Princeton University has announced its first black valedictorian in its 274-year history.
Nicholas Johnson called the achievement especially significant, given Princeton's struggle in recent years, like numerous other prestigious universities, to confront its troubled history with slavery. "Being Princeton's first black valedictorian is very empowering," he said. He said he felt the university, as a primarily white institution, had "been a leader amongst its peer institutions" and "very critical and cognizant about its ties to slavery."
Johnson, 22, who is from Montreal, majored in operations research and financial engineering. He wrote his senior thesis on developing algorithms to design a community-based preventive health intervention to decrease obesity in Canada. He was a member of the Princeton chapter of Engineers Without Borders and had internships at Google and Oxford University.
With the in-person graduation ceremony canceled, Princeton will hold a virtual one May 31.
An open letter for Arbery
Team Roc, the social justice group started by Jay-Z, published an open letter to Georgia officials Sunday, demanding justice for Ahmaud Arbery. The letter, signed by Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Meek Mill and Yo Gotti, is addressed to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, state Attorney General Christopher Darr and District Attorney Tom Durden. It calls for Durden to recuse himself because of his relationship with Greg McMichael, a former police officer and one of the men charged with killing Arbery while he was jogging in Brunswick, Ga., in February. McMichael and his son Travis McMichael were charged with murder May 7. The letter urges the charging of another man, William Bryan, who filmed the shooting.
New book: Sen. Ted Cruz is working on a book, to be published in October, about the Supreme Court. Regnery Publishing said the book was called "One Vote Away" and would draw upon the Texas Republican's legal background. "With the perspective only a veteran government leader and seasoned Supreme Court advocate can bring, Cruz will outline these crucial Court battles as a powerful wake-up call to Americans to the exceptional power of a single Supreme Court vote against the backdrop of the 2020 election and in the decades to come," the conservative publisher said.
Teaming up: Emily Blunt and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are teaming up again. The actors — who star in Disney's "Jungle Cruise," the release of which has been delayed because of the pandemic — will play superheroes in "Ball and Chain." Johnson, 48, and Blunt, 37, will play a couple on the brink of divorce who get mysterious new powers from a meteor, Deadline reported. The film, based on Scott Lobdell and Alé Garza's 1999 graphic novel series, will be written by Emily V. Gordon, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2018 for "The Big Sick."
News Services
