According to the Associated Press, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Ciara, the Grammy-winning performer, through their Why Not You Foundation, are contributing about $1.75 million to rebrand an existing charter program known as Cascade Midway Academy, just south of Seattle.
The Cascade high school program was set to debut this year before the pandemic forced founders to delay opening. The superstar couple’s generosity will be honored with the school’s name change to Why Not You Academy.
Wilson and Ciara said to the Associated Press they jumped at the opportunity to help launch the school. It focuses on academics, personalized student plans and internships and mentorships for underserved Black and brown students. The couple said they hope this will be the first of many Why Not You Academy sites across the country.
“I’m really confident…about the team that we have here and how we’re building things out,” Ciara said. “We’re passionate about everything. We’re all in on this.”
[Justice Martin Jenkins. Photo Credit: Jason Doiy / ALM]
According to latimes.com, California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Martin Jenkins to the State Supreme Court.
Currently serving as Newsom’s Judicial Appointments secretary, Jenkins, 66 would become the first openly gay man on the California Supreme Court, and only the third Black man ever to serve on the state’s highest court.
“Justice Jenkins is widely respected among lawyers and jurists, active in his Oakland community and his faith, and is a decent man to his core,” Newsom said in a statement. “As a critical member of my senior leadership team, I’ve seen firsthand that Justice Jenkins possesses brilliance and humility in equal measure. The people of California could not ask for a better jurist or kinder person to take on this important responsibility.”
Jenkins was leading the search to fill a vacancy on the court left by the Aug. 31 retirement of Justice Ming W. Chin, a Republican appointee who was the court’s most conservative member.
Jenkins is viewed as generally less liberal than the four justices Brown appointed to the court. From Alameda County prosecutor, to federal judge to the San Francisco-based Court of Appeals, Jenkins did not publicly discuss his sexual orientation.
After his confirmation, the court will have two Black justices, two Asian Americans, one Latino, one white woman and one white man.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be asked by the governor to continue serving the people of California on the Supreme Court,” Jenkins said in a statement. “If confirmed, I will serve with the highest ethical standards that have guided me throughout my career, informed by the law and what I understand to be fair and just.”
A San Francisco native, Jenkins earned his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University and at one point had a contract to play NFL football for the Seattle Seahawks, but chose instead to become an attorney and got his Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
NFL Quarterback Russell Wilson and Musical Artist Ciara (photo via flickr.com)
According to NBCSports.com, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and singer Ciara have pledged 1 million meals to Food Lifeline and Feeding America in an effort to help keep Americans in need fed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
To quote the article:
“Obviously this worldwide pandemic, coronavirus, is changing the world, second-by-second, minute-by minute. People are losing loved ones, the elderly and the young, people in between. … So what we’ve decided to do is partner with our local food bank in Seattle, Seattle Food Lifeline, and we’re going to donate a million meals and hopefully make a difference,” Wilson said in a video message.
Wilson and Ciara mentioned people losing jobs in the wake of increasing shut down initiatives in an effort to keep the spread of the virus from proliferating an exponential rates. They’ve already seen friends in the area that work for companies such as Alaska Airlines, the Seattle Sounders – where the pair are part owners – and Seattle Children’s Hospital hit with the effects of the virus.
“We want to encourage every out there to join us in whatever way that you can, big or small,” Ciara said. “Everything makes a difference. Everything that we do together makes a difference and together we will conquer this tough time that we’re going through.”
The Feeding America network of food banks “distributes 4.3 billion meals each year through food pantries and meal programs throughout the United States and leads the nation to engage in the fight against hunger.”
Houston Texans players kneel and stand during the singing of the national anthem Sunday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) by Jay Busbee via sports.yahoo.com
The Houston Texans, incensed by team owner Bob McNair’s poorly worded description of players as “inmates,” staged a mass protest during the national anthem prior to Houston’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Virtually all Texans knelt for the anthem, locking arms or holding hands on the sideline. National media in attendance put the number of players standing at about 10. At the NFL owners’ meetings last week, McNair had expressed frustration with the way that the protest had affected the NFL’s business, and said, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.” He apologized on at least two occasions for that unfortunate turn of phrase, but players were not convinced. Receiver DeAndre Hopkins left the Texans’ facility on Friday after learning of the comments.
The Texans had discussed several options for protest prior to Sunday’s game, including kneeling, sitting, remaining in the locker room during the anthem or peeling the Texans’ logo off their helmets. Clearly, the protest was large, one of the most significant by any single team to date, but not unanimous.
This marked the first time any Texans players had protested during the anthem. Offensive tackle Duane Brown had raised a fist last season, the only demonstration the Texans had shown since protests began in the 2016 preseason. On Friday, Brown called McNair’s comments “embarrassing, ignorant and frustrating.” To see full article, go to: Texans stage mass protest of owner’s ‘inmate’ comments
(photo via ftw.usatoday.com) by Andrew Joseph via ftw.usatoday.com Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett sat for the national anthem during the Seahawks’ first two preseason games — something he says he’ll continue to do for the regular season — and he said that it would take a white player joining the national anthem protests to really change the conversation.
On Monday, Cleveland Browns tight end Seth DeValve listened. DeValve (No. 87, above) joined teammatesJamie Collins, Christian Kirksey, running backs Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell, wide receivers Kenny Britt and Ricardo Louis, safety Jabrill Peppers and cornerback Jamar Taylor in taking a knee for the anthem before a preseason game against the Giants. DeValve is the first white player to kneel for the anthem since Colin Kaepernick started his protest last season.
While Kaepernick remains without a team, Bennett and many other NFL players have continued that protest. On Wednesday, Bennett said that it would take a white player kneeling to amplify the conversation about social injustice in the U.S.
Bennett said via ESPN:
“It would take a white player to really get things changed because when somebody from the other side understands and they step up and they speak up about it … it would change the whole conversation. Because when you bring somebody who doesn’t have to be a part of [the] conversation making himself vulnerable in front of it, I think when that happens, things will really take a jump.”
Carolina Panthers Star Quarterback Cam Newton (photo via theurbandaily.com)
Cam Newton’s new contract is historic. Now the Carolina Panthers will hope his play jumps to historic levels. Newton not only got a mega-deal from the Panthers, it’s one of the biggest the NFL has ever seen. Newton will make $67.6 million in the first three years of his five-year, $103.8 million deal, according to multiple reports. The deal became official on Tuesday.
That would be the largest payout over the first three years of a deal in NFL history, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said. USA Today’s Tom Pelissero said Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger held the record at $65 million. The deal includes $60 million in guarantees for injuries, according to reports.
Newton is very talented and his production has been severely underrated throughout his career, but that’s still a heck of a payout based on what Newton has done so far. And it must make the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks a little nervous.
Newton isn’t considered at the same level as Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, and hasn’t been a part of as much team success as Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. So it’s fair to wonder if Luck and Wilson, who entered the NFL a year after Newton did, will get long-awaited contract extensions that will surpass Newton’s deal. That deal certainly sets the bar high.
Newton put up career lows in most statistical categories last season, but he dealt with some major injuries along the way. Still, expectations will increase for Newton now. That’s the nature of such a big deal. And, at least by one measure, there has never been a bigger deal.
Snoop Dogg, NFL Star Bobby Wagner, NBA Star Matt Barnes and singer/songwriter Jhene Aiko support gun industry divestment in #ImUnloading PSA
In a partnership between Unload Your 401k and anti-gun violence campaign, No Guns Allowed, entertainment icon Snoop Dogg and tech leader Ron Conway are joining forces to call for divestment from the gun industry. Through the surprising union, they are using #ImUnloading in a new Public Service Announcement to turn their pledge into reality, joined by athletes Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks and Matt Barnes of the Los Angeles Clippers; actress/singer Margot Bingham; singer/songwriter/producer Aloe Blacc; singer/songwriter Jhené Aiko; and League Of Young Voters’ Executive Director, Dr. Rob Biko Baker.
Gun Violence is an epidemic, with 20 children every day admitted to hospitals with gunshot wounds. In an effort to create change, Conway is calling on the C-Suite of tech companies to offer socially-responsible, “no guns allowed” investment options, and Snoop Dogg is enlisting the support of the entertainment industry and his fans to declare #ImUnloading in the name of those touched by the tragedy of gun violence.
“I’m unloading for my loved ones that I’ve lost,” Snoop Dogg said. “I’m going all in for gun-free investing.”
The PSA, from Campaign to Unload and States United to Prevent Gun Violence, is the second installment of support for Unload Your 401k, a program designed to raise awareness of divestment as a unique and powerful strategy to help make a meaningful change in preventing gun violence.
“There is a straight line from gun industry investment, to gun industry profits, to funding of the NRA. Half the value of these companies comes from mutual funds and most of the ‘investors’ in these funds have no idea they are inadvertently part of the problem. Now they can be part of the solution,” said Jennifer Fiore, executive director of Campaign to Unload.
“Greedy gun corporations are benefitting from the pain in our community,” said Baker. “It’s important that we vote with our money.”
UnloadYour401k.com offers visitors an easy way to look-up their 401k retirement plan to see if it is supporting the gun industry and its lobbying group, the National Rifle Association. Employees now have the tools available to get their money out of gun investments.
“It is long past time for government to act to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in America, but it is also long past time when we can believe that they will,” said Julia Wyman, executive director of States United. “Americans want change and thanks to our partners in this effort, more Americans will be aware of their economic power to take power into their own hands.”
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wrote about domestic violence on Derek Jeter’s new website. (JOHN CORDES / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson became the first contributor to Derek Jeter’s new website, The Players’ Tribune, on Thursday, using the forum to urge people to donate money to an organization that deals with the problem of domestic violence.
When Jeter started the website Wednesday he promised to offer athletes a forum to communicate with fans without the filter of the news media. He followed through quickly with an essay by Wilson, whose profile was boosted by Seattle’s Super Bowl victory in February. Wilson described himself as a “recovering bully” in the essay, and called for people to talk more openly about the problem of domestic violence.
“This issue is much bigger than N.F.L. suspensions,” Wilson wrote. “Domestic violence isn’t going to disappear tomorrow or the next day. But the more that we choose not to talk about it, the more we shy away from the issue, the more we lose.”
Wilson, 25, said that he was a bully as a child, but that he dealt with his anger issues and now believes there is no place for violence off the field.
Wilson did not address the Ray Rice incident specifically, but he did write that “recent incidents of domestic violence have forced the league, its fans and the players to take a hard look into our collective conscience.” And he urged fans to join his new foundation’s Pass the Peace initiative and donate money to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Russell Wilson hoists the Lombardi Trophy in just his second season as an NFL quarterback. (ROBERT SABO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
He didn’t dominate, and he didn’t dazzle. He just won. Again. And this time, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson did it on the biggest stage possible, in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium, leading his underdog Seattle Seahawks to a 43-8 demolition of Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos on Sunday night.
In a game where he was supposed to be the “other” quarterback, the second-year pro did exactly what he had to do to win the Lombardi Trophy. Very quietly, he passed for 206 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl since Doug Williams led the Washington Redskins to victory in Supe XXII.
“It’s something I think about, to be the second African-American to win the Super Bowl,” Wilson said. “That’s history right there, man. It’s something special and it’s real. There are so many guys before (me) who have tried to change the game and have done a great job of it.”
While Manning bumbled his way to two interceptions and meaningless Super Bowl passing records, Wilson never tried to do too much. He just calmly completed seven of his first 10 passes on the first two drives — including a 37-yarder to Doug Baldwin — to set up a pair of early field goals and set the tone in the runaway win. He was efficient the entire evening, completing 18 of 25 passes.
Not bad for a quarterback who said he routinely faced doubts because he stands just 5-11. “I think the biggest thing is playing great situational football,” Wilson said. “We want to be smart. I just try to do my part. When we need a big play, I always try to make it, and keep the guys going.”
Beyonce Knowles attends ‘Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream’ New York Premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
Beyoncé’s HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream may have garnered mixed reviews, but it pulled in record ratings for HBO. The superstar’s documentary had the “largest audience for a HBO doc since Nielsen revised its method of measuring viewership in 2004,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Beyoncé’s documentary premiere drew 1.8 million viewers, breaking the previous record of 1.7 million set by Spike Lee’s Hurricane Katrina opus When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts in 2006. article by Carrie Healey via thegrio.com
