(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Kos, Week In Review [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-21 Commentary: Black Scientists, Explorers, and Inventors By dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor Herman Russell Branson (August 14, 1914 – June 7, 1995) was an African American physicist, best known for his research on the alpha helix protein structure. He was also the president of two colleges. Branson received his B.S. from Virginia State College in 1936, and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cincinnati, under the direction of Boris Padowski, in 1939. After a stint at Dillard University, he joined Howard University in 1941 as an assistant professor of physics and chemistry. He remained at Howard for 27 years, achieving increasingly important positions, eventually becoming head of the physics department, director of a program in experimental science and mathematics, and working on the Office of Naval Research and Atomic Energy Commission Projects in Physics at Howard University. In 1948, Branson took a leave and spent time at the California Institute of Technology, in the laboratory of the chemist Linus Pauling. There he was assigned work on the structure of proteins, specifically to use his mathematical abilities to determine possible helical structures that would fit both the available x-ray crystallography data and a set of chemical restrictions outlined by Pauling. After some months of work, Branson handed in a report narrowing the possible structures to two helixes, a tighter coil Pauling termed "alpha," and a looser helix called "gamma." Branson then returned to Howard to work on other projects. Branson went on to a significant career, eventually serving as president of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, from 1968–1970, and then president of Lincoln University until his retirement in 1985. He was active in increasing federal funding for higher education, and helped found the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education in 1969. In 1984 Branson wrote Pauling biographers Victor and Mildred Goertzel implying that his contribution to the alpha helix had been greater than the final paper indicated. “I took my work to Pauling who told me that he thought they [the proposed alpha and gamma helixes] were too tight, that he thought that a protein molecule should have a much larger radius so that water molecules could fit down inside and cause the protein to swell,” he wrote. “I went back and worked unsuccessfully to find such a structure.” When he received Pauling’s note with the draft manuscript, Branson wrote, “I interpreted this letter as establishing that the alpha and gamma in my paper were correct and that the subsequent work done was cleaning up or verifying. The differences were nil. Branson was co-inventor of the alpha helix and perhaps deserved a share of the Nobel prize. As the story goes somehow Linus Pauling got Branson excluded from the prize [New Yorker mag]....Read More ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Cannabis policy reform, it's a criminal justice issue. It's a social justice issue," said Caroline Phillips, founder of the National Cannabis Festival and National Cannabis Policy Summit. The Grio: 4/20 policy summit on Capitol Hill seeks to bring equity to the cannabis industry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Black woman-founded cannabis policy summit on 4/20, the holiday designated for cannabis culture, is bringing together lawmakers on Capitol Hill to talk about equity and legislative reform for a fast-growing – and mostly white – industry. Hundreds will attend the “The Congressional Summit” hosted by the National Cannabis Policy Summit on Thursday to hear from a bipartisan group of Congress members, advocates and business leaders on a range of cannabis-related policies from expungement and banking to social equity and paths to federal legalization. Capitol Hill lawmakers participating in the summit include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, who will discuss how federal cannabis policy impacts the majority Black and brown city of D.C.; and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-CA., who will deliver video remarks, among other speakers. Caroline Phillips organized the annual summit as a precursor to the National Cannabis Festival on April 22. Phillips, who founded the festival seven years ago, told theGrio she created the event and policy summit to shine a light on how cannabis prohibition disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We all wish Raph yarl a speey recovery CNN: Grandson of White homeowner who shot a Black teen who rang his doorbell said he ‘wasn’t shocked’ by the news. His brother has a different take ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Klint Ludwig learned his grandfather, a White homeowner in Kansas City, had shot a Black teenager who rang his doorbell, Ludwig was repulsed — but not entirely surprised. “The warning signs were there. I wasn’t shocked when I heard the news,” Ludwig told CNN on Thursday. “I believe he held – holds – racist tendencies and beliefs.” But Ludwig’s older brother, Daniel, reportedly disputed the notion that race played a role when their grandfather, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in front of his door on April 13. Lester, who was initially detained but then released hours after the shooting, has now been charged with two felonies. On Wednesday, Lester pleaded not guilty to the charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. He is out on $200,000 bond and is due back in court June 1. Ralph, 16, went to the wrong address to pick up his younger siblings – 1100 NE 115th Street instead of 1100 NE 115th Terrace. After ringing Lester’s doorbell, Ralph was shot in the head and arm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thousands of residents have fled Khartoum as fighting continued across the city for a fifth day and many countries began preparations to evacuate their citizens from Sudan. Attempts to resurrect a US-brokered ceasefire between the army and paramilitary forces that failed to hold on Tuesday did not reassure many inhabitants of the capital, which suffered some of the most intense clashes yet seen as rival factions battled for control of the airport, defence headquarters and other key strategic sites. Germany and Japan are reportedly planning the evacuation of their citizens but the US embassy in Khartoum said that “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, there are no plans for [a] US government-coordinated evacuation” for the moment. Internal United Nations documents seen by the Guardian describe a “nightmare scenario” that appears to have caught the organisation unprepared. A security report describes looting and a series of attacks on UN staff, mainly by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) personnel, in Khartoum and elsewhere but says immediate evacuation is impossible as long as Sudanese airports remain out of action. The possibility of an evacuation by road – an operation fraught with danger – is being considered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/21/2164864/-Black-Kos-Week-In-Review Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/