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Good Black News

Natural Girls United! Customizes Dolls With Natural Hair Styles

By goodblacknews on October 4, 2013

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Who needs a Barbie when you can get a customized doll with your favorite natural hair style? Karen Byrd started the The Natural Girls United! project to showcase the positive view of ethnic beauty.

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From Karen Byrd’s bio:

There have been quite a few studies done that show that African-American boys and girls often think of black dolls as bad and white dolls as good.  Of course, this is not something that the parent is teaching their child. So why are they getting these mixed messages about good and bad skin color, or good and bad hair?  It all has to do with the images they see as they grow up. If a child is constantly looking at images, dolls, television, books and magazines – and only seeing beauty as something or someone with non-ethnic features and long, straight hair – then they are going to assume that this is what beauty is. It is something that has hurt our young people for centuries.  

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The Natural Girls United! come in a variety of styles. There’s dolls in dreadlocks, kinky twists, as well as short-cropped afros. Not to be left out, there’s even a male doll with dreadlocks. The prices range from $45.00-$140.00. For more information on the dolls, check out the site www.naturalgirlsunited.com or follow Natural Girls United on Twitter and Natural Girls United on Facebook.

article by Yesha Callahan via clutchmagonline.com

 

NBA Star Demarcus Cousins Pledges $1 Million to Help Sacramento Families

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2013

Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings
Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings

This week, Sacramento Kings center Demarcus Cousins pledged $1 million to help Sacramento families in need.
Cousins made a quick mention of his generous gift at the end of his press conferencing announcing his contract extension with the Kings. The 23-year-old averaged career-highs of 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game last season.
The team rewarded him with a 4-year, $62 million contract.  There aren’t too many details available on where specifically Cousins’ money will go. He said some of the money will go to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s foundation.
article by Todd Johnson via thegrio.com

What the Affordable Care Act Provides for Breast Cancer Treatment

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2013
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Women won’t pay higher health bills simply for being women, and they will be able to get the medical care they need, particularly for breast cancer, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), a leading women’s advocate says.  “The Affordable Care Act will help us realize the promise of access for all,” said Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, president and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative in Washington, D.C., which was founded 30 years ago as the National Black Women’s Health Project.
Open enrollment began this week under the ACA. Uninsured and underinsured Americans will gain greater access to a medical home with preventive care that can reduce the risk of a host of conditions including breast cancer, the second leading cause of death among women.  “We know that prevention works, and mammogram screening is an essential health-care benefit,” said Hoytt, adding that Congressional efforts to stall or kill the ACA as part of a federal shutdown are “unconscionable.”
Black women are number two behind white women for developing breast cancer, but the gap is narrowing, according to a new study released this week for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They are the only group of women to show increases in breast cancer — up 0.2 percent each year between 2006 and 2010 — and they also have the highest death rate. The American Cancer Society published the study, “Breast Cancer Statistics, 2013,” in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and in aconsumer version.
Under the new healthcare law, women who are 40 and older are entitled to coverage for mammograms. Those who have a family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer can also receive free counseling and testing for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Women with mutations are five times more likely to develop breast cancer — a fact highlighted by actress Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy earlier this year.
Women facing genetic tests ranging up to $4,000 and other costs associated with breast cancer won’t have to worry about annual or lifetime spending limits, beginning in 2014.  “You can now be insured with pre-existing conditions,” Hoytt notes. “You do not have to be afraid of being dropped from your insurance.”

Russell Simmons Donates $10K to New York Anti-Violence Program Life Camp

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2013
Russell Simmons attends 2013 ADWEEK Brand Genius Awards at Capitale on September 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)
Russell Simmons attends 2013 ADWEEK Brand Genius Awards at Capitale on September 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)
Russell Simmons has amassed close to three million follows on Twitter and the strong presence he holds on the social media site had a powerful impact Wednesday night.  Simmons sent Tweets to help raise money for a New-York-based anti-violence program that has launched a campaign on the fundraising site Crowdtilt.
The program, called Life Camp, is a non-profit violence prevention program that is hoping to raise $100,000 to help end gun violence and provide positive alternatives to kids and young adults.  “During the prior eighteen months, before our full program was implemented, 17 people had been shot in our community,” wrote Erica Ford, the executive director of Life Camp. “Once our program was fully operational, we had 340 days of NO SHOOTINGS in our target area in South Jamaica, Queens.”
According to the Crowdtilt page, a government grant was delayed, which ultimately led to the closing of the community center.  Since most of the program’s resources have been exhausted, the program’s founders turned to the crowd funding site to raise money.  Simmons announced on Twitter that he has donated $10,000 to the campaign and asked followers to give money to the cause by promising retweets to those who said they pledged.
“Who can give $5, $10, $20 to save program that has saved lives of so many young people?? NO MORE BULLETS IN THE HOOD! http://tilt.tc/snyD,” he wrote. This followed his earlier tweet which said, “first ten people to donate $10 or more to keep one of the most critical anti-violence programs open, gets a RT.”
He kept his word – soon, followers responded to the call and Simmons thanked them for their kindness via Twitter.  By the end of the night, Simmons reported that more than $775 was raised.  There are still 27 days left in the fundraising campaign and the program has not yet reached half of their target goal. The money will be used towards initiatives like keeping the community center open and to restart the program’s “I Love My Life” campaign tours in local churches and schools.
To learn more about “Give Life to LIFE Camp! No More Bullets In The Hood” campaign, click here.
article by Lilly Workneh via thegrio.com

Forest Whitaker To Play Colin Powell in Feature Film

By goodblacknews on October 2, 2013
Forest Whitaker arrives at the premiere of the movie 'The Butler' during the 39th Deauville American Festival on August 30, 2013 in Deauville, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)
Forest Whitaker arrives at the premiere of the movie ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ during the 39th Deauville American Festival on August 30, 2013 in Deauville, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

Forest Whitaker is on a real winning streak.  This year his leading role in the blockbuster Lee Daniels’ The Butler is generating serious Oscar buzz, and now he has reportedly signed on to play former Secretary of State Colin Powell in an upcoming biopic.  Actor Jeffrey Wright previously played Powell in Oliver Stone’s 2008 film W, but the influential Republican has never had a standalone film of his own.

According to the A.V. Club, the new movie, entitled Powell, will “focus on that pivotal moment of Powell’s 2002 speech to the U.N., in which he dramatically claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and sacrificed his sterling reputation in the service of Bush’s desire to invade at all costs.”
The intended release date and the rest of the cast are currently unknown.
article via thegrio.com

Maya Angelou To Receive Norman Mailer Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Writing

By goodblacknews on September 30, 2013

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NEW YORK — Maya Angelou is receiving another honorary prize for writing.  The Norman Mailer Center and Writers Colony announced Thursday that Angelou will be given a lifetime achievement award at a benefit gala Oct. 17. Earlier this month, the National Book Foundation announced that the 85-year-old Angelou would be given an honorary National Book Award, her first major literary prize.
The Mailer Center will also give a distinguished writing prize to Junot Diaz and an award for the best emerging journalist to the late Michael Hastings. Hastings was killed in an auto accident in June at age 33. He’s best known for a Rolling Stone article that led to the resignation of the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
article via huffingtonpost.com

Mother And Son Graduate Together With PhDs

By goodblacknews on September 29, 2013

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Vickie McBride gave birth to her son at the tender age of 13, but that did not deter her from earning her PhD–or his, for that matter.  Last August, Vickie and her son, Maurice, walked across the stage at a graduate ceremony in Minneapolis, Minnesota and were handed their doctorate degrees from Capella University, WRDW-TV Augusta 12 reports.
Given their journey, Maurice said he could not have ever imagined the day he would earn such a high academic honor. “Never in a thousand, million, trillion years [did I expect to get my PhD],” Maurice said. “The thought of becoming a doctor anyone was far fetched.”  Maurice’s awe at his own success was only outdone by his mother’s achievement.
“I never thought I would get chance to see my mother walk across the stage and then she turned around and saw me walk across the stage,” he said.  Growing up in the small town of Waynesboro, Ga., Vickie said  being a teenage parent was taboo. She remembers some of the older people in the community ”whispering” about her, but that did not stop her from continuing her education. Vickie’s mother, a retired teacher, took care of Maurice while she attended school.
“As a teenager I continued my education, Vickie said. ”(Dropping out) was never an option.”  She eventually went to college and even earned a graduate degree all while raising Maurice and three other children.  “I had to figure out how to work and how to parent and how to manage school all at the same time.” she said.

Damon Wayans Jr. Sells Comedy Pilot to Fox Network

By goodblacknews on September 27, 2013
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Damon Wayans Jr. (Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)

Fox has landed “Man/Child,” a project from Damon Wayans Jr. with a pilot production commitment.  Comedy centers on two single dads who move in together and struggle to find the balance between being responsible parents and debaucherous bachelor.  “Wilfred” showrunners Reed Agnew and Eli Jorne will pen and executive produce “Man/Child,” with Wayans Jr. also executive producing.  “Modern Family” director Jason Winer will direct “Man/Child” and also receive an executive producer credit.  20th Century Fox TV and Small Dog Picture Company will produce the pilot.
“Man/Child” marks one of Wayans Jr.’s first forays behind the camera. The thesp, who hails from the comedic powerhouse Wayans family, appeared in Fox’s “New Girl” pilot before ankling the show and taking on a lead character on ABC’s “Happy Endings.” “Happy Endings” was cancelled after three seasons by ABC earlier this year.
article by AJ Marechal via Variety.com

Marissa Alexander, Woman Sentenced To 20 Years For Firing Warning Shot in Florida, Gets New Trial

By goodblacknews on September 26, 2013

Marissa Alexander new trialTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida woman serving 20 years in prison for firing a shot at her estranged husband during an argument will get a new trial, though she will not be able to invoke a “stand your ground” defense, an appeals court ruled Thursday.

The case of Marissa Alexander, a Jacksonville mother of three, has been used by critics of Florida’s “stand your ground” law and mandatory minimum sentences to argue that the state’s justice system is skewed against defendants who are black.
The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled that Alexander deserves a new trial because the trial judge handling her case did not properly instruct the jury regarding what is needed to prove self-defense.
The ruling, written by Judge Robert Benton, said the instructions constituted a “fundamental error” and required Alexander to prove self-defense “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  But the court also made it clear in its ruling that the judge was right to block Alexander from using the state’s “stand your ground” law as a way to defend her actions. That law generally removes people’s duty to retreat in the face of possible danger and allows them to use of deadly force if they believe their lives are in danger.
Faith Gay, one of the attorneys representing the 33-year-old Alexander, said she was grateful for the “thorough consideration” provided by the appeals court.  “We are looking forward to taking the case back to trial,” Gay said.

Rick Owens Uses Step Dancers to Model His New Collection in Paris, With Fierce Results

By goodblacknews on September 26, 2013
Designer Rick Owens debuted his spring/summer 2014 collection in Paris today. In lieu of models, Owens called upon a team of step dancers to show off his clothing.  And dance!  They marched down a metal staircase… 
They marched down a metal staircase...
bjpandabear/Instagram / Via gramfeed.com
… and took to the runway.

... and took to the runway.
blamanda/Instagram / Via gramfeed.com

Wearing signature androgynous, monochromatic garb typical of Owens. Which was also probably pretty comfortable to dance in!



They performed a routine much more rigorous than mere cat-walking.  And about 1,000 times more interesting.  And the fashion crowd went mostly wild with praise.  This spectacle resulted in what might be the only literally fierce runway stills in the history of fashion.

see full article by Angela Vitello with video at buzzfeed.com