Serena chases calendar Slam, history at US Open

World number one Serena Williams feels the pressure of chasing history at the US Open, but she accepts the intensity as the price for dominating a generation of women's tennis.

The 33-year-old American, who captured her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open at age 17, is a huge favorite as she tries to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 by winning her 22nd career major title starting Monday on the New York hardcourts.

"I decided I prefer to have that pressure than the pressure of not winning," Williams said. "Not everyone can handle that pressure, but I'm OK with it. I would rather be in this position than another one."

Read more: Serena chases calendar Slam, history at US Open

Black Catholics look forward to pope, have own issues

Black people have been part of what became the Catholic Church since Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross toward Calvary, but Sheena Turner, 22, says she still gets the question:

"You're Catholic?"

Msgr. Federico A. Britto, pastor of St. Cyprian Church in West Philadelphia, says he gets a different query:

"You're black and a priest?"

What is to some the confounding juxtaposition of black and Catholic represents a persistent image of the Catholic Church as a white institution, and the assumption that if you're black, you're Protestant, said Deacon William Bradley, director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Black Catholics.

But when Pope Francis visits next month, the region's black Catholics will be among the welcoming faithful, while hoping for more representation, recognition, and greater numbers in a church that has been a spiritual home for centuries.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150829_Black_Catholics_look_forward_to_pope__have_own_issues.html#eYYbRIsTERpMfQQA.99

Donald Trump polling poorly with African American voters.

A delusional Donald Trump believes that African American support him above all other candidates running for president. I guess he thinks everyone has forgotten his part in the racist birther nonsense.

A Quinnipiac poll shows that black voters don't care much for The Donald.

Quinnipiac University released a national poll Thursday showing that while Trump is leading the Republican Party nationally, he is polling poorly with black Americans in the general election.

The poll found:

When asked "Would you say that Donald Trump cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not?" 92% of black people said no.

52% of black people said Trump does not have strong leadership qualities.

73% of black people said Trump is not strong or trustworthy.

79% of black people said they have an unfavorable view of Trump.

Read more: Poll disputes Donald Trump claim on black voter support

Petition: Issue a Commemorative Stamp picturing the NBA Pioneer Earl F. Lloyd

An effort is under way to put Earl F. Lloyd, the NBA's first African-American player, on a U.S. stamp.

The Earl F. Lloyd Foundation started a Change.org petition on Aug. 25 to bring attention to the cause, which was launched about six months after Lloyd died on Feb. 26, 2015.

The petition reads as follows:

On October 31, 1950, Earl Francis Lloyd became the first African-American to play in a NBA basketball game. In 1955 Mr. Lloyd would become the first African-American to win a NBA World Championship. Earl Lloyd would later become the first NBA scout and assistant coach in 1960; and then the first full time NBA bench coach in 1972 with The Detroit Pistons. Earl Lloyd's groundbreaking achievements helped to pave the way for people of color and all minorities, not only in the world of sports but in all aspects of American life!

We are requesting the United States Postal Service, Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a Commemorative Stamp in honor of the late great Earl Francis Lloyd.

The petitioners are looking to get 500 signatures. At the time of this posting there are 352 signatures, I think we can do a lot better than 500 signatures. Click here to support the cause: U.S. Postal Service: Issue a Commemorative Stamp picturing the NBA Pioneer Earl F. Lloyd

MSNBC moves Al Sharpton's Politics Nation to Sunday.

[SOURCE] Reverend Al Sharpton, who has hosted an early-evening program on MSNBC for four years, is moving to a once-a-week perch at the NBCUniversal-owned cable-news network as it seeks to focus more intently on breaking-news coverage and less on partisan viewpoint and opinion.

The last edition of Sharpton’s weekday program, “PoliticsNation,” will air Friday, September 4, according to a memo sent Wednesday evening to MSNBC staffers by network president Phil Griffin. The program will now air on Sundays at 8 a.m., Griffin said.

“I want to congratulate Al and his team. For four years they have done a terrific job bringing his voice and a big spotlight to issues of justice, civil rights and equality,” Griffin said in the memo. “And as many of you know, The Rev never missed a show. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a Sunday morning newsmaker program.”

In a tweet Wednesday morning, Sharpton said he was happy to move the program to Sundays. “I am honored with now being a Sunday Morning TV host. Great!!”

PRESIDENT OBAMA TALKS WDBJ SHOOTING

During an interview with a local Philadelphia TV Station, WPVI President Obama discussed the shooting deaths of two news staffers live on air in Virginia.

President Obama: Statement on the Passing of Amelia Boynton Robinson

Amelia Boynton Robinson was a dedicated and courageous leader in the fight for civil rights. For most of her 104 years, Amelia committed herself to a simple, American principle: that everybody deserves the right to vote. Fifty years ago, she marched in Selma, and the quiet heroism of those marchers helped pave the way for the landmark Voting Rights Act. But for the rest of her life, she kept marching – to make sure the law was upheld, and barriers to the polls torn down. And America is so fortunate she did. To honor the legacy of an American hero like Amelia Boynton requires only that we follow her example – that all of us fight to protect everyone’s right to vote. Earlier this year, in Selma, Michelle and I had the honor to walk with Amelia and other foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement. She was as strong, as hopeful, and as indomitable of spirit – as quintessentially American – as I’m sure she was that day 50 years ago. And we offer our thoughts, our prayers, and our enduring gratitude to everyone who loved her.

Congressional Black Caucus statement on the passing of Amelia Boynton Robinson

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Aug 26, 2015 — Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) said on the passing of 104-year-old civil rights icon Amelia Boynton Robinson, "Today we mourn the passing of a remarkable citizen, Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson, a civil rights activist and one of the leaders of the 1965 Bloody Sunday march of 1965. Often referred to as the matriarch of our country's Civil Rights Movement, Mrs. Boynton Robinson worked tirelessly on the behalf of those who were discriminated against and disenfranchised, and she stood courageously in the fight to ensure voting rights for every citizen in this nation. Mrs. Boynton Robinson was committed to equality until her death and was a champion for African Americans when our voices were not yet heard. Fifty years ago, Mrs. Boynton Robinson walked bravely across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to ensure that all African Americans had equal opportunity and the right to vote. Her walk was not in vain, and we remain forever grateful for her contributions and dedicated service to civil rights in America."

Napa Valley wine train ‘100 percent wrong’ in ejecting black women, says CEO

The chief executive of the Napa Valley wine train has apologized for his staff's 'insensitive' actions after their decision to eject 11 African American women for laughing too loud spurred a wave of criticism on social media.

‘The Napa Valley wine train was 100 percent wrong in its handling of this issue,’ said wine train chief executive Anthony ‘Tony’ Giaccio. The organisation hired crisis management pr consultant Sam Singer to handle the situation

‘We accept full responsibility for our failures and for the chain of events that led to this regrettable treatment of our guests,’ said Giacco, who said he apologised in person to Lisa Johnson, leader of the book club.

The wine train did not comment specifically on accusations of racism. But, Giacco promised that staff would receive diversity training.

Giacco said in a letter to book club members, ‘We were insensitive when we asked you to depart our train by marching you down the aisle past all the other passengers.

‘While that was the safest route for disembarking, it showed a lack of sensitivity on our part that I did not fully conceive of until you explained the humiliation of the experience.’

Read more at Napa Valley wine train ‘100 percent wrong’, says CEO

Scott Walker's policies 'tightening the noose' on black people, Gwen Moore says

[SOURCE] Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore says that Republican Gov. Scott Walker's policies are "tightening the noose, literally, around African-Americans."

Moore made the comment during a conference call Monday to discuss Walker's campaigning for president in South Carolina.

Moore is black and represents Milwaukee in Congress. She says Walker's opposition to raising the minimum wage, requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, and requiring drug testing for public aid recipients disproportionately hurt African-Americans.

Moore also said Walker's rejection of a high-speed train line between Milwaukee and Madison took away jobs from inner city Milwaukee.

She calls Walker a "stereotypical politician" who will say anything to get elected.

Walker's campaign spokeswoman AshLee Strong had no comment.

NABJ Expresses Disappointment with the Chicago Tribune over Hurricane Katrina Analogy

[SOURCE]The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is disappointed with the response by the Chicago Tribune editorial board to the public outcry over a column by editorial board member Kristen McQueary, who called for a Hurricane Katrina-like storm as a starting point for fixing Chicago's ills.

McQueary wrote on Aug. 13 that she was "praying for a storm" in reference to Hurricane Katrina. She then wrote a second column on Aug. 14 after negative comments online and on social media circulated, saying readers simply missed the point of the first op-ed.

The Hurricane Katrina analogy "lacks news judgment," said Sarah Glover, NABJ's 21st president. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

More than 1,800 people died after the 2005 Category 5 hurricane made landfall, its impact devastating on the African-American community in New Orleans. More than a million Louisiana residents were displaced, with about a third not returning, according to the American Community Survey.

In an Aug. 14 letter to the editorial board, the NABJ-Chicago Chapter requested a public apology and a two-week suspension for McQueary. That letter went unanswered by the editorial board.

"Kristen McQueary's column credits the resilience and ingenuity of the people of New Orleans and pleads for dramatic change in Chicago, which has not faced up to its financial crisis. That is her point. Her use of Hurricane Katrina as metaphor has unfortunately been misconstrued," editorial page editor Bruce Dold wrote on Aug. 14 in response to the backlash.

Glover followed up with an Aug. 18 email admonishing the column.

"Just because you have an opinion or can conjure up a seismic analogy to prove your point doesn't mean it's appropriate for publication by an esteemed newspaper such as the Chicago Tribune," Glover wrote.

Glover and NABJ-Chicago Chapter President Kathy Chaney met with McQueary and editorial board members at the Tribune for an off-the-record meeting about the column on Aug. 20.

"While the First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, there's also an absolute need to exercise news judgment. Nearly 2,000 human beings died during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. I can't imagine a similar metaphor evoking 9/11 would ever be used in the way that Hurricane Katrina was," Glover wrote to the editorial board.

The NABJ-Chicago Chapter requested another meeting on-the-record to include Dold, who was on vacation at the time of the Aug. 20 meeting.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide.

Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero 10 point plan to address police abuse

Black Lives Matter activists have released a 10 point plan to address abuses by US police forces after critics said that the group has lacked direction.

The plan, called "Campaign Zero", urges policy changes and proposes laws on federal, state and local levels.

The plans calls for:

Ending "broken windows" policing, which aggressively polices minor crimes in an attempt to stop larger ones

Using community oversight for misconduct rather than having police decide what consequences officers face

Making standards for reporting police use of deadly force

Independently investigating and prosecuting police misconduct

Having the racial makeup of police departments reflect the communities they serve

Requiring officers to wear body cameras

Providing more training for police officers

Ending for-profit policing practices

Ending the police use of military equipment

Implementing police union contracts that hold officers accountable for misconduct

• Learn more about Campaign Zero here: http://www.joincampaignzero.org/#vision

New documentary: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is the first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails. Master documentarian Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, weaving a treasure trove of rare archival footage with the voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters and detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. Featuring Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph, and many others, THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is an essential history and a vibrant chronicle of this pivotal movement that birthed a new revolutionary culture in America. Learn more about the documentary including viewing the trailer and getting upcoming screening dates below.

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

August 28	Woodstock Film Festival Screening Series	Woodstock, NY
August 29	Black Harvest Film Festival Producer Laurens Grant in person!	Chicago, IL
August 29	Sidewalk Film Festival	Birmingham, AL
Opens September 2	Film Forum 9/2, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson, Laurens Grant, and Kathleen Clever (via skype) 9/3, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson and ImageNation 9/4, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson and Panther Flores Forbes 9/5, 2:45pm: Stanley Nelson and Rita Williams-Garcia 9/5, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson and Akila Worksongs 9/6, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson and Jamilah Lemieux (Ebony) 9/9, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson and Panther Jamal Joseph 9/10, 7:15pm: Stanley Nelson, Jamal Joseph, Center for Constitutional Rights 9/11, 7:15pm: Panther Omar Barbour and the Black Youth Project 100, moderated by Charlene Caruthers	New York, NY
September 8	Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film	Chapel Hill, NC
Opens September 11	AMC Magic Johnson Harlem	Harlem, NY
Opens September 11	Landmark Kendall Square Stanley Nelson in Person 9/12 and 9/13!	Boston, MA
September 15	Space Gallery	Portland, ME
September 16	Charles Theater Special advance screening with Stanley Nelson!	Baltimore, MD
Opens September 18	E Street Cinema Stanley Nelson and Special Guests in person 9/18! Producer Laurens Grant in person 9/19!	Washington, DC
Opens September 18	Landmark Ritz at the Bourse Producer Laurens Grant in person 9/18! Stanley Nelson and Special Guests in person 9/20!	Philadelphia, PA
Opens September 18	Charles Theatre Stanley Nelson and Special Guests in person 9/19!	Baltimore, MD
Opens September 18	Webster Film Series	St. Louis, MO
Opens September 18	Northwest Film Forum	Seattle, WA
Opens September 18	O Cinema Wynwood	Miami, FL
Opens September 25	Landmark Nuart Stanley Nelson in person 9/25 and 9/26!	Los Angeles, CA
Opens September 25	Gene Siskel Film Center Stanley Nelson in person 9/27!	Chicago, IL
Opens September 25	Digital Gym Cinema	San Diego, CA
September 30	Marchesa Hall & Theater Presented by the Austin Film Society	Austin, TX
Opens October 2	Landmark Opera Plaza Stanley Nelson in person opening weekend!	San Francisco, CA
Opens October 2	Piedmont Theatre Stanley Nelson in person opening weekend!	Oakland, CA
Opens October 2	Shattuck Cinemas Stanley Nelson in person opening weekend!	Berkeley, CA
Opens October 2	Smith Rafael Film Center Stanley Nelson in person opening weekend!	San Rafael, CA
Opens October 2	CCA Santa Fe	Santa Fe, NM
Opens October 9	Hollywood Theatre	Portland, OR
Opens October 9	Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas Stanley Nelson in person 10/9 and 10/10!	Atlanta, GA
Opens October 9	Landmark Theatres	Minneapolis, MN
Opens October 9	Real Art Ways	Hartford, CT
October 11	Detroit Film Theater	Detroit, MI

VIDEO: Hillary Clinton speaks with Black Lives Matter leaders.

Here is a 8 minute video of part of the exchange between Hillary Clinton and members of #BlackLivesMatter at a campaign rally in New Hampshire. Clinton meets with #BlackLivesMatter protesters after they were barred from her event. Watch as Clinton responds to several tough questions.

Why Marvel is lazy when it comes to creating new minority characters.

Why Marvel is lazy when it comes to creating minority characters.

By George L. Cook III

Now I’m just as much of a geek as any other comic book reader or comic book movie lover out there. I love what Marvel Comics is doing on screen and in print recently. In the movies there has been some diversity with characters such as Blade (The forgotten Marvel hero who helped usher in the superhero movie era), War Machine, Falcon, Nick Fury, Storm, and soon The Black Panther to name a few. But (there’s always a but) when it comes to adding diversity in the comics Marvel is becoming a bit lazy. Recently when it comes to adding diversity in terms of race Marvel has simply been reinventing older characters as minority characters.

One of the more famous examples being the Miles Morales Spiderman which is great and all but didn’t take much creativity in my opinion. Other examples include a recent reinvention with the comic Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Never heard of it either) in which a character that once was a white boy has been changed to a black girl.The character Of Ms. Marvel is no longer a white woman but a Pakistani teen named Kamal Khan.

And yes I know about the dozens of alternate universes and different versions of the same character which is why Nick Fury can be white in one universe and black in another but those are still reinventions. To those who don't really read comics I'm not going to explain all of the different universes because quite frankly it would be easier to explain Quantum Theory to you.

It’s great that Marvel has made moves to add diversity, but why couldn’t they do so by creating completely new characters? Marvel is taking the lazy way out.

I’m talking new characters with complete origin stories and all. Yes, it may be a little more work than simply changing the color of an existing character but it’s also creating something new and hopefully exciting. I know there is some fear in how fan boys will react but they will get over it. I’ve also wondered if comic execs use the fan boys as a convenient excuse not to create new non- white characters.

Marvel can bring in young minority talent and I’m sure that marvel can create minority characters from scratch. Just like with other characters it will be hit or miss, but you can’t get a hit if you don’t take a swing.

Take a swing at it Marvel!

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com Email George Cook

Notable Mississippians join chorus to change state flag

In a letter appearing in a full-page ad in today's Clarion-Ledger, author John Grisham, actor Morgan Freeman, legendary quarterback Archie Manning, "The Help" author Kathryn Stockett and others are calling for removal of the Confederate emblem from Mississippi's state flag.

With other states removing their Confederate battle flags, Mississippi remains the last with the Confederate emblem flying over the statehouse.

"It is simply not fair, or honorable, to ask black Mississippians to attend schools, compete in athletic events, work in the public sector, serve in the National Guard, and go about their normal lives with a state flag that glorifies a war fought to keep their ancestors enslaved," the letter says. "It's time for Mississippi to fly a flag for all its people."

Read more: Celebrities to Miss.: 'A Flag for All of Us'

NAACP STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CHAIRMAN EMERITUS JULIAN BOND

August 16, 2015

(BALTIMORE, MD) - Longtime civil rights leader Julian Bond has died.  The NAACP board member, 75, passed away after a brief illness. 

“From his days as a young activist to his years as both an elder statesman and NAACP Chairman Emeritus, Julian Bond inspired a generation of civil rights leaders,” said NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock.  “From my days as a youth board member of the NAACP to my present tenure as NAACP Chairman, like so many of my generation and before, I am yet inspired by the depth and breadth of Chairman Emeritus Bond’s exemplary service: activist, writer, historian, professor, public intellectual, public servant and an unrelentingly eloquent voice for the voiceless. The grateful citizen heirs of the civil and human rights legacy of Julian Bond can neither be counted nor confined to a generation. Many of the most characteristically American freedoms enjoyed by so many Americans today were made real because of the lifelong sacrifice and service of Julian Bond.  On behalf of the NAACP and our country, we ask for your prayers for his family.”

“The nation and the NAACP deeply grieve Julian Bond's death even as we are profoundly grateful for his life,” said NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks.  “The arc of service of Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond's life extends high and wide over America's social justice landscape: as a young lieutenant of Martin Luther King Jr., gifted writer, eloquent speaker, esteemed professor, Georgia state senator, nominee for U.S. Vice President, revered civil rights leader, champion for marriage equality and well beloved NAACP Chairman Emeritus. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and soul deep prayers to his family.  This is a moment of incalculable loss in a trying hour of innumerable civil right challenges.  The life and legacy, indeed the eloquence of Julian Bond’s example, yet speak to the present and future of the NAACP.”

Details as to how to commemorate and memorialize Mr. Bond's monumental legacy will be shared at the appropriate time. 

While a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Bond helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He was elected Board Chairman of the NAACP in 1998.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Bond's family moved to Pennsylvania when he was five years old when his father, Horace Mann Bond, became the first African American President of Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), his alma mater. Bond attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and won a varsity letter for swimming. He also founded a literary magazine called The Pegasus and served as an intern at Time magazine.

Bond was a founding member of the SNCC and served as communications director from 1961 to 1966. From 1960 to 1963, he led student protests against segregation in public facilities in Georgia. Bond graduated from Morehouse and helped found the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). He was the organization's president from 1971 to 1979.

Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965. White members of the House refused to seat him because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. In 1966, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the House had denied Bond his freedom of speech and had to seat him.

From 1965 to 1975, he served in the Georgia House and served six terms in the Georgia Senate from 1975 to 1986.

In 1968, Bond led a challenge delegation from Georgia to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and was the first African-American nominated as Vice President of the United States. He withdrew his name from the ballot because he was too young to serve.

Bond ran for the United States House of Representatives, but lost to civil rights leader John Lewis. In the 1980s and ‘90s, Bond taught at several universities, including American, Drexel, Williams, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard universities and the University of Virginia.

Bond continued with his activism as Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP, after serving 11 years as Chair, and working to educate the public about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the struggles that African Americans endured.   

Civil rights leader Julian Bond dies at 75

Julian Bond, a charismatic figure of the 1960s civil rights movement, a lightning rod of the anti-Vietnam War campaign and a lifelong champion of equal rights for minorities, notably as chairman of the N.A.A.C.P., died on Saturday night in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He was 75.

Read more: Julian Bond, Former N.A.A.C.P. Chairman and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 75

Bernie Sanders: I Don’t Owe #BlackLivesMatter An Apology

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he doesn’t believe that he owes the #BlackLivesMatter protest movement an apology, even though his own staff already apologized to them.

New Black Panther Party protests at site of Sandra Bland death

Dozens of heavily-armed New Black Panthers took to the streets of Texas yesterday chanting slogans about killing police officers as they protested the death of rights activist Sandra Bland. Watch video of that protest below.