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William Walker Sworn in as 1st Black Sergeant-At-Arms for the U.S. House of Representatives

William Walker Sworn in as 1st Black Sergeant-At-Arms for the U.S. House of Representatives

By goodblacknews on April 27, 2021

Former National Guard General William Walker was sworn in as House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms by Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday, making him the first African-American person to hold the post.

Pelosi selected Walker for the position in March in the wake of the January 6 Capitol insurrection and the resignation of former Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving. Timothy Blodgett served as temporary Sergeant-at-Arms until Walker officially took over the position.

“His historic appointment as the first Black American to serve as Sergeant-at-Arms is an important step forward for this institution and our nation,” said Nancy Pelosi in a statement.

An officer of the House whose history extends back to the First Congress, the Sergeant-at-Arms is the chamber’s principal law enforcement official, charged with maintaining security on the floor and for the House side of the Capitol complex.

The modern Sergeant-at-Arms serves on the Capitol Police Board and the Capitol Guide Board along with the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol.

The Sergeant-at-Arms also enforces protocol and ensures decorum during floor proceedings. The Mace, which symbolizes the authority of the House, is maintained by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms. On occasion, the Sergeant-at-Arms has presented the Mace to restore order on the floor.

The Sergeant-at-Arms also is empowered to compel absent Members onto the House floor to conduct business. The office’s duties also include administrative functions: arranging Capitol funerals, managing parking facilities, and issuing identification to Members and staff.

HBCU Lincoln University Now Offers Law Enforcement Training Academy With Goal of Community-Based Policing

HBCU Lincoln University Now Offers Law Enforcement Training Academy With Goal of Community-Based Policing

By goodblacknews on April 25, 2021

Lincoln University in Missouri has become the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to train police recruits on campus at the Lincoln University Law Enforcement Training Academy (LULET) established earlier this year.

Led by Lincoln University police chief Gary Hill, the program allows its students to spend their final semester at the university doing full-time police training, in addition to viewing and analyzing bodycam and cellphone footage of incidents as part of the curriculum.

According to time.com, the program runs for 22 weeks on evenings and Saturdays. Students learn how to shoot a firearm and when to use force, as well as how to respond to domestic-violence and child-abuse calls and how to deal with death encountered on the job.

Hill says the academy steers away from the military-style teaching methods that traditional police academies have been criticized for using. He says a chunk of the curriculum focuses on de-escalation strategies and that he has personally vetted the instructors, who are all local law-enforcement officers.

A new study published this February in the journal Science found that Black and Hispanic officers use force less frequently than white officers, especially against Black people, evidence that diversity can improve police treatment of communities of color.

To watch an MSNBC segment on the academy, click below:

Learn more:

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Documentary “Twenty Pearls,” Narrated by Phylicia Rashad, Premieres March 26 on Xfinity Channel

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Documentary “Twenty Pearls,” Narrated by Phylicia Rashad, Premieres March 26 on Xfinity Channel

By goodblacknews on March 26, 2021

The exclusive premiere of the documentary film Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, starts airing today, Friday, March 26 on Comcast NBCUniversal‘s newly-launched Black Experience on Xfinity Channel.

Narrated by AKA member Phylicia Rashād, directed by filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper and produced by Coffee Bluff Pictures, Twenty Pearls closely examines the founding and legacy of the first Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, which is regarded as one of the most significant and influential Black organizations in history.

The documentary tells a story of sisterhood. In 1908, nine Black women students enrolled at Howard University  created Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.®

Through narration, interviews and rarely seen archival materials, the audience will see the sorority’s impact on World War II, NASA, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) culminating in the historic election of Kamala Harris as America’s first Black and South Asian woman Vice President.

Twenty Pearls features interviews with members of the sorority including Vice President Kamala Harris, Miss Universe Ireland 2019 Fionnghuala O’Reilly, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Fierst, great-granddaughter of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, International President and CEO of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Dr. Glenda Glover and many more.

Other notable AKAs include NASA mathematician and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Katherine Johnson, civil rights activist and icon Coretta Scott King, tennis champion Althea Gibson, and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison.

“This is an extraordinary time to look back at our past to serve our future,” added Deborah Riley Draper. “A future where Black women are centered. Helming this documentary love letter to the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the generations of women that followed in their footsteps and to all Black women everywhere is an honor. This is an important history for all of us to know and understand.”

“Telling our own story is essential to preserving our history and uplifting the culture,” said Alpha Kappa Alpha International President and CEO Dr. Glenda Glover. “Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated’s remarkable 113-year journey which began on the campus of Howard University is punctuated by stories of history makers, ceiling breakers, public servants and ordinary women who have changed the course of American history.  Through this beautifully written and narrated odyssey, this film highlights in undeniable ways the vision, courage, tenacity, determination and power of Black women while putting to bed the age-old questions about the relevance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Divine Nine sororities and fraternities.”

Black Experience on Xfinity is a destination of Black entertainment, movies, TV shows, news and more. It features high-quality content from many of Xfinity’s existing network partners, while investing millions of dollars in fostering and showcasing emerging Black content creators.

Black Experience on Xfinity is available at home on Xfinity X1 and Flex, and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream app,  At home, Xfinity subscribers can visit channel 1622 or simply say “Black Experience” into the Voice Remote to instantly enjoy its content.

Visit https://www.xfinity.com/learn/digital-cable-tv/black-experience to learn more about the Black Experience on Xfinity and other Black programming available on X1, Flex, and the Xfinity Stream app. 

Visit www.aka1908.com to learn more about Twenty Pearls, which premieres on today on Xfinity and is free for subscribers, and will be available on demand nationwide starting on March 30, 2021.

Morehouse College and Spelman College Co-Create Center for Black Entrepreneurship with $10 Million in Funding from Bank of America

Morehouse College and Spelman College Co-Create Center for Black Entrepreneurship with $10 Million in Funding from Bank of America

By goodblacknews on March 20, 2021

According to jbhe.com, the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, HBCUs Spelman College, Morehouse College and Bank of America have announced plans to develop the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, the first-ever academic center to assemble, educate, and empower a new class of Black entrepreneurial talent.

The Center for Black Entrepreneurship is powered by $10 million in funding from Bank of America and will be co-located on the Spelman and Morehouse campuses. The Center will support the development of an academic curriculum, faculty recruitment, co-curricular programming, and the development of new physical space.

Mary Schmidt Campbell, president of Spelman and part of the Black Economic Alliance said “our students will learn to build strong businesses and create wealth for their families and their communities, all while obtaining a first-rate liberal arts education. We’ll hire top-tier faculty, support our students financially, continue to grow co-curricular programs that offer real-world experience, and offer courses online for those adults who are already in the workplace.”

In addition, the CBE will allow current student-run initiatives, like Spelman’s Entrepreneurship Club and the Black Venture Capital Consortium, as well as popular programs like Spelpreneur, to create a stronger network of young leaders.

“As an alumna of Spelman College, I know firsthand the lasting and meaningful impact the institution can make on its students and surrounding community,” said Cynthia Bowman, chief diversity and inclusion and talent acquisition officer for Bank of America. “This collective partnership will work to eliminate existing barriers by providing unique opportunities to Black entrepreneurs, ultimately fueling Black innovation and economic mobility within the next generation.”

The CBE seeks to eliminate the access barriers among Black entrepreneurs, professional investors, and business builders by leveraging education, mentorship, access to capital and opportunity.

Read more: https://www.jbhe.com/2021/03/the-center-for-black-entrepreneurship-established-at-morehouse-and-spelman-colleges-in-atlanta/

https://www.spelman.edu/about-us/news-and-events/news-releases/2021/02/22/bank-of-america-supports-creation-of-new-center-for-black-entrepreneurship-at-spelman-college-and-morehouse-college

[Photo credit: spelman.edu]

Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit Becomes New Home of Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Virtual Grand Opening on 3/22

Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit Becomes New Home of Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Virtual Grand Opening on 3/22

By goodblacknews on March 15, 2021

The Tuskegee Airmen National Museum, which honors the legacy and achievements of the nation’s first all-Black air fighter squadron, has moved to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

Housed in the Coleman A. Young Gallery – named after Detroit’s first Black mayor who was himself a second lieutenant, bombardier and navigator in the Tuskegee Airmen.

A virtual grand opening is scheduled for March 22 – 80 years after the squadron’s activation by President Franklin Roosevelt.

“As we observe the 80th anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen, we honor their courage, remember their sacrifice, and celebrate their amazing feats and contributions,” said Brian Smith, president of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum.

The grand opening will include a ribbon-cutting, virtual tour and remarks by Airmen Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr. and Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson. The Detroit Youth Choir will perform a special rendition of the Tuskegee Airmen fight song (see below):

Stewart and Jefferson were featured in the 2019 Ford Fund documentary Our Voices: Our Stories – The Tuskegee Airmen available on YouTube. You can also watch the 2011 documentary In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen on Amazon Video.

Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/03/13/tuskegee-airmen-wright-museum/115555474/

Academy Award Winners Regina King and John Ridley Re-Team to Make Shirley Chisholm Biopic

Academy Award Winners Regina King and John Ridley Re-Team to Make Shirley Chisholm Biopic

By goodblacknews on February 17, 2021

The universe’s desire to honor Shirley Chisholm continues! Yesterday, Good Black News posted a Black History Month tribute to Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to U.S. Congress and a one-time candidate for U.S. President.

Today, Variety.com reported Regina King will produce and star in a new biographical feature on Chisholm, to be written and directed by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, All is By My Side):

“Regina’s passion for bringing a complete and very human portrait of Shirley to life has been evident since literally the day we first met,” Ridley said. “I’m very thankful to both Regina and Reina trusting me to partner in telling the story of this truly remarkable individual.”

The film is being produced based on the life story rights through an exclusive agreement with the Chisholm Estate.

Ridley and King previously worked together on the ABC anthology series American Crime, for which King garnered two Emmys as Best Supporing Actress in a Limited Series.

BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Shirley Chisholm, 1st Black Woman Elected to U.S. Congress, Presidential Candidate, Educator

BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Shirley Chisholm, 1st Black Woman Elected to U.S. Congress, Presidential Candidate, Educator

By goodblacknews on February 16, 2021

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

This is Shirley Chisholm. Best known as the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress who also ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1972.

“Fighting Shirley” — as she was known by many in Washington D.C. and her hometown district of Brooklyn, NY — was the oldest daughter of immigrant parents from Guyana and Barbados.

Chisholm worked as a nursery school teacher, got a degree in Child Education from Columbia University and by 1960, was a consultant to the New York City Division of Day Care.

Always aware of racial and gender inequality, Chisholm soon ventured into social justice work and politics by joining local chapters of the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, the Urban League, as well as the Democratic Party club in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

In 1964, Chisholm ran for and became the 2nd African American in the New York State Legislature. After court-ordered redistricting in her neighborhood occurred to counter years of gerrymandering, in 1968 Chisholm ran for and won her congressional district seat.

While in the House of Representatives “Fighting Shirley” introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation, fought for racial and gender equality, the economically oppressed, and to end the Vietnam War.

Chisholm also fought against “old men that make up the Southern oligarchy” from Day One. She complained about her assignment to the Agricultural Committee — what did agriculture have to do with her constituents in Bedford-Stuyvesant, she argued — and won reassignment even though most Congressional freshmen never questioned their committee placements.

Chisholm was subsequently placed on the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Education and Labor Committee, where she was able to work on initiatives such as the Nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

She was also a co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971, and in 1977 became the first Black woman and 2nd woman ever to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee.

Chisholm’s quest for the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination was thwarted at every turn. Chisholm was blocked from participating in televised primary debates, and only after taking legal action, was she permitted to make just one speech.

Still, many faithful followed the “Chisholm Trail” as she entered 12 primaries and garnered 152 of the delegates’ votes (10% of the total)—despite an under-financed and under-reported campaign.
BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Barbara Jordan – Groundbreaking Congressmember, Lawyer, Professor and Orator

BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Barbara Jordan – Groundbreaking Congressmember, Lawyer, Professor and Orator

By goodblacknews on February 2, 2021

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Barbara Jordan was born in 1936 in Houston, Texas to a teacher mother and Baptist preacher father. Jordan grew up to become the first African-American woman voted into the Texas Senate (1966-1972) and the first Black woman from the South elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1972-1979).

Jordan is best known for her superlative oratory skills, in particular the U.S. Judiciary Committee speech she gave in Congress almost 46 years ago to the day supporting the impeachment of Richard Nixon, as well as the Keynote address she gave at the 1976 Democratic National Convention (the first Black woman to do so in the Convention’s 144-year history).

Jordan also was the first and (so far) only Black woman to serve as Governor (albeit for one day on June 10, 1972) of any state in America. While in Congress, Jordan supported the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, legislation that required banks to lend and make services available to underserved poor and minority communities.

She also supported the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and expansion of it to cover “language minorities”; this expansion offered protection to Spanish-speaking Latinos in her home state of Texas even when opposed by the Texas Governor and Secretary of State. Jordan also authored an act that ended federal authorization of price fixing by manufacturers.

After retiring from politics in 1979, Jordan worked as a professor of Ethics at the University of Texas at Austin. Around this time, Jordan was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and eventually had to get around via wheelchair, but that did not stop her from being an active scholar and public servant.

From 1994 until her death in 1996, Jordan chaired the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, which recommended limits on immigration while also acknowledging how immigration had strengthened and continued to strengthen America.

President Bill Clinton wanted to nominate Jordan to the U.S. Supreme Court, but her health issues (which soon also included leukemia) prevented him from nominating her.

I started reading up on Barbara Jordan a few years ago because I’d always heard about her “firsts” but didn’t really didn’t have a sense of who she was or what made her formidable.

Then I listened to and watched her speeches. My. Heavens. If you haven’t heard it before, you MUST HEAR HER VOICE.

BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Carter G. Woodson, “The Father of Black History”

BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Carter G. Woodson, “The Father of Black History”

By goodblacknews on February 1, 2021

Happy Black History Month 2021! The team at Good Black News is excited as ever to celebrate and explore the events, movements and people who have contributed indelibly to African American life and culture throughout the centuries.

Today we start by honoring Carter G. Woodson, the man responsible for creating and advancing the concept of having a specific time every year nationally to recognize the achievements of Black people in the U.S.

Known as “The Father of Black History,” author and historian Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents who were never taught to read and write.

To make ends meet, Woodson often had to forgo school for farm or mining work, but he was encouraged to learn independently and eventually earned advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and Harvard University.

In 1915 he helped found the Journal of Negro History, (see issues of the Journal here) and starting in 1926 he developed and promoted the second week of February as Negro History Week.

In 1933, Woodson published The Mis-Education of the Negro, a book where he argues that African Americans were being indoctrinated instead of taught in American schools, and being led to view themselves as inferior. Woodson encourages his readers to become autodidacts and to “do for themselves”, regardless of what they learn in the educational system.

February officially became Black History Month across the nation in 1976.

(paid links)

Jennifer King Makes History as 1st Black Woman to be Full-Time NFL Coach

Jennifer King Makes History as 1st Black Woman to be Full-Time NFL Coach

By goodblacknews on January 23, 2021

With the amount of glass ceilings broken this past week, America’s going to need a bigger broom.

Jennifer King continues her historic ascension up the coaching ladder by becoming the first full-time African-American woman coach in the National Football League.

The Washington Football Team will make King a full-time offensive assistant after spending this past season as a coaching intern.

The news was first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Thursday night.

King spent 2018 and 2019 interning in for the league the off-season and during training camp for the Carolina Panthers. King spent the 2020 season as a full-time intern, working with running backs coach Randy Jordan.

In between her two stints with the Panthers, King worked as an assistant wide receiver coach and special teams assistant for the now-defunct Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.