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Posts published by “goodblacknews”

12 Year-Old Joshua Williams Receives BET's Shine A Light Award for His Work to End Hunger

By goodblacknews on July 25, 2013

joshua-williams-faces-of-hope

 Joshua Williams was four and a half years old when he figured out his life’s calling. He discovered it by listening to his heart.  “My grandmother gave me $20. I saw a homeless man. I felt really bad. I gave him the $20. I felt good, but I wanted to do more,” said Joshua, now 12 and a Miami Beach resident recently honored by BET with a Shine A Light Award by for his work with his nonprofit Joshua’s Heart Foundation.  Joshua begged his two aunts to help him start a program to help feed the hungry. “They didn’t do anything. I fired them,” he recalled. Then Joshua asked his mom, who was used to his persistence and his new ideas.  “After a while, she saw I was really serious,” he said.

He and his family (grandmother, mom and aunts) started giving cooked meals to homeless people every Saturday. His grandmother cooked and he, his mom and aunts helped package the food in containers to take to downtown Miami to feed the homeless.  Soon, there was a line of 150 people waiting for them weekly. But a city ordinance stopped them from continuing their distribution there. Joshua was not about to give up though. They moved their operation to his grandmother’s church.
“We would help families at the church or in the North Miami community at first,” said Claudia McLean, Joshua’s mother. “He said, ‘We can’t just give them a bag of rice and vegetables. Each time, he demanded more.”  Joshua explains. “We started small. It is easier now because we have volunteers. There’s a bigger demand, more people need help. We try to keep up. I do my best.”
Joshua’s Heart Foundation has been distributing meals for almost eight years, since 2005. The organization became a nonprofit in 2007—and yes, his aunts now volunteer and help distribute food with him. The foundation has distributed over 500,000 pounds of food as part of its mission to stomp out world hunger and break the cycle of poverty.

Attorney General Eric Holder Opens New Front in Voting Rights Battle

By goodblacknews on July 25, 2013

eric holderWASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced on Thursday that the Justice Department would ask a court to require Texas to get permission from the federal government before making voting changes in that state. The move opens a new chapter in the political struggle over election rules after the Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act last month.  His statements come as states across the South, from Texas to North Carolina, have been rushing to enforce or enact new restrictions on voting eligibility after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder.

“This is the department’s first action to protect voting rights following the Shelby County decision, but it will not be our last,” Mr. Holder said. “Even as Congress considers updates to the Voting Rights Act in light of the court’s ruling, we plan, in the meantime, to fully utilize the law’s remaining sections to subject states to preclearance as necessary. My colleagues and I are determined to use every tool at our disposal to stand against such discrimination wherever it is found.”

The move relies on a part of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court left untouched in the Shelby County case. The court struck down the coverage formula in Section 4 of the law, which had subjected Texas and eight other mostly Southern states to federal oversight based on 40-year-old data. The court suggested that Congress remained free to enact a new coverage formula based on contemporary data, but most analysts say that is unlikely.

Striking down the law’s coverage formula effectively guts Section 5 of the law, which requires permission from federal authorities before covered jurisdictions may change voting procedures.  The move by the Justice Department on Thursday relies on a different part of the law, Section 3, which allows the federal government to get to largely the same place by a different route, called “bail-in.” If the department can show that given jurisdictions have committed constitutional violations, federal courts may impose federal oversight on those places in piecemeal fashion.

State officials have celebrated the Shelby County ruling as lifting an obsolete relic of the civil rights era that unfairly treated their states differently from other parts of the country, while civil rights advocates have lamented it as removing a safeguard that is still necessary.  Lawyers for minority groups have already asked a court in Texas to return the state to federal oversight. The Justice Department’s action — filing a “statement of interest” in that case — will bring the weight of the federal government behind those efforts.

Juror B29 Says Zimmerman Got Away With Murder, Owes Martin’s Parents Apology

By goodblacknews on July 25, 2013

ROBIN ROBERTS, JUROR B29, ATTORNEY DAVID CHICO

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The second juror to speak publicly about George Zimmerman‘s trial tells ABC News that she feels the neighborhood watch volunteer got away with murder for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin. But she says there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him under Florida law.  

Juror B29 told Robin Roberts in an interview made public Thursday that she favored convicting Zimmerman of second-degree murder when deliberations began. But by the second day of deliberating, she realized there wasn’t enough proof to convict Zimmerman of a crime.  Juror B29 is the second juror to go public with what went on during deliberations earlier this month. She allowed her face to be seen and used her first name, Maddy, unlike JurorB37 who was interviewed on CNN last week with her face obscured.

article by via blackamericaweb.com

First Official Look at Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in "All Is By My Side" (PHOTO)

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013

Andre 3000 in 'All Is By My Side'
It seems like it’s been a long time coming, but we finally have the first official look at André Benjamin (aka André 3000 from Outkast) as Jimi Hendrix in All is By My Side.  Benjamin won’t be kissing the sky in this biopic. Instead, he’ll be covering songs by other artists like Muddy Waters and the Beatles. Experience Hendrix LLC announced that the estate wouldn’t license the rock star’s music “without its full participation.”
However, producer Sean McKittrick told Rolling Stone that the movie traces Hendrix’s life before the 1967 release of the late rock star’s debut album, “Are You Experienced.” “This is the story of Jimi being discovered as a backup musician and how he went to London and became Jimi Hendrix,” McKittrick explained.  In any case, we’ll have to wait a few more months to see or hear how Benjamin’s performance goes over. The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where writer/director John Ridley, who also penned the adapted screenplay for Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 Years a Slave, will be flying high.
article via news.moviefone.com

Jay Z’s ‘Magna Carta’ Easily Keeps its Crown

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013
Jay Z’s ‘Magna Carta’ Easily Keeps its Crown
Lacking any serious new competition, Jay Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” held onto the No. 1 post on the U.S. album chart last week despite a large erosion in sales.
The rapper’s Roc Nation collection shifted 129,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures for the week ending July 21. Numbers reflected a 76% drop-off from the set’s debut-week sales of 528,000, which was the year’s second-biggest opening to date.
Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles’ “The Blessed Unrest” (Epic) had to settle for No. 2, arriving with first-week sales of 68,000. Her last album, “Kaleidoscope Heart,” reached No. 1 with a 90,000-unit tally in 2010.
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In at No. 3 was the 24th installment of Razor & Tie’s long-running “Kidz Bop” series, which turned 62,000 copies. The current package contains moppet-friendly versions of hits by the Lumineers, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake and others.
Florida rapper Ace Hood attained his best chart position to date with “Trials & Tribulations” (Cash Money), which ascended to No. 4 with 34,000 shifted. His previous personal best came in 2011 with “Blood, Sweat & Tears,” which peaked at No. 8 behind a 26,000-unit frame.
Holdovers for the week included Florida Georgia Line’s “Here’s to the Good Times” (No. 5, 31,000 sold, off 5%), Imagine Dragons’ “Night Visions” (No. 6, 28,000, down 15%), J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” (No. 7, 27,000, off 32%) and Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” (No. 9, 24,000, up 33%). Timberlake’s album sold just 24 units more than Simpson’s debuting collection, according to SoundScan.
article by Christopher Morris via Variety.com

"Fruitvale Station" Team Considering "Rocky" Spin-Off "Creed" with MGM

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013
‘Fruitvale Station’ Team Eyeing ‘Rocky’ Spin-Off ‘Creed’ With MGM
“Fruitvale Station” Director Ryan Coogler and Actor Michael B. Jordan (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

After over-performing at the box office in the past two weekends and receiving stellar reviews since its premiere at Sundance, Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan may now be looking to move into the boxing ring for their next project.  MGM has set Coogler to direct, and is in early talks with Jordan to star in, Creed, the latest installment in the Rocky franchise that would focus on Apollo Creed’s grandson.
Sylvester Stallone is on board to reprise his role as Rocky Balboa, with Coogler penning the script along with Aaron Covington. Deadline Hollywood broke the news.  
The story would follow Creed’s grandson, who has grown up reaping the spoils of all his grandfather’s winnings and is forbidden by his family to enter the world of boxing. Against his family’s wishes, he is drawn to boxing and seeks out Balboa to teach him how to fight and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.  Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, who produced the original film, will produce with Stallone and Kevin King.
article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com

Trayvon Martin’s Dad Tracy Martin Adds Voice to Help Black Men and Boys

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013
Sybrina-Fulton-Tracy-Martin
 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tracy Martin, the father of Trayvon Martin has joined an effort by members of Congress to focus more attention on issues disproportionately affecting black men and boys. Martin was appearing Wednesday before a forum convened by black lawmakers to discuss high unemployment, incarceration, racial profiling and other challenges faced by black men and boys.
Martin was scheduled to give opening remarks in an informal hearing before the Congressional Black Men and Boys Caucus. Congressional caucuses such as this one are made up of members of the House who share interest in a given issue and want to focus attention on it while suggesting possible legislative responses. Caucuses range from the party of the Democrats and Republicans to special group caucuses such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  Martin’s appearance comes a few days after President Barack Obama made remarks identifying himself with the plight of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was shot and killed last year during a confrontation with neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

Apple Acquires HopStop From Nigerian Entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013

Chinedu EcheruoIn a bid to shore up its mobile and Web mapping infrastructure, Apple has confirmed a purchase of Nigerian entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo‘s (pictured) HopStop.com application. With Google buying the Israel-based Waze map application for a reported $1.1 billion, it has been rumored that HopStop’s acquisition was worth a similar amount. But thus far, Apple has not revealed the terms of the deal.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal’s “All Things Digital” blog, HopStop empowers Apple’s map program by providing access to a portion of the mapping landscape it had yet to cover: mass transit directions. The move has been seen by many analysts as the tech-giant’s largest push to compete with the industry-leading Google Maps service. In fact, Google has been providing map data to Apple since 2007.
As an entrepreneur, Echeruo has founded both HopStop and Tripology, after stints working as an analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase. Echeruo also made his mark in the hedge fund world, working for AM Investment Partners for a time. Echeruo grew up in Eastern Nigeria and was a student at Kings College in Lagos. He later came to the States to attend Syracuse University and Harvard Business School before founding his businesses.

"Lee Daniels’ The Butler" Gets New Posters Following Title Change

By goodblacknews on July 23, 2013

The Weinstein Co. has unveiled the first posters for Lee Daniels’ The Butler, four days after it was forced to change the title from The Butler.  Both posters show a white-gloved Forest Whitaker along with the new title (the poster above evoking the famous photo from the 1968 Olympics of Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the black power salute during their medal ceremony).  TWC is releasing the film on Aug. 16.  The Motion Pictures Assn. of America (MPAA) ruled Friday that TWC could keep The Butler”as part of the title, but would have to change its marketing materials and pay $400,000 in fines for violating a July 2 finding that the use of The Butler as the title had violated MPAA rules because Warner Bros. owns rights to The Butler.
Lee-Daniels-The-Butler-poster__130723170234-275x308The ruling also required that, should TWC use Lee Daniels’ The Butler as the title, the “Lee Daniels” part of title had to be 75% the size of “The Butler.”  Lee Daniels’ The Butler is centered on African-American butler Eugene Allen, who worked in the White House during eight presidencies throughout the civil rights era. The film also stars Oprah Winfrey.  TWC’s fine of $25,000 a day, dating back to July 2, is based on violating the initial ruling. The fine will increase to $50,000 a day if the studio fails to issue new digital materials (trailers, TV ads) by Thursday and new print materials by Aug. 2.
article by Dave McNary via Variety.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

EBC Suspends Summer Tournament To Host Trayvon Martin Invitational

By goodblacknews on July 23, 2013

A Black ANd White Photo Of Trayvon Martin
On Friday, July 26th the Entertainers Basketball Classic (EBC) will suspend their summer tournament for one weekend to host the Trayvon Martin Invitational in memory of the slain Florida teen.  In conjunction with Vibe Magazine and NYC radio station Hot 97, the tournament will host New York’s elite streetball teams (within the tri-state area), top NBA players and celebrities who will come together at the legendary Rucker Park. There will be 2 games every night at 6pm & 8pm with the winning teams of each game advancing toward the Invitational Championship game which takes place on Monday, July 29 at 8pm. Bringing young and old together, the EBC in conjunction with activist Kevin Powell will host community leaders at the park to speak to the Harlem fans and attendees.
CEO and founder of EBC, Greg Marius states “This is an extremely difficult time for many people, I can not begin to express my sympathy with Trayvon Martin’s family but only show my support by joining together as a community to make a difference. If we do not make a stand for all the injustices now, who will?”