Canada’s first female police officer, Rose Fortune (pictured), was born in to slavery in Virginia on this day in 1774, marking the start of what would become a remarkable journey. Fortune’s parents were slaves that lived in a British colony, but escaped during the height of the American Revolutionary War and emigrated when she was 10 years of age to Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. The Valley was a known locale for “Black Loyalists,” African-American inhabitants of British America who sided with British forces in promises for freedom during the war.
Although Black Loyalists were free, opportunities for employment were scarce for them. Fortune didn’t rest on her laurels, though. Instead, she started a baggage and luggage delivery business in 1825 using little more than a wheelbarrow. As her delivery business grew, Fortune later started an alert “wake-up call” service for passengers at inns who needed to make it to the docks for departing ships. As a result of her work on the docks, she began to monitor activity on the wharves.
Setting curfews at the wharves and surrounding areas, Fortune effectively appointed herself as Annapolis Royal’s police officer, making her the first female police officer in Canada.
Fortune’s delivery service continued to thrive, expanding in 1841 to include horse-driven wagons instead of her customary wheelbarrow. After Fortune passed in 1864, her grandson Albert Lewis took over the business and family descendants continued the service until 1980.
In Fortune’s honor, the Association of Black Law Enforcers began a scholarship in her name. Fortune’s descendant, Daurene Lewis (pictured), would eventually become Canada’s first Black female mayor in 1984. Lewis would pass away January 26th of this year.
article by D.L. Chandler via newsone.com
Good Black News
Langston University was founded in Langston, Oklahoma, on March 12, 1897. It is Oklahoma’s only historically Black college or university. Because African-Americans were not allowed to attend colleges and universities in the state, the Black settlers of Langston raised the money to build an instruction where their children could learn and grow.
Originally founded as the Colored Agricultural and Normal University, the school operated with the mission to instruct both male and female students in the fields of agriculture, mechanics and industrial arts. On September 3, 1898, the school officially opened in a Presbyterian church in with an enrollment of 41 students. Today, Langston University boasts an undergraduate enrollment of 2,379 students.
article by Britt Middleton via bet.com
article by Britt Middleton via bet.com
Andrew Young (pictured throughout) has not been in public office since 1990, but his contributions as a politician to the Civil Rights Movement and his service as an elected official have catapulted him to legendary status. Even after a failed gubernatorial bid, Young has gone on to do amazing work as a private citizen. Today, NewsOne celebrates another milestone of Young as he reaches the rich age of 80 today.
Born in 1932 in New Orleans to parents Andrew Sr., a dentist, and Daisy Fuller, a schoolteacher, Young benefited from a middle-class upbringing that was rare for many African Americans during the Great Depression. By Young’s own admission, he didn’t take advantage of his good fortunes and nearly failed out of Howard University but eventually graduated in 1951. It was expected that Young would enter the dentistry field, but he went on to obtain a divinity degree from Hartford Theological Seminary in Connecticut.
Young’s path to becoming the pastor of Bethany Congregational Church in Thomasville, Ga., in 1955 also placed him squarely in the mix of the burgeoning fight for equal rights. Although the times were turbulent, Young organized voting registration drives and other activities centered on civil rights despite the obstacles faced.
Captain Calvin “Cal” Flanigan (pictured) retired from Delta Airlines last Friday, after devoting 45 years of service to the airline. Thirty-seven of those years were served as a pilot for the company. And, to top off his incredible career, he never missing a day of work, according to KTFW-TV Fox 4 News.
Flanigan told Fox 4 that he knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a pilot. “Even as a little kid watching airplanes take off when I was 9 or 10 years old, I knew I wanted to fly,” he said. When he began his career at Delta, Flanagan started from the ground floor as an airline mechanic back in 1968. But he knew that one day he would be sitting in the cockpit. Eight years later, Flanigan achieved his dream.
Berry Gordy poses in the press room during the 27th Annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 14, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
As the head of Motown, Gordy helped establish careers and hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five. A Broadway musical about Gordy’s life, “Motown: The Musical,” debuted this week. Previously announced inductees include Tony Hatch, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, Holly Knight, JD Souther, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
Three episodes into the new CBS drama “Golden Boy” and it’s already apparent that the show’s main storyline – a young NYPD officer’s road to becoming the city’s youngest police commissioner – are at times upstaged by the relationship between the cop (Theo James) and his partner, played by Chi McBride.
Their partnership was never supposed to be a major part of the series, according to CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler. In fact, McBride was not even supposed to share top billing.
“When we bought the show last year, it was really designed and developed as a single-star vehicle, telling the story of a young man’s meteoric rise from a beat cop to the Police Commissioner of New York,” Tassler explained to journalists in January. “When we watched the pilot shoot, there was a palpable chemistry between Theo James and Chi McBride. So it was during shooting of the pilot, watching the shooting of the first episode, that you could see that this show was evolving into a different kind of show. A mentor/mentee relationship.
“You’ll see, it’s turned into a two-hander between these two actors. It’s extraordinary.”
Oprah Winfrey is teaming with her go-to guru Deepak Chopra to launch “Oprah’s Lifeclass and Deepak Center Present: Oprah & Deepak 21-Day Meditation Challenge – Perfect Health,” a free online, interactive meditation experience on Oprah.com beginning today.
This first “Oprah’s Lifeclass” branded program is designed to introduce users to the benefits of regularly practiced meditation. Interested participants can register now for the three-week course on www.oprah.com/DeepakChopra to join the challenge and receive 21 days of guided meditations from Winfrey and Dr. Chopra.
Over the next three weeks, participants will receive a daily email with a link to access the day’s meditation, as well as an inspiring message and tips for creating a powerful meditation practice.
Participants will be guided through the audio meditation by The Voice of Winfrey and Chopra. Through the course, which will focus on meditation for 15-minutes a day, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the many benefits of this practice.
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama arrives to speak during the “Building a Healthier Future Summit” March 8, 2013 at the Lisner Auditorium of George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Our first lady has just scored another first. Michelle Obama has topped the first ever best dressed list from UK’s Sunday Times newspaper, with editors commending her for using fashion as a “force for good.” The Sunday Times Style magazine described Michelle, 49, as “understanding that, as her primary role as first lady is visual, fashion can be a force for good used to inspire and entertain.”
Other names on the list included Queen Elizabeth, Home Secretary Theresa May, Victoria Beckham, artist Grayson Perry’s drag alter-ego “Claire,” 6-year-old Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and actress Dame Helen Mirren. Tiffanie Darke, the Sunday Times Style magazine’s editor, said: ”The diverse nature of this list demonstrates the importance of fashion in the overall conversation, confirming the role clothes play in creating a visual manifesto.”
article via eurweb.com
The cover says it all: “Simply The Best!” This April 2013 issue of Vogue marks Tina Turner’s first time gracing the iconic fashion magazine. The legendary singer is seen rocking her signature honey blonde-highlighted hair, a silky navy blouse and what appears to be a black skirt for Vogue’s German edition, which was shot by Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer and styled by Nicola Knels.
Turner is 73 years old and looks like she just stepped on the stage at the “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1970 to perform “Proud Mary.” Fashionista.com points out that the age-defying beauty might be the oldest Vogue cover star ever–snagging the title from Meryl Streep who covered American Vogue last year at the age of 62. Either way, we’re just thrilled to see the Queen of Rock-n-Roll in all her glory.
article by Julee Wilson via huffingtonpost.com
The Hip-Hop community has influenced dance culture consistently for over 30 years and some of the best moves have been gleaned from the Eighties and are still celebrated in competition today. If you see a dance battle, nine times out of ten, break dancing will be a part of the show.
France puts on an annual dance battle called Chelles Battle Pro. The competition took place Saturday and the baby with the most swag and skill of the B-Boy crew The Soul Mavericks, was the electrifying 6-year-old dance phenom, Terra.
She broke it down with every difficult move from the hesistant crawl, to headstands with hops, and endless spins holding her leg, all with bold bravado that should’ve sent her opponent running off the stage with his tail between his legs. According to Digital Journal, she joined the all male dance crew last year along with her 8-year-old sister Eddie. Check her out for yourself. You won’t believe her explosive character and moves. You will be shocked that she didn’t win the competition.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5hQ-qOtPLU&w=560&h=315]
article by J.C. Brooks via eurthisnthat.com