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Colin Powell Endorses Obama A Second Time

By goodblacknews on October 25, 2012

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on CBS This Morning earlier today.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on CBS This Morning earlier today.

Saying that “I think we ought to keep on the track that we are on” and that fellow Republican Mitt Romney has not “thought through these issues as thoroughly as he should have,” former secretary of state and retired Gen. Colin Powell this morning endorsed President Obama’s re-election bid.  Powell made the announcement on CBS This Morning. The show has been tweeting his comments and has posted video here.  Then-Sen. Barack Obama also got Powell’s endorsement in 2008.  Powell also told CBS that “I’m a Republican of a more moderate mold … dying breed.”

article by Mark Memmott via npr.org

Ways To Find Your Polling Place Before November 6

By goodblacknews on October 24, 2012
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!

Chicago’s Black Businesses Get a Bigger Slice of City Contracts

By goodblacknews on October 23, 2012
The Chicago skyline seen from a helicopter.  More black businesses have been given city contracts this year. (AP Photo Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Chicago businesses owned by African Americans got $193 million, or 21 percent, of the contracts awarded by the city for the first eight months of this year. This is an increase from the mere eight percent ($96 million) they got for the same period last year.

“Although the black contracting surge sounds too good to be true, [Chief Procurement Officer Jamie] Rhee said it’s a product of the mayor’s decision to reform the scandal-scarred minority business program, return certification and compliance to the Department of Procurement Services and ‘really get out there and aggressively talk to people’ about upcoming opportunities,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Judge Wilhelmina Wright Newest Minnesota Supreme Court Justice

By goodblacknews on October 23, 2012

History was made this past Tuesday (Oct. 16) when Judge Wilhelmina Wright was sworn in as the first African-American woman to serve on the state’s Supreme Court.  Wright joins Justice Alan Page as the only two African-American Minnesota Supreme Court justices. Page was elected to the Court in 1992 by the votes of the state. Wright was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to fill the vacancy created with the stepping down of Justice Helen Meyer.

Homeless South Carolina Man Wins $200,000 Lottery

By goodblacknews on October 22, 2012

homeless south carolina man wins lottery

A homeless South Carolina man (pictured) is $200,000 richer after spending $10 on a lottery ticket in Greenville, Fox affiliate KEYC-TV reports.  The South Carolina Education Lottery confirmed the win. The winner declined to be identified. He bought the winning ticket at a Simon’s Liquors last week and jumped for joy after realizing that he had the winning numbers.

The man plans on purchasing a home with his winnings. “To see a person, you know he gets $200,000 he doesn’t have a penny in his pocket but $20,” said Simon Sfeir, owner of Simons Liquors, who sold the winning ticket, according to the Associated Press. Sfeir gets $2,000 of the winnings for selling the ticket.

article by Terrell Jermaine Starr via newsone.com

Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston Lead Inaugural Class for Induction to R&B Music Hall of Fame

By goodblacknews on October 18, 2012

michael jackson & whitney houston
Robinson Global Sports & Entertainment Group LLC has announced it plans to develop the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame Museum that will be a state-of-the-art, highly interactive, virtual reality experience for individuals of all ages and cultures.  It will memorialize rhythm artists, promoters and others that have contributed to this music genre.  Its educational and preservation values alone are needed and have been welcomed and by many U.S. cities:  Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Frank G. Jackson; East Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Gary Norton; Detroit, Michigan’s The New Detroit Entertainment Inc and the Motown Alumni Association; Memphis, Tennessee Mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr.

Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston Lead Inaugural Class for Induction to R&B Music Hall of Fame

By goodblacknews on October 18, 2012

michael jackson & whitney houston

Robinson Global Sports & Entertainment Group LLC has announced it plans to develop the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame Museum that will be a state-of-the-art, highly interactive, virtual reality experience for individuals of all ages and cultures.  It will memorialize rhythm artists, promoters and others that have contributed to this music genre.  Its educational and preservation values alone are needed and have been welcomed and by many U.S. cities:  Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Frank G. Jackson; East Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Gary Norton; Detroit, Michigan’s The New Detroit Entertainment Inc and the Motown Alumni Association; Memphis, Tennessee Mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr.

Maryland Residents Get "Coon Hunt Court" Street Name Changed

By goodblacknews on October 11, 2012
Oakland Mills resident Ambrose Lane Jr. tightens the bolt on the newly named April Wind Court on Monday. A name change for the street, previously called Coon Hunt Court, was approved by the County Planning Board in September. (Photo by Jon Sham, The Baltimore Sun)Oakland Mills resident Ambrose Lane Jr. tightens the bolt on the newly named April Wind Court on Monday. A name change for the street, previously called Coon Hunt Court, was approved by the County Planning Board in September. (Photo by Jon Sham, The Baltimore Sun)

After seven months of petitioning, a group of Columbia, Maryland residents gathered Monday for an official ceremony revealing their neighborhood’s new street name.  Coon Hunt Court has now been changed to April Wind Court, the Baltimore Sun reported.
“For more than 175 years, the word ‘coon’ represented racism and bigotry against African-American people,” April Wind Court resident Ambrose Lane Jr. said at the ceremony. “We come here today to right the wrong, to correct the mistake, to continue James Rouse’s vision and dream of an inclusive, neighborly, and multiracial Columbia community.”

Maryland Residents Get “Coon Hunt Court” Street Name Changed

By goodblacknews on October 11, 2012
Oakland Mills resident Ambrose Lane Jr. tightens the bolt on the newly named April Wind Court on Monday. A name change for the street, previously called Coon Hunt Court, was approved by the County Planning Board in September. (Photo by Jon Sham, The Baltimore Sun)Oakland Mills resident Ambrose Lane Jr. tightens the bolt on the newly named April Wind Court on Monday. A name change for the street, previously called Coon Hunt Court, was approved by the County Planning Board in September. (Photo by Jon Sham, The Baltimore Sun)

After seven months of petitioning, a group of Columbia, Maryland residents gathered Monday for an official ceremony revealing their neighborhood’s new street name.  Coon Hunt Court has now been changed to April Wind Court, the Baltimore Sun reported.

“For more than 175 years, the word ‘coon’ represented racism and bigotry against African-American people,” April Wind Court resident Ambrose Lane Jr. said at the ceremony. “We come here today to right the wrong, to correct the mistake, to continue James Rouse’s vision and dream of an inclusive, neighborly, and multiracial Columbia community.”

More Blacks Found Jobs in September

By goodblacknews on October 7, 2012
Black Unemployment Rate Declined in September
More people are working and that is reflected in the most recent unemployment numbers released by the Labor Department Friday morning. African-Americans had reason to cheer as their unemployment rate fell to 13.4 percent, down from 14.1 percent in August. Though still extremely high, African-American teen joblessness dropped slightly from 37.9 to 36.7 percent.  The national jobless rate declined to 7.8 percent from 8.1 the previous month.  The unemployment rate is at a 44-month low, and is now the same as when President Obama took office in 2009. This drop could give the president a boost after his disappointing debate performance against Mitt Romney.