College Cheerleader Punished For Taking A Knee Wins $145,000 Settlement

Taking a knee seems to get attention. According to The Huffington Post, a college cheerleader who took a knee during a game won a $145,000 settlement.

The Georgia college cheerleader was inspired by Colin Kaepernick and his stance against racial injustice and followed in his footsteps by kneeling at a college game. Tommia Dean has won a $145,000 settlement against Kennesaw State University after they attempted to punish her for doing so.

Dean and four other cheerleaders made headlines during a December 2017 football game when they decided to take a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism. The cheerleader agreed to the settlement in October, practically two years after they took the action in protest.

Tommia Dean sued Kennesaw State University’s then-President Sam Olens, alongside Scott Whitlock and Matt Griffin who worked for the KSU athletics department at the time. She dropped her lawsuit after settling with the Georgia Department of Administrative Services for $145,000.

“A compromise has been reached,” the agreement obtained by Marietta Daily Journal states. “The intent of this agreement is to buy peace of mind from future controversy and forestall further attorney’s fees, costs, or other expenses of litigation, and further that this agreement represents the compromise, economic resolution of disputed claims and, as such, shall not be deemed in any manner an admission, finding, conclusion, evidence or indication for any purposes whatsoever, that the KSU defendants acted contrary to the law or otherwise violated the rights of Dean.”

In Dean’s complaint, she charged officials, specifically Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren and state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, had conspired against the cheerleaders by not allowing them on the field during the anthem after their initial protest. The cheerleaders were not allowed on the field at the next game until after the national anthem was played. Officials of the state university system concluded two months later that the women had a constitutional right to protest and that Kennesaw should not have kept them off the field unless their actions caused a disruption. Kennesaw State University’s then-president Sam Olens was forced to resign because of the school’s actions.

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Dems Prepare To Battle White House, Senate To Restore Voting Rights For African Americans

With the banging of the gavel, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a “foot soldier” on the front lines in the civil rights battle for more than 50 years, announced Friday passage of legislation to restore protections guaranteed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had been gutted by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling. The Democratic-controlled House applauded the passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act, or H.R. 4, to preserve what Lewis calls “the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in our Democratic society” but now must prepare to fight for approval from the GOP-dominated US Senate and signature of President Trump for the bill to become law. In fact, the White House has already made veto threats.

Further indication of such obstacles to enactment is the fact that the 228-187 vore for passage of H.R. 4 was along intractable partisan lines with just a sole Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick backing the measure.

The Dems seek passage of the law as the 2020 election cycle presents an opportunity for the party to gain control of the executive and legislative branches by capturing the White House and US Senate while maintaining its leadership of the House. The party is keenly aware that the black vote represents a critical factor for victory in the presidential election and key congressional contests.

“Voting rights are under attack in America,” Lewis has often asserted in speeches and writings. “ Quietly, gradually, state-by-state, the right to vote – a right that many people died to secure – is being taken away.”   He points to The Brennan Center report revealing voting law changes nationwide will make it much more difficult for over 5 million voters to exercise their franchise.

Deepening Partisan Divide

During the last three sessions of Congress, Rep.Terri Sewell (D-AL) has introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act to update the formula used to establish federally-mandated preclearance of voter registration practices in certain states, require public notice of such modifications, and enable the US attorney general to send federal observers to any state for procedural review. In her passionate YouTube address, Sewell, who represents the Alabama district that includes Selma’s notorious Edmund Pettis Bridge – the historic landmark that served as the turning point in the original act’s passage — stressed the need for “keeping up the drumbeat” and voters to apply pressure on members of the upper chamber of Congress to move forward this year legislation so many African Americans “fought, bled and some even died for.”

“HR 4 will restore the full protections of the VRA and stop the worst voter suppression tactics before they even began,” she further asserts.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), sponsor of the companion bill in the US Senate, has insisted that Majority leader Mitch McConnell bring up the bill before the body to “undo the damage done by the Shelby County decision,” according to a report in Politico.

News reports confirm greater entrenched GOP opposition. For example, House Judiciary ranking member Doug Collins (R-GA) maintained that Republicans have largely dismissed the legislation as “a messaging bill.” He told Politico prior to the vote that “We do not in this body vote on ideas. We do not vote on thoughts. We vote on words on paper. And the words on paper here do not fulfill what is being said about this bill.”

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), chairwoman of a House subcommittee on elections and Congressional Black Caucus member, countered: “If it were just a messaging bill, I will have wasted ten months’ worth of time.” In fact, she held nine hearings around the country on voter access, producing a 144-page report to validate an updated VRA.

Republicans further denounced the bill by charging that it exceeds reinstatement of the preclearance provision by promoting federal overreach of states’ rights through prohibition of local election practices like voter ID laws.

Democrats, on the other hand, argue that such procedures as being discriminatory and that the need for election reforms were crucial given that a number of the 14 states and jurisdictions previously subject to preclearance have enacted new laws over the past several years that effectively suppress voter access at the ballot box.

The partisan divide has deepened as the debate over such issues has grown more vitriolic in the past 13 years. In 2006, the last time VRA was renewed, both chambers of Congress passed the measure with overwhelming bipartisan support and a Republican president, George W. Bush signed it into law.

Restoring Voting Rights

The new bill responds to the Supreme Court decision six years ago that effectively dismantled VRA. In the 5-4 decision on Shelby County v. Holder, the Supremes struck down a key provision in Section 4, stripping the VRA formula that Congress has repeatedly reauthorized to determine all or some jurisdictions of states — many located in the South — that would require federal approval before changing election laws. States with a history of discriminatory practices like literacy tests and poll taxes were forced to gain preclearance by the feds before making any adjustments. Chief Justice John Roberts, a long-time VRA critic, wrote in Shelby, which challenged the 2006 re-authorization of Sections 4 and 5: “Voting discrimination still exists; no one doubts that…The question is whether the Act’s extraordinary measures, including its disparate treatment of the States, continue to satisfy constitutional requirements.”

Asserting that the formula used “40-year-old data to police modern voter discrimination,” the chief justice further concluded: “While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions. So the court’s decision still gave Congress the leeway to update the formula with fresh research and bolster oversight of jurisdictions with a persistent and recent track record of discrimination.”

Ironically, the high court decision was made during the second term of the first black US President Barack Obama, who voiced his disappointment in “invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.” As a remedy, he advocated for immediate congressional action.

Sewell stated that “since the Shelby decision, nearly two-dozen states have implemented restrictive voter ID laws and previously-covered states have closed or consolidated polling places, shortened early voting and imposed other measures that restrict voting.”

Under her measure, a multi-prong system would be put in place to determine which states must preclear election changes with the Department of Justice. It would target “known discriminatory practices”, including the designation of at-large districts, inadequate multilingual voting materials, cuts to polling places and modifications to the oversight of voter registration rolls, among other areas.

The law defines voting rights breach based on violations of 14th or 15th Amendment and provisions of VRA, objections made by the US attorney general or court-ordered consent decrees, settlements or other agreements. In fact, Sewell says H.R. 4 provides three provisions tied to being “covered” jurisdictions:

• States with a history of 15 or more violations at any level in the previous 25 years;
• States with a history of 10 or more violations, if one violation occurs at the state level in the previous 25 years;
• Political subdivisions or localities with 3 or more violations in that subdivision in the previous 25 years.

 

Fighting For The Franchise

The bill has been backed by a multicultural coalition, including some 60 national organizations like the NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to name a few.

Progressive political leaders and civil rights activists, however, are not just banking on passage of H.R. 4 to ensure that African Americans – a critical voting bloc for Dems – will be able to gain access to the ballot box in 2020. They are engaging in a series of strategic and legal means to fight for the right for blacks to exercise their franchise. The most vocal proponents have been Obama,  former Attorney General Eric Holder, and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

Still, Lewis, who was severely beaten during “Bloody Sunday” in Selma as he and other protesters sought passage of VRA in 1965, view enactment of the new law as crucial for ongoing political empowerment: “We’ve come too far, and made too much progress to go back. With this piece of legislation, we will continue to go forward.”

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First and Only Black Woman-Owned Beef Jerky Brand Makes History

Marjorie’s Beef Jerky is the only black woman-owned company that makes, distributes, and sells beef jerky in the country. Michelle Timberlake, founder of the beef jerky company, produces a jerky that is like no other on the market.

“Our beef jerky is premium meat, high in quality, high in protein, with no MSG or preservatives outside of the soy sauce. Even more, it’s only 150 calories per bag” said Timberlake.

Marjorie’s Beef Jerky has sold hundreds of thousands of cases and the product has been distributed via the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

Timberlake often encourages people to try her product even if they aren’t fans of beef jerky. She says people often become new customers after tasting her version dehydrated meat.

The woman pictured on every bag of Marjorie’s Beef Jerky is Timberlake’s mother, the late Marjorie Leona Dawson. Her mother was her hero and mentor and gave her the courage to start her own beef jerky brand.

“It took 27 years for someone to give me that break by believing in me, and now I am here with the biggest tastiest beef jerky that money can buy! And I owe this thanks to my mother, who told me that she wouldn’t live long enough to see my products come out on the store shelves.”

“But my mother knew how determined I was,” she continues. “And I promised her that the world will see her face on every bag, and that I would name the company after her.”

With her mother gone, her father, James Timberlake, now has stepped in to assist her in the business. There is even the possibility of using his BBQ sauce recipe as a replacement for hers in future jerky products.

Timberlake adds, “My mother is now gone, and my father, James E. Timberlake, has stepped in and helped me to get my products noticed all over the world. Having my father by my side really helps me with the loss of my mother because he stays involved and talks to me about the company’s success and potential. I am so grateful to my father for that because I love that he is involved in giving me advice, and he always has uplifting things to say to me.”

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Shawty Got Gifts: A Product Review of Ray J's Raycon E55 True Wireless Earbuds

I promise you that I don’t engage in pure unfettered foolishness just because I’m comfortable in life. And yet, here we are doing a product review of Raycon’s E55 True Wireless Earbuds; Raycon is, of course, an electronics brand by one William Raymond Norwood Jr. also known as The Artist Formerly Known as Hey…

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Anker's Impressive Noise Canceling Headphones Are Down to a Low $40

Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Silver and Black) | $40 | Amazon

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