Category: Racial Justice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_Bromery

Randolph Wilson (“Bill”) Bromery^[1] (January 18, 1926 – February 26, 2013) was an American educator and geologist, and a former Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1971–79). While Chancellor, Bromery established the W.E.B. Du Bois Archives at the University of Massachusetts, and was one of the initiators of the Five College Consortium. He was also President of the Geological Society of America, and has made numerous contributions as a geologist and academic. During World War II, he was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen,^[2] flying missions in Italy.^[3]

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/10/g-s1-22384/sheila-e-tiny-desk-concert

Sheila E. is a portrait of motion.

Not just the movement of her body as one of the world’s most recognized drummers, but also as a versatile musician who glides easily from genre to genre with the ease of a master. For her time behind the Desk, she assembled a team of musicians to play tracks from her first ever salsa album Bailar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_E.

Sheila Cecilia Escovedo^[3] (born December 12, 1957), known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American singer and drummer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist for the George Duke Band. After separating from the group in 1983, Sheila began collaborating with Prince and launched a solo career, starting with the release of her debut album in 1984, which included her biggest hit “The Glamorous Life“. She also saw a hit with the 1985 single “A Love Bizarre“. She is sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Percussion”.^[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Willie-LeBreton

Sarah Susannah Willie-LeBreton is an American sociologist and academic administrator serving as the 12th president of Smith College since 2023. She was previously the provost and dean of faculty at Swarthmore College from 2018 to 2023.

https://www.smith.edu/discover-smith/president-sarah-willie-lebreton

Sarah Willie-LeBreton is the 12th president of Smith College. An accomplished and dedicated scholar, educator, and leader, she has a demonstrated record of addressing social inequality and fostering community. At a time when women’s education has become increasingly crucial for challenging the world’s problems and injustices, Willie-LeBreton is well positioned to guide Smith through its next chapter.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/nx-s1-5146523/luis-tiant-dead-baseball

Luis Tiant, the charismatic Cuban with a horseshoe mustache and mesmerizing windup who pitched the Red Sox to the brink of a World Series championship and pitched himself to the doorstep of the baseball Hall of Fame, has died. He was 83.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/g-s1-26454/mustafa-dunya-poet-toronto-review

Throughout its history, hip-hop has spotlit the turmoil faced by Black communities, in housing projects and neighborhoods from coast to coast — and, eventually, around the world.

Who is there to preserve the memories and traditions of the lost, as folklorists for the streets?

For years, the poet and now singer-songwriter Mustafa has aimed to fill such a void — particularly for the city of Toronto, and the turbulent Regent Park neighborhood where he was raised, but also for all cities bearing a resemblance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_the_Poet

Mustafa Ahmed (born 28 July 1996), known as Mustafa, formerly known as Mustafa the Poet, is a Sudanese-Canadian poet, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker from Toronto. He released his debut studio album, When Smoke Rises, in May 2021.

https://www.andreacampbell.org/story

Andrea Joy Campbell has dedicated her life to fighting for greater equity and opportunity. At a time when so many people have lost faith in our government’s ability to solve problems, she continues to work hard everyday as your Attorney General because there has never been an office or state with so much potential and promise to solve the pressing issues of today.

https://www.arshaycooper.com/meet-arshay

ARSHAY COOPER is a Rower, Benjamin Franklin award-winning author, the protagonist of the critically acclaimed film “A Most Beautiful Thing,” a Golden Oar recipient for his contributions to the sport of rowing, motivational speaker, and activist, particularly around issues of accessibility for low-income families.

https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/cheryl-freeman-smith-olive-harvey-college-manufacturing-transportation-engineering-career-education

When Cheryl Freeman-Smith looked around at Commencement in 1992, she was one of only 39 Black engineers in her Northwestern graduating class out of around 400. And there were “only four of us in industrial engineering,” she recalls. 

Today, Freeman-Smith, who grew up in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, is committed to holding the door wide open for other Black students who are interested in careers in manufacturing, transportation and logistics. For the past 12 years, Freeman-Smith has worked at Olive-Harvey College (OHC), a community college on Chicago’s far South Side that is part of the City Colleges of Chicago consortium. As OHC’s dean of career programs and continuing education and director of apprenticeship partnerships, she creates opportunities for students from low-income communities to gain the specialized skills required for the modern economy. 

Roger Thomas Ward, brilliant athlete and engineer, died at 76

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Maxwell_Reid

Daphne Etta Reid (née Maxwell; July 13, 1948) is an American actress, comedian, designer, and former model. She is best known for her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1993 to 1996.