Smithsonian opening African-American history museum Sept. 24, 2016

UPDATES: Grand Opening Schedule for the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Denzel Washington Event Raises Millions For African American Museum

The Smithsonian Institution will open the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Sept. 24 in Washington.

Smithsonian chief spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said Monday that President Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, will lead the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

St. Thomas says a weeklong celebration will follow, including an outdoor festival and a period in which the museum on the National Mall will be open for 24 consecutive hours.

The museum has built a collection of 11 exhibits to trace the history of slavery, segregation, civil rights and African-Americans' achievements in the arts, entertainment, sports, the military and the wider culture.

Artifacts on loan from other institutions will also be on display, such as two documents signed by President Abraham Lincoln: the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Nadja West will become the 1st black female three-star general

On Tuesday, February 9, Lt. Gen Nadja West will be honored in an official ceremony formalizing her promotion to three-star general, making her the first African-American woman to achieve that rank in the United States Army. She is also the highest-ranking woman of any race to have graduated from West Point.

The promotion and ceremony follows the 54-year-old’s confirmation by the Senate as the new Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as of December. As such, West will be assisting and advising the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff in relation to all health care matters in the Army, in addition to overseeing development, organization, policy direction, and other matters relative to the Army-wide health care systems.

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Ben Carson slashes staff as funds dry up

Ben Carson, the famed neurosurgeon whose bid for the Republican presidential nomination has struggled to keep pace with rivals, will cut more than 50 staff positions Thursday as part of an overhaul and downsizing of his campaign.

Salaries are being significantly reduced. Carson’s traveling entourage will shrink to only a handful of advisers. And instead of flying on private jets, Carson may soon return to commercial flights.

Read more: Ben Carson slashes staff as funds dry up

African American sororities, fraternities working to help Flint families

African American greek organizations are working together to support families in Flint who are living through the water emergency. Watch this story below.

Reframing the Narrative Around Black Men

Which of the following statements is false?

Black men lead the country in military service.

More black men are in prison than in college.

Black fathers, compared with fathers of other races, are the most engaged.

Both the top and bottom statements are true; the one in the center? False.

If you know who Trabian Shorters is, you probably already knew which statements were true and which was false. Shorters, co-author (with former NAACP president Ben Jealous, now a partner at Kapor Capital) of The New York Times best-seller, Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding, founded and leads the national community organization that is changing the American narrative about black men. Through the BMe Community—whose network has grown to more than 35,000 community builders since it launched in 2013—Shorters is reframing how America sees and perceives black men. His organization locates black men who are already effecting significant positive change in their communities—and then supports them with financing, networking, and asset development resources.

In other words, Shorters is a revolutionary.

Read more: Reframing the Narrative Around Black Men

Amid denials, state workers in Flint got clean water

In January of 2015, when state officials were telling worried Flint residents their water was safe to drink, they also were arranging for coolers of purified water in Flint's State Office Building so employees wouldn't have to drink from the taps, according to state government e-mails released Thursday by the liberal group Progress Michigan.

A Jan. 7, 2015, notice from the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget, which oversees state office buildings, references a notice about a violation of drinking water standards that had recently been sent out by the City of Flint.

"While the City of Flint states that corrective actions are not necessary, DTMB is in the process of providing a water cooler on each occupied floor, positioned near the water fountain, so you can choose which water to drink," said the notice.

"The coolers will arrive today and will be provided as long as the public water does not meet treatment requirements."

Caleb Buhs, a spokesman for DTMB, said the water coolers were provided in response to the city health notice in late December or early January, which he acknowledged was about a contamination issue the city said had already subsided. The state continued to provide the coolers of purified water, right up to today, because "there were more findings as we went along," Buhs said.

Buhs said his department never told state workers the tap water was unsafe to drink, but only provided an alternative, as a landlord would do for tenants.

Read more: Amid denials, state workers in Flint got clean water

Rand Paul's great answer to question about African Americans and policing?

I don't support any of the republican candidates but I found this interesting, especially since very few if any issues that affect African Americans have been discussed during the republican debates. Just as an aside I also found it interesting that a question about African Americans and policing was directed to Paul and not Ben Carson. (Yes he was on stage last night). George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com.

During Thursday night's republican debate Rand Paul was asked a question by YouTube star Mark Watson about African Americans and policing with regard to body cameras. Paul took the question as an opportunity to point out inequities in the American justice system.

RAND PAUL:

One thing I discovered in Ferguson was that a third of the budget for the city of Ferguson was being reaped by civil fines. People were just being fined to death. Now you and I and many of the people in this audience, if we get a $100 fine, we can survive it. If you're living on the edge of poverty and you get a $100 fine or your car towed, a lot of times you lose your job.

I also think the war on drugs has disproportionately affected our African-American community. What we need to do is make sure that the war on drugs is equal protection under the law and we don't unfairly incarcerate another generation of young African-American males. In Ferguson, for every 100 African-American women, there are only 60 African-American men. Drug use is about equal between white and black, but our prisons, three out of four people in prison are black or brown.

I think something has to change. I think it's a big thing that our party needs to be part of. And I've been a leader in Congress on trying to bring about criminal justice reform.

Gabrielle Union: Who is Stacey Dash?

Actress Gabrielle Union is taking aim at Stacey Dash after the Fox News contributor last week questioned the BET channel’s existence.

When asked about Dash’s comments at the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “The Birth of a Nation” on Monday, Union first replied, “Who’s that? Who’s Stacey Dash? Is she like related to Dame Dash? Was she on Roc-A-Fella (Records)?”

Union said the BET Awards remain necessary because of the lack of diversity in mainstream awards.

“The more that we focus on inclusion and a true representation of this country, I think that crazy lady will have less to say,” Union said of Dash.

Union has a TV series on BET called “Being Mary Jane.”

[SOURCE]

Philly Comics Store Prizes Diversity In Its Heroes

Ariell Johnson opened Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in Philadelphia last month with the goal of presenting diverse comics, creators and characters alongside the ones people already know and love.

The African-American comic book store owner tells NPR's Michel Martin about why she decided to start the shop — and what she thinks about diversity in blockbuster casting. Listen to her interview below.

Chris Rock Rewriting Monologue to Address #OscarsSoWhite Outrage

Outrage over the lack of diversity among nominees at the Oscars will not keep Chris Rock from his hosting duties. Rock is rewriting his script to address the #OscarsSoWhite controversy according to the Academy Awards Producer Reginald Hudlin. Watch Hudlin's interview with ET below:

Charges dropped against 6 Ferguson protesters

Charges have been dropped against six activists who were arrested during a protest in Ferguson, just as their trial was about to begin. The case was expected to include allegations of police brutality, claims of missing evidence and discussions about the shortcomings of body cameras.

The charges had included property damage, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and third-degree assault. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1nD9Isk ) reports that Ferguson prosecutor Stephanie Karr dismissed the charges Thursday without explanation.

Later Thursday, the defendants filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Ferguson destroyed evidence and violated the constitution.

Read more: Charges dropped against 6 Ferguson protesters

Black Lives Matter protesters interrupt U.S. mayors' conference

Demonstrators from the Black Lives Matter movement interrupted the U.S. Conference of Mayors' meeting on Wednesday, protesting the killing of a Chicago teenager by police and the lead-tainted water supply of Flint, Michigan.

At least three people among onlookers and one person on stage held up signs when Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the group's president, spoke during the meeting's opening news conference at a hotel in Washington, D.C.

One protester interrupted her several times, shouting, "You failed us!" Baltimore was torn in April by rioting over the death of black detainee Freddie Gray, and six police officers are facing charges.

Read more: Black Lives Matter protesters interrupt U.S. mayors' conference

Bernie Sanders: African-Americans will like me when they learn my record

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Sunday that while he may be trailing among minority voters in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, that would change as soon as those voters learned more about him.

"When the African-American community becomes familiar with my congressional record and with our agenda and with our views on the economy and criminal justice, just as the general population has become more supportive, so will the African-American community, so will the Latino community. We have the momentum. We are on a path to victory," he said during the Democratic debate Sunday evening.

Read more: Sanders: African-Americans will like me when they learn my record

President Barack Obama addresses the water crisis in Flint

President Barack Obama addressed the water crisis in Flint, Mich. on Wednesday.

“If I was a parent out there I would be beside myself that my kid’s health could be at risk,” Obama said, adding that he declared a Federal Emergency and designated a federal coordinator to help with the crisis. Obama also spoke about his meeting on Tuesday with Flint's mayor.

“I told her we were gonna have her back and all the people's of Flint's back," he said.

“It is a reminder of why you can’t shortchange basic services that we provide to our people and that we together provide as a government to make sure that public health and safety is preserved,” Obama said.

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Race, Jesse Owens biopic being released 02/19/2016

Race is the first feature biopic film about African American athlete Jesse Owens, who won a record-breaking four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.Directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, the film stars Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt and Carice van Houten. The film will be released in the United States on February 19, 2016. Watch the trailer below.

Should African American viewers boycott the Oscars?

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com Email George

Not one African American was nominated for an Academy Award this year. In a year that included outstanding performances by Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful 8), Micheal B. Jordan (CREED), Idris Elba (Beast of no Nation), Will Smith (Concussion), and Tessa Thompson (Creed), and a year that included great films directed by Ryan Coogler (CREED) and Cary Fukunaga (Beast of No Nation) not one African American person was nominated for anything.

This has led to the return of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag on social media but lets be a serious at the end of the day a hashtag is just a hashtag. Bringing notice to a situation is great but there has to be some followup action. I believe that African American viewers should boycott the Oscars in protest this year. That would give the show lower ratings and lower ratings equals less advertising dollars in the future for the Academy Awards. One color that Hollywood understands the most is green, and if you affect that green you can effect change.

So lets start a new hashtag, #BlackBoycottOscars, and then follow that up with action.

New memoir by AP reporter recalls covering MLK and family

In a new memoir, "My Time with the Kings: A Reporter's Recollections of Martin, Coretta and the Civil Rights Movement," retired Associated Press reporter Kathryn Johnson describes civil rights flashpoints she covered in the 1960s and details her close relationship with the movement's leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and his family.

Kathryn Johnson covered the Civil Rights movement across the South in the 1960s, often risking her own safety to observe first-hand the events of this great era. Her stories took her from witnessing the integration of the University of Georgia by dressing as a student, to hiding unobserved under a table near an infamous schoolhouse door in Alabama, to marching with the massive crowd from Selma to Montgomery.

Johnson, one of the only female reporters on the scene, threw herself into charged situations with a determination to break the news no matter what. Including never-before-published photos, her personal account of this period is a singular addition to the story of the Civil Rights movement.

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Congressional Black Caucus Calls for Federal Funding for the City of Flint, Michigan Water Crisis

The Congressional Black caucus released the following statement on 01/15/2016 concerning the Flint water crisis.

January 15, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G. K. Butterfield released the following statement in response to the Flint, Michigan water crisis calling for an immediate federal investigation and funding to assist the City of Flint in recovery:

“The lack of proper oversight and action, leading to tens of thousands of citizens being exposed to toxic levels of lead in drinking water demands a thorough federal response. More than 10,000 children, many under the age of six, have been exposed to dangerous amounts of lead in their drinking water, which can lead to a series of lifelong development and learning disabilities. Governor Rick Snyder failed to act swiftly and has greatly mishandled the state’s response. In return, thousands of families throughout the City of Flint have been harmed. As elected officials, we all have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our constituents, especially when it concerns some of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens, and the officials of Flint, Michigan failed to do so.”

Video: Cedrick Chatman shooting

Chicago on Thursday released video footage of a fatal Chicago police shooting of a black teenager, Cedrick Chatman in 2013 after a court ruling, as protesters renewed criticism of Mayor Rahm Emanuel for the handling of police killings. Watch the shocking video below.

Eric Holder endorses Hillary Clinton

Former Attorney General, Eric Holder has endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Read his statement below.

Eric Holder will endorse Hillary Clinton. Here is his statement: pic.twitter.com/lsjIFmVk37

— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) January 13, 2016