WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for American Progress has announced that Benjamin Jealous, partner at Kapor Capital and former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, will be joining CAP as a Senior Fellow. Within his new role, Jealous will focus on tracking political trends impacting civil and human rights and will contribute to developing policy solutions that ensure equity and opportunity for all Americans.
“Ben has a long and outstanding history of dedicating his talents toward defending the civil rights of all Americans and is a proven civic leader and public servant,” said Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress. “Promoting social and economic fairness and opportunity should be a priority for policymakers across the political spectrum, and we are thrilled to welcome Ben to CAP and look forward to working with him to find innovative solutions to narrowing the gaps in opportunity and achievement for all Americans.”
“I am pleased to be joining the Center for American Progress,” said Jealous. “I look forward to focusing on the future – how America can maintain its position as the world leader in innovation and job creation, while expanding the culture of democratic and economic inclusion that has made the advances of the past 50 years possible.”
Jealous, who was appointed president and CEO of the NAACP in 2008, focused the organization on voting rights and criminal justice reform and oversaw the launch of several national programs focused on education, health, and environmental justice during his tenure as the organization’s president. The youngest person ever appointed to lead the organization, Jealous also expanded the NAACP’s capacity to organize around issues pertaining to the economy and voter registration and mobilization.
In March 2014, Jealous joined Kapor Capital, an Oakland-based firm that leverages the tech sector to create progressive social change.
Jealous’ career began in 1991, when he served as a community organizer in Harlem with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Among his many achievements and accolades, Jealous was named one of Time Magazine’s “40 Under 40″ rising stars of American politics in 2010 and was recently named a young global leader by the World Economic Forum.
A graduate of Columbia University and Oxford University and a Rhodes Scholar, Jealous also served as the president of the Rosenberg Foundation and was the founding director of Amnesty International’s U.S. Human Rights Program.
The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic and international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Actions to demand fulfilling the promise of landmark Supreme Court decision

WASHINGTON – Members of the National Education Association will mark the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education with a series of public actions, programs, rallies, and digital engagements beginning May 12th and leading up the anniversary on May 17th.
“Sixty years after the Brown v. Board of Education landmark decision, the future of public education stands at a critical crossroads,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “All week and beyond – from the steps of the Supreme Court to the halls of State Houses and in communities across the country – we will call on all Americans to take action now, to speak up, to raise their hands, and to reaffirm the promise of racial justice in our nation’s schools as outlined in the landmark decision. And educators, the foot soldiers of social justice for generations, will take the lead. We know that our work is fundamental to our students and the future of our nation. We will stand up to demand equity, excellence and great public schools for all our students.”
On May 17, 1954, Brown v. Board overthrew the Jim Crow ideology of “separate but equal.” The unanimous Supreme Court decision not only outlawed school segregation policies, but also invigorated the civil rights movement’s quest to end Jim Crow laws affecting everything from lunch counters, to buses, to voting rights.
Sixty years later, public education is reminiscent of the pre-Brown days.

•    Nearly half of the nation’s students are low income; 44 percent are students of color, and both populations are concentrated in segregated schools
•    According to federal data, 80 percent of Hispanic students and 74 percent of Black students are in schools where the majority of students are not white
•    At the same time, 43 percent of Hispanic students and 38 percent of Black students attend “intensely segregated schools” where White students comprise 10 percent or less than the student body.

Topeka, Kansas
All week, the national spotlight will be on Topeka, Kansas, where sixty years ago the Supreme Court banned school segregation laws.
On Saturday, May 17, the Kansas National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and other coalition partners will celebrate the unprecedented equity advancement that the Brown decision had upon public education and draw attention to the recent setbacks due to current attacks on public education, students, educators, and families by the Kansas legislature and Governor Sam Brownback.
Expected keynote speakers are KNEA President Karen Godfrey and AFT President Randi Weingarten as well as speakers representing family members associated with the Brown decision, Game On, and other partners.
The May 17 event follows on the heels of a widely anticipated commencement speech by First Lady Michelle Obama to Kansas graduating high school students in Topeka on Friday.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
On Saturday, May 17, the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association will host a rally, titled “Justice for All: Creating Schools and Communities Our Children Deserve.” Donna Brazile, media and political strategist, will keynote the rally, which is expected to draw educators, parents, students, and community leaders. At the rally, a community coalition is scheduled to release a report outlining concrete steps policymakers can take to achieve the goal of healthy communities and strong, integrated schools.
Denver, Colorado
On May 17, the Colorado Education Association will lead a Legacy March jointly with Free Our Teachers, Value Our Students coalition.

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former surgeon, Dr. Malik Burnett has joined Drug Policy Alliance as a full-time organizer in the District of Columbia. Burnett, a policy manager based in DPA’s Office of National Affairs in Washington, D.C., will prioritize building support for Initiative 71, the taxation and regulation of marijuana through the D.C. Council and other drug policy reform initiatives that will advance social and racial justice in the nation’s capital.
In addition to his work on Initiative 71, Burnett will work on developing policy to rehabilitate the damage which the war on drugs has caused on communities of color, including eliminating criminal records for individuals convicted of drug possession,  expanding access to health care services for the poor and formerly incarcerated, building support for the decriminalization of all drugs, and laying the ground work for broader drug policy reform in the nation’s capital.
“Marijuana policy reform is part of the emerging picture of civil rights reform in the 21st Century” said Burnett. “The District of Columbia has historically been a leader in enacting progressive policies, and the legalization of marijuana will go a long way towards reframing drug policy around a public health framework.”
Burnett is originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica by way of Atlanta, Ga. As a physician advocate, Burnett recently served as the executive director of a medical marijuana nonprofit organization after completing a surgical internship at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. His passion for drug policy is rooted in eliminating the racial disparities which exist in enforcement practices, in addition to the increasing cost effectiveness of drug policy by moving from a criminal justice to a public health framework.
He attended Duke University, where he completed a five-year joint M.D. and M.B.A. program Duke’s School of Medicine and the Fuqua School of Business, and completed a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Currently, he serves on the Duke University Board of Trustees, and as a graduate student served on the Student National Medical Association’s National Health Policy and Legislative Action Committee and as an Health Fellow to the Aspen Health Forum. He is also an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America.
Drug Policy Action, the 501(c)(4) political arm of the Drug Policy Alliance, is supporting signature gathering efforts for the placement of Initiative 71 on the ballot for the general election in the District of Columbia this November.  Initiative 71 allows residents of the District of Columbia to possess up to two ounces of marijuana without  fear of arrest or citation;  to grow three mature and three immature marijuana plants in the safety and privacy of their homes; and finally to give their marijuana to other adults, but residents will not be permitted to sell their marijuana to anyone.
Given the limited scope of ballot initiatives in their ability to affect the appropriations of the District, Burnett will work with the Councilmembers in the District to create a taxation and regulatory framework for marijuana.
Council member David Grosso, has already introduced legislation that would tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol to the Council.
“The city council has done tremendous work to reduce the collateral consequences of marijuana possession through decriminalization” Burnett said, “We look forward to continuing our work with the council to regulate the supply side of this equation in order to provide safe access to public.”
A poll conducted in April 2013 by Public Policy Polling, and commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance and Marijuana Policy Project, found three out of four D.C. voters support changing District law to replace criminal penalties for possession of limited amounts of marijuana with a civil fine similar to a traffic ticket.
Furthermore, more than 60 percent of D.C. voters in the survey would support a ballot measure similar to those approved by voters in Colorado and Washington in November, which made marijuana legal for adults and directed state officials to regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol. A poll conducted in January by the Washington Post found 63 percent of D.C. residents in support of not just decriminalizing marijuana, but also taxing and regulating it like alcohol. Recent national surveys by Gallup, Pew Research Center, CNN/ORC, CBS News and other outlets found a majority of Americans support legally regulating the production and sale of marijuana.

South Florida-based espionage agents seeks to expand to national level

MIAMI, Fla. (BLACK PR WIRE) – Now more than ever, people are concerned with the security of their homes, property and businesses. Espionage Agents is a security agency licensed in the State of Florida, and leads the industry in providing security monitoring and protection for gated communities, apartment complexes, commercial properties, and construction sites throughout the tri-county south Florida area. At the helm of Espionage Agents is the partnership of Eunice Currithers, the company director, and her son Oliver Currithers, the company president.
“I’ve been overseeing the operations of Espionage Agents since its inception in 2009. Seeing that the fundamental goal of the company is to be an outstanding security organization dedicated to serving our clients, my duty is very important,” says Oliver Currithers. “Previously, I was the operations manager and partner in another security company for over 10 years. My desire to serve and protect led me to being a part of the security field.”
Eunice Currithers agrees with her son’s assessment of his protective nature. “I always knew he would do something in law enforcement. He was always interested in that, so it wasn’t a surprise when he decided to start his own security company.”
Describing her role at the company, Eunice states, “I have been a part of Espionage Agents when it was just a thought, but I became active in the last two years or so. My role has a great deal of variety, however, since we are a small company. I do everything from sorting mail to onsite visits.”
The clientele for Espionage Agents includes property managers for apartment, condominium, and office buildings. Oliver Currithers believes that there is an essential need for good security, and that Espionage Agents is well-equipped to fulfill those needs. “I would not say that we offer anything different from the many security companies, but like the good companies, we take pride in our protection services. Our services are tailored to our clients’ needs,” he says.
“Often the mere presence of a uniformed Espionage Agents security officer will deter those persons who might be a disturbance. However, when presence alone and the possibility of physical force may not be enough, a well-trained Espionage Agents armed guard will be assigned to your location. You can be assured that your needs will be met with the most qualified and experienced armed guards available.”
While Espionage Agents has at present only served local businesses, the Currithers have a long-term vision for national recognition. “Our dream is to see Espionage Agents become one of the top security companies in the State of Florida, and someday expand and offer services throughout the United States,” says Eunice Currithers.

Visit www.espionageagents.com.

Academy award-winning actor Forest Whitaker pays tribute to outstanding middle level and high school volunteers

WASHINGTON (BLACK PR WIRE) –– For community service initiatives that range from feeding the hungry to helping victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, 10 students were named America’s top youth volunteers of 2014 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a national program sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
These National Honorees, named during the program’s 19th annual national award ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, range in age from 11 to 18. They were selected first from a field of more than 30,000 middle level and high school youth volunteers nationwide, and then from 102 State Honorees, based on their initiative, effort, impact, and the personal growth demonstrated in the course of their volunteer service. The National Honorees each received $5,000 personal awards, engraved gold medallions, crystal trophies for their schools, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for charities of their choice.
The ceremony was part of a four-day celebration that brought each state’s top two youth volunteers of 2014 to Washington, D.C., for sightseeing and special recognition events. These 102 State Honorees – one middle level and one high school student from each state and the District of Columbia – were personally congratulated by Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker at a gala dinner reception at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Each State Honoree received a $1,000 award.

These are the 10 National Honorees named:

Jessica Bird, 18, of Atherton, Calif., a senior at Sacred Heart Preparatory, is a dedicated advocate for young sex-trafficking victims around the world, and last year led a team to Costa Rica to provide girls at a safe house with the skills to build a life outside of prostitution.

Lillian Diuble, 11, of Manchester, Mich., a sixth-grader at Manchester Middle School, leads a team that has raised more than $78,000 over the past four years for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which is devoted to developing treatments and cures for eye diseases like the one affecting Lillian.

Sean Egan, 18, of Staten Island, N.Y., a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School, founded an organization of more than 300 students who assist and thank veterans of the U.S. armed forces by sponsoring events, providing goods and services, and visiting military hospitals.

Elijah Evans, 16, of Youngsville, La., a sophomore at Comeaux High School, works in his community to raise awareness of child abuse and improve the lives of foster children by promoting and hosting an annual Christmas party for children in foster care.

Kaylee Graham, 14, of Florence, Ore., an eighth-grader at Siuslaw Middle School, initiated an annual citywide day of service in her town that has motivated more than 3,000 residents to work on community improvement projects, raise money for charity, donate food, and take part in other volunteer activities over the past three years.

Morgan Guess, 11, of Paducah, Ky., a fifth-grader at Lone Oak Intermediate School, has worked with her mother to focus local, state and national attention on the problem of bullying through a variety of measures, after Morgan herself was bullied.

William Lourcey, 11, of Fort Worth, Texas, a volunteer ambassador with the Volunteer Center of North Texas and a fifth-grader at Trinity Valley School, is the founder and CEO of a service group that organizes fun events to raise money and awareness to fight hunger, and to encourage young people to get involved in their community.

Kinsey Morrison, 17, of Goshen, Ky., a senior at St. Francis High School, is a motivational speaker who’s delivered more than 50 speeches on a variety of topics and helped raise a significant amount of money for dozens of charities.

Katie Stagliano, 15, of Summerville, S.C., a freshman at Pinewood Preparatory School, established a nonprofit organization that has helped kids across the country create and maintain more than 60 vegetable gardens, which have yielded thousands of pounds of fresh produce to feed people in need.

Michael Stolzenberg, 14, of Weston, Fla., an eighth-grader at Pine Crest School, has raised more than $225,000 to help rebuild the lives of people who lost limbs when terrorists detonated two bombs during the 2013 Boston Marathon.

“These honorees are shining examples of what is possible when young people use their energy and initiative to help their communities,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “We are proud to recognize their accomplishments, and look forward to seeing the great things they achieve in the future.”
“Through their service, these students have not only made a difference in the lives of others – they’ve provided their peers with a powerful example of what it looks like to be an outstanding youth volunteer,” said Barbara-Jane (BJ) Paris, president of NASSP. “Congratulations to each of the 2014 honorees for a job well done.”
The distinguished selection committee that chose the National Honorees was chaired by Strangfeld and included Paris of NASSP; Tracy Hoover, president of Points of Light; Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of the National 4-H Council; Andrea Bastiani Archibald, chief girl expert for Girl Scouts of the USA; James E. Starr, vice president for volunteer management for the American Red Cross; Robert Bisi, senior marketing specialist for the Corporation for National and Community Service; Dru Tomlin, director of middle level services for the Association for Middle Level Education; André Wesson, senior program associate for strategic communications, outreach and development for Achieve; Reneé Jackson, senior manager of education programs at the National PTA; and two 2013 National Honorees: Emma Astrike-Davis of Durham, N.C., a senior at Cary Academy, and Joshua Williams of Miami Beach, Fla., an eighth-grader at Ransom Everglades School.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards was created in 1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding volunteer service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer, too. In the past 19 years, the program has honored more than 100,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.

Legally blind Veteran denied accommodation and fired, federal agency charged

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  – The Sneakers Corporation, doing business as Just Sneakers, Inc., will pay $18,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency has announced . The EEOC had charged the athletic specialty store with violating federal law by discriminating against a legally blind sales clerk because of his disability. Just Sneakers is a Georgia corporation operating athletic specialty retail stores in Georgia and Alabama.
The EEOC alleged in its lawsuit that, after rehiring a former employee into a sales clerk position at its Enterprise, Ala., store, Sneakers terminated him because of his blindness without discussion or consideration of any reasonable accommodation. The employee, Kyle Dalton, experienced vision loss during his service in the U.S. Army, and after he was medically discharged, he tried to return to his former job with Sneakers as a sales clerk. After less than a week, Sneakers fired him without considering whether an accommodation, such as a magnifying glass or a new computer monitor, might be reasonable. The EEOC also alleged that Sneakers treated non-disabled employees more favorably, including not terminating them when they actually displayed performance problems.
Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled workers.  The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. The Sneakers Corporation., Case No. 1:12-cv-00827-TFM) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama after an investigation was completed by the EEOC’s Mobile Local Office and after the agency first attempted to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
The settlement, memorialized in a two-year consent decree entered by the court on May 2, includes $18,000 in monetary relief for Dalton.  The decree requires Just Sneakers to implement new policies designed to prevent disability discrimination; conduct management training on disability discrimination laws; post a notice advising employees and applicants of their rights under the ADA; and to create a procedure for processing employee requests for reasonable accommodations.
“This case is an example of how an employer’s unwillingness to explore reasonable solutions for an employee’s disability can result in a violation of federal law and more trouble for itself,” said EEOC Trial Attorney Ylda Kopka. “The EEOC will remain pledged to ensuring equal access to the workplace for everyone, including workers with disabilities.”
EEOC District Director Delner Franklin-Thomas added, “This agency is committed to fighting disability discrimination in the workplace.  Not only does an employer break the law by refusing to employ disabled workers, but the employer may also lose out on well-qualified employees when it fails to give due consideration to reasonable accommodations.”

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  In Fiscal Year 2013, the Commission received 25,957 charges alleging disability discrimination, including 683 in the State of Alabama.  The EEOC’s Birmingham District covers Alabama, Mississippi (except 17 northern counties) and the Florida Panhandle.  Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program
Announces The Class Of 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – On May 1, one of UNCF’s flagship scholarship programs, the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, announced this year’s Class of 2014 Gates Millennium Scholars. Each of the 1,000 students will be awarded a good-through-graduation scholarship that can be used to pursue a degree in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of his or her choice.
“Today more than ever it is important that our young people get the education they need, and that we need them to have in order to remain competitive in the 21st century.  For the 20,000 young men and women who will attend college as Gates Millennium Scholars, the financial support, leadership training, mentoring and academic and social support they receive will enable them to become college graduates and our next generation of leaders,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO, UNCF. “We are grateful for students receiving the support of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program because it is not only an investment in the futures of these extraordinary young people, but also in the country’s economic strength and competitiveness.”
Established in 1999 with the goal of developing Leaders for America’s Future™, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The GMS Program is removing barriers to education for high-performing, low-income students. Each year it enables 5,000 students to attend and graduate from 800 of the most selective private and public schools in the country, including Ivy League colleges, flagship state universities, UNCF member institutions and other minority-serving institutions.
UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APAISF) to select and provide service to Gates Millennium Scholars.
The GMS Program provides recipients with leadership development opportunities, mentoring, academic and social support as well as financial support. The Program is known for its recipients’ high graduation rates – a six-year rate of more than 87 percent (28 percent higher than the national graduation rates for all students and comparable to the rates for students from high-income families). “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s generosity proves our motto: ‘a mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in,’” Lomax said. This year’s cohort represents 44 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories.

TOPS’L Beach and Racquet Resort recognized by Green Key Global for their accomplishments in environmental management and corporate social responsibility

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla.  – Wyndham Vacation Rentals®, the world’s largest professionally managed vacation rental business and part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, has announced that Green Key Global recognized TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort with a “3 Green Keys” rating as part of its Green Key Eco-Rating Program.
The Green Key Eco-Rating Program evaluates properties that have made significant advances toward protecting the environment. Properties are recognized with “3 Green Keys” based on strong environmental programs, which implement management practices, training programs, and engineering solutions that benefit the environment and the local community.
“We are honored to be recognized as a property making strides to become more eco-friendly,” said Ed Evans, senior operations manager at TOPS’L Beach and Racquet Resort, a professionally managed Wyndham Vacation Rentals property. “We are consistently evaluating the amount of energy we use as a resort, in addition to keeping our staff educated and accountable. There’s nothing more important than being a good steward to the environment and to our guests; at TOPS’L, these practices go hand-in-hand.”
Situated on 52 acres near Destin, Fla. and bordered by both the Gulf of Mexico and a tranquil nature preserve, TOPS’L Beach and Racquet Resort is also renowned as a top tennis destination. While TOPS’L Beach and Racquet Resort has won numerous awards over the years for its facilities, the property was recently named “Best Tennis Facility” by the readers of Emerald Coast Magazine.
Booking details and additional information about TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort can be found online at: http://www.wyndhamvacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/florida/northwest-florida/destination/resort/topsl-beach-racquet-resort