Politics
Ghana Super Session : Newly elected State Senator Vin Gopal
Newly elected State Senator representing the 11th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate, Vin Gopal, took the time out of his busy schedule and came to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School
Newly elected State Senator representing the 11th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate, Vin Gopal, took the time out of his busy schedule and came to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School to give a presentation for a Ghana Session. In attendance were the Dream Academy students and the students from Ghana.
Vin Gopal visits Project Ghana
Mr. Gopal began his presentation and explained what he was expected to do when he gets sworn in office during the month of January. He told the students that he would be a part of how a bill gets passed through the New Jersey Legislature. In addition, he informed the students that he would like to help families in need, as well as, assisting the senior citizens who have a rough time paying for their medication and bills.
Mr. Gopal also spoke about how he went door to door to tell people about what he would like to do to assist them and help them improve their lives. He went to seven thousand households introducing himself to multiple families. Mr. Gopal told the students that some of the households he visited never really got to meet a politician and it was great to see someone who cares about their livelihood. Because of his hard work of campaigning, he defeated State Senator Jennifer Beck in the election.
Questions from students
Besides his presentation, Mr. Gopal answered numerous questions from the Dream Academy and the students in Ghana. Some of the questions dealt with:
- How does he plan on helping the families in Asbury Park.
- What charities does he belong to.
- What does he expect on the first day of the job.
- Did he want to do anything else besides be a politician.
- What was the hardest part of his day.
- What were his hobbies.
- What does he hope to achieve while being a state senator.
The Dream Academy and the students in Ghana really enjoyed Mr. Gopal’s presentation and I personally would like to thank him for coming to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
Dream Academy students:
Juna Weedon
Alejandra Garcia Chavez
Hasley Clemente
Jimya Davis-Sloan
Vah’Kyla Esdaile
Enjonae Griffin
Guadalupe Hernandez-Nava
Abira Hodge
Amaya Hodge
Tiviana Kenney
Javon King
Kayla Lewis
Ariana Linares
Joseph Lopez-Barrios
Andrew Martinez
Tysion Murchison
Hailey Perez
Principal Supervisor of this event: Mr. Gerbino
Vice Principal: Zakiya Del Orbe
Thank you goes out to the security team at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
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Black Excellence
Regina King stars as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress
Shirley is will be released on Netflix March 22.
In the first trailer for the upcoming Netflix movie Shirley, Regina King stars as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress.
Regina King as Shirley Chisholm
Chisholm’s story will be chronicled, showing her uphill battle and obstacles to win a seat in Congress as the daughter of a Barbados-born maid and a Guyanese laborer, her struggles to navigate Congress alongside her White male colleagues, and her groundbreaking 1972 presidential campaign.
Movie production
Produced by Regina King and her sister Reina King, Shirley also stars the late Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Terrence Howard, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson and more.
King, who spent 15 years producing the film, said the project was an incredible feat.
“It was always a little disheartening for Reina and I to have so many people over the years of our lives not know who Shirley Chisholm was,” King told Harper’s Bazaar.
“What she did was so pioneering. She was a true maverick and, you know, we use this term all the time, but she was a true first.”
King said they decided to release the film during an election year as they thought it would make for a more “impactful” release.
“As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself.”
Regina King as Shirley Chisholm trailer
Shirley is will be released on Netflix March 22.
Politics
Don Scott becomes first Black speaker in Virginia Legislature’s 400-year history
Don Scott becomes the first Black speaker in Virginia Legislature’s 400-year history.
Democrat Don Scott made history Wednesday (Jan. 10th), after the Virginia General Assembly unanimously elected him as house speaker.
The vote makes him the first Black speaker in the Virginia House of Delegates’ 400-year history.
Del. Don Scott speaks on making history
“My first immediate emotion is just gratitude. I’m very grateful,” said Scott, overcome with emotion.
“The historic nature of this moment is not lost on me,” he told the House.
His political path
Scott’s path in politics is inspiring.
After serving as an officer in the Navy and while in his third year of law school, Scott spent nearly eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a drug conspiracy case.
“I made the dreadful mistake of going to pick up some money, some drug money,” said Scott, who noted that he had never been in any trouble before.
After being released from prison, Scott went on to finish his law degree and opened a law practice.
He was then elected to the Virginia legislature, serving as minority leader since 2022, before gaining his party’s backing for the chamber’s top post.
The historic swearing in took place in Richmond, once the capital of the confederacy and the city that just two years ago removed its last city-owned confederate statue.
What a full circle moment.
“We’re only a few miles from where the first slaves came into this country in 1619,” Scott said in an interview with CBS.
“Now 405 years later, you have your first Black speaker. So I’m very cognizant of the shoulders that I stand on.”
“I take it very seriously. And I’m humbled and I’m, I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Culture
Don Lemon announces new show on X
The former CNN anchor said in a post on Tuesday that he heard his fans and will be launching “The Don Lemon Show”.
Don Lemon is coming back with a new show on his terms.
It’s called The Don Lemon Show
The former CNN anchor said in a post on Tuesday that he heard his fans and will be launching “The Don Lemon Show”.
“I’ve heard you … and today I am back bigger, bolder, freer!” Lemon said in a post on X.
“My new media company’s first project is The Don Lemon Show. It will be available to everyone, easily, whenever you want it, streaming on the platforms where the conversations are happening.”
The Don Lemon show will broadcast on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lemon said he wanted to create a space for honest debate and discussion without the “hall monitors” and encouraged viewers to stay tuned.
Let go from CNN
Lemon was a staple at CNN.
He was let go from the news network in April 2023 after a series of on-air remarks and a scathing report from Variety that recounted an alleged pattern of misogynistic behavior toward colleagues at the network dating back at least 15 years. A spokesperson for Lemon at the time shot down the report in a statement to Yahoo News as “patently false” and “based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip.”
In a post-CNN exit exclusive interview ABC24, Lemon addressed his departure.
“I don’t believe in platforming liars and bigots and insurrectionists and election deniers and putting them on the same footing as people who are telling the truth, people who are fighting for what’s right, people who are abiding by the constitution,” he said in the interview. “That would be a dereliction of journalistic duty.”
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