Television veteran Tichina Arnold will help round out the cast of Starz’s new original comedy series Survivor’s Remorse, executive produced by LeBron James. The half-hour show centers on two men (one an NBA star, the other one not) who make it out of North Philadelphia’s inner city to a more extravagant life of fame and fortune. Along the way, they fight with the guilt of their struggling peers left behind.
Jessie T. Usher will take the lead of basketball talent Cam Calloway who signs a multi-million dollar contract, while Arnold plays his mother.
Let’s Stay Together supporting actor Ronreaco Lee has been cast as Cam’s cousin and confidant Reggie Vaughn and Erica Ash of The Real Husbands of Hollywood will play Cam’s sister M-Chuck. The group joins Teyonah Parris who will play Lee’s wife Missy.
Survivor’s Remorse is set to air this fall.
article by Camille Travis via uptown magazine.com
Good Black News
The collection is haunting: black-and-white stills of another place from another time, a documentation of the Gullah, or Geechee, people—a population of African descendants living on the Sea Islands off the Eastern coastline. The images of a place and a people that time forgot were captured by celebrated photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe—the wife of renowned tennis player Arthur Ashe—between 1977 and 1981.
Bank of America donated the collection of more than 60 photos to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The photographs center on the people and life of Daufuskie Island, a cultural and national treasure tucked away off the coast of South Carolina.
A “time capsule” is how the island was aptly described by Lonnie Bunch, the museum’s founding director, who is thrilled at the addition to the yet-to-be-finished museum. In addition to the stunning collection, which Bank of America originally obtained through its acquisition of Merrill Lynch in 2007, the financial institution also donated $1 million toward the building of the museum, a $500 million project.
“We’ve had a great history with the [museum]. We were one of the first donors [and have a] long-standing partnership,” Bank of America spokeswoman Diane Wagner told The Root. “[The collection] seemed like a very natural fit to be donated to the museum as one of their key exhibitions once they open in 2015.
“We feel that the arts have the power to connect people and … can connect people across cultures, across geography and socioeconomic status … People can take a look at art and understand a different culture, or they can understand their heritage, where they come from and how they’ve been established,” she added.
WASHINGTON – This is the college acceptance season — frequently a nervous time for high school seniors. But D.C.’s Avery Coffey can relax. He applied to five Ivy League universities and all five accepted him.
Coffey attends Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, a D.C. public school with strict rules. None of the 439 students at Banneker is allowed to bring a cell phone into the building. They are also not allowed to go to their lockers during the school day. (That has spawned the peculiar tradition of piling up textbooks at the base of lockers, so kids can switch books between classes without violating the locker rule.)
The strict rules at Banneker have fostered a rather serious academic environment. Principal Anita Berger says year after year after year, 100 percent of Banneker graduates are accepted into post-secondary institutions. Among these brainy and motivated public school students is 17-year-old Coffey who, like a lot of kids, enjoys sports. What does he play?
“Baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer,” Coffey told us.
He also enjoys academics, and he has a 4.3 high school report card average, adjusted for the demanding International Baccalaureate courses he takes. Coffey scored very high on standardized tests also. He calls himself a “determined” student.
Coffey applied to five Ivy League universities, and, amazingly, has been accepted at all of them: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown. And four of the five universities have already offered very generous financial aid packages. (Harvard is still formulating its offer.)
Here at GBN we are always thrilled to hear about a great cause. We are particularly impressed with Angela Bassett and Kimora Lee Simmons joining up with Hope Page Designs (www.hopepaige.com) and adding their style to medical i.d. bracelets. The celeb-designed bracelets benefit their cause of choice. 100% of the profit goes to the charity. Now this is practical jewelry that we simply adore!
“The twins and I really enjoyed creating a bracelet together to support the Rahel Formula Fund’s goal to feed Ethiopian orphan newborns.
Angela’s Cause: Adoption Ministry of Youth with a Mission. This cause supports women and their families facing an unintended pregnancy by providing housing, medical care and a life plan.
“Medical alert bracelets save lives every day. My daughters and I are proud to design one that’s fabulously fashionable. It’s a safe way to be chic!”
Kimora’s cause: JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes T1D research with the vision to improve the lives of all people affected by T1D.
article by Lesa Lakin
HARTFORD — Several hundred Trinity College students, faculty and alumni greeted Joanne Berger-Sweeney, named Thursday as the college’s first African-American and first woman president, with enthusiastic whoops and applause. “How could you have a warmer welcome for someone?” said Berger-Sweeney, a dean at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. “It’s not very often that I get to walk into a room and there’s a standing ovation.” But then, she noted, to a roar of laughter, there were no seats in the room.
Berger-Sweeney, 55, a neuroscientist who was accompanied at Thursday’s announcement by her husband and two children, told the crowd she fell in love with Trinity the moment she first set foot on campus — shortly before New Year’s. “We came through the arch … I looked to the left and saw the chapel, I looked to the right and saw this beautiful long walk, and I thought: I think I could be here,” Berger-Sweeney said. “… Some people may want to be on small bucolic campuses in Maine, but not me. I want to be right here.”
After that visit Berger-Sweeney decided to apply and emerged as the winner when the Trinity board of trustees Tuesday voted unanimously for her. She will be the college’s 22nd president. Berger-Sweeney will take the helm at Trinity as it continues to grapple with financial challenges, a reputation as a party school, security concerns, campus climate and conflict with fraternities and sororities over policy changes.
“Trinity is a forward-looking institution that excels in liberal arts and sciences, and both are areas of excellence for Dr. Berger-Sweeney, who rose to the top of our highly competitive candidate pool,” said Cornelia Parsons Thornburgh, who led the search committee and will become chairwoman of Trinity’s board of trustees on July 1. “She impressed us with her strong academic credentials, curricular innovations, collaborative nature and enthusiasm for the Hartford community.
“I strongly believe that her vision of Trinity College as an elite liberal arts college with an urban pulse is one that will guide us, inspire us and lead us on a path to distinction and greatness,” Thornburgh said. James F. Jones Jr., who has been Trinity’s president for a decade and will retire June 30, called the moment historic and said that Berger-Sweeney’s appointment brought him “an enormous sigh of relief” to know that his “successor is going to be a star.”
Berger-Sweeney, who has been dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts since 2010, brings with her experience that is relevant to Trinity, Thornburgh said. “At Tufts, she has proven herself in areas that coincide closely with, and are important to, Trinity: proximity to a city, a strong athletic tradition, budget and program coordination, an historical Greek tradition, and a deep appreciation for a liberal arts education.”
Sometimes stories emerge during March Madness that force you to put down your brackets and pay attention to what’s really important. The friendship between Michigan State basketball star Adreian Payne and 8-year-old Lacey Holsworth is one of those stories.
They met two years ago when the Spartans visited a hospital where Lacey was getting treatment for neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the nerve tissue. Their relationship has thrived, and they reportedly text every day.
As the Washington Post notes, Payne attended a fundraiser for Lacey, and Lacey, who was Payne’s guest on senior night, helped him cut down the net after Michigan State won the Big Ten tournament.
Now that Payne and Michigan State have advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, the duo’s touching bond continues to move fans. A video posted by the Big Ten Network earlier this month covers Payne and Lacey in tear duct-draining detail (watch below).
“She’s like a sister to me,” Payne says in the segment. “I love him,” Lacey declares. If your favorite team has been eliminated, you might just cheer for Payne and Michigan State on the basis of the video alone.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBmEQlToMFA&w=560&h=315]
article by Ron Dicker via huffingtonpost.com
It’s cheaper to give homeless men and women a permanent place to live than to leave them on the streets.
That’s according to a study of an apartment complex for formerly homeless people in Charlotte, N.C., that found drastic savings on health care costs and incarceration.
Moore Place houses 85 chronically homeless adults, and was the subject of a study by the University of North Carolina Charlotte released on Monday. The study found that, in its first year, Moore Place tenants saved $1.8 million in health care costs, with 447 fewer emergency room visits (a 78 percent reduction) and 372 fewer days in the hospital (a 79 percent reduction).
The tenants also spent 84 percent fewer days in jail, with a 78 percent drop in arrests. The reduction is largely due to a decrease in crimes related to homelessness, such as trespassing, loitering, public urination, begging and public consumption of alcohol, according to Caroline Chambre, director the Urban Ministry Center’s HousingWorks, the main force behind Moore Place.
One tenant, Carl Caldwell, 62, said he used to go to the emergency room five to seven times a week, late at night, so he could spend the night there. “You wouldn’t believe my hospital bills,” Caldwell, who hasn’t had health insurance for years, told The Huffington Post. Caldwell was a teacher for 30 years and became homeless five years ago, when he lost his job and his roommate moved out.
While living on the street, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The disease was particularly challenging for Caldwell, who said he spent his days “trying not to get robbed or killed” and trying to find bathrooms and shelter from freezing weather. Since he moved into Moore Place when it opened in March 2012, Caldwell has gained a regular doctor and has undergone radiation. Now his cancer is in remission. Without having to worry about where he will sleep, he can take his medicine regularly and keep it in his mini fridge.
“Moore Place saved my life,” Caldwell said. “When you’re homeless, you are dependent on everybody. Now I am independent and can give back.” Caldwell said he regularly helps feed homeless people now and has reconnected with family members he hadn’t spoken to in years.
Chambre said she expects Moore Place tenants’ mental and physical health to continue to improve with consistent access to health care. “The idea of having a primary care doctor was just a fantasy when they were living on the street,” said Chambre. “Now they all have a regular doctor.”
Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis will join Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera as the show’s first Black lead after 26 years.
On Thursday, producers of the long-running show announced that the stage vet and Scandal actor would make his debut alongside Sierra Boggess on May 12. They noted that he will be the first African-American to play the role.
“I love the show but also to have hopefully set a precedent to see more diversity in casting,” Lewis told The Associated Press.
The thespian’s Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Chicago, Side Show, Sondheim on Sondheim, and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (in which he received a Tony nomination), among others.
To date, Phantom has played to more than 130 million people in 27 countries and grossed more than $5.6 billion worldwide.
article by Camille Travis via uptownmagazine.com
It’s good to have options. And if you’re Chad Thomas, a senior at Booker T. Washington Senior High in Miami, you have a ton of options. Thomas, 18, has received 150 scholarship offers for his football skills and his abilities as a nine-instrument musician, 10 News Tampa Bay reports.
Thomas, who helped the Booker T. Tornadoes win back-to-back state championships and also a national title this season, told the news station that he has chosen to attend the University of Miami and will play football but will also work on his music at the university’s Frost School of Music.
It was Thomas’s late grandmother who inspired his love for music. As a young boy, he would listen to his grandmother’s gospel CDs. Then she bought him a guitar and signed him up for piano lessons. By the time he was 5, Thomas was performing, 10 News reports.
Thomas plays the piano, trombone, euphonium (a small tuba), bass guitar, regular guitar, snare, tuba, trumpet and drums, and he has no plans of abandoning music even if someday the NFL comes calling. “So if I make it to the NFL, that would be a blessing for me,” said Thomas. But his love for music remains a passion. “I have love for music and took it upon myself to learn and play the instruments I hear in the songs.”
And if he had to choose between the NFL and music? “It would probably be music,” said Thomas.
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, it’s hard to enjoy yourself if you’re worried about how your allergies may act up. Outside of your usual routine, it can be challenging to manage food and pollen allergies in new environments, but it’s not impossible. Careful preparation before traveling will not only make things smoother for you, but also help you avoid a life-threatening allergic reaction or inconvenient sinus discomfort that could cost you a trip to the doctor instead.
Use these tips to help allergy-proof your next trip.
Researchers estimate that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies, with the number steadily increasing, especially among children. According to Dr. William Calhoun of the University of Texas Medical Branch, it’s extremely important for people with food allergies to be even more cautious while traveling and “watch their dietary intake.”
- Read labels and ingredients when shopping and eating away from home.
- Bring your own snacks, especially if you’re on a flight serving peanuts and you have a peanut allergy.
- Carry an ID card that lists all foods you’re allergic to, as well as your emergency contact information. You can present this card at a restaurant, or have it on you in case of a medical emergency.
- Pack extra medications, including your epinephrine autoinjector. An epinephrine autoinjector, sometimes called by the shortened brand name Epipen, is the only treatment for anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that can include difficulty breathing and closure of the throat.
- Translate your allergies if traveling abroad in the language of your destination. Resources are available online to assist you.
Environment Allergies
From outdoor pollen to indoor dust and pet dander, several things in your environment can trigger an allergic reaction. Dr. Clifford Bassett, director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, recommends being extra prepared no matter what environment you think you’re traveling to.
- Bring dust mite-proof allergy covers for pillows and mattresses to protect against dust mites in unfamiliar sleeping quarters.
- Pack a big hat and sunglasses to keep pollens out of your hair and eyes. The bigger the better!
- Request a pet-free hotel room or floor.
- Research the pollen levels in your destination and plan outdoor activities accordingly. You can check pollen levels via the National Allergy Bureau website.
- Bring saline nasal spray to keep your nasal passages moist, especially on long, stuffy flights.
If you have serious allergies, or are planning an extended trip, the best prep may be to consult your doctor first!
Visit the BlackDoctor.org Allergy center for more articles.
article via blackdoctor.org