Eartha Kitt was once referred to as “the most exciting woman in the world” by Orson Welles. From her vast singing and acting career and for being outspoken in the world of politics and publicly ostracized for her anti-war remarks that derailed her career, Kitt’s life was definitely one of intrigue. Now she’s being immortalized via a comic book. “Eartha Kitt: Femme Fatale“, written by New York Times Bestselling Author Marc Shapiro, who also penned the Julie Newmar series, was released last week. “This series has been have been so much fun to do,” said Shapiro. “And it is an homage to the kinds of stories that first appeared in the mid-60′s”.
Good Black News
Around the Way is an app for your iPhone or Android device that helps its users locate black owned businesses. The app is important because it uses technology to combat social issues that often deter minority own businesses from thriving.
Around the Way App Version 2.0 has a pretty intuitive interface, which mimics the native iPhone maps App. This makes it very simple to use and pick up right away to help you locate black owned businesses using your phone. When you open the App, you’re greeted with a scroll bar at the top, which groups black businesses by good and services that range from beauty shops, barbers, banks and restaurants. There are also several tabs below, which allow you to view all of the black businesses in a certain area, search for specific stores or add a black business that you may have spotted.
One of the cool features of the app is the ability to favorite locations. This app is all about supporting black businesses so this feature makes it easy for you to become reoccurring customers once you book mark your favorites spots. Business owners and entrepreneurs have the ability to add their own business to the Around The Way App Directory directly from their phone.
article by Sajjad Musa via thegrio.com
For Black History Month it is usually the norm to celebrate those with the biggest names like Rosa Parks and Malcolm X. But there are others who created milestones in Black history that deserve to be celebrated. One such trailblazer is fashion designer Ann Lowe.
In 1953, Lowe designed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ wedding dress for her marriage to John F. Kennedy. The iconic dress was constructed out of 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta. As the story goes, just ten days before the wedding ceremony a water line broke in Lowe’s New York City studio and ruined the former First Lady’s gown along with all of her bridesmaids dresses. But that didn’t stop Lowe, she worked tirelessly to recreate all eleven designs in time for the Rhode Island nuptials! Yet the only mention Lowe received by name was a blurb in the Washington Post where fashion editor Nine Hyde simply wrote “… the dress was designed by a Negro, Ann Lowe.”
Samantha Knowles, 22, surrounded by the subject of her new 25-minute movie.
Sometimes, a doll is not just a doll. It’s a reminder of a child’s beauty and potential. No one understands that better than 22-year-old director Samantha Knowles, whose experience growing up as an African-American in a predominantly white community was the inspiration for her new documentary, “Why Do You Have Black Dolls?”
The 25-minute debut film about the significance of black dolls has been accepted at five film festivals and a trailer for “Why Do You Have Black Dolls” can be seen on Youtube.com.
“When I was 8, a white friend came over and innocently asked, ‘Why do you have black dolls?” remembers Knowles, who was raised in Warwick, N.Y., and now lives in Prospect Heights. “At the time, I obviously couldn’t really answer the question.” Fourteen years later, she can. Knowles, who initially made the film as her honors thesis at Dartmouth College, spent $6,000 and interviewed more than 20 dollmakers and historians, mostly in New York and Philadelphia.
“When I was 8, a white friend came over and innocently asked, ‘Why do you have black dolls?” remembers Knowles, who was raised in Warwick, N.Y., and now lives in Prospect Heights. “At the time, I obviously couldn’t really answer the question.” Fourteen years later, she can. Knowles, who initially made the film as her honors thesis at Dartmouth College, spent $6,000 and interviewed more than 20 dollmakers and historians, mostly in New York and Philadelphia.
Tracy Reese has relaunched her e-commerce website, TracyReese.com, and on it the fashion designer is not only going to offer her latest collections from both Tracy Reese and Plenty by Tracy Reese, but some of her inspirations as well. The section Tracy Loves features some of the hottest items and trends Reese is currently falling for like mixing bold colors and patterns. She also spotlights Butterscotch by Sally Hansen nail polish, which she’s used for her show and says that “romantic blue roses inspired a number of items in this collection.”
Her blog, Reese’s Pieces, shows sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes coverage as she travels around the world, chooses colors for her latest collection, dresses the First Lady, and preps for fashion shows.
Speaking of shows, New York Fashion Week is upon us and Reese recently shared her inspiration behind the Fall 2013 collection she’ll be sending down the runway Feb. 10. The New York-based designer was influenced by city’s “harshness and beauty” and will attempt to liven up the typically all-black ensembles New Yorker’s tend to fall for with pops of scarlet, cerise, teal, aubergine, tan and lychee. Expect feminine silhouettes in floral patterns, long skirts, sweater tunics, and vibrantly-hued outerwear.
article by Dorkys Ramos via bet.com
article by Dorkys Ramos via bet.com
Patience Lehrman; Janice Jackson; Pamela Green-Jackson
The Presidential Citizens Medal is the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. This year, three African Americans made the list of recipients, thanks to the serious and selfless work they do for their communities — from promoting childhood health to mentoring women and girls to helping immigrants live the American dream. It’s always great to give back, but it must be even better when the White House notices. Each of them will receive the medal during a Feb. 15 ceremony. Meet the honorees:
Pamela Green-Jackson (Albany, Ga.)
Green-Jackson is the founder and CEO of the Youth Becoming Healthy project, a nonprofit organization committed to reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity through nutrition, fitness education and physical-activity programs. YBH was created in memory of Pamela Green-Jackson’s only brother, Bernard Green, who died in 2004 from obesity-related illnesses. YBH provides resources for wellness programs, both during and after school, for elementary and middle school students as well as a summer wellness camp where students learn about exercise and nutrition and can participate in martial arts, a walking club and dance programs.
Janice Jackson (Baltimore)
Jackson is the creator and program director of Women Embracing Abilities Now, or W.E.A.N., a nonprofit mentoring organization serving women with varying degrees of disabilities. She is also a professor at the University of Baltimore. Jackson has actively advocated on behalf of people with disabilities and currently sits on the board of directors for the League for People With Disabilities, the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics at the University of Baltimore and the Image Center of Maryland. She is also a member of the Community Advisory Council at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute and is a counselor at Kernan Rehabilitation Center. In addition, she founded two support groups: We Are Able People, or W.R.A.P.; and Women on Wheels & Walking, or W.O.W.W.
Patience Lehrman (Philadelphia)
Lehrman, an immigrant from Cameroon, is the national director of Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders), an immigrant-integration initiative at the Intergenerational Center of Temple University. SHINE partners with 18 institutions of higher learning, community-based organizations and county and city governments across the country. It also engages college students and older adults to provide language and health education, as well as citizenship and civic-participation lessons, to immigrant communities. Lehrman mentors inner-city high school students, provides free meals to low-income children in the summer and serves as an election official. She holds three master’s degrees from Temple University.
article by Jeneé Desmond-Harris via theroot.com
Pamela Green-Jackson (Albany, Ga.)
Green-Jackson is the founder and CEO of the Youth Becoming Healthy project, a nonprofit organization committed to reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity through nutrition, fitness education and physical-activity programs. YBH was created in memory of Pamela Green-Jackson’s only brother, Bernard Green, who died in 2004 from obesity-related illnesses. YBH provides resources for wellness programs, both during and after school, for elementary and middle school students as well as a summer wellness camp where students learn about exercise and nutrition and can participate in martial arts, a walking club and dance programs.
Janice Jackson (Baltimore)
Jackson is the creator and program director of Women Embracing Abilities Now, or W.E.A.N., a nonprofit mentoring organization serving women with varying degrees of disabilities. She is also a professor at the University of Baltimore. Jackson has actively advocated on behalf of people with disabilities and currently sits on the board of directors for the League for People With Disabilities, the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics at the University of Baltimore and the Image Center of Maryland. She is also a member of the Community Advisory Council at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute and is a counselor at Kernan Rehabilitation Center. In addition, she founded two support groups: We Are Able People, or W.R.A.P.; and Women on Wheels & Walking, or W.O.W.W.
Patience Lehrman (Philadelphia)
Lehrman, an immigrant from Cameroon, is the national director of Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders), an immigrant-integration initiative at the Intergenerational Center of Temple University. SHINE partners with 18 institutions of higher learning, community-based organizations and county and city governments across the country. It also engages college students and older adults to provide language and health education, as well as citizenship and civic-participation lessons, to immigrant communities. Lehrman mentors inner-city high school students, provides free meals to low-income children in the summer and serves as an election official. She holds three master’s degrees from Temple University.
article by Jeneé Desmond-Harris via theroot.com
Madame Tussauds has turned its attention to Whitney Houston, remembering the legendary singer who died last year with not one, but four separate wax figures. “We were extremely honored when Madame Tussauds approached us about doing four figures of Whitney from different points in her 30-year career,” Houston’s manager and sister-in-law Pat Houston said in a statement on behalf of the family. “This is something we are excited to do for the fans.”
The unveiling marks the first time in 200 years that the museum has simultaneously created so many different figures of the same subject. While each took shape at the Tussauds studio in London, they will be displayed in separate cities.
Brooklyn, NY native Christopher Julius “Chris Rock” III was born on February 7, 1965 and began to build his stand-up career by working at New York City’s Catch a Rising Star in the 1980s, earning small parts in movies like Beverly Hills Cop II and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and landing a featured role on NBC’s late-night comedy juggernaut Saturday Night Live in 1990. Rock went on to write and star in rap mockmentary CB4 before re-inventing himself through a series of HBO comedy specials starting with 1996’s Emmy Award-winning Bring the Pain. Rock later went on to produce the television show Everybody Hates Chris for UPN/CW and star in feature films such as Death at a Funeral, Down to Earth, The Longest Yard and I Think I Love My Wife. To learn more about his life and career, click here.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Rodney Bennett has been selected as the next president of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. He will be the first African-American president of any of the five predominantly White state universities in Mississippi.
Dr. Bennett has been serving as vice president for student affairs at the University of Georgia in Athens. He previously was dean of students and interim provost for institutional diversity at the University of Georgia. Earlier in his career, Dr. Bennett was dean of students at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Ed Blakeslee, president of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi, stated, “With a student-centered approach grounded in experience in all facets of the university, Dr. Bennett brings a tremendous depth of knowledge of higher education, its challenges and how to meet the challenges to help more students succeed in the classroom and beyond. I believe the Board of Trustees has made an excellent choice for the next leader of the University of Southern Mississippi.”
Dr. Bennett holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He earned a doctorate in educational administration at Tennessee State University in Nashville.
article via jbhe.com
Nelson Mandela with his youngest great-grandson, Zen Manaway. Family says photo was taken Saturday February 2, 2013. (Photo courtesy ‘Being Mandela’/COZI TV.)
Nelson Mandela’s granddaughters are currently in New York City promoting their new reality show Being Mandela. During an interview with the Grio, the sisters gave an update on their 95-year-old grandfather’s health.
“His health is very good. He’s surrounded by family,” Nelson and Winnie Mandela’s granddaughter Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway said. “We go to the house all the time. He’s really happiest the most when he spends time with his great grandchildren. So before we came on the trip we literally went to go see him to say bye. So he’s in really really good spirits. We’re very happy.”