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NAACP Image Awards to Honor Spike Lee With President's Award

By goodblacknews on January 22, 2015

Spike Lee will be honored at the NAACP Image Awards this year, where the iconic filmmaker will receive the President’s Award.

NAACP president and CEO Cornell William Brooks calls the Do the Right Thing director a “trailblazer” and a “champion for minorities.”
Brooks continues, “His expansive body of work examining race relations, colorism in the Black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues reflect the fullness of the humanity of people of color — particularly African-Americans.”
The President’s Award is chosen by the NAACP president and recognizes special achievement and distinguished public service. Past honorees have included President Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali and, most recently, Kerry Washington.
Lee has had an active career, churning out a film per year on average. His latest movie, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, is a romantic horror comedy that follows a scholar who becomes cursed after a run-in with an ancient African artifact. It was partially funded through Kickstarter.
The 46th NAACP Image Awards will be broadcast live on February 6 at 9 p.m. Check your local listings for details.
article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com
Ratings: 'Empire' Adds More Viewers as Fox Tops Wednesday

Ratings: 'Empire' Adds More Viewers as Fox Tops Wednesday

By goodblacknews on January 22, 2015

Marvel Circling Chiwetel Ejiofor for Role in ‘Doctor Strange’

By goodblacknews on January 22, 2015
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor (FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES)

Chiwetel Ejiofor is in early talks for a role opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange.”
Sources tell Variety that talks are very early, but Marvel is working to give the “12 Years a Slave” actor for a role in the film.  Cumberbatch will play the title role with Scott Derrickson directing.
Role and plot details are unknown at this time.  Ejiofor can be seen next in “Z For Zachariah” opposite Margot Robbie and Chris Pine.
article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com

Usher, Willie Nelson and Janelle Monae Set for Stevie Wonder "All-Star Grammy Salute" on February 10

By goodblacknews on January 21, 2015

Janelle-Monae-Stevie-Wonder-Usher
Stevie Wonder will get the all-star treatment next month during a tribute concert in his honor.  The Associated Press reports that Usher, Willie Nelson and Janelle Monae will be among the performers paying tribute to Wonder at “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life — An All-Star Grammy Salute.”
The event, which will also feature performances from Coldplay‘s Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran, will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Feb. 10.
The concert is scheduled to be held two days after the 57th annual Grammy Awards. Wonder’s history with the Grammys is a stellar one that includes receiving 25 Grammy Awards during his career.
Tickets for “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life — An All-Star Grammy Salute” are currently on sale. The show is set to air as a two-hour special Feb. 16 on CBS.
article via eurweb.com

Obama To Visit Selma in March for 50th Anniversary of Voting Rights Marches

By goodblacknews on January 21, 2015
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President Barack Obama, Jan. 20, 2015 (Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama will visit Selma, Ala., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of historic marches led by civil activists fighting against segregation and seeking to secure African Americans’ right to vote, according to Reuters.
A White House official said Tuesday that the president will make the visit on March 7 as part of his administration’s efforts to highlight the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the report says. Also according to Reuters:

The law, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson 50 years ago this August, banned literacy tests and other tactics used in the U.S. South to block racial minorities from voting. The White House official said more details of Obama’s trip would be announced later.
The 1965 marches from Selma to Alabama’s capital of Montgomery were organized by civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. to draw national attention to the disenfranchisement of Black voters.
Alabama state troopers tried to stop the protests by attacking the marchers with tear gas and clubs. The violent media images from the marches shocked the nation and eventually spurred the Congress to pass the voting rights legislation.

The marches in 1965 are receiving renewed attention this year after the recent release of the movie, “Selma,” which highlights the campaign leading up to the historic march. On Friday, President Obama hosted a screening of the movie at the White House. Among others, Oprah Winfrey, who produced and had a role in the film, was invited.
article via newsone.com

TV Ratings: Larry Wilmore's "Nightly Show" Makes a Solid Entry

By goodblacknews on January 21, 2015
Larry Wilmore Nightly Show - H 2015
“Nightly Show” host Larry Wilmore

Larry Wilmore debuted Comedy Central’s new Nightly Show on Monday, and the veteran writer, comedian and Daily Show correspondent brought a solid sampling for his first time at bat.

The series premiere attracted 963,000 viewers at 11:30 p.m. and a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Any disappointment over Wilmore not cracking 1 million viewers should be taken lightly. The premiere happened on the tail-end of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, with a modest 1.2 million lead-in from The Daily Show. Comedy Central’s late-night block, like all of TV, also has been bringing in more and more viewers with time-shifting — and Wilmore stands to grow significantly after people sample throughout the week.
The first outing has been greeted warmly by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s Tim Goodman writing, “As for first impressions, I liked it. Wilmore himself is a smart, funny performer who is no stranger to The Daily Show crowd. Most viewers to his show probably knew what to expect for the most part.”
“The Nightly Show” replaces “The Colbert Report,” whose host will succeed David Letterman at CBS in September.

Wilmore was the “senior black correspondent” for the “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and is a respected comedian, writer and producer who says that he is ready to mix it up on late night TV, according to blackamericaweb.com.

"Selma" Cast Marches in Alabama; Free Screenings in 25 Cities Planned

By goodblacknews on January 19, 2015
“Selma” director Ava DuVernay and producer Oprah Winfrey joined their cast and crew to march alongside local residents of Selma, Ala., on Sunday in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“Selma” dramatizes the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo) in 1965 as he organizes and leads a march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., and on Sunday cast members taking to the streets included Oyelowo and Winfrey, who tweeted, “Happy Super Soul Sunday every 1. We’re in Selma celebrating @SelmaMovie. How cool is that!”
Singer-songwriter John Legend, who won the Golden Globe for original song with Common for the “Selma” song “Glory,” also took to social media to promote the march. The artists performed the song with the Tuskegee University Gospel Choir on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
“In Selma, Alabama. Meet at City Hall at 4pm and March with us #Glory #MarchOn,” he posted with a photo of the bridge on Instagram.
Paramount Pictures, the film’s distributor, will host two free screenings of the film Monday for the general public at at the Selma Walton Theater.

“We are proud to be a part of this extraordinary effort to bring this poignant and timeless American story to the diverse students of Los Angeles,” said Debra Martin Chase, chief executive of Martin Chase Productions, and T. Warren Jackson, senior vice president and associate general counsel and chief ethics officer of DirecTV, which organized the efforts in Los Angeles.
The film, which cost about $20 million to make, has pulled in about $26 million since its limited release on Christmas Day. It earned an A-plus on CinemaScore and wide praise from critics.
“It’s a really incredible movie, because it’s playing so well in so many diverse places and has all of these organic grass-roots energy around it,” Megan Colligan, president of domestic marketing and distribution, told The Times last week. “It’s big cities, it’s small cities — it’s touching people all over.”
Colligan said one passionate fan in Louisiana reached out to Paramount asking if she could screen “Selma” at the local gym because there was no theater within 50 miles of town.
“The historical drama is a tough nut to crack to make it entertaining and inspiring, and I think Ava DuVernay figured out how to do that,” Colligan said.
article by Saba Hamedy via latimes.com

Los Angeles Students, Among Others, Offered Free Admission to Watch "Selma"

By goodblacknews on January 19, 2015
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David Oyelowo portrays Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oscar-nominated film “Selma.”

Los Angeles students will now be able to watch the Oscar-nominated film “Selma” for free.
Local business leaders have pitched in funds to allow students to watch the historical film, which has been nominated for best picture and best original song, at no cost.

Los Angeles is among 25 cities nationwide where the community has contributed money to their local initiative.
“It’s important that the civil rights struggle depicted in ‘Selma’ reach as many young people as possible so that the enduring lessons of the civil rights movement can be harnessed to inspire them to transform their lives and communities,” said T. Warren Jackson, who helped organize the efforts in Los Angeles.
The efforts began in New York City, where 27 black business leaders put together a fund for 27,000 of the city’s middle school students. The tickets sold out the first weekend and the program was expanded to 75,000 tickets.
Students who present a current student identification or report card at a participating box office will receive free admission while tickets last.
Eight movie theaters in Southern California are participating:

  • AMC Burbank 16 – Burbank
  • AMC Del Amo 18 – Torrance
  • Cinemark 18 – Westchester
  • Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 & Xtreme – Los Angeles
  • Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26 & IMAX – Long Beach
  • Pacific Lakewood 16 – Lakewood
  • Pacific Winnetka 21 – Chatsworth
  • Regal LA Live Stadium 14 – Los Angeles

For more information, visit SelmaMovie.com/studenttickets.
article via abc7.com

Ball State Students Work to Transform City Bus into Traveling Civil Rights Museum

By goodblacknews on January 19, 2015

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MUNCIE, Indiana — A team of Ball State University students is advancing the dreams of local leaders to turn a retired Muncie city bus into a mobile museum exploring the history of civil rights in east central Indiana. When completed in early 2016, the Freedom Bus will be ready to roll out for local Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations.
The bus has been an educational project 10 years in the making. “So much of the work and fundraising so far has focused on getting the bus back out on the road,” said Beth Messner, an associate professor of Communications at Ball State and member of Muncie’s non-profit Martin Luther King Dream Team.

Vivian Conley
Vivian Conley

This fall, Messner and 14 students participating in an immersive learning course turned their attention to the inside of the bus, creating prototypes for exhibits showcasing the histories of central Indiana residents active in the civil rights movement. For example, visitors will learn about Muncie resident Vivian Conley, involved with the 1950s campaign to desegregate the city’s public pool, and Anderson sports legend Johnny Wilson, who played a key role in breaking down the color barrier in college basketball.
Jumpin' Johnny Wilson
Jumpin’ Johnny Wilson

This year, work continues on the bus as Ball State students test out a curriculum for its exhibits and Messner seeks grant funding for professional fabrication of the prototypes inside.
Asked what she hopes grade-school students who someday tour it will take away from the bus, junior history major Meghan Waddle said, “I hope it helps them make a more personal connection to history.” Adds junior telecommunications major Casey Marrero, “I want them to learn from it, get to know their community better, and leave feeling inspired.”
Sponsors for The Freedom Bus project include Ball State, Muncie’s Martin Luther King Dream Team, the Muncie Human Rights Commission, Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS), the city of Muncie, and the university’s Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Regina Wilson Chosen as 1st Female President of 75 Year-Old Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters

By goodblacknews on January 18, 2015

FDNY firefighter Regina Wilson has been elected as the first female president of the Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters.
FDNY firefighter Regina Wilson has been elected as the first female president of the Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters.

For the first time in its 75-year history, the Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters has elected a female president.  Regina Wilson’s new role is the latest achievement for the pioneering firefighter from Brooklyn who joined the FDNY in 1999.  “Being named president of such a wonderful organization is somewhat surreal,” Wilson, 45, told the Daily News on Friday.
A graduate of Tilden High School, Wilson joined the department as only its 12th African-American woman.  It was a job she never imagined holding.
Wilson was working as an accountant at a utility company when she attended a job fair at the Javits Center. It was there that members of the Vulcan Society recruited her to join the FDNY.  “I didn’t even think it was something that I could do,” Wilson said.
She’s now based out of Engine 219 in Park Slope and also works as an instructor at the Fire Academy on Randalls Island.  “It’s a full circle experience for me,” said Wilson, of Crown Heights.

“I have the opportunity to help and to mold and nurture people that are trying to be firefighters.”

Wilson, seen with fellow graduates at Brooklyn College, was the only woman in her class and the 12th African-American woman to join the FDNY when she entered the department in 1999. (DAVID HANDSCHUH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
Wilson, seen with fellow graduates at Brooklyn College, was the only woman in her class and the 12th African-American woman to join the FDNY when she entered the department in 1999. (DAVID HANDSCHUH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

After 16 years in the department, Wilson said she’s finally seeing a concerted push to make it more inclusive.
“With the new administration, I, for the first time, feel hopeful,” Wilson said.
The FDNY, which was successfully sued by the Vulcan Society for discrimination last year, still has a long way to go.
Wilson remains one of only 10 African-African women on a force of more than 10,000 firefighters and officers, according to the Vulcan Society.
Former Vulcan Society President John Coombs hailed Wilson’s election as a historic moment for an organization dedicated to promoting diversity.  “We stand for what we fight for, which is inclusion and diversity in the FDNY,” Coombs said.
article by Rich Schapiro via nydailynews.com