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African American Muslim Woman Sworn In As Brooklyn Judge 

In light of current events in which “Muslims” are a controversial and hot button topic in the news and in politics, Carolyn Walker-Diallo is a breath of fresh air. While wearing her hijab, Diallo was sworn in as a civil judge for the 7th Municipal District at the Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York, after being elected last month. Diallo has an extensive service background, she established the East New York Youth Court, which trains youth aged 13-18 to serve as judges, attorneys, clerks, bailiffs and jurors in real cases involving their peers. In addition to her previous legal work as a litigation associate at Milbank,Tweed, Hadley and McCloy LLP, she also runs The George Walker Jr Community Coalition, Inc. a community non-profit organization named after her father. Diallo was sworn in with the Holy Qu’ran as opposed to the customary bible. [Gulf News]

Donald Trump Has A Surprising Reaction To Justice Scalia’s Affirmative Action Comments

Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has had his share of controversial comments and regardless of the backlash, he never seems to waiver. When it comes to African American’s Trump most recently had a #BlackLivesMatter activist thrown out of his rally. He’s also tweeted out wildly inaccurate and fabricated statistics regarding black murders. So it’s a surprise to many that Trump disagrees with Justice Scalia’s bigoted comments on African American students. Scalia has infamously said black students should attend “slower tracked” schools. Not only was Trump, “very surprised at Scalia’s statements.” He also added, “I thought it was very tough to the African-American community, I don’t like what he said.” [Huffington Post]

Congressman And Former Black Panther: Nothing’s Changed From 1969

Representative Bobby Rush was one of the founders of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers Party. When he was 22-years-old, he remembers his friend and fellow Panther, Fred Hampton being shot, twice at point blank range while over 90 shots entered his home. Rush said Hampton’s assassination reminds him of the death of LaQuan McDonald. The 17-year-old was shot 16 times by Chicago police in October 2014. “It’s eerie, there are so many comparisons I can draw between then and now…I now feel like it’s 1969 all over again” he said. Even with the election of President Obama, Rush doesn’t believe there’s been significant progress for people of color. “It just seems to be all the same…Nothing seems to have changed. The State’s Attorney Office, who didn’t release the videotape on McDonald for 13 months, is still problematic.” It’s still the same “cop culture” added Rush. [Chicago Sun Times]

Suspect In Cop Killings Found Dead Inside Jail Cell

On May 9th, officers Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate pulled Marvin Banks over for speeding. Banks then pulled out a gun and fatally shot Deen and Tate. Banks was being held in a Mississippi jail while awaiting trial for the murders. His girlfriend, Joanie Calloway and brother Curtis were also arrested in connection with the murders for helping Banks to flee the scene. Over the weekend, Banks was found unresponsive in his cell. According to the initial medical reports, the 30-year-old had an enlarged heart and scar tissue in his chest when he died, however the cause of death has yet to be confirmed. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has determined “no blunt force trauma” or any other evidence of a homicide was present at the scene. [NY Daily News]

High School Teaches Course On ‘Fredrick Douglas’ In Lieu Of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ 

In 1957 the Board of Education removed Mark Twain’s coming of age story, Huckleberry Finn from elementary and middle school reading lists over it’s repetitive use of the ‘n-word’ and other derogatory references to it’s African American characters. Over 50 years later, students from a Philadelphia high school are still impacted by the harsh racist overtones of the satirical book which was published in 1884. Art Hall the Principal of Friends Central High School in Wynnewood, PA has removed the book from the 11th grade reading list as it was “challenging for some students, who felt the school was not being inclusive.” Finn will be replaced in English classes with a course on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. “We have all come to the conclusion that the community costs of reading [Huckleberry Finn] in 11th grade outweigh the literary benefits” added Hall. [Philadelphia Inquirer] 

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MORNING MINUTE: African American Muslim Woman Sworn In As Brooklyn Judge  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com