South Africa Post Office releases commemorative Nelson Mandela stamp.

South Africa’s postal service has issued a commemorative stamp with a portrait of Nelson Mandela on the 24th anniversary of his release from prison during white minority rule.

The postal service said Tuesday that it printed five million copies of the silver stamp, which costs about $4.50 and comes in a folder with information about Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

The stamp is available at all 1,591 post offices in South Africa and that stamp collectors around the world can buy it online.

The stamp is available online here: https://www.virtualpostoffice.co.za/vpo/General/html/index1.html

Is Nicki Minaj's Malcom X cover disrespectful?

It seems like Nicki Minaj has decided to take the ignorance displayed expressed last year by her fellow Young Money rapper Lil Wayne to a new level. Last year Lil Wayne used Emmit Till's name in a disrespectful manner in a song.

Not to be out done Nicki Minaj has used the iconic photo of Malcom X looking out a window and holding a rifle on the cover of her newly released single, Looking Ass Nigga. Check out the cover below.

I find this photo to be extremely disrespectful and shows that Nicki Minaj has a lot to learn about black history. And to make matters worse it has been released during Black History Month. SMDH! What do you think?

Geoffrey Canada resigns as Harlem Children’s Zone leader

A prominent Harlem charter school advocate who gained national fame in a documentary that examined the country’s educational system is stepping down from his top post.

Geoffrey Canada announced Monday he will resign as chief executive officer of Harlem Children’s Zone, ending more than two decades as leader of a charter school network and non-profit that currently serves more than 12,300 children.

The school system, which prides itself on turning around the lives of disadvantaged students, boasts that 95% of its high school seniors are accepted into college.

“After 31 years, I am taking a new position in the organization, and I am no longer going to be CEO,” Canada told students, staff and community leaders inside the HCZ Promise Academy, a $100-million school that opened last year in the middle of the St. Nicholas Houses on W. 129th St. He had been the CEO since 1990.

Read more: Geoffrey Canada resigns as Harlem Children’s Zone leader after two decades of service

Obama to announce initiative aimed at young black men

Continuing his push to use executive powers as a way of advancing his agenda, President Barack Obama will announce Thursday a new effort to help improve the lives of young African-American males.

A White House official said the "My Brother's Keeper" initiative would partner government with businesses to "make sure that every young man of color who is willing to work hard and lift himself up has an opportunity to get ahead and reach his full potential."

Young African-American men are unemployed at a higher rate than the population at large, and are more likely than peers of other races to be incarcerated. Obama said during last month's State of the Union address he was working with public and private partners to "help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential."

The plan, which the White House official said was "focused on implementing strategies that are proven to get results," will convene business and foundation leaders to test strategies in various cities around the country designed to intervene at key moments in young men's lives, including at school and in interactions with law enforcement.

Read more: Obama to announce initiative aimed at young black men

NFL prospect Micheal Sam comes out as gay.

Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman from Missouri Tigers and the Associated Press' SEC Defensive Player of the Year, said that he is gay in interviews with ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and the New York Times on Sunday. Watch the "Outside the Lines" interview below:

Marcus Smart was wrong but so was the fan.

Let me make one thing very clear. Oklahoma State basketball player Marcus Smart was dead wrong for putting his hand on a Texas Tech fan during a game on Feb. 8. Under no circumstances should a player touch a spectator during a sporting event. I think we all understand that and trust me Marcus Smart will face the consequences of his actions.

Watch that video below:

But what saddens me is the pass that the fan who instigated the incident seems to be getting. The fact that the fan, Jeff Orr has been accused of using racial slurs has been downplayed while Marcus Smart's character and basketball future have been questioned.

As a culture we have devolved to the point where it's just not enough to boo or cheer a team or player. Far too many think that the purchase of a ticker allows them to curse at players, talk about their family members, talk negatively about a players life, and yes call players racial slurs. Many of these same people called Richard Sherman a thug but exhibit behavior much worse than anything he said at a ball game.

No matter how much money players make they deserve at the very least to be treated as human beings. The price of a ticket should not allow one to act in such a manner that would get their ass kicked if that behavior were anywhere else but a sporting venue. Either we are all to have decorum and abide by some sense of common decency or not. It can't be a one way thing.

Marcus Smart was wrong but he is also 19 years old whereas the fan was much older. Who should we really be putting the onus on to act like an adult in this situation? Who should we really be expecting more of?

George Cook AAreports.com

For sale: The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Here's an article that I read in my local Sunday paper ( The Star Ledger ) from a great columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. The article takes a hard unflinching look at the embarrassing situations Martin Luther Kings' children regularly find themselves in when it comes to dealing with their father's estate. I wanted to share it with others who may not get the article in their local papers. George Cook AAreports.com.

For sale: The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. By Leonard Pitts Jr.

Maybe we should take up an offering.

Obviously, the heirs of Martin Luther King Jr. are hard up for money. That must be why they keep selling off pieces of his legacy.

Have you heard the latest? King's youngest child, Bernice, issued a statement last week after her brothers, Dexter and Martin III, filed suit to force her to turn over their father's Nobel Peace Prize and his traveling Bible. She says they want to sell them to a private owner.

According to the suit, King's heirs agreed in 1995 to turn their inheritance over to a corporate entity, The Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., where Martin is chairman of the board. The complaint says Bernice has "repeatedly acknowledged and conceded the validity" of the agreement, but still refuses to surrender the items. The suit makes no mention of a sale. I called the King brothers' lawyer for comment. He didn't return the call.

In her statement, Bernice writes, "While I love my brothers dearly, this latest decision by them is extremely troubling." She says she is "appalled," "ashamed" and "disappointed" by their behavior. "It reveals a desperation beyond comprehension." Their father, she adds, "MUST be turning in his grave."

Turning? Martin Luther King must be spinning like a record album.

Read more here: For sale: The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.