Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 2-5-19

New Democratic Presidential Contender Wants $100 Billion In Slavery Reparations
If you’re sad Oprah is not running for president, you should get to know Marianne Williamson. The author and spiritual adviser to Oprah an- nounced her candidacy on Monday, reports CNN.
"We need a moral and spir- itual awakening in the country," Williamson told CNN on Thursday. "Nothing short of that is adequate to fundamen- tally change the patterns of our political dysfunction."
Williamson believes her work as a spiritualist will help her if she makes it to the White House.
"We need someone to artic- ulate what's happening, the deeper levels of moral dysfunc- tion," Williamson said. "I have had a 35 year career in naming and transforming those dynamics. That's my qualifica- tion for the presidency at this time."
The Texas Democrat ran for Congress in 2014 but placed fourth in the primaries. She en- dorsed Bernie Sanders for president in 2016.
According to her campaign website, Williamson has pro- gressive values including pass-
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
ing pro-choice legislation, fed- eral protections for LGBTQ cit- izens and universal healthcare. She is also a proponent of repa- rations for the descendants of enslaved people.
She wants to allocate $100 billion to be distributed to slav- ery descendants throughout a decade.
Williamson is the fifth woman to announce her inten- tions to run for president, ac- cording to Business Insider. She was preceded by Sen. Ka- mala Harris (D-CA), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Pledges $10 Million To HBCUs In Honor Of Black History Month
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has pledged to distribute $10 million to 96 accred- ited HBCUs during Black History Month.
Presidents from 32 HBCUs will receive the first installment of $50,000 at the Alpha Kappa Alpha International Headquarters in Chicago. Partnering with the Educational Ad- vancement Foundation (EAF), Alpha Kappa Alpha established the AKA-HBCU Empower- ment Fund to assist the financial stability of historically Black colleges and universities.
Bennett College, a historically Black women’s college in North Carolina, will be one of those universities to benefit from the fund. The institution is the official sister school of Morehouse College. In December, students and officials reported the school could close if it didn’t raise $5 million by February. This fund will undoubtedly help Bennett Belles and supporters as they continue to fight for the his- toric college.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Interna- tional President Dr. Glenda Glover is an HBCU alum.
“I personally know that the financial chal- lenges of many institutions have an impact on student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates,” said the organization’s 30th interna- tional president.
She also explained that implementing this
fund is so important because it is a critical need. HBCUs are gravely underfunded, and that has drastic effects on everyone involved.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha’s 111-year history is deeply interwoven into the history of HBCUs and therefore it is imperative that we continue to invest in these treasured institutions,” she added.
Gov. Northam Refuses To Step Down, Despite Flood Of Calls For His Resignation Over Racist Photo
RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) faced the national uproar over a racist photo from his 1984 med- ical school yearbook on Satur- day and refused to resign, defying nearly the entire Dem- ocratic establishment and in- sisting that it was not his picture.
“I am not the person in that photo that caused this stir,” Northam told media packed into the Executive Mansion, re- ferring to the image of a person dressed in blackface and an- other in a Ku Klux Klan robe on his yearbook page.
“Last night I finally had a chance to sit down and look at the photo in detail,” said Northam, adding that he does not own the yearbook and that it was the first time he had ever seen the photo. “It is not me.”
It was a complete and puz- zling turnaround from the day before, when Northam apolo- gized for appearing in a “clearly racist” photo in the yearbook. But even as he denied being in the photo, he acknowledged he once applied black shoe polish to his face to appear as Michael Jackson in a dance competition.
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