A World War II veteran from Michigan has been honored for his service, 70 years after he enlisted. 92-year-old John Willie Jordan was among the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. His son, Tracey, watched on as his dad was given a Congressional Gold Medal Monday.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters presented Jordan with his medal at a ceremony Monday morning in Farmington. Corporal Jordan trained at Camp Montford Point in North Carolina.
Rutgers-Newark is switching commencement speakers after its original honoree was arrested over the weekend, campus officials said Monday.
Wendell Pierce, star of HBO's "The Wire," was arrested Saturday and charged with battery after a fight at an Atlanta hotel just days before he was scheduled to pick up an honorary degree and serve as Rutgers-Newark's commencement speaker.
"This morning Rutgers University- Newark was informed by actor and humanitarian Wendell Pierce that in order to assure that commencement 2016 will be a celebration of the accomplishments of our students free of distractions, he is declining to join us and consequently must decline the conferral of an honorary degree," Rutgers officials said in a statement.
Pierce will be replaced by journalist Soledad O'Brien, Rutgers officials said. O'Brien will deliver the commencement address to Rutgers-Newark students at Wednesday's ceremony at the Prudential Center in Newark.
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President Barack Obama addressed the graduates at its commencement ceremony Sunday, 05/15/2016. Watch his entire speech below.
New Line has acquired Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, and has set Remember the Titans scribe Gregory Allen Howard to adapt the biography of Misty Copeland. She made history by becoming the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. The bestselling book, and the movie, will chronicle humble beginnings and effort to reach that pinnacle. Offspring Entertainment’s Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot will produce with Philip Sandhaus.
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The world's oldest living person, 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones, died on Thursday in New York City, a research group said.
Jones' death makes Emma Morano-Martinuzzi, a 116-year-old woman in Italy, the oldest living person, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
Jones, who was born in the southern U.S. state of Alabama in 1899, was the daughter of sharecroppers and granddaughter of slaves.
After graduating from high school she moved north in 1922 to New Jersey and then New York, where she worked as a housekeeper and childcare provider, according to Guinness World Records and the Vandalia Senior Center in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where she lived.
Jones, who retired in 1965, had said that lots of sleep is the secret to her longevity and that she had never smoked or drank alcohol.
The oldest verified person was Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at 122 years and 164 days, the research group said.
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Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil: The Life, Legacy, and Love of My Son Michael Brown
The revelatory memoir of Lezley McSpadden—the mother of Michael Brown, the African-American teenager killed by the police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014—sheds light on one of the landmark events in recent history.
“I wasn’t there when Mike Mike was shot. I didn’t see him fall or take his last breath, but as his mother, I do know one thing better than anyone, and that’s how to tell my son’s story, and the journey we shared together as mother and son." —Lezley McSpadden
When Michael Orlandus Darrion Brown was born, he was adored and doted on by his aunts, uncles, grandparents, his father, and most of all by his sixteen-year-old mother, who nicknamed him Mike Mike. McSpadden never imagined that her son’s name would inspire the resounding chants of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, and ignite the global conversation about the disparities in the American policing system. In Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil, McSpadden picks up the pieces of the tragedy that shook her life and the country to their core and reveals the unforgettable story of her life, her son, and their truth.
Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil is a riveting family memoir about the journey of a young woman, triumphing over insurmountable obstacles, and learning to become a good mother. With brutal honesty, McSpadden brings us inside her experiences being raised by a hardworking, single mother; her pregnancy at age fifteen and the painful subsequent decision to drop out of school to support her son; how she survived domestic abuse; and her unwavering commitment to raising four strong and healthy children, even if it meant doing so on her own. McSpadden writes passionately about the hours, days, and months after her son was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson, recounting her time on the ground with peaceful protestors, how she was treated by police and city officials, and how she felt in the gut-wrenching moment when the grand jury announced it would not indict the man who had killed her son.
After the system failed to deliver justice to Michael Brown, McSpadden and thousands of others across America took it upon themselves to carry on his legacy in the fight against injustice and racism. Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil is a portrait of our time, an urgent call to action, and a moving testament to the undying bond between mothers and sons.
HARDCOVER_______KINDLE
The 16 female, African-American cadets who appeared in a photograph with raised fists in uniform will not be punished for their controversial "Old Corps Photo."
The U.S. Military Academy announced Tuesday that no punitive action will be taken against the cadets, according to a school press release.
The official inquiry concluded the photograph did not violate any Army or Department of Defense regulations and was only intended to demonstrate unity and pride.
"As members of the Profession of Arms, we are held to a high standard, where our actions are constantly observed and scrutinized in the public domain," said academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., in a letter.
In addition to finding no official violations, the findings stated that no one in the photo intended to show support for a political movement, said the release.
"We all must understand that a symbol or gesture that one group of people may find harmless may offend others. As Army officers, we are not afforded the luxury of a lack of awareness of how we are perceived," Caslen said.
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Thanks to the Washington Post we can all take a sneak peek at the inside of the unfinished National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is set to open September 24, 2016. Watch the video below.
Monday, May 2, 2016: At a Donald Trump for President rally in Carmel, IN, former football star and actor Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson announced his support for Donald Trump. Watch his endorsement below.
Seventeen-year-old Elyria High School senior Elna Wright is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair as a result of a rare progressive disorder. She was crowned homecoming queen, but her boyfriend died last fall and she had no other date. Her parents took to social media, asking if an athlete might escort their Cleveland-sports-crazy daughter. The Browns’ Cameron Erving stepped up. The 6-foot-5, 313-pound guard picked Wright up in a limo bus, posed for photos in the historic downtown square and accompanied her to the dance. Watch the heartwarming video of this story below
A federal grand jury this week indicted former North Charleston officer Michael Slager on charges of violating a civil rights law and misleading investigators in Walter Scott’s death, a rare measure in police shootings that gives authorities another route to reach a conviction.
Chief among the three charges is a count of deprivation of civil rights under the color of law. Public officials are barred under the federal statute from using their powers to violate people’s “rights, privileges or immunities.” The indictment alleges that Slager was acting with his authority as a policeman when he used unreasonable force — a violation of the Constitution — by shooting Scott five times from behind.
He also was indicted on counts of using a firearm in a violent crime and obstruction of justice. He’s accused of telling state investigators that Scott was coming at him with his own Taser when he fired. A video showed Scott running away.
The grand jury first met nearly a month ago and handed down the indictment Tuesday. It was made public Wednesday.
Slager, 34, is expected to be arrested again under a federal warrant. He has been free on bail since January in the state’s murder case. An arraignment was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown Charleston.
Read more: Federal grand jury indicts Michael Slager
The city of Ferguson, Missouri, swore in Delrish Moss as its first African-American police chief on Monday.
Larry Wilmore joined Al Sharpton's MSNBC show, Politics Nation to discuss his now much-discussed performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Watch their exchange below:
President Obama delivered the commencement address today (05/04/2016) at Howard University. Watch the president's entire speech below.
By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com EMAIL
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump has handed off the job of searching for a vetting vice presidential candidates to Ben Carson. Now since Carson is leading the search it's highly unlikely that a black candidate will be chosen, but we now live in a world where Trump is the respective Republican nominee so anything is possible.
In wondering who Carson might look at and vet I came up with a short list (very short list) of respective candidates. Let's take a look at them.
Ben Carson: Highly unlikely as he has reportedly stated his does not want to be VP. He would also have trouble staying awake during meetings and would probably be a better fit as Surgeon General.
South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott Would be a great pick, intelligent, well spoken, understands the issues, and has the gift to be able to articulate his ideas to the masses. He will not be picked though because of all the aforementioned reasons. He also just has too much dignity to serve with Trump.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell: Probably over qualified for the job, but would make a great VP. He would have an excellent grasp of foreign policy and military issues. His work and statements since leaving a life of public service should give him some distance from Bush 43. Problem is he is a man of extreme honor and dignity and would never serve under Trump. The second issue is that his wife wouldn't let him serve under a Donald Trump. I can hear her saying, "You had better not!"
Utah Rep. Mia Love: Supposedly a rising star in the GOP but she lacks any real experience, but this is the party that put Sarah Palin on a presidential ticket. But then again she would kill two birds with one stone. She is both black and female.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: Very qualified, has the two birds with one stone thing going, but the association and fierce loyalty to Bush 43 would be an issue.
Herman Cain: No qualifications at all. He just here because he's African American and I didn't want the list to be too short.
So who do you think the pick will be from this list or could there be someone I didn't mention?
The Black Lens, an African-American newspaper, was denied media credentials to cover Donald Trump’s Spokane campaign stop.
“My gut says that it has to do with the fact that the name of my paper is the Black Lens,” said Sandra Williams, the paper’s editor. “Based on the rhetoric that he’s been spewing around the country it would make sense that he did not want a black newspaper covering what he says in his rallies. That’s the assumption that I’m making.”
The email sent to Williams said, “During the 2016 Presidential Primary race, the Donald J. Trump Campaign fully recognizes and respects all media but due to various venue sizes, media space, and safety we must limit the number of credentialed media and give priority to our national and local outlets. We appreciate your understanding.”
The Black Lens is published monthly and has a circulation of 1,000. Williams and a photographer are the publication’s only staff members.
Read more: Spokane-based African-American paper denied credentials to Trump event
While many in the entertainment and media industries were saying their bittersweet goodbyes to President Barack Obama at his final annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner this past Saturday in D.C., an elite crowd was communing at the Los Angeles home of movie star Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta to raise additional millions for one of the President’s major priorities.
Early in his presidency, President Obama insisted that all monies needed to complete the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture be raised before his exit from The White House at end of 2016. Authorized by Congress in 2003, the museum stands on a five acre-site on the National mall, near the Washington Monument, and boasts a $540 million dollar price tag.
The federal government contributed $270 million, leaving the Smithsonian and others in the community to raise the remainder. The museum reported raising just over $252 million dollars last month –not far from their $270 million goal. The museum is set to open on September 24 of this year, with President Obama cutting the ribbon.
Denzel and Pauletta said they felt compelled to open the doors to their sprawling home in the Hollywood Hills, nestled far away from prying eyes of star tour buses, in celebration of the mostly California-based supporters of the museum who donated more than $55 million dollars to the project over the past few years.
The Saturday night event raised more than $17 million and included the announcement of a hefty pledge of $10 million dollars from television titan Shonda Rhimes, who could not attend the fundraiser.
Read more here: Denzel Washington Event Raises Millions For African American Museum
Democrat Justin Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor and 2013 attorney general candidate, is running for lieutenant governor in Virginia
.He is the first Democrat to officially jump into the statewide contest, while Republicans already have a crowded field including Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, and Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach.
The candidacy of Fairfax, 37, an African American, would inject diversity and an energetic style into a Democratic ticket that includes the comparatively low-key Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring.
“I am passionate about creating and protecting economic security and opportunity for all Virginians,” Fairfax said in a statement. “As a former federal prosecutor, I know just how fragile security and stability for hard-working families can be.”
Read more: Democrat Justin Fairfax to run for lieutenant governor
