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FLOTUS To Give Commencement Speeches At Three Schools This Spring

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With graduation season around the corner, some lucky students be blessed with one special speaker: First Lady Michelle Obama.

FLOTUS is expected to speak at three schools: Jackson State University, Santa Fe Indian School and City College of New York.

Mrs. Obama, who speaks each year at the graduation ceremony of a historically black college or university, will be the keynote speaker at Jackson State’s April 23 ceremony for more than 1,000 graduating students, The Clarion Leger wrote. In May, she will speak at the New Mexican tribal high school as part of the White House Generation Indigenous Initiative, the Santa Fe New Mexican writes. And finally, on June 3, she will deliver the commencement address for CCNY’s 170th commencement ceremony at their Harlem campus, where more than 3,000 students make up the Class of 2016.

Congrats graduates!

James Dixon Pleads Guilty For Murdering Black Trans Woman, Says She Threatened His Manhood

Laverne Cox

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It’s almost been three years coming, but on Monday, James Dixon finally plead guilty to the murder of Black transgender woman Islan Nettles. Dixon admitted to punching Nettles, which causes her to fall and hit her head on the concrete. Nettles was later brought to the hospital and taken off life support less than a week later, NBC reported.

“With this conviction, James Dixon has finally been brought to justice for this brutal and lethal assault,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. in a statement. “Members of the transgender community are far too often the targets of violent crime.”

The Manhattan DA originally recommended a 17-year sentence, but now he might only see 12 years of jail time as sentencing is slated to happen on April 19.

On Friday, the New York Daily News wrote that Dixon told police that he felt like his manhood was threatened by Nettles, who was doing nothing but walking down the street with her friends. Dixon “tried to holler” at her and when his friends told him that Islan “was a man,” he lost his cool and attacked Nettles in what he called a “blind fury.”

 “I just didn’t want to be fooled,” he said.

For many LGBT advocates this development is bitter-sweet.

Nettles case was put on hold when police realized that their original suspect Paris Wilson wasn’t guilty.  According to the Daily News, Dixon, who fled the scene after the attack, later turned himself in when after being confronted that Wilson was taking the blame for his crime.

RNC Hires New National Director of African-American Initiatives and Media

Republican Presidential Candidates Hold Third Debate In Colorado

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In an effort to better reach the Black community in the upcoming Presidential election, the Republican National Committee has an African-American Initiatives and Media. Who knew?

Well the RNC has tapped Telly Lovelace to be their new director. Lovelace will be taking over for two empty positions, Orlando Watson, their Director of Black Media and Kristal Quarker-Hartsfield, the Director of African-American Outreach, who left in March and April respectively, NBC reported.

Lovelace will help implement the RNC’s new diversity strategy plan that consists of reaching out to “a new generation Black, conservative Republicans,” a goal that the organization claims is incredibly important to them.

“Engaging with Black voters and all diverse communities across the country is a top priority for the RNC,” said their chairman Reince Priebus.  “Telly is a welcome addition to our team, and I’m confident his experience will help us build on our commitment to cultivate relationships and trust with Black media and Black communities.”

Doing so will be an uphill battle given people of color’s negative feelings about the GOP’s presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. According to NBC, a Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,000 people found that more than 80 percent of African-Americans and Latinos have an unfavorable view of the reality star turned politician.

#SayHerName: Sandra Bland’s Mother Becomes Member Of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority

Sandra Bland's Family And Attorneys Speak To The Media In Illinois

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On Saturday, Geneva Reed-Veal became a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, the sorority her late daughter, Sandra Bland. Veal said that she was honored to be part of the organization that her daughter held so close to her heart.

“I am honored to be apart of the sisterhood, I can now finish out Sandy’s legacy. She loved the kids and education and now I can be an extended arm of that,” Watch The Yard reported her saying.

Bland, 28, crossed Sigma Gamma Rho when she attended Prairie View A&M University, the same Texas college she was on her way for a speech before she was arrested and later found dead in her jail cell last year.

Evening Minute: FLOTUS To Give Commencement Speeches At Three Schools This Spring  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com