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Posts published in “Commemorations”

As Jackie Robinson Was Making History, Wendell Smith Wrote It

By goodblacknews on April 20, 2013

Wendell Smith
Wendell Smith

Sportswriter Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times recently wrote a thoughtful and necessary essay about sportswriter Wendell Smith, who covered Jackie Robinson’s ascendancy into major league baseball for the Pittsburgh Courier and “finally gets his due” in the recently released motion picture “42.”  Here is an excerpt and a link to the entire article:

Baseball’s greatest story will be rewritten again Monday as the sport celebrates the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breaking the major leagues’ color barrier.Yet the man who wrote the story will be forgotten.
In every game, players from every team will wear 42, the number on the back of Robinson’s jersey when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

Yet nobody will sit in the stands with a manual typewriter atop their knees in memory of the man who, even as he wrote about integration on the field, was barred from the press box because he was black.
Nobody will honor the man who endured the same prejudice as Robinson as he fought that prejudice with his words. Nobody will remember the man whose hidden fight became an inspiration for Robinson’s public battle.
Everyone will remember the headline, but few will remember the byline — Wendell Smith.
The humble, bespectacled journalist was Robinson’s chronicler, his confidant, and sometimes even his conscience. As sports editor and columnist for the African American-owned Pittsburgh Courier, Smith accompanied Robinson throughout his first major league season, creating his image, reporting his words and crusading for his rights.
As Robinson grew more popular, Smith became more invisible, until he eventually became Robinson’s ghost writer in the literal sense, the memory of him turning ethereal and nearly vanishing altogether.
“Everywhere we went, Wendell Smith was there,” said Don Newcombe, former Dodgers pitcher, who was Robinson’s longtime teammate, friend and fellow pioneer. “He was instrumental in so many things that happened, he should not be forgotten.”

Read the rest of Plaschke’s story here.
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article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

'The Black Count' Wins 2013 Pulitzer Prize For Biography; 'Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America' for General Nonfiction

By goodblacknews on April 20, 2013

 Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie, aka Alexandre Dumas, aka “Black Devil” by some of the armies he fought against (let’s just say he was good at his job), aka The Black Count, is at the center of the recently published book from acclaimed author Tom Reiss. Its full title is The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo.  Dumas’ son, likely the most popular Dumas, also named Alexandre Dumas, was author of literary classics like The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.  In fact, Dumas, the father of the author, was the inspiration for The Count Of Monte Cristo.
Other 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners of note include Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King, in the General Nonfiction category.

ESPN Names New Orleans Native Leonard Fournette Nation's No. 1 Football Recruit

By goodblacknews on April 19, 2013
30StAugFB002.jpg
Fournette leads 11 Louisiana prospects ranked in the ESPN150. (Matthew Hinton, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

ESPN released its top 150 players for 2014 on Thursday and anointed the St. Augustine running back as the top prospect.

“It’s a great feeling that someone thinks that you are the best at doing something that you love to do,” said Leonard Fournette, who also was ranked No. 1 by Scout and No. 3 nationally by Rivals. “It’s a big surprise to me. “It’s exciting, but at the same time I know that I have a lot more work to do in myself to get better, faster, stronger. I have a lot of other things that I feel like I have to get better.”
Founette, 6 feet 1 and 222 pounds, has long been one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits. Yet the bruising back, who is considering LSU, Alabama, Florida State, USC and Texas, among others, is, for the moment, putting the breaks on recruiting visits to concentrate on spring football.  “To me, Louisiana has the best talent.”

Brig. Gen. Nadja West to Become Army Medicine’s First African American Female Two-Star General

By goodblacknews on April 18, 2013

General Nadja West
Brigadier General Nadja West, deputy chief of staff, G-1/4/6 for the United States Army Medical Command, will be promoted to Major General. This promotion will make West the first African-American two-star general in the United States Army Medical Command.
West graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a bachelor of science in engineering and attended the George Washington University School of Medicine, where she earned a Doctorate of Medicine degree.  She completed an internship and a residency in family practice at the Martin Army Hospital. Dr. West did a second residency in dermatology at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center and the University of Colorado Medical Center. 
Later, she was assigned chief of dermatology service at the Heidelberg Army Hospital in Germany, and served as the division surgeon of 1st Armored Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, deploying to Macedonia and Kosovo as the deputy task force surgeon. She graduated from the National War College, earning a master’s degree in national security strategy. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Academy of Family Practice.
article via blackengineer.com

Jay-Z and Beyoncé Named to Time 100 ‘Most Influential’ List, Reach Billionaire Status

By goodblacknews on April 18, 2013
(Photo courtesy of Mark Seliger for TIME)

(Photo courtesy of Mark Seliger for TIME)

Power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé have recently been making lots of headlines lately, and now the rapper is gracing the cover of Time.  Both he and wife Beyoncé have been named by the magazine as two of the world’s most influential people.
The annual feature lists 100 of the world’s most prominent figures, in no particular order, who have made the biggest global impact over the past year.  The issue, which includes Jay-Z on one of seven covers, also provides brief profiles that capture the essence of each qualifier.

Public Enemy’s ‘It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back’ Still Powerful 25 Years Later

By goodblacknews on April 17, 2013
Flavor Flav and Chuck D of Public Enemy
Flavor Flav and Chuck D of Public Enemy

The greatest hip-hop album ever was made 25 years ago this month.  Its title alone speaks volumes: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.  At the time, it was a metaphor for African-American people, a nod to the systemic racism plaguing America, but for others, it also represented the uphill battle Public Enemy faced.

The album was crafted at a time, 1988, when hip-hop had no boundaries and every landmark album was groundbreaking. But Public Enemy broke ground that went clear through to the other side of the world when they made It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. The album is what we call a Magnum Opus (Latin for ‘great work’).
PE’s second album, It Takes A Nation boasts one of the slickest intros, but it forecasted what was to come — world domination.  It Takes A Nation kicks off from a recording in London, while the Long-Island-born group toured the world on the 1987 Def Jam tour. They were informing America that they had already been approved by the world and now it was America’s turn.
Of course, hardcore hip-hop heads had already embraced their first album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, but this was special.
Read the full article here: Public Enemy’s ‘It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back’ still powerful 25 years later | theGrio.

Chaka Khan Chosen For Apollo Legends Hall Of Fame

By goodblacknews on April 15, 2013

Chaka Khan

NEW YORK — R&B star Chaka Khan will be inducted into the Apollo Theater’s hall of fame.  The theater announced Thursday that Patti LaBelle and Mary J. Blige will perform in Khan’s honor at its June 10 New York gala.
The annual event raises funds for the Apollo’s education and community outreach programs.  Khan and Blige received a Grammy Award together in 2008 for “Disrespectful.”  Singer-songwriter Lionel Richie and the late Etta James were inducted last year into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame.
Other previous inductees include LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin, to name just a few.  Sarah Jessica Parker will present this year’s corporate award to Time Warner Inc.
via Chaka Khan Chosen For Apollo Legends Hall Of Fame.

R.I.P. Maria Tallchief, America's 1st Native-American Prima Ballerina

By goodblacknews on April 12, 2013

Maria Tallchief
The New York Times reports today that Maria Tallchief, daughter of an Oklahoma oil family who grew up on an Indian reservation, found her way to New York and became one of the most brilliant American ballerinas of the 20th century, died on Thursday in Chicago.  She was 88.  Her daughter, the poet Elise Paschen, confirmed the death. Ms. Tallchief lived in Chicago.

Ms. Tallchief, a former wife and muse to the choreographer George Balanchine, achieved renown with Balanchine’s City Ballet, dazzling audiences with her speed, energy and fire. Indeed, the part that catapulted her to acclaim, in 1949, was the title role in the version of Stravinsky’s “Firebird,” one of many that Balanchine created for her.  In addition to “Firebird,” Balanchine created many striking roles for her, including those of the Swan Queen in his version of “Swan Lake,” the Sugar Plum Fairy in his version of “The Nutcracker,” Eurydice in “Orpheus” and principal roles in such plotless works as “Sylvia Pas de Deux,” “Allegro Brillante,” “Pas de Dix” and “Scotch Symphony.”

A daughter of an Osage Indian father and a Scottish-Irish mother, Ms. Tallchief left Oklahoma at an early age, but she was long associated with the region nevertheless. She was one of five dancers of Indian heritage, all born in Oklahoma at roughly the same time, who came to be called the Oklahoma Indian ballerinas; the others included her sister, Marjorie Tallchief, as well as Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin and Yvonne Chouteau.  Growing up at a time when many American dancers adopted Russian stage names, Ms. Tallchief, proud of her Indian heritage, refused to do so, even though friends told her that it would be easy to transform Tallchief into Tallchieva.

 In 2007, PBS aired the documentary, “Maria Tallchief” about this Kennedy Center Honor recipient’s life and work.   To read more about Tallchief, click here.  To watch Tallchief narrate her stunning “Firebird” solo, click below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y_tWR07F7Y&w=420&h=315]

article by Jack Anderson via nytimes.com; additional reporting by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Morgan State University Wins Academic Championships at Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

By goodblacknews on April 12, 2013

honda campus all-star challenge

The team from Morgan State University celebrates on stage after winning their second consecutive title at the 2013 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge.

After two days of intense competition among 250 students representing 48 competing teams, Morgan State University claimed its second National Championship title in a row at the 24th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), an annual academic event featuring the best and brightest students from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Enduring a year-long program of study and preparation, the Morgan State University team emerged victorious at the National Championship Tournament held on the Los Angeles-area campus of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and took home $50,000 in grants for their school.
Surviving 10 games against tough competition, Morgan State University clinched the National Championship over second-place finisher Florida A&M University after answering the following question correctly:
In 1975 the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim joined what very large neighbor to its south? Correct Answer: India
The Morgan State University team included Craig Cornish (Captain), senior, History Major; Kyle De Jan, senior, History Major; Micheal Osikomaiya, junior, English Major; and James Hayes-Barber, sophomore, Electrical Engineering Major.
The fast-paced, suspenseful competition tested the students’ abilities to quickly and accurately answer questions on a broad range of topics including world history, science, literature, religion, art, social sciences, popular culture and African-American history and culture. The top two teams from each of the eight competing divisions advanced to the “Sweet 16,” a single-elimination playoff. The final two teams then battled it out for the national title in a best 2-out-of-3 finals.

Jamie Foxx to be Honored at MTV Movie Awards

By goodblacknews on April 12, 2013

jamie foxx
Jamie Foxx will get some special love during this weekend’s MTV Movie Awards.  The actor, who won an Academy Award for 2004′s “Ray,” will be honored with the “MTV Generation Award” at Sunday’s event. The trophy acknowledges an actor who captivates the network’s audience. Past recipients include Reese Witherspoon, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock.
Foxx is also nominated for four MTV Movie popcorn statuettes for Best Male Performance, Best Fight, Best Kiss and Best WTF Moment in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”
“As a comedian, Academy award-winning actor and Grammy award-winning artist, Jamie Foxx is a triple threat superstar unlike any we’ve seen in a long time,” said MTV President Stephen Friedman in a statement. “Jamie has captivated audiences for nearly two decades with a dizzying array of memorable performances, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate him at this year’s Movie Awards.”
Foxx will next be seen on the big screen opposite Channing Tatum in the action thriller “White House Down,” which hits theaters June 28.  Actress Rebel Wilson is host of the ceremony, which will air live on the East Coast at 9 p.m. on Sunday via MTV. The broadcast will be tape-delayed for the West Coast.
article via eurweb.com