with a 37-mm cannon; eight Guarani, a 6×6 personnel carrier; and 14 Guaicuru, a four-wheel drive multitask light armored car, the army said. The heavier armored cars were transported on flatbed trailer trucks.

Army Commander General Tomas Paiva said the Boa Vista garrison would become a regiment with the tripling of equipment and men, and part would stay in the city while some would be deployed to Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela.

Everyone have the best possible day!

Aaron Services: Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Receives a 2023 Best of Georgia Regional Award

Aaron Services: Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Receives a 2023 Best of Georgia Regional Award – African American News Today – EIN Presswire

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I secured Michael Jordan’s endorsement to run for US president – it helped me but did not swing African American vote

BILL Bradley is a Rhodes Scholar, two-time NBA champion, three-term US Senator – and US presidential candidate.

But the most improbable achievement of the New York Knicks legend’s extraordinary life was getting Michael Jordan involved in politics.

Bill Bradley secured Michael Jordan's endorsement when he ran for US president

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Bill Bradley secured Michael Jordan’s endorsement when he ran for US presidentCredit: AFP
Jordan took part in a 30-second commercial supporting Bradley

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Jordan took part in a 30-second commercial supporting BradleyCredit: Bill Bradley For President, Inc.
Bradley says he remains hugely grateful for Jordan's rare entry into politics

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Bradley says he remains hugely grateful for Jordan’s rare entry into politicsCredit: AFP

Jordan largely stayed out of politics and activism during his Hall of Fame career, famously saying, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

Due to their basketball connection, Bradley landed a major coup by securing Jordan’s endorsement when he ran for US president in the Democratic primary race against Al Gore in 2000.

The Chicago Bulls icon appeared in a 30-second commercial endorsing fellow Hall of Famer Bradley.

It was the first time that Jordan endorsed a candidate for public office.

Read more on Michael Jordan

During his playing days, the Bulls icon refused to back North Carolina Democrat Harvey Gantt in his 1990 Senate race against incumbent Jesse Helms.

The move was an attempt by Bradley to capitalize on Jordan’s extraordinary star power and to appeal to African American voters.

Yet it made little difference to voters despite Bradley’s deep and long-standing commitment to civil rights.

Gore comfortably won the Democratic nomination for US president, before going on to lose the election to George W. Bush.

Most read in Basketball

Looking back on his presidential run, Bradley remains hugely grateful for Jordan’s support but admits that it only helped him “a little bit.”

“Celebrity endorsements, some help some don’t. I didn’t get a big chunk of the African American vote,” Bradley told The U.S. Sun.

“When people are voting for the president of the United States, they are making their own judgement on who I trust with my own life, who do I trust with my job and who has a view of life somewhat similar to my own…

“Why did I get Michael? When you run for president you are looking for every possible vote. 

“He certainly didn’t hurt me and he helped me a little bit. But no, he didn’t turn around the African-American vote. 

“I was grateful for it and will always be grateful for it and we have that special bond because of that.”

Bradley’s run for president is told in the oral autobiography about his life called Rolling Along, which has gained distribution on streaming service Max.

During his time as a Senator, Bradley once got permission for Jordan’s Bulls all-conquering team to stand on the Senate floor.

“Here they were coming into a new arena and it was like the center court or Madison Square Garden of politics,” Bradley recalled.

“Low and behold, they start milling around and started looking around at this and that. 

Read More on The US Sun

“Michael Jordan ends up, without me mentioning anything, standing at the Majority Leader’s desk. 

“I thought, ‘He must know where power is, that’s all I’ve got to say’.”

Bradley lost the Democratic primary race to Al Gore

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Bradley lost the Democratic primary race to Al GoreCredit: AFP
Phil Jackson wears a pin in support of his former New York Knicks teammate

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Phil Jackson wears a pin in support of his former New York Knicks teammateCredit: AFP
Bradley recalls his presidential run in the new documentary Rolling Along

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Bradley recalls his presidential run in the new documentary Rolling AlongCredit: Max

Rev. Jerry Bishop, founder of LifeQuest church, honored as 2024 GIANT Among Giants

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Rev. Jerry Bishop, a pastor and community activist who has been a consistent champion for urban boys and men in the Grand Rapids community through his ministry and advocacy work, has been named this year’s GIANT Among Giants.

The highly esteemed award recognizes one exceptional Black leader each year whose contributions have helped shape the history, culture and quality of life in the Grand Rapids community. Bishop was announced as the award’s recipient Saturday, Feb. 3, at the 41st GIANT Awards and Banquet ceremony at DeVos Place.

Bishop is the founder and pastor of LifeQuest, a ministry for urban men that was founded in 1998 to help meet the spiritual needs of adult and young men, particularly those who have become disconnected from the traditional church, according to the ministry’s website.

The ministry engages roughly 1,100 adult and young men per month through initiatives like Night Quest, Saving Our Sons, and Brother 2 Brother, a weekly Bible study group that provides brotherhood and fellowship to men of all backgrounds, the website said.

Bishop has a “special place in his heart for building strong men and repairing broken men,” said Darius Quinn, who serves on the GIANTS selection committee. What separates Bishop from other faith leaders is the way he ministers to young Black men and works to uplift and empower them, Quinn said.

Quinn described Bishop as an authentic, compassionate leader who fearlessly advocates for his community and what he believes is right.

“A lot of pastors may preach from the pulpit – Jerry will take his pulpit into the streets,” Quinn told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. “He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. He will take the ministry into the community, and he has helped to support countless young men and their families.”

The Rev. Joe Jones, another member of the selection committee and former city commissioner, said Bishop’s deep compassion and high integrity are among the traits that made him stand out as this year’s GIANT Among Giants.

“He really is what I would say, ‘A man after God’s own heart,’ and someone who recognizes the inherent value of every person, even when society doesn’t,” Jones told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

Bishop has expanded LifeQuest to be more than just a place of worship. He has opened up the ministry’s headquarters, located at 1050 Fisk Road SE, to serve as a small business incubator for people in the community who want to start their own business but don’t have a place to go.

Part of the ministry building also houses the new Gerald Dawkins Academy, a charter school that Bishop and LifeQuest opened in fall 2023 that is focused on boosting low literacy rates in the southeast side of the city.

RELATED: New Grand Rapids charter school works to boost reading rates, ‘level playing field’ for urban kids

Bishop is also known for his activist work, which ranges from the “grassroots level to the grass tops,” Jones said.

After presiding over 21 funerals for people who died from COVID-19, Bishop joined other area faith leaders on Kent County’s COVID-19 church task force in 2020, according to a news release from Grand Rapids Community College. A summer of gun violence that same year prompted him to organize a community prayer event for residents and the Grand Rapids Police Department.

Bishop, a founding board member of Abney Academy, published “Transforming Urban Lives” in 2002, GRCC said. He received the. H.C. Toliver Religious Life Award at the 2004 GIANT Awards.

In addition to the GIANT Among Giants Award, which remains a secret until the night of the ceremony, 11 other awards were given out on Saturday. Each of the awards are named after a historical local “giant” whose dedicated service, advocacy, and activism are memorialized through honorees.

RELATED: 12 Black leaders to be honored for contributions to Grand Rapids at GIANT awards

The Giant Award winners are nominated, and the final GIANT Among Giants is selected by an eight-member committee, said Tempy Mann, chair of the 41st GIANT Awards. The committee chooses the GIANT from a pool of past award recipients who are still engaged in activism in the community, she said.

Mann said the 12 award recipients are all community leaders who work tirelessly to improve the lives of others and have had a profound impact on the city of Grand Rapids.

“The work these people are doing – I don’t think the city realizes how important it is, not just to the African American community, but to the entire community,” Mann said. “These people are reaching out and doing whatever they can to improve the standard of life for everyone.”

Here are the 11 GIANT Award recipients that were announced on Dec. 8, listed in alphabetical order:

  • Valissa Armstead, senior director of diversity and inclusion at Corewell Health – the Raymond Tardy Community Service Award.
  • Debra Bates, owner and administrator for Choice Business Systems Inc. and owner of MeMe’s Foundation Boutique – the Milo Brown Business Award.
  • George Bayard III, artist, owner of Bayard Gallery of Fine African American Art & Books, and executive director of the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives – Ethel Coe Humanities Award.
  • Tasha Blackmon, president and CEO of Cherry Health – the Eugene Browning Medical Service Award.
  • Jimmy Carter, former head coach for East Kentwood High School’s girls basketball team – Walter Coe Public Service Award.
  • Jamie Gordon, executive director of human resources for Kentwood Public Schools – the Phyllis Scott Activist Award.
  • State Rep. Kristian Grant, D-Grand Rapids, the first African American woman to represent Grand Rapids in the Michigan House of Representatives – William Glenn Trailblazer Award.
  • Rev. Charles Hudson III, president and CEO of C.H. Hudson Outreach Ministries – the H.C. Toliver Religious Life Award.
  • Latesha Lipscomb, director of engagement and relationships at Amplify GR – Floyd Skinner Justice Award.
  • Inez Smith, retired teacher – Hattie Beverly Education Award.
  • Bobbie Springer, associate director of Veterans Upward Bound at Grand Valley State University and director of MI GEAR UP – the W.W. Plummer Humanitarian Award.

Proceeds from the awards event, established in 1983, support the Milo M. Brown Memorial and the Junior GIANT scholarships, named for awards founders Patricia Pulliam, PhD, publisher of The Grand Rapids Times and Cedric Ward. The junior awards recognize students who have demonstrated leadership, community involvement and made an impact.

Milo M. Brown Scholarship:

Kyle Greer and McKenzye Sterk, both nursing students at GRCC, received the Milo M. Brown Memorial scholarships.

Junior GIANT Awards:

The Cedric Ward Leadership scholarships went to Grand Rapids Christian High School student Caebre Baty and Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy student Nas Brooks.

The Dr. Patricia Pulliam College Leadership Scholarship was awarded to Rallah Cobbins, a GRCC alumnus who is currently an architecture student at Western Michigan University.

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