Posts published in “Community”

Talib Kweli’s Action Support Committee Raises Over $100,000 For Ferguson Activists

By lorilakinhutcherson on February 17, 2015

Talib Kweli Rare Portraits Gravitas
In the wake of former officer Darren Wilson’s shooting of Ferguson, Missouri teen Michael Brown that left Brown dead and Wilson a free man, dozens of protestors and organizers took to the Missouri streets. Some were pepper sprayed and even arrested, and in the midst of the unrest, hip hop artist and activist Talib Kweli helped establish a The Action Support Committee. The Committee aimed to raise $25,000 and disperse the money in the form of grants to those in need. Kweli addressed the Committee’s goals via the following written statement:

These are young men and women who have put their lives on hold to stand up for all of our freedoms. The overly militarized police force in Ferguson has attempted to criminalize them by harassing and throwing them in jail for exercising their right to peaceful protest. We hope these funds help to empower.

Led by Kweli, Donna Dragotta, and Autumn Marie, the Committee’s GoFundMe campaign surpassed the $25,000 goal and raised $112,052 before the fundraising campaign ended in January. The first $48,800 funding phase will be distributed as follows:
Jail & Bail Fund ($35,000), Artists as Tutors ($2,000), Revolutionary Reading Program ($2,000), Tech Impact Initiative ($2,000), Latino youth leadership program Juventud Raza Unida ($2,000), The Transitional Housing Program ($2,000) and Bereavement Fund ($3,800).
Additional funds are scheduled to be distributed to the Action Support Committee’s Revolution School and programs “committed to sustaining the recent momentum of social justice organizing.”
article by Omar Burgess via elev8.hellobeautiful.com

Five Fun Apps to Upgrade Your Black History Knowledge

By goodblacknews on February 15, 2015

blackHistoryApps — (Image: BlackInvestors.com)

If there is one thing we should know, it’s that Black History is made every day. For example, Madame C.J. Walker, who created specialized hair products for African-American hair, paved the way for many women such as Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter, to start their own haircare companies. Frank Greene, considered one of the first black technologists, cleared the path for future innovators like Chinedu Echeruo, the Founder of Hopstop.com and Tripology.com. And without a doubt, knowledge of your history can empower you to forge successfully into the future.

Marie Holmes, 26 Year-Old Mother of Four, Wins $188 Million of Powerball Jackpot

By goodblacknews on February 13, 2015

The 26-year-old Wilmington, North Carolina woman, who has a special needs child with cerebral palsy, is still reeling from the news. “I don’t think it’s really hit me,” she said. “I guess when it hits my account is when it’s really going to hit me, but I’m thankful that I can bless my kids with something that I didn’t have.”

Holmes, who does not regularly purchase lottery tickets, said she was struggling before her win. Upon seeing that her numbers matched the winning Powerball drawing ones, Holmes thought she was going to have a heart attack and screamed so loudly, she scared her children, one boy and three girls.
So what will the young mom do with all of the money? “First I ‘m going to pay my tithes because I wouldn’t have none of it if it wasn’t for God. After that I’m going to set up accounts for my kids,” she told WGN-TV. “And when we figure out where we’re going to live, I’m going to buy a house for me and my kids, then make sure my family is all good.”
Holmes, whose uncle actually sold her the winning ticket, was unemployed and looking for a job. She is only too glad that now she no longer has to depend on anyone financially. “I don’t have to worry about the word struggle no more and neither do they (her children).”
Does Holmes have any trepidation with regards to how her entire life will now drastically change?
“I am ready for it, ready to embrace the change! I am very grateful for what is about to happen to my family,” she told WGN-TV. “Everything is all for them. My kids can go to college, all on me, and they don’t have to worry about nothing. My granddaddy, my daddy, my sisters, they don’t have to worry about nothing, we made it.”
article by Ruth-Manuel Logan via newsone.com

SiriusXM Launches ‘African Ancestry Radio’ with Actor Louis Gossett Jr. As Guest

By goodblacknews on February 10, 2015

NEW YORK –– SiriusXM announced the launch of “African Ancestry Radio,” a three-week series of live, call-in shows during which the hosts help listeners and celebrities of African descent in their quest to reconnect with their heritage.
Hosted by Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry, and award-winning producer Shirley Neal, “African Ancestry Radio” launched live on Sunday, February 8 at 12:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126 with Louis Gossett Jr. and Aunjanue Ellis as their first celebrity guests. EURweb.com’s founder Lee Bailey also joins in each week as special entertainment correspondent.
Scheduled in celebration of Black History Month, the hosts lead conversations on ancestry and heritage and guide SiriusXM listeners who are looking to more accurately and reliably trace their African roots. Themed around music, the February 15 show will feature Grammy award-winners and alternative hip hop group Arrested Development.
In addition, “African Ancestry Radio” will feature discussions on how a person’s roots influence personality, who they are and how they act. Each show will include at least one celebrity guest who has previously taken the tests and whose African ancestry will be revealed during the broadcast.
“‘African Ancestry Radio’ promises to be enlightening, empowering, and inspirational for SiriusXM listeners across the country,” said Dave Gorab, Vice President and General Manager, Talk Programming, SiriusXM. “We are pleased to present this exclusive series as part of our special programming commemorating Black History Month.”
After the broadcast, “African Ancestry Radio” will be available on SiriusXM On Demand for subscribers listening via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other mobile devices or online at siriusxm.com. Visit www.siriusxm.com/ondemand for more information.
Gina Paige is co-founder of African Ancestry, Inc., pioneering a new way of tracing African lineage using genetics. Paige resides in Washington, D.C. and holds a degree in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Snoop Dogg's Youth Football League Produces 20 More Division-I Players

By goodblacknews on February 10, 2015

Don’t even attempt to front on Snoop Dogg’s Youth Football League.

After last week’s National Signing Day, Snoop’s gridiron program has churned out 20 more Division-I college football players, TMZ Sports is reporting. The group is led by nationally-recruited players such as defensive back Iman Marshall(USC) and Snoop’s own son, Cordell Broadus, a UCLA-bound wide receiver.
“I’m extremely proud to have coached and mentored these young men,” Snoop Youth Football League commissioner Haamid Wadood told TMZ Sports. “I speak on behalf of Snoop and my entire SYFL staff and all the coaches and volunteers. We just want to thank the parents for trusting in us and believing in us in building a foundation for these kids in giving them the opportunity for helping them achieve their goals on becoming a great player and teammates.”
Of course, these committed players will all be trying to work towards an NFL contract, the way that Snoop Youth Football League alum such as running backs Ronnie Hillman and De’Anthony Thomas along with cornerbacks Kam Jackson and Greg Ducre were able to accomplish.
With increasing success, nearly 1,700 players signed up to participate in the rapper’s football program last season alone. A complete list of the 20 Division-I players to come out of Snoop’s league this season could be found below.

Cordell Broadus—UCLA
Iman Marshall—USC
Donzell Roddie—Boise State
Kyahva Tezino—San Diego State
Jeremy Kelly—San Jose State
Damon Wright—Boise State
Kameron Powell—Washington State
Shawn Wilson—Oregon State
Malik Psalms—Cal Berkeley
Stanley Norman—Arizona State
Cameron Hayes—Hawaii
Kenya Bell—San Jose State
Justin Calhoun—Montana State
Jeremy Calhoun—Montana State
Taj Jones—Idaho State
Mike Bell—Fresno State
Jericho Flowers—UNLV
Kevin Scott—USC
Dominique Davis—USC
Jaelon Barnwell—Alabama State University

article via bet.com

"Staying Power": Photographs of Black British Experience on Exhibit in England Through May

By goodblacknews on February 9, 2015

Untitled, circa 1960s, from the portfolio Black Beauty Pageants (Photograph: Raphael Albert/Victoria and Albert Museum)

“Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience 1950s-1990s” is the culmination of a seven-year collaboration between the Victoria & Albert Museum and Brixton’s Black Cultural Archive to increase the number of black British photographers and images of black Britain in the V&A collection. It aims to raise awareness of the contribution of black Britons to British culture and society, as well as to the art of photography.
Over the last seven years the V&A has been working with Black Cultural Archives to acquire photographs either by black photographers or which document the lives of black people in Britain. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Museum has been able to collect 118 works by 17 artists. To complement the photographs, Black Cultural Archives have collected oral histories from a range of subjects including the photographers themselves, their relatives, and the people depicted in the images.
Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience 1950s-1990s is at the Black Cultural Archive (bcaheritage.org.uk) until June 30th and at the Victoria & Albert Museum from February 16th to May 24th (vam.ac.uk). Some of the images on display follow below:

HD-1469 (Pineapple), 1969 (Photograph: The Estate of J. D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere/Victoria and Albert Museum)

Miss Black & Beautiful, circa 1970s (Photograph: Raphael Albert/Victoria and Albert Museum)

She Rockers (London Rap/Dance Crew), Shepherd’s Bush Green, London, 1988 (Photograph: Normski/Victoria and Albert Museum)

4 Aces Club, Count Shelley Sound System, Hackney, London, 1974 (Photograph: Dennis Morris/Victoria and Albert Museum)

article via guardian.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow@lakinhutcherson)

More Than $300,000 Raised In Five Days For James Robertson, Man Who Walks 21 Miles To And From Work

By goodblacknews on February 6, 2015

James-Robertson
The story of James Robertson, the 56-year-old man who walks 21 miles, five days a week, to and from Schain Mold & Engineering In Rochester Hills, Michigan, continues to inspire. His Honda broke down a decade ago and Detroit’s public transportation system doesn’t extend to that area. So every day, for the last 10 years, Robertson would walk to and from work–no matter the weather, and has yet to miss a day of work.
Bill Laitner of the Detroit Free Press shared Robertson’s story on Sunday, and a GoFundMe page was immediately put together by Wayne State University student, Evan Leedy. The title? Help James Robertson Get a Car. The goal on the page says $25,000, but as of the time of this report, the account has far exceeded that goal, bringing in $307,497 thanks to 11,781 people donating in only five days.
And now, Robertson, according to the Detroit Free Press, is preparing to get a shiny red, 2015 Ford Taurus. And the good news is, he won’t even have to use that $307,497 towards the purchase of it. A Suburban Ford dealership in Sterling Heights is giving Robertson the Taurus, because as manager Jim Elder put it, “There’s nobody who deserves it more than him.”
And Robertson’s story has even opened the eyes of CEO of Regional Transit Authority, Michael Ford, who said that residents of metro Detroit need a better way to get around:
“That story is heartbreaking and it’s not necessary. There’s more that we can do.”
Robertson is grateful for all the love and support, both financial and emotional, telling all those who have donated, “you guys are the heroes.”
article by Victoria Uwumarogie via madamenoire.com

HEALTH: Beyoncé Launches Vegan Meal Delivery Service

By goodblacknews on February 3, 2015

Now we can all eat (vegan) cake by the pound just like Beyoncé! The pop icon has partnered with her trainer Marco Borges to launch a new vegan meal delivery service.
The company is called 22 Days Nutrition, after the belief that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit.
All meals will be 100% plant-based and delivered once a week. All ingredients will be non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and organic. What’s more, compared to many other meal delivery services, prices will be affordable, ranging from $9.76 to $16.50 each.
“All you have to do is try. If I can do it, anyone can,” Bey, who went vegan with her husband Jay Z last year, said in a press release.
“We all know the importance and value of eating plant-based foods but often times find ourselves trapped in a series of bad habits that sabotage optimum wellness,” says co-founder Borges. “The Vegan Meal Delivery program makes it easier to reset your habits with healthy and delicious plant-based foods.”
22 Days Nutrition dishes include a sesame cabbage lentil bowl, ratatouille pasta with pesto, curried fried rice with vegetables and an almond blueberry breakfast loaf. Click here to get more information on the service (Beyoncé-like results not guaranteed).
article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com

Story of James Robertson, Who Walks 42 Miles to Factory Job Every Day, Inspires Crowdfunding for New Car

By goodblacknews on February 2, 2015

When James Robertson’s (pictured) story appeared in the Detroit Free Press about how he walks 42 miles a day roundtrip to get to his $10.55 per hour factory job in Rochester Mills, Mich., because he can’t afford to buy a car, hordes of readers sprung in to action by contributing to a GoFundMe account so that he can buy a car, according to the New York Daily News.
The 56-year-old injection molder, who does not appear to be physically fit, has somehow managed to trek to his job every day since his car broke down back in 2005 to faithfully complete his 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. shift.
Since none of Robertson’s co-workers live near him, he is unable to hitch a ride to or from work. Robertson — who is yet to miss one day of work — begins his day at 8:00 am, even walking along some treacherous areas along the famed 8 Mile and through all kinds of bad weather with rain, sleet, hail or snow.

Since Robertson’s story broke, he has reportedly had hundreds of offers to donate free vehicles, bus tickets, bicycles, and even a daily chauffeur service.
Robertson’s GoFundMe account, which is now at nearly $50,000 in donations, was started by Evan Leedy, 19, a Wayne State University student, who was moved by the conscientious employee’s plight. After Robertson’s article was published and Leedy read through various online comments from folks who wanted to reach out and help the man, Leedy decided that a fund would be just the right move, saying, “I just used my phone. I created the go-funding site and within an hour we had $2,000. I set the goal at the beginning of $5,000.”
Leedy wants to make sure that Robertson receives all of the money so that he won’t be forced to share with others and that the money will also cover insurance and maintenance of the vehicle.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via newsone.com

Kwame Alexander's "Crossover" and Jacqueline Woodson's "Brown Girl Dreaming" Win Newbery and Coretta Scott King Book Prizes

By goodblacknews on February 2, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-02-02 at 6.48.30 PM

Memoirs, graphic novels and stories in verse were the big winners of this year’s American Library Association’s awards for young adult and children’s literature. The awards, which are among the most prestigious literary prizes for children’s book authors, were announced Monday at the association’s midwinter conference in Chicago.

Kwame Alexander’s novel in verse, “The Crossover,” about 13-year-old twin brothers who are basketball stars, won the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. Mr. Alexander also received a Coretta Scott King honor recognizing African-American authors and illustrators. It was the first A.L.A. award for Mr. Alexander, a poet and novelist who has published 17 books.

Jacqueline Woodson’s memoir in verse, “Brown Girl Dreaming” (which has already won a National Book Award), along with Cece Bell’s illustrated memoir, “El Deafo” (which chronicles her hearing loss at an early age from spinal meningitis and her struggle to fit in at school), were named as Newbery Honor books.

Ms. Woodson, whose memoir describes her childhood and coming of age in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s and 1970s, also won the Coretta Scott King Award recognizing outstanding African-American children’s book authors and illustrators, and the Robert F. Sibert honor for the most distinguished informational book for children.

Other winners include Dan Santat’s “The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend,” a whimsical story for 3- to 6-year-olds, which earned the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book.

“I’ll Give You the Sun,” Jandy Nelson’s novel about teenage fraternal twins who compete over everything, won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults.

The awards come at a moment when children’s literature is holding steady as a fast-growing and profitable category for publishers. Sales of children’s and young adult books grew nearly 22 percent in the first 10 months of 2014, compared with the previous year, while sales of adult books fell slightly, according to the latest figures from the Association of American Publishers.

Here is a complete list of the winners and honorees.

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Posts published in “Community”

Talib Kweli’s Action Support Committee Raises Over $100,000 For Ferguson Activists

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Five Fun Apps to Upgrade Your Black History Knowledge

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Marie Holmes, 26 Year-Old Mother of Four, Wins $188 Million of Powerball Jackpot

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SiriusXM Launches ‘African Ancestry Radio’ with Actor Louis Gossett Jr. As Guest

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Snoop Dogg's Youth Football League Produces 20 More Division-I Players

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"Staying Power": Photographs of Black British Experience on Exhibit in England Through May

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More Than $300,000 Raised In Five Days For James Robertson, Man Who Walks 21 Miles To And From Work

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HEALTH: Beyoncé Launches Vegan Meal Delivery Service

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Story of James Robertson, Who Walks 42 Miles to Factory Job Every Day, Inspires Crowdfunding for New Car

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Kwame Alexander's "Crossover" and Jacqueline Woodson's "Brown Girl Dreaming" Win Newbery and Coretta Scott King Book Prizes

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