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Homeless High School Teen Chelesa Fearce Graduates As Valedictorian & Will Enter Spelman As Junior

By goodblacknews on May 23, 2013

chelesa fearce
Chelesa Fearce is a shining example of a student that didn’t let obstacles get in her way when it came to her education. You see, during most of Chelesa’s high school career she was homeless and living in her mother’s car.  Chelesa, a senior at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County, Georgia, knew that her hard work would pay off, despite the obstacles presented to her.
“I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore,” Fearce said. “You’re worried about your home life and then worried at school. Worry about being a little hungry sometimes, go hungry sometimes. You just have to deal with is. You eat what you can, when you can.”
Although her family occasionally lived in an apartment, because of her mother’s lay-offs, they took refuge in shelters.  “Ended up back in another shelter because I got laid off from my job maybe about four or five times,” Fearce’s mother, Reenita Shephard said.  “I just did what I had to do,” Fearce said.
None of that stopped Chelesa from achieving a 4.466 GPA and a 1900 SAT score. On top of her regular high school course load, Chelesa was able to enroll in college courses during her last two years of high school. When she enters Spelman in the fall, she will do so as a college junior.  Brains apparently run in the family. Chelesa’s sister is graduating from George Washington Carver High School as a salutatorian.
“I read to them a lot. Everything was a learning experience,” Shephard said.  “Don’t give up. Do what you have to do right now so that you can have the future that you want,” Chelesa said.
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article by Yesha Callahan via clutchmagonline.com

UCLA Awarded $10M Grant to Study Autism in African-Americans

By goodblacknews on May 23, 2013

Areva Martin, Esq.
Areva Martin of the Special Needs Network

NBC Southern California – The National Institutes of Health awarded UCLA a grant to study the genetic causes of autism in African-American children.  Areva Martin of the Special Needs Network says “there’s a void” of qualified health care officials to make the diagnosis in communities like South LA.  The study hopes to change that, and aims to recruit at least 600 African-American families who have a child diagnosed with autism.
Watch video of this story by clicking here.
Related Stories: 

article by Dr. Bruce Hensel via thegrio.com

Desiree Rogers Appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to Choose Chicago Board

By goodblacknews on May 21, 2013
Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers pauses prior to a reception in honor of International Women's Day hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the East Room of the White House March 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The reception honored women from around the world and their achievements. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers pauses prior to a reception in honor of International Women’s Day hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the East Room of the White House March 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The reception honored women from around the world and their achievements. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

NBC Chicago – Desiree Rogers is adding another line to her resume.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel tapped the former White House social secretary to chair the board of Choose Chicago.

Rogers is currently the CEO of Ebony and Jet.  Choose Chicago is a marketing organization that works to lure businesses, tourists and conventions to the city.  Rogers takes over for Bruce Rauner, who is expected to run for Illinois governor on the Republican ticket.

Rogers and Emanuel worked together in the Obama White House during his time as chief of staff.  Click here to read more.

article by Marcus Riley via thegrio.com

Oklahoma Thunder Forward Kevin Durant Donates $1 Million to Disaster Relief

By goodblacknews on May 21, 2013

Kevin Durant in front of the hometown fans (Getty Images)

Via Daily Thunder:

Per the Red Cross, Kevin Durant has given a $1 million donation to the disaster relief fund.
“The Red Cross relies on its donors to perform its mission in relieving human suffering following disasters,” said Janienne Bella, regional CEO in a release. “Mr. Durant’s gift and support to Oklahoma comes at a time of great need and we’re forever thankful for his generosity.”
Yesterday Durant tweeted, “Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days..Everybody stay safe!”

It’s also well-worth mentioning that Kevin Durant did not announce this donation. Rather, the Red Cross was the first to point out Durant’s contribution (which was made through his personal charity arm, The Durant Family Foundation), with Kevin letting his donation do the talking.
The devastation in Oklahoma was as stunning as it was swift, and any little bit helps. The Red Cross’ localized branch is the best place to go if you want to contribute as Kevin did.

Oklahoma Tornado Disaster: How We Can Help

By goodblacknews on May 21, 2013

tornadosurvivorAs our hearts here at GBN continue to go out to all those affected by the monstrous tornado in Oklahoma on Monday, below is a list of varying ways to aid its residents.  The following relief organizations are working in the area:
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross has several shelters open in Oklahoma and Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles have begun delivering hot meals throughout the affected areas. The Red Cross is also working to link loved ones in Moore who are OK through a website called Safe and Well. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, donate online, or donate by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is activating disaster response teams and mobile feeding units to help residents and rescuers in Moore, as well as in other locations in the Plains and the Midwest that were impacted by tornadoes. Donate online or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts or make a donation by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. If you’re sending a check make sure you put the words “Oklahoma Tornado Relief” on the check, and mail it to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 12600, Oklahoma City, OK. 73157.
Operation USA
Los Angeles-based international relief agency Operation USA announced it’s providing emergency aid where needed to community-based health organizations across Oklahoma. Donate online, by phone at 1-800-678-7255, or by check made out to Operation USA, 7421 Beverly Blvd., PH, Los Angeles, CA 90036. You can also donate $10 by texting AID to 50555. Corporate donations of bulk quantities of disaster-appropriate supplies are also being requested.
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief says it has deployed at least 80 volunteers to respond to severe weather in Oklahoma. Those interested in helping can make a tax-deductible donation to the BGCO’s Disaster Relief ministry online or call (405) 942-3800. You may also send checks to: BGCO Attn: Disaster Relief 3800 N. May Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73112.
Samaritan’s Purse

Samaritan’s Purse, which provided relief to residents of Moore after the devastating tornado in 1999, deployed two Disaster Relief Units from their North Carolina headquarters before dawn on Tuesday. One will be based in Moore, and the other in Shawnee. Samaritan’s Purse is looking for volunteers to help with the relief effort. You can donate online or by phone at 1-800-528-1980. To give by mail, please send donations to: Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607-3000.
Save the Children
Save the Children is mobilizing staff to provide support, relief and recovery services to communities and families in Oklahoma. The organization is prepared to deploy their Child Friendly Space kits in shelters, creating safe play areas for kids. They are also ready to deploy infant and toddler hygiene materials to support young children displaced from their homes. Text TWISTER to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children and help the response effort. You can donate online or call 1-800-728-3843.
Operation Blessing International

Operation Blessing International, a Virginia-based humanitarian group, is deploying to Moore, after working on tornado relief in Granbury, Texas, following last week’s storm there. A caravan of OBI emergency equipment was sent to Moore, including a construction unit, mobile command center, trucks full of tools and supplies, and a team of construction foremen. You can donate to the group online or donate by phone at 1-800-730-2537.
article via usatoday.com

Obama Morehouse Speech: President Talks Good Deeds, Race & Manhood At 2013 Commencement

By goodblacknews on May 19, 2013

Obama at Morehouse
President Barack Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, told graduates of Morehouse College Sunday to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people’s lives.
Noting the Atlanta school’s mission to cultivate, not just educate, good men, Obama said graduates should not be so eager to join the chase for wealth and material things, but instead should remember where they came from and not “take your degree and get a fancy job and nice house and nice car and never look back.”
“So yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and powerful, or if you can also find time to defend the powerless,” Obama declared. “Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business, we need black businesses out there. But ask yourself what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood.”
“The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent on making money – rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed,” he said.  For those headed to medical school, Obama said “make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too.” He asked those headed to law school to think about defending the poor.

TECHNOLOGY: You Can Now Send Money Through Gmail, Google Announces

By goodblacknews on May 17, 2013

Send Money Through Gmail

This is huge, potentially.  Along with a flurry of other announcements made on Wednesday at Google I/O, Google’s annual developers’ conference, the company announced that it’s integrating Google Wallet with Gmail, meaning Gmail account holders will soon be able to send money via email.
The amazing thing about this is how easy it is. As you can see in the YouTube video below, all you do is hit a “$” symbol to attach money to an email — just like you would attach any other file.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA8m0JOoNYQ&w=560&h=315]
Google Product Manager Travis Green wrote in a blog post that this feature will be rolled out “over the coming months to all U.S. Gmail users over 18 years old.” You can also get early access if a friend — perhaps who works at Google — already has the feature and sends money to you.
This could pose a threat to e-commerce startups like Venmo, which allows you to send someone payments through an app for iPhones or Android phones. “Holy startup killer,” said Artur Adib, a senior engineer at Twitter.
Jeff Peters, a new media and marketing consultant, wrote in a tweet about the news, “This could be big…if (when) people trust it.”
Tech executive Ray Nolan went even further, declaring, “eCommerce just changed.”
article by Craig Kanalley via huffingtonpost.com

Father, Son to Graduate Morehouse College Together

By goodblacknews on May 17, 2013
(Photo courtesy of NBC Atlanta)
Dorian Joyner Jr. and Dorian Joyner Sr., Both Members of the 2013 Graduating Class of Morehouse College (Photo courtesy of NBC Atlanta)

ATLANTA — This weekend will be a busy one for Dorian Joyner, Sr. Sunday morning, he will watch his oldest son graduate from Morehouse College.  Joyner will have a front row seat for commencement.  After all, he will be a fellow graduate himself.
Joyner started his Morehouse journey back in 1984, but never finished. Three years ago, he decided it was time to come back. By then his son, Dorian Joyner, Jr. was already a freshman.  When the younger Joyner heard his father was coming back to Morehouse, he admits, it was a shock at first.
“I said, ‘oh, you’re coming back to visit some of your friends?’” he remembered. “And [Dorian Senior] said ‘no, I’m coming back to be a student.’ I said – can you repeat that?”  While most kids come to college to get away from their parents, Dorian Junior says he never felt like he was under his father’s thumb.
“We used to have a support system. Sometimes he would come to my room to ask about a problem or a class or a professor to take,” he said.  Daddy Dorian, who allows his son to call him by his first name on campus, said the two have their own friends and schedules, so their paths rarely intersect.  But after three years of learning from and pushing each other, the two have a bond that goes deeper that father and son.
article by Blayne Alexander via thegrio.com

President Obama, First Lady Address Graduates at HBCUs

By goodblacknews on May 17, 2013
First lady Michelle Obama delivers the commencement speech during the Bowie State University graduation ceremony at the Comcast Center on the campus of the University of Maryland May 17, 2013 in College Park, Maryland. Obama received and Honorary Doctor of Laws degree before addressing the 600 graduates of Maryland's oldest historically black university and one of the ten oldest in the country. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
First lady Michelle Obama delivers the commencement speech during the Bowie State University graduation ceremony at the Comcast Center on the campus of the University of Maryland May 17, 2013 in College Park, Maryland. Obama received and Honorary Doctor of Laws degree before addressing the 600 graduates of Maryland’s oldest historically black university and one of the ten oldest in the country. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Graduation season is under way and students and their families are joined by a few special guests as they celebrate their achievement.  Among them: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who are addressing students at several of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities at graduation ceremonies this year.
On Sunday, the president will make his way to Atlanta, Georgia to address the graduating class at Morehouse College — a landmark all-male school that once enrolled civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King at the age of 15.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and senior adviser to the president Valerie Jarrett are also participating in commencement exercises at HBCUs.  So far, Secretary Vilsack has addressed graduates at Tuskegee University, where he also received an honorary degree. Meanwhile, Mrs. Obama  delivered a speech at Bowie State University on Friday.
Aside from President Obama’s highly-anticipated arrival at Morehouse College in the coming days, Jarrett and Secretary Duncanare were expected to participate in commencement services at Clark Atlanta University and Morgan State University this weekend.
article by Lilly Workneh via thegrio.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Named Sports Illustrated's Top-Earning American Athlete in 2013

By goodblacknews on May 16, 2013
Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, poses for photos with his father, Floyd Mayeather Sr. after defeating Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision in a WBC welterweight title fight, Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, poses for photos with his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr. after defeating Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision in a WBC welterweight title fight, Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Floyd Mayweather Jr. tops Sports Illustrated’s list of highest-earning American athletes for the second consecutive year, according to Sports Illustrated.  The welterweight boxer is projected to make a minimum of $90 million this year, but could potentially earn as much as $128 million.  The list, entitled “The Fortunate 50,” combines salary, endorsements, and winnings to determine an athlete’s yearly earnings.  This year four out of the top five athletes on the list are African-American.  
Number two on the list, LeBron James, is set to make roughly $56.5 million in 2013, and NFL quarterback Drew Brees is ranked at number three, with anticipated earnings of $47.8 million.  Rounding out the top five are Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, taking home an estimated $46.8 million, and professional golfer Tiger Woods, earning about $40.8 million.  
Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose broke into the top 10 this year for the first time.  Despite sitting out the 2012-2013 NBA season, Rose lands at No. 7 on the list. With several major endorsement deals, including Adidas and Powerade, Rose is expected to make $33 million this year.  Click here to view the whole Sport’s Illustrated “Fortunate 50″ list.
article by Carrie Healey via thegrio.com