Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 19, 2020
Analysis
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 19, 2020

Making the list this week -- Chief Justice Roberts' independence, entrepreneur Sanders' success, and Tom Brady's new duds.
Now, we are expanding the list, the political perspectives, and we are going to a GoLocal team approach while encouraging readers to suggest nominees for who is "HOT" and who is "NOT."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTEmail GoLocal by midday on Thursday about anyone you think should be tapped as "HOT" or "NOT." Email us HERE.
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 19, 2020
HOT
Chief Justice John Roberts
Roberts, a former attorney for Ronald Reagan and appointed to the Supreme Court by George W. Bush, once against demonstrated that regardless of political litmus tests presidents try to demand, the American judiciary system and especially the Supreme Court can be wildly independent.
Roberts may be the Republicans' new Earl Warren after this week's decisions of gay rights and DACA.
HOT
Cranston Politics
Nothing says blistering hot politics more than Cranston this election year.
Highly contested Democratic primary for mayor.
Brawl on the GOP side.
And then the heavyweight battle - Barbara Ann Fenton Fung v. the Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello in House District 15.
And it's only June.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Fenton Fung is not related to GoLocal founder Josh Fenton
HOT
Chelsea Acheampong
Chelsea Acheampong, a graduating Blackstone Valley Prep senior, took top honors during the school year for winning the school's first Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest.
She will be attending George Washington University in Washingon, D.C. in the fall.
BVP published her winning entry in the school's latest blog post.
Acheampong's Essay
My brother and I, crisscrossed, foreheads furrowed in concentration, the man with the top hat floating above the words written onto the board.
On my brother’s turn, he picked up a “go to jail” card. It seemed innocent enough, until he said, “Black people always end up in jail.” I could not believe what I had heard. My eight-year-old brother was unknowingly resigned to his fate: the prison system. I could not breathe. Responding to my facial expression, he simply said, “What? Isn’t it true?” As a young teenage black woman, I had not understood the facts around the shooting of Michael Brown or the outbreak of unarmed black men being shot and killed.
I wanted to believe that my brother would be young and innocent forever,that I would be able to shield him from the world of racism and systemic injustice, a world I thought I knew well. But I realized that it could’ve been, and still could be him.
After doing research, I learned about factors that may have impacted my brother’s mindset. One of the biggest factors that I learned was contributing was systemic racism. I learned about how the education system, his first transition into the real world, was working against him. I realized that one of the many things the education system was lacking was diversity.
Diversity means distinction; a difference. I had never realized the importance of diversity until I started middle school. Before then, I attended two predominantly white elementary schools. Within these elementary schools, I faced racial discrimination, prejudice, and an entirely different culture that hurt me in ways I did not know until I entered an intentionally diverse school.
I had not realized that the isolation I faced from my teacher in fourth grade hurt me academically until the end of the year when I noticed that I was the only one behind in certain subjects. Because there was no diversity where I was spending the majority of my time, I was lacking different perspectives, and as a consequence, I lacked connection essential to a welcoming learning environment. Growing up, there was nobody who looked like me or came from the same experiences, and I felt isolated.
I had the realization that for many people of color, there is discrimination that keeps them from reaching their goals. The easiest way to stop discrimination is to educate and inform.
Personalities, ideologies, cultures, and ways of thinking are all ways a community can be diversified and educated. Due to my educational environment, I have learned more about the backgrounds of the people I am around, which has made me more intellectually curious. Whenever I am with new people, I find myself genuinely interested in their story, their upbringing, their passions, how they grew up, and who they are. However, diversity doesn’t have to only come from the people we are around. The types of media we consume, the friends we have, and what we read shapes who we are as individuals. To me, being around such varied ideas and interests has only made me willing to educate myself on important issues.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that one would be judged by their character, not by their skin. I too have a dream that our education system can and will be better, starting with educating students and educators about different cultures and backgrounds. I fear that there are other children like my brother across the country who face stigma within their places of education and my dream is to one day erase that.
HOT
Anthony Sanders' Awoken Apparel
He might be "hot," but no one is cooler than Anthony Sanders.
In March of 2019, Rhode Island's Sanders announced the launch of his new fashion-driven custom apparel company Awoken Apparel — focused on designing and manufacturing custom bow ties.
Now, in 2020 the world is facing a range of complex changes, and Sanders has responded, expanding the product line to everything from new fashion products to custom-made masks and scarves in response to the pandemic.
“We've expanded our product line which now includes ties, belts and we actually have a ladies line which is named after my wife -- the "B" line for ladies, scarves and bags, and we're just doing a little bit everything,” said Sanders.
Awoken can custom-make ties for groomsmen for a wedding or branded PPE logo masks for a forward-thinking company.
The year has been whirlwind. The company has presented at fashion shows and sponsored the annual Stages of Freedom's Bow Ties for Boys event held annually at the University Club.
Watch his interview on GoLocal LIVE this week here.
NOT
Tampa Bay's New Uniforms
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolled out their new uniforms -- featuring their new quarterback Tom Brady.
NOT
RI Jobs
Rhode Island now has an unemployment rate of a record 16.3% in Rhode Island.
Here are some of the most disturbing numbers:
The job loss numbers since February are catastrophic for business sectors:
On a percentage basis the largest loss was reported in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector down 59.8 percent, or 4,900, from February. Other large percentage declines were also noted in the Accommodation & Food Services (-51.3%), Other Services (-27.5%) and Transportation and Utilities (-26.5%).The Health Care and Social Assistance sector lost 17.4 percent of its employment from February, followed by Construction (-13.3%), Retail Trade (-13.2%), Professional & Business Services (-13.0%), Educational Services (-11.9%), Wholesale Trade (-8.3%), Information (-5.5%), Manufacturing (-5.3%), Financial Activities (-4.5%), and Government (-3.2%).
NOT
Delays in Releasing Video of Providence Incident
The Elorza Administration delayed nearly two weeks before releasing the video of the incident between two Providence police officers and a firefighter.
Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said the video was not released because he needed to conduct his investigation first.
Let's try allowing the public to review the tape simultaneously like in other cities.
NOT
RI Budget
The General Assembly on Thursday revised the 2000 budget and shifted hundreds of millions of economic development funds, infrastructure financing, and rainy day dollars to fill the present year's gap.
Next year's budget hole is estimated to be nearly $700 million.
