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The work ethic is alive and well in Detroit, Michigan, where postal worker Deborah Ford was honored upon her retirement for having never missed a day of work in 44 years. Her simple message of professionalism and commitment to her job is definitely something to admire and celebrate.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Posts published in “Seniors”
Mother and daughter fitness duo Ellen and Lana Ector. (Image: YouTube screen capture)
From Clutch Magazine: Two spunky women are seeking to break the myth about how black women interact with fitness.
Ellen and Lana Ector have transformed their popular group exercise classes into a workout tape that women can use at home. The Atlanta-based mother-and-daughter fitness duo have put together “Black Girls Workout Too”, an exercise program that pushes females to rigorously increase their heart rate while toning their entire body.
The Ectors are mission-driven with their new fitness project:
“Curves are good..in the right places! Statistics show that 4 out of 5. African-American women are overweight or obese and we have to change that!” a message on their fitness video’s website reads.
Read the rest of this story on Clutch Magazine.
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Ronald Bozeman was in good spirits according to the New York Post after being released from prison last week. Bozeman, 65, had spent over a year in jail for a crime he did not commit.
Bozeman was cleared of all charges related to a $9,000 robbery that occurred in downtown Brooklyn last year. Two witnesses had asserted to a grand jury that Bozeman was the gunman. Court records show these witnesses subsequently named another man, George Johnson, as the gunman during a second grand jury.
Prosecutors have moved forward in the case against Johnson. A spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “Based on a faulty ID procedure which we discovered and alerted the defense attorney to, we moved to have the charges against Bozeman dismissed.” Johnson has pleaded guilty to participation in the robbery.
Bozeman, who was held without bail and faced life in prison, was freed last Wednesday. “I feel relieved and not as bitter as I thought I would be,” he told the press. “The first thing I’m going to do is go get something to eat with my family.”
This mishap is being compared to the case of Jabbar Collins, an innocent man who went to prison for 15 years after being prosecuted by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Collins is now suing for $150 million in damages amid accusations that Michael Vecchione, who prosecuted this case, threatened a witness and withheld evidence for over a decade that could have exonerated Collins. Vecchione is now a top aide to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes.
article by Alexis Garrett Stodghill via thegrio.com
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, is expanding its digital platform. The nonprofit television network has announced the launch of Black Culture Connection, an online guide to films, stories and other resources about the black experience in the realms of history and culture. The website, currently in its beginning stages, will evolve into a larger digital resource over the course of the year:
“We’re committed to bringing you the best of PBS and helping you explore Black history and culture around the world through our award-winning programs, special online events, chats … and more!”
“We are in beta and continuing to grow, but invite you to join our journey over the next year. You will be able to connect with award-winning documentaries like Freedom Riders andThe Interrupters, new web original productions like Black Folk Don’t, live chats with your favorite filmmakers, and PBS member stations to help you explore black history and culture locally in your community.”
This is only the first phase of a larger online experience coming to PBS.org. We’ll continue to add new features over the next several months.
Read more about Black Culture Connection here.
article by Stacy-Ann Ellis via theroot.com
Honoree Chuck Berry performs during the 2012 Awards for Lyrics of Literary Excellence at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library And Museum on February 26, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Marc Andrew Deley/Getty Images)
Berry, a rock pioneer with early hits that included “Roll Over Beethoven,” ”Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode,” was in 1986 the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. To mark the American Music Masters award presentation, the rock hall has mounted a special exhibition with items including Berry’s stage clothes, a guitar and his 1958 Chess Records recording contract.
Joanna Jenkins, a 108-year-old woman from Beaufort, South Carolina, is about to vote for the first time in her life. After passing up her right for decades, she was finally compelled to cast her ballot after following this year’s presidential election and debates. Not only does she suddenly want to vote, but Jenkins’ cousin Shirley Lee says she’s excited about doing so and sharing the good news with everyone who visits.
If voters haven’t received their Voter Information Ballots by now, they should consider calling their local election offices before the Nov. 6 election to ensure that they have accurate information. Another source of information is a website maintained by the League of Women Voters Education Fund called Vote 411. It enables voters to enter the address where they are registered and get information on polling places. In addition, boards of election offices in most states maintain websites where voters can get information on how to find polling places. Every vote counts – make sure yours is among them!
Recently, Tennessee State University, the historically Black educational institution in Nashville, held its homecoming weekend. At the football game that weekend, 97-year-old alumna Burnece Walker Brunson joined the cheerleading squad on the sidelines. “Cheering for your favorite players and entertaining your fans feels like you are also part of the game,” Brunson said.
Brunson was a member of the university cheerleading team from 1934 to 1935 when the institution was known as Tennessee A&I College. “We didn’t do all of those fancy stuff back then,” Brunson recalls. “We did some jumps here and there but we did not do all that tossing and throwing. It fulfilled my desire to stay physically active since there were not many sporting activities for girls during those days.”
Brunson is a native of Tennessee but grew up in Chicago. She turned to her home state for college in 1933 and joined the cheerleading team the next year. After obtaining her teaching certificate, she went back to Chicago and earned a bachelor’s degree from Chicago Teacher’s College and a master’s degree from the National College of Education in Evansville, Illinois.
When most people think of important African-American musicians from history, the list is long and varied, including everyone from Muddy Waters to John Coltrane to Jimi Hendrix to, nowadays, Jay-Z. Black people have a lot to be proud of when it comes to our contributions to America’s musical tapestry. But every now and again an icon gets lost, and Charley Pride has been lost too many times. Which is why it’s exciting to hear that the Smithsonian’s forthcoming African-American history museum is going to include several Pride relics in its permanent collection.
It was an evening suitable for a legend at the historic Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood, as internationally acclaimed composer, filmmaker and philanthropist Quincy Jones was on hand to receive the Montblanc Lifetime Achievement Award. There to introduce the iconic producer were Hollywood legends Sidney Poitier and Morgan Freeman as well as Quincy Jones’ daughter, actress and filmmaker Rashida Jones.