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MUSIC MONDAY: “Manic Monday” – Soulful Cover Songs and Originals (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Manic Monday” – Soulful Cover Songs and Originals (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on May 10, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Monday, you all. This week’s offering is a soulful collection of cover tunes and original versions of songs that went on to become hits for other folks.

The Pointer Sisters‘ version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire” and Whitney Houston’s take on Dolly Parton‘s “I Will Always Love You” are examples of covers that are as famous as the originals.

There’s Otis Redding’s live version of “Respect” where he explains how “This girl, she just took this song” to an amused audience. I’ve included Prince’s demos for “Manic Monday” and “Glamorous Life”, each went on to become hits for the Bangles and Sheila E., respectively.

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There are so many Beatles covers by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Black Pumas, and others.

Big Mama Thornton is early through the door of this playlist with her version of a song made world-famous by a young man from Tupelo, Mississippi.

Hope you all enjoy this collection of soul, R&B, reggae, and jazz versions of the songs you know, offered here by other voices.

Have a great week, and stay sane, safe, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
Good Black News Wishes You and Yours Happy Mother’s Day 2021

Good Black News Wishes You and Yours Happy Mother’s Day 2021

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2021

Good Black News wants to take a moment on this day to honor and remember the women who gave us life, who nurtured and raised us, and also offered us solace, counsel, wisdom, humility and humor.

We are excited to acknowledge that because of progress with vaccinations in the U.S., many of us can be with our mothers or mother figures this year when we could not in 2020.

For those of us who still aren’t able to be with our mothers or mother figures in person, we are with you in voice, online and always – in spirit!

And to all the mothers out there – be they Aunties, Grandmothers, Cousins or Friends – thank you for all you do!

Happy Mother’s Day!

U.S. Justice Department Indicts Four Former Minneapolis Police Officers on Federal Charges for George Floyd’s Death

U.S. Justice Department Indicts Four Former Minneapolis Police Officers on Federal Charges for George Floyd’s Death

By goodblacknews on May 7, 2021

The U.S. Department of Justice, lead by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, has indicted four former Minneapolis police officers in connection with the killing of George Floyd.  The charges allege the officers violated Floyd’s constitutional rights, according to court documents filed in federal court in Minnesota.

According to cnn.com, the indictment says Derek Chauvin — who was convicted on second-degree murder charges in Floyd’s death — deprived Floyd of the right to be free from “unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.”

Former officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were also charged in connection with their failure to intervene in Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force, per the indictment. Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and the fourth officer, Thomas Lane, all face a charge for failing to give Floyd medical aid.

Such federal charges are rare, notes npr.org, because it is difficult to meet the high legal bar they require. Prosecutors are charged with proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Chauvin acted “willfully” to deprive Floyd of his civil rights and used force that was “constitutionally unreasonable.”

Additionally, Chauvin faces a separate federal indictment related to a 2017 incident where he allegedly used a neck restraint “without legal justification” on a 14-year-old and beat the teenager in the head with a flashlight.

Several weeks ago, the Justice Department also filed federal hate crime charges against the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed Redirects $3.75 Million from Law Enforcement to Black Businesses as Part of Dream Keeper Initiative

San Francisco Mayor London Breed Redirects $3.75 Million from Law Enforcement to Black Businesses as Part of Dream Keeper Initiative

By goodblacknews on May 6, 2021

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed announced yesterday the awarding of $3.75 million to serve San Francisco’s Black and African American small business community.

This investment by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC) is part of the Dream Keeper Initiative, which is reinvesting $120 million from law enforcement into San Francisco’s African American community.

In June 2020, following the killing of George Floyd, Mayor Breed and Supervisor Shamann Walton announced a plan to prioritize the redirection of resources from law enforcement to support the African-American community. Following that plan, HRC led an extensive and collaborative process with the community to identify and prioritize funding needs and developed a report to guide the reinvestment.

The community engagement process included more than 60 community meetings, listening sessions, coalition convenings, and surveys with over 700 respondents. As part of the budget process, Mayor Breed redirected $120 million from law enforcement for investments in the African American community for Fiscal Years 2020-21 and 2021-22.

This funding is aimed at mitigating the economic hardships facing San Francisco’s African American community and will support rebuilding of the community’s economic power in San Francisco.

Chicago Rep. Bobby Rush Introduces Bill to Congress to Compel FBI to Disclose Fred Hampton Files

Chicago Rep. Bobby Rush Introduces Bill to Congress to Compel FBI to Disclose Fred Hampton Files

By goodblacknews on May 5, 2021

[Photo: Fred Hampton (l), U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (r) via revolt.tv]

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, a Democrat from Illinois and an Illinois Black Panther Party co-founder, yesterday introduced a bill to Congress to force the declassification of FBI files related to the death of Party Chairman Fred Hampton. 

Additionally, Rush sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in which he requested “that you release unclassified and un-redacted versions of any files or papers in the possession of the U.S. Department of Justice or the FBI pertaining to this assassination.”

Hampton and Mark Clark were assassinated on Dec. 4, 1969 in Chicago by federal agents, and renewed public attention to this event comes on the heels of the 2020 release of the Academy Award-winning film Judas and the Black Messiah, for which Daniel Kaluuya won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Hampton.

According to thegrio.com, Rush, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, said it was important that “the American people know about the odious and inhumane legacy of J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO operation and its assault on our nation’s civil liberties.”

Rush’s bill would require the FBI to release all files related to now-disbanded counterintelligence programs, including those related to the Black Panther Party and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  

The bill also calls for the removal of Hoover’s name from FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/5/4/22419671/bobby-rush-fbi-doj-release-files-black-panther-fred-hampton-killing-chicago

White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor to Take Over as Host of “Washington Week” on PBS

White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor to Take Over as Host of “Washington Week” on PBS

By goodblacknews on May 4, 2021

Yamiche Alcindor, the White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, will take over as moderator for PBS’ current affairs show Washington Week, a position once held by the late, great journalist Gwen Ifill, who for a time was Alcindor’s mentor.

Alcindor, 34, will helm her first show this Friday, succeeding Robert Costa, who took over in 2017 and left the show earlier this year.

Regarding her new position, the New York Times quotes Alcindor as saying, “I know how much ‘Washington Week’ meant to Gwen, and how much she put her stamp on the legacy of the show. I also feel this incredible responsibility to think deeply about taking this on and making it a show that people want to watch, that people will feel is living up to its great legacy.”

Alcindor will continue to cover the Biden administration for NewsHour, as well as remaining  a contributor to NBC News and MSNBC.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/business/media/yamiche-alcindor-washington-week-pbs.html

MUSIC MONDAY: “Get Down On It” – an Old School and New Funk Mix – (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Get Down On It” – an Old School and New Funk Mix – (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on May 3, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Sorry, not sorry for this more than a workday’s worth of rump-shaking tunes. Perhaps some of you are at stand-up desks and can get that groove on.

This week’s offering is devoted to Funk music. In the words of Parliament/Funkadelic, “Uncut funk, the bomb.” This mixture of soul, gospel, jazz, and rhythm, and blues was started in the mid-1960s by the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown.

Funk had its hey in the 1970s and ‘80s, though its impact is still felt around the world. Funk grooves have been sampled by hip-hop artists and rock bands alike.

If you’re like me, you’ll be thrilled to know there’s plenty of new funk music being created today. Lady Wray, Yola, Anderson.Paak, and others will make you a believer.

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This collection is devoted to funk masters like James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton and Lyn Collins, and new practitioners like Tank & The Bangas, Emily Wright, Thundercat, Los Coast and others.

Have a great week. And as ways stay safe, sane and kind. More soon.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
Beyoncé Teams with Jewelry Designer Lorraine Schwartz, Creates Scholarship for Black Students to Gemological Institute of America

Beyoncé Teams with Jewelry Designer Lorraine Schwartz, Creates Scholarship for Black Students to Gemological Institute of America

By goodblacknews on May 1, 2021

According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Beyoncé teamed up with jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz to create the Beyoncé Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz GIA Scholarship, which goes to three members of the Black community for full tuition to earn GIA’s Graduate Gemologist diploma.

Audriana Osborne of Montgomery, Alabama, Shelton Bradford of Lake Forest, California, and Kulla Jatani, of Seattle, Washington were named the first three winners of the scholarship.

The aim of the scholarship is to creating more representation and eventually generational wealth for African Americans in the jewelry industry.

“I was impressed with their passion and the knowledge of gems that so many applicants displayed,” Beyoncé, who chose each of the scholarship recipients, said in a statement. “I am praying that this is just the beginning of opening more doors to diversity and raw inspiration in the jewelry industry.”

“Her work for the Black community is without limit and her efforts have inspired me and made me extremely proud to be her friend and partner on this initiative,” Schwartz said of Beyoncé.

Read more: https://discover.gia.edu/beyonce-x-lorraine-GIA-scholarship#home

U.S. Department of Justice Charges Three Georgia Men Accused of Killing Ahmaud Arbery with Federal Hate Crimes

U.S. Department of Justice Charges Three Georgia Men Accused of Killing Ahmaud Arbery with Federal Hate Crimes

By goodblacknews on April 28, 2021

The U.S. Department of Justice, lead by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, today indicted three Georgia men Travis McMichael, 35; Travis’s father, Gregory McMichael, 65; and William “Roddie” Bryan, 51, via federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia and charged them with hate crimes and the attempted kidnapping of Ahmaud Arbery.

Each were charged with one count of interference with rights and with one count of attempted kidnapping. Travis and Gregory McMichael were also charged with one count each of using, carrying, and brandishing—and in Travis’s case, discharging—a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

All three defendants have also been charged in a separate state proceeding with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony. No trial date has been set for the state case.

Counts One and Two of the new federal indictment allege that the defendants used force and threats of force with firearms to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to use a public street because of his race.

Count One also alleges that the offense resulted in Arbery’s death. Count Two alleges that William “Roddie” Bryan joined the chase and used his truck to cut off Arbery’s route.

In addition to the hate-crime charges, Count Three alleges that all three defendants attempted to unlawfully seize and confine Arbery by chasing after him in their trucks in an attempt to restrain him, restrict his free movement, corral and detain him against his will, and prevent his escape.

Counts Four and Five allege that during the course of the crime of violence charged in Count One, Travis used, carried, brandished, and discharged a Remington shotgun, and Gregory used, carried, and brandished a .357 Magnum revolver.

The announcement was made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela S. Karlan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney David Estes of the Southern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge J.C. Hacker of the FBI.

This case was investigated by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tara Lyons of the Southern District of Georgia, and Deputy Chief Bobbi Bernstein and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras of the Civil Rights Division.

Born on this Day in 1927: Civil Rights Activist, Icon and Author Coretta Scott King (WATCH)

Born on this Day in 1927: Civil Rights Activist, Icon and Author Coretta Scott King (WATCH)

By goodblacknews on April 27, 2021

Practically all Americans celebrate or at the very least know about the national Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. But how many know it came to pass because of the activism and efforts of his widow, Coretta Scott King?

Today, on what would have been Coretta Scott King’s 94th birthday, we honor and celebrate her.

Coretta Scott King worked alongside MLK Jr. throughout the civil rights movement, and continued social justice work for decades after his assassination in 1968 until her own passing in 2006.

The mother of four founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in 1968 and activist lobbied tirelessly for fifteen years to have her late husband’s birthday recognized as a federal holiday.

In 1983 she finally succeeded when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law declaring MLK Day starting on January 20, 1986. Coretta Scott King honored the occasion in Atlanta, Georgia, placing a wreath on King’s tomb and holding a ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King had served as co-pastor for eight years before his death.

Coretta Scott King also spoke up for women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, against the Vietnam War, against apartheid in South Africa and called out the FBI for its extensive surveillance of both her and MLK. King wrote about her life and work in the book My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr., first published in 1969.

In 2005, King allowed her alma mater, Antioch College, to create the Coretta Scott King Center as a learning resource to address issues of race, class, gender, diversity, and social justice for the campus and the surrounding community. The Center opened in 2007.

King was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011.

To learn more about her life and legacy, watch the video above, or check out the books My Life, My Love, My Legacy and Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange and Kadir Nelson.

(paid links)