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Posts published in “Awards/Honors”

Ta-Nehisi Coates Wins MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant

By goodblacknews on September 29, 2015
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Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of 24 people selected for this year’s “genius grants” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced Tuesday.
Coates, the author of current New York Times bestseller “Between the World and Me,” is a national correspondent for The Atlantic, where he writes about cultural, political and social issues, most prominently racial issues. Recipients receive $625,000 over five years to continue work in their respective fields. Other winners include playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, puppeteer Basil Twist, poet Ellen Bryan Voigt and writer Ben Lerner.
“I wished I could be cool,” Coates told The New York Times. “But you just can’t be cool.”
“The Case for Reparations,” Coates’ 2014 centerpiece essay on the state of race relations in the United States, prompted a frenzy of online discussion and debate over the legacy of slavery and institutional racism in America.
article by Nick Gass via politico.com

History! Viola Davis Becomes 1st Black Woman To Win Emmy For Lead Actress in Drama; Regina King and Uzo Aduba win Emmys for Supporting Roles

By goodblacknews on September 20, 2015

67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Show
Viola Davis made history Sunday night as the first Black woman to win an Emmy for outstanding actress in a drama series, bringing a sisterhood of Black actresses to their feet at the announcement of her accomplishment.
But Davis’ win was the second history-making moment of her night — as Vanity Fair points out, the nomination of lead actress, alongside Taraji P. Henson’s nomination, was the first time multiple women of color have been considered for the award at the same time.
The significance of the moment was not lost on Henson, who stood to embrace Davis as she made her way to the stage.  In a powerful speech that amplified the voices of Black women who have called for more representation in TV, media and film, Davis noted that roles for Black women are scarce in a whitewashed Hollywood.

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there,” she said.

A quote from Harriet Tubman, which she recited at the top of her acceptance speech, served as a succinct but profound outline of what many Black actresses are facing in the world of film, even in 2015.

“In my mind I see a line and over that line I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.”

You can watch her speech here:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrkGmYbvISo&w=560&h=315]

But Davis’ win was not the first exceptional moment for Black women at the 2015 Emmy Awards. Orange Is The New Black star Uzo Aduba also made her own history when she accepted the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first actress to win both a drama and a comedy award for the same role.
67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Show
Hollywood veteran and favorite Regina King also took home an award for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for “American Crime.” It was King’s first nomination and win.
67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Show
For a full list of winners, click below:
2015 Emmy Awards: A List Of The Night’s Big Winners
article by Christina Coleman via newsone.com

John Legend, Tyrese Gibson, Wanda Sykes Honored at 2015 Triumph Awards

By goodblacknews on September 14, 2015

Tyrese at the 2015 Trumph Awards in Atlanta
John Legend and Tyrese Gibson were honored for their positive impact on the community at the Triumph Awards, which took place Saturday night in Atlanta and will air Oct. 3 on TV One.
Legend received the Presidential Award for service and humanitarian efforts. The Grammy-winning singer was not in attendance, but accepted his award in a pre-taped video sitting alongside the Rev. Al Sharpton. (The network collaborated with Sharpton and his National Action Network.)
Gibson was presented the entertainer of the year award by Martin Luther King III. After the singer was given the award, he took the stage to perform his single “Shame.”
The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery received the Chairman’s Award for historic and transformative service as a civil rights leader, while comedian Wanda Sykes was given the Activism in the Arts honor for years of service to youth homelessness and engagement within the LGBT community.
Intel chief diversity officer Rosalind Hudnell was presented with the Corporate Executive of the Year.

Tichina Arnold hosts the 2015 Triumph Awards
Tichina Arnold

Actress Tichina Arnold of the Starz series “Survivor’s Remorse” hosted the show.
Rapper T.I. delivered a spoken-word piece titled “United We Stand,” urging youth to not lose focus and the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
Other performers included Tasha Cobbs, Ledisi, Jazmine Sullivan and Estelle. The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta unveiled “Put Your Guns Up,” a tribute recounting the victims of unfortunate deaths as a result of gun violence.
Grammy-winning jazz artist and producer Robert Glasper was the show’s musical director of the house band. Chante Moore and R&B singer Stokley Williams performed in a duet, singing a rendition of Donny Hathaway’s classic song “Someday We’ll All Be Free.”
article via eurweb.com

Architect Everett L. Fly and Historian Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham to Receive National Humanities Medals

By goodblacknews on September 6, 2015
photo of Everett L. Fly
Everett L. Fly (Photo by Rosalinda Fly)
Architect and preservationist Everett L. Fly, who in 1977 became the first African American to earn a master of landscape architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), and Thomas Professor of history and of African and African American studies at Harvard Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham are among the 10 recipients of the 2014 National Humanities Medal announced yesterday.
The National Humanities Medal honors an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history and literature or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources. Fly’s medal citation praises him:

for preserving the integrity of African-American places and landmarks. A landscape architect, Mr. Fly has worked tirelessly to win historical recognition for Eatonville, Florida, Nicodemus, Kansas, and other sites central to African-American history, preserving an important part of our broader American heritage.

Higginbotham’s citation honors her:

for illuminating the African-American journey. In her writings and edited volumes, Dr. Higginbotham has traced the course of African-American progress, and deepened our understanding of the American story.

According to the biography of Fly provided by the NEH, when he noticed that his GSD classes rarely mentioned buildings and places significant to African-American culture and heritage, he began a career-long study of the origin and evolution of historic black settlements in America. Ever since, he has been unearthing and saving historically significant but forgotten or unrecognized Native- and African-American settlements, more than 1,200 to date. “If we want our American cities to be healthy and sustain them in the future,” he says, “we have to find ways to value not just new office buildings and developers that have the most money and political clout. You find collective history in places where everyday people worked and made contributions that are just as valuable as a big businessperson or landowner. If you can find those connections to their history, people can have a closer relationship to their community.”

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Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Photo via of Harvard University)

Higginbotham “knew from childhood” that she “wanted to teach, research, and write about the history of African Americans,” according to her biographical sketch. She moved from learning the stories of her family’s history to uncovering and sharing the stories of “individuals, groups, and institutions left out of the traditional American narrative” through her own works and as editor in chief of The Harvard Guide to African-American History and as co-editor of the 12-volume African American National Biography.
At Harvard, she has also fostered social engagement among students in the department of African and African American studies, seeking “a curriculum that said you could be socially responsible and engaged, and yet still be intellectually rigorous—that those two things could be wed together.”
Higginbotham and Fly will receive their medals from President Obama in a White House ceremony on September 10, as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) enters its golden anniversary year.
article by Jean Martin via harvardmagazine.com

Spike Lee to Receive Governors Award from Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

By goodblacknews on August 27, 2015
Spike Lee (photo via huffingtonpost.com)
Spike Lee (photo via huffingtonpost.com)

Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands and Debbie Reynolds will be honored Nov. 14 at the seventh annual Governors Awards.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences voted the awards at their Aug. 25 meeting. Following tradition, AMPAS representatives withheld the announcement until they could notify the recipients.
In 2009, the Academy broke out the Governors Awards into a separate, untelevised ceremony; the Oscarcast time constraints limited the number of honorees and the time devoted to each. So the separate ceremony was an experiment, but an immediate success. There was no pressure to select ratings-friendly individuals, and the board has often gone for people who are well-known in the industry but unfamiliar to the public.
The Academy can salute up to six people each year: four honorary Oscars, and one apiece for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Thalberg Award, which goes to a film producer for their body of work. It’s generally been four honorees, except for 2011, when there were three.
Lee and Rowlands will receive the annual honorary Oscars and Reynolds will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Natalie E. Hudson Named Associate Justice to Minnesota Supreme Court

By goodblacknews on August 26, 2015

Judge Natalie Hudson (photo via insight news.com)
Judge Natalie Hudson (photo via insight news.com)

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton announced his appointment of the Honorable Natalie Hudson as associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.  Hudson will replace Associate Justice Alan Page, who will be retiring at the end of August.
“Judge Natalie Hudson has served our state admirably as a member of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and as assistant attorney general,” said Dayton. “During her distinguished 13-year tenure on the Court of Appeals, Judge Hudson has authored more than 1,100 written opinions, demonstrating clearly her unique aptitude for ruling on some of the most challenging legal issues facing our state today.”
Dayton said Hudson was the perfect person to replace Page on the bench.  “Judge Hudson will be an outstanding new member of the Minnesota Supreme Court. I have great confidence that she will bring a valuable perspective to the court, and continue the high standards of excellence, hard work, and fair-mindedness that Justice Page has embodied these last two decades,” said Dayton.
Hudson is the second African-American woman named to the Minnesota Supreme Court, following Wilhelmina Wright, whom Dayton appointed in 2012.
Dayton is also preparing to name Wright’s successor, because President Obama has nominated her to serve on the U.S. District Court for Minnesota. Wright will leave the Minnesota Supreme Court once she’s confirmed by the Senate.
2015 08 18 supreme court appointment“I am honored and humbled that the Governor has selected me to serve as the next Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court,” said Hudson. “I am excited about the opportunity, and it is indeed a privilege to continue to serve the people of Minnesota in this capacity.”
Hudson has served as an at-large judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals since her appointment by Gov. Jesse Ventura in 2002. Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals, Hudson served as an assistant attorney general for Minnesota in the Criminal Appeals and Health Licensing divisions.
Hudson earned her B.A. from Arizona State University and her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she also served as the editor-in-chief for the school’s newspaper.
After completing law school, Hudson was an attorney for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Inc. and Robins, Zelle, Larson & Kaplan. She then spent three years as the assistant dean of Student Affairs at Hamline University School of Law, and was later appointed as the city attorney for St. Paul.
article via insightnews.com; additions from mprnews.org

Philadelphia-Based Organization Oogee Woogee Launches "Be Alright" Scholarship Inspired By Kendrick Lamar

By goodblacknews on August 23, 2015
kendrick lamar
Kendrick Lamar (Judy Eddy/WENN.com)

Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s words are reaching more than just the kids of his hometown of Compton, California.
Just a few months ago, High Tech High School, a North Bergen, New Jersey high school, lesson plan went viral when English teacher Brian Mooney decided to use Lamar’s recent studio album as curriculum and share it on his personal blog. Students used lyrics from Lamar’s sophomore album, To Pimp A Butterfly, to draw parallels between their assigned reading material of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.
News of what was going on reached Kendrick and he ended up visiting Mr. Mooney’s class: listening to the students poetry, giving a special performance, and participating in a classroom rap cypher.
That same school prompted Philadelphia-based organization Oogee Woogee to launch the “Be Alright” Scholarship, which will award one student at High Tech High with $1500 to go towards tuition and book fees. “We always wanted to create a hip-hop-inspired scholarship,” said Wilikine Brutus, content director of Oogee Woogee told Philly.com. “”Alright” came at the right time and the visit to the high school gave us a concrete idea of what we wanted.”
Students must create a 2-3 minute video using their talents to explain the positive aspects of hip-hop. Applicants submissions will then be posted on Oogee Woogee’s Facebook page, and the submission with the most “likes” or “shares” wins. The contest started Friday (Aug. 21) and ends on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 9 a.m.

Oogee Woogee plans to bring the scholarship to Philadelphia and nationwide. Watch the promo video for High Tech’s scholarship below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wogjAveneBg&w=560&h=315]

article by Ashley Monaé via madamenoire.com

Ugandan Journalist Nancy Kacungira Wins BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

By goodblacknews on August 18, 2015
Nancy Kacungira (photo via sde.co.ke)
Nancy Kacungira (photo via sde.co.ke)

A Ugandan journalist with a background as an entrepreneur, radio and TV reporter and presenter has won the first BBC World News Komla Dumor Award.

Nancy Kacungira, a television anchor for Kenya’s KTN television channel, was selected from nearly 200 applicants.
She will spend three months at the BBC in London and also report from Africa for the BBC TV, radio and online.
The award was established to honour Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41.
Ms Kacungira said: “I am stunned, but also ecstatic upon hearing this news. I am so greatly honoured and humbled to be the winner of this award.”
“I owe it to the continent that I fiercely love and am dedicated to, to do my bit to expand the often dogmatic and skewed narratives that have beleaguered it for so long.
“To be a part of continuing Komla’s legacy is such an honour it feels almost like a dream. I will do my very best to justify the great trust that I have been awarded, and ensure that the benefit of this opportunity goes far beyond myself.”
One of the judges, BBC Africa’s current affairs editor, Vera Kwakofi, said: “Nancy is incredibly smart with a breadth and depth to her knowledge and experience that comes across instantly.”
The BBC’s Director of News and Current Affairs James Harding, said: “When Komla Dumor died, it was an enormous loss to the BBC, to Africa and to all of us personally.
“I am delighted that in Nancy we have found an extremely passionate and talented journalist, a worthy winner of the award that we established in Komla’s name.”
Nancy grew up in Uganda where she attended Makerere University in Kampala. She has more than 14 years of experience working across a range of media in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as well as a Masters degree in communications from Leeds University.
She is currently the anchor of Prime Time Evening News on KTN where she is also the channel’s social media editor. There are two runners-up for the award: Leila Dee Dougan from South Africa and Paa Kwesi Asare from Ghana.
Komla Dumor was an exceptional Ghanaian broadcaster who in his short life made an extraordinary impact – in Ghana, in Africa and around the world.  He represented a confident, savvy and entrepreneurial side of Africa.
Through his tenacious journalism and compelling storytelling, Komla worked tirelessly to bring a more nuanced African narrative to the world.
article via bbc.com

Grammy Winner Jill Scott’s "Woman" Debuts at #1 on Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart

By goodblacknews on August 9, 2015

Three-time Grammy winner Jill Scott's new album 'Woman Debuts at #1.
“I try to learn to not do more than I need,” Billboard and three-time Grammy winner Jill Scott said about her fifth studio album entitled “Woman” (Blues Babe Records/Atlantic Records) which is independently released. “I’m not going to put out anything I don’t want. I’m a passionate singer.”
Passionate she is, so passionate she became a business woman to get her music out to her fans in a way where she would have creative control – by forming her own label. Her label Blues Babe Records is distributed by Atlantic Records in order to control her music and her image.
“I own my own record label so I don’t have that kind of pressure,” Scott said when asked about the selection of what songs to include on the album. “I’m in it to win. I contacted some old friends and new friends. All it takes is one good producer.”
Jill is also an actress with credits that include “Why Did I Get Married”, the James Brown story “Get On Up” and “Hounddog.”  A Philadelphia native Jill Scott started with an independent label, Hidden Beach Recordings, its first artist. She went on to form he own label Blues Babe Records with distribution but Warner Bros Records and now Atlantic Records.
The “Woman” tour kicked off July 9, 2015 and ends August 28. It arrives in Jackson, MS August 11 at the Durham Performing Arts Music Hall, Houston, TX August 12 at the Bayou, and Oakland, CA August 21 at the Fox Theater. The album debuted at #1 on U.S. Charts according to The New York Times, which also reports it sold 57,000 albums the first week along with 1.6 million streams.
Jill confessed when asked about struggles that “the initial struggle I had was trying to work and be a mom. That was my struggle. Night time is the right time (to record). I would climb in the bed at 4 a.m. and my son is up at 6:30 a.m. wanting to talk. I’m the kind you wake me up and I’m up. It takes me hours to get back to sleep. (As a result) I stayed in a hotel and then picked him up from school. He gets what he wants and I get what I want.”
Jill said she enlisted help from producers such as Andre Harris on “Prepared” and “Can’t Wait,” David Banner on “Closure”, Warryn Campbell on “Wild Cookie” and 98th Wonder on “Beautiful Love.” “Woman” is executive produced by Scott and Andre Harris. Log onto her website to learn more – www.MissJillScott.com.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2015/08/the-pulse-of-entertainment-billboard-and-grammy-winner-jill-scotts-woman-debuts-at-1/#m2Ijz2KcbPhGxxBA.99

"Empire" Wins Program of the Year at Television Critics Association Awards

By goodblacknews on August 8, 2015
Empire Season 2 promo
Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon in “Empire” (Photo Courtesy Fox)

“Empire” may have been snubbed by the Television Academy for this season’s Emmy Awards, but it won redemption from the Television Critics Association, winning the organization’s top prize, Program of the Year.
In winning program of the year, “Empire” edged out “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men,” “The Americans” and “Transparent.” Amazon’s family dramedy had been nominated for four TCA awards, but ultimately won none.
The evening’s other big winner was pop culture’s “it” girl of the moment, Amy Schumer, who took home two prizes: for her Comedy Central series “Inside Amy Schumer” as Outstanding Achievement in Comedy as well as for Individual Achievement in Comedy.
AMC earned two wins, too: its highly praised freshman series “Better Call Saul,” the prequel to “Breaking Bad,” was crowned Outstanding New Program, and “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm claimed his second Individual Achievement in Drama award for his portrayal of adman Don Draper. (Will this bode well for his quest for that long-elusive Emmy?)
HBO also notched two awards. Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling’s compelling documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” won for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials. And the cable network’s news show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” earned the award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information.
The critics also bestowed a top prize on one of their favorites: FX’s spy thriller “The Americans” won Outstanding Achievement in Drama.

SEE MORE: ‘Empire’ Creator Lee Daniels Developing Girl Band-Based Series ‘Star’ for Fox

In TCA tradition, a “Heritage Award” was given to a show in recognition of its cultural and social impact. And this year, the recipient was late-night staple “Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman,” which ended its run in May after 33 years.
Oscar and Emmy-winning writer, producer and director James L. Brooks (“The Simpsons,” “Taxi,” “Mary Tyler Moore”) was given the Career Achievement Award for his role in creating some of the most groundbreaking and influential television programs.
The critics organization handed out its annual awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles Saturday night, in a ceremony hosted by James Corden, host of CBS’ “The Late Late Show.”
article by Debra Birnbaum via Variety.com