Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison endorses Bernie Sanders

Rep. Keith Ellison has become the second member of congress to endorse Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders for the 2016 election.

“I’m endorsing Bernie because he is talking about the issues that are important to American families,” Ellison told MSNBC in an email via his spokesperson. “His candidacy is important for many reasons, but I believe the most important part of his candidacy is that it has the ability to create a renaissance in voter participation, which was at its lowest in decades this past election cycle. We’ve all seen the massive crowds he is attracting, and I think that is a testament to his message connecting with people - people we will need to turn out in November.”

Thousands pack D.C. for 20th anniversary of Million Man March

Under clear skies and amid metal detectors, barriers and moderate police presence, thousands of people crowded onto the National Mall on Saturday to hear messages bemoaning cases of alleged police misconduct and to observe the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March. Watch video of attendess of the event below:

Black Lives Matter Activists Say Meeting With Hillary Clinton Went Well

After Hillary Rodham Clinton wrapped up a meeting with Black Lives Matter activists in Washington, initial reports signaled that it had been a productive session.

DeRay McKesson, the leader of the group that is pushing to end police brutality against black people, tweeted out some details after the 90-minute gathering and said that they had pushed Mrs. Clinton to use less “coded” language when talking about black issues and to “de-center” the police as the key to making communities safer. He said that the Democratic presidential candidate was clear in her commitment against private prisons.

“In the end, I think she heard us,” Mr. McKesson said.

Aurielle Marie, another member of Black Lives Matter who was at the meeting, said Mrs. Clinton listened closely but did not offer specific proposals for addressing “anti-blackness” in America. Ms. Marie said that she was impressed with Mrs. Clinton’s openness, but also expressed concern about a lack of urgency among all of the presidential candidates.

“We are past the point where we need to just sit around and have conversations,” Ms. Marie told CNN. “The matter is urgent.”

The group is expecting to hear more details from Mrs. Clinton about her platform for overhauling the criminal justice system in the coming weeks.

[SOURCE]

Civilian review board finds excessive force in James Blake takedown

The Civilian Complaint Review Board has substantiated the charge of excessive force against Officer James Frascatore, who took James Blake to the ground last month, and recommended departmental charges that could lead to his suspension or dismissal.

Police Commissioner William Bratton will make the final determination, following an internal departmental trial.

James Blake released the following statement:

"I want to express my appreciation to the Civilian Complaint Review Board for their quick and thorough review of the incident during which I was attacked on September 9, 2015. I learned today that the CCRB has substantiated the Complaint, filed on my behalf by my attorney Kevin Marino, against James Frascatore (for excessive force), and Daniel Herzog (for abuse of authority). It is my understanding that these officers now face an administrative trial for their roles in the respective offenses. I have complete respect for the principle of due process and appreciate the efforts of the CCRB to advance this investigation."

[SOURCE]

Alarming Facts About African American Women and Breast Cancer

Did you know breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among black women?

Although breast cancer is diagnosed more often for white women, African American women are more likely to die of breast cancer, according to a recent study by the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Specifically, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African American women than white women.

Here are a few more facts about breast cancer and the action you can take today:

In 2015 alone, an estimated 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, along with 60,290 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer, according to SusanGKomen.org. Many studies indicate these decreases are due to the result of earlier detection through screening, treatment advancements, and increased awareness.

The breast cancer death rate for women aged 45–64 years was 60% higher for black women than white women, according to the CDC National Vital Statistics System.

The median age at diagnosis in African American women is 54 years, compared with a median age of 58 years in white women.

Read more: Alarming Facts About African American Women and Breast Cancer

Why black teachers are leaving urban schools

While the percentage of minority teachers has risen in the US, the number of black teachers has declined between 2002 and 20012 in nine cities, according to a recent study by the Albert Shanker Institute.

What does this mean not only for the communities in which these schools exist, but for the nation as a whole?

“Diversity is a key component to equality and opportunity,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told the Washington Post. “Where there’s a diverse teaching workforce, all kids thrive. That’s why we note with alarm the sharp decline in the population of black teachers in our cities.”

There are several factors which may be behind this decline. The first is low pay for teachers. According to a study by Young Invincibles, an advocacy group, the average starting salary for a teacher is $34,575 – or about $6,000 less than the average starting salary of 28 professions.

The second is the recurring emphasis that education policy tends to place on test scores. This rigidity, argues Nekita Lamour, a Haitian-American and tenured educator, disincentivises black and Hispanic educators from participating in the system: they are not being encouraged to teach their fellow man, but to the test, instead.

The Shanker Institute’s study found that over a ten-year period, from 2002 to 2012 (a period marked by an explosion in the development of charter schools, and an accompanying dialogue about education reform), the population of black teachers declined by as much as 62 percent in the cities studied (although in the case of New Orleans, many black teachers were fired).

“Minority teachers quit because of working conditions in their schools,” Richard Ingersoll, an expert who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, also told the Washington Post. “In surveys, those teachers cite lack of autonomy and input into school decisions [in large urban schools].”

Read more: Why black teachers are leaving urban schools

John B. King Jr. to become acting U.S. Secretary of Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is stepping down from his post in December, he announced Friday. President Barack Obama has already tapped John King Jr., former New York State education commissioner, to take Duncan's place.

King will serve in an acting capacity, meaning he was able to forgo a formal nomination process in the Senate.

King most famously served as the New York State education commissioner from 2011 until 2014. Last year, he moved over to the Department of Education, where he's currently a senior official.

Here are a few points of information about John King:

As Commissioner in New York King was a fierce supporter of the Common Core. He is also a strong advocate of diversity in the classroom, and also has experience in the classroom as a teacher. King was a 1995 Truman Scholar and received the James Madison Memorial Fellowship for secondary-level teaching of American history, American government, and social studies.

Black "Genius Grant" winners

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships (also known as the Genius Grants) to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. The MacArthur Fellowship is a "no strings attached" award in support of people, not projects. Each fellowship comes with a stipend of $625,000 to the recipient. Of this years 24 winners three were black. Learn more about 2015 MacArthur Fellows, Patrick Awuah, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Latoya Ruby Frazier.

Education Entrepreneur Patrick Awuah, 2015 MacArthur Fellow

Patrick Awuah is an education entrepreneur creating a new model for higher education in Africa that combines training in ethical leadership, a liberal arts tradition, and skills for contemporary African needs and opportunities. Read more: Patrick Awuah

Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2015 MacArthur Fellow

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a journalist interpreting complex and challenging issues around race and racism through the lens of personal experience and nuanced historical analysis. Read more: Ta-Nehisi Coates

LaToya Ruby Frazier, 2015 MacArthur Fellow

LaToya Ruby Frazier is a Photographer and Video Artist capturing the consequences of postindustrial decline for marginalized communities and illustrating how photography can promote dialogue about historical change and social responsibility. Read more: Latoya Ruby Frazier

Tuskegee Airman Eugene Jackson, 92, dies

A Portland native who belonged to a groundbreaking World War II fighter squadron that helped lead the way toward desegregation of the U.S. military has died.

Eugene B. Jackson, 92, of North Marshfield, Massachusetts, died Sept. 20, according to his close friend and attorney, Paul Kaufman.

Jackson, who was born in Portland and graduated from Portland High School in 1941, served with the Tuskegee Air Squadron during World War II.

Jackson, who maintained the radio and communication equipment on the aircraft flown by the African-American pilots, received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 along with other Tuskegee Airmen.

[SOURCE]

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.

How one principal is trying to get more black men into the classroom

Educators and policy wonks of many stripes pretty much agree that U.S. classrooms need more minority teachers.

But how to make that happen?

One Philadelphia principal is trying to do his part by launching a new organization that aims to bring together Philly’s black male educators and provide them with professional support to thrive in their jobs. The group, called The Fellowship, also wants to become a hub for the recruitment and retention of black men in education.

Black men account for just two percent of the nation’s teaching workforce.

“We want to be able to affect policy as well as practice,” said Sharif El-Mekki, the principal of Mastery Charter School’s Shoemaker campus in southwest Philadelphia, not far from where El-Mekki grew up.

Read more: How one principal is trying to get more black men into the classroom

Jeb Bush: "Free stuff" not part of his outreach to black voters

Like Mitt Romney before him a clueless Jeb Bush went there. During a Republican dinner in South Carolina he said "free stuff" won't be part of his plan to appeal to black voters. Now because he was clueless he does not realize he insulted millions of black voters. Now in fairness he was responding to a question and did also say that offering a message of hope could attract black voters, but the damage has already been done. Watch his comments below.

Freddie Gray: Baltimore Police unit that investigates use-of-force allegations dismantled

The special investigative unit created by former Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts last year to probe shootings by officers and deaths in police custody — including Freddie Gray's — has been overhauled by Batts' successor, who has replaced all of the team's members and given it a new name.

Interim Commissioner Kevin Davis has replaced the Force Investigation Team (FIT) with the Special Investigations Response Team, or SIRT, swapping one Department of Justice review model for another.

Davis said "recent examples have demonstrated [that] the BPD is capable of policing itself when matters arise that directly impact public trust and confidence."

"Our capacity to investigate police-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and other critical incidents relies heavily on the SIRT team and the quality of their objective investigations," he said in a statement.

The Force Investigation Team, or FIT, was modeled on a unit developed by Justice officials and put in place in Las Vegas. Batts brought it to Baltimore last year as a way to improve use-of-force investigations amid widespread allegations of police abuse and misconduct.

The department promised to post its FIT investigations online — a first-of-its-kind idea that was short-lived.

The criteria for triggering an investigation by FIT were vague, and reports were posted online for only nine of the team's more than 30 investigations in 2014. The links to those reports disappeared from the FIT website this year without explanation, and no more have been posted.

Read more: Police unit at center of Freddie Gray review, use-of-force investigations dismantled

Study: Blacks not likely to support Black Republican candidates

Party undermines race among African-American voters; a new study finds, signaling a potentially hard sell for the Republican Party within this voting bloc. And it’s a problem that would likely not be solved by merely promoting Black Republican candidates for office.

“There are some very successful African-American Republicans, but those folks don’t attract African-American votes,” said the study’s author, David Niven, a University of Cincinnati professor of political science. “Party matters so much more than race.”

After the 2012 presidential elections in which Democratic incumbent President Barack Obama soundly trounced GOP contender Mitt Romney contributed by an historically large turnout among African-American voters, the GOP conducted a self-analysis and sought ways to stake a larger claim within the Black and Latino communities. Among those approaches was advancing Black candidates such as U.S. Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah.

Niven tested the efficacy of that approach in 28 heavily Black micro-precincts in Ohio’s Franklin County during the 2014 mid-term elections, during which two Black candidates ran for county offices: Clarence Mingo, the incumbent county auditor, and Rita McNeil Danish, who ran for an open seat on the county common pleas court.

The researcher mailed flyers containing a photo of the candidate and the office they sought to every household with a registered voter. But, one mailer, sent to a specific group, included the headline, “Endorsed by the Republican Party” while the other did not. A third subgroup acting as a control group received no mailer.

The results demonstrated that Black voters are more likely to vote for Black candidates—unless they know that those candidates are Republican, Niven concluded.

“Simply knowing the candidate was African-American did almost nothing for Republicans,” said Niven. “If voters knew the candidates were Republican, they finished below the top of the ticket. If voters didn’t know the candidates were Republican, they outperformed the top of the ticket.”

The University of Cincinnati researcher concluded that GOP outreach to minority voters are hampered by the party’s stance on issues such as immigration, civil rights and other issues important to these communities—a conclusion supported by Black leaders and political experts in previous AFRO reporting. And, too often, Niven added, Black Republicans reflect their party’s sometimes-myopic or dismissive views.

“The kind of African-American Republicans who have advanced to high office seem disconnected or even dismissive of African-American issues and concerns,” said Niven. “The bottom line is: For Republicans, it would help if they have some Colin Powell-style Republicans running for office and not [divisive former Ohio Secretary of State] Ken Blackwell or Mia Love.”

[SOURCE]

Ta-Nehisi Coates to author 'Black Panther' Marvel comic

The author of Marvel's "Black Panther" comic book series has been unmasked: It's Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Coates, until now, is better known for writing incisive articles for The Atlantic magazine that dissect racism and identity in America, and as the author of the best selling book, "Between The World and Me."

But Coates, a huge Marvel fan, told the New York Times which broke the story, becoming a comic book author is a childhood dream come true.

Instead of culturally charged social issues, Coates will be chronicling the saga of T'Challa, "heir to the centuries-old ruling dynasty of the African kingdom Wakanda, and ritual leader of its Panther Clan," according to Marvel Universe Wiki.

Read more: Ta-Nehisi Coates to author 'Black Panther' Marvel comic

‘Bessie’ Wins Outstanding Television Movie at 2015 Emmy Awards

Hidden among a historic win by Viola Davis and other African American winners such as Regina King and Uza Aduba was a victory for Queen Latifah's HBO film Bessie.

Queen Latifah’s Bessie, a HBO biopic about legendary blues singer Bessie Smith, nabbed four trophies, including Outstanding Television Movie, at the 2015 Emmy Awards on Sunday (Sept. 20).

Unfortunately, the 45-year-old actress didn’t take home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her portrayal of the late jazz songbird, that went to Frances McDormand for her performance in Olive Kitteridge.

Nevertheless, Bessie did receive some hardware in the creative fields. Those awards were for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie, Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or a Movie.

[SOURCE]

Phil Heath wins 5th consecutive Mr. Olympia

You can now call Phil Heath the 5X Mr. Olympia champion. He captured his fifth Sandow by beating out Dexter Jackson at the 2015 Mr. Olympia. I know the Cry Greene, oops I mean Kai Greene fans will say it doesn't count because Kai wasn't there and start with the insults. Just remember though, whatever you say it has to start with 5X Mr. olympia. Check out an interview with the champ below.

Latorya Watts Wins Figure Competition at the Mr. Olympia 2015

In 2014 Latorya Watts debuted in the Figure Competition with a 5th place finish, this year she won it all! Check out an interview with her after she claimed the Ms. Olympia trophy.

Ben Carson: Muslim shouldn't be elected president

Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Ben Carson told Chuck Todd that the faith of a presidential candidate should matter to voters "if it is inconsistent with the values … of America.". Watch that segment below:

Congressional Black Caucus urges Biden to enter 2016 race

The nation’s top African-American politicians gave Vice President Joseph Biden two standing ovations at a Congressional Black Caucus breakfast Saturday as he considers entering the presidential race.

Black leaders embraced the veep at the DC convention center, urging him to run for the job now held by his boss, President Obama.

SOURCE