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NFL: Jacksonville Jaguar Red Bryant Tackles Learning Disabilities By Sharing his Story with Students

By goodblacknews on October 27, 2014

Jacksonville Jaguar Red Bryant Speaking to R.L. Brown Elementary School’s GRASP Choice Academy
Jacksonville Jaguar Red Bryant speaking to R.L. Brown Elementary School’s GRASP Choice Academy

Red Bryant is giving back in the best way possible… a meaningful one. The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end is speaking to students not about his battles on the football field, but about his personal battle with dyslexia (a medical condition that causes difficulty in language processing and reading), inspiring and empowering students with learning disabilities along the way.
Diagnosed by the third grade, Red had to overcome his own frustrations and challenges as a student to make it to college and eventually the NFL.  Fortunately for Red he had a mentor in his high school teacher, Sue Brooks.  Sue played a pivotal role in Red’s life and was one of the first people that helped him realize just because he learned differently didn’t mean he was not intelligent.  It’s a powerful message that children and adults with learning disabilities need to hear.  He shared this message when he visited students at R.L. Brown Elementary School’s GRASP Choice Academy, a program in the Duval County school system that focuses on children with learning disabilities. Red spoke about his personal challenges with dyslexia.

“I just wanted to let these kids know that it’s okay to learn differently and that just because you’re a different learner than everyone else, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t smart,”  Bryant said.

He feels that this program in the Duval County school system is giving children the necessary tools to be successful in the classroom.
Bryant’s own connection to the education system runs deep. Sue Brooks had an incredible impact on his life and now he is giving back.  The story is a fascinating one.  When one person takes the time and energy to lift, push, encourage and nurture a child the effects can be life altering and astounding.  Sue and Red had a bond that led her to help him not only during the recruitment process, but with getting to college and the ACT test.  Sue figured out a way to verbally administer the test by getting the clearance to read it to him after several traditional tests had negative results that weren’t indicative of Red’s academic prowess.  She was an integral part of Red’s success and always encouraging education and inspiring him to pay it forward.
Bryant plans on making frequent stops by the classrooms to monitor the children’s progression throughout the school year.
To watch the engaging Red Bryant speaking to students, click here:
http://www.jaguars.com/media-gallery/videos/Red-Bryant-in-the-Community-/bda579f5-7279-4bd5-ba01-5199c59bf3e5 
Did you know….
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and that one in five people suffer from it. Learn more:
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-dyslexia
For more information about the GRASP Choice Academy program:
http://www.duvalschools.org/grasp

by Lesa Lakin GBN Lifestyle/Sports Editor
by Lesa Lakin
GBN Lifestyle/Sports Editor

 

Lupita Nyong'o Helps Fight for Preservation Of Virginia Slave-Trade History

By goodblacknews on October 26, 2014

Protesters interrupt the mayor during a news conference Monday, while he announces a plan to move the Richmond Flying Squirrels to Shockoe Bottom. Critics say the ballpark will desecrate ground where hundreds of thousands of slave were once sold and imprisoned. (Scott Elmquist)
Protesters interrupt the mayor during a news conference Monday, while he announces a plan to move the Richmond Flying Squirrels to Shockoe Bottom. Critics say the ballpark will desecrate ground where hundreds of thousands of slave were once sold and imprisoned. (Scott Elmquist)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — “Twelve Years a Slave” actress Lupita Nyong’o is lending her star power to the opposition to a minor league baseball stadium in what was once the center of Richmond’s thriving slave-trading center.
Nyong’o has been posting anti-stadium opinions on social media to her millions of followers, and has personally appealed to Mayor Dwight C. Jones to withdraw support of the stadium that is the centerpiece of an economic development project.
“Evidence of America’s slave history simply must be preserved, as the legacy of slavery affects all American people,” she wrote in a letter dated Oct. 19 to Jones.
In response, Jones invited Nyong’o to visit the former capital of the Confederacy to see Shockoe Bottom and plans to preserve its slave-trading past.
“Our plans show where we want to invest in that history and lift that history up for future generations to learn from,” Jones wrote.
The stadium-centered project is proposed for Shockoe Bottom, the city’s oldest neighborhood and once the bustling center of the slave-trade. By some estimates, more 300,000 men, women and children were jailed, bought and sold in the Bottom and shipped throughout the Southern states in the decades leading to the Civil War.
The stadium proposal has unleashed pent-up frustration among those who believe the city has literally buried that shameful chapter of its history. The area is now home to nightclubs, restaurants, former tobacco warehouses transformed into townhouses and parking lots.
Nyong’o has a “12 Years a Slave” connection to the neighborhood. The celebrated film depicts the life of Solomon Northrup, who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He is initially held in a Shockoe Bottom jail where slaves were chained before they were sold to growers in the Deep South.

'Fast & Furious 7' Gets Official Title, Sets Nov. 1 for Live Trailer Launch Event

'Fast & Furious 7' Gets Official Title, Sets Nov. 1 for Live Trailer Launch Event

By goodblacknews on October 26, 2014

Little League Pitching Sensation Mo'ne Davis Throws out 1st Pitch at World Series

By goodblacknews on October 25, 2014

Mo’ne Davis, the first female pitcher in Little League World Series history to pitch a complete-game shutout accompanied by players from the Jackie Robison West Little League team, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of baseball's World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Mo’ne Davis, the first female pitcher in Little League World Series history to pitch a complete-game shutout accompanied by players from the Jackie Robison West Little League team, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of baseball’s World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Cameras flashed, the crowd rose for a thunderous ovation and Mo’ne Davis did exactly what she was expected to do — fire a strike right down the middle.  From Little League phenom to the star of her own commercial to World Series celebrity, the 13-year-old Davis has been on quite a ride these past few months.
She continued her remarkable journey on the biggest baseball stage of all when she threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
“Just to be at the World Series is pretty cool,” Davis said. “If I didn’t throw a strike, I don’t know what I would do. Throwing a strike was probably the best part.”
On a night when the attention of the sports world was focused on AT&T Park, Davis managed to stand out.  She paused to take photographs with fans, munched on a vanilla-and-chocolate sundae in the press box and managed to squeeze in some face time with Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson.
The eighth grader even got a phone call from her favorite player, Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley.  “I think that tops it all,” Davis said with a grin.
Academy Award nominated filmmaker Spike Lee, who directed the television commercial for Chevrolet that stars Davis, was also in attendance to watch the young pitcher.
Davis has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated and appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. Throwing out the first pitch at a World Series game seemed like the natural next step.
“When I found out that the commissioner was going to have her throw out the first pitch tonight, I said, ‘I’ve got to be here,'” Lee said. “She’s amazing … and she’s on the honor roll, too. And she’s only 13 years old.”

Dallas Cowboy DeMarco Murray Sets Rushing Record by Running at Least 100 Yards in Seven Straight Games

By goodblacknews on October 24, 2014

635493464113730006-2014-10-19-Demarco-Murray2ARLINGTON, Texas —DeMarco Murray may have eclipsed former Cleveland Browns icon Jim Brown as the first back in league history to start a season by running for at least 100 yards in seven straight games.
But the fourth-year Dallas Cowboys workhorse knows he has a long way to go to reach the Hall of Famer’s elite level after his 128-yard, one-touchdown performance keyed a 31-21 defeat of the New York Giants Sunday.
“He’s probably one of the greatest running backs to ever play, and I have a lot of respect for what he’s done,” Murray said. “In no way am I trying to say I’m on his level by any means. He’s a great guy, a great activist in the community, a great player and a great person. And I’m not even in that category.
“I’m blessed to be mentioned.”
Murray, who leads the league in rushing with 913 yards and seven touchdowns, made history with his 1-yard run on the first carry of the fourth quarter, shaking off a gimpy right ankle that buckled on him late in the second quarter. He gave credit to his offensive linemen who kept prying open lanes against a Giants defense that stacked defenders in the box.

“What an accomplishment,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “Anybody who knows how he got them, knows he got good help from his teammates. But I don’t know how you could have in this game of football, any more of a personal accomplishment to the will that it takes to get that won.

“That kid has had ‘professional’ written all over him since the day he walked in. He stepped back in there after wrenching his ankle and competed.”
And he’s the engine who makes these 6-1 Cowboys go.

NBA Star Chris Paul Developing Autobiographical ABC Comedy

By goodblacknews on October 24, 2014
Chris Paul Clippers

Add Chris Paul to the list of NBA stars producing autobiographical TV projects.  Paul has teamed with comedy writer Warren Lieberstein and producers Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum to develop a family comedy for CBS TV Studios that is inspired by his experiences growing up in North Carolina with his older brother.

The untitled project revolves around two brothers who work at a service station owned by their grandfather, who champions old-school values in contrast to the attitude of their guarded, politically-correct mother.
Paul, a point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, is executive producing with his brother, CJ Paul, Lieberstein and the Tannenbaums. Paul began his NBA career with the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. He joined the Clippers in 2011.
Lieberstein had a long run on NBC’s “The Office.” More recently he was an executive producer on ABC’s James Caan comedy “Back in the Game.”
Paul’s project comes to ABC at a time when LeBron James’ early years have become the inspiration for the Starz comedy “Survivor’s Remorse,” which was recently renewed for a second season with James among the exec producers. Former NBA player Baron Davis just set up a project at Fox about his experiences growing up in South Central L.A. while attending a prestigious suburban school.
Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant will also be in the spotlight next month with the premiere of the Showtime documentary “Kobe Bryant’s Muse.”
article by Cynthia Littleton via Variety.com

Los Angeles Police Department Fires Detective Over Racially-Charged Recordings

By goodblacknews on October 23, 2014

California Prisons Agree to End Race-Based Lockdowns

By goodblacknews on October 23, 2014

In settling a federal civil rights suit, California prisons agreed Wednesday to no longer base lockdowns on inmates’ race or ethnicity.

The suit, filed in 2008 on behalf of male prisoners, alleged that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation violates inmates’ constitutional rights by imposing excessively long modified programs and lockdowns.
Corrections officials have said in the past that segregation units are needed in maximum-security lockups to control prison gangs responsible for violence and crime.

Under the settlement, “lockdowns or modified programs may be (1) imposed on all inmates, and lifted from all inmates in the affected area, or (2) imposed and lifted from inmates in the affected area based on individualized threat assessments.”
Furthermore, if a modified program or lockdown lasts more than 14 days, the warden is required under the settlement to start giving outdoor activity to the affected inmates.
“We see this as a tremendous result,” said Rebekah Evenson, one of the attorneys representing inmates.
article by Lauren Raab and Paige St. John via latimes.com

Toni Morrison’s Papers To Be Housed At Princeton University

By goodblacknews on October 23, 2014
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — The papers of Nobel laureate Toni Morrison are now part of the permanent library collection of Princeton University.  Princeton made the announcement Friday, shortly before the 83-year-old Morrison took part in a forum at the school where she served on the faculty for 17 years.
The renowned author’s papers contain about 180 linear feet of research materials documenting her life, work and writing methods. They include manuscripts, drafts and proofs of many of Morrison’s novels. Materials for her children’s literature, lyrics, lectures, correspondence and more are also part of the collection.
Additional manuscripts and papers will be added over time, beginning with the manuscript of Morrison’s next novel, which is expected to be published in the spring.
Morrison, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel “Beloved” in 1988, came to Princeton in 1989 and was a member of the university’s creative writing program until she retired in 2006. In 1994, she founded the Princeton Atelier, bringing together undergraduate students in interdisciplinary collaborations with acclaimed artists and performers.
“Toni Morrison’s place among the giants of American literature is firmly entrenched, and I am overjoyed that we are adding her papers to the Princeton University Library’s collections,” Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber said. “We at Princeton are fortunate that (Morrison) brought her brilliant talents as a writer and teacher to our campus 25 years ago, and we are deeply honored to house her papers and to help preserve her inspiring legacy.”
Morrison received an honorary doctorate during the school’s 2013 commencement.
article by via blackamericaweb.com