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Happy Thanksgiving to All and Congratulations to the Winners of “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day® Calendar for 2023!

Happy Thanksgiving to All and Congratulations to the Winners of “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day® Calendar for 2023!

By goodblacknews on November 24, 2022

As promised last week, GBN is giving thanks today to three members of the GBN community who entered our giveaway for the chance to receive one free copy each of our “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day® Calendar for 2023 .

Congratulations to Erica Donaldson-Ellison, Lise Andreasen and Karla Stewart-Tyson! We will be contacting you each shortly via email to arrange delivery of your free calendars from Workman Publishing.

Also, thank you so much to all who entered the giveaway. If you didn’t win today — good news! Due to popular demand, we will be holding a second drawing on December 9 and will announce three more lucky winners!

No need to enter again if you already have — you will automatically remain in the running.

To those who have yet to enter – it’s not too late! For a chance to win in December, send your first name, last name and email address with the subject heading “A Year of Good Black News Giveaway” to goodblacknewsgiveaways@yahoo.com from now until 11:59PM PT on December 8. One entry per unique email.

Already a Top 10 release in Multicultural Calendars on Amazon, A Year of Good Black News is filled with facts, history, bios, quotes, jokes and trivia in easy-to-read entries delivered on the daily.

In case you can’t wait to see if you’re the lucky winner, or if you want to buy copies as gifts for family, friends, teachers or loved ones,  you can use the code: CYBER22 at Workman.com or pageaday.com until November 30 to receive 25% OFF site-wide, plus Free Shipping on orders over $25.

If you want to support a Black-owned bookstore with your purchase, order through this link on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/esowonbooks, search “Good Black News Calendar” to add it to your cart, and a portion of the sale will go to directly to Eso Won Books in Los Angeles, CA.

Or, if you prefer, you can also order from the retailers below:

Onward and upward… and good luck!

“Food Griot” Tonya Hopkins to Host “The Kwanzaa Menu” Online Series on Food Network this December

“Food Griot” Tonya Hopkins to Host “The Kwanzaa Menu” Online Series on Food Network this December

By goodblacknews on November 22, 2022

The seven days of Kwanzaa just got tastier.

According to Variety.com, “The Kwanzaa Menu” in concert with the beginning of Kwanzaa, will debut on December 26 on FoodNetwork.com.

Hosted by culinary scholar Tonya Hopkins, the series will discuss each of Kwanzaa’s seven principles using a special dish as the springboard to conversation.

To quote from Variety.com:

“Celebrating Kwanzaa through good food and drink not only allows us to reconnect to the vibrance of our culinary history that greatly informs who we are as Black people, our very identities — but also to take pride in that which has so profoundly shaped American foodways at large, for centuries,” Hopkins says of the series produced by Best Wishes Studio.

Per Food Network, “In each of the seven episodes Tonya and a special guest prepare a recipe that is connected to the day’s celebration. Together they will commemorate each day of Kwanzaa by cooking meaningful dishes and discussing the Nguzu Saba, the seven principles, and history of the holiday. When presented together, the collective dishes create a meaningful and celebratory Kwanzaa Menu.”

The series is a family affair for Hopkins, filmed at her family’s South Orange County, Calif. home and featuring guest appearances from her father Dr. Thomas A. Parham and sister Kenya Parham, who also serves as a writer and producer.

“Both my and Tonya’s life work centers around doing all things ‘for the culture!’ This project was a deeply personal labor of love — love for our people, love for ourselves, and love for the principles that anchor our lives,” cultural strategist Kenya says of the project. “To collaborate on this production with my brilliant sister, our family, an all-star (majority Black) crew led by Best Wishes Studio and Food Network is the kind of kismet synergy dreams are made of! We know we’ve created a cultural gem with ‘The Kwanzaa Menu’ and are tremendously excited for the world to receive it and celebrate with us!”

Read more about each episode’s inspiration, special guests and delicious dishes below:

“Umoja” (Unity) | Amazing Hibiscus Mulled Wine Kwanzaa Mimosa – Tonya is joined by her sister, Kenya Parham, to prepare a recipe celebrating the principle of Umoja, which emphasizes the importance of unity in all areas, including family, community, nation and race. Traditionally libations, served in a Kikombe Cha Umoja (Unity Cup) are presented to acknowledge and honor the family units of present and past.

“Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)” | Crispy Akara (Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) with Savory Smoky Sesame Sauce – The principle of Kujichagulia focuses on building one’s identity as a person and a community and in honor of that, Tonya whips up a dish with the help of special guest, Kareem Grimes. The majority of Black Americans descended from (or passed through) the West African region and the recipe is a way to make culinary contact and acknowledge that point of origin and ancestral journey.

GBN GIVEAWAY: Enter by 11/23 For Chance to Win Free “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day® Calendar for 2023!

GBN GIVEAWAY: Enter by 11/23 For Chance to Win Free “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day® Calendar for 2023!

By goodblacknews on November 16, 2022

Good Black News, in collaboration with Workman Publishing, is getting into the holiday spirit once again — by giving away three copies of our “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day® Calendar for 2023 on Thanksgiving Day!

A Year of Good Black News is filled with facts, history, bios, quotes, jokes and trivia in easy-to-read pages delivered on the daily, and GBN will be selecting at random three entrants to each receive one free copy of the calendar.

To enter for a chance to win, send your first and last name and an email address with the subject heading “A Year of Good Black News Giveaway” to goodblacknewsgiveaways@yahoo.com from now until 11:59PM PST on November 23.

One entry per email, and we will announce the names of the three winners in a post on Thanksgiving, then contact them for mailing addresses to receive their individual calendar prize.

In case you can’t wait to see if you’re the lucky winner and/or want to buy copies for gifts to family, friends, teachers, or loved ones, you can order at Workman.com or pageaday.com using code: CYBER22 from now until November 30, you will receive 25% off.

If you want to support a Black-owned bookstore with your purchase, order through this link on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/esowonbooks, search “Good Black News Calendar” to add it to your cart, and a portion of the sale will go to directly to Eso Won Books in Los Angeles, CA.

The calendar is also available through the following online retailers:

Onward and upward… and good luck!

MUSIC MONDAY: Soulful Thanksgiving 2022 Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: Soulful Thanksgiving 2022 Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on November 14, 2022

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

The holiday season fast approaches, and I’m back with a collection to gather around the table with family and friends.

Here’s a Thanksgiving playlist that includes new music by Rihanna from the BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER soundtrack, and food-centered classics like Cab Calloway’s “Everybody Eats When They Come To My House” from way back in the day.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21kETv2UnVKnydn4bIQfnV?si=c19aa43679904c20″]

This musical journey features soul, jazz, reggae, and gospel, all good music to cook, eat, and clean that kitchen to.

Here’s Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole singing songs about autumn, and several artists like Sly Stone, Massive Attack, and Otis Redding offering songs of thanks.

Plus Little Eva, Fantasia, Louis Jordan and others praising grits, stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, greens, cornbread, and collards to name a few. Hungry yet?

Happy Early Thanksgiving, y’all. I’ll see you soon with a funky holiday season offering next month.

Until such time, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

IT’S BACK!! GBN’s “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day Calendar for 2023 Now Available for Pre-Order

IT’S BACK!! GBN’s “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day Calendar for 2023 Now Available for Pre-Order

By goodblacknews on October 23, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Editor-in-Chief

Last fall GBN came out with its first physical product: the A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022, published by Workman Publishing.

We are excited to announce that, with your support, its sequel is on the way — the  A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2023!

Written by yours truly, the A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2023 is filled with fresh new facts, history, bios, quotes, jokes and trivia in easy-to-read daily entries.

The 2023 calendar’s official drop date is Tuesday, November 1, and if you pre-order now at Workman.com using the code: CALENDAR22 from now until December 31, you will receive 20% off.

A Year of Good Black News offers fun Black facts about inventors, artists, entrepreneurs, musicians, comedians, historians, educators, athletes and entertainers.

We’re introducing new monthly categories for 2023 like “In The Paint: Black Artists,” and “Hit The Books: Black Authors,” along with established ones like “Lemme Break It Down: Black Lexicon,” “We Got Game: Black Trivia,” “Get The Knowledge: Black Museums and Landmarks” and “You Know We Did That, Right?: Black Inventors.” 

Here’s a sneak peek inside:

Although I’m biased because I wrote it, the A Year of Good Black News calendar is an awesome way to get inspired every day by the good things Black people do (and have done) for centuries, but haven’t always been widely known or shared.

It’s also a great gift for family members, friends, teachers, children and loved ones. Did I mention if you use the code: CALENDAR22 at Workman.com, you get 20% off?

Or, if you prefer, you can also order from the retailers below:

Bookshop: https://www.bookshop.org/

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781523516353?aff=workmanpub

Barnes & Noble: barnesandnoble.com

Books-A-Million: www.booksamillion.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1523516356?tag=workmanweb-20

Onward and upward –  hope you enjoy – and share!

MUSIC MONDAY: Funky Halloween Playlist for 2022 (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: Funky Halloween Playlist for 2022 (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on October 10, 2022

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Monday, you all. It’s Halloween time once again, and I’m here with another free-wheeling playlist for the season.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Sry7T5O1DwY2mzATClKC6?si=01663ed73c5a4b01″]

Soul, Reggae, Funk, Jazz, and movie soundtracks make up this collection. There are midcentury classics, plus brand new and previously unreleased tracks.

Michael Abels’ music from Jordan Peele’s neo-Western science fiction horror film, NOPE, serves as a through line for this mix.

It features Beyoncé, The Weekend, Ella Fitzgerald, Little Simz, Exuma, King Tubby, and long-lost collaborations with the late Ranking Roger and The Clash.

I freely admit to casting a very wide net for this playlist. It won’t scare kids off your porch on the 31st, but it might have you shaking a tail feather from now until then.

Please enjoy this collection that offers, witches, ghost, werewolves, and monsters both real and imagined.

Until next month, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

Vogue and YouTube Originals Documentary Series “Supreme Models” Chronicles History, Impact and Influence of Black Models (WATCH TRAILER)

Vogue and YouTube Originals Documentary Series “Supreme Models” Chronicles History, Impact and Influence of Black Models (WATCH TRAILER)

By goodblacknews on September 27, 2022

Vogue and YouTube Originals explore the legacy of Black models with a six-part documentary series based on Marcellas Reynolds’ 2019 book, SUPREME MODELS: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion.

The series chronicles the evolution of Black beauty and its impact on the fashion industry, the civil rights movement, the “Black is Beautiful” era and the influence on American culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fu2Prg0GTg

Supreme Models features trailblazers such as Iman and Bethann Hardison to superstar models Joan Smalls, Indya Moore and Precious Lee with legends including Pat Cleveland, Roshumba Williams and Veronica Webb.

Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast and Global Editorial Director, Vogue, as well as Vogue European Editorial Director Edward Enniful, Vogue.com editor Chioma Nnadi and more also share personal stories of these boundary breaking women who set new standards in the worlds of beauty and fashion – from the 1960s to the unlimited potential of the digital age today.

RELATED:

(paid link)

MUSIC MONDAY: The “In” Crowd: A Celebration of Jazz Legend Ramsey Lewis (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: The “In” Crowd: A Celebration of Jazz Legend Ramsey Lewis (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on September 19, 2022

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Monday, you all. It’s your friend and selector, Marlon West, back with another dose of fine music.

Earlier this month we lost jazz legend, Ramsey Lewis. He can be credited with extending the life of jazz on the pop charts with his cover of Dobie Gray’s “The ‘In’ Crowd.”

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ZdslhMZ54cowXDVIAStvb?si=01734c9375504d03″]

It spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 and rose as high as No. 5. The album spent 12 weeks in the top spot among best-selling R&B albums.

Throughout his decades-long career, Lewis was the maestro of jazz crossover. Ramsey Lewis’ trio included bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt.

They received not only chart success with “The ‘In’ Crowd” but also cultural acclamation: the cut earned him the Grammy award for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance.

“Improvisation that should swing, have some forward motion to it, even if it’s a ballad, to have some movement about it. Where are you going to find that spontaneous improvisation in the moment except in jazz?” Lewis told Molly Murphy in a 2006 interview for the National Endowment For the Arts.

Lewis was born in Chicago on May 27, 1935 and grew up in the Cabrini Green housing project. He started taking piano lessons at a young age and played at church, where his father was choir director.

Throughout his life he always returned to his hometown and as a teacher and mentor. Here’s some of the best of Ramsey Lewis. Enjoy!

“See” ya next month! Just in time for a soulful and funky Halloween offering.

And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

Advanced Placement African American Studies Classes Debut at 60 U.S. High Schools

Advanced Placement African American Studies Classes Debut at 60 U.S. High Schools

By goodblacknews on September 10, 2022

The College Board has announced it will begin offering an Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course at 60 high schools across the U.S. this fall.

The AP program, which traditionally gives high school students an opportunity to take college-level courses before graduation, currently covers 38 subjects, including  U.S. government and politics, biology, chemistry, English, European History and art history.

The AP African American Studies course is the College Board’s first new offering since 2014, according to TIME, and the multi-disciplinary course will cover over 400 years of African American history, literature, civil rights, politics, the arts, culture and geography.

Though a pilot program currently, the aim is by the 2024-2025 school year for this AP offering to be the first course in African American studies for U.S. high school students that is considered rigorous enough to allow students to receive credit and advanced placement at colleges across the country.

To quote the New York Times:

The plan for an Advanced Placement course is a significant step in acknowledging the field of African American studies, more than 50 years after what has been credited as the first Black studies department was started after a student strike at San Francisco State College in 1968, said Henry Louis Gates Jr., a former chair of Harvard’s department of African and African American studies and director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.

“In the history of any field, in the history of any discipline in the academy, there are always milestones indicating the degree of institutionalization,” said Dr. Gates, who is a consultant to the project along with a colleague, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. “These are milestones which signify the acceptance of a field as being quote-unquote ‘academic’ and quote-unquote ‘legitimate.’”

Students will take a pilot exam but will not receive scores or college credit, according to the College Board.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/advanced-placement-african-american-studies-class-rollout-us-high-schools-college-board/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ap-african-american-studies-coming-to-us-high-schools-180980689/

Bank of America Launches Zero Down Payment Mortgage Plan to Expand Homeownership Opportunities in Black and Latinx Communities

Bank of America Launches Zero Down Payment Mortgage Plan to Expand Homeownership Opportunities in Black and Latinx Communities

By goodblacknews on September 4, 2022

Bank of America recently announced a new zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgage plan for first-time homebuyers, which will be available in certain markets, including African American and/or Hispanic-Latino neighborhoods in Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles and Miami.

What BofA is calling “The Community Affordable Loan Solution™” aims to help eligible individuals and families obtain an affordable loan to purchase a home.

“Homeownership strengthens our communities and can help individuals and families to build wealth over time,” said AJ Barkley, head of neighborhood and community lending for Bank of America. “Our Community Affordable Loan Solution will help make the dream of sustained homeownership attainable for more Black and Hispanic families, and it is part of our broader commitment to the communities that we serve.”

The Community Affordable Loan Solution is a Special Purpose Credit Program which uses credit guidelines based on factors such as timely rent, utility bill, phone and auto insurance payments. It requires no mortgage insurance or minimum credit score.

Individual eligibility is based on income and home location. Prospective buyers must complete a homebuyer certification course provided by select Bank of America and HUD-approved housing counseling partners prior to application.

This new program is in addition to and complements Bank of America’s existing $15 billion Community Homeownership Commitment™ to offer affordable mortgages, industry leading grants and educational opportunities to help 60,000 individuals and families purchase affordable homes by 2025.

According to the National Association of Realtors, currently there is a nearly 30-percentage-point gap in homeownership between White and Black Americans; for Hispanic buyers, the gap is nearly 20 percent. And the competitive housing market has made it even more difficult for potential homebuyers, especially people of color, to buy homes.

In addition to expanding access to credit and down payment assistance, Bank of America provides educational resources to help homebuyers navigate the homebuying process, including:

  • First-Time Homebuyer Online Edu-Series,™a five-part, easy-to-understand video roadmap for buying and financing a home, available in English and Spanish.
  • BetterMoneyHabits.com free financial education content, including videos about managing finances and how to prepare for buying a new home.
  • Bank of America Down Payment Center – site to help homebuyers find state and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs in their area. Bank of America participates in more than 1,300 state and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs.
  • Bank of America Real Estate Center – site to help homebuyers find properties with flags to identify properties that may qualify for Bank of America grant programs and Community Affordable Loan Solution™.

For more information, contact Bank of America at 1-800-641-8362.

Read more: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bank-of-america-introduces-community-affordable-loan-solution-to-expand-homeownership-opportunities-in-blackafrican-american-and-hispanic-latino-communities-301614686.html

https://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-zero-down-mortgages-buy-home-cheaper-easier-2022-9