Knicks' Derrick Rose cleared of all counts in rape trial

New York Knicks star point guard Derrick Rose was cleared on all counts Wednesday in a Los Angeles civil court case involving allegations of sexual assault.

Rose and two friends, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen, were accused of sexually assaulting a woman -- referred to Jane Doe in court records to protect her identity -- on Aug. 27, 2013 while she was incapacitated.

Doe was seeking more than $21 million in damages ($6 million in compensatory; $15.5 million in punitive), and Rose chose not to settle, electing to go through with a trial that started Oct. 4. The former NBA Rookie of the Year missed several practices and all but one preseason game during the proceedings.

[SOURCE]

Pres. Obama's half brother to be guest of Donald Trump at next debate

If you watched Marvel's Luke Cage series on Netflix, you have an idea of the trouble a jealous and hateful brother can cause. It seems President Obama has his own Diamondback in the form of his step-brother Malik Obama. Malik, an American citizen, had already made it known that he would be voting for Trump has now taken things a step further and will be Trump's guest at the third presidential debate.

Time.com reports:

Barack Obama’s half-brother Malik will show his support for Donald Trump at the third presidential debate on Wednesday.

The Kenyan-born man, who is also a U.S. citizen, announced in July he would vote for the Republican nominee. Now he tells the New York Post he is “excited” to attend the debate in Las Vegas and believes Trump “can make America Great Again.” Trump tells the Post his guest “gets it far better than his brother.”

The Trump campaign confirmed to TIME that Malik would be the candidate’s guest.

African American high school graduation rate rises under Pres. Obama

Next time someone asks you what has President Obama done for African Americans, you can come back with the FACT that under Obama high school graduation rates have risen for African American students and to an all time high among all students.

Graduation rates among black students have risen from 67% in 2010-2011 to 74.6% in the 2014-2015 school year. The 7.6% increase among African Americans was the biggest movement of any racial group. While there is still much to be done to get that rate even higher you can not ignore the tremendous work that has been done so far.

Here are some actions that were taken under President Obama's administration that have contributed to this welcome increase:

• Investing in Early Education: In 2013, President Obama put forth his bold Preschool for All proposal to establish a federal-state partnership that would provide high-quality preschool for all four-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. After the President’s call, many states took action and today, 46 states and the District of Columbia invest in preschool programs. From 2009 to 2015, states enrolled 48,000 additional four-year-olds in preschool through their own investments. The Obama Administration has also invested an additional $4 billion in Head Start, the largest federal early childhood initiative, and $1.75 billion in Preschool Development Grants and Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grants, leading to hundreds of thousands more children having access to high-quality preschool across the country.
• 
  
• Reforming and Improving America’s Schools: The Obama Administration’s Race to the Top program spurred systemic reforms, incentivizing states to adopt college and career-ready standards for teaching and learning and to undertake meaningful change across their public education systems. The $4 billion competitive grant program served 22 million students in 18 states and Washington D.C. -- nearly half of all students in the country. Through the School Improvement Grants program, the Administration has also invested over $7 billion to transform America’s lowest performing schools. These efforts helped contribute to a decline in dropout rates, and over the last decade, dropout rates have been cut dramatically for Latino and African American students, while the number of high schools where fewer than six in ten students graduate on time has been cut by more than 40 percent.
• 
  
• Connecting America’s Classrooms: Launched in 2013, the President’s ConnectED initiative set a goal of connecting 99 percent of students to high-speed broadband by 2018; issued a call to action on the private sector and other stakeholders to develop quality, low-cost digital devices and content for teachers and students; and increased investments in professional development for teachers and school leaders so they can lead the transition to digital learning. Today, students and teachers across the country are realizing the benefits of personalized, digital learning; thousands of districts have taken steps to make their schools “Future Ready,” 20 million more students have gained access to high-speed broadband in their classrooms, and millions of students in all 50 states are leveraging new resources that support ConnectED, such as Open eBooks.
• 
  
• Spurring Innovation in Education: The Obama Administration has invested in new efforts to develop, test, refine, and scale a new set of solutions to close achievement gaps in America’s public schools. By investing more than $1.3 billion in nearly 160 projects, the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) has reached more than two million students across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Projects undergo rigorous evaluation and expand the knowledge base to enable educators across the country to use a new set of strategies and solutions that will help students make even greater progress in the years ahead.  Last year, the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act codified the new Education Innovation and Research program as a successor to i3. The Obama Administration has also invested almost $350 million in replicating high quality charter schools, serving predominantly low-income students.
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• Redesigning America’s High Schools: President Obama recognizes that we must do more to engage, prepare, and inspire college and career-ready students, and align high school learning to the experiences and opportunities that matter in young people’s lives. That is why in the President’s 2013 State of the Union address, he laid out a new vision for America’s high schools, proposing funding to scale-up innovative high school models and partnerships with colleges and employers so that all students graduate better equipped for the demands of the innovation economy. To build on this work the White House has hosted two annual summits on Next Generation High Schools in 2015 and 2016, announcing $375 million in private and public sector commitments and commitments from states and school districts estimated to impact more than 600,000 students to advance Next Generation High Schools.
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• Developing and Supporting Great Teachers and Leaders: The Obama Administration’s investments during the Great Recession saved and created an estimated 400,000 jobs, mostly directly in education.  The Administration has also invested over $3.5 billion in competitive grant programs since 2009 to prepare, develop, support and retain outstanding educators across America’s urban and rural schools -- through programs such as the School Leadership Program, Supporting Effective Educator Development, Teacher Incentive Fund, Teacher Quality Partnership and Transition to Teaching.
• 
  
• Promoting Excellence in STEM and Computer Science for All:America is on track to meet President Obama’s goal of preparing 100,000 excellent STEM teachers by 2021; 100,000 engineers are graduating yearly from American universities for the first time; and states and cities across the country are answering the President’s call to ensure that all of America’s students have the opportunity to learn computer science in their schools.  31 states now count computer science classes toward their high school graduation requirements, and a new computer science Advanced Placement (AP) course has launched in more than 2,000 classrooms.

[SOURCE]

Taraji P. Henson & Octavia Spencer film 'Hidden Figures' to get earlier release

Looks like Twentieth Century Fox will be releasing the movie 'Hidden Figures' one week earlier than initially announced.

The site Hollywood Reporter reports that:

The movie focuses on the untold story of three African-American women (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae) who worked behind the scenes on key space programs.

Fox confirmed Friday that it would in fact give its Taraji P. Henson- and Octavia Spencer-starring NASA drama Hidden Figures a limited, Oscar-qualifying release on Christmas Day.

The movie, which was previously set to hit theaters on Jan. 13 of next year will instead go wide on Jan. 6.

Hidden Figures, directed by Theodore Melfi, focuses on the untold story of three brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit in 1962. The biographical drama shows how the trio, rounded out by Janelle Monae, battled stereotypes and defied expectations as they made history.

HIDDEN FIGURES TRAILER

NAACP APPROVES RESOLUTION ON A MORATORIUM ON CHARTER SCHOOLS

Members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Board of Directors ratified a resolution Saturday adopted by delegates at its 2016 107th National Convention calling for a moratorium on charter school expansion and for the strengthening of oversight in governance and practice.

“The NAACP has been in the forefront of the struggle for and a staunch advocate of free, high-quality, fully and equitably-funded public education for all children,” said Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the National NAACP Board of Directors. “We are dedicated to eliminating the severe racial inequities that continue to plague the education system.”

The National Board’s decision to ratify this resolution reaffirms prior resolutions regarding charter schools and the importance of public education, and is one of 47 resolutions adopted today by the Board of Directors. The National Board’s decision to ratify supports its 2014 Resolution, ‘School Privatization Threat to Public Education’, in which the NAACP opposes privatization of public schools and public subsidizing or funding of for-profit or charter schools. Additionally, in 1998 the Association adopted a resolution which unequivocally opposed the establishment and granting of charter schools which are not subject to the same accountability and standardization of qualifications/certification of teachers as public schools and divert already-limited funds from public schools.

We are calling for a moratorium on the expansion of the charter schools at least until such time as:
(1) Charter schools are subject to the same transparency and accountability standards as public schools
(2) Public funds are not diverted to charter schools at the expense of the public school system
(3) Charter schools cease expelling students that public schools have a duty to educate and
(4) Cease to perpetuate de facto segregation of the highest performing children from those whose aspirations may be high but whose talents are not yet as obvious.

Historically the NAACP has been in strong support of public education and has denounced movements toward privatization that divert public funds to support non-public school choices.

“We are moving forward to require that charter schools receive the same level of oversight, civil rights protections and provide the same level of transparency, and we require the same of traditional public schools,” Chairman Brock said. “Our decision today is driven by a long held principle and policy of the NAACP that high quality, free, public education should be afforded to all children.”

While we have reservations about charter schools, we recognize that many children attend traditional public schools that are inadequately and inequitably equipped to prepare them for the innovative and competitive environment they will face as adults. Underfunded and under-supported, these traditional public schools have much work to do to transform curriculum, prepare teachers, and give students the resources they need to have thriving careers in a technologically advanced society that is changing every year. There is no time to wait. Our children immediately deserve the best education we can provide.

“Our ultimate goal is that all children receive a quality public education that prepares them to be a contributing and productive citizen,” said Adora Obi Nweze, Chair of the National NAACP Education Committee, President of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP and a former educator whose committee guides educational policy for the Association.

“The NAACP’s resolution is not inspired by ideological opposition to charter schools but by our historical support of public schools – as well as today’s data and the present experience of NAACP branches in nearly every school district in the nation,” said Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO of the NAACP. “Our NAACP members, who as citizen advocates, not professional lobbyists, are those who attend school board meetings, engage with state legislatures and support both parents and teachers.”

“The vote taken by the NAACP is a declaratory statement by this Association that the proliferation of charter schools should be halted as we address the concerns raised in our resolution,” said Chairman Brock.

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Ben & Jerry's issues statement in support of Black Lives Matter

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has released the following statement in support of Black Lives Matter:

Why Black lives matter.

Black lives matter.

They matter because they are children, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers.

They matter because the injustices they face steal from all of us — white people and people of color alike. They steal our very humanity.

Systemic and institutionalized racism are the defining civil rights and social justice issues of our time. We’ve come to understand that to be silent about the violence and threats to the lives and well-being of Black people is to be complicit in that violence and those threats.

We ask you to join us in not being complicit.

There is good news: the first step in overcoming systemic racism and injustice is to simply understand and admit that there is a problem. It’s trying to understand the perspective of others whose experiences are different from our own. To not just listen, but to truly understand those whose struggle for justice is real, and not yet complete.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the North Carolina NAACP, said it best when reacting to the recent police shooting in Charlotte, NC. He said, “Our objective is simple: to ensure justice-loving people act toward justice, with all evidence, and that we stand together and act from a place of power and love, rather than out of fear and anger.”

It’s been hard to watch the list of unarmed Black Americans killed by law enforcement officers grow longer and longer. We understand that numerous Black Americans and white Americans have profoundly different experiences and outcomes with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. That’s why it’s become clear to us at Ben & Jerry’s that we have a moral obligation to take a stand now for justice and for Black lives.

We want to be clear: we believe that saying Black lives matter is not to say that the lives of those who serve in the law enforcement community don’t. We respect and value the commitment to our communities that those in law enforcement make, and we respect the value of every one of their lives.

But we do believe that — whether Black, brown, white, or blue — our nation and our very way of life is dependent on the principle of all people being served equal justice under the law. And it’s clear, the effects of the criminal justice system are not color blind.

We do not place the blame for this on individual officers. Rather, we believe it is due to the systemic racism built into the fabric of our institutions at every level, disadvantaging and discriminating against people of color in ways that go beyond individual intent to discriminate. For this reason, we are not pointing fingers at individuals; we are instead urging us to come together to better our society and institutions so that we may finally fulfill the founding promise of this country: to be a country with dignity and justice for all.

All lives do matter. But all lives will not matter until Black lives matter.

We ask people to be open to understanding these issues, and not to reflexively retreat to our current beliefs. Change happens when people are willing to listen and hear the struggles of their neighbor, putting aside preconceived notions and truly seeking to understand and grow. We’ll be working hard on that, and ask you to as well.

- Your friends at Ben & Jerry’s

[SOURCE]

NAACP TO VOTE ON CONTROVERSIAL CHARTER MORATORIUM

The NAACP is set to vote this weekend on a controversial resolution calling for a halt to charter school expansion. It’s not exactly a new stance for the NAACP, which has passed numerous resolutions critical of charters since as far back as the late 1990s. But charter schools have seen rapid growth in recent years and are under increased scrutiny, so this vote is attracting a lot more attention — and resistance — than those in the past.

Read more: NAACP TO VOTE ON CONTROVERSIAL CHARTER MORATORIUM

Howard University Announces the Cathy Hughes School of Communications

Howard University president, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, today announced a multi-million dollar gift to its School of Communications from Alfred C. Liggins III, President and CEO of Radio One, Inc. This notable contribution was made through the Catherine L. Hughes and Alfred C. Liggins III Foundation and establishes that the School will be named in honor of Cathy Hughes, Radio One founder and Chairperson, and former Howard University staff member. An official ceremony to announce the naming of the “Cathy Hughes School of Communications” will be held on Sunday, October 23, 2016, at Howard University.

“The Howard community is thrilled that Mr. Liggins has chosen to honor his mother, Ms. Cathy Hughes, in this manner for her pioneering work in the field of communications,” said Dr. Frederick. “The gift will have a transformational impact on the School’s commitment to serve the communications industry and as a high-level producer of diverse media specialists.” He went on to acknowledge that Ms. Hughes is well known for her accomplishments at the School and University, particularly at WHUR-FM where she created the popular, urban music format known as the “Quiet Storm.” She is also the School’s third Time Warner Endowed Chair.

The donation recognizes the extraordinary vigor of Howard’s School of Communications and its faculty, students, staff, and alumni. It demonstrates Ms. Hughes’ and Mr. Liggins’ firm beliefs in the role that the School plays in providing and sustaining a range of educational and leadership alternatives for African Americans within the communications sector. In 2013, the School reorganized its undergraduate programs and departments, graduate studies, and interdisciplinary options. Now in its 45th year of existence, the School proudly boasts four progressive departments: Communication Culture and Media Studies; Communication Sciences and Disorders; Media, Journalism and Film; and Strategic, Legal and Management Communication.

The Catherine L. Hughes and Alfred C. Liggins III Fund at Howard University will assist the School in acquiring cutting-edge technology and equipment, which will support its academically rich programs. Radio One invites its supporters and business partners to join its effort to promote and support Howard-educated communication leaders who will continue the cycle of influence and upliftment personified by Ms. Hughes. Donations should be made to Howard University and designated for the Cathy Hughes School of Communications.

As Howard University approaches its sesquicentennial anniversary, its enthusiasm about the next 150 years is heightened by the generosity of Ms. Hughes and Mr. Liggins, and the legacy that they are graciously leaving behind.

Republican candidate offers black voters watermelon, fried chicken, & Kool Aid to attend rally

Here's one that has Donald Trump wondering why he didn't think of this first. Jon Girodes' a Republican candidate running for a New York State Senate seat to represent Harlem offered black voters watermelon, fried chicken, and Kool-Aid to attend a campaign rally. That's right Kool Aid cause you will need something to wash all this racism down with. I think Republicans insulted African Americans less when they weren't talking to us/them; the racist comments have only gotten worse with this so-called outreach. Watch the story on Jon Girodes' below. George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Why Trump's plan for his supporters to monitor election sites in "urban" areas wont work.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

During a campaign rally in Detroit Donald Trump encouraged his overwhelmingly white supporters to go into "urban" areas on election day and to monitor what is going on. Read his quote below:

Here's the full Trump riff on voter fraud from this evening in Novi. Mich., in which he urges his supporter to monitor polling places. pic.twitter.com/S3Vt1TzOvW

— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) September 30, 2016

Like most Trump ideas this has not been very well thought out.

Now I have to ask what exactly are these monitors supposed to do? In many states, monitors/challengers have to be appointed by a candidate or party chair, and a list of challengers has to be submitted to the county board of elections at least two weeks before the election. They must also wear challenger badges even to go into the polling place to review what is going on and to challenge anyone they feel is not a legitimate voter. Also, you just can't challenge someone because you feel they shouldn't be there, there has to be a valid reason for that challenge and beings as these monitors don't live in the area or know the people that vote at that site on what basis would they question?

Here is a list of things challengers can't do here in my home state of New Jersey:

 challenge any voter on the basis of race, ethnicity, expected manner of voting, or the location of the voter’s actual residence in a housing complex, ward or other part of town or county (N.J.S.A. 19:15-18);

 sit with the district board workers;

 stand over the district board workers;

 touch any election materials;

 go to the voting machine during the voting hours;

 challenge the voter directly;

 participate in the signature comparison process, which is the exclusive responsibility of the board worker;

 harass or intimidate voters or cause any disturbance in the polling place. N.J.S.A. 19:34-29;

 wear any campaign insignia whatsoever. This includes buttons or any clothing with indicia relating to any candidate, a political party or referendum. N.J.S.A. 19:34-15;

 decline, refuse or neglect to wear the challenger badge or fail to present the challenger credentials to the district board upon arrival at the polling place. N.J.S.A. 19:7-6.

I'm sure most states have similar regulations for monitors/challengers and with that in mind what could they possibly do other than to hope to intimidate voters in "urban" areas. Unfortunately for those Trump supporters dumb enough to follow Trump's advice they will find out that black voters from 18 to 90 years old don't intimidate easily. These fools who felt that had some type of power because they support Trump will find themselves being the ones who are intimidated and quickly realizing that like voting for Trump this was a bad idea.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Obama discusses discrimination, social change with students at North Carolina A&T University

In conjunction with ESPN's Undefeated, President Barack Obama held a town hall event at North Carolina A&T. He told the students, most of whom were athletes that social movements and activist activity is more likely to be successful if they know exactly what they are working for. Obama also discussed funding for HBCUs and how students could help with that funding. Check out some highlights of President Obama's responses below:

President Obama discusses how social movements begin with one person and then moves forward to deal with the bigger picture.

President Obama discussing funding for HBCU's and lowering cost for students:

Sheriff David Clarke suddenly remembers he's black and plays the race card.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

When Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke learned that the University of New Haven rescinded its offer for him to be the keynote speaker on a forensics discussion he was livid and the poor baby's feelings were hurt. He blamed the rescinded invitation on his past comments on Black Lives Matter and went so far as to play the race card.

In a blog post on Patheos Clarke wrote:

“Apparently, the higher-ups did not want me to speak on campus due to my remarks about #BlackLivesMatter,” he wrote on his Oct. 5 blog. “I’m not sure what specific remarks drove them to uninvite me, but anyone who listens to me for five seconds knows I prefer to drop the ‘v’ and call them #BlackLIESMatter. They terrorize the police, lie about their true mission, promote anarchy like the old Black Liberation Army, and released a list of ‘demands’ that included releasing known cop killers.”

The University of New Haven responded by stating that Clarke although he did not request payment for the lecture, the sheriff demanded expensive travel arrangements. They included a first-class airline ticket and a presidential hotel suite. They also released the following statement via Facebook:

The University is aware that some people, including current students and alumni, are upset that Sheriff David Clarke’s invitation to speak at the Markle Symposium was rescinded. As an institution of higher learning, we fully support free speech and value the marketplace of ideas. Unfortunately, circumstances did not permit Sheriff Clarke’s attendance at this year’s symposium, and we respect the resulting divergent reactions among the University community.

In response to the University of New Haven's statement Clarke went there and played the race card in a separate blog post of Patheos:

President Steven H. Kaplan, I understand why you don’t want people to know that a predominantly white college won’t let a black man speak on campus because of your incredible support for minorities. That doesn’t even pass the “straight face test.” If you think my beliefs should prohibit me from speaking about collecting, preserving, and analyzing evidence, that’s your decision as a private school.

Wow isn't that something, the man who believes all black people stopped by the police are belligerent, don't respect authority, and if they get shot it's those black people's fault suddenly remembers he's black and claims he was uninvited because he's black. No, Sheriff Clarke, you were uninvited because you are a diva, a self-hating diva but still a diva.

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Don't miss Michelle Obama's CNN film We Will Rise

 

In CNN Films' "We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World," the First Lady, Meryl Streep, Freida Pinto and CNN's Isha Sesay take a journey to Morocco and Liberia, where they meet young women overcoming incredible odds to change their lives.

Check out the trailer for We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission To Educate Girls Around The World. The film airs Wednesday 10/12/2016 at 9 ET on CNN.

Who are "The African-Americans" Donald Trump speaks of?

During last night's town hall debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump myself and many of my black friends noticed something Trump kept doing. No, not the sniffing (what is up with that?) or lying but the fact that he kept saying, "The African-Americans". That got many of us to wondering just who the bleep Donald Trump was talking about.

Uncle Ruckus, oops I mean Ben Carson sticks by Donald Trump

While other Republicans have unendorsed and ran away from Donald Trump, Uncle Ruckus, oops I mean Dr. Ben Carson has decided to stick with the Republican candidate. In an op-ed written for The Hill, Ben Carson wrote an op-ed showing his continuing support for Donald Trump even after the release of the disgusting video of Trump discussing how he groped and kissed women and how he could get away with it. Carson also claims that Democrats waited and strategically released the video and that there is more to come without questioning why Trump has so much negative material out there to release in the first place. But then again being a neurosurgeon equals books sense not common sense. George L. Cook III, AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Read Carson's piece below.

The recent disclosure of lewd conversations Donald Trump had over a decade ago has caused a some disillusionment among GOP stalwarts and conservative voters.

In no way do I condone Trumps behavior - in fact I condemn any form of disrespect towards women. We should always honor and respect the dignity of our mothers, sisters and daughters.

Even though the incident happened ten years ago, well before Trump entered the political arena, this behavior is unacceptable, especially by someone who aspires to higher office. Trump did the right thing in immediately and unequivocally apologizing.

I feel fairly certain that the progressives have had knowledge of this conversation for a long time and dropped it at this point in time in an effort too obscure the release of damaging information about Hillary Clinton and her desire for open borders.

I believe that they have more material that they will release periodically up until the election to keep a negative focus on Donald Trump. They do not want to discuss the vital issues that are destroying our nation and the future of our children, because they do not have logical solutions and offer more of the same that has gotten us into this precarious situation.

Those of us who do not want to see America fundamentally devolve into something worse must be wise enough to recognize the scheme that is being played out here. We must demand not only that the issues be discussed but also that we make our decisions based on issues and not on personalities or decade old statements and behavior by Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

The political elites and their loyal media are desperate because they are seeing the large enthusiastic crowds for Donald Trump and the meager crowds for Hillary Clinton, and they know that there will be a huge enthusiasm gap on election day.

The question is; will the political elites of both parties succeed in continuing there reign of fiscal irresponsibility and military weakness or will the people understand what is going on and will they be wise enough to thwart those efforts?

Benjamin S Carson Sr MD

Emeritus Professor of Neurosurgery,Oncology,Plastic Surgery and Pediatrics

Johns Hopkins Medicine

President and CEO American Business Collaborative, LLC

Condoleeza Rice Calls On Donald Trump To Drop Out Of The Race

Former U.S. Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice went on Facebook to call for Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race after his disgusting comments about women. Read her comments below.

Donald Trump still believes the ‘Central Park Five’ are guilty despite DNA evidence

It’s been 14 years since the young men known as the Central Park Five had their convictions vacated for the brutal rape and assault of a female jogger that rocked New York City in 1989, yet Donald Trump remains convinced of their guilt.

“They admitted they were guilty,” Trump told CNN this week of Antron McCray, Raymond Santana Jr., Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam and Kharey Wise, who ranged in age from 14 to 16 when they were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the attack that left the 28-year-old victim in a coma for 12 days.

The young men have long maintained their innocence and claimed that police coerced them into providing false confessions that lead to their convictions in 1990. In 2002, a convicted rapist and murderer named Matias Reyes confessed to the gruesome attack, and after an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney revealed DNA evidence linking Reyes to the victim, the Central Park Five were exonerated.

Still, the Republican presidential nominee argued, “The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty.”

“The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous,” Trump told CNN. “And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same.”

Read more: Donald Trump still believes the ‘Central Park Five’ are guilty

Birth of a Nation headed toward 8 to 9 million dollar opening weekend

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

The Nat Turner biopic, Birth of a Nation starring, produced, written and directed by Nate Parker opens this weekend and if websites that report on movies are correct the movie is headed for an $8-9 million dollar opening. No doubt that the recent controversy over allegations that Parker raped a female student in 1999 while he was at Penn State and the women's later suicide has and will hurt the movies opening weekend.

The movie is being released through Fox Searchlight which also released 12 Years a Slave which had a $6.6 million opening weekend back in 2013 on it's way to a $56 million dollar gross. Like 12 Years a Slave there is Oscar buzz around Birth of a Nation. Whether that helps the film is yet to be seen. Below are predictions from three websites that predict opening weekend numbers.

Variety.com project a $8 million dollar opening:

...Fox Searchlight will open the film wide, instead of building up slow with the hopes of capturing awards attention. It will kick off in 2,100 theaters and should make $8 million.

BoxOffice.com predicts a $9.5 million dollar opening.

BoxOfficeMojo.Com projects a lower 7.7 million dollar opening weekend.

If you do the math that's an average of $8.4 million.

I am a bit more optimistic about the movies opening weekend and feel that it can open in the $12-13 million dollar range because of the following reasons:

The film has some great reviews and currently holds an 78% rating on www.rottentomatoes.com

Good word of mouth could very well drive more moviegoers to the film on Saturday.

The opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture has inspired much pride among African Americans about them and their history, this could drive some to see the film about a black historical figure.

The movie has some buzz among the black college crowd. It could be like the movie Malcolm X which was released when I was in school; it was a movie that you were just supposed to go to see if you were black.(Let's just hope that put the right movie title on the tickets this time).

So will you be going to see Birth of a Nation this weekend and how much do you think it will make?

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Yale honors first black student James Pennington

Yale University is honoring its first black student by naming a classroom for him.

The New Haven Register reports that the school will hold a ceremony Thursday to name a divinity school classroom after James W.C. Pennington and hang his portrait in the room.

Divinity school graduate Lecia Allman led the effort to honor Pennington, who escaped slavery in Maryland in 1837. Allman says it was illegal in Connecticut then to educate African-Americans from other states, but Pennington was allowed to attend classes. He just wasn't allowed to speak, use the library or earn a degree.

Pennington later became an abolitionist and formed an organization to provide former Amistad captives an education.

Divinity School Dean Gregory Sterling says honoring Pennington "recovers part of our past that has been neglected.''

New Documentary: "Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America"

Head Not The Tail Productions (HNTT Productions) is excited to announce the forthcoming screening of its important and timely documentary titled Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America. The film, directed by Melody Shere'a and executive produced by Monica Simmons, is a powerful and inspiring documentary that is the result of a year-long research study interviewing black professional women in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. Invisible Women uncovers and addresses issues around racism that profoundly affect black women in the corporate workplace. The women share respective experiences of disappointment and rejection when simply trying to earn a living and/or compete against white, Asian and women of other races for a higher step on the corporate ladder. Invisible Women will screen Wednesday, October 12, 2016 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Valley Center for the Performing Arts, a unique performance facility that exists in the Oakland Hills on the scenic campus of Holy Names University (3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA). The evening will encompass the film viewing, reception and panel discussion. Tickets are $20 through Oct. 2; $30 thereafter.

"For the production of Invisible Women, we interviewed black women of varied professional levels who generously shared their previously untold stories and feelings around race-related issues on the job," said Shere'a, HNTT Productions founder and CEO. "In conducting the research, we found the corporate practice of discrimination to be a common harsh reality faced by countless women of color. We also interviewed experts who provide employment reports and statistical data on this topic."

Shere'a, the film's director and executive producer Simmons are talented sisters. They have each personally experienced workplace race and gender discrimination throughout their corporate careers, which is how they conceived the idea to develop this documentary.

HNTT Productions partnered with non-profit organizations BlackFemaleProject.Org and Center for Talent Innovation to dig into the issues, look at the facts, explore the reality of working in corporate America as a black woman and delve into ways to improve the environment for tomorrow's young black corporate professionals.

While there is certainly lobbying at local, state and federal levels for gender equality and diversity in the workplace, women's discrimination remains a troubling issue that as yet has not been adequately addressed. Though numerous entities address the issue by hiring and promoting more women into management positions and corporate executive roles, a considerable recognition/advancement gap still exists for black women.

The playing field isn’t level and well-qualified black women are too frequently denied the opportunity to explore similar career growth opportunities as their white and other female counterparts. The facts and details you will learn from this documentary will surprise you.

About News noted in a May 2016 report that although black women only make up 12.7 percent of the female population in the country, they consistently make up over 50 percent—and sometimes much more—of the number of blacks who receive postsecondary degrees. Percentage-wise, Black women outpace white women, Latinas, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans in the education arena. However, a recent study found black women make up just 8% of private sector jobs and 1.5% of leadership roles.

Shere'a has a passion for empowering and mentoring young girls, and is a "Woman of Impact" member for Girls Inc. Alameda County. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the following organizations: Black Female Project, Girls Inc Alameda County, Girls Who Code and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To contribute directly to the fund, visit IndieGoGo crowdfunding page.

ABOUT HEAD NOT THE TAIL PRODUCTIONS (HNTTP): 
HNTT Productions, founded in 2016 by Melody Shere’a, is located in the heart of Oakland, California. The company creates, develops, produces and invests in film, television and documentary projects. The entertainment industry veteran possesses more than 10 years acting, print modeling and voice-over experience. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Shere’a graduated from Cal State Hayward, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree, and later pursued an MBA in Finance at Holy Names University in Oakland.

Monica Simmons is the Executive Producer of the documentary and head of production and film development for HNTT Productions.

Shere'a, HNTT Productions CEO states, "For too long our stories have been left behind. It is HNTTP's goal is to bring forth the change needed in the entertainment industry by becoming the 'Head and Not The Tail' in this business".    HNTTProductions.com