Source: Scott Olson / Getty
Big Facts
The Black transgender woman who died following a brutal April 25 attack has been identified as 59-year-old Brenda Bostick. “Pursuant to our investigation, we believe she was involved in a dispute with another individual who was staying at the same shelter as the victim,” NYPD Sgt. Lee Jones told Mic. Bostick died at Bellevue Hospital on May 4 after suffering from apparent head trauma. According to GLAAD, at least nine other transgender people have been killed in 2017. They were all transwomen of color.
Big Lies
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos—whose scheduled appearance at Bethune-Cookman’s commencement ceremony has sparked student protest since we last reported—released a statement on Sunday expressing her excitement for the visit.”I am a strong supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the critical role they play in communities and in our higher education system,” it reads. “I am happy to see the president reaffirmed this Administration’s support for HBCUs. I will continue to be an advocate for them and for programs that make higher education more accessible to all students. I look forward to visiting with the students, faculty and administration of Bethune-Cookman University this week and delivering the 2017 commencement address, my first as Secretary.”
The issue, though—like, aside from the fact that this is still even happening—is that an earlier version of the statement appears to have misspelled “HBCU.” If this is indeed true, we’ve gotta ask: How, Sway!?
Never forget: The Education Department also misspelled the name of W.E.B. Du Bois the G.O.A.T. earlier this year. In an official tweet. Devos. Ain’t. ‘Bout. This. Life. (But y’all knew this already.)
Big News
Jordan Edwards’ family is suing former Dallas police officer Roy Oliver, who was involved in the shooting and killing of their 15-year-old son. According to The Washington Post, the lawsuit argues that Oliver used “excessive and deadly force and that the police department did not adequately train the officer, who had ‘a reputation for having a short fuse.’” Odell Edwards, Jordan’s father, also argues that city leaders “failed to properly train, supervise, screen, discipline, transfer, counsel or otherwise control officers who are known, or who should have been known, to engage in the use of excessive force and/or deadly force, including those officers repeatedly accused of such acts.” As TWP notes, Jordan, whose funeral was on Saturday, is the youngest of the 345 people who have been fatally shot by police in 2017.
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