ATLANTA (AP) — Patti Labelle and Queen Latifah both will be among those honored as part of the Black Girls Rock! awards show on BET in November. Black Girls Rock! founder Beverly Bond announced the show’s honorees in a statement Monday. Other honorees include tennis champion Venus Williams, screenwriter-producer Mara Brock Akil, ballet dancer Misty Copeland, community organizer Ameena Matthews and children’s rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman.
Actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King return as hosts of the ceremony, which will air Nov. 3. It will be taped later this month at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J. Black Girls Rock! is a nonprofit organization that mentors young black girls and works to fight negative images of black women in the media.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
Good Black News
Lameka Weeks founded Height Goddess because, simply put, she was sick of settling. For years—decades even—clothing brands and manufacturers have largely ignored the plight of the tall woman. Sure, petites and plus size have dedicated sections and even full stores aplenty, but tall women have had to settle for clothes that don’t fit and don’t flatter for far too long. Height Goddess is a contemporary line for women measuring 5’9” & taller. In 2007, with no formal fashion training,
Weeks sought out to find experienced industry professionals to assist her in developing premium denim for tall women. For over two years, she continuously worked to ensure each style embodied the confidence and beauty of a tall, fashion- forward woman who is innovative and timeless. All of Height Goddess’ garments are designed in house and proportioned for women 5’9″ & taller. Week’s garments are also made in the USA. After a few seasons the collection has grown to include dresses for tall women, tall pants for women and tops for tall women.
Through fashion, Weeks hopes to inspire women to love their height, embrace their uniqueness and spread the same confidence to others.
How did you launch your career and get to where you are today?
I knew at an early age I wanted to do something related to fashion catering to tall women. Initially, I thought to open a boutique but after researching for vendors who produced clothing for tall women there were very few and those that did were very outdated. I realized I would have to create my own brand. HEIGHT GODDESS is a contemporary clothing line designed specifically for the tall, fashion-forward woman.
What have you had to sacrifice along the way, if anything?
Because I’m building my business while working full-time my time is very limited and planning it a must. In the past I have been known to wake-up and decide I want to take a trip and within hours I’d be on a plane or in the car, not so much anymore. It takes a lot to run this business and I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices but it’s been a great journey thus far.
GEORGIA – An African-American couple is celebrating an extraordinary milestone in their marriage. Ralph and Tillie Lee Pullin have been husband and wife for an incredible 75 years. They tied the knot in 1938 after two years of dating. Despite inevitable ups and downs, their union is still going strong. Now the couple’s long-lasting devotion to each other is generating unexpected attention. They have received a proclamation from their mayor and a congratulatory letter from President Obama.
“I am so excited, I am telling you,” said Mrs. Pullin in an interview with local television station. Mr. Ralph Pullin, Sr, of McDonough, Georgia, said in the same interview that it was a strong attraction at first sight. “She had to sit on part of my knee! And that got my attention like– a live wire,” he said.
Though, their courtship was not without challenges. For two years, the pair kept their relationship secret from Mrs. Pullin’s mother instead telling her that Mr. Pullin was dating his wife’s older sister. The lovebirds finally wed on September 17, 1938. The pair – one of the longest-living married couples in Georgia — went on to to have 8 children. They have 6 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, with another on the way.
Great news was delivered to two students last week who made history as the first-ever seniors with Down syndrome to be crowned homecoming king and queen in Florida. The night marked a momentous occasion for Travjuan Hunter and Semone Adkins, who celebrated with their families after they were announced winners during Friday night’s homecoming football game at West Orange High School in Orange County, Fl.
According to WKMG, Hunter and Adkins were among 12 other students up for the honor and the winning candidates were announced based on the number of votes submitted by the school’s student body.
The results were kept hidden until the coronation ceremony on the school’s football field where they were later revealed and dubbed Hunter and Adkins as homecoming royalty. The crowd cheered in support. The two students have reportedly been friends for many years — and their parents were overwhelmed by the news and glad they were able to share the honor together.
Adkin’s mother, Karen McNeil told WKMG: “It was a dream come true, because I always knew that she was going to be something great in this world and this is just the beginning for us.”
article by Lilly Workneh via thegrio.com
Just over 10 years ago, the private equity mogul Glenn Hutchins was on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. With his 25th Harvard College reunion near, he was thinking about how to put some of his wealth to good use. One afternoon, clad in a T-shirt and board shorts, he stopped at an old whaling chapel, where Henry Louis Gates Jr., the prominent professor of African and African-American studies at Harvard, was leading a symposium. That encounter gave Mr. Hutchins his cause.
Since then, Mr. Hutchins has strengthened his connection to Mr. Gates and the Harvard program. Their bond will become stronger on Wednesday, when Mr. Hutchins is expected to announce a gift of more than $15 million to create the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research, solidifying Harvard’s program as one of the top in its field. “It creates an infrastructure for the department and a solid foundation on which they can thrive,” Mr. Hutchins said in an interview this month.
The gift — part of a previously announced $30 million donation to the university whose uses had not all been specified — also bespeaks a friendship between two men unlike each other in many respects. One is a wealthy white financier whose firm, Silver Lake, is on the verge of taking over the computer maker Dell with its founder, Michael S. Dell; the other is a celebrated black professor who helped popularize African-American studies as an academic field and social phenomenon.
It wasn’t easy – but Idris Brewster and Seun Summers made it through. The two teenagers made it through a difficult, challenge-filled journey to graduate high school. And they made it through with cameras documenting their every move. The two friends w
ere the main characters in the documentary American Promise, which explores their lives in Brooklyn from kindergarten to high school graduation day.
Idris’ parents Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster are the film’s producers and directors. Both Idris and Seun, who are African-American, are admitted into the Dalton School, a prestigious private school on New York’s Upper East Side.
Both of the boy’s parents decide it’s an opportunity they cannot pass up – but also acknowledge there will be difficulties their sons face on issues of race and class.
How would Idris and Seun handle fitting into the culture of a mostly white prep school?
The answer is complex – which the film shows in situations varying from tragic to mundane. The documentary raises more questions than it provides answers:
- Why do girls say no to Idris when he asks them to dance in middle school? (His black male classmates are convinced they would all “get girls” if they were white)
- Why does the school perceive Seun as unprepared? (His mom swears he is organized and motivated at home)
- What are Seun and Idris ‘missing out on’ by attending Dalton?
Seun – who struggled to connect with other kids socially and had his fair share of academic troubles at Dalton – decides to leave after eighth grade and go to a predominantly black high school in Brooklyn.
Idris stays and attends high school at Dalton but is not without struggle – he is later diagnosed with ADHD during his sophomore year after years of trouble focusing. He also struggles to keep up with the academic rigors of Dalton, but ultimately stays and finds the experience rewarding.
The film first opens in theaters on October 18th.
article by Todd Johnson via thegrio.com
Dennis Kimetto of Kenya set a course record Sunday as he took first in the 2013 Chicago Marathon, his second marathon win of the year. Kimetto beat the previous record of 2:04:23 with 2:03:45, according to unofficial times. Kimetto and Emmanuel Mutai were neck-and-neck until the last half-mile when Kimetto broke out front. “I am happy because I broke the course record,” Kimetto said. “The [race] conditions were very good.”
Kimetto came to Chicago with a 2013 marathon win already under his belt. He took first in this year’s Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:06:50, which set a course record for the race, just his second marathon to date. During his first marathon, in Berlin last September, he crossed the finish just one second behind the winner.
Kimetto is known for long-distance road racing. The World Marathon Majors points out Kimetto would hold the world record for fastest marathon debut if the IAAF recognized that stat. He set his personal best in Berlin with a finish time of 2:04:16.
article by Lisa Balde via nbcchicago.com
Congratulations go out to Pharrell Williams and his model wife Helen Lasichanh, who tied the knot in Miami yesterday (Oct. 12). The musician and his beautiful wife enjoyed music by pals Usher and Busta Rhymes, Us Weekly reports, and the Daily Mail adds that Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke were also rumored to perform.
The couple’s wedding photographer was none other than Terry Richardson, photographer to the stars, adds Just Jared. Never one to play by the rules, Williams, 40, ditched the conventional tux and instead opted for a red tartan suit. Lasichanh, looking gorgeous, skipped the white dress and instead wore a voluminous blue and green plaid gown. The two have a son together, 4-year-old Rocket.
article via huffingtonpost.com
article via huffingtonpost.com
After hitting a home run with Lincoln, DreamWorks looks ready to take on another prominent historical figure. DreamWorks and Warner Bros. are in early talks with Oliver Stone to direct and Jamie Foxx to star as Martin Luther King Jr. in an untitled biopic. Both studios have been trying to get the picture up and running for some time, after putting the project into development in 2009 when it was supposed to team with Warner Bros. for a co-production.
The MLK drama is still far away from a greenlight but getting both Stone and Foxx to sign would speed up the process. Pic would follow the famous civil rights activist from his rise all the way to his assassination in 1968. Kario Salem wrote the original script with Steven Spielberg, Suzanne De Passe, Madison Jones and Samuel Nappi producing.
Both Foxx and Stone are no strangers to tackling projects dealing with historical events and iconic individuals — Stone with JFK, World Trade Center and W and Foxx with Ray Charles in Ray, for which he won an Academy Award.
article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com
The MLK drama is still far away from a greenlight but getting both Stone and Foxx to sign would speed up the process. Pic would follow the famous civil rights activist from his rise all the way to his assassination in 1968. Kario Salem wrote the original script with Steven Spielberg, Suzanne De Passe, Madison Jones and Samuel Nappi producing.
Both Foxx and Stone are no strangers to tackling projects dealing with historical events and iconic individuals — Stone with JFK, World Trade Center and W and Foxx with Ray Charles in Ray, for which he won an Academy Award.
article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com
A Red Lobster waitress, who said a customer left her a receipt with a racist slur, has received the tip of a lifetime, thanks to a fundraising from online supporters.
Toni Christina Jenkins of Franklin, Tenn., said she was shocked when she saw a receipt on the table with “none” on the “Tip” line and the N-word on the “Total” line.
“I was just stunned that it happened,” Jenkins, 19, said. “It’s not something that you think in our generation would actually take place, so I was just blown away by it.”
After posting a picture of the receipt to Facebook Sept. 10, her story sparked outrage online, prompting a California man to take action. Matthew Hanson, founder of AddictingInfo.org, heard Jenkins’ story and started an online fundraiser called “Tips for Toni” that collected $10,749 in place of Jenkins’ non-tip on the bill for $44.53.
“It was about sending a message to racists that Americans aren’t going to tolerate that,” Hanson said. “We raised $10,000 within seventy-two hours. It was really amazing.” Hanson presented the check September 30th to Jenkins, who was unaware of the fundraiser. “I literally screamed. I was so confused,” Jenkins said. “I was just so thankful. I felt so blessed and so honored that so many people came together on my behalf to give this to me.”