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Tracy Morgan Marries Megan Wollover – See the Beautiful Couple!

By goodblacknews on August 24, 2015

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Tracy Morgan and Megan Wollover (photo via people.com)

Tracy Morgan is a married man!
Fourteen months after a horrific highway crash left him fighting for his life, the comedian wed his long-time fiancée Megan Wollover in an intimate and moving ceremony Sunday night, Morgan’s rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“After almost losing Tracy last year, I am so grateful to finally be married to the love of my life,” Wollover tells PEOPLE.  As close friends and family, including Maven, Morgan’s 2-year-old daughter with Wollover, 28, looked on, the couple exchanged vows during an emotional ceremony.
“We have been through so much and our love is stronger for it,” says Wollover, an emotional lifesaver for the comedian after his June 7, 2014, accident when a Walmart tractor-trailer slammed into his limousine on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Morgan, 46, whose painstaking road to recovery included learning to stand, sit and walk again, has been determined “to walk my wife down the aisle” by his wedding day, he told PEOPLE in June.
“I don’t want to walk my wife down the aisle with a cane or in a wheelchair,” he said. “So I had to go hard with the therapy … I had to get better. There was no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
Having made it to the altar – with not a cane in sight – the newlyweds are looking forward to sharing many more milestones together.  As Wollover tells PEOPLE, “I’m so excited to see what our future holds and feel so blessed to spend the rest of my life with Tracy!”
Morgan also recently announced he is returning to host “Saturday Night Live” in October, which is also expected to be another milestone in his recovery.
article by Elizabeth Leonard via people.com

Jasmine Twitty, 25, Becomes Youngest Judge in Easley, South Carolina

By goodblacknews on August 24, 2015

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Images of Jasmine Twitty in court reciting an oath and posing behind the judge’s bench went viral in the last few days when it was noted that the 25-year-old recently became the youngest judge in the history of Easley, South Carolina.
Twitty is an alumna of the College of Charleston and is a member of the Upstate Network Young Professionals Board where she helps improve career development for the youth. Twitty is also the treasurer of the civil rights organization, the Urban League of Upstate.
Major congratulations to Ms. Twitty!
article by Monique John via theyolandaadamsmorningshow.com

Michael Jordan Wins $8.9 Million Lawsuit Against Grocery Store – Donates Money To Charity

By goodblacknews on August 23, 2015

10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Celebrity Dinner In BESO At Crystals At CityCenter In Las Vegas
The grocery store Dominick’s – which closed all its stores last year – has to pay $8.9 million to Michael Jordan after using his name and brand in a steak ad without permission in 2009, Complex reports.
Arguing that it hurt his brand image, and doing this on principal, Jordan believed a law suit was the right approach. Upon hearing about the win, Jordan released the following statement:
I’m pleased with today’s verdict. No one — whether or not they’re a public figure — should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission. The case was not about the money as I plan to donate the proceeds to charity. It was about honesty and integrity. I hope this case sends a clear message, both here in the United States and around the world, that I will continue to be vigilant about protecting my name and identity. I also hope the size of the monetary reward will deter others from using someone else’s identity and believe they will only pay a small penalty.
ESPN sports business reporter, Darren Rovell tweeted the following:


Well, the moral to the story here is do not use anyone’s name and brand without their permission. And definitely not Michael Jordan’s.
article by Kovie Biakolo via hellobeautiful.com

Alice Walker Pens Beautiful Poem For Late Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond

By goodblacknews on August 23, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Julian Bond poses for a portrait in W
Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond (Source: The Washington Post / Getty)

The death of legendary civil rights leader Julian Bond on August 15th left a community bereft, yet grateful for a life well-lived and legacy that will inspire and inform generations of activists to come.
Author and poet Alice Walker posted a fitting tribute to Bond on her website, remembering the young, passionate activist he was in college and the icon he would become.
It’s definitely worth the read:

Julian Bond 1940-2015

Julian

The first time I sang
We Shall Overcome
Was in a circle
On the lawn of Trevor Arnett Library
At Atlanta University
And by chance
I was holding
Your hand.
We were all so young,
Julian,
And so hopeful
In our solidarity.
I stumbled over some of the words
In the new to me
Song
But you sang solemnly,
Correctly,
Devoutly,
Believing every word
You sang
With your whole
Handsome
Heart.
A friend writes
That you will be buried
At sea
And I nod
Because that is how it felt
Those years so long ago;
That we were so young,
Vulnerable,
Swimming against
An awesome tide of hatred
And despair
Definitely
At sea.

Read the rest of Walker’s powerful and beautiful tribute at AliceWalkersGarden.com.
article via newsone.com

Philadelphia-Based Organization Oogee Woogee Launches "Be Alright" Scholarship Inspired By Kendrick Lamar

By goodblacknews on August 23, 2015
kendrick lamar
Kendrick Lamar (Judy Eddy/WENN.com)

Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s words are reaching more than just the kids of his hometown of Compton, California.
Just a few months ago, High Tech High School, a North Bergen, New Jersey high school, lesson plan went viral when English teacher Brian Mooney decided to use Lamar’s recent studio album as curriculum and share it on his personal blog. Students used lyrics from Lamar’s sophomore album, To Pimp A Butterfly, to draw parallels between their assigned reading material of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.
News of what was going on reached Kendrick and he ended up visiting Mr. Mooney’s class: listening to the students poetry, giving a special performance, and participating in a classroom rap cypher.
That same school prompted Philadelphia-based organization Oogee Woogee to launch the “Be Alright” Scholarship, which will award one student at High Tech High with $1500 to go towards tuition and book fees. “We always wanted to create a hip-hop-inspired scholarship,” said Wilikine Brutus, content director of Oogee Woogee told Philly.com. “”Alright” came at the right time and the visit to the high school gave us a concrete idea of what we wanted.”
Students must create a 2-3 minute video using their talents to explain the positive aspects of hip-hop. Applicants submissions will then be posted on Oogee Woogee’s Facebook page, and the submission with the most “likes” or “shares” wins. The contest started Friday (Aug. 21) and ends on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 9 a.m.

Oogee Woogee plans to bring the scholarship to Philadelphia and nationwide. Watch the promo video for High Tech’s scholarship below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wogjAveneBg&w=560&h=315]

article by Ashley Monaé via madamenoire.com

College Senior Anthony Sadler Jr. Helps Stop Terrorist on Train in Europe

By goodblacknews on August 23, 2015

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Anthony Sadler Jr., a student from Rancho Cordova, California, was on a high-speed train in Europe on Friday when an attacker carrying a machine gun wounded three people before Sadler and his friends were able to help take him down.
According to officials, the gunman was tackled and disarmed by Sadler, Alek Skartalos, Spencer Stone – two friends in the U.S. military – and another man and subsequently arrested.
“I’m just a college student,” Sadler told Reuters. “It’s my last year in college. I came to see my friends on my first trip in Europe and we stopped a terrorist. It’s kind of crazy.”
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, in speaking about the incident, said the Americans “were particularly courageous and showed great bravery in very difficult circumstances,” and that “without their sangfroid we could have been confronted with a terrible drama.”
The three men were given medals, which were presented by the local mayor.
“I think it all happened just instinctively,” Anthony Sadler Sr. said of his son’s heroic actions. “He did what he felt was necessary.”

Anthony Sadler was one of three Americans who stopped what could have been a horrific terrorist attack on a Belgium train. (Facebook)
Anthony Sadler was one of three Americans who stopped what could have been a horrific terrorist attack on a Belgium train. (Facebook)

“Even as a kid, if he saw an old lady putting groceries in the car, he would go and ask if he could help … he saw someone in trouble, he’d just step in,” said Lottie Valentine, Sadler’s great-aunt.
Sadler, a senior at Sacramento State University, was traveling with childhood friends Stone, of Carmichael, California, and Skarlatos, a National Guardsman from Roseburg, Oregon, when they heard a gunshot and breaking glass.  Sadler told The Associated Press that they saw a train employee sprint down the aisle followed by a gunman with an automatic rifle.

“As he was cocking it to shoot it, Alek just yells, ‘Spencer, go!’ And Spencer runs down the aisle,” Sadler said. “Spencer makes first contact, he tackles the guy, Alek wrestles the gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a boxcutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious.”

Another passenger helped tie the gunman up, and Stone then quickly turned to help another passenger who had been wounded in the throat, stopping his bleeding until paramedics came, Sadler said.

Sadler’s family said they were praying for his safe return home. The family also confirmed Sadler was being held at an undisclosed location in France until he can safely return back to California.

Sadler Sr. added that he was proud of his son and is still wrapping his head around the news.

“He leaves here a young man on an excursion to broaden his world view and have fun with his buddies and he comes back as France’s national hero,” Sadler Sr. said.
Read more: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/Californian-Among-Train-Passengers-Who-Subdued-Terrorist-322569852.html#ixzz3je4cYd6L 

Shonda Rhimes Adds Comedy Project "Splitsville" to Development Slate at ABC

By goodblacknews on August 21, 2015

Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes’ production company has sold yet another series to ABC.  Shondaland is teaming with “Trophy Wife” creators Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins to develop the half-hour comedy “Splitsville,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The comedy follows a group of single residents of a suburban cul-de-sac, who in the wake of a wave of divorces, join forces to raise their kids and get through it together.  Halpern and Haskins will write the script and executive produce alongside Shondaland’s Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
The project marks a reunion for Rhimes and Beers with Halpern, who was an executive story editor/writer on “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff “Private Practice.”
article via eurweb.com 

R.I.P. Emma Didlake, 110 Year-Old Woman Believed to Be Nation's Oldest Veteran

By goodblacknews on August 21, 2015

President Barack Obama meets with Emma Didlake, 110, of Detroit, the oldest known World War II veteran, Friday, July 17, 2015, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Barack Obama meets with Emma Didlake, 110, of Detroit, the oldest known World War II veteran, Friday, July 17, 2015, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — A Michigan woman who was believed to be the nation’s oldest veteran at 110 has died, about a month after meeting President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
Emma Didlake died Sunday in West Bloomfield, northwest of Detroit, according to the Oakland County medical examiner’s office.
Didlake was a 38-year-old wife and mother of five when she signed up in 1943 for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. She served about seven months stateside during the war, as a private and driver.
She spent time with the president in July during a trip to Washington that was arranged by Talons Out Honor Flight, a southwest Michigan chapter of a national nonprofit that provides free, one-day trips for veterans to visit monuments and memorials in the nation’s capital.
“Emma Didlake served her country with distinction and honor, a true trailblazer for generations of Americans who have sacrificed so much for their country,” Obama said Monday afternoon in a statement. “I was humbled and grateful to welcome Emma to the White House last month, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to Emma’s family, friends, and everyone she inspired over her long and quintessentially American life.”
Didlake was born in Alabama and moved with her family to Detroit in 1944. She was known to her family as “Big Mama” and recently moved to an assisted living family in suburban Detroit.
She was deemed the oldest U.S. veteran based on information gleaned by Honor Flight representatives through national outreach campaigns.
Granddaughter Marilyn Horne told The Associated Press last month that when Talons Out officials presented her grandmother with a short-sleeved shirt bearing the group’s logo to wear on the trip to Washington, Didlake took a look and said: “‘I don’t have Michelle Obama arms — I’m going to need a jacket.'”
During her visit to the White House, Didlake wore a patriotic-themed neck scarf and sat in her wheelchair in the same spot in the Oval Office where foreign leaders sit when they meet with Obama.
article by Associated Press via nbcnews.com

Aretha Franklin Looking to Open Detroit Entertainment Complex to Further City's Renewal

By goodblacknews on August 21, 2015
The Queen of Soul told WWJ-AM she wants to open an entertainment venue in Detroit that would include a nightclub and fine dining.
It would also include “a five-star night club for dining and dancing, the band, the whole nine yards,” as well as a museum, she added.
Franklin said in Thursday’s interview she’s “glad that Detroit came through the bankruptcy with flying colors.” She says she loves how Detroit is enjoying a renaissance and that she’s “going to be part of that renaissance.”
Downtown Detroit has been a hotbed of redevelopment since the city emerged from Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in December.
Franklin says she’s found a potential location downtown, with details to be announced later.
She performs Saturday at Detroit’s Chene Park.
article via blackamericaweb.com

Baltimore Creates an Additional 3,000 Summer Jobs for City’s Youth Following Freddie Gray Uprisings

By goodblacknews on August 19, 2015

A week after protests took over Baltimore in response to the death of Freddie Gray, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake launched OneBaltimore, a nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding the city and its affected residents. While progress toward addressing systematic failures that impact not only Baltimore, but other major cities across the U.S., is no easy feat, Baltimore has since made gains in the right direction.
Since announcing the launch of OneBaltimore in May, the nonprofit, which is supported by private–public partnerships, teamed up with the city’s summer jobs program called Youth Works to create an additional 3,000 summer jobs for Baltimore youth. Usually, Youth Works offers positions to 5,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 21, but this year, with the help of OneBaltimore, the program responded to a record number of applications by offering a total of 8,000 positions.
“When businesses hire one or two youths during the summer they are providing jobs that will inspire young people by giving them a glimpse into their future as productive employees,” Donald C. Fry, the president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee said in a statement.
Currently, it costs $1,500 to fund one young person in a Youth Works program. To help offset this cost, OneBaltimore partnered with other nonprofits, private businesses, and government agencies to meet the needs of the city’s youth and in total raised $15 million for future programs.
In addition to providing employment, Mayor Rawlings-Blake is working closely with Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Operation Hope to recruit volunteers to hold financial education seminars for the participants. She has also partnered with the Maryland Transit Administration to offer free public transportation passes for students to get to and from work.
article by Courtney Connley via blackenterprise.com