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U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to Take Over as Obama's National Security Adviser

By goodblacknews on June 5, 2013
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2013 file photo, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice speaks at a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York. President Barack Obama's top national security adviser Tom Donilon is resigning and will be replaced by U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, marking a significant shakeup to the White House foreign policy team. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
In this Feb. 12, 2013 photo, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice speaks at a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York. (Associated Press/Craig Ruttle)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s top national security adviser Tom Donilon is resigning and will be replaced by Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. who has been a lightning rod for Republican criticism over faulty explanations for the attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

Donilon has been a key foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama. But the 58-year-old had been expected to depart sometime this year, with Rice seen as the likely candidate to replace him. Her selection is sure to anger congressional Republicans, who have accused the administration of inconsistency and a cover-up in the Benghazi attacks.

Rice, a close Obama confidante, came under withering criticism from Republicans as part of the investigations into the deadly attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi. Relying on talking points from the intelligence community, Rice said in television interviews that the attacks were likely spontaneous, which was later proven incorrect.

Obama considered nominating Rice as his second-term secretary of state, but she withdrew amid the GOP criticism, saying she didn’t want her confirmation fight to be a distraction for the White House. The president instead nominated John Kerry, who easily won confirmation from his former Senate colleagues.

R.I.P. NFL Hall of Famer and Defensive Legend David 'Deacon' Jones

By goodblacknews on June 5, 2013

jones 2

David “Deacon” Jones (pictured), the defensive end who was credited for using the word sack to describe how he knocked down quarterbacks on the field, passed away at his Southern California home on Monday night of natural causes. He was 74 years old, according to USA Today.
Jones was a legendary player that other players idolized and was often referred to as “one of the greatest players in NFL history.” Jones played for the L.A. Rams from 1961 to 1971, San Diego Chargers from 1972 to 1973, and signed on with the Washington Redskins in 1974, marking the end of his stellar career.
Former Rams head coach George Allen once referred to Jones as the “Greatest Defensive End of Modern Football,” while the New York Times pegged the gridiron great as the “Most Valuable Ram of All Time.” Jones was voted to the NFL’s 75 Year All Time Team and was inducted in to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
jones
Jones, who has been deluged with honors throughout his playing career and has never been taken off any sports analyst’s or enthusiast’s list of  “Top 100 players of all time,” actually came from humble beginnings.
Jones was born in Eatonville, Fla., and shared the home with nine other family members.  He attended Hungerford High School, where he excelled in all areas of athletics, baseball, basketball, and football.  Even though Jones managed to earn a scholarship to South Carolina State University, when he finally landed there in 1957, it was revoked after academicians discovered he took part in a civil rights sit-in.
foursome
An assistant coach at South Carolina State, who was leaving and had taken a position at Mississippi Vocational, convinced Jones and a handful of other Black players that he could get them scholarships to his new school.
When Jones and the players went to the college, though, they were not allowed to join their White team members at motels and were relegated to sleeping on shoddy cots at the opposing school’s gymnasiums.
The Rams selected Jones in 1961, and he quickly became one of the team’s “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line of players along with Rosey Grier (pictured second from right), Lamar Lundy (pictured far left), and Merlin Olsen (pictured second from left).
These four men are now considered to be one of the best defensive lines in all of NFL history.

Movie Review: Smiths Survive "After Earth"

By goodblacknews on June 4, 2013

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After Earth
Cast: Will Smith (Cypher),  Jaden Smith (Kitai), Sophie Okonedo (Faia), Zoe Kravitz (Senshi) Director:  M. Night Shyamalan; Rated: PG-13
After Earth did something I wasn’t expecting… it made me think. Better than I was anticipating, this film isn’t exactly what it seems and I’m glad I saw it with my teenage son, given what this film is really about. After Earth is wearing a carefully marketed disguise. If you are expecting a Smith/Smith epic sci-fi action-packed adventure popcorn flick… well, you get some of that. But actually, at its core the film is a coming-of-age tale about the evolution of a relationship between a career-driven father and his teenage son.  It’s about the struggle of a parent and child being forced to find a connection and faith in one another after tragedy and circumstance befall them.  All the sci-fi galaxy hoo-ha is just a backdrop. 
The movie takes place on a futuristic planet Earth where fearless uber soldier, General Cypher Raige (Will Smith), and his cowardly son, Kitai (played by Smith’s real-life son, Jaden) unexpectedly crash land. Every entity on this planet poses a threat and has evolved to kill humans instinctively.  The spaceship’s broken in two and the sole survivors need to recover the tail in order to be rescued.  When Cypher discovers he has broken both legs after the crash landing, there is no choice but to rely on Kitai to make this journey alone, which is troubling because he does not possess his father’s lack of fear.
It’s an interesting choice to bench action star Will Smith. He’s flat on his back most of the film. Unlike in most of his sci-fi themed movies, the power of Will is not saving the day.  This one’s on Jaden and he needs every bit of his Karate Kid training to trudge through evolved Earth. Cypher can only guide Kitai with his voice throughout the journey to the half of their ship that contains a beacon signal that must be deployed if they are to be rescued. It is the responsibility of a parent to provide his child with the proper tools to do well on his own.  But what do you do when you’re a fearless hero and your child is well… not? 
After Earth begins with Kitai not making ranger staus. He’s prone to stress, panic attacks and straight-up fear.  Okay, so he’s not exactly the super soldier his father is. Cypher possesses the rare skill of being able to shut out fear which makes his enemies unable to see, smell, or locate him.  Kitai does not possess this gift.  This proves disappointing to Cypher. His mother, Faia, played by Sophie Okonedo, establishes that Kitai has a better relationship with his mother; perhaps some bonding with Dad is in order.  This is how Kitai ends up on a business trip with his father Cypher. 
But something else is going on between these two which reveals itself in several flashbacks.  Kitai had a sister,  Senshi (Zoe Kravitz), who was killed by a predator called an Ursa. Senshi, played effortlessly by the delightfully easy-to-watch Zoe Kravitz, gives us a glimpse into what happened to Kitai and why he is so tormented. He blames himself for surviving an Ursa attack that took his sister’s life and he believes his father blames him as well. Thus the theme of family and familial stuff that needs to be worked out progresses. 
If I had not seen this film with my own teenaged son, I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. I related to the parent-and-teen tug of war. The film has some cool moments once you let go of the fact that Will Smith is not going to get up and go save his real-life son. It’s all on Jaden, and despite a rocky start (Jaden speaks in an accent I can only describe as, well… not great. It’s supposed to be Australian… I think?  It’s so distracting, I thought… uh,oh I can’t sit here. But my son was into the movie and Big Willy always makes me laugh, so I committed to relaxing and enjoying my mother/son time), the Karate Kid training pays off in spades. Jaden shows us his cool footing during climbs, jumps and a really entertaining glide through the air. 
After Earth was adventurous for sure. The special effects were fine – nothing “Earth” shattering. Having a teen carry a mega-film is a big ask. Jaden does okay. He gets better as his character evolves; perhaps this is because the character grows closer to the real-life, confident Jaden. It’s very hard even for a second to get past the fact that you are watching Will Smith and his son Jaden. My take is this: because Will Smith is such an action star and Jaden was so definable in the Karate Kid, and they are such a well-known, real-life family, believing these two as space son and Dad was always going to be an automatic hurdle for the audience. If Jaden was any other actor playing against any other actor, maybe I wouldn’t be judging him with a magnifying glass.
All in all, After Earth is not the surefire summer blockbuster we had hoped for, but movie making is tough and the Smiths are entertaining in any form.  
Lesa LakinReviewed by Lesa Lakin

Black Girls RUN! Encourages African-American Women to Try Distance Running

By goodblacknews on June 4, 2013

Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks founded Black girls RUN! in 2009 to get African-American women interested and excited about distance running.
Ashley Hicks and Toni Carey founded Black girls RUN! in 2009 to get African-American women interested and excited about distance running. Since the launch of their original running group four years ago, Black Girls RUN! has grown, now with about 70 groups across the U.S. (Courtesy of Black Girls RUN!)

Throwing on a pair of running shoes and heading out the door is one of the cheapest, simplest forms of exercise. But when two college friends took up running to burn off some of the freshman 15-pound weight gain, their families and friends couldn’t relate.
“[They] would ask us what we were doing, and when we said ‘running,’ they would look baffled,” said Toni Carey. She started running shortly after graduating Middle Tennessee State University, inspired by watching her friend Ashley Hicks take up the sport. Both Carey and Hicks are African-American, and they say they also felt excluded at the races they attended.
“We would be the only black people there,” Carey says, “and we never got a warm welcome. It was like, ‘are you guys in the right place?'”
That’s likely because Carey and Hicks are, in fact, a rarity. The 2013 National Runner survey, an annual report by Running USA of nearly 25,000 American runners, showed that only 3.3 percent of African-Americans were classified as “core runners” — defined as those who compete in races and train year-round. That’s compared to 88.1 percent of runners who were white, 5.2 who were Hispanic and 4.1 who were Asian or Pacific Islander. (Respondents could select more than one ethnicity, so that’s why those numbers add up to more than 100 percent.)
So Carey and Hicks decided to do something to encourage their community to join the activity they loved. They began by blogging about their races and training, and then, Carey says, “It took a life of its own.”
That was 2009, and “it” became an online group called Black Girls RUN! Today, nearly 70 running groups exist across the United States, with about 61,000 members. The Black Girls RUN! Facebook page has over 70,000 “likes,” and the Twitter feed has almost 17,000 followers.

Serena Williams Covers Essence Magazine‘s “Body Issue”

By goodblacknews on June 4, 2013

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Summer can be a difficult time for women with body image issues. From bikinis to clothes that reveal rather than cover up, our bodies are more on display during the warmer months. Essence Magazine is dedicating the latest issue to body image with its cover subject and the many articles that advocate for us to love and embrace our unique shapes.

Serena Williams, who two years ago was fighting to breathe after suffering a pulmonary embolism, fronts the issue in a beautiful blue one-piece swimsuit that highlights her famous curves and toned arms and legs. Her radiant skin and confident pose are only outshined by her gorgeous smile. In the issue, she says: “I feel lighter, I feel healthier, and even though I’m 31—which really isn’t old, but for an athlete, particularly a tennis player, it’s old—I promise you, my body has never felt better. Considering how much I’ve played and how much I’ve done, I feel fine. I’m strong…”

The stunning photograph is flanked by coverlines like “Love Your Body,” and “2,500 Black Women on The Beauty of Our Bodies,” which reflects the core philosophy of Essence Magazine with its commitment to uplifting women and serving as a positive and uplifting space for us on the newsstand.

The article “Be Healthy at Every Size,” is significant because it places health over size-shaming. Serena’s quote is thematically in line with the cover’s push for self-acceptance and love; she says “It’s important to look in the mirror and say ‘I love myself.” Finally, the issue promises to offer swimsuits that flatter our curves and sweat-proof hairstyles and products.

article by Jessica C. Andrews via clutchmagonline.com

2013: A Breakout Year for Black Films

By goodblacknews on June 4, 2013
“FRUITVALE STATION” Ariana Neal and Michael B. Jordan star in a film based on the 2009 killing of a young man in Oakland, Calif. (Cait Adkins/Weinstein Company)

LOS ANGELES — Musical. Romance. Epic history. Social drama. Christmas comedy. After years of complaint and self-criticism about the shortage of prominent movies by and about black Americans, film companies are poised to release an extraordinary cluster of them across an array of genres in the last five months of 2013.

At least 10 new films will be released, including several awards contenders, from both independent and major distributors, like the Weinstein Company, Fox Searchlight and Universal Pictures. Even some of those who made this year’s movies have been caught by surprise.

“You tell me!” said the director and screenwriter Lee Daniels, when asked how so many black-driven films had materialized at once. His historical drama “The Butler” — based on a real-life White House butler who served eight presidents — is to be released by Weinstein on Aug. 16. “I’m working in my own bubble, I come up for air, and there they are,” Mr. Daniels said.

Black filmmakers say the wave of 2013 releases was built in large part on the creativity that has flourished on the independent-film circuit, which has become a laboratory of sorts for more prominent African-American-themed productions. Writers and directors have been sharpening their skills on indie films the last several years while waiting for big distributors to regain interest.

Harvard Law Student Cortlan Wickliff Graduates at 22

By goodblacknews on June 4, 2013

Cortlan Wickliff says he wants to own and operate a medical device company.

CAMBRIDGE — On a recent Wednesday afternoon, 22-year-old Cortlan Wickliff walks into a pizzeria looking every bit the college student, with headphones, braces, and slightly overgrown hair. Finals are over, and there’s not much to do but have dinner with friends and watch movies, lots of movies, until graduation.
Oh, and start studying for the bar exam. When Wickliff dons his cap and gown, regalia his mother had to remind him to order, the Texas native will be one of the youngest African-Americans ever to graduate from Harvard Law School. Wickliff was 19 when he graduated from Houston’s Rice University with a degree in bio­engineering in 2010. That fall he started law school, but said the age gap with his classmates, about five to six years, was not the biggest issue.

“Being at a school where there aren’t any right answers when you have been in engineering or sciences classes, that’s a bit of a change,” he said with a shrug. “School was different because of my engineering background, being from the South, being from Texas, rather than different because of my age.”

There is no age requirement for admission to Harvard Law; school administrators said the average age in the graduating Class of 2013 is 27. Students need strong test scores and grades. But more than anything, they must show an aptitude for advocating a point of view, something proven through work experience, extra­curricular activities, volunteering, leadership positions.

Sean Penn Charity to Sponsor Haitian runners for New York Marathon

By goodblacknews on June 4, 2013
In this Jan. 7, 2013 file photo, Astrel Clovis, a 42-year-old marathon runner, trains in the early morning in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
In this Jan. 7, 2013 file photo, Astrel Clovis, a 42-year-old marathon runner, trains in the early morning in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The Haiti humanitarian group for Hollywood actor Sean Penn announced Friday that it will sponsor five Haitian runners so they can compete in the New York City Marathon in November. Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization will accept the top three men and two women finishers in a rare half-marathon that will wind through the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Sunday.
Ron Baldwin, executive director of J/P HRO, said the decision to sponsor Haitian runners in the world’s largest marathon was inspired in part by an Associated Press story. The January report featured a Haitian distance runner named Astrel Clovis who faces numerous obstacles as he runs through the hilly streets of Port-au-Prince three years after the Jan. 12 earthquake devastated the capital.
“It’s an inspiring story,” Baldwin said of Clovis. “After the earthquake, he’s running. He’s self-training, and has no support. We decided ‘let’s give that guy a chance.’ And it grew from there to build a whole team.” Clovis has a good shot at making the cut for New York. He is a favorite among the more than 50 registered runners participating in Sunday’s government-organized race. He finished second in a marathon in neighboring Dominican Republic in December with a time of 2 hours and 42 minutes.

Hip-Hop Band The Roots Grow Large in New Philadelphia Mural

By goodblacknews on June 3, 2013
Workmen sweep in front of a new mural honoring The Roots, Friday, May 31, 2013, in Philadelphia. As a teen growing up in Philadelphia, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter got busted for graffiti and was ordered by a judge to clean up such vandalism by painting murals. Now, Trotter and his Grammy-winning band The Roots are scheduled to attend Friday the unveiling of a city-sanctioned mural in their honor. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Workmen sweep in front of a new mural honoring The Roots in Philadelphia. As a teen growing up in Philadelphia, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter got busted for graffiti and was ordered by a judge to clean up such vandalism by painting murals. Now, Trotter and his Grammy-winning band The Roots are scheduled to attend Friday the unveiling of a city-sanctioned mural in their honor. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The house band for NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” is living large in its hometown of Philadelphia. Members of The Roots are now depicted on a multistory mural on the back wall of a school. The group attended a dedication of the project on Friday, May 31st.
The mural is called “Legendary.” It uses a colorful collage of images to trace the history of the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group. Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says it’s difficult to believe how far the band has come since its founding in the city in 1992. The art project was created by the city’s Mural Arts Program. There are more than 3,600 murals in Philadelphia.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com

Obama Calls for End to Mental Illness Stigma

By goodblacknews on June 3, 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqnF3UicuQs&w=560&h=315]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday called for a more robust national discussion on mental illness, saying the time had come to bring the issue “out of the shadows.”

Speaking at the opening session of a White House conference on mental health, the president said his goal was to let people affected by these issues know they should not suffer in silence.

“Struggling with a mental illness or caring for someone who does can be isolating,” Obama said. “It begins to feel as if, not only are you alone, but that you shouldn’t burden others with the challenge.”

Barack ObamaThe conference is part of Obama’s response to last year’s shooting massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. While the president emphasized that most people with mental health problems are not violent, he said untreated mental illness can lead to larger tragedies.

There’s been little publicly revealed about the mental health of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza, although it’s been documented that other gunmen involved in mass shootings suffered from mental illness. Federal law bans certain mentally ill people from purchasing firearms, but the background check system is woefully incomplete and Obama is trying to get more mental health records included.

“We can do something about stories like this,” he said. “In many cases, treatment is available and effective.” Top administration officials, along with actors Bradley Cooper and Glenn Close, were among those participating in the White House conference.

The agenda includes discussion of insurance coverage for mental health care and substance abuse, recognizing the signs of mental illness in young people and improved access to services for veterans. The overall goal is reducing the stigma of mental health problems and encouraging those who are struggling to get help.