On July 29, 14-year-old basketball star Semaj Miller was gunned down in South Los Angeles.
At six-foot-seven-inches tall, the Compton teenager was expected to go far with the L.A. City Wildcats, an association that helped launch the career of NBA player James Harden.
Now the community is mourning his loss.
"Semaj was such a talented kid who lost his life too soon," Rapper Percy “Master P” Miller, a coach and part-owner of the team, told Cheddar. "We have to stop this senseless killing, gun violence in our community. It's not the police. This is us killing us."
Miller lamented that gun violence is robbing the next generation of its talent, as well as those who could find success and come back and invest in their communities.
"This kid could have been the next LeBron James, could have been the next James Harden," he said. "We'll never get to know how talented this kid could have been."
Stepping outside of the rhetoric used in recent protests against police violence, the rapper said it was the responsibility of citizens to stop the violence in their own communities.
"I know we're out here protesting for Black Lives Matter, but my thing is, 'Okay, our kids matter,'" he said. "This is our future."
Miller didn't outline specific preventive measures but emphasized parenting and education.
"It's got to start in our community. We have to stand up for these kids. We have to protect them. We have to educate them," he said.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture marked its fifth anniversary in Washington, DC, and it celebrated Black History Month with a contemporary exhibit on social justice called "Reckoning" as well as unveiling a digital option for online visitors. "When we launched the searchable museum, which is a digital humanities platform, it's an opportunity for our audience to experience the museum itself and not just through the exhibitions, but through different experiences that kind of illuminate the exhibitions' stories," said curator Mary Elliot. Cheddar's Arielle Hixson reports.
Authorities have seized nearly $3 million worth of methamphetamine, hidden among a shipment of onions, during a tractor-trailer’s inspection at federal facility in San Diego.
If you have noisy and overwhelming thoughts in your head, you might want to try a brain dump. A brain dump is the physical act of untangling your brain and getting all your thoughts, anxieties, fears, ideas, errands, and complaints in one place. It might sound daunting, but it's easier and more rewarding than you'd think. People who have tried a brain dump for just one week have actually reported an easier time focusing, a clearer head, and an easier time staying organized on day to day tasks. Dr. Marsha Brown, a forensic and clinical psychologist, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The Winter Olympics is slowly winding down with a lot of competition left. Boston Globe Reporter Nicole Yang, joined Cheddar to discuss more on what we can expect to see and some of the hiccups surrounding the games this year.
Within hours of Russia's first attack on Ukraine, President Joe Biden addressed the nation by stating that the White House will impose wider sanctions on Russian banks. These sanctions could result in damage to the Russian economy. Host of "Oh My World" on Youtube and Former Spokesperson for the U. S. Mission to the U. N. Hagar Chemali, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman SCOTUS nominee.
Even amid the Great Resignation, the cannabis industry saw major job growth. As of January 2022, the legal industry supported more than 428,000 jobs — a 33 percent increase year-over-year, according to the sixth annual jobs report from Leafly, a website focused on cannabis use and education. Yoko Miyashita, CEO of Leafly, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. “You know we've got big moments coming ahead in New Jersey and New York with adult-use sales starting in New Jersey, hopefully by this fall, with New York quickly to follow," she said. "So we're hugely optimistic about the kind of job growth that those markets can drive with the right type of market setup.
As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, protests are popping up in major cities across the U.S., including across the street from the United Nations in New York City.. Chloe Aiello reports.
