Raven Symone has the right to self identify however she chooses

In an interview with Oprah former Cosby kid Raven Symone, set black twitter and other social media ablaze when she said that she didn't want to be called anything but American. Unsurprisingly black people went crazy! There was the usual responses of her being self hating or being in denial. To put it simply a lot of hate was thrown her way.

In my opinion that hate thrown her way was unwarranted for one simple reason. Raven Symone has the right to self identify however she chooses. The same way that those of us that self identify as African American or black have the right to do that also. I wonder how many realize that but questioning her right to call herself nothing but American, they are being as intolerant and ignorant as those who have a problem with black people African American? You know those idiots on Facebook and Twitter who believe that someone self identifying as African American is somehow racist.

You can't ask one group of people who are ignorant or racist not to question how you self identify and then turn around and exhibit the same behavior yourself. That's the height of hypocrisy.

Just because a former Cosby Kid doesn't want to be called black or African American in no way invalidates or minimizes those that wish to self identify by those terms. She has made a choice and that's that. People need to get over that. With issues like the death of Michael Brown, lack of quality education, financial inequities, etc I think that there are much more important things to worry about.

If you prefer the term African American then use it and leave Raven Symone alone, she is not hurting you.

George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.com, proud African American.

Black Lady Describes How Speaking Properly Shouldn't Be Viewed As "Talking White"

A young black woman posted a video on LiveLeak in which she explained why talking properly should not be viewed as "talking white." She makes a whole lot of sense and her message should be heard by all. Listen to her message below:

Genetic Breast Cancer More Common In African Americans

The BRCA (BReast CAncer Susceptibility Gene) was highlighted in the media when Angelina Jolie revealed she had a prophylactic double mastectomy after testing positive for this gene. Women with the BRCA gene have a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer than the general population. BRCA is responsible for 5-7% of breast cancers and about 10% of ovarian cancers.

Recently, a study found that African-American women with breast cancer are more likely than women in the general population to have genetic mutations linked to their disease, and some of those mutations extend beyond the common BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. In fact, 1 in 5 black women in this study had a BRCA mutation.

This new data can explain why black women have higher rates of breast cancer at young ages, more aggressive forms of breast cancer, and a worse chance of survival. Studies also reveal that African American women are less likely to be referred for genetic counseling even if they meet the criteria.

To better understand genetic breast cancer and your risk, here are the answers to some of the most asked questions:

Read more: Genetic Breast Cancer More Common In African Americans

3,200 new registered voters in Ferguson!

[SOURCEOne response to Ferguson unrest from area leaders has been telling people to register to vote, and it appears they have listened.

Ferguson has seen thousands register to vote in the weeks since Michael Brown was shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

About 3,200 Ferguson residents have registered with the St. Louis County Board of Elections since Aug. 11, out of a population of about 21,000. Board of Elections director Rita Heard Days says that’s unprecedented in a non-presidential election year.

“It’s a huge number,” Heard Days says. “Unfortunately, the record it says that there [were] so many people in the Ferguson area that were not registered, so, I’m happy to see the number’s increased.”

Appeals court suspends part of new North Carolina voting law

Parts of North Carolina's new voting law, considered one of the toughest in the nation, were set aside for next month's elections because they were likely to disenfranchise black voters, a federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday.

In a 2-1 ruling, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suspended provisions of the Republican-backed law that would have eliminated same-day registration during early voting and voided ballots cast on Nov. 4 outside of a person's assigned precinct.

"Whether the number is 30 or 30,000, surely some North Carolina minority voters will be disproportionately adversely affected in the upcoming election," wrote Judge James Wynn, a former North Carolina Supreme Court justice. "Once the election occurs, there can be no do-over and no redress. The injury to these voters is real and completely irreparable if nothing is done to enjoin this law."

Read more: Appeals court suspends part of new North Carolina voting law

Michael Dunn guilty of first-degree murder for killing Jordan Davis

Michael Dunn was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder for killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis on Nov. 23, 2012, in a dispute over loud music outside a Gate gas station.

Dunn, 47, faces life in prison without parole when he's sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Dunn showed no emotion when the verdict was read.

The jury that heard Dunn's first trial in February found him guilty of three counts of attempted murder and firing into an occupied vehicle related to the three other teens in the SUV, but a mistrial was declared on the first-degree murder charge when the jury remained deadlocked after 30 hours of deliberations.

Michael Dunn guilty of first-degree murder for killing Jordan Davis

Hampton University awarded $3.5 million to increase minority STEM majors

Hampton, Va. - The Hampton University First in the World Partnership (HU-FITWP) has been awarded a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The project goal is to increase the access to and affordability of a university education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines (STEM) for underrepresented, and or low-income students.

“After receiving nearly 500 applications from around the country, we’re excited to announce Hampton University will receive a First in the World grant, funded for the first time this year,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Each grantee demonstrated a high-quality, creative and sound approach to expand college access and improve student outcomes. We are confident these projects will have a positive impact on increasing access and completion and help us reach President Obama’s 2020 goal, to once again have the highest share of college graduates in the world.”

“While the number of STEM jobs continues to increase, the number of underrepresented minorities graduating with degrees in these fields remains low,” said Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey. “We believe the Hampton University First in the World Partnership will provide minority students with access to a university STEM education and the tools necessary to be successful and graduate.”

To help facilitate the goals of the HU-FITWP, partnerships will be established with several entities from academia and the private sector. These partners include Northwestern University; the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering; Accenture; Achievable Dream Academies, Newport News, Va. and the From One Hand to Another Foundation, Virginia Beach, Va. These establishments will provide such support as offering internships, employment opportunities, hosting enriching lecture series and exposing the participating students to educational experiences that promote interest in the STEM disciplines.

HU-FITWP will implement innovative strategies and practices that can be effective in improving student enrollment and graduation rates. The target population includes students who have been accepted to HU for the fall 2014 semester and subsequent years and have declared a STEM major. Project activities will include redesign of math courses, student-centric and project-based learning, the creation of a math emporium, a summer bridge program and faculty development.

The project goal is to serve 1,056 students over four years. The anticipated results include an increase in college success/persistence for underrepresented, underprepared and/or low-income STEM students, increased earning potential for students, decreased societal costs and more STEM-qualified underrepresented graduates.

Media Contact: Yuri R. Milligan, University Relations, 757.727.5253, yuri.milligan@hamptonu.edu

Hampton University News is produced and published by the Hampton University Office of University Relations.

Five black women are running for statewide office in Georgia.

Robbin Shipp

There is probably no better example of Georgia being the "new South" than this: Five black women will be on the ballot for statewide offices in November -- a record.

Known as the "Georgia Five," the women are running at a time of major demographic shifts in the state and as Democrats see Georgia as a state that could begin to loosen the GOP's grip on the South.
So who are the Georgia Five?

Former State senator Connie Stokes is running for lieutenant governor.

Doreen Carter is up for secretary of state.

Liz Johnson is on the ballot for insurance commissioner.

Valarie Wilson is running for state schools superintendent.

Robbin Shipp is up for labor commissioner.

Read more: Five black women are running for statewide office in Georgia. Here’s why that matters.

More Blacks Headed to Congress

There are 44 African American members of Congress. Next year, five more are expected to join them, bringing the total to 49. That will represent the highest number of Blacks in Congress in American history. But will it make a difference? Can they leverage their numbers?

Another record-breaking development in the record-breaking 114th Congress will be that all of the new Black members will be women. It is likely that as many as 20 Black women could take the oath of office on Capitol Hill, which is also a record.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that as we’ve seen in statehouses throughout the South, when Democrats become a minority in a legislative chamber, that means less clout for everyone in the party, including African Americans.

Depending on how many House Democrats there are in 2015 (there are now 199), the Black Caucus could become 25 percent of the House Democratic Caucus. As the Tea Party members in the House Republican Caucus have proven over and over, a voting bloc of just 25 members can leverage a great deal of power.

Read more: More Blacks Headed to Congress

SC State Trooper Shoots Unarmed Black Man - Officer Charged & Fired from Job

Here's video of an unarmed black man being shot by police that some would like us to believe are isolated incidents.The video showing a shooting involving a South Carolina state trooper (Sean Groubert) and an unarmed man (Levar Jones) has been released to the public by police. The only thing that saved the victims life is that the trooper is obviously a bad shot. Groubert was fired from the force last week after an investigation into the incident by the State Law Enforcement Division. He reportedly could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted on the charge of aggravated assault.

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Wal-Mart Surveillance Video of John Crawford III Shooting

WARNING: Graphic content. Wal-Mart surveillance video of John Crawford III before he was shot by Beavercreek police Aug. 5. From what is in the video it appears that Crawford was not pointing the rifle at anyone as the 911 caller initially claimed. (He has since recanted).

Ferguson Police Chief Apologizes to Brown Family

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson has issued a video apology to the family of Michael Brown, saying the 18-year-old's body was left in the street for too long last month after he was fatally shot by an officer in the St. Louis suburb. (Sept. 25) Watch his apology below:

Bill Cosby to loan art collection to Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

[SOURCE] After amassing a private collection of African-American Art over four decades, Bill Cosby and his wife Camille plan to showcase their holdings for the first time in an exhibition planned at the Smithsonian Institution.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art announced Monday that the entire Cosby collection will go on view in November in a unique exhibit juxtaposing African-American art with African art.

The collection, which will be loaned to the museum, includes works by such leading African-American artists as Beauford Delaney, Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence, Augusta Savage and Henry Ossawa Tanner. The Cosby collection of more than 300 African-American paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings has never been loaned or seen publicly, except for one work of art.

"It's so important to show art by African-American artists in this exhibition," Cosby said in a written statement. "To me, it's a way for people to see what exists and to give voice to many of these artists who were silenced for so long, some of whom will speak no more."

US Woman's soccer star Hope Solo is also the face of domestic abuse

If I told you that a famous sports star attacked and beat their sister and nephew. What if I told you that this person was charged with two counts of domestic assault? What if I told you that this person who has a court date in November will not only be allowed to continue playing buy also represent their country. What if I told you this person was woman?

This person is US soccer start goalie Hope Solo who also plays for the Seattle Reign of the NWSL. She is someone you have heard very little about while the media continues to cover stories featuring black men who are accused of or engaged in domestic abuse. Her story has barely been covered even with the current firestorm around domestic violence. In case you haven't heard about her incident here's a quick update:

...Just before 1 a.m., Kirkland police responded to a 911 call about a disturbance in the 10600 block of 124th Ave N.E. The male caller had reported that a woman at the residence was hitting people and no one could get her to stop or leave the house, according to an account of the incident released Saturday by police.

Officers arrived and immediately heard the disturbance inside. They entered the house and contacted several people, including Seattle Reign goalie Hope Amelia Stevens (Solo), who officers said appeared intoxicated and upset.

Officers reported that they could see injuries on Solo’s 17-year-old nephew and Solo’s sister. After hearing statements from those involved, officers said they determined Solo was the primary aggressor and appeared to have instigated the assault.

Solo, 32, was arrested and booked into the South King County detention facility. She is being held without bail on two counts of investigation of fourth-degree domestic-violence assault. SOURCE: SEATTLE TIMES

This story has gone under reported. The question I have is why?

Could it be that no one in America cares about a female soccer star?

Could it be that Hope Solo is simply not as well known?

Or is it because Hope Solo's case doesn't fit the narrative of the angry black man?

Hey I'm just asking. Hope Solo has not been dropped by Nike or suspended from USA Soccer or her team or punished in any way for her actions. Now I'm not defending Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson because their actions were reprehensible. But if we are all disgusted by their actions shouldn't we just as upset at Solo's? Isn't domestic violence abuse no matter who commits it?

Shouldn't Hope Solo's face and story be mentioned with the recent flurry of domestic violence stories. Isn't she also the face of a domestic violence abuser?

I mean shouldn't we be teaching everyone that NO ONE should be hitting anyone regardless of gender?

Hey, I'm just asking?

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com

Tavis Smiley's new book about MLK, "Death of a King"

A revealing and dramatic chronicle of the twelve months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations -- denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few -- all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.

Smiley's DEATH OF A KING paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life -- one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.

BUY THE BOOK

Whoa America, black parents are not beating the hell out of their kids!

In light of the Adrian Peterson media frenzy I need to put this out there. BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT RUNNING AROUND BEATING THE HELL OUT OF THEIR KIDS!

If you have been watching TV in the last few days you may have heard Chris Carter, Charles Barkley, and others say that black parents beat their kids when it comes to discipline. Barkley went so far as to say that all black parents in his neighborhood would have been arrested today for what they did when he was growing up. Many black talking heads said that was how they were brought up. That leaves the impression that's how all black people discipline their kids and that children were constantly beaten every other day. Neither impression is true.

I like many children didn't get as many beatings as I think I did and normally I earned that rare ass whuppin. It should also be mentioned that normally being beaten was a last resort and usually only happened after a display of blatant disrespect or if mom or dad had to leave work to come to school because of some foolishness you got into. It also needs to be mentioned that a talk normally followed the beating (the talk during the beating doesn't count), a talk about why you shouldn't have done whatever it was you did. Our parents never enjoyed beating us but that was how they taught us a lesson. You can argue about whether it was the best way but it worked.

Here's an example. When I was about eight I stole another little boys bottle of YooHoo. I of course got caught and my mother had to come to school. She beat me when we got home and then when my father got off from work he beat me. (Although I'm not sure if was more mad at me stealing or having to hear more mother yelling the moment he walked in the house.). After that I have never even thought of stealing agian, Hell, I haven't had a YooHoo since.

Now it's 2014 and I have a child. My wife and I don't beat our child. I would like to think that I am more enlightened than my parents but then again I have a little girl and could never picture spanking her. My wife was a spoiled little brat as a child and was never spanked so she doesn't believe in it at all.

We and many other black parents now use different methods when it comes to discipline. Times change and black parents are right there with everyone else when it comes to discipline. Oh and one last thing. Beating your child is not a black thing.

George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.com

How many 'other Fergusons' are there?

What happened in Ferguson could happen elsewhere in America.

That’s the message from experts on race relations and from an analysis of census data about American cities following the protests in the St. Louis suburb that erupted after the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old at the hands of a white police officer.

Ferguson, Mo., may be an extreme example, but it’s part of a larger pattern in which many US communities have police forces that don’t come close to mirroring the racial composition of the populations they serve. Even where Ferguson-style gaps between the police and wider community don’t exist, it’s common across the United States for blacks to feel that the criminal-justice system is stacked against them and that political power eludes them.

What that means is that, despite the real progress the nation has made on race relations, another tragic occurrence similar to the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson could spark street protests in other US cities.

Read more: How many 'other Fergusons' are there?

Does spanking a child equal child abuse?

NFL star Adrian Peterson being charged with child abuse after beating his son with a switch has again raised the issue of child discipline. I like many my age grew up in the 70s and 80s where beating was a way of discipline. It's what our parents knew and did. I was spanked with a belt, the switch you had to go get yourself ( ..don't bring back no little switch either), and a damned Hot Wheels track, you remember the orange one. I don't believe at all that my parents beat me. As a matter of fact 99.8% of the time I had earned that ass whipping and it taught me right from wrong. Let me say I wasn't just beaten, there were talks and lessons that accompanied those beatings. But then again that was in the 70s.

Now most in society are against beating a child and like my wife and I don't beat their children. In the Black Community there are still a good number of old school parents and grandparents who believe in spankings. They follow the spare the rod and spoil the child rule. The problem now is that what many consider discipline many more consider abuse. Is spanking a child abuse?

Danny Ferry takes leave of absence from Atlanta Hawks

[ SOURCE] Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry has taken a leave of absence in the wake of racial comments made in a conference call with team owners in regards to veteran forward Luol Deng.

"This afternoon, Danny Ferry requested, and I have approved, taking an indefinite leave of absence, effective immediately," Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said in a statement Friday.

Koonin has resisted calls that Ferry be fired but says, "It is my hope that this time away from the Hawks organization allows him the privacy he needs to listen to the community, to learn about his mistakes, and to begin the long process of personal healing."

Head coach Mike Budenholzer will assume oversight of the basketball operations department during Ferry's absence.

George Zimmerman threatens to kill someone

Conservative hero and murderer George Zimmerman is up to his old tricks again. In a road rage incident Zimmerman threatened to kill another driver after asking him if he knew who he was. So what he was really saying is , "I'm George Zimmerman dammit. I've killed before and will do it again.". Read more on this story below:

The man acquitted in the shooting death of unarmed Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin may be in trouble with the law again. Police say a driver has reported that George Zimmerman threatened to kill him after a confrontation on the road.

Police are investigating two reports involving the driver and 30-year-old Zimmerman, who was acquitted in 2013 of a second-degree murder charge for shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

Police say that on Tuesday, the man called police after a truck pulled up next to him and the driver yelled, “Why are you pointing a finger at me?”

Police spokeswoman Bianca Gillett says the man recognized the truck driver as Zimmerman. The man says Zimmerman asked, “Do you know who I am?” and threatened to kill him.

Read more: Police: George Zimmerman Named In Fla. Road Rage Incident "