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R.I.P. Rafer Johnson, 86, Gold Medalist in the 1960 Olympic Decathlon

R.I.P. Rafer Johnson, 86, Gold Medalist in the 1960 Olympic Decathlon

By goodblacknews on December 2, 2020

According to nytimes.com, American athlete Rafer Johnson, who carried the United States flag into Rome’s Olympic Stadium in August 1960 as the first Black captain of a U.S. Olympic team and went on to win gold in the decathlon bringing him acclaim as the world’s greatest all-around athlete, died today at his home in Los Angeles, CA. He was 86.

To quote from The New York Times:

Johnson never competed after that decathlon triumph. He became a good-will ambassador for the United States and a close associate of the Kennedy family, taking a leadership role in the Special Olympics, which were championed by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and joining Robert F. Kennedy’s entourage during Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1968. He was remembered especially for helping to wrestle the senator’s assassin to the ground in Los Angeles in 1968.

Johnson’s national profile was largely molded at the 1960 Olympics, one of the most celebrated in the history of the Games, a moment when a host of African-American athletes burst triumphantly onto the world stage.

Muhammad Ali, known then as Cassius Clay, captured boxing gold in the light-heavyweight division. Wilma Rudolph swept to victory in the women’s 100- and 200-meter dashes and combined with her Tennessee State teammates for gold in the 4 x 100 relay. Oscar Robertson helped take the United States basketball team to a gold medal.

Johnson is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Thorsen, brother Jimmy Johnson, a former San Francisco 49er and Pro Football Hall of Famer; two children, Jennifer Johnson Jordan, who was a member of the U.S. women’s beach volleyball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and is now a volleyball coach at U.C.L.A., and Josh Johnson; and four grandchildren.

To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/sports/olympics/rafer-johnson-dead.html

MUSIC MONDAY: “Across 110th Street” – Celebrating the Sounds of Bobby Womack (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Across 110th Street” – Celebrating the Sounds of Bobby Womack (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on November 30, 2020

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Monday, you all. Hope you had a good and safe Thanksgiving. Time will tell though.

While most of these offerings are genre and theme-based, I do like to feature a favorite, and often underrated, artist from time to time. This week, it’s Bobby Womack.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:playlist:4XR72fdlZHr9V0uql6hHSe”/]

While never a household name, Womack had a long and impactful career. He, like so many in his generation, started in a family gospel group with his brothers.

Womack became the protégé of gospel and R&B/pop star Sam Cooke, a session musician, a successful solo artist with decades of hits, a writer of his own and others’ songs, and along with Mos Def, and surviving members of The Clash, was a core member of Gorillaz.

Quincy Jones arguably stands alone in having a longer and more wide-ranging career. 10-year-old Bobby started touring with his brothers on the midwest gospel circuit as The Womack Brothers.

Georgia’s U.S. Senate Run-Off Races in January 2021: List of Links to Donation, Volunteer and Voting Options

Georgia’s U.S. Senate Run-Off Races in January 2021: List of Links to Donation, Volunteer and Voting Options

By goodblacknews on November 28, 2020

[Photos: Jon Ossoff (l) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (r) via commons.wikipedia.org]

On January 5, 2021, Georgia will hold a special election with two run-off races for the two U.S. Senate seats held by that state.

Democratic candidates for Senate Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will face off against their Republican opponents that will determine the crucial balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

As it stands today, there are 50 Republican senators to 48 Democratic and/or Independent senators (Independent Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine caucus with the Democrats).

If Warnock and Ossoff win, the Democratic Party will gain control of the Senate, as Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris is by law the deciding vote in the event any 50-50 tie happens in that legislative chamber.

To get Mitch McConnell out of the Majority Leader position, it is crucial that both Democratic candidates from Georgia win their difficult run-off races.

People who want to see the above result but don’t live or vote in Georgia, there are still plenty of ways to help!

Good Black News offers sincere thanks to Georgia residents Julie Fishman and Amy Holmes-Chavez for compiling and letting us share the relevant links, resources and information listed below, as well as a this shareable Google Docs link with the same and more:

DONATIONS:

  • Fair Fight https://fairfight.com/ – Stacey Abrams’ organization that has registered nearly ½ million new voters in GA) will split your vote 3 ways between Fair Fight, Reverend Warnock’s campaign, and Jon Ossoff’s campaign.  
  • Vote Save America Donate – Vote Save America – Has links to 2 funds; one is the same one as the Fair Fight link above. The second supports 12 organizations working on turning out the vote on the ground.
  • Raphael Warnock – https://warnockforgeorgia.com/
  • Jon Ossoff – https://electjon.com/

PHONE BANKING/TEXT BANKING/POSTCARD WRITING:

MUSIC: Celebrating the Season with “The Ultimate Soul Christmas Soundtrack” Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC: Celebrating the Season with “The Ultimate Soul Christmas Soundtrack” Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on November 28, 2020

by Jeff Meier (FB: Jeff.Meier.90)

I spotted Christmas decorations in Costco by early October and Hallmark Channel has been airing non-stop holiday movies already for weeks, but like many, our family has always marked Thanksgiving to be the point where we officially kick off the holiday season, including breaking out the yuletide tunes.

With that in mind, Good Black News is happy to offer the “Ultimate Soul of the Season Christmas Soundtrack” as a playlist to guide you through the holidays with ease.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:playlist:2FHQ8HVPzGR0pd9R4Tu1Zm”/]

This is a mega-playlist – 25 hours of music in honor of the 25 days of Christmas leading up to the big day.  It is not meant to be listened to all in one sitting – but rather to be just one-click away as your go-to soundtrack for the month. You can set it and forget it, or hit shuffle and mix it up.

Our inspiration was to capture the mood of those many radio stations around the country that turn to a festive Christmas musical format in the month of December – but with our own specific Good Black News twist.

In our playlist, ALL the songs are by or feature Black artists. Have it on in the background for decorating, cooking, wrapping presents, or just sitting in front of the fire sipping eggnog – and in the process you’ll be supporting Black artists through your streams.

Noah Harris, 20, Makes History by Being Elected 1st Black Student Body President at Harvard College

Noah Harris, 20, Makes History by Being Elected 1st Black Student Body President at Harvard College

By goodblacknews on November 28, 2020

Noah Harris was elected president of Harvard’s Undergraduate Council on Nov. 12, becoming the first Black undergraduate elected as student body president at Harvard University.

Harris, 20, a junior from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is majoring in government and co-chairs the Undergraduate Council’s Black caucus.

Two other Black students have previously headed Harvard’s Undergraduate Council, but Harris is the first Black man to be elected by the student body.

Harris told his hometown paper, the Hattiesburg American, that does not take the honor lightly.

To quote from The Hattiesburg American:

“Especially with everything that went on this summer with the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, all the protests that went on in this moment of racial reckoning in this country,” he said. “This is a major statement by the Harvard student body to entrust a Black man with such an unprecedented moment in its history.”

Harris ran on a platform of diversity of inclusion with future Undergraduate Council Vice President Jenny Gan, a junior from Cleveland. Gan is studying neuroscience. The two said they want to focus on improving students’ mental and physical health.

Read More: https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2020/11/19/harvard-first-black-man-elected-by-student-body-president-mississippi/6325295002/

Photo: Noah Harris via Twitter

MUSIC MONDAY: “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” – Thanksgiving Playlist for 2020 (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” – Thanksgiving Playlist for 2020 (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on November 23, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving, you all!

This is certainly a trying and unique one. Most of us aren’t doing what we traditionally do. And many of us are missing people at the table in 2020.

As is my wont, here’s a Monday playlist to take you into this year’s day of thanks. This collection ranges from songs about food, to family, to longing, to of course giving thanks, and back again.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:playlist:5nER8tHfQmTbLOLL5JUHAJ”/]

Soul, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Gospel, Reggae, and more are included in this playlist to celebrate this most special and taxing of Thanksgivings.

While this has been the worst year on record for many of us, it has not been without its bright spots and reasons to be thankful.

One such personal reason for the thanks of the request to contribute weekly playlists from my friend Lori Lakin Hutcherson. She is a sista that I have not seen in person in nearly decades, but has become a wonderful social media friend and the gig of making these collections for GOOD BLACK NEWS and been the brightest of Covid era silver linings.

I don’t know if these are enjoyed by dozens or thousands but it has been an honor and delight to compile them on the weekly.

Whether you are safely gathering or going it alone on Thursday, here’s hours of music to sustain and nourish your ears and soul.

Stay safe sane, and kind you all. “See” ya next week.

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
The American Medical Association Declares Racism a Public Health Threat in New Policy

The American Medical Association Declares Racism a Public Health Threat in New Policy

By goodblacknews on November 20, 2020

New policy adopted by physicians at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Special Meeting of its House of Delegates (HOD) recognizes racism as a public health threat and commits to actively work on dismantling racist policies and practices across all of health care.

In June 2020, the AMA Board of Trustees acknowledged the health consequences of violent police interactions and denounced racism as an urgent threat to public health, pledging action to confront systemic racism, racial injustice and police brutality.

The new policy approved by the AMA, representing physicians and medical students from every state and medical specialty, opposes all forms of racism as a threat to public health and calls on AMA to take prescribed steps to combat racism, including: (1) acknowledging the harm caused by racism and unconscious bias within medical research and health care; (2) identifying tactics to counter racism and mitigate its health effects; (3) encouraging medical education curricula to promote a greater understanding of the topic; (4) supporting external policy development and funding for researching racism’s health risks and damages; and (5) working to prevent influences of racism and bias in health technology innovation.

“The AMA recognizes that racism negatively impacts and exacerbates health inequities among historically marginalized communities. Without systemic and structural-level change, health inequities will continue to exist, and the overall health of the nation will suffer,” said AMA Board Member Willarda V. Edwards, M.D., M.B.A.

“As physicians and leaders in medicine, we are committed to optimal health for all, and are working to ensure all people and communities reach their full health potential. Declaring racism as an urgent public health threat is a step in the right direction toward advancing equity in medicine and public health, while creating pathways for truth, healing, and reconciliation.”

Princeton University’s Deana Lawson Becomes 1st Photographer to Win $100,000 Hugo Boss Prize

Princeton University’s Deana Lawson Becomes 1st Photographer to Win $100,000 Hugo Boss Prize

By goodblacknews on November 18, 2020

[Photo: Mama Goma, Gemena, DR Congo, 2014. Pigment print. © Deana Lawson, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles]

According to nytimes.com, Deana Lawson, professor of visual arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University in New Jersey, has been awarded the Hugo Boss Prize. Professor Lawson is the first photographer to win the award, which comes with a $100,000 prize.

The prize, presented by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and sponsored by the Hugo Boss German fashion label, has been awarded biannually since 1996 and was established to “embrace today’s most innovative and critically relevant cultural currents.”

The Hugo Boss prize is considered among the most prestigious awards within the contemporary art world.

To quote jbhe.com:

Lawson began teaching at Princeton in 2012. Earlier she taught at the California College of Arts in San Francisco, the International Center for Photography in New York, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her photographs speak to the ways that sexuality, violence, family, and social status may be written, sometimes literally, on the body.

A native of Rochester, New York, Professor Lawson is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University. She earned a master of fine arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.

To read more: https://www.jbhe.com/2020/11/prineton-universitys-deana-lawson-is-the-first-photographer-to-win-the-hugo-boss-prize/

Commander Victor Glover Makes History as 1st African American Astronaut to Live on International Space Station

Commander Victor Glover Makes History as 1st African American Astronaut to Live on International Space Station

By goodblacknews on November 17, 2020

[Official NASA/Commercial Crew Portrait – Victor Glover. Photo Date: July 31, 2018. Photographer: Robert Markowitz]

Victor Glover is making history as first African American NASA astronaut to live on the International Space Station. Commander Glover and three other astronauts left Earth on Sunday in a capsule called Resilience and will spend about six months aboard the space station.

Glover is not the first African American astronaut to visit the space station, but previous members were parts of space shuttle crews that only stayed briefly on ISS.

Southern California native Glover is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University and holds three master’s degrees — in systems engineering, in-flight test engineering,  and military operational art and science.

Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first Black American in space in 1983 when he flew as part of the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. The second, Ron McNair, died three years later when the shuttle exploded alongside six other astronauts. Mae Jemison became the first Black American woman in space in 1992.

MUSIC MONDAY: “Nothing Comes Easy” – A Celebration of Dub Reggae (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Nothing Comes Easy” – A Celebration of Dub Reggae (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on November 16, 2020

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Dub has become its own genre of electronic music. Though it grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Dub reggae started as a “version” of an existing song. The cuts were achieved by significantly manipulating and reshaping the recordings, often through the removal of some or all of the vocals, with the emphasis on the drums and bass. They were usually pressed on the B-sides of 45 RPM records.

The dub version is often made for a DJ to “toast” over. That tradition continues to this day across many music genres.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:playlist:4boJM1E6ytVpdhSv5SMxs3″/]

Dub was pioneered by recording engineers and producers like Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Errol Thompson, and others in the late 1960s. Augustus Pablo is credited as one of the pioneers and creators of the genre, and for bringing the melodica to dub.

The “Roland Space Echo” was widely used by dub producers in the 1970s to produce echoes and delay effects. These artists, especially King Tubby, Scientist, Lee Perry, and many that would follow, look upon the mixing console as an instrument itself.

This collection brings together early pioneers, and tracks by current artists. Enjoy! And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

(A note to the Spotify adherent: This collection will benefit from going to your “Advanced Preferences”, and setting your crossfade to its maximum of 12 seconds. Lean into that Dub-stylee.)

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)