Tuskegee airman, WWII hero from N.J., dies at 90

Calvin Spann, a New Jersey native and one of the original Tuskegee airmen, died Sunday at his home in Texas. He was 90.

Spann, who was born Nov. 28, 1924, and grew up in Rutherford, volunteered for the Army Air Corps and was sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1943 to start aviation cadet training. He was sent to Italy as a replacement combat pilot after completing his training.

Lt. Spann flew 26 combat missions over Nazi Germany.

As a fighter pilot, he participated in the longest bomber escort mission in 15th Air Force history: a 1,600-mile, round-trip mission, from Ramitelli, Italy, to Berlin.

Read more: Tuskegee Airman, NJ Native, Dies

Minority winemakers look to change industry's stereotypes

Bertony Faustin didn't set out to be Oregon's first black winemaker. He just wanted to make good wine. But the disbelief that often comes when customers realize a black man owns the winery has worn on him. "People are always surprised. Everybody assumes that ... I am not the winemaker," said the 43-year-old, who four years ago opened Abbey Creek Winery about 20 miles northwest of Portland. "The image of the winemaker is an old white guy. To see that it's a black man, it takes people aback."

The industry's stereotype, Faustin said, is one of status and racial homogeneity — photographs in wine publications feature manicured homes, expensive tasting rooms and white families touting well-bred pedigrees. Yet, more African-Americans and other minorities are increasingly making and drinking fine wine and wine-tasting clubs for African -Americans have proliferated. The shift, many experts say, is making the industry less elitist and attracting a diversity of customers, but comes with its own challenges.

Read more: Minority winemakers look to change industry's stereotypes

POLL: Would you vote for Ben Carson?

While Donald Trump is busy sucking most of the oxygen out of the republican primary race another candidate has quietly came up on his heels. That would be the soft spoken Dr. Ben Carson who has no actual qualifications to be president of ANYTHING, let alone President of the United States.

Some republicans/conservatives feel that Carson can attract a sizable amount of the black vote that other candidates can't. What this is based on other than Carson's race is unknown to me. I guess they feel because they like him black voters should like him not because of his views but because of his inspiring life story and his work as a renowned neurosurgeon. But people are smart enough to separate the gifted doctor from the bumbling candidate. Right now Clarence Thomas might be more popular in the black community than Carson especially after Carson's ridiculous comments comparing Obamacare to slavery. I wont even mention his stupid comments about blacks waiting to get a pat on the head from democratic leaders.

But I do wonder if a sizable number of black voters (meaning more than 3%) may still vote for him. Now why the audience here is diverse it is still mostly African American and votes Democrat so your opinion is important here. So let's tale political affiliation out of it. I would like to know if everything were equal could you under any circumstances vote for Ben Carson to be president of these United States?

Maya Angelou's art collection is headed to NY auction

The art collection of celebrated writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou is heading to a New York City auction this month.

Among the highlights of the Sept. 15 Swann Galleries sale is a painted story quilt that hung in Angelou's Harlem home.

It's a work by African-American artist Faith Ringgold titled "Maya's Quilt of Life." It was commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for Angelou's 69th birthday in 1989.

It depicts Angelou surrounded by flowers and excerpts from some of her writings. It's an acrylic on canvas with pieced fabric border that's expected to bring $150,000 to $250,000.

The nearly 50 works are being offered for sale by Angelou's estate. They're expected to fetch $400,000 to $640,000.

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Why Fox News must destroy #BlackLivesMatter

Fox News has launched an all out propaganda war against the #BlackLivesMatter Movement. The network is trying to blame the recent deaths of police officers on the movement, and trying to make a case that #BlackLivesMatter is putting officers lives at risk by changing the atmosphere in which cops must now work. Somehow speaking out against BAD cops who kill people is spewing hate against all police officers. Fox News has blamed #BlackLivesMatter for starting a war on cops. There is no proof that is so and even a police chief who made such a statement admitted as much when pressed.

Fox News is spewing this propaganda and trying to make it seem like there is an epidemic of attacks on police although police deaths are down by 13% as compared to last year. US News & World Reports reports:

Shooting deaths of officers are actually down 13 percent compared with the same January-to-September period in 2014. There were 30 shootings last year and 26 this year. Those figures include state and local officers, as well as federal agents. The figures also include two accidental shootings. Suicides are not included.

Fox News has suggested that #BlackLivesMatter is a "murder movement". Network host such as Elisabeth Hasselback have asked why Black Lives Matter is not classified as a hate group. Bill (facts be damned) O'Reilly has said that #BlackLivesMatter is a hate group and declared that he was “going to put them out of business.”

But why has #BlackLivesMatter become such a huge issue for Fox News?

They would have you believe it's because the network is pro-police. That would be bullsh*t. The truth is #BlackLivesMatter is an Achilles heel for republican/conservative candidates that none of them have any answer for. Worse yet for republicans #BlackLivesMatter is making sure that it will be part of the national agenda for the 2016 election season. Any credible candidate will have to dedicate part of their platform to police reforms and that's the last thing conservatives want. If you think Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders had trouble with #BlackLivesMatter just imagine the issues a conservative/republican candidate would have addressing them. Fox News has falsely demonized #BlackLivesMatter to the point where no conservative candidate can be seen as pandering to the movement for fear of upsetting the "base".

But not being able to address police reform issues will hurt the already low percentage of black voters a republican candidate can expect to get. So what's the solution? Send in the Fox News attack dogs and try to misrepresent, demonize, demean, and belittle #BlackLivesMatter to viewers who don't know in and some cases don't care to know any better. This is being done to try to keep #BlackLivesMatter from setting any part of a national platform for the eventual 2016 candidates.

Simply put Fox News attacks on #BlackLivesMatter are purely political and must be fought back against. Fox News can have their own opinions, but they can't have their own facts.

George Cook AfricanAmericanReports georgelcookiii@gmail.com