article via thegrio.com
Since the OWN cable network debuted in 2011, its popularity has skyrocketed among African-American women, particularly in the last two years.
At a time when many cable networks have been experiencing declines in their viewership, OWN’s average prime-time viewership has grown roughly 30%, climbing to 537,000 in the past two years, as many network have suffered significant declines. According to The Wall Street Journal, the network’s new lineup has resonated strongly with women and black audiences.
Since signing on writer-producer Tyler Perry in 2012, who has four shows on the network now, and adding recent shows like Ava DuVernay’s “Queen Sugar” and the megachurch drama “Greenleaf,” OWN has been able to grow its viewership and visibility.
OWN is now the highest-rated cable network among African-American women, and it is also in the top 20 for all women, according to Discovery.
It remains to be seen whether or not OWN can keep up its momentum while at the same time battling the problems of recent economic pressures as well as the rise of Internet-based television.
Read more: http://thegrio.com/2016/03/23/oprah-winfrey-network-african-american-women/
Good Black News
article via jbhe.com
The Fund II Foundation of Austin, Texas, has the stated mission “to preserve the African-American experience; safeguard human rights; provide music education; preserve the environment while promoting the benefits of the outdoors; and sustain critical American values such as entrepreneurialism.”
To fulfill its first stated mission the philanthropic organization vows “to share the diverse and stirring stories of people of African descent, we support organizations that illuminate the richness of Black history and culture.”
Now the Fund II Foundation has teamed up with the United Negro College Fund to establish a new scholarship program to help African American students seeking careers in STEM fields. Over the next five years, The Fund II Foundation UNCF STEM Scholars Program will identify 500 African American high school students who are determined to pursue careers in STEM fields. These students will receive scholarships, internships, mentoring, and other tools to help them reach their goals. The Fund II Foundation is contributing $48 million for the STEM Scholars Program.
article via jbhe.com
The Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C., has named Camille A. Nelson as its next dean. She will become dean on July 25.
Professor Nelson was dean of the Suffolk University Law School in Boston from 2010 to 2015. She continues to teach at the law school. Before joining the faculty at Suffolk University, Professor Nelson taught for nearly a decade at the Saint Louis University School of Law. Before entering the academic world, she was a clerk for the Supreme Court of Canada. She was the first Black woman to clerk for Canada’s highest court.
A native of Jamaica, Professor Nelson is a graduate of the University of Toronto and earned a law degree at the University of Ottawa. She also holds a master’s degree in law from Columbia University.
Many Black and Hispanic male students in Baltimore County schools need help navigating their way to a high school diploma. That’s why school officials are launching a minority male mentoring program, according to WBAL-TV.
“In grades seven to 12, 40 percent of our African-American students, male students in general, and 31 percent of our Hispanic males have been suspended, compared to 23 percent of their white male counterparts,”Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance highlighted at a luncheon with community stakeholders and educators, WBAL-TV reports.
The news station said some educators at the event expressed support:
“He talked about the mentoring program that we all know is so needed. I’m excited to see where that’s going to go and how we help these kids,” stated teacher Rachel Pfister.
The superintendent underscored that the program requires public and private funding to get off the ground. WBAL-TV reported that local taxpayers are contributing almost $500 million.
Baltimore County’s business community supported student programs in the past, and Dance hopes they continue to pitch in. Commenting after the announcement, businessman Leon Hobson gave a thumbs-up to the mentoring program and told WBAL-TV:
“That’s a major thing, that’s very important, absolutely, because we need to have a little bit more of that, so I was very excited to see that happen.”
Dance also announced a plan to assist the influx of English-learner students–about 5,000 of them since 2006. The school district is considering plans to establish a high school for them that focuses on college and career preparation.
SOURCE: WBAL-TV | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform
“In grades seven to 12, 40 percent of our African-American students, male students in general, and 31 percent of our Hispanic males have been suspended, compared to 23 percent of their white male counterparts,”Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance highlighted at a luncheon with community stakeholders and educators, WBAL-TV reports.
The news station said some educators at the event expressed support:
“He talked about the mentoring program that we all know is so needed. I’m excited to see where that’s going to go and how we help these kids,” stated teacher Rachel Pfister.
The superintendent underscored that the program requires public and private funding to get off the ground. WBAL-TV reported that local taxpayers are contributing almost $500 million.
Baltimore County’s business community supported student programs in the past, and Dance hopes they continue to pitch in. Commenting after the announcement, businessman Leon Hobson gave a thumbs-up to the mentoring program and told WBAL-TV:
“That’s a major thing, that’s very important, absolutely, because we need to have a little bit more of that, so I was very excited to see that happen.”
Dance also announced a plan to assist the influx of English-learner students–about 5,000 of them since 2006. The school district is considering plans to establish a high school for them that focuses on college and career preparation.
SOURCE: WBAL-TV | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform
article by Breanna Edwards via theroot.com
The NoVo Foundation, which supports initiatives that focus on girls and women, announced Wednesday that it will be making a seven-year, $90 million commitment in order to combat the systemic and institutional inequalities that young women and girls of color face in the United States.
The foundation, which was created by Warren Buffett‘s son Peter Buffett and daughter-in-law Jennifer Buffett, signaled that the funds will support grassroots programming and advocacy, “as well as national-level policy and culture change efforts, that are girl-led, girl-driven and designed to address the systemic and institutional challenges faced by girls and young women of color across the country,” a press release notes.
“Inherently, girls and young women of color already hold incredible power and potential. This work is about dismantling the barriers that prevent them from realizing that potential and leading us toward a truly transformative movement for change,” Jennifer Buffett said, according to the release.
“Our goal is to create the conditions for change by advancing the work of the real experts in this movement: girls and young women of color and the advocates working with them,” Peter Buffett added.
The foundation intends to launch a series of regional learning sessions across the country in order to hear directly from girls and young women of color themselves, as well as from their advocates.
“This announcement is made possible because of decadeslong leadership and activism by women of color,” NoVo Executive Director Pamela Shifman told Forbes. “This is a breakthrough moment, and we want to make sure it translates into lasting and meaningful change.”
Read more at the NoVo Foundation and Forbes.
article via eurweb.com
Microsoft Corp. has donated $1 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens this fall after five years of construction.
“The stories, art and culture of African Americans are vibrant and important narratives in our nation’s history,” said Fred Humphries, corporate vice president of U.S. government affairs for Microsoft. “Microsoft is proud to support the museum and bring these perspectives to life in a powerful and enriching experience.”
Other recent donations include $1 million from the Alfred Street Baptist Church, a $10 million gift from David Rubenstein, $1 million from MGM Resorts International and $1 million from Altria Group.
The Museum of African American and History and Culture will be the Smithsonian’s 19th museum. It will open to the public Sept. 24 with 11 inaugural exhibitions covering major periods of African American history, including the slave trade, segregation, the civil rights movement, the Harlem Renaissance and the election of the nation’s first African American president.
To read more, go to: http://www.eurweb.com/2016/03/microsoft-donates-1m-to-new-museum-of-african-american-history-culture/
article via thegrio.com
After a heated bidding war over the rights to Angela Thomas’ “The Hate U Gave” novel, Fox 2000 is now set to begin work on a film inspired by the Black Lives Matter book.
The film will see Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg as its star, playing the role of a 16-year-old girl named Starr who grew up in the slums but now attends a prep school. When Starr sees her unarmed best friend shot by a police officer, Starr must find a way to speak truth to what she knows even as she walks the balance of two very different worlds.
George Tillman Jr. is set to direct the film, with Audrey Wells writing the script for the film adaptation. Stenberg, 17, has been extremely outspoken about cultural appropriation and also police violence on social media.
When protests broke out in Baltimore last year in response to the death of Freddie Gray, Stenberg tweeted, “My prayers go out to all my brothers & sisters in Baltimore. This battle is hard but crucial. The revolutionary youth will change the world.”
“Don’t condemn our anger. Don’t denounce our pain as savage. What’s savage is the cruel inhumanity and brutality of the police. Condemn that,” she added.
To read more, go to: http://thegrio.com/2016/03/24/hunger-games-amandla-stenberg-black-lives-matter/
article by Taryn Finley via huffingtonpost.com
Kelly Rowland’s new makeup line will cater to women with darker complexions. Makeup options can be scarce for those blessed with a bit more melanin than others. Luckily, Kelly Rowland has a solution for the dark brown beauties out there.
The Grammy award-winning artist announced to Essence on Monday that she’ll be launching a makeup line which specifically caters to women with darker complexions.
“My makeup artist Sheika Daley and I are actually starting a makeup line we’re making sure we make, well, we’re starting off with lashes and then we’re going to have it grow for all women,” Rowland told . “But definitely making sure we have our chocolate girls covered. Gotta get the chocolate girls in there! We have to have that, you know. I think Iman has done a beautiful makeup line and I want to do it too!”
Rowland’s line will join a growing number of products that ensure darker skin tones don’t get overlooked in the beauty world, including Cocoa Swatches, Queen by CoverGirl, among others.
To read more, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kelly-rowlands-new-makeup-line-will-celebrate-chocolate-girls_us_56f3f9bbe4b02c402f6693b6?utm_hp_ref=black-voices&
“My makeup artist Sheika Daley and I are actually starting a makeup line we’re making sure we make, well, we’re starting off with lashes and then we’re going to have it grow for all women,” Rowland told . “But definitely making sure we have our chocolate girls covered. Gotta get the chocolate girls in there! We have to have that, you know. I think Iman has done a beautiful makeup line and I want to do it too!”
Rowland’s line will join a growing number of products that ensure darker skin tones don’t get overlooked in the beauty world, including Cocoa Swatches, Queen by CoverGirl, among others.
To read more, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kelly-rowlands-new-makeup-line-will-celebrate-chocolate-girls_us_56f3f9bbe4b02c402f6693b6?utm_hp_ref=black-voices&
article by Toni Akindele via essence.com
Comedian Kevin Hart has found success both on stage and on the big screen. He recently announced that he will soon publish an inspirational memoir appropriately titled, From the Hart.
“My kids know I’m a big deal. They’re very aware,” claims the comedian. “I let them know every day, I say, ‘Look, daddy’s a big deal. Now I’ll have a book out to prove it.”
The book will explore Hart’s childhood, from his difficult upbringing in Philadelphia with a drug-addicted father, to the struggle of starting a career in stand-up, to what motivates him now. According to EW, Hart has the star power to sell 50,000 tickets for one show and gross $100 million worldwide for a comedy tour.
From the Hart is being published via 37 Ink, the Atria Publishing Group imprint that published The Butler. Dawn Davis, vice president of 37 Ink, acquired world rights to Mr. Hart’s book that is scheduled to be published on Father’s Day of 2017.
“I’ve been watching Kevin’s star rise ever since he stole the show in Think Like a Man,” Davis said in a statement. “He not only has a comedic sensibility that is perfectly–pitched for our time, he has a bounty of stories form hi life that are wise, funny, and entertaining.”
To read more, go to: http://www.essence.com/2016/03/23/kevin-hart-to-publish-memoir
TNT is now developing Conviction, a legal drama inspired by the life of Kym Worthy, the chief prosecutor of Wayne County, MI, known as the toughest woman in Detroit.
How To Get Away With Murder star Viola Davis is executive producing the project with Debra Martin Chase (Sparkle). Empire co-executive producer Ayanna Floyd is writing the script and executive producing. The project was originally developed at ABC during the 2014-2015 season with another writer. ABC has a legal drama pilot Conviction this season, which is unrelated to this project.
Worthy became the second African-American to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan when she was appointed chief prosecutor of Wayne County in 2004. She is known for a number of high-profile cases, like filing charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and her campaign to clear a massive backlog of 11,000 unprocessed rape test kits in Detroit.
Davis and and her producing partner Julius Tennon executive produce through their JuVee Productions, Martin Chase through her Martin Chase Prods. Both companies have deals with ABC Studios, which originally developed the project when it was at ABC but is not actively involved in the TNT version. Also executive producing are Floyd as well as Kim Swann and Leah Keith who brought Worthy’s story to Hollywood. Worthy is a consultant.
To read original article, go to: http://deadline.com/2016/03/conviction-legal-drama-kym-worthy-viola-davis-debra-martin-chase-empire-tnt-1201724486/