Bill Cosby to loan art collection to Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

[SOURCE] After amassing a private collection of African-American Art over four decades, Bill Cosby and his wife Camille plan to showcase their holdings for the first time in an exhibition planned at the Smithsonian Institution.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art announced Monday that the entire Cosby collection will go on view in November in a unique exhibit juxtaposing African-American art with African art.

The collection, which will be loaned to the museum, includes works by such leading African-American artists as Beauford Delaney, Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence, Augusta Savage and Henry Ossawa Tanner. The Cosby collection of more than 300 African-American paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings has never been loaned or seen publicly, except for one work of art.

"It's so important to show art by African-American artists in this exhibition," Cosby said in a written statement. "To me, it's a way for people to see what exists and to give voice to many of these artists who were silenced for so long, some of whom will speak no more."

US Woman's soccer star Hope Solo is also the face of domestic abuse

If I told you that a famous sports star attacked and beat their sister and nephew. What if I told you that this person was charged with two counts of domestic assault? What if I told you that this person who has a court date in November will not only be allowed to continue playing buy also represent their country. What if I told you this person was woman?

This person is US soccer start goalie Hope Solo who also plays for the Seattle Reign of the NWSL. She is someone you have heard very little about while the media continues to cover stories featuring black men who are accused of or engaged in domestic abuse. Her story has barely been covered even with the current firestorm around domestic violence. In case you haven't heard about her incident here's a quick update:

...Just before 1 a.m., Kirkland police responded to a 911 call about a disturbance in the 10600 block of 124th Ave N.E. The male caller had reported that a woman at the residence was hitting people and no one could get her to stop or leave the house, according to an account of the incident released Saturday by police.

Officers arrived and immediately heard the disturbance inside. They entered the house and contacted several people, including Seattle Reign goalie Hope Amelia Stevens (Solo), who officers said appeared intoxicated and upset.

Officers reported that they could see injuries on Solo’s 17-year-old nephew and Solo’s sister. After hearing statements from those involved, officers said they determined Solo was the primary aggressor and appeared to have instigated the assault.

Solo, 32, was arrested and booked into the South King County detention facility. She is being held without bail on two counts of investigation of fourth-degree domestic-violence assault. SOURCE: SEATTLE TIMES

This story has gone under reported. The question I have is why?

Could it be that no one in America cares about a female soccer star?

Could it be that Hope Solo is simply not as well known?

Or is it because Hope Solo's case doesn't fit the narrative of the angry black man?

Hey I'm just asking. Hope Solo has not been dropped by Nike or suspended from USA Soccer or her team or punished in any way for her actions. Now I'm not defending Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson because their actions were reprehensible. But if we are all disgusted by their actions shouldn't we just as upset at Solo's? Isn't domestic violence abuse no matter who commits it?

Shouldn't Hope Solo's face and story be mentioned with the recent flurry of domestic violence stories. Isn't she also the face of a domestic violence abuser?

I mean shouldn't we be teaching everyone that NO ONE should be hitting anyone regardless of gender?

Hey, I'm just asking?

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com

Tavis Smiley's new book about MLK, "Death of a King"

A revealing and dramatic chronicle of the twelve months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations -- denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few -- all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.

Smiley's DEATH OF A KING paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life -- one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.

BUY THE BOOK

Whoa America, black parents are not beating the hell out of their kids!

In light of the Adrian Peterson media frenzy I need to put this out there. BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT RUNNING AROUND BEATING THE HELL OUT OF THEIR KIDS!

If you have been watching TV in the last few days you may have heard Chris Carter, Charles Barkley, and others say that black parents beat their kids when it comes to discipline. Barkley went so far as to say that all black parents in his neighborhood would have been arrested today for what they did when he was growing up. Many black talking heads said that was how they were brought up. That leaves the impression that's how all black people discipline their kids and that children were constantly beaten every other day. Neither impression is true.

I like many children didn't get as many beatings as I think I did and normally I earned that rare ass whuppin. It should also be mentioned that normally being beaten was a last resort and usually only happened after a display of blatant disrespect or if mom or dad had to leave work to come to school because of some foolishness you got into. It also needs to be mentioned that a talk normally followed the beating (the talk during the beating doesn't count), a talk about why you shouldn't have done whatever it was you did. Our parents never enjoyed beating us but that was how they taught us a lesson. You can argue about whether it was the best way but it worked.

Here's an example. When I was about eight I stole another little boys bottle of YooHoo. I of course got caught and my mother had to come to school. She beat me when we got home and then when my father got off from work he beat me. (Although I'm not sure if was more mad at me stealing or having to hear more mother yelling the moment he walked in the house.). After that I have never even thought of stealing agian, Hell, I haven't had a YooHoo since.

Now it's 2014 and I have a child. My wife and I don't beat our child. I would like to think that I am more enlightened than my parents but then again I have a little girl and could never picture spanking her. My wife was a spoiled little brat as a child and was never spanked so she doesn't believe in it at all.

We and many other black parents now use different methods when it comes to discipline. Times change and black parents are right there with everyone else when it comes to discipline. Oh and one last thing. Beating your child is not a black thing.

George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.com

How many 'other Fergusons' are there?

What happened in Ferguson could happen elsewhere in America.

That’s the message from experts on race relations and from an analysis of census data about American cities following the protests in the St. Louis suburb that erupted after the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old at the hands of a white police officer.

Ferguson, Mo., may be an extreme example, but it’s part of a larger pattern in which many US communities have police forces that don’t come close to mirroring the racial composition of the populations they serve. Even where Ferguson-style gaps between the police and wider community don’t exist, it’s common across the United States for blacks to feel that the criminal-justice system is stacked against them and that political power eludes them.

What that means is that, despite the real progress the nation has made on race relations, another tragic occurrence similar to the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson could spark street protests in other US cities.

Read more: How many 'other Fergusons' are there?