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Educational Television for Preschoolers Shown to Benefit Young African-Americans

By goodblacknews on July 6, 2015

Sesame Street Cast (Photo via blogcdn.com)
Sesame Street Cast (Photo via blogcdn.com)

A new study authored by scholars at Wellesley College and the University of Maryland found that children who watched Sesame Street when it was first broadcast nearly a half century ago, did better in school as they got older. The data shows that exposure to Sesame Street was particularly beneficial to African Americans and children living in economically disadvantaged areas.
The data shows that Black children who lived in areas where Sesame Street was broadcast on stronger VHF channels where reception was more reliable and viewership was higher reduced their likelihood of being below grade level on academic assessment tests by 13.7 percent several years later when they were in elementary school.
Phillip B. Levine, an economist at Wellesley College and co-author of the study, said that “it is remarkable that a single intervention consisting of watching a television show for an hour a day in preschool can have such a substantial effect helping kids advance through school. Our analysis suggests that Sesame Street may be the biggest and most affordable early childhood intervention out there, at a cost of a just few dollars per child per year, with benefits that can last several years.”
Co-author Melissa Kearney, an economist at the University of Maryland, added that “it is quite encouraging to find that something so readily accessible and inexpensive as Sesame Street has the potential to have such a positive impact on children’s school performance, in particular for children from economically disadvantaged communities. These findings raise the exciting possibility that TV and electronic media more generally can be leveraged to address income and racial gaps in children’s school readiness.”
The article, “Early Childhood Education by MOOC: Lessons From Sesame Street,” was published on the website of the National Bureau of Economic Research. It may be accessed here.
article via jbhe.com

South Carolina Senate Votes to Remove Confederate Flag From State Capitol Grounds; House Vote Still Needed

By goodblacknews on July 6, 2015

Calls For Removal Of Confederate Flag Outside SC Statehouse Grow In Wake Of Race-Fueled Charleston Church Shooting
UPDATE: Monday, July 6, 2015 4:50 PM EST
In a 37-3 vote, the South Carolina Senate decided to remove the Confederate flag from State House grounds.  But the physical act of removing the flag may take some time, NBC notes.

The movement to take down the flag has two more hurdles: The bill needs to pass with a two-thirds vote in the South Carolina House, which is likely to be a tougher struggle than in the Senate. Several powerful House Republicans, including Speaker Jay Lucas, have not yet said how they’ll vote. If the bill passes the house, it would head to the desk of Gov. Nikki Haley, who has said the flag’s removal would be a way to honor the nine black victims gunned down by a white gunman at a Charleston church.

This is a developing story…
————
Weeks after a gunman shot nine people in a racially fueled attack on Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME church, South Carolina lawmakers are set to debate whether to remove the Confederate battle flag from State House grounds, or leave it flying high.
The debate to remove the flag was sparked after photographs of accused AME gunman Dylann Roof holding the storied and hurtful reminder surfaced. Days after the shooting, Gov. Nikki R. Haley called for the flag’s removal.
In a weekend interview with NBC’s Today Show, Haley said the removal would be an action of respect.

“You always want to think that today is better than yesterday — that we’re growing as a state, we’re growing as a country. When something like this happens, you reflect, and you say: Have we changed enough?” she said.

“I don’t think this is going to be easy. I don’t think that it’s going to be painless, but I do think that it will be respectful, and that it will move swiftly.”

According to the New York Times, the State Senate, composed of other elected officials who stand with Haley, will consider a bipartisan proposal to remove the flag.

If the Senate approves the measure, the debate will shift to the House; Republicans control both chambers. A survey of lawmakers by The Associated Press, the South Carolina Press Association, and The Post and Courier, a newspaper in Charleston, found last month that there was most likely enough support in the legislature to approve the plan.

There are, however, dissenters, the Times points out.

“This flag is a part of our heritage, so the people of this state should have the final say,” Mr. Bright, a Republican of Spartanburg County, told supporters on Facebook on Wednesday. Mr. Bright, who sought the Republican nomination for a United States Senate seat last year, is also offering bumper stickers featuring the Confederate emblem and the message “Keep your hands off my flag” in exchange for campaign contributions.

A recent CNN poll echoes Bright’s sentiments — at least 57 percent of Americans see the flag as a symbol of Southern pride, not racism. But the flag, which flew high during a war fought to defend and justify slavery, dredges up the painful and horrific past of African-Americans in this country. On June 27, community organizer, activist, singer and North Carolina native Brittany “Bree” Newsome was arrested after she took it upon herself to scale the pole and remove the flag from State House grounds herself.

article by Christina Coleman via newsone.com

Professor Adams Bodomo Becomes 1st Black Faculty Member in the 650-Year History of the University of Vienna

By goodblacknews on July 6, 2015

Professor Adams Bodomo (Photo via chinaafricaproject.com)
Professor Adams Bodomo (Photo via chinaafricaproject.com)

Founded in 1365, the University of Vienna in Austria is the oldest educational institution in the German-speaking world. Now for the first time in the university’s 650-year history, a Black scholar has joined its faculty.
Adams Bodomo, from the African nation of Ghana, was appointed professor and chair of the department of African languages and literatures. He is the former director of the African studies program at the University of Hong Kong. Earlier, Professor Bodomo was a lecturer in the linguistics and African studies programs at Stanford University in California. Professor Bodomo is the author of Africans in China: A Sociocultural Study and Its Implications on Africa-China Relations (Cambria Press, 2012).
Dr. Bodomo earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from University of Ghana in Legon. He holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and African studies from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
article via jbhe.com

Black Women Represent Fastest-Growing Group Of Entrepreneurs In U.S.

By goodblacknews on July 5, 2015

Black businesswoman in conference room with co-workers
(Source: Getty Images)

A new report shows that the number of businesses owned by African-American women has grown 332 percent since 1997, according to Fortune magazine.
The recently published study, 2015 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report (pdf), commissioned by American Express Open, shows that the overall number of female-owned businesses grew by 74 percent between 1997 and 2015, which is 1.5 times the national average.
From Fortune:

Women now own 30% of all businesses in the U.S., accounting for some 9.4 million firms. And African American women control 14% of these companies, or an estimated 1.3 million businesses. That figure is larger than the total number of firms owned by all minority women in 1997, the report found.
“The only bright spot in recent years with respect to privately-held company job growth has been among women-owned firms,” according to the report. These businesses have added an estimated 340,000 jobs to the economy since 2007, while employment at companies owned by men (or with equally shared ownership) has declined…
The highest concentrations of black woman-owned businesses are in Georgia, Maryland, and Illinois, but African American women are launching companies in growing numbers across the country. In Detroit, where city leaders, foundations, and even President Obama have promoted entrepreneurship as an economic development tool, a tiny nonprofit is making outsize efforts at helping black women become business owners. Since it was formed in 2012, the Build Institute has graduated nearly 600 students from its eight-week courses, which teach the basics of starting and running a business, including such topics as money management and how to determine your break-even point. Nearly 70% of those students are women, and 60% of them identify as a member of a minority group.

This is a bit of good news that comes at a time when America is awakening from the slumber that has long tried to subjugate women of color in the workplace, and as progress in the so-called post-recession era appears to elude Black women. Congrats, sistas!
article by Lynette Holloway via newsone.com

Condoleezza Rice Performs "Amazing Grace" to Benefit the Troops (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on July 5, 2015
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Photo: Curtis Compton) ccompton@ajc.com
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Photo: Curtis Compton)

Condoleezza Rice is a woman of many talents, but among the most impressive is her piano playing. The former Secretary of State, who is a classically-trained musician, put her skills on the ivories to use for a good cause recently, collaborating with violinist Jenny Oates Baker for a rendition of “Amazing Grace” that is sure to cause the shedding of a few tears.
The duo recorded their version of the 236-year-old Christian hymn to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, and the single was released on iTunes. “Amazing Grace has always held a special place in my heart,” Rice wrote on her Facebook page. “It seemed only appropriate to release the video in conjunction with the 4th of July weekend as we recognize the blessings we have in this country and the sacrifices of our servicemen and women for our freedom.”
Rice’s single comes on the heels of President Barack Obama performing the timeless hymn at the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who was one of the victims of the Charleston Massacre.
As it has for more than two centuries, “Amazing Grace” continues to offer comfort in times of need.
Watch the beautiful rendition in the video below:

article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com

Martin Luther King Jr. Statue to Replace White Supremacist on Georgia Capitol Grounds

By goodblacknews on July 3, 2015

MLK
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the country’s most lauded citizens, will be finally honored by his home state with a sculpture on its capitol grounds.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) announced this week that the state has selected artist Andy Davis to create the piece. The sculpture will be placed on the northeast quadrant of the Capitol grounds overlooking Liberty Plaza, replacing a likeness of 19th century politician and newspaperman Tom Watson, a white supremacist. Watson’s statute was removed from the Georgia Capitol lawn in November 2013, reports local station WMAZ-13.

“Placing a statue of Dr. King at the Capitol of his home state is a long overdue honor,” Gov. Deal said in a statement. “I am confident that Andy Davis’ past works, including a statue of Ray Charles in the singer’s hometown of Albany, have prepared him well for this historic project. I commend Rep. Smyre for his diligent efforts and leadership on this project and I look forward to seeing the final work of art.”

The new statue will be built with private money. Its final cost has not yet been determined, though estimates amount to $350,000 reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Rep. Smyre, an African-American, said it was important that they chose a Georgian to do the piece. Lei Yixin, a Master sculptor from China, did King’s Memorial on the U.S. mall in 2011.
article by Angela Bronner Helm via newsone.com

Baltimore Plans To Equip Police Vans With Video Cameras After Freddie Gray’s Death

By goodblacknews on July 2, 2015

Protests in Baltimore over Freddie Gray
Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

After a vociferous public outcry over the death of Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury in police custody this spring, Baltimore officials announced plans Wednesday to equip transport vans with video recording cameras, according to Reuters.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the change comes in the wake of protests after the death of 25-year-old Gray, who was fatally injured while being transported to lockup in a police van in April on an unspecified charge. Gray’s death sparked days of fiery protests over police brutality in the Black community.
From Reuters:

We’re working through a process that will place cameras with recording capabilities in the backs of all our police vans, to ensure that we have a more complete record of what occurs there,” Rawlings-Blake told reporters.
The van in which Gray was transported had a non-recording camera that the driver could use to monitor the passengers, but it was not working at the time.

Rawlings-Blake also announced plans to review riot gear used by police during the unrest, as some of it failed to work, the report says. She said the city needs working equipment so that police can respond if trouble breaks out following trial verdicts in the Gray case.
article by Lynette Holloway via newsone.com

U.S. Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs in June; Unemployment Rate falls to 5.3%

By goodblacknews on July 2, 2015
The American economy, this month entering its seventh year of recovery from the Great Recession, still has some legs: Employers in June added a solid 223,000 jobs across a broad spectrum of service industries.
But Thursday’s Labor Department report, released a day earlier than usual because of the Fourth of July holiday, showed that those legs are a bit wobbly. Workers’ earnings, after a promising increase in May, were flat last month.

In fact, many experts had been looking for an uptick in the labor force — those who are working or looking for work — as the unemployment rate has dropped and private-sector employers have added a decent batch of new jobs month after month. But instead, the so-called labor participation rate fell sharply last month to the lowest level since October 1977.
That drop, along with stagnant average wages, points to softness in the economy — and is likely to give Federal Reserve officials pause in raising interest rates this September, as many analysts had forecast.
“The 223,000 payroll numbers were nice, but outside of that, it was pretty flat,” said Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University. “Labor markets remain too weak to put consistent pressure on wages.”
The overall job growth in June was in line with analysts’ expectations and provided a reassuring sign that hiring had bounced back from the winter slowdown and remained steady at a time of rising global turmoil. The eurozone is in the throes of the Greek debt crisis, and China and other emerging economies are weakening.
Encouragingly, the hiring in June was broad-based. It was led by business and professional services, a group that includes high-paying engineers and computer designers as well as lower-wage temporary-help workers.
Retail, healthcare and finance businesses also added a healthy batch of jobs. But the energy industry continued to downsize; employment in manufacturing slowed, and construction and government were flat.

It's Official: Misty Copeland Becomes 1st Black Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theater

By goodblacknews on July 1, 2015

Prima Ballerina Misty Copeland (Photo via livetalksla.com)
Prima Ballerina Misty Copeland (Photo via livetalksla.org)

One of today’s most famous ballerinas just made history by becoming the first African-American woman to hold the position of principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater. Misty Copeland was promoted Tuesday after more than 14 years with the company, the New York Times reports. She spent eight of those years as a soloist, the Times points out.
Copeland, known for being vocal about the lack of representation and diversity in the company and in the realm of dancing in general, made the cover of TIME magazine just this year. She is also the subject of a documentary screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Times writes.  In addition to being known for a popular Under Armour ad, she has a base of followers on social media larger than some of Hollywood’s finest.
But it’s Copeland’s precision and elegant fluidity while she dances that compound her popularity. That and her tendency to make history — her new post as principal dancer isn’t the first time her name will be written in books. Just this month, Copeland became the first African-American woman to star in “Swan Lake” with the Ballet Theater, a performance so well-attended that cheers from the crowd reportedly stopped parts of the show.
From the NYT:

Ms. Copeland, who declined to be interviewed for this article, was unusually outspoken about her ambition of becoming the first black woman named a principal dancer by Ballet Theater, one of the nation’s most prestigious companies, which is known for its international roster of stars and for staging full-length classical story ballets.

“My fears are that it could be another two decades before another black woman is in the position that I hold with an elite ballet company,” she wrote in her memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” published last year. “That if I don’t rise to principal, people will feel I have failed them.”

This put an unusual public spotlight on Ballet Theater as it weighed the kind of personnel decision that, in the rarified world of ballet, is rarely discussed openly. If the company had not promoted Ms. Copeland, it risked being seen as perpetuating the inequalities that have left African-American dancers, particularly women, woefully underrepresented at top ballet companies.

Stella Abrera, Alban Lendorf, and Maria Kochetkova were all named principal dancers along with Copeland.
article by Christina Coleman via newsone.com

Obama to Unveil Plan to Bring Overtime Pay To 5 Million More Workers

By goodblacknews on June 30, 2015
uptown_barack_obama_2014

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama this week will propose a plan to extend overtime pay to 5 million American workers who are currently excluded under federal law, according to sources.

The president will recommend updating overtime rules so that salaried workers who earn less than roughly $50,400 per year would be guaranteed time-and-a-half pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week. Under the current rules implemented by former President George W. Bush, salaried workers must earn less than $23,660 per year in order to be automatically eligible for overtime pay.
The president announced his intention to make overtime reforms last year, but the details of the plan have been kept secret until this week. The president is expected to discuss the proposal later this week during a visit to Wisconsin. Details of the proposal were first reported by Bloomberg.
In a blog post on The Huffington Post Monday night, Obama said that “too many Americans are working long days for less pay than they deserve,” and that his proposal would help assure that “hard work is rewarded.”
“That’s how America should do business,” the president wrote. “In this country, a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. That’s at the heart of what it means to be middle class in America.”