Spain Elects Their First Black Woman Into Parliament
In an election that saw some of the highest numbers of women voters in recent year, one woman has made history. Rita Bosaho recently became the first black woman elected into parliament. The 50-year-old was born in central African country of Equatorial Guinea. She moved to Spain in her 20s as nurse before eventually transitioning into politics. The mother of one was concerned with what type of world she was leaving behind for her child so Bosaho decided to add her name to the list of candidates for the Podemos party ticket. On the recent media attention surrounding her position she said, “Why is it so striking that a black woman could end up in parliament? What does that say about us all being integrated?” Her platform is new position is to push for women’s equality. She wants the government to do more to acknowledge violence against women and she wants more women in positions of power within politics. {The Guardian}
President Obama Commutes Sentences Of Nearly 100 Inmates
In efforts to lessen over crowding within prisons and pass even broader laws for prison reform, President Obama has commuted 95 sentences of federal prisoners. Many of the offenses were for non-violent crimes including possession of or distribution of crack. Forty of the inmates will be spared from continuing life sentences. The President also pardoned two people; an Ohio man who was on probation for counterfeiting and an Ohio woman who was on house arrest for bank fraud. Prior to leaving for his Hawaiian holiday vacation, the President signed letters to each prisoner which read: “I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around. Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity.” Most of the commuted prisoners are expected to be released in April 2016. {The NY Post}
Bernie Sanders Calls U.S. Prison Numbers An ‘International Embarrassment’
During a recent campaign stop in Chicago, Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addressed the alarmingly and disproportionate numbers in which African American males are incarcerated. Surprisingly, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world which Sanders called an “international embarrassment”. The Vermont Senator said, “I consider reforming our criminal justice system one of the most important things that a president of the United States can do” said Sanders. A part of his plan to lessen incarceration rates include legalizing marijuana, ending for-profit prisons and mandatory minimum sentencing. He went to say, “Too many lives have been destroyed because of police records.” {The Huffington Post}
Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Maryland For Axing Train System For Black Residents
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is filing a Civil Rights lawsuit against the state of Maryland and Governor Larry Hogan for cancelling the highly anticipated Baltimore transit line that would have benefited predominantly African American neighborhoods. “Maryland’s cancellation of the Red Line is the latest chapter in a long history of racially discriminatory decisions regarding the allocation of transportation and housing resources in the state,” said the Title VI civil rights complaint, filed with the US Department of Transportation. Unlike the neighboring city of DC which has been ranked amongst the top cities for public transportation, Baltimore only has one lightning rail system and a poorly functioning bus system. The multi-million dollar budget for the projected train system will now be allocated to road projects in predominately white suburban and rural parts of the state. {The Guardian}
Sony Offers Free Movie Tickets For NFL Players To See ‘Concussion’
In hopes of educating athletes about the long term health effects of playing a contact sport such as football, Sony has announced via social media that NFL players, team owners and their families can see the Will Smith film, Concussion for free. The controversial film about the discovery of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy opens Christmas Day. While the studio as well as Will Smith are anticipating large numbers from the box office and a successful 2016 awards season for Smith, the producers of the film, Ridley Scott and Giannina Scott want to make sure the educational message isn’t over looked. “This is a movie for the players, so we wanted to give them a chance to see it before its nationwide release and free admission during its run in theaters,” said the Scott’s in a joint statement. {Mashable}
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MORNING MINUTE: Spain Elects Their First Black Woman Into Parliament was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
