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Good Black News

GBN Quote Of The Day

By goodblacknews on September 13, 2012

“It’s easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when you haven’t got a thing, that’s the Lord’s test.”
–Mahalia Jackson, the “Queen Of Gospel”

Muhammad Ali To Receive Liberty Medal

By goodblacknews on September 13, 2012
Muhammad Ali Liberty Medal
PHILADELPHIA — Retired boxing greatMuhammad Ali (pictured) will visit Philadelphia to receive the Liberty Medal, an award recognizing his longtime role as a fighter outside the ring for humanitarian causes, civil rights, and religious freedom.
The honor will be presented on Thursday during a ceremony at the National Constitution Center by the champ’s daughter, who is also a boxer, and two U.S. Olympic athletes.  It comes with a $100,000 cash prize.“ Ali embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal by embracing the ideals of the Constitution – freedom, self-governance, equality and empowerment – and helping to spread them across the globe,” former President Bill Clinton, the center’s chairman, said in a statement.  Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has traveled extensively on international charitable missions and devoted his time to philanthropy and social causes.

Young Designer Laquan Smith Makes A Splash With His Spring 2013 Collection At Fashion Week

By goodblacknews on September 13, 2012

Laquan Smith is only 23 and yet has already established himself as a supremely talented designer.  Whether inspired by the colors and fluidity of water, or by the garden scenery during his many travels, Laquan produces collections that are beautiful, modern and decidedly feminine.

GBN Quote Of The Day

By goodblacknews on September 12, 2012
“Life is something like a trumpet. If you don’t put anything in, you won’t get anything out.”
–W.C. Handy, composer and musician known as the “Father Of The Blues”

 

Black Muslim Designer Plucks Dominican Orphan From Obscurity To Model In New York Fashion Week

By goodblacknews on September 12, 2012
Nzinga Knight and Fior Mendez

Nzinga Knight and Fior Mendez at New York Fashion Week. (Photos: Getty Images)

Black American Muslim designer Nzinga Knight uses her designs to deliver a statement in fashion that few make: that a woman can dress modestly and still give full glamour. “My aesthetic was something really missing in the market,” she told the AFP news service.
The native New Yorker of Trinidadian and Guyanese decent started her clothing line in 2008 to bend the boundaries of feminine clothing. Mixing high style with the doctrines of her Muslim faith, “The look of my work is sensual, mysterious, innovative,” she stressed — without being overly revealing.
“It’s very distinct and can give me an edge,” Knight said of her fashion proposition.
Using the strength of her platform, Knight made another compelling — if unwitting — move: Launching a Dominican orphan’s modeling career.  By casting Fior Mendez, 22, to walk in her New York Fashion Week show last Friday at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Knight helped to make a big dream come true.

Obamas Pay Tribute To 9/11 Victims At Pentagon

By goodblacknews on September 11, 2012

Obamas 9/11 Ceremony: Obamas Pay Tribute To 9/11 Victims At Pentagon

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the U.S. is safer and its people resilient on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama laid a wreath at the Pentagon, one of several official observances marking the suicide hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001.

 Aided by a Marine honor guard, Obama placed a white floral wreath on a metal stand above a concrete slab that said “Sept. 11, 2001 – 9:37 am.” A moment of silence began at precisely 9:37 a.m.  In remarks at the Pentagon, Obama recalled a day “when grief crashed over us like an awful wave.”  Later Tuesday, the president was to visit wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Gail Warrior, Founder and CEO of the Warrior Group, Leads Largest Minority Woman-Owned Construction Firm In U.S.

By goodblacknews on September 11, 2012
From Madame Noire Business: As the founder and CEO of Dallas-based Warrior Group, Gail Warrior spearheads construction projects in 30 states. Founded in 1997, the company is the largest general contractor construction firm owned by a minority woman in the US. And, it’s at the forefront of advancements in the industry, like Permanent Modular Construction (PMC), a method to build quality, sustainable buildings in less time. Committed to serving the community, Gail founded and serves as board chair of the Heart of a Warrior Foundation, which provides educational enrichment programs for underserved children. To mentor other entrepreneurs in the construction industry, Gail hosts the annual Warrior Small Business Academy.

Frederick Douglass Statue To Be Moved To The U.S. Capitol

By goodblacknews on September 11, 2012
Frederick Douglass (file photo)

Frederick Douglass (file photo)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday night approved a resolution that will move the bust of Frederick Douglass to the Capitol, making him only the third African-American to be so honored. The other two: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth. There are 180 busts on display at the Capitol.

GBN Quote Of The Day

By goodblacknews on September 10, 2012

“Can’t a man alive mistreat me, ’cause I know who I am.”
–Alberta Hunter, blues singer and songwriter

Juniors #1 Taylor Townsend Gets Support From Serena Williams: ‘Everyone deserves to play’

By goodblacknews on September 10, 2012
Taylor Townsend of the United States returns a shot against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia during their junior girls' singles quarterfinal match on Day Twelve of the 2012 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood, of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for USTA)

Taylor Townsend of the United States returns a shot against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia during their junior girls’ singles quarterfinal match on Day Twelve of the 2012 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood, of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for USTA)

NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams says she’s alarmed by the U.S. Tennis Association’s decision to hold a top junior player out of competition over concerns about her fitness.  Sixteen-year-old Taylor Townsend is the world’s top-ranked girl. The Wall Street Journal first reported last week that the USTA withheld funding her tournament appearances while she focused on getting in better shape.

“If that happened, that’s obviously a tragedy, because everyone deserves to play,” Williams said Monday, a day after winning the U.S. Open.
“She’s so sweet and she works so hard,” she added. “For a female, particularly, in the United States, in particular, and African-American, to have to deal with that is unnecessary. … Women athletes come in all different sizes and shapes and colors and everything. I think you can see that more than anywhere on the tennis tour.”
Townsend played at the Open, winning the junior doubles title and reaching the quarterfinals in singles.  “She’s still No. 1,” Williams said. “That’s saying something.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.