Racist radio host Don Imus dies in infamy

Infamous radio host Don Imus has died at the age of 79. Imus’ death comes over 10 years after he was fired from CBS for his racist comments on the air.

According to the Huffington Post, the disgraced radio host had been hospitalized at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas since Christmas Eve until his death on Friday. A cause of death has not been released.

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Imus’ show Imus in the Morning debuted on New York radio in 1976 and in the wake of his death, many have praised the controversial host; according to The Hollywood Reporter, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough thanked Imus saying “Morning Joe obviously owes its format to Don Imus. No one else could have gotten away with that much talk on cable news. Thanks for everything, Don.”

For others, it is hard to forget Imus’ racist remarks in 2007. It was that year that the host called members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos.” Imus’ comments caused a firestorm of protests and many sponsors began to pull out of the program. According to CBS, MSNBC, who also broadcast the show, decided to drop Imus.

Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were vocal about Imus’ removal, even meeting with CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves.

“He says he wants to be forgiven,” Sharpton said at the time. “I hope he continues in that process. But we cannot afford a precedent established that the airways can commercialize and mainstream sexism and racism.”

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Imus was ultimately let go from CBS Radio.

“There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society,” Moonves said in announcing the decision.

According to Today, the 2007 controversy was not the first time Imus made racist comments on his show. He has called Bill Rhoden, who is Black and a former sports columnist for The New York Times, a “quota hire,” he also characterized the late Gwen Ifill of PBS’ Washington Week, as a “cleaning lady.”

Imus’ comments did not stop at Black people, he has also been known to make disparaging remarks against Arabs and Jews.

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Black Texas councilman could lose position for standing up against police brutality

Texas is a state that is not known for having a great history with racial relations and one Black councilman may lose his position for attempting to speak out.

La’Shadion Shemwell, the only Black councilman in McKinney, Texas, has landed in hot water after proposing to declare a “Black State of Emergency” following a string of high profile cases involving police fatally shooting Black people. According to The Hill, Shemwell, who was elected in 2017 also reportedly encouraged people of color to avoid visiting the state.

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After backlash from constituents, Shemwell tried to clarify his intentions at a Nov. 5 city council meeting saying, “my comments are not an indictment of all officers,” but it looks like that was not enough.

Jolie Williams, who organized the campaign to recall Shemwell as a councilman, told The Dallas Morning News that she other supporters collected more than 3,000 signatures, well above the 2,100 threshold set by law.

“We’ve done our work,” Williams said. “We’re confident in our numbers. It’s been an ongoing issue with Mr. Shemwell’s behavior and disregard for law enforcement, the charter and ethics policy, in which he voted in favor.”

McKinney Mayor George Fuller has also been in favor of the removal of Shemwell.

“Discussion concerning racism is critical to furthering racial equality, but lies and false narratives at the expense of our community’s well being, is simply not an acceptable means to initiate that discussion,” Fuller argued in a statement.

Supporters of Shemwell believe that the fight for his removal stemmed from his speaking out against racism and police brutality. It is important to note that McKinney is the location of the 2015 viral video of a white police officer pulling a gun on Black high school students. The video also showed the officer violently restrain a 14-year-old girl. The officer involved, Eric Casebolt, resigned days later. The councilman has also accused McKinney police of racially profiling him during a traffic stop in 2018.

READ MORE: After protests, BART officials apologize to man arrested for #EatingWhileBlack

If Williams and her supporters are able to get the signatures validated, the recall could be in front of the council as soon as Jan. 7.

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Serena Williams selected as ‘Female Athlete of the Decade’

Are we even surprised?

Tennis legend Serena Williams has been the personification of Black girl magic and over the last decade has changed the world of sports and beyond. And on Saturday, Williams was chosen by the Associated Press for the coveted “Female Athlete of the Decade.”

Over the last decade, Williams has had countless accolades over the last decade that have included reaching at least one Final Slam, winning gold medals in at the 2012 Olympics, became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles trophy, leading the tour with 37 singles titles, 11 more than anyone else in the decade and much more.

READ MORE: Serena Williams dominates at US Open, clinching 100th win

“She’s been my idol growing up,” AP 2019 Female Athlete of the Year Simone Biles said of Williams. “She’s remained humble. She’s stayed true to herself and her character and I think that’s really neat about an athlete. Once you start winning, some get cocky, but she’s stayed true to herself, win or lose.”

In addition to winning “Female Athlete of the Decade,” Williams has snagged five “Female Athlete of the Year” awards with two awarded in 2002 and 2009, and three in the last 10 years.

“When the history books are written, it could be that the great Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time. … I like to call it the ‘Serena Superpowers’ — that champion’s mindset. Irrespective of the adversity and the odds that are facing her, she always believes in herself,” former WTA CEO Stacey Allaster said.

Something else the history books should note is that Williams is not only a great winner but a great loser as well.

READ MORE: ‘Sports’ as a major could work for many college athletes

“Whenever I lose, I get more determined, and it gives me something more to work toward,” Williams said in a 2013 interview with the AP. “I don’t get complacent, and I realize I need to work harder and I need to do better and I want to do better — or I wouldn’t be playing the game.”

 

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Barack Obama continues tradition of favorite books list for 2019

Former President Barack Obama has once again decided to enlighten us with a selection of books that he believes readers should have on their radar.

“This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too,” Obama wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday. “Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy — work and family life, social and volunteer commitments — outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences.”

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According to CNN, Obama’s book selections mirror a pattern from previous years, which shows a mix of historic non-fiction and some literary novels. In his Instagram post, he talked about the importance of literature and art, calling it “the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit.”

Check out what books made the cut in 2019:

• “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power” by Shoshana Zuboff
• “The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company” by William Dalrymple
• “Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee” by Casey Cep
• “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo
• “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present” by David Treuer
• “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell
• “Lost Children Archive” by Valeria Luiselli
• “Lot: Stories” by Bryan Washington
• “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
• “The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson
• “The Yellow House” by Sarah M. Broom
• “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” by Patrick Radden Keefe
• “Solitary” by Albert Woodfox
• “The Topeka School” by Ben Lerner
• “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion” by Jia Tolentino
• “Trust Exercise” by Susan Choi
• “We Live in Water: Stories” by Jess Walter

Obama had a shortlist of favorite books for “sports fans”:

• “A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule” by Jim Rooney
• “The Sixth Man” by Andre Iguodala

READ MORE: Acclaimed novelist Ernest Gaines dies at 86

View this post on Instagram

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my annual list of favorites — books, films, and music — with all of you. This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too. Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences. They’re the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit. To start, here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Dec 28, 2019 at 1:17pm PST

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Ujamaa That! Annual Kwanzaa Crawl Brings $250,000 to Black Businesses in Gentrifying Harlem and Brooklyn

Even us anti-capitalists recognize that economic freedom is power in the good ole US of A. And as it relates to Kwanzaa, on this fourth day, we celebrate Ujamaa (ooh-jaa-mah), meaning cooperative economics and also, “shared wealth and work”, “economic self-reliance” and “obligation of generosity.”

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