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Free Online Course Explores Emancipation Proclamation in Spring 2013

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2013

Morgan State’s Students Rally to Retain School’s President

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2013
 Alvin Hill, Student Government Association vice president at Morgan State University. (Photo L. Kasimu Harris)

It was just a month ago when the board of regents of Morgan State University, the historically Black school in Baltimore, voted not to renew the contract of its president, David Wilson. Wilson had served as president for two years and his three-year contract was set to expire in June of this year.

But then something unusual happened. The board’s decision unleashed a torrent of criticism by the school’s faculty, staff and, most notably, Morgan State’s students, who held protest rallies on behalf of retaining President Wilson.
Since then, the board announced something of a reversal, saying it was reconsidering its initial decision. It agreed to negotiate a new one-year contract covering the period from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The terms of the one-year deal have yet to be negotiated.

Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton Help Lifetime Celebrate Black History Month

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2013
The Lifetime network is celebrating Black History month by airing three original TV movies in February, the network announced Wednesday.  Among the offerings is Betty & Coretta, starring Mary J. Blige, and Twist of Faith, starring Toni Braxton. 
Betty & Coretta premieres Saturday, February 2, at 8 p.m. ET.  As previously reported, Mary plays Malcolm X‘s widow, Dr. Betty Shabazz, in the movie.  The film focuses on the friendship Shabazz forged with Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s widow, Coretta Scott King — portrayed in the film by Angela Bassett — after the deaths of their husbands.
On February 9, Toni fans get to see her in Twist of Faith, airing at 8 p.m. ET.  In the movie, she plays a single Christian mom, whose love of music brings her closer to an Orthodox Jewish widower.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
article via z93jamz.com

Florida Youth in Manatee County Work to Keep Martin Luther King Legacy Alive

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2013

Bre’Yahna Thompson, 15, of Bradenton, foreground, calls herself a “positive rapper,” and is very tuned in to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Behind Bre’Yahna is her father, Rodney Thompson. RICHARD DYMOND/Bradenton Herald
PALMETTO — Like other communities getting set to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 21, Manatee County’s religious leaders wonder if Dr. King’s message of brotherhood, nonviolence and persistence is getting through to the younger generation.  One way that is working, say local pastors, is the recently completed Dr. Martin Luther King Speech and Essay Contest in Manatee County, which involved more than 300 young people writing essays and researching King’s life and work.
Another way is through church, where pastors say a moment of silence and some discussion will be the hallmark of services on Jan. 20 and where a local Jewish temple is holding an interfaith Shabbat service honoring the civil rights leader.
But one talented young local African-American woman is trying another way to share King’s ideals.  She wants to use music to reach her generation.  Bre’Yahna Thompson, 15, a Bradenton home-schooler who writes poetry, plays the violin and cello, and calls herself a “positive rapper,” is working on a rap song about King that she calls, “The Story of a Leader.”

Go-Go Music Godfather Chuck Brown To Be Honored with City Park Memorial and Ampitheater

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2013

(D.C. Department of General Services)

(D.C. Department of General Services)

Washington DC city officials released renderings of the city’s recreational tribute to go-go godfather Chuck Brown — a $1 million steel-and-wood music pavilion on the grounds of Langdon Park in Northeast Washington.  The bandshell faces outdoor seating built into an earthen berm and surrounded by magnolia trees and backed by a copse of evergreens. Beside it stands a “timeline tower” listing Brown’s most famous songs in chronological order.
The architects, Marshall Moya Design, said the pavilion “follow[s] the ancient design concepts that the Romans used to build open-air amphitheaters.” In any case, it’s a lot more impressive than the initial plans for Chuck Brown Park.
It will be an all-too-rare locally oriented memorial, Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Thursday. ”A lot of our monuments, which are iconic, are really a tribute to people who have national significance,” he said. “We have so many of those, and we just want to make sure we recognize that we have over 600,000 people in the city, many of whom made an important contribution to the city. … Chuck was one of those.”

'Scandal' Hits New Series Highs, Dominates & Finishes #1 In Its Time Slot

By goodblacknews on January 11, 2013

Continuing to deliver its best-ever lead-in retention out of an original Grey’s Anatomy (90%), ABC’s Scandal dominated CBS’ Elementary in Adults 18-49 (+17%) to finish as the #1 program in Thursday’s 10pm hour for its 3rd straight original broadcast. Surging over its winter finale on 12/13/12 in Total Viewers (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%), Scandal delivered new series highs across the board, including viewers and all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). Furthermore, the ABC sophomore drama improved by double digits over an original Private Practice in the hour on the year ago night in viewers (+29%) and young adults (+22%).
item by Tambay A. Obenson via blogs.indiewire.com

Born On This Day in 1924: Legendary Jazz Drummer Max Roach

By goodblacknews on January 10, 2013

Max Roach Birthday
Pioneering percussionist, composer, band leader, and drummer Max Roach was born Maxwell Lemuel “Max” Roach in North Carolina to parents Alphonse and Cressie, and worked with dozens of musical greats, including Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie. 

Airport Cleaner Returns Lost iPad, $13,000 in Cash

By goodblacknews on January 10, 2013

Cleaning service worker Patrick Morgan was honored for his honesty at an award ceremony Wednesday morning. He talked about finding a big wad of cash in an iPad case.

 Cleaning service worker Patrick Morgan was honored for his honesty at an award ceremony Wednesday morning. He talked about finding a big wad of cash in an iPad case.

Patrick Morgan was working an early shift at the airport last month when he came across the iPad that had been left behind at a bar in one of the terminals at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.  When he opened the case, he spotted the big wad of cash.  “I opened it first and I see the money and I closed it back,” he said.

Morgan, of Patrick’s Cleaning Service which works for Sunshine Cleaning Systems Inc., immediately turned in the iPad and $13,000 cash to the airport communications center and Broward Sheriff’s Office substation.  Minutes later, the owner, who had returned from a trip to Las Vegas, came back to the bar and Morgan told him where he could find the money and iPad.  The iPad owner gave Morgan a $60 reward, which Morgan passed on to a homeless woman.

The Broward County Aviation Department honored Morgan for his honesty and hard work, and Sunshine Cleaning awarded him $625, which is equal to one week paid vacation. He says he’ll keep it.

article by Julia Bagg via nbcmiami.com

Denzel Washington and Nine Year-Old Quvenzhané Wallis Nominated For Oscars

By goodblacknews on January 10, 2013
This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows Denzel Washington portraying Whip Whitaker in a scene from "Flight." (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Robert Zuckerman)

This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows Denzel Washington portraying Whip Whitaker in a scene from “Flight.” (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Robert Zuckerman)

Denzel Washington scored his first Oscar nomination in over a decade this morning for his acclaimed performance as an alcoholic pilot in the hit drama Flight.  This is Denzel’s sixth career Academy Award nomination, making him the most honored black actor in history. He’s won twice before: supporting actor for 1989′s Glory and best actor for his villainous role in 2001′s Training Day.

This recognition caps perhaps a career-best year for the A-list superstar, following the box office success of February’s action thriller Safe House and now his return to Hollywood’s most prestigious night.

Actress Quvenzhane Wallis attends TheWrap's Awards Season Screening Series Presents 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' on October 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)Meanwhile, Quvenzhané Wallis received her first Oscar nomination ever for her acting debut in Beasts of the Southern Wild.  At nine, Wallis is also the youngest actress to ever be nominated  in the Academy’s leading actress category.Auditioning for the lead role when she was only 5 years old, Quvenzhané was 6 when filming began in 2010 in Pointe-aux-Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles, not too far from her hometown of Houma, Louisiana.

Beasts of the Southern Wild won the ‘Grand Jury Prize’ at the Sundance Independent Film Festival and won the Camera d’Or for best first film at the Cannes Film Festival.

Boston’s First Black Police Officer Honored for Breaking Barriers in 1878

By goodblacknews on January 9, 2013

HoratioHomerTo Randall Halstead and other ­minority officers in the Boston Police Department, the story of Sergeant Horatio J. Homer serves as a beacon of hope and of the power of perseverance.
Homer, who in 1878 became the department’s first African-American officer, ushered in a new era in the city over a 40-year career. In the decade ­after his appointment, the force hired as many as a half-dozen additional black officers, in large part on his recommendation.
Last week, the department unveiled a plaque honoring Homer at the Area B-2 police precinct in ­Roxbury, a neighborhood where he once resided. Halstead, a deputy super­intendent, presided over the ceremony, which some of Homer’s ­descendants attended.
“This man set a precedent,” said Halstead. “To move forward, you have to know where you come from.”
The tribute is the latest honor ­bestowed upon Homer by the ­Police Department.