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#BlackGirlMagic: Civil Rights Icon Dorothy Height Honored With Forever Stamp

To kick off Black history Month, the United States Postal Service added civil rights activist Dorothy Height to its Black Heritage Series on the Forever Stamp, NBC News reported. Height is the 40th person added to the series which features other pioneers including Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Height, who has been called the “godmother of civil rights” by former President Obama, is also the 15th woman to be added to the series. The stamp that shows Height smiling, dressed in all purple (including her pearls) was created by art director Derry Noyes.

On Wednesday at an event honoring Height, Congressman John Lewis said that the stamp is a well-deserved recognition.

She was a mover and a shaker. She didn’t take no for an answer. She was always on point. She was insistent and persistent,” Lewis said. “She stood for the timeless values that make this country great. Equality, justice and liberty.”

In addition, Ronald Stroman, deputy postmaster general and chief government relations officer, said it was an honor to celebrate Height in this way.

“The Postal Service is proud to honor civil rights icon Dorothy Height, an American treasure, whose illustrious career spanned almost a century,” he said.

“The Dorothy Height Forever stamp will serve as a lasting tribute to her life and legacy of seeking equality and justice for all Americans, regardless of ethnicity, gender or race,” Stroman concluded.

Height who was born in Richmond, Virginia, was a major player in the March on Washington.  In 1963, she worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organizing the march. In 1994, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 2004, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, NBC noted.

Height died in 2010 at the age of 98.

Justice! Minnesota Man Found Guilty Of Shooting Black Lives Matter Protestors

Minnesota man was found guilty of shooting five people at a north Minneapolis Black Lives Matter protest in 2015.

According to the Star Tribune, the jury deliberated for seven hours before they handed down the verdict to Allen “Lance” Scarsella. The trial lasted for two weeks and consisted of testimonies from a dozen witnesses, as well as videotape of Scarsella, 24, making racist comments and text messages where Scarsella said he wanted to kill black people.

The verdict surprised many in the Black community who expected to hear “not guilty,” Minneapolis NAACP President Jason Sole told the newspaper.

Scarsella was charged with 12 counts of first-degree assault and one count of riot in connection with the shooting at a Nov. 23, 2015, Black Lives Matter protest over the police-involved death of Jamar Clark. During the protest, Scarsella shot and injured Wesley Martin, Cameron Clark, Tevin King, Walter Hoskins and Draper Larkins. Thankfully none of them were killed.

“I’m so happy for the four other brothers who were shot,” Cameron Clark, Jamar’s cousin, told the press. “I’m glad we got justice, but the fight isn’t over.”

According to the Star-Tribune, protesters stood outside the Minneapolis Police 4th Precinct following Jamar Clark’s death at the hands of police in 2015. Scarsella was watching the protest online and decided to drive by and yell racial slurs to the protesters. However, Scarsella testified that he shot in self-defense because his life and his friend’s were in danger, when he thought he saw one of the protesters pull out a knife.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman applauded Wednesday’s verdict.

“As I said at the time we charged Mr. Scarsella and his companions, the racist language he used in the videos and on social media is just not acceptable, and the actions he took as a result of those racist beliefs were heinous,” Freeman said. The jury obviously saw it the same way.”

Scarsella’s sentencing will take place on March 10 and he faces a maximum sentence of nearly 20 years in prison.

In addition, Nathan Gustavsson, Daniel Macey, 27 and Joseph Backman, also face charges of second-degree riot and aiding an offender.

Dang!  South African Singer Calls Black People ‘Dumb’ Over Beyoncé Pregnancy Reactions

Democratic Hillary Clinton Campaigns In Final Stretch Of Election

Source: Brooks Kraft / Getty

Outspoken South African singer Ntsiki Mazwai was not here for all the attention Beyoncé got when she announced that she is pregnant with twins on Wednesday. She took to Twitter to lash out at Black folks, accusing us of easily distracted from real issues.

She also had an inkling that the Beyhive might come for her:

What we don’t get is the inability for people like Mazwai to understand that folks, especially Black folks, are smart enough to tackle multiple things at the same time. We can easily be delighted about Bey’s offspring and still be woke about other police brutality, racism, sexism, the dangers of Trump and poverty. Last time we checked: We can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Y’all haters corny.

The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.