Press "Enter" to skip to content

Good Black News

Sasha and Malia Obama, Mo’ne Davis Top Time Magazine’s "25 Most Influential Teens Of 2014" List

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014

Mo'ne Davis
First Daughters Sasha Obama and Malia Obama, Little League superstar Mo’ne Davis and Jaden Smith are included in Time Magazine’s “25 Most Influential Teens of 2014” list.
Davis (pictured above), is the first girl to earn a win and pitch a shutout game in Little League World Series history.  The braided cutie is also the first Little League baseball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a Little League player.
The Obama girls are bright, opinionated and it is already very evident that they will one day be accomplished, strong, opinionated leaders in their own right, just like their famous mom and dad.
Jaden Smith (pictured), the 16-year-old son of Hollywood A-listers, Will and Jada is an accomplished actor in his own right and the kid already has quite a way with words.  Known for his brow-raising Twitter postings, Jaden has managed to garner 5 million followers on the popular social medium.
The unranked list, which was released Monday morning, “analyzed social-media followings cultural accolades, business acumen and more” in order to highlight worthy candidates who influence society in a positive way.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via newsone.com

Join the #BlackWomenVote Campaign – Midterms in November Really Matter

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014

Voters Head To Polls For DC's Primary (Photo: Getty)
Voters Head To Polls For DC’s Primary (Photo: Getty)

The Higher Heights Leadership Fund is on a mission to get more black women to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. The 2012 presidential elections had the biggest turnout for black women, with black women consisting of nearly 60% of black voters who participated. They actually had the highest turnout of any group.
And yet the number isn’t nearly the same for midterm elections. Just 46.5% of black women voted in the 2010 midterms. It’s not easy to get people excited or interested in midterm elections, but these elections do matter.
It’s incredibly important to create a more representative democracy in our country. That goes for those who vote as well as those we elect. And black women are underrepresented in our government.
So the Higher Heights Leadership Fund started the #BlackWomenVote campaign in order to get more black women to the polls during these upcoming midterm elections.
#BlackWomenVote provides information about voting and the election, like “Pledge to be a Higher Heights Voter,” “Personal Voting Plan,” “Knowing your Voter Status,” “Sister-to-Sister Calling List,” and “Activate your Online Network.”
“Black women have the potential to take this country by storm. We have the collective power to elect representatives who will champion our interests and support legislative actions that will that will improve education, health care and economic opportunities for our communities,” the Black Women Vote website states.
It’s so important to get out and vote and make our government a more representative one.
This is the only way to ensure that every voice is heard. Voters have the opportunity to make sure that their interests are being taken into account and that they have someone speaking up for those interests. The midterm elections might not seem as important as a Presidential election, but they really could have a big affect on people’s lives. Will you join #BlackWomenVote?
article by Robin Lempel via act.mtv.com
 

NFL: Jets Latest Team to Show Support for Bengal Tackle Devon Still and Daughter Leah

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014


Devon Still has been making headlines over the past few months after the Cincinnati Bengals added the tackle to their practice squad, enabling Still to get health insurance to take care of his four year-old daughter Leah’s cancer treatment.
Bengals and NFL fans have been incredibly supportive of Still’s daughter’s struggle, and last week the New England Patriots’ cheerleading squad showed their support by donning jerseys of the Bengals’ player during Sunday’s game.
Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 6.11.27 PM
Still was incredibly appreciative of the gesture, as the image above captured by a Twitter user showed the player with gracious tear streaming down his cheek.
Devon Still’s daughter is still in the hospital, and yesterday the New Jersey Jets showed their support and camaraderie by sending Leah a gift package. Gestures like this from the NFL community have to lift everyone’s spirit after another long Sunday.
article via abc7news.com and sbnation.com; additional reporting by Lesa Lakin
 
 
 
 

President Barack Obama Declares October 11 "International Day Of The Girl"

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014

Malia Obama President Barack OBama
President Barack Obama is calling on people all over the world to do everything they can to protect, nurture and encourage young women to be their best.
With the launch of My Brothers’ Keeper, many in the Black community questioned whether he’d forgotten about the struggles that young women face. President Obama insisted last month that his administration was not ignoring girls, and he reminded the nation that he’s taking several steps to ensure that girls have a fair shot in this world.
To drive that point home, the president declared October 11 the International Day of the Girl. “On International Day of the Girl, we stand with girls, women, and male and female advocates in every country who are calling for freedom and justice,” he said in an official statement from the White House, “and we renew our commitment to build a world where all girls feel safe, supported, and encouraged to pursue their own measure of happiness.”
President Obama, who has two amazing daughters of his own, also hopes that this day will be used to call attention to the various injustices, crimes, and acts of violence that young women face all over of the world–and then do something about it. That includes the “harmful cultural norms and prejudices that tell young women how they are expected to look and act deny the dignity and equality” that they deserve as human beings.
MUST READ: President Barack Obama Insists His Administration Has Not Forgotten Black Girls
“Today, we resolve to do more than simply shine a light on inequality,” said Barack. “With partners across the globe, we support the girls who reach for their future in the face of unimaginable obstacles, and we continue our work to change attitudes and shift beliefs until every girl has the opportunities she deserves to shape her own destiny and fulfill her boundless promise.”
And he noted that the plight women face abroad is just as important as the problems they have to deal with in U.S. “As we work to transform the lives of girls and women abroad, we have also redoubled our efforts to ensure there are no barriers to their success here at home,” said President Obama. “We must see the hopes and dreams of our own girls and realize that these are the same dreams of girls around the world.”
By allowing young women to suffer violence and inequitable cultural norms, the president mused that many of the world’s brightest minds are being blocked from reaching their full potential. That’s a disservice to the world that he cannot abide.
“We cannot afford to silence the girl who holds the key to changing her community, or the voice that speaks up to call for peace or further scientific discovery,” said the president. “We cannot allow violence to snuff out the aspirations of young women in America, and we must not accept it anywhere in the world.”
As he made his official declaration, he said in conclusion, “I call upon all Americans to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that advance equality and opportunity for girls everywhere.”
article by Sonya Eskridge via hellobeautiful.com

Kenyans Rita Jeptoo and Eliud Kipchoge Win 2014 Chicago Marathon

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014
CHICAGO MARATHON 2014
CHICAGO (AP) — Kenyans ruled the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, with Eliud Kipchoge leading a 1-2-3 men’s sweep and compatriot Rita Jeptoo repeating as the women’s winner.
Kipchoge pulled away over the last two miles for his first major marathon victory, finishing in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 11 seconds. He was followed by Sammy Kitwara in 2:04:28 and Dickson Chumba in 2:04:32.
Jeptoo was timed in 2:24:35 in winning her fourth straight major marathon. She also captured the 2013-14 World Marathon Majors points championship and took the Boston Marathon in April.
Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia (2:25:37) was second and Florence Kiplagat of Kenya (2:25:57) was third.
The winners earned $100,000. Jeptoo receives an extra $500,000 for winning the series championship.
Ideal conditions – sunny skies and 46-degree temperatures – greeted runners at the start. The men’s pack stayed together for about 20 miles before Kipchoge, Kitwara and Chumba drew away.
Kipchoge and Kitwara were side by side with Chumba right behind after 24 miles. But Kipchoge made it look easy down the stretch. He made a quick burst and was in command as he headed toward the finish at Grant Park.
Jeptoo hasn’t lost a major marathon since she finished second in a sprint to Ethiopia’s Atsede Baysa in the 2012 Chicago Marathon. She smashed the course record to repeat as Boston Marathon champion in the spring and came away with an easy victory in Chicago for the second straight year.
She pulled away after 23 miles, with no one near her at the end. Jeptoo raised her arms as she crossed the line and sank to her knees.
article by Andrew Seligman via huffingtonpost.com

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks' "Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts, 1, 2 & 3)" Opens Tuesday at Public Theater in New York

By goodblacknews on October 12, 2014
Sterling K. Brown in “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3).” (Photo: Richard Termine)
Sterling K. Brown in “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3).” (Photo: Richard Termine)

In “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3),” a new drama by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”), Hero, a slave, is offered a deal by his master: Leave behind his family and fight for the Confederacy in exchange for his freedom.  This decision and its implications are at the heart of this historical tale, whose first three parts open Tuesday at the Public Theater.  If this work sounds too familiar to be a “world premiere,” as it is billed, that’s because it has been gestating for years, with workshop productions staged at the Public Lab in 2009 and this year.  Sterling K. Brown (“The Brother/Sister Plays”) is Hero, and Jo Bonney directs. (425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, 212-967-7555, publictheater.org.)

article by Jason Zinoman via nytimes.com

Michelle Obama Hosts White House Fashion Education Workshop

By goodblacknews on October 12, 2014

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, first lady Michelle Obama hosted the White House’s first fashion education workshop to honor and recognize budding fashion designers, stylists, writers, and entrepreneurs.
Inviting students from 14 East Coast high schools and colleges, the FLOTUS spoke to the students about the importance of fashion education and the impact of the fashion industry.
“When it comes to the fashion industry, so often people think it’s all about catwalks and red carpets and ‘who wore it best,’ and whether some famous person wore the right belt with the right shoes,” said Mrs. Obama.
“Fashion is really about passion and creativity, just like music or dance or poetry,” added the first lady. “For so many people across the country, it is a calling; it is a career.”
Breaking the students into groups for workshop sessions on fashion inspiration, construction, journalism, entrepreneurship, and more, Mrs. Obama also invited leading influencers in the industry to mentor and educate the students on the ins and outs of the business. Some of the fashion notables included Tracy Reese, Jason Wu, Diane Von Furstenberg, Anna Wintour, and many more.
Wintour, who introduced the first lady at Wednesday’s event, credited her with changing the perception of fashion in the District of Columbia, while emphasizing the impact style has on society.
“Fashion can be a powerful instrument for social change… It allows us to think about who we are as individuals and as a society.”
To prove her support for student designers, Mrs. Obama donned a sleeveless navy dress at the event designed by New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology student Natalya Koval.
SOURCE: Washington Post
article by Courtney Connley via blackenterprise.com

Simone Biles Wins Her 2nd Consecutive All-Around Title at World Gymnastics Championships

By goodblacknews on October 10, 2014

Simone Biles
Gymnast Simone Biles became only the sixth woman, and first in 11 years, to win consecutive all-around titles at the World Gymnastics Championships in China today.  This is only her fourth season at the elite level and, with the Rio Olympics two years away, the 17-year-old from Spring, Texas, still has room to grow.
“It actually blows my mind,” Biles said of winning back-to-back world titles. “If I think about it right now, I’m just like, `Whaaaat?’ It’s just like, I don’t know. It’s just really weird, but it’s really cool.”
After Svetlana Khorkina repeated as the all-around champion at the 2003 worlds, 10 different women would win the world or Olympic title from 2004-13. Injuries played a part in that volatility — Russia’s Aliya Mustafina looked set for a long run after winning in 2010, only to blow out her knee six months later — as has the sport’s relatively short window for success.
It’s really tough to stay healthy and at the top of your game for an entire quadrennium, especially when every year brings a new crop of phenoms.
But if anyone was going to break that streak of, well, no streak, it was Biles.
No one can match her for power or explosiveness. She is already doing one of the world’s toughest vaults, the Amanar, and she gets so high off the table it’s not inconceivable to think she could add another half-twist to her somersault. Her tumbling passes on floor exercise are so massive she really ought to get FAA clearance.
There’s more to Biles than circus tricks, however. All of her skills are done with precision and polish, making them look deceptively easy. Ordinary folks have more trouble walking on flat ground than Biles does doing an aerial somersault on a balance beam that’s 4 inches wide and 4 feet off the floor.
Most appealing is her personality. While other gymnasts are so intense or stoic they look angry during meets, Biles is constantly smiling and giggling. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s no surprise she’s a favorite with her competitors.
“I know there is competition between pretty much everyone, but we’re such good friends,” said fellow American Kyla Ross, who won the bronze medal after being runner-up to Biles last year. “I think we’re really there to push each other.”
article by Nancy Armour via usatoday.com

ABC Gives Full-Season Orders to ‘Black-ish’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’; CBS Renews "Extant"

By goodblacknews on October 9, 2014

Blackish, Murder, Extant
According to Variety.com, television projects featuring African-American leads have fared extremely well this season.  ABC has given full-season orders to the Anthony Anderson/Tracee Ellis Ross comedy “Black-ish” and the Viola Davis vehicle “How to Get Away with Murder,” two of the highest-rated new programs on all broadcast channels.  CBS, in turn, has picked up summer sci-fi drama “Extant” for a second season.  “Extant” stars Halle Berry and is produced by Steven Spielberg.

“Murder” is the fall’s highest-rated new series in adults 18-49, and the premiere also set DVR playback records, gaining about 6 million viewers within the first three days of its airing. It is created and executive produced by Pete Nowalk (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”). Shonda Rhimes (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”), Betsy Beers (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Bill D’Elia (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “The West Wing”) also serve as executive producers.
“Black-ish” has come on strong as the fall’s top new comedy in 18-49 (2.9 rating) and total viewers (9.1 million) in same-day viewing estimates. This week, the show saw a 12% week-to-week increase in adults 18-49, retaining about 80% of its “Modern Family” lead-in. It was created by Kenya Barris and is executive produced by Anderson, Barris, Jonathan Groff, Larry Wilmore, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland and E. Brian Dobbins.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Art Project "Funk, God, Jazz & Medicine" Celebrates Black Heritage in Brooklyn This Weekend

By goodblacknews on October 8, 2014
“Funk, God, Jazz & Medicine: Black Radical Brooklyn” (Credit: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)

New York City so knows how to lose — and save, and lose again — its history. Among notable rescues of the past several decades were material remains of the vanished 19th-century African-American village of Weeksville in Brooklyn, snatched from the jaws of 1960s urban renewal. Once in parts of what are now Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, the village is currently getting fresh and needed attention in an art project organized by the Weeksville Heritage Center and Creative Time called “Funk, God, Jazz & Medicine: Black Radical Brooklyn,” which runs Friday through Sunday (October 10-12).

Spread over four sites, the project roughly maps the footprint of the original settlement. More important, it strengthens the memory of a local past that could easily be swallowed up by gentrification.

The village was named for James Weeks, an ex-slave from Virginia who came to New York in 1838. His intention was to create a community of landowning African-Americans at a time when such ownership was a requirement for voting. The plan took hold. By the time of the Civil War, the village had more than 500 residents, two churches, a school, an orphanage, an old-age home, a cemetery and its own newspaper, The Freedman’s Torchlight. Blacks fleeing the draft riots in Manhattan in 1863 sought refuge there and stayed. But after the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, with a swelling in the general population, Weeksville was gradually absorbed into newer communities that surrounded it.

In 1968, four of the village’s 19th-century wood-frame houses were rediscovered, in derelict shape, on an oddly angled street that had once been a section of Hunterfly Road in Weeksville, and before that, an American Indian trail. The area was scheduled for demolition, but after community pressure, the houses were declared city landmarks. Restored, they are now part of the Heritage Center, which encompasses vegetable and flower gardens and, as of 2013, an education building with an auditorium and classrooms.