What many African Americans hear when Donald Trump speaks on black issues

George Cook of AfricanAmericanReports.Com introduces a brief video showing what African Americans hear when Donald Trump is talking about issues in the black community.

Jim Brown: I'm with Colin Kaepernick '100 percent'

Appearing on Monday's edition of NFL Total Access, Brown weighed in on the controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's recent protest during the playing of the national anthem. During his comments he let it be known that he is with Kaepernick 100%. Read his comments below.

"I listened to him and he makes all the sense in the world. He's within his rights and he's telling the truth as he sees it," Brown explained. "I am with him 100 percent. ... Now if you ask me 'Would I do that?' No I won't, because I see it a little differently. I'm an American citizen, I pay my taxes, I want my equal rights but this is my country, and consequently I don't want to open up for ISIS or anybody that will take away what we've already gained."

While professional athletes have been reluctant to speak out in recent years, Brown believes there are signs that they are becoming more outspoken and willing to deal with the public backlash -- as Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett implored late last month.

"Absolutely. I think Pandora's Box is open. I'm very happy that it is," Brown continued. "So many years, we had the great Michael Jordan who stated that Republicans buy sneakers, too. ... And for a couple of generations it was about making money, not messing with your image. And the agents became the pivotal figure for a lot of these guys. And the agents kept reminding them that you have to be this all-American boy to make these kind of dollars and these dollars are astronomical dollars. So the money came into the culture and created a couple of generations of individuals who did not want to speak up."

[SOURCE: NFL.COM]

Black Men Launch #SpendBlack Campaign With an Innovative Twist

MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in response to the heart-wrenching and racially-charged shootings in July, black men in the BMe Community have launched a coordinated #spendblack campaign that has three innovative twists – it's visually inspiring, easy to join and asks people of all races to #spendblack. The visual inspiration comes from a beautiful photo-wall of those who have joined the campaign at www.Pictition.com/SpendBlack

You'll already find notable faces there, including Benjamin Jealous, former head of NAACP, "Greenleaf" co-star Lamman Rucker, and crowdfunding pioneer Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org.

#Spendblack's central message is, "We can all show support for black lives by simply supporting black livelihood."

Organizers estimate that if Americans spent just 2% more of their income in the 2.6-million black-owned businesses, it would create 1-million more jobs.

#Spendblack began with Detroiters Jason Wilson, Shawn Blanchard and Teferi Brent who are all leaders in BMe Community, a national network of inspired black men who have dedicated their lives to creating hope and opportunity. Through BMe, Jealous, Rucker, Best and two dozen BMe Leaders in Akron, Baltimore, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh joined them immediately.

"In order for there to be true change in our communities we've got to increase the economic power of the black-owned businesses that truly care about our community," says Jason Wilson, well-known for his inspiring videos teaching black boys lessons in manhood.

Unlike most hashtag campaigns, #spendblack provides resources and ongoing motivation to help you actually spend black.

Everyone who signs up at www.Pictition.com/SpendBlack is told where to download a mobile app that works like Yelp for black-owned food, clothing, and furniture stores, as well as entertainment and professional services that you may not have known where to find.

Participants are encouraged to keep the visual fun going by taking pictures of themselves spending black and posting them on Instagram and Twitter with "#spendblack."

BMe Community, the network supporting the campaign, is known for its 2015 New York Times bestseller "REACH: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading and Succeeding", and for funding over 160 BMe Leaders who directly serve over 500,000 people annually by creating businesses, educating children and protect human rights in 6 cities.

BMe is backed by private donations and leading philanthropies including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, The Heinz Endowments, and The William R. Keenan Jr. Charitable Trust. Visit www.BMeCommunity.org or contact Media@BMeCommunity.org for more information.

Hillary Clinton statement on Alton Sterling shooting

Presumptive democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has released the following statement on the shooting death of Alton Sterling:

"The death of Alton Sterling is a tragedy, and my prayers are with his family, including his five children. From Staten Island to Baltimore, Ferguson to Baton Rouge, too many African American families mourn the loss of a loved one from a police-involved incident. Something is profoundly wrong when so many Americans have reason to believe that our country doesn’t consider them as precious as others because of the color of their skin. "I am glad the Department of Justice has agreed to a full and thorough review of this shooting. Incidents like this one have undermined the trust between police departments and the communities they serve. We need to rebuild that trust. We need to ensure justice is served. That begins with common sense reforms like ending racial profiling, providing better training on de-escalation and implicit bias, and supporting municipalities that refer the investigation and prosecution of police-involved deaths to independent bodies. All over America, there are police officers demonstrating how to protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. We need to learn from and build on those examples. "Progress is possible if we stand together and never waver in our fight to secure the future that every American deserves."

[SOURCE]

Google adds first black board member.

Google parent company Alphabet is adding finance chops and diversity to its board with the appointment of economist Roger Ferguson.

Ferguson is the first African American to serve on the board of Alphabet and Google, marking a major milestone in Google's effort to bring more diversity to the technology industry.

Ferguson will serve on Alphabet's audit committee. With his appointment, he receives a $1 million equity grant, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[SOURCE]

American soccer's diversity problem

As Doug Andreassen, the chairman of US Soccer’s diversity task force, looks across the game he loves, all he can see is a system broken in America. And he wonders why nobody seems to care.

He sees well-to-do families spending thousands of dollars a year on soccer clubs that propel their children to the sport’s highest levels, while thousands of gifted athletes in mostly African American and Latino neighborhoods get left behind. He worries about this inequity. Soccer is the world’s great democratic game, whose best stars have come from the world’s slums, ghettos and favelas. And yet in the US the path to the top is often determined by how many zeroes a parent can write in their checkbook.

Andreassen watches his federation’s national teams play, and wishes they had more diversity. Like many, he can’t ignore the fact that last year’s Women’s World Cup winners were almost all white, or that several of the non-white players on the US Copa America roster grew up overseas. The talents of some of America’s best young players are being suffocated by a process that never lets them be seen. He sighs.

“People don’t want to talk about it,” he says.

Andreassen used to dance gingerly around the topic, using the same careful code words as the other coaches and heads of leagues, trying not to push or offend only to find that little changed. He has stopped being political. He is frustrated. He is passionate. He is blunt.

“The system is not working for the underserved community,” he says. “It’s working for the white kids.”

Read more: 'It’s only working for the white kids': American soccer's diversity problem

Full Speech: Hillary Clinton speaks to National Action Network 4/13/16

Here is Pres. Candidate Hillary Clinton full speech at the National Action Network's 25th Anniversary National Convention on 04/16/2016. She touches on racism, criminal justice reform, education, affordable housing, and more.

WGPR: First Black Owned TV Station

WGPR-TV (Where God’s Presence Radiates) was the first television station in the United States owned and operated by African Americans. The station, located in Detroit, Michigan, was founded by William Venoid Banks. WGPR-TV marketed toward the urban audience in Detroit, Michigan, which in that market meant programming for the African American community.

WGPR-TV first aired on September 29, 1975 on channel 62 in Detroit, Michigan. Station founder William Venoid Banks was a Detroit attorney, minister and prominent member of the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, an organization he founded in 1950. The Masons owned the majority of stock in WGPR-TV. The station initially broadcast religious shows, R&B music shows, off-network dramas, syndicated shows and older cartoons.

It was Banks’ vision that WGPR-TV provide African Americans with crucial training and experience in the television industry, allowing many local blacks the opportunity to work "behind the camera" in producing, directing and other roles which placed content on air. The station aired some locally-produced programming including Big City News, The Scene, and Arab Voice of Detroit.

Big City News was a Monday through Friday newscast that aimed to focus on community activities from the African American perspective, showcasing positive “success stories.” It was discontinued in 1992. The Scene, a nightly dance show that offered young Detroiters an opportunity to display their musical and dance talents, ran from 1975 to 1987. It still enjoys a cult following of viewers and former dancers. Arab Voice of Detroit was a public affairs show directed toward the significant Arab American population in Detroit and its suburbs.

Whatever its popularity among blacks in the television industry, WGPR-TV failed to attract a large audience outside the African American community. Even within that community, it competed with larger stations that after 1975 offered more programs directed toward African Americans. After 1980, the station faced its most powerful competition in the Black Entertainment Television (BET). Moreover with its 800,000 watt signal compared with 2 million watts for major Detroit TV stations, WGPR-TV never reached an audience beyond the city of Detroit. By the 1990s WGPR aired primarily reruns and infomercials.

On July 25, 1995, WGPR-TV was sold to CBS amid controversy from the black community, which felt that the station should remain under African American management. The Masons in particular were criticized for selling the station to a mainstream network. Two months later, CBS changed the television station name to WWJ-TV and targeted its programming for a general audience.

[SOURCE]

Killer of Walter Scott released on bail

A police officer who shot dead a black motorist in South Carolina has been released on $500,000 bail, The Post and Courier newspaper reported Monday.

Michael Slager, who was dismissed from the North Charleston police force after the incident, had been held in jail since his arrest in April for killing 50-year-old Walter Scott.

"The decision was met with gasps from Scott's family and with tears from Michael Slager's wife and parents, who appeared together for the first time in the downtown Charleston courtroom," the daily reported.

"Slager was released at 7 pm after posting $500,000 bail, a jail spokesman said. Under a surety bond, he would have to pay $50,000 of that total," it added.

[SOURCE]

No indictment in Sandra Bland case

A grand jury has decided not to indict anyone in the case of Sandra Bland, whose death in police custody raised questions of excessive force and the role of race.

The grand jury met for more than eight hours Monday.

"After reviewing all the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland, a Waller grand jury did not return an indictment in the death of Bland, nor were any indictments returned against any employee of the Waller County Jail," said Darrell Jordan, a special prosecutor handling the case.

The grand jury will reconvene in January to consider other indictments.

Read more; Grand jury decides against indictments in Sandra Bland case

Black presence on U.S. boards shrinks, hedge funds cited by some

African-Americans have become a shrinking presence in the boardrooms of the biggest U.S. companies in recent years, setting back a push by pension funds for greater diversity.

African-Americans, who make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, account for 8.6 percent of the directors on the boards of the largest 200 companies by revenue in the S&P 500 in 2015, down from 9.6 percent in 2010, according to the annual Board Index study by Spencer Stuart, one of the largest executive search firms. The figure was 9 percent in 2006, the first year the firm reported the measure.

Read more: Black presence on U.S. boards shrinks, hedge funds cited by some

Conservatives think more blacks should support for Carson because his life story???

BY GEORGE L. COOK III

Many conservatives seem confounded by the fact that Ben Carson is not being received warmly by the African American voters. Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and like minded ilk seem to think that Carson's great personal narrative should have blacks flocking to him to hear his message. By focusing on his narrative they are overlooking a lot of other issues that black voters have with Carson. Check out my fictional conversation between a black voter and a conservative Carson supporter which may better help to get my message across.

CONSERVATIVE: With his great life story and all I can't see why more blacks are not flocking to Ben Carson.

BLACK VOTER: Yes, he has a great life story but what does that have to do with being president? You know that we can separate the world class neurosurgeon from the horrible candidate?

CONSERVATIVE: What, you can? But doesn't his life story at least require that you as a black person take a good hard look at him and his policies?

BLACK VOTER: Do the dumb things he says about African Americans and his allowing himself to be used to attack President Obama warrant him not even getting my attention?

CONSERVATIVE: But his narrative!

BLACK VOTER: Does his narrative mean that I should ignore his lies about West Point and stabbing someone?

CONSERVATIVE: But he made it, he has such a great life story.

BLACK VOTER: Yes but his tax plan is a complete joke. He says he would base his plan on tithing, really?

CONSERVATIVE: Again, his life story.

BLACK VOTER: So I should ignore the fact that he would do damage to programs like Affirmative Action and financial aid programs that helped HIM get into and through college?

CONSERVATIVE: You are overlooking all he overcame in life.

BLACK VOTER: But I'm not overlooking the fact that he wants to do away with many of the programs that helped own HIS family eat and keep a roof over their heads?

CONSERVATIVE: You are focusing on the wrong thing here. Ignore what comes out of his mouth and just focus on his life story, he became a world class neurosurgeon for God's sake!

BLACK VOTER: That is a great story but what comes out of his mouth says to me that he wants to be the magical negro and have no one else climb the ladder after him.

CONSERVATIVE: Magical Negro?

BLACK VOTER: Ask Clarence Thomas, he'll fill you in on that.

CONSERVATIVE: But he was raised by a single mom and look how successful he is.

BLACK VOTER: Many black children are raised by single parents and go on to be successful. They may not become neurosurgeons but they become Mayors, Congressman, doctors, lawyers, police chiefs, teachers, engineers, military officers, upper management, college deans or presidents, small business owners, and more. Carson's story is not as rare as you would like to think it is.

CONSERVATIVE: Okay, then what about the fact he's black? You guys voted for Obama in droves because he's black.

BLACK VOTER: So why didn't we vote in droves for Jesse Jackson?

CONSERVATIVE: I don't know.

BLACK VOTER: Maybe because we are a lot more pragmatic that you guys give us credit for. Yes, we voted for Obama in big numbers but many also felt that he could actually do the job. Carson has MUCH to show and prove before we reach that point. Also when it comes to black issues Rand Paul seems to be more on point that Carson.

CONSERVATIVE: BUT HIS LIFE STORY!

By George L. Cook III, AfricanAmericanReports.com EMAIL

New Documentary: The Church House Sexuality in the Black Church

"The Church House: Sexuality in the Black Church" is a documentary directed and produced by D. Channsin Berry.

The Church House features interviews with ministers, preachers, bishops, church members and former church members. Topics covered include, sexism, homosexuality, and abuse of power. Berry points out that historically many black leaders in America came out of the church and aims to show that in order for African Americans to become stronger, ‘we need our black church back’. “As a place of refuge, a place of the real word of God we can regain our power spiritually, physically, mentally and financially,” states Berry.

Here is the current screening schedule for "The Church House":

Monday, September 28th at 6:30 p.m., Rutgers University, The Paul Robeson Campus Center, 350 MLK Blvd, Newark, NJ

Sunday, October 4th at 5:00 p.m., International Black Film Festival Nashville, Meharry Medical College/Cal Turner Family Event Center/Auditorium 2nd. Flr.

More dates to be announced as confirmed. The Black Church Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Church-House-186851908136720/timeline/

Watch the first trailer for the documentary: The Church House Sexuality in the Black Church.

Colin Powell shows support for #BlackLivesMatter

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday morning that he doesn’t mind the #BlackLivesMatter movement or its slogan, adding that the U.S. has made substantial progress on race issues but still has a long way to go. While showing support for #BlackLivesMatter he also mentioned black on black crime. Watch more of that interview below:

LOVE, a new collection of poems.

Normally my blog reports on issues in the African American community. In this post I would like to publicize the re-release of my new book, LOVE. It's not about gangsta's, strippers, or drugs but features poems about love. I'm not dissing those that write urban-lit or the genre itself ( I have written one title myself), as there is room for all genres but I am saying that there is much diversity among the topics we as black authors write about. Many authors write poetry (although we know it doesn't sell well) and I would like to share mine with you. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think and feel. I have provided links to Amazon, Nook, and Smashwords so that you can red the book on your phone, kindle, Nook, or laptop. Please check it out, it's only 99 cents.

LOVE, a collection of romantic poems. Poems about love of a spouse, child, family, or even the love of your favorite sports team.

KINDLE

NOOK: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-george-l-cook-iii/1121086192?ean=2940150209794&itm=1&usri=2940150209794

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/511744

Racial gap in U.S. arrest rates: 'Staggering disparity'

When it comes to racially lopsided arrests, the most remarkable thing about Ferguson, Mo., might be just how ordinary it is.

Police in Ferguson — which erupted into days of racially charged unrest after a white officer killed an unarmed black teen — arrest black people at a rate nearly three times higher than people of other races.

At least 1,581 other police departments across the USA arrest black people at rates even more skewed than in Ferguson, a USA TODAY analysis of arrest records shows. That includes departments in cities as large and diverse as Chicago and San Francisco and in the suburbs that encircle St. Louis, New York and Detroit.

Those disparities are easier to measure than they are to explain. They could be a reflection of biased policing; they could just as easily be a byproduct of the vast economic and educational gaps that persist across much of the USA — factors closely tied to crime rates. In other words, experts said, the fact that such disparities exist does little to explain their causes.

Read more: Racial gap in U.S. arrest rates: 'Staggering disparity'

The suicide letter sent to MLK by the FBI.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was called “an evil, abnormal beast” in an anonymous letter FBI agents sent the civil rights leader in 1964 in an effort to get him to commit suicide, a newly published, unredacted version of the note, shows. Readvthe letter below. Click the letter to enlarge.

Just Think Twice: National ad campaign created by teens against gun violence.

Just Think Twice is a new organization founded by teenagers and ran by Mary-Pat Hector to stop gun violence across the United States. The groups mission is to encourage young people to think twice before using a gun.

The group post billboards like the one below in the hopes of stopping gun violence.

On the group's sites it states:

At Just Think Twice, we aim to rebuild hope where it’s been damaged or lost. We firmly believe it takes a village to raise a child, and if you work on creating the most well equipped society you can, so many problems simply work themselves out.

Here are three points posted on the site:

SAFETY, Maintaining healthy, happy environments is an important, and often neglected part of aid work. We work with local community organizers closely.

ACTION, In communities across the World, young people need your support. They need you to join the fight to stop gun violence.

EDUCATION: We need to educate youth on the dangers of gun violence.

Learn more about Just Think Twice here: http://www.justthink2wice.com/