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Al Sharpton Slams CNN Over "Dark Skinned" Suspect Description

CNN's John King was the first to report incorrectly on Wednesday that authorities had identified a suspect in Monday's bloody terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon. King claimed authorities were looking for a "dark skinned male."

"I want to be very careful about this, because people get very sensitive when you say these things. I was told by one of these sources who is a law enforcement official that this is a dark-skinned male. I'm making a personal judgment—forgive me, I think it's the right judgment—not to try to inflame tensions. They say it's a dark-skinned male."

The suspect description and claims of an arrest were later found to be false. "CNN [incorrectly] reported an arrest and the Associated Press stated that a suspect was taken into custody and was expected at a Boston courthouse," adds CBS News.

Watch MSNBC's Al Sharpton slams CNN and John King's reporting AFTER THE JUMP ..

VIDEO: Tufts University Defaced by Swastikas and Racist Graffiti

An ugly outbreak of racist and white supremacist graffiti in Massachusetts. Medford Police and the Tufts University Police Department are looking for the culprits who defaced the town and campus with "many" swastikas, racist symbols and messages, reports CW56 and the Tufts Daily.

Watch WHDH's report AFTER THE JUMP ...

The messages were discovered [Sunday] morning at Bello Field, according to an email sent to the Tufts community Sunday evening. ... Medford police are working with area gang units in an attempt to identify the signs, many of which were very specific, according to Rudolph. Beyond swastikas and racial slurs, the tags included clovers and the words “Crew 28,” according to reporting by local affiliate FOX 25.

Tufts University student leader and LGBT activist Tabias Wilson describes the defacement as yet another form of "psycho-social terrorism" on campus at his Tumblr BlaQueerPOZitivity.

"For me personally, and for many Black folks at Tufts, it is paramount to recall that the Slave Quarters still stand just beyond the Cousens Gym Complex. For many us, hate speech and white supremacy are not new, but compounded and relived daily on campus."

Wilson is referring to the "Royall House" slave quarters described as the "only structure of its kind still standing in the northern United States," by the Tufts Magazine. "Much of Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus sits on what was once a six-hundred-acre [slave] plantation presided."

In related news: Oberlin College canceled all classes on March 4 after a month-long series of "racial, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents" culminated in the report of one person seen on campus wearing a Ku Klux Klan-type hood.

Watch WHDH's report AFTER THE JUMP ...

MA Gov. Patrick Appoints William Cowan as Interim U.S. Senator

For the first time in history there will be two Blacks serving in the United States Senate. Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick has appointed his former chief of staff William "Mo" Cowan to serve as the state’s interim United States senator, reports the Boston Globe.

In addition to being the second Black in the current Senate, Cowan will also become Massachusetts' second Black senator.

Cowan said he was “honored and humbled” to get the temporary post, which will make him the first African-American to represent Massachusetts in the Senate since Edward Brooke held the seat as a Republican from 1966 to 1978. ... Cowan succeeds Kerry, who this week formally resigned from the US Senate seat he held for 29 years and was also confirmed as the nation’s secretary of state by his Senate colleagues in an 94-3 vote.

Cowan is a North Carolina native and Duke University graduate who came to Boston to attend Northeastern University Law School in the early 1990s - and never left the region. One of the city’s leading African-American lawyers, Cowan is a former partner in the politically connected law firm of Mintz Levin.

Cowan has also mentored many black professionals and has served as a talent scout frequently called upon to help diversify the city’s institutions. He helped Governor Mitt Romney, who faced criticism for the lack of diversity in his judicial picks, identifying lawyers of color who would make good judges.

"Mo’s service on the front lines in our efforts to manage through the worst economy in 80 years and build a better, stronger Commonwealth for the next generation has earned him the respect and admiration of people throughout government," said Gov. Deval Patrick in a statement. "The people of the Commonwealth have benefited from his wisdom and good judgment during his time in our office, and will again in the Senate."

Massachusetts voters will select former Sen. John Kerry's replacement on June 25th in special election.

Former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown lost his bid for re-election to Elizabeth Warren in November. Scott has indicated that he may run again this summer.

Cowan joins South Carolina Republican Tim Scott to become the second Black serving in the current Senate. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley appointed the former congressman to fill retiring Sen. Jim DeMint’s Senate seat in December. Cowan and Scott are ideological opponents–Scott is stridently anti-gay, opposes a woman's right to choose and opposes other progressive causes. Would love to see Cowan spar with Tim "Tea Party" Scott on the Senate floor.

VIDEO: Morehouse to Screen Black Gay Docudrama "Friend of Essex"

Last month R20 reported the all-male Morehouse College will soon offer its first Black LGBT-themed course. This is a major development because only a handful of historically black colleges offer LGBT-themed courses and/or recognize LGBT student groups.

Morehouse College and its gay/straight alliance SafeSpace will screen the new documentary drama Friend of Essex. The screening is on January 31 at the Bank of America Auditorium. RSVP here.

Watch the trailer to the new film AFTER THE JUMP ...

The film was written and directed by 23-year-old Amir Dixon, a friend of R20 and the creator of the web-based talk series BrotherHood TV. The documentary is described as "a mix of one-on-one interviews, group interviews, narrative pieces and poetry" inspired by Essex Hemphill’s writing and the 1989 film Tongues Untied by Marlon Riggs. Dixon says his film was necessary because Black gay men "need to know and share our history."

"I looked back on my childhood and realized my parents could teach me about being a Black Man in America, but could not teach me about being a Black Gay Man and all it came with. When I got my heart broken, when I dealt with homophobia, when I struggled with the intersections of my identity they didn’t know where to begin. So I turned to my elders, my ancestors and called on them through their work and their words. Essex Hemphill’s work laid the foundation for my film. His work around race, religion, activism and community was where I started. I wanted to capture the stories of other young black gay men and get their thoughts and stories on camera."

Watch the trailer to the new film AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: JET's First Married Gay Male Couple Appear on MSNBC

Very nice. JET magazine featured the wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince in its December 10 issue. Perry and Prince appeared on MSNBC last week to discuss that historic moment in the 61-year-old magazine's history and other current events. The conversation with Thomas Roberts also included the recent Supreme Court announcement that it would rule on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

JET Magazine Features Wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/Ravi Perry Facebook

Very, very nice. JET magazine features the wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince in its December 10 JET LOVE series. Rod 2.0 readers will recall the 29-year-old Perry made history in March 2011 when was elected president of the NAACP chapter of Worcester, Massachusetts

GLAAD notes:

Ravi, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Mississippi State University, and Paris, a licensed real estate broker and anti discrimination compliance expert, were married in August at their home in Worcester, Massachusetts. The biweekly feature, which traditionally showcases straight couples, includes a short bio of the couple and explains how the couple fell in love.

"We are excited and honored to have our wedding featured in the historic yet ever-current JET Magazine. Long the hallmark in publishing news, culture, and events pertaining to the Black American experience, Jet's publishing of our union is historic" said Ravi and Paris.

"JET Magazine has an extensive legacy of covering the lives of LGBT African-Americans," said Herndon Graddick, President of GLAAD. "This is yet another opportunity to applaud JET Magazine for continuing to highlight the diversity of the African-American community and to urge other media outlets to recognize that it’s these stories that help grow acceptance of our community and give a voice to LGBT people of color who are too often invisible in the media."

Ravi Perry was a political science professor at Clark University when he was elected to the NAACP position last year. He became the youngest and first openly gay president in that chapter's history. Perry also became one of the very few openly gay chapter president's in the NAACP's history.

The Mississippi State University professor is also a contributor to EBONY.com. He recently wrote "A Kappa Man Speaks on the Viral Video 'Controversy'", a response to the homophobic backlash over so-called "Kappa Wedding" video.

JET is a weekly publication and boasts more than 7 million readers. Last year, JET featured its first same-sex wedding, telling the amazing story of Nyema Vernon and Dr. Tenika Jackson. JET has featured Black gay males couples in recent years, too. The biweekly magazine also  featured Kye Allums last year, the former George Washington University student who made history as the first out transgender Division I college basketball player.

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President Obama's Statement on Barney Frank's Retirement

President Obama has released this statement on Rep. Barney Frank's (D-MA) retirement, raising his leadership on finance, housing reform and LGBT issues.

This country has never had a Congressman like Barney Frank, and the House of Representatives will not be the same without him. For over 30 years, Barney has been a fierce advocate for the people of Massachusetts and Americans everywhere who needed a voice. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of families and businesses and helped make housing more affordable. He has stood up for the rights of LGBT Americans and fought to end discrimination against them. And it is only thanks to his leadership that we were able to pass the most sweeping financial reform in history designed to protect consumers and prevent the kind of excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crisis from ever happening again. Barney’s passion and his quick wit will be missed in the halls of Congress, and Michelle and I join the people of the Bay State in thanking him for his years of service.

Obama is seen above with Frank and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on June 17 2009. That  was the day when the President signed memorandum to extend limited benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Rep. Barney Frank Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election

PHOTOS: Washington Post

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has announced that he will not seek reelection after 16 terms in office. The former chairman and current ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee was the first openly gay member of Congress. The Washington Post reviews the chairman's legacy:

Frank became one of the most important legislators of his generation on domestic policy, a successful backroom negotiator who won the trust of the Bush Treasury Department and the gay rights movement. ...  Frank’s stature inside the Capitol dome reached its pinnacle in 2007, when he became chairman of the Financial Services Committee. For the next four years Frank oversaw Wall Street, the housing industry and the multitude of financial firms that packaged questionable mortgages into complicated trading mechanisms.

This placed Frank at the epicenter of the most critical debates of the past five years, beginning with housing legislation in 2007 and 2008 that tried to forestall the industry’s collapse. In the fall of 2008, Frank was the lead House Democratic negotiator for what became the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, alongside then-Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.).

Redistricting may have been a factor, reports the Boston Globe.

"A close adviser told the Globe today that the new district in which Frank would have had to run next year was a major factor in his decision. While it retained his Newton stronghold, it was revised to encompass more conservative towns while Frank also lost New Bedford, a blue-collar city where had invested a lot of time and become a leading figure in the region’s fisheries debate."

During the news conference, Frank threw a few delicious salvos at his political nemesis, former House speaker and now presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

"I did not think I lived a good enough life to see Newt Gingrich as the Republican nominee. He would be the best thing to happen to Democrats since Barry Goldwater ... It’s still unlikely, but I have hopes. I look forward to debating ... the Defense of Marriage Act with Mr. Gingrich. I think he is an ideal opponent for us, when we talk about just who it is, is threatening the sanctity of marriage."

An acerbic wit and a formidable opponent.

VIDEO: Sirdeaner Walker Lobbies for Federal Anti-Bullying Law

PHOTO: AP

It's been two-and-a-half years since the tragic suicide of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, the 11-year-old Springfield, Massachusetts boy who hanged himself after months of homophobic and anti-gay taunts. Since the tragedy, mother Sirdeaner Walker has become a national advocate against bullying, appearing on Oprah, Ellen and AC 360, as well as testifying before Congress.

Walker has pushed for revisions in Massachusetts' strict new bullying law and is lobbying Congress to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act, watch NoMoreDownLowTV's report AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: WH Adviser David Plouffe Says "Romney Has No Core"

Republican presidential candidate Mitt "Multiple Choice" Romney has "no core" and has flip flopped on countless important issues, said White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe on Meet the Press. "If he thought ... it was good to say the sky was green and the grass was blue to win an election, he'd say it."

Said Plouffe: "He was supportive of doing things like cap and trade agreement, now he doesn't think that climate change is real. He was to the left of [the late Senator] Ted Kennedy on gay rights issues, now he wants to amend the constitution to prohibit gay marriage. He was an extremely pro-choice governor, now he believes that life begins at conception and would ban Roe v. Wade."

Plouffe referenced the former Massachusetts governor's 1994 campaign for Senate, when he tried to tell voters that he was more pro-choice and pro-gay than Kennedy. That campaign didn't work out so well for Mittens.

"Plouffe ... join[ed] the growing chorus of Obama aides to offer an on-the-record attack of the Republican presidential frontrunner.," reports Politico. Plouffe's attack that "Romney 'has no core', repeat[s] a description  used by Obama senior strategist David Axelrod earlier this month."

Via OnTopMag, watch the video AFTER THE JUMP ...