Emmy Award-winning actress and Broadway star Sheryl Lee Ralph will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree when she addresses graduates at Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s 257th anniversary commencement on May 14 and to jazz musician Terence Blanchard when he delivers remarks at Rutgers University-Newark’s commencement ceremony on Tuesday, May 16. Rutgers University-Camden will hold its commencement on May 15 and will award an honorary doctor of letters degree to Dana Redd, the former mayor of the city of Camden who will deliver the keynote address.

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* This article was originally published here

The Rooftop at Pier 17 is planning a packed summer of musical performances with more than 60 outdoor shows. 

For the fifth year of the venue’s Summer Concert Series at the Seaport, they’re going all out with an impressive schedule all summer long. This year’s lineup includes Coheed and Cambria, Bebe Rexha, DJ Trixie Mattel, T-Pain, YUNGBLUD, Jenny Lewis, PUP, Tove Lo, Macklemore, Pixies and Modest Mouse, and many more.

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Here’s the full Pier 17 lineup 

• May 3 – Coheed and Cambria “NEVERENDER NWFTWM”
• May 4 – Nickel Creek
• May 5 – Goth Babe: The Lola Tour
• May 12 – Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls and The Interrupters
• May 23 – Beach Bunny and PUP
• June 3 – Young the Giant with Milky Chance
• June 4 – Young the Giant with Milky Chance
• June 5 – The Used & Pierce The Veil: Creative Control Tour
• June 9 – The Wood Brothers with special guest Shovels & Rope
• June 13 – The Used & Pierce The Veil: Creative Control Tour
• June 14 – The Driver Era
• June 15 – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Ziggy Marley
• June 16 – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Ziggy Marley
• June 17 – Reggae Fest Blaze
• June 18 – Bebe Rexha: Best F’n Night Of My Life
• June 22 – DJ Trixie Mattel: Solid Pink Disco
• July 6 – Rebelution: Good Vibes Summer Tour 2023
• July 7 – SiriusXM Presents Yacht Rock Revue: Reverse Sunset Tour
• July 8 – Yellowcard: Celebrating 20 Years of Ocean Avenue
• July 11 – T-Pain: Escape from Wiscansin – The Invasion
• July 12 – Barenaked Ladies: Last Summer On Earth 2023
• July 14 – YUNGBLUD: The World Tour
• July 15 – The Struts: Remember The Name
• July 18 – Jenny Lewis: JOY’ALL TOUR
• July 21 – An Evening with CAKE
• July 22 – An Evening with CAKE
• July 27 – Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
• August 2 – Pink Martini featuring China Forbes
• August 4 – The Mountain Goats
• August 5 – Anjunabeats Outdoors
• August 21 – Pixies and Modest Mouse
• August 22 – Pixies and Modest Mouse
• August 26 – Gimme Gimme Disco
• August 30 – JVKE: what tour feels like
• September 10 – Tove Lo: Dirt Femme Tour
• September 14 – An Evening with Ween
• September 22 – Macklemore: The BEN Tour
• Plus, more shows to be announced.

Tickets are on sale now.

Making the most of a show at Pier 17

If you haven’t been to a show at Pier 17 yet, this scenic outdoor concert venue along the East River offers panoramic views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Plus, it’s a venue that can attract big names in an intimate setting (there’s a 3,500 maximum capacity).

You can grab a frozen drink or a cocktail at the venue’s Patrón Patio lounge. If you want a private hangout spot, you can pay for access to the Grey Goose Terrace, a rooftop hideaway with lounge seating, or the Heineken Silver Zone with a reserved viewing area in front of the stage.

Before or after the show, there are a bunch of waterfront restaurants nearby, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s seafood restaurant The Fulton; David Chang’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar; Helene Henderson’s Malibu Farm New York; Andrew Carmellini’s Italian chophouse Carne Mare, and NoHo Hospitality’s Mister Dips.

“New Yorkers, tri-state area residents, and visitors from all over the globe look forward to The Rooftop at Pier 17 concert lineup each summer,” said Andrew Schwartz, co-president of the New York Region, The Howard Hughes Corporation. “This season we are excited to celebrate five years of bringing today’s most popular artists to the Seaport to perform at this unforgettable venue with its iconic New York City views—there’s really no place like it.”

* This article was originally published here

Fort Lee, Virginia, named in honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, will take on a new name that honors two Black Army trailblazers.

The fort will honor Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the U.S. Army said in a statement on Tuesday, April 25.

A redesignation ceremony is planned for Thursday, April 27, honoring the two Black officers whom officials said excelled in the field of sustainment and made significant marks in U.S. Army history.

Lt. Gen. Gregg rose from the rank of private to three-star general during his military logistics career, which began just after WWII and spanned nearly 36 years, the release noted.

Gregg, 94, will be the only living person in modern Army history to have an installation named after him.

Lt. Col. Adams was the first Black officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps – later known as the Women’s Army Corps – in World War II and led the first predominately Black WAC unit to serve overseas: the storied 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

“We are deeply honored to have Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams as the new namesakes for our installation,” Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command and senior commander of Fort Lee, stated in the release.

Officials said the post is one of nine Army installations being redesignated in accordance with Defense Department-endorsed recommendations from the congressional Naming Commission to remove the names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that commemorate the Confederate States of America or those who voluntarily served under the C.S.A.

Congress directed the formation of the Naming Commission in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and charged it with providing these recommendations.

The Commission issued its three-part report to Congress in the summer of 2022. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III accepted all the Commission’s recommendations that September.

On Jan. 5, 2023, William A. LaPlante, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, directed all Department of Defense organizations to begin implementing those recommendations.

“The Naming Commission sought to recommend names that are ‘inspirational to the Soldiers and civilians who serve on our Army posts, and to the communities who support them,’” Simerly stated.

“They delivered exactly that with these two inspiring leaders and their tremendous accomplishments – from World War II through the Cold War – speak to the important history of this installation and to the courage, dignity, and devotion to duty that we strive to instill in every Soldier training here at the home of the Army Sustainment.”

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* This article was originally published here