Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Pardons Over 11,000 Marijuana Convictions

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has pardoned low-level marijuana convictions for more than 11,000 people, according to CNN.

Now that Illinois has become the 11th state in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis, Gov. Pritzker has granted 11,017 pardons for people with low-level marijuana convictions. 

On New Year’s Eve, in a statement released by the governor, “Tomorrow when adult-use cannabis becomes legal, pay attention to the fact that we are beginning to accomplish four very important things: We are ending the 50-year-long war on cannabis. We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core.”

“Every state that has legalized cannabis has seen high demand and long lines in its earliest weeks, and to be sure, our state will too. But unlike other states, in Illinois, we purposely built a system where the market has room to grow, so that entrepreneurs, including especially those from the communities devastated by the war on drugs, will have real opportunities in this industry.”

The bipartisan Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act provides multiple avenues to expunge convictions and arrest records for minor cannabis offenses. There are more than 700,000 records that will be eligible statewide for relief because of the new law.

“Today we took another step toward justice, as we continue to address the failed war on drugs and the disproportionate impact it had on communities of color,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “Clearing records under this revolutionary new law will not only open doors for thousands of families but will create stronger, safer communities as well. I’m proud to work alongside Governor Pritzker and other leaders as we make criminal justice reform a top priority in Cook County and across Illinois.”

The first phase of the adult-use cannabis market started on Jan.1. Interested cannabis entrepreneurs were able to enter the next phase of the adult-use market by applying for a license through Jan. 2. An additional 75 dispensary licenses are available, and social equity applicants are encouraged to apply here: http://bit.ly/CannabisIL.

“Illinois is going where no other state has before, admitting the unjust errors of the war on drugs and giving so many Illinoisans greater opportunities to build good lives for themselves and the people they love,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “Our Restore, Reinvest and Renew program will direct 25% of the state’s cannabis revenue right back into the communities hit the hardest by decades of over-policing, disinvestment, disenfranchisement, and violence. In that effort, we’re lifting up the voices of the people who actually live in these neighborhoods, who know these blocks and exactly where our dollars will make a real difference.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2MQofjz

Michelle Obama is Once Again ‘Most Admired Woman’ in 2019 Gallup Poll

In another election, Obama wins again! According to ABC News, former first lady Michelle Obama has been named the “most admired woman” in the world for the second time in as many years.

In the annual Gallup Poll, Obama earned that title with 10% of the votes and was the only woman on the list to compile a double-digit percentage. She has been named as the most admired woman the past two years after 25 years that saw Hillary Clinton finish first 22 times. Obama has had a higher percentage of the votes the past two years than during her eight years as first lady, never earning more than 8% of Americans voting for her.

Although she finished in the top spot this year with 10%, it was down from 15% last year. Current first lady Melania Trump received 5%, which lands her in second place with the queen of talk Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg—each named by 3% of U.S. adults who placed votes. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley rounded out the rest of the top 10.

In the same poll, former President Barack Obama, for the 12th time (a record he shares with former President Dwight Eisenhower), was named most admired man, which was a tie with the current president, who appears at the top for the very first time, Donald Trump. Obama’s 18% is in line with his 2018 (19%) and 2017 (17%) numbers, all of which are high for a former president. Eisenhower is the only other former president who received double-digit mentions at any point after leaving office.

As it has been with recent bipartisan politics, the results of the poll are sharply divided along party lines: 41% of Democrats named President Obama, while 45% of Republicans chose Trump. The former president also picked up 3% of Republicans and 12% of Independents while Trump drew 2% of Democrats and 10% of Independents.

Michelle Obama’s most recent book, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, was released on Nov. 19. It is a companion piece to her critically acclaimed memoir, Becoming.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2SLhbbC

Residence Inn Accused of Enforcing 'No Party Policy' Against Black Guests in $300,000 Lawsuit

If you’re black and looking for a hotel in Portland, Ore., you might want to stay away from the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown/Convention Center. Unless, of course, you’re willing to agree to their “no party policy,” which a new $300,000 lawsuit claims is only required for black guests.

Read more...

from The Root https://ift.tt/2Ffscde

Annual Kwanzaa Crawl Brings $250,000 to Black Businesses in New York City

Let’s support black businesses through libations! According to The Root, the annual Kwanzaa Crawl helps generate $250,000 for black businesses in Brooklyn and Harlem in New York City.

Kwanzaa, the week-long holiday celebrating black culture, heritage, and family, is the theme for the yearly bar crawl that takes place in New York City in the neighborhood of Harlem and the borough of Brooklyn. New York’s fourth annual Kwanzaa Crawl kicked off with a ceremony recognizing the holiday’s seven core principals of African heritage that include unity, self-determination, and purpose.

As listed on the Kwanzaa Crawl website, The crawl is “a one-day event that brings people of the African diaspora together to support Black-owned businesses in their communities. Heading into our 4th annual year, we have hosted over 8,000 crawlers. We’ve expanded from 17 Black-owned businesses in Brooklyn in our inaugural year to over 30 businesses in Brooklyn and Harlem, last year, cumulatively raising over $250,000 for these businesses.”

The Kwanzaa Crawl was conceived by sisters Kerry Coddett and Krystal Stark who aim to demonstrate the black buying power while operating under the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It also brings awareness to black-owned businesses while supporting the local black economy in the process.

The Kwanzaa Crawl takes place on the first day of the holiday based on the principle of Umoja: Unity: To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. This year’s theme was “Black to the Future.”

“Half of the business we collaborate with are women-led. Last year, we had over 4,100 Crawlers generate over $250,000 in one day for participating businesses. This year we expect about 5,000 participants to take the streets to build community and economic empowerment in real time.”

Picture this: crawlers are divided into 65 teams each led by a “turnt” tour guide with a music-playing bullhorn, 5,000 people round-robin from bar to bar, in two different boroughs, at the same exact time. Teams split up, criss-cross, and join up to make bigger ones in an 8-hour day full of fun.” Coddett and Stark told The Root.

“We think it’s important to keep the ‘Kwanzaa’ in the Kwanzaa Crawl, because it’s not just a bar crawl, it’s not JUST about partying,” says Krystal. “So we start with setting intentions, letting [the crawlers] know about Kwanzaa, letting them know how this crawl relates to Kwanzaa, and how they can carry out the principles throughout the rest of the year and not just a one-day event,” adds Stark.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/37ynAex

Democrat Julián Castro drops out of 2020 presidential race

PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro on Thursday ended his run for president that pushed the 2020 field on immigration and swung hard at rivals on the debate stage but never found a foothold to climb from the back of the pack.

“I’m so proud of the campaign we’ve run together. We’ve shaped the conversation on so many important issues in this race, stood up for the most vulnerable people, and given a voice to those who are often forgotten,” Castro said in an online video. “But with only a month until the Iowa caucuses, and given the circumstances of this campaign season, I have determined that it simply isn’t our time.”

The video continues, “So today it’s with a heavy heart and with profound gratitude, that I will suspend my campaign for president. To all who have been inspired by our campaign, especially our young people, keep reaching for your dreams — and keep fighting for what you believe in.” It concludes, “¡Ganaremos un día!” — which translates to “We will win one day!”
Castro, who launched his campaign in January, dropped out after failing to garner enough support in the polls or donations to make recent Democratic debates. A former San Antonio mayor who was the only Latino in the race, Castro had stalled for most of his campaign around 1% in polls and entered October low on money.

Castro, 45, was among the youngest in the running at a moment when the party’s ascendant left wing is demanding generational change. And as the grandson of a Mexican immigrant, Castro said he recognized the meaning of his candidacy in the face of President Donald Trump’s inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric and hardline policies on the U.S.-Mexico border.

But he labored not to be pigeonholed as a single-issue candidate. Castro made the attention-getting choice of Puerto Rico as his first campaign stop, recited the names of black victims killed in high-profile police shootings and was the first in the field to call for Trump’s impeachment.

But his sagging poll numbers never budged. He was often eclipsed by another Texan in the race who dropped out this fall, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and another young former mayor, Pete Buttigieg of South Bend. His campaign and supporters, meanwhile, grumbled that Castro didn’t get due credit for taking out-front positions.

Trying to show he could go to-to-toe with Trump, Castro swung for big moments on debate stages, and flirted with a much-needed breakout in June after confronting O’Rourke over not supporting decriminalization of illegal border crossings.

But turning his sights on Biden on a later stage brought swift backlash. During the September debate in Houston, Castro appeared to touch on concerns about the age of the then-76-year-old former vice president and added a parting shot at him.

“I’m fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you’re not,” Castro said.

Castro — who was Obama’s housing secretary in his second term — denied taking a personal dig at Biden as others in the field condemned the exchange. Three days later, Castro lost one of his three backers in Congress, Rep. Vicente González of Texas, who switched his endorsement to Biden.

Castro had warned supporters in a fundraising appeal that failing to make the November debate stage would spell the end of his campaign. He needed to hit at least 3 percent polling in four early state or national polls but didn’t get even one.

What is next for Castro is unclear. Back home in Texas, Democrats had long viewed Castro as their biggest star in waiting and some have urged him to run for governor as the state trends more diverse and liberal.

Castro was pegged as a rising Democratic star after being elected as mayor of the nation’s seventh-largest city at age 34, and he was on the short list for Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016. But he swa
___
Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pauljweber

The post Democrat Julián Castro drops out of 2020 presidential race appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2MMhlMg