Sybil Wilkes Gives Headlines for July 3, 2023

Source: REACH Media / Reach Media

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ON WEDNESDAY JULY 3, 2023

Sybil’s Birthday Shout Outs

Party Next Door, 30

Patrick Wilson, 50 (The Conjuring actor) 

Benedict Wong, 52 (Marvel’s Dr. Strange actor) 

Audra McDonald, 53 (Hamilton)

Montell Williams, 67

1. Very Bad Days for LGBTQ People with Student Loans

Very Bad Days for LGBTQ People with Student Loans

What You Need to Know:

The United States Supreme Court’s conservative majority picked up a considerable amount of steam with the most recent and final decisions of the court session that ended Friday.

By a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan. President Biden’s plan was to eliminate up to $20,000 in loan debt for over forty million Americans. The high court ruled that the Biden plan was unlawful under the 2003 Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, or the HEROES Act. The conservative majority stated the HEROES Act was only used to modify student loans, not cancel them.

2. No Holiday for Mass Shooting Victims

No Holiday for Mass Shooting Victims

What You Need to Know:

Mass shootings continued over the holiday weekend. This time, people were shot and killed in Baltimore, Maryland, and Wichita, Kansas. According to the Gun Violence Archive, these cases were the 338th and 339th mass shootings in 2023. 

The Baltimore shooting took place in the Brooklyn Homes community during an annual block party. Shooting began around 12:30 AM Sunday. Two young people were killed, an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man. 28 others were injured, at least three critically. Reports indicate it was difficult to get immediate information about those in the shooting, as many of the wounded found their own rides to emergency rooms instead of waiting for police and ambulances.

3. Deion Sanders Highlights African American Risk For DVT & Blood Clotting Issues

Deion Sanders Highlights African American Risk For DVT & Blood Clotting Issues

What You Need to Know:

Deion Sanders, famed NFL star and current head football coach at the University of Colorado, has recently undergone multiple surgeries to address circulation problems and blood clots in his left leg. This health condition has raised concerns about his future and mobility. While Sanders’s case is unique to him, it provides an opportunity to explore the broader topic of blood clotting, circulation issues, and their potential impact on African American men.

Sanders has been battling circulation problems in his arteries, which carry oxygenated blood away from the heart. The blood clots in his leg have led to blockages, restricting blood flow and depriving the tissues of oxygen. The consequences of reduced blood supply can be severe, potentially leading to tissue death.

4. Shreveport Police Dragging Black Woman Goes Viral on TikTok

Shreveport Police Dragging Black Woman Goes Viral on TikTok

WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY COY MALONE

What You Need to Know:

The Shreveport Police Department in Louisiana is under fire after a viral TikTok video shows how officers recently handled a Black woman.

TikTok user Twentyeightgrams28 posted a video on June 27 showing officers dragging a Black woman who was partially unclothed and appeared to be unconscious (see video below). Captions on the video claimed the officers beat her unconscious as the crowd confronted them. Crowd members attempted to check on the woman, but officers pushed back while a White officer yelled at the crowd, wielding his assault rifle. As the officers turned around, a crowd member allegedly threw something at one of the officers.

Another user said, “They were breaking up the girls. The police officer punched her and knocked her out.”

This isn’t the first time the Shreveport Police Department has been under fire.

5. Favor Of God

Favor Of God

WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY WILLIE MCIVER

What You Need to Know:

The dictionary definition of FAVOR is “friendly regard shown towards another, especially by a superior.” FAVOR in the Bible means an exceptional act of kindness and privilege from God. God’s Favor supersedes ALL favors,  God shows us favor when we confess and express remorse for our sins. “That ye may be the children of your Faith which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just an on the unjust.” 

He is an equal-opportunity God and does not show favoritism. Now, this doesn’t mean that people who do bad things that are not of God, do not get punished.  The Bible says you reap what you sow, but that doesn’t mean God won’t show you a little favor along the way, because that’s just how He is full of grace, mercy, and FAV