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Female African American Soldier Series: Against Dark Brown Background

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Black Soldiers Sentenced To 25 Years For Being Homosexual

The mother of Monique Coverson is calling for President Obama, Al Sharpton and U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, Douglas A. Silliman to intervene in her daughter’s legal battle. Monique and her girlfriend, Larissa served in the U.S. army for seven years. They subsequently found jobs as military contractors in Kuwait. In May 2015, Kuwait police kicked the couple’s door down and searched their home. They were arrested and jailed for eight months while one ounce of K2, a form of synthetic marijuana was tested in Germany. Within that time, the K2, which is legal in Kuwait had mysteriously become one pound of hashish. The women were charged with illegal drug possession and were sentenced to 25 years in prison. Monique’s family believes the veteran is being punished by the government for being a lesbian. Kuwait is a very strict country where homosexuality is punished under a “debauchery law.” Unlike the US, there is no LGBT community in Kuwait to help fight for their civil rights. Monique’s mother started a Change.org petition which has already garnered over 100,000 signatures. She hopes to get the attention of the President and the US government to help the women to be freed and brought back to the United States. Rolling Out

Toyota Must Pay Millions In Restitution To Minority Car Owners 

Following a near three year investigation, the Department of Justice and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have determined car manufacture Toyota must pay restitution to minority borrowers. A probe into lending practices found that various Toyota dealerships charged African American and Asians who took out car loans between 20% and 30% more interest than White borrowers, despite having a similar credit history. This markup resulting in minorities who financed their car through Toyota paying between $100-$200 more over the course of their loan. The company has agreed to pay $21.9 million in restitutions. Corporate headquarters is currently working to establish a company wide policy that prevents overcharging and in the interim has set aside another $2 million to resolve any similar issues in the future. The LA Times

Black Baby May Have Permanent Speech Damage After Accidental Operation 

A Tennessee couple recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the University Medical Center in Lebanon, near Nashville. Jennifer Melton thought her son was having a routine check up when in actuality, he was in surgery. Unbeknown to Jennifer or her husband, a doctor had requested the wrong baby to undergo a frenulectomy, where the flap of skin under the child’s tongue is cut because they have limited range of motion which affects their ability to eat and breast feed. The Melton’s baby, Nate, was perfectly healthy when he was subjected to the operation and now his family fears that the unwarranted procedure may cause speech problems in the future. The unidentified doctor has since publicly apologized but the Melton’s are pursuing legal action against the hospital and the doctor. “It’s recklessness. There’s no excuse for cutting on a healthy child. There’s no excuse for mixing up babies at a hospital,” said the family’s attorney, Clint Kelly. CNN

NBA Mourns The Loss Of A Coach’s Beloved Wife

Ingrid Williams, 44, wife of Oklahoma City Thunder associate head coach Monty Williams, died Wednesday from injuries sustained in a car accident on Tuesday night. This is Monty’s first year as an assistant for the Thunder, and he was previously the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams have expressed an outpouring of love and condolences. “The Thunder organization has heavy hearts tonight with the news of Ingrid’s passing. Words cannot adequately describe how deep our sorrow is for the loss of Monty’s wife. Our thoughts and prayers are with Monty and his family, and we will support him in every way possible” read a statement from the Thunder. “Ingrid was beloved by the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community and will forever be remembered as one of the most generous, kind and humble individuals we’ve ever known. Our thoughts and prayers are with Monty Williams and his family during this difficult timesaid Pelicans owners Tom and Gayle Benson said in a statement. YahooSports

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