Press "Enter" to skip to content

Good Black News

Bahamas To Get ‘Sidney Poitier’ Bridge

By goodblacknews on October 10, 2012
Sidney Poitier attends the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Shirley MacLaine held at Sony Pictures Studios on June 7, 2012 in Culver City, California. The AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Shirley MacLaine will premiere on TV Land on Saturday, June 24 at 9PM ET/PST. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Sidney Poitier attends the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Shirley MacLaine held at Sony Pictures Studios on June 7, 2012 in Culver City, California. The AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Shirley MacLaine will premiere on TV Land on Saturday, June 24 at 9PM ET/PST. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — A bridge in the Bahamas is being renamed to honor Sidney Poitier, who spent part of his childhood in the island chain east of Florida.  Prime Minister Perry Christie says the Paradise Island Bridge will be rechristened as part of next month’s 40th anniversary celebration of Bahamian independence. Christie says the 88-year-old film star is being honored because of his life story and diplomacy. Poitier has been Bahamian ambassador to Japan and UNESCO.

The Oscar-winning Poitier was born in the United States but spent much of his childhood on Cat Island, a sparsely populated island in the central Bahamas.  The Paradise Island Bridge is the largest in the Bahamas. It connects the capital to the Atlantis resort, one of the region’s top tourist destinations. The renaming was announced Tuesday.

story by The Associated Press via thegrio.com

Seasoned Comic Book Illustrator J. Bone Draws First Lady Michelle Obama as Wonder Woman

By goodblacknews on October 8, 2012
First lady Michelle Obama as Wonder Woman, illustrated by J. Bone.
First lady Michelle Obama as Wonder Woman, illustrated by J. Bone. (Image: Facebook/J. Bone)

J. Bone has been illustrating comic books for over twelve years, but his image of first lady Michelle Obama as Wonder Woman stands alone among his many superhero portraits. A 39 year-old comic book artist living in Toronto, J. Bone has crafted likenesses of Spider-Man, Superman, and more. Yet, Wonder Woman is particularly special to his heart, making her a fitting heroine to merge with a woman who has become a heroine to many in real life. Currently writing and drawing, Gobukan, a web-based comic, J. Bone is also raising funds as part of an IndieGoGo campaign to create a Canadian superhero series, True Patriot. Follow the artist on Twitter (@gobukan), or visit his blogs (Blah, Blah, Blog! and Man’s Adventure) to get to know his work further — but first take a moment and read below. J. Bone explains how he came to create this intriguing image of a highly notable woman.

Dylan Penningroth and Dinaw Mengestu Win 2012 MacArthur Fellowships

By lorilakinhutcherson on October 7, 2012

Dylan C. Pennigroth (left) and Dinaw Mengestu (right)

Penningroth received a B.A. (1993) from Yale University and an M.A. (1996) and a Ph.D. (2000) from Johns Hopkins University. He was affiliated with the University of Virginia (1999–2002) prior to his appointment as associate professor in the Department of History at Northwestern University in 2003. Since 2007, he has also been an American Bar Foundation research professor. Northwestern University Professor Dylan C. Penningroth and writer Dinaw Mengestu are among this year’s recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, commonly known as the “genius grant.”  The MacArthur Fellowship is a “no strings attached” award bestowed annually to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations. 

BET Scores Makeover Show With Celebrity Trainer Jeanette Jenkins

By goodblacknews on October 7, 2012

She’s trimmed, toned and tamed the abs of Hollywood’s elite. When the hottest names in entertainment need fitness fix, she’s the first personal trainer they dial. With a client roster that includes Kelly Rowland, Queen Latifah, Kimora Lee Simmons, Serena Williams, Paula Patton-Thicke, Chrisette Michele and many other A-list celebrities, celebrity fitness trainer Jeanette Jenkins has been around the block … and has the sweat to prove it.
Stepping down from a high-profile career and into the trenches of modern-day black American health, Jenkins has recently secured her own “makeover” show on the BET network. A move that’s a win-win for both “The Hollywood Trainer” and the television network who’s content has previously lacked in quality programming.

The show will feature Jenkins whipping everyday people into shape, helping them surpass their fitness hurdles and fears, and transform their lives from head to toe. “I’m going to have a few celebrity drop-ins every once in a while, but this show is really about the people. Showing them how they can change their lives with just what they have in their own homes and in their own environments,” Jenkins explained in an article on Uptown magazine.

Jenkins is currently soliciting participants for the show who are serious about making changes in their health and want to work towards getting the fit body they’ve always desired. As the founder and president of The Hollywood Trainer Weight-Loss Plan, which promises to teach people how to make healthy living a habit in 21 days, the Bikini Boot Camp and a DVD collection focused on blasting abs, in which she partnered with Kelly Rowland, there’s no doubt that Jenkins new makeover show will inspire people to get moving.
article by Sherrell Dorsey via frugivore.com

More Blacks Found Jobs in September

By goodblacknews on October 7, 2012
Black Unemployment Rate Declined in September
More people are working and that is reflected in the most recent unemployment numbers released by the Labor Department Friday morning. African-Americans had reason to cheer as their unemployment rate fell to 13.4 percent, down from 14.1 percent in August. Though still extremely high, African-American teen joblessness dropped slightly from 37.9 to 36.7 percent.  The national jobless rate declined to 7.8 percent from 8.1 the previous month.  The unemployment rate is at a 44-month low, and is now the same as when President Obama took office in 2009. This drop could give the president a boost after his disappointing debate performance against Mitt Romney.

Profiles Of Courage: The Rich History Of African-American Fighters

By goodblacknews on October 6, 2012

History Black Firefighters
Article below reprinted from newsone.com:
The men and women who serve on the front lines as firefighters, rescuing citizens in harm’s way, should be saluted daily for their bravery. In one of the most-dangerous and selfless occupations in the world, firefighters risk their lives for the safety of others at a moment’s notice. Even though history has not been kind to the memory of African-American firemen, their contribution to firefighting is a significant one. Still, even with the most-dedicated research, it is difficult to ascertain who were the first African-Americans who took up the role as firefighters.
Several sources, including the richly detailed website from historian Mike Legeros, all point to the summer of 1817 as being the earliest record that Black firemen existed in New Orleans, La. Although Black men stamping out blazes could have happened before then, there is no real evidence available in capturing this historic truth. According to Legeros, 1821 and 1833 also show evidence of freed men joining firemen ranks in New Orleans, but like before, the records were poorly kept and the facts disjointed.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFqDKg5YSnY&w=560&h=315]

Willie McPherson And Christopher Manzi Win Mega Millions Jackpot After Playing Together For 25 Years

By goodblacknews on October 6, 2012

It took persistence, but 25 years of effort paid off big time for two old friends in New York.
Willie McPherson, 74, and Christopher Manzi, 44, won a $14 million jackpot last month playing the Mega Millions lottery, according to the New York Post. The two had been buying lottery tickets together for a quarter of a century after becoming friends while working at Manzi’s print shop in Manhattan.  Despite having spent a sizable amount of cash on their lottery habit over the years, neither McPherson nor Manzi shelled out a dime for the winning ticket. As part of a lottery promotion, they received two Quick Picks for free.
“We won $14 million on a free play ticket,” McPherson told to the New York Daily News. “[It feels] beautiful.”
The pair opted to take the prize in one lump sum, which, after taxes, comes out to about $3.5 million each. Media accounts indicated the two may celebrate in Miami.
Kyu’s Coffee Shop, which gave McPherson the winning ticket, received $10,000 for its hand in the deal, NBC News reported.

GBN Quote Of The Day

By goodblacknews on October 5, 2012

“We’ve got to turn this backward thinking around where ignorance is championed over intelligence.  Young black kids being ridiculed by their peers for getting A’s and speaking proper English: that’s criminal.”
— Spike Lee, director, producer, writer and actor

Penny Hardaway Agrees To Join Group Of Minority Owners for NBA’s Grizzlies

By goodblacknews on October 5, 2012
Basketball player Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway attends the New York Knicks and New York Rangers party for the March issue of Gotham Magazine on February 18, 2004 at the Kreiss showroom, in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and his wife, Ashley, and former NBA player Penny Hardaway have agreed to join the group of minority owners for the Memphis Grizzlies, said a person familiar with the deal.

The Mannings and Hardaway join a minority group that includes singer and actor Justin Timberlake and a couple Memphis businessmen, the person told The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because prospective buyer Robert J. Pera’s purchase of the Grizzlies is pending approval by the NBA.

Kenya Doll From The 90s Gets Relaunch This November

By goodblacknews on October 5, 2012
Kenya Doll
The popular Kenya dolls from the 1990s are back.  Kenya first hit shelves in 1992 and became an overnight success — consistently selling out in stores across the country and ultimately becoming one of the cult favorite toys of the decade. Created to provide girls of color with a toy that reflected their appearance (both their skin tone and features) and could be used as a tool to instill self-esteem, the dolls are arguably just as important today as they were then.  Kenya’s World LLC, the company relaunching the product line, is hoping the new dolls for the next generation of little girls will be as well-received when they hit shelves once again this November.