Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 5-15-20

National
Princeton Has Named Its First Black Valedictorian In The School's 274-Year History
DOJ Is Investigating Ahmaud Arbery's Death As A Possible Hate Crime
GREGORY MCMICHAEL AND TRAVIS MCMICHAEL
A historic moment will take place when Princeton University holds a virtual commencement on May 31. That's thanks to Nicholas Johnson, who has become the first Black valedictorian in Princeton’s 274-year his- tory.
According to the univer- sity, Johnson earned the honor as an operations re- search and financial engi- neering student. The Montreal native focused his thesis on developing algo- rithms to curb obesity in Canada, writing a paper titled “Sequential Stochastic Net- work Structure Optimization with Applications to Address- ing Canada’s Obesity Epi- demic.”
Johnson also conducted research on social distancing guidelines designed to pre- vent the spread of COVID-19.
NICHOLAS JOHNSON
"It feels empowering. Being Princeton's first Black Valedictorian holds special significance to me particu- larly given Princeton's histor- ical ties to the institution of slavery," Johnson told CNN. "I hope that this achievement motivates and inspires younger Black stu-
dents, particularly those in- terested in STEM fields."
The Princeton student has had a chance to take advan- tage of international intern- ships, traveling to Peru, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. But his favorite moments are the late nights he spent with his peers.
“My favorite memories of my time at Princeton are memories of time spent with close friends and classmates engaging in stimulating dis- cussions — often late at night — about our beliefs, the cul- tures and environments in which we were raised, the state of the world, and how we plan on contributing pos- itively to it in our own unique way,” he said in a statement.
Uber Will Require Drivers And Riders In US To Wear Face Masks/Coverings
As many states prepare to ease coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions, Uber will re- portedly require riders and drivers in the US to wear face masks/coverings.
The new policy will roll out over the “coming weeks,” ac- cording to a report by CNN Business.
“As countries reopen, Uber is focused on safety and pro- ceeding with caution,” said a Uber spokesperson in a state- ment on Monday. “Today, we continue to ask riders to stay home if they can, while ship- ping safety supplies to drivers who are providing essential trips. At the same time, our teams are preparing for the next phase of recovery, where we will all have a role to play.”
The Department of Justice is investigating the killing of Ahmaud Arbery as a possi- ble federal hate crime, author- ities said Monday.
It comes after officials in Georgia last week arrested and charged two white men with murder after they followed and fatally shot the 25-year- old black man as he was jog- ging down a road in February.
"We are assessing all of the evidence to determine whether federal hate crimes charges are appropriate," De- partment of Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement on Mon- day.
"We will continue to assess all information, and we will take any appropriate action that is warranted by the facts and the law," said Kupec.
The Department of Justice said it is also considering Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's request for a federal investigation into the handling of the case.
“We are committed to a complete and transparent re- view of how the Ahmaud Ar- bery case was handled from the outset,” Carr said Sunday in a statement. “The family, the community and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others in law enforcement at the state and federal level to find those answers.”
Arbery was shot and killed Feb. 23 while out jog- ging in Brunswick, Georgia. The incident did not receive widespread national news coverage until last week, when video of his killing was made public.
After massive public out- cry, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, were
charged with murder and ag- gravated assault on Thursday. Georgia's attorney general is specifically requesting a fed- eral investigation into the "communications and discus- sions" between Jackie John- son and George Barnhill, the first two district attorneys who were assigned to the case. Both recused themselves due to their connections to Gre- gory McMichael, who is a former Glynn County police officer and former investigator with the Brunswick district at-
torney's office.
But in the April letter in
which Barnhill announced he was recusing himself, which was obtained by News4Jax, Barnhill said he did "not see grounds for an ar- rest" in the case because the suspects had "solid first hand probable cause" because they said they thought Arbery was a burglary suspect.
The National District At- torneys Association con- demned Barnhill on Saturday for interfering with the case after recusing him- self.
“We must strongly dis- agree with District Attorney George Barnhill’s decision to share his opinion of whether Greg and Travis McMichael should be ar- rested after he decided to re- cuse himself from the case,” the association said. “No pros- ecutor should inject his or her opinion into a pending case to the point where she or he be- comes a potential witness and risks compromising the just outcome of a case.”
On Monday, Attorney General Carr announced that Cobb County Judicial Cir- cuit District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes would take over as prosecutor on the case.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020