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Posts published in May 2015

Black Unemployment Rate Hits Seven-Year Low

By goodblacknews on May 11, 2015

JobSeekingInterviewUnemployment620480The unemployment rate for black Americans fell below 10 percent in April, for the first time since the economic downfall in 2008.
During the recession, black unemployment had peaked at 16.8 percent in March 2010, while unemployment for whites was almost half that rate. This past April, the unemployment rate for African Americans dipped into the single digits category at 9.6 percent. While the latest data shows signs of improvement, it’s clear that an employment gap still exist between races. Despite the national unemployment rate falling to 5.4 percent, blacks in states like Illinois, Michigan, California and Pennsylvania face unemployment rates above 12 percent.
[Related: U.S. Applications for Unemployment Aid Hit 15-Year Low]
While some reports view education as the reason for the employment gap, data shows that 12.4 percent of black college graduates between the ages of 22 and 27 faced unemployment in 2013 whereas the national unemployment rate for college graduates in the same age range was 5.6 percent. The median weekly paycheck for a white college graduate last year was $1,132, versus $895 for a black college graduate.
With factors such as discrimination and workplace bias coming into play when considering the road to employment for blacks, the latest unemployment numbers are not only signs of progression but also proof that more work needs to be done.
article by Courtney Connley via blackenterprise.com

Have You Heard Prince's Song "Baltimore"? Check it Here (AUDIO)

By goodblacknews on May 10, 2015

As Prince gives a free “Rally 4 Peace” Mother’s Day concert in Baltimore to advocate for non-violent change, for those of us who can’t be there (or listen to the stream on Jay Z’s Tidal), here’s the song he was inspired to write for the occasion:

GBN Wishes You and Yours a Happy Mother's Day in 2015

By goodblacknews on May 10, 2015

AfricanAmericanMothers-1
To all the mothers, grandmothers, daughters and sons – may you have a wonderful day celebrating or being celebrated as the most important women in our lives. It may not always be easy, but it’s always worth it.  Happy Mother’s Day!

MamasDay.Org Offers Free, Diverse e-Cards for Mother's Day

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2015

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In its fifth year, Strong Families, an organization dedicated to supporting families that may not fall within traditional definitions, is offering free e-cards for Mother’s Day via mamasday.org.  As the website states:

We know that mamahood is not one size fits all. But most popular images of mothers exclude mamas based on their sexual orientation, race, income, immigration status and more. And Mothers Day, one of the biggest commercial holidays in the United States, often reinforces traditional ideas of family and motherhood that there’s only one way to be a family.

Each year, Strong Families commissions artists to create original art that reflects the various ways mamas and families look. The result is a collection of beautiful and unique cards that better reflect the families that exist in the 21st century.
Click the link above or here to send one!
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

NBC Orders Wesley Snipes Thriller "The Player" & Larenz Tate Drama "Game of Silence" to Series

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2015
The Player -- "Pilot" -- Pictured: (l-r) Philip Winchester as Alex King, Wesley Snipes as Johnson -- (Photo by: Gregory Peters/NBC)
Wesley Snipes in “The Player” (Photo: NBC)

According to Variety.com, NBC has ordered two new hour-long dramas to series, “The Player,” starring Wesley Snipes, and “Game of Silence”, featuring Larenz Tate.  “The Player” marks the first time Snipes will star in a primetime television show.

“The Player,” a Las Vegas-set action thriller which stars Snipes, comes from the team behind NBC hit “The Blacklist.”  The series follows a former military operative-turned-security expert who is drawn into a high-stakes game where an organization of wealthy individuals gamble on his ability to stop some of the biggest crimes imaginable from playing out. His goal is to take them down to get revenge for the death of his wife. Charity Wakefield and Damon Gupton star alongside Snipes on the Sony Pictures TV, Davis Entertainment and Kung Fu Monkey production. Writer John Rogers, producers John Davis, John Fox and director Bharat Nalluri are all executive producers.

“Game of Silence”, though considered to be “too dark” for broadcast — was ordered by NBC because the pilot episode turned out so great.

GAME OF SILENCE -- Pilot -- Pictured: (l-r) David Lyons as Jackson Brooks, Michael Raymond-James as Gil Harris, Larenz Tate as Shawn Polk -- (Photo by: Bob Mahoney/NBC)

The drama follows a successful Atlanta attorney (played by David Lyons) whose long-lost childhood friends unexpectedly reappear after 25 years. When a dark secret they thought they had buried resurfaces, the brotherhood bands together to right the wrongs of their shared past, a journey that will push the limits of their loyalty and quench their thirst for revenge. Larenz Tate, Michael Raymond-James, Bre Blair, Conor O’Farrell, Deidrie Henry, Demetrius Grosse and Claire Van Der Boom round out the cast.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

NBC Greenlights "Little Big Shots", Kids’ Variety Show From Steve Harvey & Ellen DeGeneres

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2015
ellen degeneres steve harvey little big
JASON KEMPIN/GETTY IMAGES

Steve Harvey and Ellen DeGeneres are teaming up for “Little Big Shots,” a children’s comedy variety show, which has landed an eight-episode order from NBC.
Harvey will host the series, which showcases some of the world’s most talented kiddos — young musicians, dancers, singers and more — who engage in hilarious conversations and interviews with the emcee. The pint-sized contestants will “slay with their cuteness” and “wow with their accomplishments,” proving that talent is born, and not made.
The series, exec produced by DeGeneres and Harvey, hails from Warner Horizon Television, East 112th Street Productions and A Very Good Production. Jeff Kleeman and Gerald Washington will also serve as executive producers.
article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com

Google Commits $150 million in 2015 to Diversify Tech

By goodblacknews on May 8, 2015

Google diversity doodle (via Google.com)
Google diversity doodle (via Google.com)

The Mountain View, Calif., tech giant Google is trying to get more women and minorities into technology with an ambitious $150 million plan. Google told CNNMoney half that money will go to outside organizations and communities, while the other half will be used internally to make Google more inclusive.

In a blog post this week, VP of People Operations Nancy Lee laid out the company’s strategy for 2015. It follows earlier public efforts by Google (GOOG) to increase diversity, including sending Google engineers to historically black universities and and working with Disney (DIS) to improve depictions of girls in computer science. In 2014, the company put $114 million toward diversity programs.
The company is also expanding where it looks for fresh talent by recruiting at a wider variety of colleges. The lack of diversity in tech goes deeper than just the HR department. As was highlighted in the Ellen Pao gender discrimination trial, company culture is also key to keeping and encouraging a diverse workforce. Google is offering more internal training and workshops on unconscious bias, and employees can use part of their time to work on diversity initiatives.
It’s also looking at the root of the problem, expanding computer science education for kids and pushing to get under-served communities online.
The company still has a lot of work to do. According to the diversity report it released last year, only 17% of its tech workers are female, 1% of its tech workforce is black and 2% are Hispanic. In the blog post, Lee said Google plans to release 2015 diversity numbers soon.
In March, Google executive Eric Schmidt was called out during a panel on diversity at SXSW for repeatedly interrupting Megan Smith, the chief technology officer of the U.S. and a former Googler. The audience member who pointed it out was Judith Williams, the manager of Google’s global diversity and talent programs.
It’s not the only company putting money into diversity. Apple has donated $50 million to organizations that will help more minorities and women get into tech. Intel is sinking $300 million into a program that expands STEM education to more diverse students.
article by Heather Kelly via money.cnn.com

Mike Epps/Nia Long Comedy "Uncle Buck" Picked Up To Series at ABC

By goodblacknews on May 8, 2015
"Uncle Buck" cast (Image via ABC)
“Uncle Buck” cast (Image via ABC)

ABC has picked up multi-camera comedy Uncle Buck to series, Deadline.com reports.  The sitcom, starring Mike Epps and Nia Long, may air as a midseason replacement.  Written by Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley, the series centers on Uncle Buck (Mike Epps), a fun-loving but irresponsible guy who needs a job and a place to stay.  By happy coincidence, his brother’s nanny has just quit and his brother and sister-in-law need his help.  James Lesure, Iman Benson, Sayeed Shahidi and Aalyrah Caldwell co-star.
Cragg and Bradley executive produce with Will Packer, and Korin Huggins and Phil Traill co-executive produce.  This is the second series order for feature producer (“Think Like A Man”, “Ride Along”) Packer. In his first TV development season, he scored two comedy pilots through his Universal TV-based Will Packer Prods., People Are Talking at NBC and Uncle Buck at ABC. Both have now been given series orders.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Emory University School of Law to Name an Endowed Chair in Honor of John Lewis

By goodblacknews on May 8, 2015

Civil Rights leader and Congressman John Lewis (Photo via black
Civil Rights leader and Congressman John Lewis (Photo via history.com)

The Emory University School of Law has announced that it is establishing an endowed chair to honor civil rights legend and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. The John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice will be funded by an anonymous $1.5 million donation. The law school will raise an additional $500,000 to fully fund the professorship.
Robert Shapiro, dean of the law school, said that “this gift will allow us to perform a nationwide search and name a professor who will further scholarship on the issues of civil rights and social justice. Through this chair, we are honored to recognize Congressman’s Lewis’ historical achievements in these vital areas.
John Lewis was a keynote speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. As chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on Bloody Sunday in March 1965. He has served his Atlanta district in Congress since 1987.
The anonymous donor stated that “John Lewis exemplifies the values of courage, commitment, dignity, humanity, fairness and equal opportunity that were and are the hallmarks of the movement. Congressman Lewis is an inspiration to us as he continues to speak out against injustice and to fight for equality and civil rights. Atlanta holds an important place in the history of civil rights in the U.S. and John Lewis is a central figure in that history; we hope that a professorship at Emory Law School in his name will in some small way help to continue the good and great work that he has done these last 50 years.”
article via jbhe.com

"Empire" Is the Biggest International Television Hit Since "The Cosby Show"

By goodblacknews on May 8, 2015
Empire won’t stop setting trends. The show wrapped its season one finale back in March, but people all over the world are still catching on. The hit Fox show has become the first since The Cosby Show to be a hit all over the world, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Empire is now sold out in virtually every major territory worldwide. Big terrestrial broadcasters like Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, Network Ten in Australia and France’s M6 — networks with market positions similar to Fox’s in the U.S. — have acquired the series. In the U.K., where U.S. shows of any kind have a hard time getting on major networks, it went to E4, Channel 4’s smaller digital pay TV outlet. Fox International Channels, which is a smaller pay TV player in most foreign territories, has picked up the show for multiple global markets including Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and South Africa.
Empire has even conquered Asia, a notoriously difficult market for U.S. shows, with deals for such key territories as China, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong.

The best part about it all is that it’s happening to other Black television shows, like How to Get Away with Murder, Power, and Black-ish, as well. Power‘s second season will be seen in France, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with more countries to be added later. Global networks are finally catching on that even people in Germany might want to catch a sitcom with –surprise! – black people.

Similarly, one German buyer tells THR when she first saw the pilot of Black-ish, “I thought it wouldn’t work on a major German network, not because of the cast but because it seemed a very niche comedy. But after a few episodes it’s become clear the show is much broader. It’s a real family sitcom of the kind that could easily work here on primetime.”

article by Ariel Cherie via blackamericaweb.com