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Somali Mother of Stowaway Teen Weeps to Learn of His Risky Flight U. N. Says Mom and Son May Be Re-united Soon

May 5, 2014

Somali Mother of Stowaway Teen Weeps to Learn of His Risky Flight
U. N. Says Mom and Son May Be Re-united Soon
 abdullahi
Ubah Mohamed Abdullahi

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Global Information Network

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – The mother of the 14-year-old boy who risked death to stow away in the wheel well of a plane bound for Hawaii wept upon learning of his life-threatening adventure. According to the latest reports, efforts are now underway to reunite the teenager, Yahya Abdi, with his mother in the U.S. The youth risked his life taking the plane, saying he has been trying to get home to his mother. The U.N. refugee agency says she might qualify to immigrate to America, and could possibly move to the U.S. in less than a year.

Ubah Mohamed Abdullahi, who lives in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, says it was the first news she had heard about her lost son for six years. Divorced from his father, she has not been in contact with the family since they moved to the US in 2008. The boy's father said the 16-year-old had been trying to return to Somalia. The boy, Yahya Abdi, survived lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures on a five-hour flight from California to Hawaii.

According to the young man’s father, Yahya Abdi was "always talking about going back to Africa" and since the family came to the US, the boy had been bothered by "education problems". Since 1991 Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battle for control - a situation that has allowed lawlessness and piracy to flourish.

The years of anarchy and drought have forced many Somalis to seek sanctuary elsewhere but since a UN-backed government was installed in 2012, a small measure of stability has returned to some areas of the country. BBC Somali's Abdifitah Ibrahim Cagayare says in the middle of the interview Ms Abdullahi broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

She said that since her two sons and daughter went to the US in 2008 with her ex-husband she had been desperately trying to get in touch with them. "We are divorced… I called him [her ex-husband] several times through his relatives and he refused to talk to me," she said.

"I want to hear the voice of my children, I want to see them, please help me and guide me to that, please," the mother wept. Somalis began seeking refuge in Ethiopia in 2011 during a crippling famine that killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them under the age of 6. Many international aid activists believe that tens of thousands of people died needlessly because outside nations were slow to respond to early signs of approaching hunger in East Africa in late 2010 and early 2011.

Shedder Refugee Camp, in far eastern Ethiopia near the border with Somalia, is home to Yahya Abdi’s mother and some 10,300 Somalis who fled their country because of a deadly power struggle in which African, U.S. and other regions have been taking part. Most Somalis here are from minority groups who face persecution.

Principal Pleads With Kidnappers to Release Abducted Girl Students

May 2, 2014

Principal's Plea to Kidnappers: Release Abducted Girl Students

men in military uniforms abduction girls
Men in military uniforms are said to have kidnapped the girls.

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Global Information Network

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - While divers conducted their final searches in Korea for the high school students drowned in a misguided ferry excursion, in Nigeria, Principal Asabe Kwambula pleaded with kidnappers of more than 200 high school girls to “have mercy on the students.” 

"I am pleading with the government to secure the release of the children, to save the lives of these innocents," she said. "I am with the parents, praying continuously for the teenagers' safe return."

On April 15, unknown persons, some wearing military uniforms, dragged some 200 girl students of the Chibok Government Secondary School in Borno State into waiting trucks. They drove deep into the Sambisa forest in north-east Nigeria, according to several girls who managed to escape by leaping from the trucks.

Isa Umar Gusau, a spokesman for the Borno governor's office, put the number of missing students at 234 -- 129 science students and 105 art students.

While security forces claim they are in “hot pursuit” of the kidnappers, residents say they have not seen soldiers in the area since the attack. A military press release that claimed that all but eight of those abducted – between 16 and 18 years of age - had been rescued turned out to be was false. It was retracted the following day.

Angry parents and men from the town have gone into the Sambisa forest to find the students, despite the dangers of confronting extremists.

Failure to locate the young women has been particularly puzzling in light of the nearby presence of highly-trained American forces working with African soldiers in Libya, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic among other hot spots.

In fact, U.S. “special ops” forces were specifically sent this year to track down reputed warlord Joseph Kony, one-time head of the Lord’s Resistance Army from 1986 to 2009 now believed to be hiding in the Central African Republic and in ill health.

Another search spearheaded by U.S. special operations took place in October last year when a team of Navy SEALS was deployed to find two American sailors kidnapped by pirates.

U.S. Marines were most recently in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to train Nigerian troops in “basic riot-control formations, how to use shields and shin guards and how to properly use collapsible batons,” according to senior Marine Staff Sgt. Camilo Zamora on the website of the Dept. of Defense.

“When we were conducting the take-down techniques, the Nigerians were aggressive, which is exactly what you want. It was motivating and showed their professionalism,” Zamora was quoted to say.

The kidnapping comes as oil-rich Nigeria prepares to host the World Economic Forum on Africa from May 7-9.  President Goodluck Jonathan announced he will deploy 6,000 troops to protect delegates but the plan has prompted widespread criticism in the media which asked: “If we can spend such resources to protect foreigners for a glorified shindig, why can’t we protect our own people?”

‘P. Diddy’ to keynote Howard Commencement: Some Criticize, Others Praise Decision by Jasmine Rennie

April 27, 2014

‘P. Diddy’ to Keynote Howard Commencement: Some Criticize, Others Praise Decision
By Jasmine Rennie

seancombs
Sean Combs

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Journalist and author A. Peter Bailey, a former Howard University student, best known for his work with Malcolm X, told a Howard journalism class that he was shocked to hear the University’s decision to award Hip-Hop artist Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs with an honorary doctorate degree in humanities and have him give the commencement address May 10.

“I almost fell off my chair when I heard that our illustrious University will be honoring Diddy with a Doctorate Degree and that he would be the commencement speaker,” said Bailey. “Now people like Diddy are the the ones getting PhD’s and furthering education. But what about all those brothers sitting in jail because they were listening to what you were advocating and promoting in your music?”

Bailey left Howard after two years around 1961. He traveled to New York where he met Malcolm X and became editor of his organizational newsletter and eventually an associate editor of Ebony magazine and adjunct professor of the Black Press at Virginia Commonwealth University.

His comments come amidst much chatter from students and alum who are both excited about and disappointed with Combs’ delivering the keynote speech. For some current and former Bison (Howard’s mascot), the announcement comes as a surprise and discouragement since Combs did not ultimately graduate from the university.

Howard has announced that the philanthropist and entertainment mogul—a former student in the School of Business-will be receiving the honorary doctorate and will be the 146th commencement speaker for the 1,800-member graduating class of 2014.

“In selecting the individuals who will be awarded honorary degrees, Howard University continues the tradition of identifying leaders whose work has clearly contributed to the advancement of their fields and the world,” Frederick said. "We are honored to have Mr. Combs serve as our speaker. He sat in classrooms where our students sit, walked 'The Yard,' and like many students, his entrepreneurial spirit was sparked at Howard. We know he will inspire our class to work hard and to always strive for excellence."

Also know as Sean “Puffy” Combs, “Diddy” left Howard after only two years in the late 1980s to pursue his career without graduating. He is chairman, chief executive officer and founder of Combs Enterprises, “one of the world's preeminent group of companies and brands,” states the Howard release. “Recently declared ‘One of the Most Influential Businessmen in the World’ by Time Magazine and CNN, Combs has built a reputation as a master brand builder, pop culture icon and champion of youth education and entrepreneurship.”

Hip Hop titles, such as “Bad Boy 4 Life” and “All About the Benjamins” are among his hits, which are often riddled with expletives and profanity – part of a culture that some view as toxic to youth. Nevertheless, his multi-million dollar enterprise continues to skyrocket. Just last year, he launched Revolt, a TV channel that features all music. The station reportedly airs in 20 million homes across the U. S.

His success is the reason that many are excited about the entertainer as speaker because he represents entrepreneurial focus and hard work on his craft, which happens to be music.

Graduating senior Kevon Paynter, also an entrepreneur, is an avid supporter of Combs as keynote speaker. Recently named first place winner of the Howard School of Communication’s business plan competition, Paynter said he had always admired Combs when he met him after literally bumping into him on a New York sidewalk in 2009 – only weeks before he was about to enter Howard. He introduced himself to Combs and told him he had been accepted to Howard.

“He congratulated me…It’s really amazing to me how, about five years later, he’s going to be the commencement speaker during my graduation – kind of like coming full circle.

Overall, he really was able to be a top notch entrepreneur. That’s something that, in the School of Communications, that is something that is revered and that is what many students strive to be and there is no better entrepreneur in my mind than Sean Combs,” Paynter said.

As for lyrics that some might find offensive or controversial, “It kind of rubs me the wrong way whenever we take the perspective that because this person is viewed as a role model, we have to follow every single aspect of this person. One of the things that I have successfully been able to do is have a couple of role models and pull the best aspects out of each one…We have a mind of our own.”

Still, Jennifer Brooks, a Mississippi native who is also a graduating senior, is adamantly against Combs as speaker: “We look stupid because he was able to become rich without college. Now he’s going to give us advice about what? How to hustle in the music industry?”

Stressing that she’s not a ‘Diddy hater at all,” Brooks says Combs is meant to speak to a specific group, not a graduating class, “Diddy is for a niche group; not Howard University Graduation.”

Maryland native and Howard University Alum, Ava Onalaja, is happy a fellow Bison is returning to Howard. “Even though he didn’t graduate, it’s great that he now has the opportunity to come back and thank the institution that helped contribute to some of his success,” she said.

Maia Miller agrees. “Diddy is a great example of someone who has used his skills and talents to get where he wanted to be,” she says. “He is an icon that has gone down in history, his name is recognized globally and he is at the top of his field.”

Miller says she is confused by the controversy. “Doesn’t the university aspire to produce young professionals like Diddy, who will take the world by storm, leave their mark and make HU proud?”

Often called, “the Mecca” because of its historic and national reputation for graduating successful students, past Commencement speakers have included the likes of former President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.

The 2014 honorary degrees will be received by four other individuals during the ceremony: They are transplant surgeon Clive Callender, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, jazz legend Benny Golson and PepsiCO Corporation CEO Indra K. Nooyi.

 

 

Civil Rights Leaders Applaud NBA Ban of Los Angeles Clippers Owner By Frederick H. Lowe and Hazel Trice Edney

April 29, 2014

Civil Rights Leaders Applaud NBA Ban of Los Angeles Clippers Owner
By Frederick H. Lowe and Hazel Trice Edney

donald-sterling1-nsn042914
Donald Sterling

(TriceEdneyWire.com and TheNorthStarNews.com) - The National Basketball Association has announced it has banned Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, for life from the league because of racist comments he made to V. Stiviano, his African-American and Mexican girlfriend. 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also announced that he will try to force Sterling to sell his team. In addition, Silver fined Sterling $2.5 million, the maximum amount the league can fine a team owner.

Silver took the action after confirming that it was Sterling's voice on a tape, telling Stiviano that he did not want her hanging around blacks in public or to bring blacks to Clippers games. The website TMZ first broadcast the tape last weekend. Deadspin, a sports website released a longer version of Sterling's comments. 

Members of the Clippers protested Sterling's comments last weekend before a playoff game with the Golden State Warriors. Several of the Clippers corporate sponsors withdrew their support.

Sterling is immediately barred from attending any NBA games and practices. And he cannot participate in business or player personnel decisions involving the team. 

Silver said, "This league is far bigger than any one owner, any one coach and any one player."

The banning comes after a flurry of controversy over the racist remarks made by Sterling during an argument with his girlfriend, V. Stiviano. As soon as the story broke, the NAACP cancelled its coveted Lifetime Achievement Award, slated to have been given to Sterling for his charitable giving to children’s organizations.

Among Sterling’s alleged comments during the April 9 recording as released by gossip website TMZ: "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with Black people. Do you have to?” He also said, “Don't come to my games. Don't bring Black people and don't come."

Silver’s April 29 announcement of the tough punishment was applauded by the civil rights community.

“As an organization of over 30 franchises, with predominantly African-American players (approximately 80 percent), the NBA has made great strides in diversity and inclusion,” said Barbara Arnwine, president/CEO of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:  It boasts having elevated some of the first African-American team coaches, executives and owners, and became the first major North American men’s league with an openly gay player this year.  Sterling’s record of racist incidents indeed blemishes this trend and his punishment was not superficial.”

The NAACP has requested a meeting with Silver as a follow up to the decision.

Saying the decision is “both welcomed and supported,” the NAACP release said, “We have requested a meeting with NBA Commissioner Silver to discuss the influence and impact of racism in the National Basketball Association. Additionally, we will be developing guidelines for our units to help them in their award selection process and prevent unfortunate decisions like this from occurring in the future.”

National Action Network President Al Sharpton called the banning “a bold and appropriate action” and a “huge victory for those of us that stood against this ugly display of racism.”

But, he agrees there is need for policies to prevent such situations in the future.

“We must continue to make unequivocal stands against bigotry and racism,” Sharpton said. “I look forward to speaking to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and beginning the dialogue with other civil rights leaders right away to discuss putting in measures to make sure this never happens again.”

Conyers to Re-introduce Legislation to Study Reparation by Frederick H. Lowe

April 27, 2014

Conyers to Re-introduce Legislation to Study Reparations
By Frederick H. Lowe

conyersatmic

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. said he will re-introduce in the 113th Congress legislation that calls for a seven-member commission to study reparations for African-Americans.

"It is the most important piece of legislation I have ever introduced, and I will re-introduce HR40 in the 113th Congress," Conyers (D., Mich.) told the 400 attendees at the "Revitalizing The Reparations Movement" conference on Saturday at Chicago State University. The 113th Congress first met Jan. 3, 2013.

He made his comments in the wake of 14 Caribbean nations demanding reparations and apology from Britain and other European countries for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. If the countries fail to negotiate with the Caribbean nations, they will sue them in the World Court, which is located in The Hague, The Netherlands. Thus far, Sweden is the only country that has indicated a willingness to negotiate reparations.

Conyers said the actions by the Caribbean nations will revitalize the reparations movement in the United States. "I think it is going to be a springboard for reparations," he said.

Conyers first introduced the legislation, titled "Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act," in 1989 during the 101th Congress. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where Conyers is the ranking member.

The eight-page piece of legislation, which was co-introduced by U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D., Va.), said the 4 million Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the United States from 1619 to 1865.  The government sanctioned slavery from 1789 through 1865, enabling it to flourish. At the same time, it deprived Africans of life, liberty, citizenship rights, and their cultural heritage. In addition, slavery denied
them the fruits of their own labor.

The Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act would study the lingering negative effects of slavery and discrimination and recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the Commission's findings.  In addition, the Commission would examine defacto discrimination against freed slaves and their descendants from the end of the Civil War to the present, including economic, political, and social discrimination.

The Commission will hold hearings and submit a written report. Conyers said he wants to hold hearings in Washington, D.C. about reparations for African-Americans.

He said, "If the Republican Congress blocks the hearings, I will hold them throughout the country." 
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