Columbus Communicator Week of Nov 10, 2022

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Democrat Wes Moore made his tory in 2022, becoming Maryland’s first African American governor, beat ing out Republican Dan Cox.

Moore defeated Cox, a first-term Republican state delegate who rep resents a district that encompasses portions of Carroll and Frederick counties and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

The hotly contested Senate contest in Georgia will ad vance to a runoff between

Democratic Sen. Raphael War nock and Republican chal lenger Herschel Walker on

December 6,. Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold to win the

Arizona and Nevada, voters

in

Democrat Wes Moore

Republican Herschel Walker

Columbus Voters Approve $1.5 Billion Bond Package

on the ballot last year claimed it would fund clean energy efforts and subsidize electric rates, but provide no transparency on how taxpayer money would be spent. Issue 19 creates a two-step voter approval process, and mandates that ballot sponsors register who benefits financially.

Columbus City Schools had planned to go to the voters with a levy request this fall, but pulled the ballot issue in August, but several other Central Ohio school district were on the ballot Tuesday.

Infrastructure and school issues were successful on Election Day in Central Ohio. According to unofficial results, Columbus voters overwhelmingly approved a raft of bond issues to raise $1.5 billion for safety and infrastructure, parks and recreation, and affordable housing as the region braces for continued growth.

The $200 million dollar bond issue for housing will address a shortage of affordable homes that has become more stark in recent years. During the long

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celebrate, and tomorrow we get to work,” Moore said during his victory speech.

Moore concluded his victory speech, pointing to his belief of what patriotism is and a call to action for his supporters.

“You can’t love your country if you hate half the people in it. Real patriotism means bringing people together. It means lifting each other up and improving each other’s lives,” Moore said during his victory speech. “Patriotism means knowing that our country is great — and that if we do the work, it will be even greater.

campaign for the bond, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther pointed to the success of a 2019 $50 million bond package. That investment leveraged another $276 million in public and private sector support and created more than 1,300 housing units for low-income individuals and families. Ginther and other city leaders have stressed the need to work regionally, creating partnerships with other municipalities to extend the reach of the bond. The goal is a $1 billion investment in 15 years.

By a nearly 2-to-1 mar-

gin, voters also approved a $300 million bond for health, safety and infrastructure projects, a $200 million bond for parks and recreation, a $250 million public service bond, and a $550 million bond the city’s electric system and storm and sanitary sewer lines. The bond issues do not raise taxes, and are repaid with money the city sets aside from income tax collections.

Columbus voters overwhelmingly approved two charter amendments. One discards a 1914 amendment that required appli-

cants for city jobs be grouped by their scores on exams, although officials say scores would still be considered in the hiring process. The other amendment would allow officials to attend and vote at meetings held electronically, an emergency measure that was approved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Voters also approved a charter review recommendation that would close a loophole that would allow ballot petitioners to redirect taxpayer money with no oversight. A proposal

Pickerington voters approved a $83.9 million bond issue to build a new junior high school and renovate two high schools and another junior high school, to keep up with population growth.

Worthington voters approved a combined bond issue and levy to fund renovations and expansion, as well as ongoing infrastructure needs for maintenance and school buses.

In Upper Arlington, a 6.9 mil levy passed with 54% of the vote. The money will fund ongoing operating expenses like technology, transportation and teacher salaries, and give the dis-

Tonight, we celebrate, and tomorrow we get to work.”

Moore’s running mate is former Montgomery County Delegate Aruna Miller, DDistrict 15, (2011-2019). She becomes the first woman of color and the first immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland.

“I know I wouldn’t be here without all the Black activists” who fought for civil rights, “and this has made all the difference,” Miller said, speaking to supporters at the campaign watch party.

Late Tuesday night, Cox declined to concede the race, telling supporters at

his watch party: “We’re at a point where it’s not looking good, but I can tell you this, only 50% of the vote is counted and every single vote from here out are votes mostly cast today, some of whom are still in line when predetermined statements were made by the media.”

Cox admitted he was a little disappointed in the results from Baltimore County, where he thought he would perform better.

“It’s just a very possible situation that the votes that still need to be counted, that if we pull off about 60% to 65% of those, then we can still pull

this off,” Cox said.

By Wednesday morning, Cox called Moore and conceded the race. In a tweet, Cox said, in part: “Please join me in praying for him and his family and that our state will be free.”

In wishing Moore success, Cox also said in his letter: “I also urged that he will honor and protect constitutional rights, property rights, lower taxes and back the blue line and first responders as he has said he would, support our families and small businesses in our freedom and opportunity, never again lock us down or force health care decisions, and ensure that

no one is left behind, including parents in their children’s education decisions and choices.”

In his letter, Cox said the campaign always felt the race would be close, but “the outcome was a complete surprise.”

Also Wednesday morning, Cox’s running mate, Gordana Schifanelli tweeted a congratulatory message to Moore and Miller, saying: “Congratulations to @iamwesmoore and @arunamiller on their election victory and I sincerely hope they succeed in their promise to the voters that they will leave no one behind.”

Georgia could then – for the second consecutive election cycle – have the Senate majority in their hands.

That the race was so tight underscores the prevalence of ticket-splitters in Georgia this year. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp comfortably defeated Democrat Stacey

Abrams, CNN projected, but Walker has lagged Kemp’s margin all night, while Warnock has outpaced Abrams.

In brief remarks on Tuesday night, Walker asked supporters gathered in a hotel ballroom to “hang in there a little bit longer.”

“I’m telling you right now – I

didn’t come to lose,” Walker said.

Warnock has not yet addressed the crowd at his election night headquarters. But on Monday night, he joked about a potential run-off campaign.

“I think that there is bipartisan agreement that we (would)

rather not have politics and Thanksgiving mixed together,” Warnock said.

Both candidates are expected to speak later Wednesday, aides said, with specific plans still in flux.

Top officials from the Democratic and Republican parties also told CNN they intend to

double down on their significant investments in Georgia, with an increasing assumption that control of the Senate could hinge on the outcome of a likely runoff in December.

Statewide and Local Elections Results

U S Senator

D Tim Ryan 270,562

R JD Vance 139,550

Write in 1,089

Representative to Con gress (3rd District)

D Joyce Beatty 174,846

R Lee R Stahley 74,335

Write in 280

Representative to Con gress (15th District)

R Mike Carey 140,012

D Gary Josephson 104,613

Governor and Lieu tenant Governor

D Nan Whaley and Cheryl L Stephens 232,672

R Mike DeWine and Jon Husted 177,933 Write in 1,419

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court D Jennifer Brunner

258,250

R Sharon L Kennedy 149,994

Justice of the Supreme Court (1/1)

D Terri Jamison 253,778

R Pat Fischer 153,447

Justice of the Supreme Court (1/2)

D Marilyn Zayas 256,842

R Pat DeWine 150,274

Attorney General

D Jeffrey A Crossma 240,958

R Dave Yost 169,621

Auditor of State

D Taylor Sappington 244,670

R Keith Faber 161,315

Secretary of State

D Chelsea Clark 237,955

R Frank LaRose 167,228

TerpsehoreTore Maras 4,057

Treasurer of State

D Scott Schertzer 244,453

R Robert Sprague 160,573

State Senator (3rd Dis trict)

R Michele Reynolds 60,336

D Tina Maharath 54,208

State Senator (15th District)

D Hearcel F Craig 69,229

State Senator (25th District)

D Bill DeMora 74,279

R Chandler Wysocki 28,017

State Representative (1st District)

D Dontavius Jarrells 30,160

State Representative (2nd District)

D Latyna M. Humphre 20,668

State Representative (3rd District)

D Ismail Mohamed

ACLU of Ohio Releases Comment on Issue 1 Passage

On November 8, a majority of Ohioans voted in support of State Issue 1, a ballot proposal to enshrine cash bail into the Ohio Constitution The ACLU of Ohio has been an outspoken opponent of this mis guided effort, and en couraged voters to reject Issue 1, through canvassing and text banking, high profile speaking events, media interviews, opin ion pieces, and direct advocacy to its con stituency The ACLU of Ohio worked closely with The Bail Project, Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change, and others to form a strong coali tion of advocates and organizations opposed to State Issue 1 Issue 1 was sought as a rebuke to the Supreme Court of Ohio decision in Du Bose v McGuffey, is sued in January 2022, which underscored the longstanding constitu tional principle that

bail is excessive when it exceeds the amount necessary to guaran tee the appearance of the accused person

The ACLU of Ohio has been a longtime proponent of bail re form policies and works closely with or ganizations across the political spectrum to improve pretrial fair ness in Ohio

The following state ment can be attrib uted to Jocelyn Rosnick, ACLU of Ohio Policy Director, and Patrick Higgins, ACLU of Ohio Policy Counsel:

“We are deeply dis appointed that Issue 1 passed, and we stand by the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who voiced their op position to this harm ful proposal. We know that cash bail does not keep us safe, and the system dispropor tionately punishes and targets Black and Brown Ohioans, as well as people from economically disad

vantaged communities This is not the out come we wanted, but the fight for true bail reform is not yet over We now turn our at tention and focus to the Statehouse for the forthcoming lame duck session in which Ohio lawmakers will have the opportunity to support and advance House Bill 315 and Senate Bill 182, bipar tisan companion bills that make meaningful improvements to Ohio’s broken pretrial system truly making our communities safer while curbing wealth based detention and freeing up millions of taxpayer dollars

The ACLU of Ohio is prepared to do every thing in its power to ad vance solutions that work for the people most impacted We are eager and hopeful that Ohio lawmakers will vote in support of true bail reform legis lation in this critical time ”

Yost, Other Attorneys General Secure $13.67 Million in Settlements Against Experian Over Data Breaches

T Mobile To Pay $2 43 Mil lion in Related Case (COLUMBUS, Ohio) Ohio and 39 other states have reached two settle ments with the credit re porting agency Experian over data breaches in 2012 and 2015 that compro mised the personal infor mation of millions of consumers nationwide, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today

“Safeguarding consumers ’ personal information is a vital part of credit report ing,” Yost said “This agency will now have to work overtime to rebuild the public’s trust ”

Separately, a settlement has been reached with T Mobile stemming from the 2015 Experian data breach, which affected more than 15 million people who sub mitted credit applications to the telecommunications company

As part of the trio of set tlements, Experian, one of the “Big Three” national credit reporting agencies, and T Mobile have agreed

to improve their data secu rity practices and to pay 40 states a combined $16 1 million, with most of that money coming from Experian Ohio will receive a total of $438,362 12 from the set tlements

The 2015 breach

In September 2015, Ex perian reported a data breach in which an unau thorized actor gained ac cess to a part of its network that stored per sonal information on behalf of T Mobile, one of its clients

The breach involved data associated with consumers who had applied for T Mo bile services and device fi nancing between September 2013 and September 2015, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Secu rity numbers, identification numbers (such as driver’s license and passport num bers), and related data used in T Mobile’s own credit assessments

More than 446,000 Ohio

residents were affected Experian will pay $12 67 million to settle the case In addition, the company has agreed to strengthen its data security practices by: Not misrepresenting to its clients the extent to which Experian protects the pri vacy and security of per sonal information

Introducing a comprehen sive Information Security Program, including regular executive level reporting and enhanced employee training

Adopting due diligence pro visions, which means prop erly vetting acquisitions and evaluating data security concerns prior to integra tion

Implementing data mini mization and disposal re quirements, including specific efforts aimed at re ducing use of Social Secu rity numbers as identifiers Meeting specific security requirements regarding en cryption, segmentation, patch management, intru sion detection, firewalls, ac cess controls, logging and

monitoring, penetration testing and risk assess ments

The settlement also re quires Experian to offer five years of free credit moni toring services to affected consumers, as well as two free copies of their credit reports annually during that time Affected consumers can check eligibility to en roll in the five year ex tended credit monitoring services and find more in formation on eligibility here The enrollment window will remain open for six months. (Anyone who was a class member in the private 2019 class action settle ment is eligible to enroll in these extended credit mon itoring services )

Under the separate set tlement with T Mobile, the company will pay $2 43 mil lion and adopt detailed vendor management provi sions designed to strengthen its vendor over sight of information and data security.

The settlement with T Mobile is unrelated to the

data breach announced in August 2021 by T Mobile

The 2012 breach

Experian has also agreed to pay an additional $1 million to resolve a sepa rate multistate investigation into another Experian owned company Experian Data Corp (EDC) in con nection with EDC’s failure to prevent or report a 2012 data breach

The breach occurred when an identity thief pos ing as a private investigator was given access to sensi tive personal information stored in the company commercial databases

Under this settlement, entered into by a separate group of 40 states, EDC has agreed to strengthen its vetting and oversight of third parties to which it provides personal informa tion, investigate and report data security incidents to the attorneys general, and maintain a “Red Flags” pro gram to detect and re spond to potential identity theft

BROWN

ANNOUNCES $230 MILLION IN NEW MARKETS TAX CREDITS TO

Brown Helped Expand the New Markets Tax Credit, which has Provided Millions

The U S Sen Sherrod Brown (D OH) announced $230 million for five com munity development entities throughout Ohio to help at tract private investment in economic development projects The funding was awarded through the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, which Brown has championed during his time in the Senate

“Community development entities across Ohio are working to drive economic opportunity in our commu nities The New Markets Tax Credit gives them the boost they need to attract private investment,” said Brown

Funding from the NMTC in cludes:

$35,000,000 to the Cleve land New Markets Invest ment Fund in Cleveland

$45,000,000 to the Day ton Region New Market Fund in Dayton

$45,000,000 to the Northeast Ohio Develop ment Fund in Cleveland

$60,000,000 to the Ohio Community Development Fund in Columbus

$45,000,000 to the Up town Consortium in Cincin nati.

The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program

COLUMBUS, Ohio A former high school chemistry teacher was taken into federal cus tody today on charges related to using hidden cameras to take tens of thousands of explicit videos of students at school and filming fe males in dressing rooms and other public places.

Justin Foley, 47, of Delaware, Ohio, ap peared in federal court at 1:30pm in Columbus today after a federal criminal complaint and warrant were issued for his arrest

Foley was employed as a chemistry teacher at Columbus Alternative High School at the time of his alleged offenses He is charged with sex ually exploiting minors and distributing, receiv ing and possessing child pornography It is alleged Foley used his cell phone and other digital media devices in a hidden manner to capture female geni talia under skirts and shorts

According to court documents, in August 2022, the Delaware Po lice Department re ceived CyberTip reports from the National Cen ter for Missing and Ex ploited Children (NCMEC) regarding nu merous images of ap

parent child pornogra phy that were uploaded via Google email ac counts Investigators tracked the IP ad dresses for the re ported email accounts to Foley

It is alleged that Foley’s email accounts contained numerous videos that were voyeuristic in nature and appear to have been self produced The videos appear to have been recorded at the school in which Foley worked as a chemistry teacher, at local department stores in central Ohio, in pub lic areas of downtown Delaware, Ohio, and in dressing rooms It is apparent that the vic tims in the videos do not know they are being recorded

Delaware County law enforcement officials executed a search war rant at Foley’s resi dence on Sept. 20, 2022 Court documents detail that Foley admit ted to creating videos in the classroom and hallways of the school at which he taught and that he had created some of these videos as recently as the pre vious week

Foley was arrested and charged locally in Delaware County in September 2022 His

CREATE JOBS,

operated by the U.S. Treas ury Department’s Commu nity Development Financial Institutions Fund was es tablished in 2000 with the goal of spurring revitaliza tion efforts in American communities. NMTC pro vides tax credit incentives to Community Development Entities (CDEs) so they can invest in low income com munities Under the pro gram, CDEs apply to the U.S. Treasury Department for the authority to raise a certain amount of capital from investors Awardees are then given a tax credit that equals a percentage of their investment output over the span of seven years

Brown has been a strong

federal charges will su persede his previous local charges

Sexually exploiting a minor is a crime pun ishable by 15 to 30 years in prison Distri bution and receipt of child pornography is a crime punishable by five to 20 years in prison

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern Dis trict of Ohio; J William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler; Delaware Police Chief Adam Moore; Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa A Schiffel; and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force announced the charges Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer M Rausch and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case

A criminal complaint merely contains allega tions, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law

If you believe you may be a victim of or the parent of a poten tial victim of Foley’s al leged conduct, please call 614 901 6883

PROMOTE ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR OHIOANS

“Today’s awards will help create good jobs and lift up local economies across Ohio ”

supporter of the NMTC pro gram, which helps drive in vestment in Ohio’s communities In 2021, he helped secure $215 million

for Ohio through the credit In December 2020, Brown helped secure an extension of this critical tax credit in year end legislation

Former High School Teacher Charged Federally with Exploiting Minors by Taking up Skirt Videos at School & in Other Public Places

Plus, the Return of the Huntington Holiday Train

brary customers through Jan 8, 2023 Parking for the event in Main Library’s attached garage will be free

The impressive 600 square foot Huntington Holiday Train (see photo) includes multiple miniature trains running on more than 280 feet of track surrounded by more than 50 pounds of snowflakes The miniature buildings which are all made from leaves, bark, seeds, pinecones, fungus and moss are modeled after actual structures in Germany

atrium (There was no train display in 2015 due to Main Library’s ren ovation, nor in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic )

Highlights include a 6 foot tall cathedral, an 8 foot tall castle and a waterfall that pumps 600 gallons of water an hour

COLUMBUS Columbus Metropol itan Library (CML) is hosting a free holiday open house on Wednesday, Nov 30 at its Main Library From 6 8 p m , families can enjoy activi ties, sing along carols and refresh ments, plus a visit from live

reindeer and a very special guest But perhaps the biggest draws of the evening will be the tree lighting of Topiary Park and the return of the Huntington Holiday Train A ceremonial switch will be flipped on for the train, which will delight li

This marks the 30th year of the holiday attraction, which was built in 1992 by Applied Imagination founder Paul Busse The train was originally displayed in the lobby of the historic Huntington building at Broad and High streets In 2009, Huntington graciously loaned the train to CML This year will be its twelfth on display in Main Library’s

Each building in the display took between one and three weeks to create The castle and waterfall took more than three months to complete; it took more than 10 months to build the cathedral The entire display takes two days to set up

The Huntington Holiday Train will be on display Sunday, Nov. 20 through Sunday, Jan 8, 2023 dur ing regular library hours Monday through Thursday from 9 a m 9 p m , Friday and Saturday from 9 a m 6 p m and Sunday from 1 5 p m The first hour of parking in the library garage is free.

P

A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n H i s t o r y

American Icons: Early Ohio African Americans Part 3 or 3

aul L Lau rence D Du nba r ((1872 1906)

1985 to 2000. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Ga rrett A ugustus M Mo rga n ((1877 1 1963) was born in Paris, Kentucky, moved to Cincinnati as a teenager, then moved to Cleveland in 1895.

was born in Dayton to ex-slaves. Dunbar is acknowledged as the first significant African American poet in the United States. William Dean Howells wrote that he was “struck by the beauty of the verse” and mentioned Dunbar in Harper’s Weekly. Dunbar’s ambition was to “interpret my own people through song and story, and to prove to them that after all we are more human than African.” His first book of poetry, Oak and Ivy, was published in 1893. It was followed by Lyrics of a Lowly Life, and Majors and Minors, as well as ten other books of poetry, four books of short stories, five novels and a play. Dunbar died of tuberculosis on February 9, 1906.

Ro bert S D Duncanson ((1821 1871) was born to free black parents in upstate New York. The Duncanson family moved to Canada for a time, but Robert Duncanson came to Cincinnati at the age of 19 and began to exhibit his artwork. Cincinnati was becoming a major western outpost for landscape painting, and in 1861 the Cincinnati Gazette declared Duncanson “the best landscape painter in the west.” Duncanson’s still-lifes and landscapes earned him generous patronage from many prominent Cincinnatians, including Nicholas Longworth, who commissioned a series of twelve panels for his mansion. Sponsored by anti-slavery groups, Duncanson traveled widely in Canada and Europe during the 1860s, exhibiting and selling his paintings to patrons including the king of Sweden.

Wa yne E Embry ((b 1 1937) was born in Springfield, Ohio. In 1954 he began his studies at Miami University of Ohio, where he led the university basketball team in points scored in 1957 and 1958 and served as the team captain. He was the fourth player in Miami’s history to have his jersey (#23) retired. In 1971, Embry became general manager of the Milwaukee Bucs, making him the first African American general manager in the NBA. He left the Bucs in 1979 and became executive vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers from

Morgan developed a traffic signal to improve road safety. The Morgan traffic signal is a T-shaped pole that has three positions: stop, go, and all-directional stop (halting traffic to allow for pedestrian crossing). This style of traffic light was used all over the United States until it was replaced by the red, yellow, and green lights. He received a patent for his invention on November 20, 1923. Morgan also invented the smoke inhalator; a special adaptation of the smoke inhalator was the gas mask, which was used in World War I.

To ni M Morris on  ((1931 2019) was

utes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, breaking records in the broad jump, 220yard dash, 220-yard low hurdles, and tying the 100-yard dash record. In 1936, Owens competed in the Olympic Games held in Nazi Germany where he set three Olympic records and won gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the broad jump, and the 400meter relay. Owens was the first American in the history of Olympic track and field to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

George

born Chloe Wofford in Lorain, Ohio. She graduated with honors from Lorain High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Howard University. It was during her time at Howard University that she changed her name to Toni. In 1955, she received her master’s degree in English from Cornell University, and in 1970, her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published. Her fifth novel, Beloved, received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988. Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

J esse O Owens  ((1913 1980) was

Daniel A P Payne ((1811 1893) was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to free parents of mixed black, white and American Indian ancestry. In 1835, he moved north to enroll in seminary. He was licensed to preach in 1837 and ordained in 1839. Although affiliated with several denominations, Payne eventually settled on the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which ordained him bishop in 1852. In his ministry, Payne focused on education as the key to empowerment. In 1863, he was able to raise enough money to purchase Wilberforce University on behalf of the A.M.E. Church. He became the first African American president of Wilberforce University, the first university to be owned and run by African Americans. Between 1863 and 1876, Payne provided leadership as president of the university, which became a respected leader in educating African Americans.

Carl S Stokes ((1927 1996) was born

can representative from Hamilton County who served in the Ohio House of Representatives during the 64th session (1880-81) of the General Assembly He was the first African American member of the Ohio Legislature.

Granville W Woods ((1856 1910) was

born James Cleveland Owens in a small Alabama town, and began his athletic career when he was invited to join the track team in high school. Owens started college at the Ohio State University in 1933. On May 25, 1935, he set three world records in a span of seventy min-

in Cleveland. He began his political career when he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1962 for the first of three terms. The election made Stokes the first African American Democrat elected to the Ohio House. Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1967, becoming the first black mayor of a major American city. After serving two terms as mayor, Stokes broke another barrier in 1972—television news. He was the first African American news anchor in New York City. Stokes returned to government in 1983, serving as a municipal judge in Cleveland until 1994, when President Bill Clinton appointed him ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles.

born in Columbus, Ohio. The inventor developed a variety of devices that improved railway transportation. His most notable invention was a system that let train engineers know their proximity to other trains, which reduced the number of accidents. Other inventions developed by Woods include the automatic air brake, which was used to slow or stop trains, and an improved steamboiler furnace.

Charl es Y Yo ung ((1864 1922) was born in May’s Lick, Kentucky, but his family moved across the Ohio River to Ripley, Ohio, after escaping enslavement. Young had a long, prestigious military career that began with becoming the third African America to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. To many, he is most well-known for his 500 mile journey on horseback from Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington D.C. to show his physical fitness when he was medically retired from the Army in July 1917, just months after the U.S. entered World War I (1914-1918). A selection of his many accomplishments include include serving with distinction in the Phillipine-American War (1899-1902), becoming a distinguished instructor at Wilberforce University and establishing the school’s marching band, and becoming the first African American National Park Superintendent while managing the Sequoia National Park.

W Wa shin gto n W Williams ((1849 1891) was a Republi-

HIGHLIGHTS

Columbus program raises up women of color in tech field

COLUMBUS, Ohio—

With the city of Columbus pre paring for massive economic growth due to investments from Intel and Honda, one local initiative is bringing racial and gender di versity into the conversation.

“We need to make sure that our city represents our citizens, which means that women of color need to be in that space,” said Jenn Fowler Howard, managing director for Per Scholas Columbus, a nonprofit organization that provides tu ition-free learning to the community.

Earlier this year, Howard said the organization created a pro gram called Tech Women of Color Alliance, which offers training and job placement assistance in the tech industry for women of color.

Funding for the program is pro vided by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners through

the American Rescue Plan, which she said is helping the program reach a number of goals.

“To serve 200 women over the next two years, and getting them connected to their dreams, getting them financial security, helping them to care for their families, and also giving them an opportunity to be successful,” Howard said.

Nine women graduated from the program last week.

“It’s a huge burden lifted off of me because I was hopping around from colleges,” said Jazemon Robinson, a wife, mother, and graduate of the Tech Women of Color Alliance.

She said due to student loans and taking care of her family, she had to set aside her ambitions for a while. But through the program, was able to get a chance to reenter the workforce in something she’s passionate about.

“This program has definitely given me the opportunity to find my confidence, and be confident in going back into the workforce, so I know that I have the skills to step up to it,” Robinson said.

The program is also designed to work around any potential barriers facing women of color, such as flexible hours for childcare and mentorship courses after gradu ation.

“So we were very intentional in how we structured the day, to make sure that they were able to do the things that they needed to do, so that they could, with ease, sit in a classroom seat and learn the material,” Howard said.

“The morning class is from 10 (a.m.) to 3 (p.m.), and the night class is from 3 (p.m.) to 8 (p.m.), so they are entry-level courses, so if you are interested or have a pas sion for technology, then this is

perfect for you,” said Chelsey Wil liams, program manager for Tech Women of Color.

The next course for Tech Women of Color begins on Jan. 23, 2023, and will run for 15 weeks.

Who is Per Scholas?

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging are in our DNA. We are a group of dynamic professionals deeply committed to our mission and to the communities in which we live and work. While at the same time, we are real people with diverse interests, passions and lifestyles. After work you can find us playing in a band, playing with a pet, or designing custom knitting patterns. We are real people with the skills to recruit, teach, em power, and lead. Did I mention, we like ice cream?

Rihanna Talks Super Bowl Halftime Show Performance: 'I Can't Believe I Even Said Yes'

It was only a month after the NFL announced Rihanna was headlining the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime show that the singer released her first solo single in more than six years. Days later, Rihanna finally broke her silence on what it felt like to accept the coveted halftime gig.

“I can’t believe I even said yes,” Rihanna told ET reporter Rachel Smith on the red carpet for her fourth “Savage X Fenty” fashion showcase. “It was one of those things that even when I announced it, I was like, ‘OK, I can’t take it back. Now, it’s like final.’”

Rihanna agreed to the performance in the midst of an interminable music hiatus

during which she became a newfound mother — and the youngest self-made female billionaire after turning her Fenty Beauty fashion line into an empire.

While her return to music with the lead soundtrack single for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was widely celebrated, Rihanna is solely focused on 2023.

“The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it’s an entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that,” Rihanna told ET. “But it’s nerve-racking. You want to get it right. You know, everybody’s watching. And they’re rooting for you. And I want to get it right.”