As a nation we have experienced a lot and as a race. We have seen many positive things happen in 2022, and we have witnessed bad things also. No matter what happened this year, we made it through. It was Thomas Paine who said, “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.” As we close out 2022, let’s reflect on some things that happened this year.
Ketanji Brown Jackson
The U.S. Senate on Monday, June 14, confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. President Joe Biden nominated Judge Jackson to fill one of the vacancies on the District appellate court, considered one of the most powerful courts in the nation. Judge Jackson’s nomination cleared the Senate with a 53-44 vote.
Bill Russell
Boston Celtics Legend Bill Russell, one of professional basketball’s greatest players and the sport’s most crowned champion, has died at the age of 88. President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Freedom in 2011, and Russell won five NBA Most Valuable Player awards. He made the All-Star team in 12 of the 13 years he played in the league. The prolific big man finished his career in 1969 with 21,620 career rebounds, an average of 22.5 per game, and led the league in rebounding four times. He grabbed 51 rebounds in one game, 49 in two others, and a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds. Many viewed Russell as the greatest player in history until Michael Jordan arrived in the 1980s and 1990s and Lebron James in the 2000s.
Kanye West (Ye)
Ye wears a White Lives Matter shirt and released a campaign video that suggest ed he would run for president in 2024. Many have questioned the rapper’s intentions and how he got to this point. What was the mental shift that caused the rapper to lose it and betray his own community? Ye has abandoned the Black community and has made his alliance with individuals like Trump and Nick Fuentes who is a White supremacist. Ye has turned a lot of people off with his antics and ignorance.
Emmett Till
A team in Mississippi began searching a courthouse basement for evidence about the case of Emmett Till. They found an unserved warrant that was issued on August 29, 1955, that had been placed in a file folder that was placed in a box, according to Elmus Stockstill, a Leflore County Circuit Clerk. It was noted that the warrant wasn’t served because they didn’t want to “bother” Donham. This search for the warrant was started by the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation by his cousin Deborah Watts and her daughter Teri Watts.
Although the grandy jury in Mississippi decided not to indict Donham, who is in her 80s, due to there not being enough evidence, there have been some positive things that have come out of this. For one, the fight for Emmett Till is still going on, and even after all these years, this case and the events that occurred in this case are still relevant to what is going on today. In addition, President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act earlier this year, which has made lynching a federal crime.
Claudine Gay
It was announced that Claudine Gay will become the first Black president of Harvard University. Gay is currently serving as the Edgerley Family Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She will become the 30th president on July 1st. Gay is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who believed in education and the opportunities that can come from it.
Brittney Griner
After 294 days in Russian custody in a dangerous penal colony, WNBA star Brittney Griner is free. The Biden administration secured Griner’s release after agreeing to a one-for-one prisoner swap that saw the president commute the 25-year sentence of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Jeffries was selected to replace Nancy Pelosi. Jeffries is the first Black person to lead in either chamber of Congress.
Bennie Thompson
Members of the House Committee want to hold those responsible for the Jan. 6 riot attack on the capitol. They have been investigating Trump and his role he played during this incident in trying to overturn the 2020 election. Criminal referrals have no legal weight but could encourage law officials to prosecute. Bennie Thomspon, who is the committee chair, said he has “no doubt” charges will be brought against Trump.
