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Citizens for Judicial Fairness, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Local Activists Denounce Planned Confirmation of Another White Male Justice to All-White…

DOVER, Del..--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, grassroots advocacy group Citizens for Judicial Fairness joined forces with famed civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton and local activists Pastor Blaine Hackett and Kendra Ray, sister of Jeremy McDole, to denounce the scheduled confirmation of Nathan Cook to the Delaware Court of Chancery.

The confirmation hearing is scheduled for 1:30 PM and Cook is expected to be confirmed easily, despite the fact that his appointment to the Chancery means it will remain all-white. Ray, Hackett, and a representative from Sharptons National Action Network will make public comments at the hearing demanding the Senate not confirm Cook given the lack of diversity and equity on the Court.

Said Reverend Al Sharpton, I am deeply disappointed that today, equity will once again be denied on the Court of Chancery. It is shameful for the Chancery Court to remain all-white in 2022 when Delaware is 40% people of color and the decisions the court makes affect millions of Black and brown employees across the country. It is imperative that Delawares leaders, starting with Governor Carney, recognize this egregious wrong and begin taking meaningful steps to restore trust in its justice system through diverse court appointments.

Said police reform and racial justice activist Keandra Ray, Im testifying before the Senate Executive Committee today because the lack of diversity in our courts is disgusting. Governor Carney and his cronies in the Senate should be ashamed of this appointment. Im not going to stop fighting until our courts actually look like us and deliver the justice we deserve.

230 years of an all-white Chancery Court and only a single Black justice in the courts entire history is a stain on the state of Delaware and an indictment of Governor Carneys failed leadership, said Citizens for Judicial Fairness Campaign Manager Chris Coffey. Delawareans deserve leaders who talk the talk, not just walk the walk, on judicial equity and fairness. Were going to keep up our efforts to fight the Delaware Old Boys Club that excludes and ignores the states most vulnerable communities until we see real progress and accountability.

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Citizens for Judicial Fairness, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Local Activists Denounce Planned Confirmation of Another White Male Justice to All-White...

Al Sharpton takes a bow, with Spike, to close out Tribeca – ABC News

NEW YORK -- On the eve of Juneteenth, the Tribeca Festival came to a close with the Rev. Al Sharpton documentary Loudmouth in a premiere that united on stage Sharpton and Spike Lee two towering New York figures who have each been vilified and celebrated for careers championing racial justice.

The event held Saturday at the Borough of Manhattan Community College celebrated Sharpton with the kind of big-screen portrait that has been commonplace for an older generation of civil rights leaders, but had, until Loudmouth, eluded the 67-year-old activist. Loudmouth contextualizes Sharpton's legacy as an extension of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. John Lewis and others, while at the same time chronicling his unique longevity despite plenty of naysayers along the way.

Shoot your best shot," Sharpton said in a Q&A after the film. "I'm still here.

Lee, a longtime friend who cast Sharpton in a small role in 1992's Malcolm X," cheered Sharpton for being there from the get-go, fighting the good fight.

Everybody takes blows but you got up and keep stepping, said Lee, who joined Sharpton and John Legend, executive producer of the film, on stage. And youre still doing it today.

Loudmouth, which is seeking distribution at Tribeca, was introduced by Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro. He drew a firm distinction between Sharpton and other loudmouths on today's airwaves and at the Jan. 6 hearings in Washington.

How interesting that the committee and the Rev are on the same page exposing the lies and the liars who threaten our democracy," said De Niro. "They want to take away our right to vote and deny us social justice. While Washington deals with the lies and the big lie, tonight you're in the company of patriot who challenges us to get to the truth.

Loudmouth, directed by Josh Alexander, is framed around a sit-down interview with Sharpton, who chronicles his story as a constant fight to keep social justice in the headlines. Nobody calls me to a keep a secret, Sharpton said at the memorial service for George Floyd.

To Sharpton, that was his purpose the blow-up man," he once called himself to tirelessly agitate and stir up enough media attention and to spotlight injustice. Of course, that approach earned Sharpton plenty of detractors almost all of whom are white who have chided him as racial opportunist. That was especially after his involvement in the 1987 case of Tawana Brawley, whose allegation that she had been raped and kidnapped by a group of Dutchess County, New York, men was later found to have been fabricated by a special state grand jury.

Sharpton in the film argues that his mission in that case and others was always to give someone their day in court. Ahead of the film, Alexander said Sharpton's one request was to get the context right. And in an litany of other instances, Sharpton has been there to advocate, consult and lend support for Black people. Family members of Floyd, Eric Garner and others were in the audience Saturday.

It just makes you realize that anybody whos making noise for justice, especially for an oppressed minority, is always going to be treated as persona non grata in society, Legend said. Theyre always going to be unpopular to an extent because theyre fighting to disturb a status quo that protects a lot of people.

When Legend approached Sharpton about making the documentary, he and producers surprised Sharpton with the idea of it being directed by Alexander, a white Jewish filmmaker from California. They argued that the film would be more objective from the perspective of a white filmmaker, Sharpton said.

I said: Ill tell you what. If it works, Ill be there to take a bow. If it dont, Ill be picketing you outside,'" Sharpton said.

Legend who Sharpton praised as a pop star and crossover artist who was bold in affiliating himself with a figure seen by some as risque said he had been discouraged by what he saw as a backlash to the reckoning that followed Floyd's death and recent battles over school textbooks. But Legend said he found inspiration watching Sharpton in Loudmouth.

Every time we have progress, theres a backlash, and the backlash is: Oh, weve got to control this narrative, said Legend. Everybody knows how important narrative is and how important whos telling the story and what perspectives are being represented.

Lee, who twice mentioned being traumatized by an early school field trip to see Gone With the Wind, said Loudmouth should be shown in schools. As a chronicle from the front lines of racial tensions in New York, Lee said it was a valuable reminder.

You have to show that racism doesnt really have a particular ZIP code, said Lee, who wore a 1619 hat. This is not Shangri-La. Theres a whole lot of messed up here that continues today.

Sharpton often returned to the question of how much has changed in the last half century. Sharpton recently gave eulogies for several victims in Buffalo of last months racist mass shooting that killed 10 people in a supermarket. Still, he said he also sees great progress, and more Black people in power than ever before.

We're not out of the woods yet, Sharpton said. But we've done enough paths in the woods to believe we can get out.

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Al Sharpton takes a bow, with Spike, to close out Tribeca - ABC News

Rev. Al Sharpton Questions Carney for Closing Delaware State Offices for Juneteenth after Nominating another White Justice to the All-White Chancery -…

Rev. Sharpton has joined Citizens for Judicial Fairness to demand diverse judges be appointed to Delaware Courts and hold Carney Accountable to Delawares residents of color

WILMINGTON, Del., June 17, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, Delaware state offices will be closed to honor the Juneteenth holiday for the second year following President Bidens executive order to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. While recognizing the holiday is a significant step toward justice for Black Americans, the urgency to show meaningful action in the pursuit of equity for Black Americans has grown. Citizens for Judicial Fairness has been working for years alongside local activists and national civil rights leaders to draw attention to the lack of diversity in Delawares leadership. Rev. Al Sharpton has joined the local groups to rally for diversity in courts, specifically the Chancery court that holds power for more than a million companies headquartered in the state. Although President Biden has modeled the highest level of diversity through his court appointments and cabinet members, Governor Carney has not followed suit. While naming diversity as a priority, Governor Carney has passed three times on the opportunity to add a justice of color to the Chancery court.

National Action Networks Rev. Al Sharpton stated: "Under President Bidens leadership, we have gained momentum in honoring the Juneteenth holiday for its historical significance and its integral role in healing the racism that remains more than 150 years after slavery ended. We continue to call on Governor Carney to follow President Biden in delivering on his promises to increase Black justices and justices of color in Delawares Courts and leadership. We have demanded and been denied three times by Governor Carney to add just one person of color to the Chancery court which impacts millions of workers across the country. It is good and right to honor Juneteenth, but it is a hollow act without equity for those who have been wronged by the institution we recognize on this important day."

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Citizens for Judicial Fairness recently changed its name from Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware and doubled down on its commitment to lead the many voices seeking equity in leadership to create lasting changes in Delaware for all of its residents.

Citizens for Judicial Fairness (formerly Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware) is a grassroots advocacy organization fighting for transparency, equity, and accountability in state judiciaries across America. Founded by employees of TransPerfect Global in 2016 to fight the Delaware Chancery Courts unprecedented, forced sale of TransPerfect, the group has since grown to over 5,000 members nationwide. CJF leverages grassroots pressure, strategic partnerships, and political advocacy to campaign for common-sense solutions to increase transparency and equity in court systems across the country. To learn more about CJF, visit DelawareforBusiness.org

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220617005385/en/

Contacts

Chris Coffey, ccoffey@tuskholdings.com

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Rev. Al Sharpton Questions Carney for Closing Delaware State Offices for Juneteenth after Nominating another White Justice to the All-White Chancery -...

Rev. Al Sharpton Releases Statement On Testing Positive For Covid – The Root

Al Sharpton arrives for an event where President Biden will sign a historic Executive Order to advance effective, accountable policing and strengthen public safety during an event held in the East Room of The White House in Washington, DC on May 25, 2022.Photo: Sipa USA (AP)

On June 11, legendary civil rights leader, reverend and NAN (National Action Network) founder Al Sharpton announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19. The statement came a day after he had officially received his results.

On Friday, I tested positive for COVID-19 but have not displayed any symptoms at this time. On my doctors advice, I am quarantining over the next several days to keep those around me safe, Sharpton stated. I will continue to do my radio and TV shows remotely over that time. Please continue to get vaccinated and boosted if you havent already.

Last month, Sharpton visited the families of victims lost in the racist Buffalo shooting at Top Supermarket. We need to hold all that have aided and abetted the hate in this country accountable, Sharpton expressed during a news conference outside Buffalos Antioch Baptist Church.

It has also been confirmed that on June 18, Loudmouth, a documentary about Sharptons life will close out this years Tribeca Film Festival. According to Tribecas website:

Josh Alexanders Loudmouth documents the winding road that is Al Sharptons life story as an iconic activist and spiritual leader. Viewers peek under the fold and witness the unrestricted details of Sharptons development from an 8-year-old preacher to a (sometimes painted as controversial) civil rights figure. Along with his history in the public eye, the good and the bad, the film offers behind the scenes insight into Sharptons experience as a presidential candidate advisor and racial justice advocate during the volatile climate of 2020.

My pursuit of activism has always been tied to unwavering faith, and it is my firm belief that art and drama can be a powerful form of protest, Sharpton previously stated.

Im so proud to share the story of my life through Loudmouth at Tribeca. The Festivals commitment to social justice storytelling and the Black experience in America, is full of hope, perseverance, and joy.

A conversation with Al Sharpton, Spike Lee and Loudmouths executive producer John Legend Former was originally scheduled to immediately follow the screening.

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Rev. Al Sharpton Releases Statement On Testing Positive For Covid - The Root

Top Reparations Scholar Dr. Sandy Darity: White Support For Reparations Has Dramatically Increased from 4% to 30% – Moguldom

New York City-based community activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, recently noted on Twitter that a majority of white Americans do not support cash reparations for Black Americans.

Did you know that 65% of Americans oppose cash reparations to Black people (according to a 2021 Washington Post poll)? Sharpton tweeted, along with a video from his MSNBC show Politics Nation. On the June 4 episode he interviews Rev. Amos Brown (California reparations task force vice chair) and Kamilah Moore (California reparations task force chair) about the Californias first-in-the-nation reparations task force and its first interim report, which was released on June 1.

The extensive report surveys the ongoing and compounding harms experienced by African Americans as a result of slavery and its lingering effects on American society today.

However reparations scholar William Sandy Darity begged to differ with Sharptons take on the stats.

Therefore > 30 percent approve, a dramatic improvement. In 2000 a survey conducted by Michael Dawson and Rovana Popoff at UChicago found 4% of white Americans supported monetary payments for black reparations. Today that figure is closer to 30%, tweeted economist Dr. Darity, of Duke University, the co-author of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, which he co-wrote with his wife, reparations expert A. Kirsten Mullen.

Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 74: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin returns for a new season of the GHOGH podcast to discuss Bitcoin, bubbles, and Biden. He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure, regulatory, and environment. Are broader financial markets in a massive speculative bubble?

According to the University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB National Poll of President Bidens First 100 Days, conducted April 21 April 23, 2021, 28 percent of the whites who responded were for reparations, and 72 percent were against. This is up drastically from a 4 percent approval by whites of monetary reparations in a 2000 national survey conducted by University of Chicago scholars Michael Dawson and Rovana Popoff.

Photo: People take part in an Afrikan Emancipation Day reparations march, in Brixton, south London, Aug. 1, 2020. A coalition of groups including the Afrikan Emancipation Day Reparations March Committee and Extinction Rebellion gathered for the annual event in South London which aims to highlight the need for reparations and amendments to be made for enslavement endured by generations of Black people. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

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Top Reparations Scholar Dr. Sandy Darity: White Support For Reparations Has Dramatically Increased from 4% to 30% - Moguldom