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It’s going down right now. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are meeting in public for the first time since Trump’s presidency began 167 years ago. Days! Sorry … 167 days ago. Last night, protests outside the G20 summit in Hamburg turned violent and up to 100,000 people are expected to participate in further demonstrations today. And guess who will be among them? NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. By the way, did you happen to watch Rachel Maddow last night? She said on her MSNBC show that a person gave her an "NSA document" with "proof" of Trump collusion hoping they'd go to air with it -- then be discredited. Wow. Also, congress returns next week and the GOP doesn’t appear to be any closer to passing their healthcare legislation in the Senate. Yesterday, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) struck a tone of defeat saying that if his party fails to secure the 50 votes, they will have no choice but to draft a more modest bill with Dems to support the law’s existing insurance markets. Lastly, it’s Friday. And we have a super important message for you from Rihanna: Cheers to the freakin weekend! Here’s what we’ve got:
- NCLR kicks off their annual conference this weekend in Phoenix.
- Loretta Lynch speaks out.
- Guess which is the most diverse Senate Committee?
- Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) intros legislation to combat Trump’s voter commission. And he’s got some good company in Georgia.
- MSNBC nabs Maya Harris.
- Meet Apple’s New VP of Inclusion and Diversity.
- Over the next 20 years, Latinos will comprise half of all new homebuyers.
- Judge in Hawaii leaves travel ban in place.
- Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) changes fundraising tactics.
- The NRA targets Women’s March organizer Tamika Mallory.
- CBC staffer heads back to North Carolina.
- DOJ says Texas Voter ID law absolves the state from discrimination. Riiiiiiight.
- People of color in local newsrooms increase. But there’s still work to be done.
- Layoffs hit Latina Media Ventures.
- Puerto Rico creates first govt advisory board on LGBTQ issues.
- Atlanta rapper Young Thug donates concert proceeds to Planned Parenthood.
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Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson with journalist April Ryan in NYC last week. | |  |
LULAC CEO Brent Wilkes greeting attendees at the annual conference on Wednesday in San Antonio. | |
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And the Most Diverse Senate Committee Is ...
The Democratic staff of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is the most diverse on Capitol Hill, according to the Senate report we covered on Wednesday. Every Democratic staffer on the panel identified as "non-Caucasian" on a survey conducted by party leadership. No other committee came close in terms of racial and ethnic diversity. Of the Indian Affairs employees, sixty percent said they are Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian, which again was the highest percentage of any Democratic committee staff. And 60 percent are women, one of the highest in terms of gender representation. The top Democratic staffer on the committee is both Native and a woman. Jennifer Romero is a descendant of the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico and is an attorney who specializes in Indian law. More here.
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Lynch Denies Offering Assurances to Clinton Campaign Over Email Probe
Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch pledged Thursday to cooperate with a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into whether she assured the Hillary Clinton campaign last year that the FBI probe into Clinton's emails wouldn't go too far. In a statement from her lawyer, Lynch also denied ever making such an assurance to a former Clinton campaign aide, Amanda Rentería -- an allegation fueled by a Russian intelligence memo whose credibility has been called into question. “Ms. Lynch does not know Ms. Renteria, did not discuss the Clinton email investigation with Ms. Renteria, and did not communicate to Ms. Renteria, either in words or in substance, that ‘she would not let the FBI investigation into Clinton go too far,’ says a letter Thursday from her spokesperson, Robert Raben (disclosure: The Beat is powered by The Raben Group), to the leaders of the Judiciary panel. “Likewise,” the letter continues, “to the best of her knowledge and recollection, neither Ms. Lynch nor any representative of the Office of the Attorney General discussed the Clinton email investigation with Ms. Renteria, Representative [Debbie] Wasserman Schultz or her staff, or any DNC official.” More here.
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What do 9th Wonder, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Karen Clark Sheard, Diahann Carroll, and Henry Louis Gates have in common?They're all part of The March on Washington Film Festival, July 13th through July 22nd. With 21 events over 10 days all around DC, there's something for everyone. Click here for tickets.
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Espaillat Preserves Harlem
Thanks to the efforts of Congressmen Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), a real estate company is dropping its effort to rebrand part of Harlem as "SoHa." Keller Williams has been using the name to describe the area between 110th and 125th streets. SoHa - short for South Harlem - was supposed to evoke trendy neighborhoods in the city like SoHo. But the effort to rebrand Harlem touched off a backlash among longtime residents and community leaders who consider the neighborhood's status as a center of African American culture and politics threatened by gentrification. Last Thursday, Espaillat introduced a resolution to officially recognize the name "Harlem," stating that, “An attempt to rebrand Harlem as ‘SoHa’ is insulting.” More here.
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Veasey Intros Legislation to Combat Trump’s Voter Commission
With all that’s going on in the world, the current administration's efforts to find those alleged millions of illegal votes has everyone from the local, state, and federal levels crying foul. Last week, Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) introduced H.R. 3029, the Combating the President’s Voter Suppression Act, to ensure no taxpayer funds will be used to support the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity. “As the President continues to press his blatantly false claim that voter fraud cost him the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election, he endangers the sanctity of our nation’s democracy,” said Veasey. “The commission’s mission to study non-existent voter fraud cases has nothing to do with ballot security and everything to do with voter suppression and discrimination.” More here.
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Georgia Black Caucus Calls Foul on Voter Commission
Congressman Veasey isn’t alone. Members of Georgia's Legislative Black Caucus are calling out Donald Trump's election fraud commission for requesting extensive personal voter information Thursday, accusing the administration of trying to scare people away from voting. They say there's no logical reason the federal government would ask states for the information. They said releasing it would violate voters' privacy. The commission asked every state and DC for publicly available information on all voters including names, party affiliations, addresses, voting histories, felony convictions, military service, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. More here.
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Hispanic Federation's Laura M. Esquivel and Letitia Gómez, co-editor of the book Queer Brown Voices at a panel discussing LGBTQ issues in the Latino community at the LULAC convention in San Antonio on Thursday. | |  |
Long Beach (CA) Mayor Robert García proposed to Matthew Méndez this week. He said yes. Congrats guys! | |
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Maya Harris Joins MSNBC
MSNBC announced that Maya Harris, a civil rights attorney who was one of Hillary Clinton’s top policy advisors during the 2016 campaign, would be joining the network. John Podesta described Harris as “a partner with Hillary” in developing the domestic agenda focusing on issues of race, gender, economic empowerment, criminal justice, policing, immigration, voting rights, and executive action. She was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a former VP for Democracy, Rights and Justice at the Ford Foundation. Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, she served as the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California. She is the younger sister of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). Congrats, Maya.
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Meet Apple’s New VP of Inclusion and Diversity
Apple has appointed Denise Young Smith VP of Inclusion and Diversity, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. Denise leads Apple’s efforts globally to ensure an inclusive culture that’s representative and embracing of all diversities. According to its latest diversity report, in the U.S., Apple is 56% white, 19% Asian American, 12% Latino, and 9% Black. Since joining Apple in 1997, Denise has served in a number of key roles at the company, most recently leading Human Resources for the company. Denise has a master’s degree in Organizational Management from Grambling State University in Louisiana and is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. More here.
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Becerra Joins AGs and Files Suit Against DeVos
California AG Xavier Becerra joined 17 other states and DC on Thursday and sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, alleging she unlawfully delayed new federal regulations designed to protect student loan borrowers from being ripped off by for-profit colleges and other schools. The rules, which would have made it easier for students to have loans forgiven if they were defrauded or deceived, were developed by the Obama administration and had been set to take effect last Saturday. But last month DeVos delayed their implementation and launched an effort to rewrite them, arguing they were unfair to students and schools while putting taxpayers at risk for “significant costs.” The suit said DeVos’ move violated the Administrative Procedures Act because she did not satisfy the standards for a delay, and also failed to give the proper notice or offer the public time to comment. More here.
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Judge in Hawaii Leaves Trump’s Travel Ban Rules in Place
A federal judge in Hawaii on Thursday left Trump administration rules in place for a travel ban on citizens from six majority-Muslim countries. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson denied an emergency motion filed by Hawaii asking him to clarify what the U.S. Supreme Court meant by a “bona fide” relationship in its ruling last month. The Supreme Court ruled the administration could mostly enforce its travel ban but said those “with a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States” could enter. Judge Watson said the relationship question would be better posed to the Supreme Court, not him. “This court will not upset the Supreme Court’s careful balancing and ‘equitable judgment,’” Judge Watson said in his order. More here.
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Cory Booker Pauses Big Pharma Donations
In an interview with NPR last week, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) said that he has suspended accepting donations from pharmaceutical companies after a backlash from Democrats. Booker said the "pause" was necessary due to public criticism. "Well, we put a pause on even receiving contributions from pharma companies because it arouses so much criticism and just stopped taking it," Booker told NPR's Rachel Martin. He said that the majority of his donations now come from individual contributors. In January, Booker was criticized by Democratic voters for joining with Republicans in the Senate to vote down a measure aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. More here.
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Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) celebrating the 4th of July in Pasadena. | |  |
Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL) appearing on the local Fox affiliate on Thursday. | |
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Cummings Wants to Hear from Resigning Ethics Director
Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub Jr. turned in his resignation on Thursday after months of clashes with the White House over issues such as Donald Trump's refusal to divest his businesses and the administration's delay in disclosing ethics waivers for appointees. Now, Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) wants answers. In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Ranking Member Cummings called for a hearing on strengthening government ethics regulations and said that Shaub's testimony should be part of it. "The American people deserve to hear from this experienced ethics expert about the challenges he faced in his position and the reforms he believes would strengthen our program of government ethics," Cummings wrote. First, Hui Chen at DOJ, and now this. More here.
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Conyers Talks Lawsuit Against Trump
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) penned an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press that discussed the lawsuit he filed against Donald Trump for his violations of the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause, which forbids federal officeholders -- including the president -- from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign state” without the consent of Congress. “Congress alone cannot force Trump to comply with the Constitution. In the face of his continued defiance, therefore, we and our colleagues must ask the courts to help enforce this critical anti-corruption provision in the Constitution and direct President Trump to do what the Constitution requires,” Conyers writes. “Our lawsuit is not just about protecting our institutional prerogative, but also to ensure that the Office of the President is not under any undue foreign influence.” Read the entire piece here.
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NM congressional candidate Deb Haaland joined folks at the Corrales 4th of July parade on Tuesday. | |  |
Former NAACP President Ben Jealous campaigning for governor in Catonsville, MD on the 4th of July. | |
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Tamika Mallory Responds to the NRA and Takes the Fight to Their Front Door
Women’s March organizers have announced that they will host a demonstration against the NRA. The protest, which will be held in Virginia on July 14th and 15th, is in response to a recent ad sponsored by the NRA which insinuates that “law-abiding” citizens need to arm themselves against violent anti-Trump protesters. The ad, which featured conservative talk show host Dana Loesch, was widely criticized, with many people calling out the NRA for publishing such a dangerous and outrageous video. Included in the backlash was an open letter from Women’s March co-chair Tamika Mallory, written to the NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre in which she demanded that the NRA take down the dangerous ad and apologize to the American people. The NRA responded with another equally disturbing ad specifically calling out Mallory. If they thought they were going to scare Tamika, they did the opposite. She’s bringing her message to their front door. See the ad here.
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Minority Law Enforcement Groups Oppose Legislation Requiring States to Honor Concealed Firearms Outside the Jurisdiction
Politico is reporting that seven law enforcement organizations are announcing their opposition today to legislation that would require states to honor concealed carry firearm permits issued outside their borders. "Police officers will face the daunting task of verifying the validity of different carry permits from the states that issue them," the groups wrote in a letter to Congress. "Twelve states require no permit whatsoever to carry a concealed gun, taking away an officer's ability to determine if a person is carrying legally." The seven groups: Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Police Executive Research Forum, Police Foundation. They've opposed similar bills before but lawmakers have renewed their call for this latest proposal in the wake of last month's shooting at a congressional baseball team practice.
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Rubio Tells Trump: Do Not Return Compounds to Russia
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is among a bipartisan group of senators urging Donald Trump not to return a pair of U.S. compounds seized under the Obama administration back to Russia. He is joined by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA). They outlined their request in a letter sent to Trump ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. "The return of these two facilities to Russia while the Kremlin refuses to address its influence campaign against the United States would embolden President Vladimir Putin and invite a dangerous escalation in the Kremlin’s destabilizing actions against democracies worldwide." The compounds, in New York and Maryland, were seized last year in response to Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The Obama administration also expelled 35 diplomats. This would, of course, require Trump to fully acknowledge Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections. More here.
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Goldman Sach's Joyce Brayboy, recent Spelman grad Jordan Rose, Bockorny Group's Nicole Venable, and Disney's Tina Easter celebrating the college graduate at DC's The Park last week. | |  |
Comcast's Antonio Williams, with his wife Erika, and LendUp's Jotaka Eaddy in DC after Jotaka performed. | |
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People of Color in Local Newsrooms Grows
The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University annual survey finds the minority workforce in TV news rose to 24.4%. That’s up more than a full point from a year ago and is the second-highest level ever in TV news. The minority workforce at non-Hispanic TV stations rose to the highest level ever. But the bigger picture remains unchanged the survey says. In the last 27 years, the minority population in the U.S. has risen 12.1 points; but the minority workforce in TV news is up just over half that at 6.6. And the minority workforce in radio is less than one point higher. After hitting an all-time high last year (at 17.1%), minority TV news directors dropped back to 14.9% this year. All minority groups fell, except Native Americans, which remained the same. More here.
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List of Media Reporters Has One Person of Color
Eric Deggans, NPR's first-ever television critic, was the only journalist of color to make Mediaite’s list of “The 15 most Influential Media Reporters for 2017 (And Most Overrated),” posted on Tuesday. “He is perhaps the foremost expert on the relationship between the media and race -- he penned the fantastic 2012 book ‘Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation’ -- at a time when such issues are at the forefront of the national conversation,” the site said. Has this site seriously never heard of The Root’s/Journal-isms Richard Prince (pictured), who has spent decades covering media and highlighting people of color? As evidenced by The Beat’s existence, we’re so over platforms that do not reflect our voices. Do you. We’ll do us. See their list lacking diversity here.
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Uber's Bernard Coleman with wife Edda Collins on a kid-free sightseeing expedition checking out their new West Coast digs. | |  |
#TeamColin: NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick traveled to Ghana for Indepence Day. | |
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Layoffs Hit Latina Media
Latina Media Ventures, the publisher of Latina Magazine and the website Latin Kitchen, laid off six of 30 employees last week as the struggling properties scramble to make payroll. Insiders, without a paycheck for nearly a month, got paid on June 30th for the pay period ended June 15th, they said. Pay for the June 30th period is still owed, the insiders said. “We are committed to our employees, and people will get paid,” Robyn Moreno, the newly installed co-president of LMV -- owned by Solera Capital, a private equity firm -- told Media Ink on Monday. More here.
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Ebony Misses Deadline to Pay Writers
Ebony Magazine missed its self-imposed Friday deadline for paying the thousands of dollars it owes freelance writers, Larry Goldbetter, president of the National Writers Union, told Journal-isms. “One woman was paid a small invoice ($150) that predates the current owners,” Goldbetter said by email. “Another, who was a real organizer and may have started #Ebonyowes, was paid right away ($1500), as soon as we contacted the company more than a month ago. Of all the 26 other freelancers we represent who are owed close to $60,000, all quiet. They were supposed to start a ‘rolling schedule’ based on the oldest invoices first. Everyone was to be paid in full by June 30.” The backstory here.
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Randy Bryce, who is running as a Democrat seeking to unseat House Speaker Paul Ryan, in Racine, WI on the 4th of July. | |  |
T-Mobile's Anaís Carmona speaking at LULAC17 on Wednesday in San Antonio. | |
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WWE Hall of Famer Running for Mayor of Houston
Robert Booker Huffman aka “Booker T,” a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, is considering running for mayor of Houston. The seat isn’t up until 2019, but Huffman jumped in early with a December announcement. In a public letter, he emphasized his own rags-to-riches story saying he has gone from living with “rats and roaches” to being a Hall of Famer. He says that he wants to be “a positive change agent for Houston.” He has not yet announced whether he would affiliate with a political party. A wrestling enthusiast makes the case for Booker T here.
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Former LA Ram Running for California Governor ... But No Campaign Launched
Former Los Angeles Rams standout Rosey Grier, who was one of the famous “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line in the 1960s, is one of eight people running for governor of California. Grier, a Republican who lives in West LA and endorsed Donald Trump in the presidential election, said in February that he expects to jump into the race in the near future, though it’s July and he still hasn't launched a campaign. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Treasurer John Chiang, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are among the candidates 84-year-old Grier would face if he ever gets around to launching his campaign. We’d say more here but ... he hasn’t launched a campaign so ... there is no more.
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Telemundo correspondent Lori Montenegro speaking on Wednesday at LULAC17 in San Antonio about mobilizing the Hispanic community. | |  |
Native American Dem Fellows at the DNC campaign training with Rion Ramírez last week. | |
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CBC Staffer Heads to HQ Community
Reggie McCrimmon is leaving his post at the Congressional Black Caucus as Director of Member Services and External Affairs. The North Carolina Central graduate is headed to do diversity and inclusion work at HQ Community, a community of start-up entrepreneurs and social change makers, as their Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Based in North Carolina, HQ Community was founded in 2012 and connects emerging problem solvers and change makers with the resources and relationships to help them grow and deepen their impact. McCrimmon is celebrating the transition tonight at DC’s Ben’s Upstairs (1001 H Street. NE) at 6P. Congrats! More about Reggie here.
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Latino Millennials Home Ownership is Key to Housing Growth
Over the next 20 years, Latinos will comprise half of all new home buyers, says Scott Astrada, Director of Federal Advocacy at the Center for Responsible Lending. However, home ownership is not a reality for the 26% of Latino millennials who are finding it difficult to afford the rise in housing prices. Only 27% of Latino millennials own homes, compared to the 51% of non-Latino white millennials, with the trend predicted to continue. The Great Recession wiped out 2/3 of Latino wealth, which means that Latino millennials are “not only starting from scratch, but from a negative,” said Astrada. A current trend among Latino millennials in large urban areas is to purchase a condo/home with someone to whom they are not married. As a precaution, the couple sign a legal agreement to split costs and avoid messiness should things not work out. If Hispanic millennials don’t see an increase in buying, there is a potential to “jeopardize the housing market and everything tied to it -- economic security, wealth building and all that entails,” said Astrada. More here.
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NCLR's Janet Murguía with her husband celebrating freedom and liberty on the 4th of July in DC. | |  |
Soledad O’Brien getting a kiss from her four legged love last week. | |
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Shaw University President Heads to Howard
Shaw University President Tashni Ann Dubroy has resigned to take a position as Executive Vice President and COO at Howard University. Howard has seen gains in fundraising and increased enrollment, both areas with which Dubroy will be directly involved. “The chance for service leadership at the nation’s flagship historically black college is one that very few receive,” she said in a statement. Dr. Dubroy, trained as a chemist and entrepreneur, begins her new duties with the Bisons on October 2nd. More here.
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Nats Minority Owner Talks Sports and Entertainment
Paxton Baker is a minority owner of the Washington Nationals baseball club, and currently serves as chairman of the Washington Nationals Founding Partners Group. Industry Rules Magazine profiled him in their July issue. In 2015, Baker became a partner in the Washington Kastles World Team Tennis League. He is also a governing board member of the Global Sports Summit. In 2006, Baker was appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as a member of the Congressional Award Foundation's National Board of Directors, the only official charity of the United States Congress. A year later he was elected to serve as Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the Board. He also served as the EVP and General Manager of Centric (formerly BETJ), a BET network targeting African American and multicultural adults, owned by Viacom Media. He discusses his career path from entertainment to sports and what gets him motivated these days. Read here.
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Veterans Affairs Chief of Staff Vivieca Wright-Simpson was the keynote speaker at the VA’s 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Summit held last week. | |  |
HACR President Cid Wilson arriving at LULAC’s 88th annual national convention in San Antonio on Wednesday. | |
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DOJ Trying to Lower the Boom on Sanctuary Cities
The Department of Justice is reviewing the legal letters sent by ten jurisdictions provided to prove compliance with federal immigration law. The DOJ said Thursday it had received “alleged compliance information” from each of the jurisdictions and that some have “boldly asserted” that they will not comply with requests from federal immigration authorities, which AG Jeff Sessions says could be a potential violation of the law. The jurisdictions had been given a June 30th deadline to prove they are complying. The cities are Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia, and also the California Board of State and Community Corrections, and Cook County, IL. The House recently passed a bill denying certain federal funds to “sanctuary cities,” although that legislation faces fierce opposition from Democrats in the Senate, who have vowed to block it. Read the entire DOJ press release here.
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Cruz Challenger Raises Over $1 Million in Two Months
Congressman Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) announced in late March that he was challenging Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). Naysayers called it a long shot, but that was before O’Rourke flexed his fundraising muscle. The Texas Democrat reportedly raised $1 million online in April and May. Second quarter fundraising numbers have yet to be posted on the Federal Election Commission’s website and the filing deadline is July 15th. The second quarter includes fundraising numbers from April, May, and June, so O'Rourke's numbers will likely be higher. A collective ruh-roh might be heard from Cruz’s campaign. More here.
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DOJ Says TX Voter ID Law Fully Absolves State From Discrimination
On Wednesday, Donald Trump’s DOJ argued in a legal filing that Texas’ new voter identification lawfully absolves the state from discriminating against minority voters in 2011, and courts should not take further action in a battle over the state’s old voter ID law. They are referring to Senate Bill 5, which softens a 2011 voter ID law -- known as the nation’s most stringent -- that courts have ruled purposefully burdened Latino and Black voters. If allowed to take effect, the law would allow people without photo ID to vote if they present alternate forms of ID and sign affidavits swearing a “reasonable impediment” kept them from obtaining what was otherwise required. Groups suing the state suggest the law wouldn’t fully address the discrimination, but they say that question was moot. They argue Texas should return to a time when voter registration cards and other non-photo ID sufficed. More here.
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Stacey Stewart, President of the March of Dimes Foundation, talked on Monday with PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff about the well-being of moms and babies under a new healthcare bill. | |  |
CAPAC's Alton Wang sharing a Lyft with NPR Reporter Kat Chow on Wednesday. | |
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Young Thug Donates Concert Proceeds to Planned Parenthood
Last week, Atlanta rapper Young Thug performed at New York City's Terminal 5, promoting his most recent album, Beautiful Thugger Girls. After the concert, Young Thug tweeted, “I'm donating the proceeds from my show tonight to @PPFA. I was a teenage parent. Planned+unplanned parenthood is beautiful.” The healthcare organization responded with gratitude to Young Thug’s donation saying, “We welcome new supporters of our work and will continue to educate communities about the rights of women, men and young people. That includes a woman’s ability to decide if and when she will have a child, under what conditions, and that she has the support to live in communities without fear of violence.” More here from Blavity.
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PR Creates First Govt Advisory Board on LGBTQ Issues
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló has created the island’s first government advisory board focusing on LGBTQ issues and to protect the rights of that community. Rosselló said he’s striving to make the U.S. territory more diverse and inclusive, and added that the board will submit a progress report every six months. The Senate president recently rescinded an administrative order protecting the chamber’s transgender employees, and while same-sex marriage is legal in Puerto Rico and transgender persons are allowed to change their gender on their driver’s license, they cannot do so on their island birth certificate -- an issue that is currently in the courts. An advocacy group representing LGBTQ rights recently filed a lawsuit in federal court, challenging the transgender birth certificate policy, and the government of Puerto Rico is asking to dismiss the suit. More on the advisory board here.
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Poll Finds Dramatic Shift on Same-Sex Marriage Views
As the nation wrapped up observing Pride Month in June -- and two years after the SCOTUS decision requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages nationwide -- support for same-sex unions is at its highest point in more than 20 years, says a new Pew Research Center poll. Sixty-two percent of Americans say they support it, compared to 32% who are opposed, which the Center calls a dramatic shift from previous years. As recently as seven years ago, more Americans opposed it than favored it. Support in the African American community has increased, to 51% compared to 39% just two years ago. The poll also found that for the first time, a majority of Republicans and Independents who lean Republican do not oppose same-sex marriage. More here.
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| FOMO
Today - 8th: The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) holds its 88th annual national convention and exposition. San Antonio, TX. Click here for more information.
Today - 9th: The Japanese American Citizens League holds its 48th annual national convention. Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, N.W. Click here for more information and to register.
Today, 12:30P: The Congressional Hispanic Staff Association holds its monthly lunch meeting at the Longworth Cafeteria.
Saturday, July 8th - 11th: The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) holds its annual convention. Phoenix, AZ. Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, July 12th - 16th: The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will host their 94th convention in Baltimore, MD. The convention theme is "The Urgency of Now." Click here for more information.
Wednesday, July 12th - 15th: The Rainbow PUSH Coalition holds its 46th annual international convention. Click her for more information and to register.
Thursday, July 13th - 22nd: The March on Washington Film Festival. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Thursday, July 13th, 5:30P: The Congressional Hispanic Staff Association co-hosts the Hispanic Employee Council for Foreign Affairs Agencies' (HECFAA) State Department and USAID Chapters Happy Hour. Mackey's Pub, 1306 G Street, N.W.
Thursday, July 13th - Sunday, July 16th: The 14th Annual SABA North America Convention, DC. Click here for more info and to register.
Tuesday, July 18th, 9A: The launch of the National Association of Diverse Consultants,
NADC is the largest association of diverse political and public affairs professionals. National Press Club, 529 14th Street, N.W. 13th floor.
Tuesday, July 18th - July 23rd: The Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. holds its 83rd Grand Chapter Meeting in Orlando, FL. Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, July 19th, 6P: The Washington Government Relations Group and the Embassy of Canada host the 8th Annual Tin Cup Awards. 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Click here for more information.
Thursday, July 20th, 9A: The Washington International Trade Association sponsors its NAFTA Series kickoff event. Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Hill staff: contact Diego Anez at 202.312.1600 or danez@wita.org to reserve your seat.
Saturday, July 22nd - 26th: The NAACP holds its 108th annual convention in Baltimore, MD. Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, July 26th - 29th: The National Urban League holds its annual convention in St. Louis, MO. Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, July 26th - Friday, July 28th: ColorComm, Women of Color in Communications, holds its 2017 conference in Miami, FL, featuring keynote speaker Whoopi Goldberg. Click here to register.
Saturday, August 5th, 3P: The Congressional Hispanic Staff Association hosts a tailgate before the DC United v. Toronto FC game. For more info, email James Hauser at: iph86@georgetown.edu
Wednesday, August 9th - 13th: The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) holds its annual convention and career fair in New Orleans. Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, August 16th - 20th: The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance holds its 14th biennial convention in Anaheim, CA. Click here for more information.
Friday, August 18th: The deadline to apply for the Poynter Institute and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) 2017 Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media, to be held Dec. 3rd - 8th in St. Petersburg, FL. The tuition-free program trains journalists of color to work in digital media. Click here for more information and to apply.
Monday, August 28th, 9A: The 2017 Black Political Power Summit, to illustrate the possibilities, challenges and plans to capitalize on both the historic political opportunities and dire economic and civil rights challenges the Black community faces during the 2018 and 2020 political cycles. Hosted by The Collective. For more information, contact Quentin James: quentin@collectivepac.org
Thursday, September 7th - 9th: The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Native American Journalists Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) sponsor the Excellence in Journalism 2017 conference in Anaheim, CA. Click here for more details and to register.
Sunday, September 10th: Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park. MN about her years in the White House. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
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