Actress Paula Patton and Gabourey Sidibe at the screening of “Precious”
November 15, 2009
Actress Paula Patton, Robin Thicke (C) and Gabourey Sidibe (R) arrive at the AFI FEST 2009 Screening Of Precious: Based On The Novel ‘PUSH’ By Sapphire on November 1, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Laila Ali and Anthem Blue cross Fighting to Prevent Childhood Obesity
November 15, 2009
World Champion athlete Laila Ali joined the Anthem Blue Cross and California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Live Like a Champion Tour at Kentwood Elementary to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. Ali stepped into the ring for a round with a speed bag and to teach kids the importance of conditioning activities such as push-ups, sit-ups and jumping rope.
Actress Halle Berry attends Keep A Child Alive 6th Annual Black Ball
October 20, 2009
Keep a Child Alive is dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support services to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS.
Pictured: Actress Halle Berry attends Keep A Child Alive�s 6th Annual Black Ball at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 15, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Nation’s pupils find few black men to call Mister
October 15, 2009
Lenny Macklin made it to 10th grade before having a teacher who looked like him — an African-American male. Gregory Georges graduated from high school without ever being taught by a black man.
Only about 2 percent of teachers nationwide are African-American men. But experts say that needs to change if educators expect to reduce minority achievement gaps and dropout rates.
Macklin, now an 18-year-old college student, said he understands the circle that keeps many of his peers out of the classroom professionally.
“A lot of males, they don’t like being in school because they can’t relate to their teacher,” said Macklin, of Pittsburgh. “So why would you want to work there?”
American teachers are overwhelmingly white (87 percent) and female (77 percent), despite minority student populations of about 44 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pictured: Professor and author Cornel West makes a point while addressing the crowd at the ‘State Of The Black Union’ symposium at the Ernest E. Morial Convention Center February 23, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) spoke at the event which was held at the site where thousands of New Orleans residents sat without aid for days following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Photo by Richard Alan Hannon/Getty Images)
Michelle Obama Becomes National Honorary President of Girl Scouts of the USA
October 14, 2009
Girl Scouts of the USA is pleased to announce that First Lady Michelle Obama has agreed to serve as its Honorary National President.
“It is my great pleasure to serve as Honorary National President of Girl Scouts,” said Mrs. Obama. “With their innovative new programming, ground-breaking research, and emphasis on service and leadership, Girl Scouts is preparing the women of tomorrow to be a positive force for change – in their own lives, their communities, and across the globe.”
In accepting the position, Mrs. Obama takes her place in a tradition stretching back to 1929, when Lou Henry Hoover became the first Honorary National President of the Girl Scouting movement. Since then, each successive First Lady has served in this post. Read more
With Obamas, art changes on White House walls
October 13, 2009
The US First Couple has taken 47 works of art on loan to decorate the White House, displaying a taste for modern and contemporary art and works by minority artists.
Art selected by President Barack Obama — the first African-American US president — and Michelle Obama from five galleries include works from the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshhorn, a sculpture gallery.
They include pieces by seven black artists, including one by Glenn Ligon, a conceptual artist who explores issues of politics and race in works made of text, photos and neon.
A vertical piece selected by the Obamas was “Black like me N°2,” a riff on a 1961 book by white journalist John Howard Griffin who darkened his skin and then wrote about his experience as a “black” man in the racially segregated US south.
“Harlem Renaissance” painter William Johnson is favored with four pieces, while Alma Thomas, a top African-American woman artist, is represented on the abstract painting front.
Pictured: US President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle arrive at the ‘We Are One’ concert, one of the events of Obama’s inauguration celebrations, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on January 18, 2009. A galaxy of stars including Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Stevie Wonder will usher Obama into the White House, with a half-million people expected to brave the cold to celebrate the first African-American president. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Candid: Mariah Carey Performs on The “Today” Show
October 13, 2009
Singer Mariah Carey performs on NBC’s ‘Today’ at Rockefeller Center on October 2, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Candid: Wyclef Jean attends the Billboard Conversation
October 3, 2009
Recording artist Wyclef Jean attends the Billboard Conversation at the Times Center on September 24, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Kid Cudi attends album release party
September 28, 2009
Kid Cudi attends “Man of the Moon: The End of Day” Album Release Party at TAO Las Vegas. Man of the Moon is Kid Cudi’s debut album. Kid Cudi is best known for his hit single “Day n Night”.
Candid: Actress Niecy Nash at pre-Emmy Gift Lounge
September 28, 2009
Actress Niecy Nash attends the DPA pre-Emmy Gift Lounge at the Peninsula Hotel on September 18, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
