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Muhammad Ali Released From Hospital After 3-Week Stay

By goodblacknews on January 8, 2015

Muhammad Ali

Boxing icon Muhammad Ali (pictured) was released from a hospital Tuesday night after being admitted nearly three weeks ago with what was presumed to be pneumonia.  Now it is being reported that the champ was being treated for a severe urinary tract infection, according to NBC News.
The 72-year-old, three-time world heavyweight champ also suffers from Parkinson’s disease, a debilitating neurological illness that has practically stilled his voice and slowed his movements for the last 30 years.
Reportedly, Ali is back home with his family and is now looking forward to celebrating his 73rd birthday on January 17.  Ali’s spokesperson, Bob Gunnell told ESPN, “He’s in great spirits and enjoying being back home.” Gunnell said. “He’s back in his daily routine.”
Even though Ali’s public profile has been low over the last few years, he still manages to get out every now and then.  Last September Ali was spotted at an outing where he sat in the bleachers supporting his grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, as the latter played football alongside Cordell Broadus, the son of famed rapper, Snoop Dogg.  The two young players with famous bloodlines are reportedly stellar gridiron athletes with scholarship potential.
Meanwhile, according to Gunnell, the Ali family is thankful for the show of love and support for the champ from well-wishers everywhere. “The Ali family greatly appreciates the outpouring of support and continued well wishes.  They also want to thank the team of doctors and nurses for their exceptional care,” he said.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via theurbandaily.com

Ferguson Protesters Stall Opening of Missouri Senate Session

By goodblacknews on January 8, 2015
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The start of Missouri’s legislative session was interrupted Wednesday by demonstrators who chanted and unfurled banners in the Senate while protesting the fatal Ferguson police shooting of Michael Brown.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who was presiding over the chamber, said demonstrators were violating Senate rules of decorum and ordered proceedings suspended while police cleared people from the visitors’ galleries. The Senate resumed after about 30 minutes, but no one was allowed to return to the visitors’ section.
Protest leaders and a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety said no one was arrested.
Demonstrators vowed to return to the Capitol throughout this year’s session as lawmakers consider numerous bills stemming from the Aug. 9 shooting of the black, unarmed 18-year-old by officer Darren Wilson, who is white, in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. A grand jury decided not to charge Wilson, who later resigned.
“Our hope is they take what we did seriously,” said one of the protest leaders, Kayla Reed, of the Organization for Black Struggle. “What people need to understand is that 152 days into this, we’re not stopping — we’re really just getting starting.”
Demonstrators distributed a 28-point plan for changes to police practices, including “anti-racism training,” greater citizen oversight of police agencies and an end to the police acquisition of military-grade equipment.
As the Senate convened, chants of “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace” echoed from the hallways into the chamber. Both chants have been common rallying cries at protests in Ferguson and across the nation by people who believe minorities are too often the targets of overzealous police.
Dozens of protesters intermingled among relatives and friends of newly elected Missouri senators who were seated in the visitors’ galleries to watch lawmakers take the oath of office. They unfurled several banners. One said, “Swear to protect the people.”
Kinder, a Republican, banged the gavel and declared that protesters had “rudely inserted yourself into the solemn proceeding.” But protesters continued with chants — “It is our duty to fight for our freedom” and “Black lives matter” — as they were escorted from the chamber.
article by David A. Lieb, AP via bet.com

Ollie Tyler, 69, Becomes 1st Black Woman to be Elected Mayor of Shreveport

By goodblacknews on January 5, 2015
(Image: Twitter)
Mayor Ollie Tyler (Image: Twitter)
Shreveport, Louisiana made history over the weekend as the city swore in Ollie Tyler, their first-ever black female mayor. Tyler, 69, won with 65% of the city’s votes. “Your vote was your voice and you sent a message to the next generations that we are vested in our city and will use the challenges we face as opportunities to create unity around a vision that will move us to build a stronger, better Shreveport,” Tyler wrote in a letter to the citizens of Shreveport. “I will work with a sense of urgency to bring pride, excitement, and economic growth to our city.”
Ollie Tyler was elected the 48th Mayor of the City of Shreveport. Council members-elect are Willie Bradford, Jeff Everson, Oliver Jenkins, Michael Corbin, James Flurry, Stephanie Lynch and Jerry Bowman. Mayor Tyler was formerly an education administrator, according to USA Today, and this is her first time serving as an elected official. She revealed several of her aims at the Inauguration, which included enhancing police force in high-crime areas, calculating a budget to balance the city’s finances, improving sewers and streets, attracting Fortune 500 companies, and cleaning up Shreveport’s major gateways.
During Tyler’s political race, a piece of her past resurfaced and it was revealed that the now mayor fatally shot her abusive husband in 1968. USA Today reported that “Tyler said she was never indicted and said the killing was ruled an ‘accidental and justifiable homicide.’” After the incident, Tyler proved that you really can overcome anything by becoming a teacher, Parish of Caddo’s Director of Middle Schools, New Orleans city schools’ Deputy Superintendent, Superintendent of Caddo Parish Public Schools, Louisiana’s Deputy Superintendent of Education and Acting State Superintendent of Education. Her latest victory as Shreveport’s first black mayor involved her defeating a white woman lawyer who’s 15 years younger.
Mayor Tyler was born in Caddo Parish. She obtained her Bachelor of Science from Grambling State University, and a Master of Education from Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge.
article by Essence Gant via blackenterprise.com

President Obama Signs Law That Increases Opportunities for Women's Businesses

By goodblacknews on January 4, 2015
(Image: Thinkstock)
(Image: Thinkstock)

President Obama has signed a law that seeks to level the playing field for women-owned businesses seeking federal contracts.

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2015, Section 825, authorizes federal agencies to award sole-source contracts to women-owned small businesses eligible for the Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program, giving women the same level of access to the federal contracting marketplace as other disadvantaged groups.

This is a critical move that will now allow women-owned small businesses to earn their fair share of the federal marketplace and gain economic opportunities, notes Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Maria Contreras-Sweet.  “Women entrepreneurs are growing at an unprecedented rate.  More than one in four U.S. companies is owned or led by a woman, and these firms employ more than 7.8 million Americans. Passage of the women’s small business provision in NDAA is a win for women entrepreneurs and a win for America. This will help women-owned small businesses gain equal access to federal contracting as they add jobs to the U.S. economy. A big thank you to the leaders of the Senate and House Small Business and Armed Services Committees for helping make this a reality,” said Contreras-Sweet in a statement.
In July, Administrator Contreras-Sweet testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that federal agencies needed this tool to level the playing field for women-owned businesses. Many of the committee members shared the sentiment, and the SBA worked with Congress and key small business stakeholders to include this provision.
Currently, women entrepreneurs are receiving less than five percent of federal contracts. While Congress established the WOSB Federal Contract program in legislation passed in 2000, it was not implemented. From President Obama’s first day in office, providing economic opportunity to women has been a top priority and the steps to enact the program were put in motion, which was implemented in April 2011.
This new provision will give the SBA a new tool to continue to open doors for more women entrepreneurs in the federal and commercial contract space. SBA’s efforts include aggressively promoting the Women-Owned Small Business Contract Program, which aims to expand federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses.
article by Carolyn M. Brown via blackenterprise.com

R.I.P. Edward Brooke, 1st Black Senator Elected by Popular Vote

By goodblacknews on January 3, 2015
Edward William Brooke III, the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote and the first Republican senator to call for the resignation of President Nixon over the Watergate scandal, died Saturday at his home in Coral Gables, Fla. He was 95.
He died from natural causes, said his former legislative aid, Ralph Neas.
In 1966, Brooke ran for the Senate from Massachusetts and became the first black elected to serve in the upper chamber by popular vote, and the first to be sworn in as a senator since Hiram Revels and Blanche Kelso Bruce were sent to Washington during the post Civil War Reconstruction-era by a “carpetbag” Mississippi Legislature.
Upon his arrival in Washington, Brooke automatically achieved a number of social firsts, according to his memoirs, integrating both the Senate swimming pool and the Senate barber shop.
In winning election, Brooke joined a small band of liberal Republicans in the Senate during an era of moderation, when centrist voices like Jacob Javits of New York, Charles Percy of Illinois and Mark Hatfield of Oregon influenced political debate. Brooke supported housing and other anti-poverty programs, advocated for a stronger Social Security system and for an increased minimum wage, and promoted commuter rail and mass transit systems.
He also bedeviled the Nixon White House – criticizing the administration for adopting a cynical “Southern strategy” of wooing Southern whites by not enforcing civil rights laws, sponsoring a resolution calling for an end to U.S. involvement in Vietnam and opposing three of the president’s conservative nominees to the Supreme Court.
article by Johanna Neuman via latimes.com

Black California Native Joan Williams, 82, Who Was Denied Spot on Rose Parade Float 56 Years Ago, Sits at Head of Parade this New Year’s Day

By goodblacknews on January 1, 2015
screen_shot_20141231_at_11.38.00_am

The opportunity to ride on a city-sponsored float at the annual Rose Parade has been almost 60 years in the making for 82-year-old Pasadena, Calif., native Joan Williams. The honor was originally denied her in 1958 when officials found out that she was black, the Pasadena Star-News reports.

Williams was chosen as Miss Crown City in 1957—a title given to a City Hall employee, who would then be honored by riding on a city-sponsored float during the iconic New Year’s Day celebration and would represent the city at events before the parade, the news site notes.
“I was young and it was exciting,” recalled Williams, who was 27 and had two young children at the time.
Her excitement, however, was cut short months later once it was discovered that Williams, while light-skinned, was black. All of a sudden the city did not have a float to include in the parade because too many entrants had already been accepted, the city claimed. All of this was decided at the last minute, even though the city had already paid for a portrait of Williams decked out in a gown, corsage and tiara.
screen_shot_20141231_at_11.35.18_am
Portrait of Joan Williams commissioned by the city in honor of her selection as Miss Crown City (ABC NEWS)

To add insult to injury, the mayor later refused to take a picture with her at a city employees’ picnic when requested by a Jet photographer.
“It was one of the first times, as an adult, I began to grow up and realize what racism is,” Williams said. “Somehow I wasn’t the person they wanted on that float anymore just because of my heritage. … You can imagine the slap in the face that is.”

Now, 56 years later, Williams is getting some retribution: She is once again being given the opportunity to ride in the parade. However, according to the Star News, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard has acknowledged that officials have made no attempt at an apology. He did say that he contacted Williams and invited her to lunch after he heard about what happened to her.

“We didn’t dwell on what happened in the past,” he told the Star-News. “She’s a very nice person. I’m delighted to have come to know her and now consider her a friend.”
It was after their meeting that officials arranged for Williams to ride on the banner float, which will carry the parade’s theme, “Inspiring Stories,” at the top of the parade.

GBN Wishes You A Happy New Year!

By goodblacknews on January 1, 2015

happy new year 2015
Good Black News would like to thank our fans and followers, old and new, for making 2014 a grand year of growth and progress for us.  Please continue to read, share and spread the word as we continue to strive to find and share information with you about the best of everything in 2015 and beyond.  Happy New Year!
Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Founder and Editor-In-Chief

17 Year-Old Madison Triplett to Reign as 2015 Rose Queen

By goodblacknews on December 31, 2014

Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade Queen, 17 Year-Old Madison Triplett
Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade Queen, 17 Year-Old Madison Triplett (Photo: Ramona Rosales)

On January 1, Rose Queen Madison Triplett will preside over Pasadena’s annual cavalcade of flowery floats. The Marshall Fundamental Secondary School senior first dreamed of becoming local royalty at age seven.
The competition for Rose Queen began in September with 700 hopefuls and consisted of four interview rounds. “In the Pasadena area it’s sort of a rite of passage to try out for the court,” she says.
“In the third round I was asked, ‘What’s something no one knows about you?’ I told them that sometimes I record myself singing and listen to it. They started laughing. I didn’t know whether or not that was a good thing.”
Tomorrow, Madison will wake up at 2:15 a.m. before being chauffeured to the Tournament House to begin prepping for the 126th Rose Parade.  To wave like a pro, she will cup her fingers together, hold her arm at a 90-degree angle, and move only her forearm.
Madison, a varsity volleyball player who plans to study economics at Tulane University and one day start a nonprofit to educate minorities on financial literacy, is the 97th Rose Queen to reign at the Tournament of Roses Parade.
article by Marah Alindogan via lamag.com

Little League Pitching Star Mo’ne Davis Wins AP Female Athlete of the Year Honors

By goodblacknews on December 30, 2014
Mo'ne Davis
Taney Dragons Pitcher Mo’ne Davis tips her hat as she is introduced and recognized before the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — No one in the sports world had heard of the 2014 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year until August.
That’s when 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis became an instant celebrity as she took the pitching mound in baseball’s Little League World Series and mowed down batter after batter, giving “throw like a girl” a whole new meaning.
She was the first girl to win a Little League World Series game, and her performance dazzled fans young and old. Her steely gaze and demeanor on the mound were intimidating, while off-the-field, she shined in interviews. She told admirers that if they thought she was good at baseball, they should see her play basketball. Only in eighth grade, Davis already plays for her school’s high school varsity basketball team.
Davis appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has her jersey displayed in baseball’s Hall of Fame and was named Sports Kid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids.
She met the Obamas at the White House, starred in a Spike Lee-directed car commercial (the NCAA said it wouldn’t hurt her eligibility), marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade along with her Taney Dragons teammates and presented Pharrell Williams with Soul Train’s “Song of the Year” award.

Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver Andrew Hawkins Offers Thoughtful Rebuke After Police Union Slams T-Shirt Protest

By goodblacknews on December 18, 2014
Cleveland Browns player Andrew Hawkins on Dec. 14, 2014
Cleveland Browns player Andrew Hawkins on Dec. 14, 2014

After police unions slammed his decision to wear a T-shirt protesting the police shootings of two black people in Ohio, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins gathered the media to explain himself more fully.
Hawkins outlined his rationale, speaking without notes, according to ESPN Cleveland reporter Tony Grossi. He touched on his own upbringing and the role of his children in his lengthy comments.
“I understood there was going to be backlash, and that scared me, honestly. But deep down I felt like it was the right thing to do,” Hawkins said. “If I was to run away from what I felt in my soul was the right thing to do, that would make me a coward, and I can’t live with that.”
Below is his statement in full:

“I was taught that justice is a right that every American should have. Also justice should be the goal of every American. I think that’s what makes this country. To me, justice means the innocent should be found innocent. It means that those who do wrong should get their due punishment. Ultimately, it means fair treatment. So a call for justice shouldn’t offend or disrespect anybody. A call for justice shouldn’t warrant an apology.“To clarify, I utterly respect and appreciate every police officer that protects and serves all of us with honesty, integrity and the right way. And I don’t think those kind of officers should be offended by what I did. My mom taught me my entire life to respect law enforcement. I have family, close friends that are incredible police officers and I tell them all the time how they are much braver than me for it. So my wearing a T-shirt wasn’t a stance against every police officer or every police department. My wearing the T-shirt was a stance against wrong individuals doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons to innocent people.
“Unfortunately, my mom also taught me just as there are good police officers, there are some not-so-good police officers that would assume the worst of me without knowing anything about me for reasons I can’t control. She taught me to be careful and be on the lookout for those not-so-good police officers because they could potentially do me harm and most times without consequences. Those are the police officers that should be offended.
“Being a police officer takes bravery. And I understand that they’re put in difficult positions and have to make those snap decisions. As a football player, I know a little bit about snap decisions, obviously on an extremely lesser and non-comparative scale, because when a police officer makes a snap decision, it’s literally a matter of life and death. That’s hard a situation to be in. But if the wrong decision is made, based on pre-conceived notions or the wrong motives, I believe there should be consequence. Because without consequence, naturally the magnitude of the snap decisions is lessened, whether consciously or unconsciously.
“I’m not an activist, in any way, shape or form. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I keep my opinions to myself on most matters. I worked extremely hard to build and keep my reputation especially here in Ohio, and by most accounts I’ve done a solid job of decently building a good name. Before I made the decision to wear the T-shirt, I understood I was putting that reputation in jeopardy to some of those people who wouldn’t necessarily agree with my perspective. I understood there was going to be backlash, and that scared me, honestly. But deep down I felt like it was the right thing to do. If I was to run away from what I felt in my soul was the right thing to do, that would make me a coward, and I can’t live with that. God wouldn’t be able to put me where I am today, as far as I’ve come in life, if I was a coward.
“As you well know, and it’s well documented, I have a 2-year-old little boy. The same 2-year-old little boy that everyone said was cute when I jokingly threw him out of the house earlier this year. That little boy is my entire world. And the No. 1 reason for me wearing the T-shirt was the thought of what happened to Tamir Rice happening to my little Austin scares the living hell out of me. And my heart was broken for the parents of Tamir and John Crawford knowing they had to live that nightmare of a reality.
“So, like I said, I made the conscious decision to wear the T-shirt. I felt like my heart was in the right place. I’m at peace with it and those that disagree with me, this is America, everyone has the right to their first amendment rights. Those who support me, I appreciate your support. But at the same time, support the causes and the people and the injustices that you feel strongly about. Stand up for them. Speak up for them. No matter what it is because that’s what America’s about and that’s what this country was founded on.”

article by Dylan Scott via talkingpointsmemo.com