News — United States of America

On July 28, 1866, the Thirty-Ninth Congress passed the Act to increase and fix the Military Peace Establishment of the United States; thus the federal government created six all-Colored Army Regiments. The units identified as the 9th and 10th Colored Cavalry Regiments and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Colored Infantry Regiments. Each regiment would have approximately 1,000 black soldiers led by white officers.

This was the first time in the history of the U.S. Army that black soldiers became a permanent part of the military and as such was the most historically significant change in the makeup of the United States Army immediately after the U.S. Civil War. The impetus for creating the units was the gallant service of over 200,000 black soldiers during that 1861-1865 conflict.

Orders sent to Maj. Gens. William T. Sherman and Philip H. Sheridan to raise four of these regiments. In Sherman’s Military Division of the Missouri, the 38th Infantry organized at Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, and the 10th Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., while Sheridan’s Department of the Gulf provided the 39th Infantry and the 9th Cavalry, both organized in New Orleans.

Elsewhere, the 40th Infantry recruited largely in Baltimore and Washington, (Department of Washington) while the 41st Infantry, taking most of its men from Kentucky and Louisiana, concentrated at Baton Rouge and Greenville, LA, with Sheridan’s Department of the Gulf.

The initial four black regiments, the Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, Fortieth and Forty-first, served throughout the south and the west during the Reconstruction period. Moreover, these units served as an important experiment, testing the ability of black soldiers to serve in the United States Army.

The Thirty-Eighth Infantry commander was Colonel William B. Hazen; the Thirty-Ninth Infantry commander was Colonel Joseph A Mower; the Fortieth Infantry commander was Colonel Nelson Miles, and the Forty-First Infantry commander was Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie.

In 1869 Congress, passing the Army Appropriation Act, deciding to further reduce the peacetime Army to reduce costs, passed another army reorganization bill which provided for the reduction of the entire infantry to twenty-five regiments. General Sherman, now the Commanding General of the Army, noting that the law did not specify the survival of any of the colored infantry regiments, quickly ordered the 38th Infantry Regiment stationed in Kansas and New Mexico, transferred to Fort McKavett, Texas to merge with the 41st Infantry to form the new 24th Infantry Regiment. The 40th Infantry in Goldsboro, North Carolina traveled by rail to New Orleans where it merged with the 39th Infantry, to form the new 25th Infantry.

This action guaranteed that at least two all-black Infantry units remained in the peacetime U.S. Army. The 24th established its first headquarters at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri under the command of Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie. The 25th established its first headquarters at Jackson Barracks, Louisiana under the command of Colonel Joseph S. Mower. Incidentally, the 9th Cavalry Commander was Colonel Edward Hatch and the 10th Cavalry Commander was Colonel Benjamin Grierson.

These infantry units along with the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments then entered into a period of frontier duty in almost every state and territory west of the 100th meridian including Alaska and Hawaii and in a few eastern locations such as Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont, Madison Barracks Sackett Harbor New York and military stations around Washington, D.C. (Fort Meyer). All four units came together to participate in the Spanish American War (1898) and the subsequent successful Filipino War (1899-1902). These units continued to participate in U.S. military operations in the early 20th Century including the Punitive Expedition against Francisco (Pancho) Villa and his forces in Northern Mexico in 1916.

There so many sectors of the U.S. economy that lacks diversity. One of such sectors is the culinary industry. Black founders are scarce in the industry, which is estimated to be 5.4 billion, according to this market report.

PreMadonna Thomas has taken a giant step into the cookware industry to not only bring diversity in the sector but to also open doors for other Black women. The television personality and rapper is venturing into an industry where many of the founders are whites and can easily access capital to expand their operations.

Thomas founded the cookware brand, Premadonna’s Cookware. She was inspired to create spices and cookware lines because of the lack of products in the industry that are available at affordable prices and in great quality. 

She tells Forbes in an interview that her products also seek to improve on existing cooking appliances on the market. What makes Premadonna’s Cookware unique is its diverse product lines as many of the existing culinary brands focus on cookware, appliances, cookbooks, or seasonings.

Aside from the pressure cooker, her multi-million-dollar cookware and seasoning empire has other products such as air fryers, deep fryers, and blenders. She also offers a best-selling cookbook and seasonings which have been endorsed by celebrities like Rihanna and the Kardashians. The wife and businesswoman tells BET Style that business is doing well that on a slow day, she can expect to ship over 500 packages.

Thomas loves cooking. She comes from a cooking family and knows a lot about pots and pans. However, she did not always have time to get into the kitchen to prepare a meal. “There was nothing in the industry for me…All the pressure cookers were older and traditional. So, I came up with a digital model. I knew that people would adapt to something that was vibrant, unique, and resourceful for all types of working people,” Thomas tells Forbes.

The entrepreneur and mom says her business has thrived owing to the passion she has for what she is doing. She goes the extra mile to ensure her customers get the best. Also, she ensures rigorous testing of every product in her kitchen before launching. This has helped her detect product defects and other minor challenges that could affect trust in her products and her brand in general.

“I think that a lot of businesses make mistakes because they’re so anxious to start, and they go with the first sample they get. With my pressure cooker and air fryer, the process took almost six months, and I tested six different models before I chose which one I wanted to go with. It was more costly, but I’m here to provide the best quality,” she explains. 

Thomas grew up in poverty. She was raised by her single mother and supported by her community through childcare programs and food banks. Thus, she wants to give back to her community using her business. She is planning a free coaching and training program for Black girls interested in the culinary industry. It will feature workshops, webinars, and guest speakers from across the industry.

Seasoned rapper and actor Ice Cube has revealed he is set to meet President Joe Biden to discuss his Contract with Black America (CWBA) plan after his administration reached out to him. The 51-year-old made the revelation during an interview on the Ryan Cameron: Uncensored radio show, saying Biden and his team got in touch with him on Tuesday, February 2, Revolt reported.

“They reached out; we gotta set the meeting,” he said, adding that they’re still planning on what the meeting is going to entail and how they’re going to have it – whether it’s going to be face to face or by zoom. Though the date for the meeting is yet to be set, he said it’s possible they could have it this month.

“I would love to bring some people in; I work with some great experts who know the root of the problem much better than me,” he said. “I would love to bring in the specialists I have and the experts I have to see what we can do to start moving the ball down the field.”

He added: “I’m available… Whenever they’re ready; I’m there. I’m hoping everything will be positive.”

The CWBA was set up by the Straight Outta Compton rapper in August with the aim of “striking at the heart of racism and [presenting] a blueprint to achieve racial economic justice,” according to Independent.

Per the project’s website, the CWBA will “provide conceptual approaches in several areas” including representation, lending, judicial and prison reform, police reform act, among others.

Also in the interview, the Friday actor, born O’Shea Jackson, spoke about the new administration’s endeavors towards helping minorities, saying they are “really into”, adding, “Black people in this country are in a unique position,” The Hill reported.

“There needs to be things as far as specialty programs. You know me, I’m all about reparations. It seems like a bad word to this administration but we gotta change that. We gotta have them speaking about reparations and add some fairness to this system,” he said.

He, however, said the reparations “can come in different forms” such as “programs, grants,” and “tax relief.” “We can figure it out,” he added. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We’ll take something. But you’ve gotta do something.”

In October, Face2Face Africa reported Ice Cube got people on social media – including his fans – disappointed after the Donald Trump’s campaign adviser, Katrina Pierson, revealed the California native was helping them develop their Black Economic Empowerment “Platinum Plan”. He claimed both parties got in touch with him to about his CWBA plan, but the Biden and his team told him they’ll “address” the plan after the election.

Responding to that incident and the criticism that ensued, Cube said: “At the end of the day, whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House, they’re still not looking at our agenda in the right way.”

“We still gotta get them to acknowledge and remedy the situation. So, right now, they like to acknowledge but nobody wants to do what it takes to remedy the situation,” he added. “Everybody want to point out, that, ‘Yeah, you guys should be upset about your treatment in America.’”

“But nobody wants to do what it takes to fix it. So, that’s the part that we need to get on these politicians about, and they have the power to. They just won’t do it.”

He also spoke about the historic high Black voter turnout in Georgia’s Senate runoff elections, saying, “I think it’s great. We always show up.” He, however, said more needed to be done to empower Black people in the country.

“We show up for one party right now mainly and so do they show up for us as a whole? You know, not just appointing Black people to positions, but actually giving them the power and incentive to do something for all of us?” he said. “You know, right now, I feel like there’s a lot of symbolism going around, but it’s not a lot of tangibles going around.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has elected its first Black President in its 101-year history. Deborah Archer, a clinal law professor at New York University School of Law, was elected virtually over the weekend by the union’s 69-member board of directors and she brings to this position her expertise in civil rights and racial justice.

Now as ACLU president Archer succeeds Susan Herman, a Brooklyn Law School professor who has been president since 2008. She will act as the chair of the board of directors overseeing organizational matters and the setting of civil liberties policies.

The fight against racial injustice is expected to be a top priority. However, the organization’s day-to-day operations are managed by its executive director, Anthony D. Romero.

Per their press release, Archer has a long history with ACLU joining at the beginning of her prolific career as a legal fellow in its Racial Justice Program and has been a board member since 2009 and only began work as their general counsel in 2017.

“After beginning my career as an ACLU fellow, it is an honor to come full circle and now lead the organization as board president,” said Archer.

“The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead.

This organization has been part of every important battle for civil liberties during our first century, and we are committed to continuing that legacy as we enter our second. I could not be more excited to get to work,” she added.

Aside from her professorship Archer is the director of the Civil Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law and a co-faculty director of the Center on Race Inequality and the Law at NYU Law.

She as also served in the capacity of inaugural dean of diversity and inclusion and as associate dean for academic affairs and student engagement at New York Law School.

According to Romero, there is no person better suited to launch the ACLU into its next phase than Archer.

“There is no one better equipped, who best personifies or is more capable to helm the future battles for civil rights, civil liberties, and systemic equality than Deborah Archer.”

Archer, born to Jamaican parents, has also worked as assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and is a former associate at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett. She served as chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, and on numerous non-profit boards, including the Legal Aid Society and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. 

Last year was a tumultuous one for everyone especially since America dealt with the novel coronavirus amid calls for racial equality. The fight against white supremacy and racism last year, which according to the ACLU can only be rivaled by the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s, ultimately culminated in the highest voter turnout in American history.

According to a statement, ACLU “filed its 413th legal action against the Trump administration, took over 100 legal actions in response to the pandemic, continued its work to protect protestors, and filed more than 37 lawsuits to ensure access to the polls” as it celebrated its centennial year.

“The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead,” Archer said.

A notorious Kenyan poacher who was recently extradited to the United States from his home country pleaded not guilty to illegally trafficking elephant ivory and rhino horn when he appeared before a Manhattan federal court on Monday. The accused, 60-year-old Mansur Mohamed Surur, was arrested by local authorities in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa in July 2020.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, in a statement, said Surur was part of a “transnational criminal enterprise” that was based in Uganda and other neighboring countries and was responsible for illegally poaching and killing over 100 elephants and over 30 rhinos for their ivory and horns. Both animals are listed as endangered wildlife species. Surur and his group allegedly made approximately over $7 million from selling the contraband between 2012 and 2019.

During that period, Surur and his ring members conspired to transport, distribute, sell, and smuggle over 150 kilos of rhino horns and roughly 10 tons of elephant ivory to interested buyers in Manhattan as well as other countries in Southeast Asia. The contraband was allegedly obtained and transported from East African countries including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tanzania. The syndicate allegedly hid the ivory and horns in art pieces including African masks and statues.

Prosecutors allege Surur and his co-conspirators received and deposited funds obtained from their foreign customers through “international wire transfers, some which were sent through U.S. financial institutions.”

Surur also faces additional charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 10 kilograms of heroin, the statement said. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the money laundering charge, while he is also looking at either a maximum life imprisonment sentence or a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence if found guilty of the heroin charge.

“Mansur Mohamed Surur is alleged to be a member of an international conspiracy to traffic in rhino horns, elephant ivory, and heroin.  The enterprise is allegedly responsible for the illegal slaughter of dozens of rhinos and more than 100 elephants, both endangered species,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said.

Two of his co-conspirators, a Liberian by name Moazu Kromah and Amara Cherif – a Guinean, are also in custody in the United States. The department said a third Kenyan suspect, Abdi Hussein Ahmed, remains at large.

More than 10 years after the death of Michael Jackson, his famous former estate, Neverland Ranch, has reportedly been sold to a billionaire investor for $22 million. Ron Burkle, a former friend of Jackson, recently bought the estate, his spokesman said on Thursday.

The 2,700-acre (1,100 hectare) estate, which was renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch several years ago, had been on and off the market for years. In 2015, the compound was first listed for $100 million. Two years later, it was relisted for $67 million. Last year, its asking price was $31m.

The ranch, which is in Los Olivos, about 120 miles north of Los Angeles, was not on the market at the time of the purchase. Burkle, who is co-founder and managing partner of Yucaipa Companies, LLC, a private investment firm, spotted the estate from the air and “saw the investment as a land banking opportunity,” his spokesman said.

Jackson had purchased the property in 1988 for $19.5 million, making it his home and naming it after the “Peter Pan” tale of a boy who refused to grow up. Neverland, which featured a zoo, a railway and theme park rides, was where the late pop star entertained children and their families. But Jackson was later forced to abandon the property following his trial on charges of molesting a young boy there. In 2005, the singer was tried and acquitted of allegations he abused a 13-year-old boy at the property.

The singer never returned to the ranch and the year before his death, he released the title to Colony Capital. Jackson died in June 2009 at another home in Los Angeles from an overdose of the anesthetic Propofol. The Man In The Mirror singer recently faced further sexual abuse accusations following the release of a documentary, “Leaving Neverland”, which focuses on two of his accusers who say he sexually molested them when they were young. Jackson’s family condemned the documentary, describing it as a “public lynching”.

Jackson has captivated audiences in a career that spans over four decades and remains a towering influence on artistes today. His 1979 record, produced by Quincy Jones, was a polished affair that made the most out of Jackson’s impressive vocal talents and natural ability. The album sold 20 million worldwide to date.

The next album released in 1982, “Thriller,” hardly needs an introduction. Jones returned to the producer’s role and the magic was evident. Selling 65 million copies worldwide, it is the highest-selling album in history. It was such a gigantic success that Jackson didn’t release music until five years later with the high-charting “Bad” album in 1987.

Oneita and Clive Thompson fled Jamaica in 2004 after gang members burned their farm and threatened to kill them. In the U.S., the government denied them asylum but allowed them to stay. The Thompsons, for 14 years, worked, paid taxes, and raised their seven children in Cedarville, a small town in New Jersey’s Cumberland County. Clive, 61, worked as a heavy-equipment operator at Bridgeton-based Cumberland Dairy while Oneita, 48, was a certified nursing assistant.

They lived a normal and quiet life until the start of the Trump administration. In August 2018, the ICE told the undocumented Jamaican couple that it would not extend their stay for removal and were to report to it within days to be removed from the country.

The Thompsons then visited the office of the advocacy group, the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, which subsequently helped them find shelter while supporting their legal proceedings. A few days before they were to be deported, Clive, Oneita, and their two youngest children, who are both American citizens, took sanctuary in the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. They spent two years there before moving to Tabernacle church in September 2020.

While living behind the walls of the two churches, their two children were free to move in and out of the church grounds. Clive and Oneita however couldn’t even leave to get groceries else they will be arrested and deported.
Generally, churches are seen as safe places since ICE “sensitive location” guidelines hinder agents from “taking action” in houses of worship, hospitals, and schools, a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer stated.

Immigrants who take sanctuary are also able to buy time for their legal cases to progress while advocates also step in to pile pressure on authorities to rescind their decisions, the report added. That was the move the Thompsons took, and after 843 days of living in the two churches, the couple walked free on Monday, ready to go back to their South Jersey home.

They said the federal government dropped its deportation case against them, meaning they can now seek permanent residency in the U.S., a move that is already in progress. “When we got the letter from ICE, I was just looking at it in shock. It’s a big breakthrough – after working so long, this is a miracle. I feel like all the stress is drifting away, and everything is lighting up with joy,” Clive said in a statement.

It’s been tough seeking refuge in churches, where they slept, ate and bathed. “At first I would not even go on the porch, I was so fearful,” Oneita told.

“Some days I just wanted to hide in the walls of the church, and other days I felt badass and just wanted to kick the walls down … Not the physical walls down. Not the physical walls of the church, but the walls of injustice, the walls of racism, the walls of lies, the walls of black woman don’t have a voice,” Oneita said.

Getting deported would have separated them from their children and would have ruined their chances of living the American dream. Living in the churches was a way to continue their fight to stay in the U.S., the couple said. While in the churches, they made several requests to stay ICE’s order for removal as they applied for permanent residency but their requests were denied.

Then in May, their daughter, Angel, became an American citizen. She filed an I-130, a “Petition for an Alien Relative,” which reports say is the first step in allowing alien relatives establish permanent residency in the U.S. During Thanksgiving, the Thompsons went ahead to file a motion to reopen their asylum case with the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).

The ICE subsequently joined the family’s motion before the BIA to reopen the deportation case after pressure from church, community members, and officials, including Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Dwight Evans, who visited the couple in sanctuary.

“Upon the BIA’s issuance of a decision, the Thompsons were no longer subject to a final order of removal, thereby removing any imminent concerns of possible removal,” an ICE official told. Though the Thompsons are yet to gain permanent residency, they are satisfied with the experience of being free again. It’s estimated that 40 people in 16 states are currently in sanctuary at churches in the U.S.

President-elect Joe Biden‘s first Secretary of Defense will most likely be an extremely private veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who has ties to the private sector, including as a military contractor for Raytheon Technologies as well as a director for the multinational health services provider, Tenet Healthcare.

But retired General Lloyd James Austin III will also be the first African-American to be installed in that position. If he passes legislature vetting, Austin will be responsible for the world’s most expensive and expansive defense capacities and network.

Such is the history that beckons that Austin’s nomination has been met with primarily, graciousness. Many have welcomed the incoming administration’s openness to retaining racial diversity in top federal jobs.

For Austin, Biden himself scripted a testimonial that was published in The Atlantic. A paragraph read:

“In his more than 40 years in the United States Army, Austin met every challenge with extraordinary skill and profound personal decency. He is a true and tested soldier and leader. I’ve spent countless hours with him, in the field and in the White House Situation Room. I’ve sought his advice, seen his command, and admired his calm and his character. He is the definition of a patriot.”

Careful reading reveals what Biden would want us to realize. The president-elect calls the general Austin – not General Austin – giving away a sense of amity the pair would have established over the “countless hours” they have spent in each other’s company. The general is also praised for his character and called “a patriot”, a necessary byline in marketing your pick to the American public.

But the four-star general who has been described as “intensely private and razor-sharp” may not need more than the former vice-president’s adulation in order to get into the job. Having left military service only four years ago, Austin requires a special waiver from the House and the Senate to enable him to become the next Defense chief.

The law for which he needs the waiver prevents former soldiers from becoming Defense secretary within the first seven years of retiring from military service. The last man to need the waiver was Jim Mattis, Donald Trump‘s first Secretary of Defense who dramatically fell out with the outgoing president.

But political watchers are confident this will be no stiff hurdle for Austin. He is also generally respected across partisan divides. A lot of the conversations about his nomination have suggested that Austin may need to convince a few on the Capitol with particular regard to the global war on terrorism as well as his private sector dealings.

Austin was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1953 but he was raised in Thomasville, Georgia along with five siblings. He joined the army in 1975 growing in stature over the course of forty years.

Between 2008 and 2009, he was the Commander of Multinational Corps in Iraq. In 2010, former President Barack Obama appointed Austin as the Commanding General of all U.S. Forces in Iraq.

Austin has been called a “devout Catholic” and conservative man who would often speak of himself in the third person.