African-American

4798Tonya Lewis Lee is a very busy woman. The former corporate attorney is a best-selling author, a television and documentary producer, multi-media production company owner and recently became a spokesperson for the CDC's Office of Minority Health's Infant Mortality Awareness project -- in addition to being a wife and mother of two. Recently, she shared with EBONY how exactly she keeps it balanced and how she's trying to help our people live better:
4798The First Ladies Health Luncheon in Chicago, IL will take place at the fabulous Ritz Carlton Chicago on June 8th at 12:00 p.m. 
4798On most Sundays Rod Hairston preaches to his local church. But four months out of the year he also serves as the chaplain to the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. In the process of pastoring some of the finest athletes in the world, Rod has learned some valuable lessons that apply to ministry anywhere and anytime.
4798The furor over Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles' reforms has only intensified since the board of trustees voted to fire two principals and almost 300 teachers at its regular board meeting Thursday night.

After about an hour-long executive session, the Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to fire several teachers and just two principals. The vote on the non-renewals of employee contracts came after months of controversy over DISD Superintendent Mike Miles' reforms, which included a principal evaluation plan that required principals to meet certain benchmarks or be fired.
4798 President Barack Obama signed a bill into law on Friday granting the United States' highest civilian honor to four black girls killed in a civil rights-era church bombing that shocked the nation in 1963.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 24: US President Barack Obama (2nd L) speaks as he signs a bill in the Oval Office designating the Congressional Gold Medal to commemorate the four young girls killed during the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, as (L-R) Rep Terri Sewell (D-AL), Thelma Pippen McNair, mother of Denise McNair, Lisa McNair, sister of Denise McNair, Dianne Braddock, sister of Carole Robertson, Rev Arthur Price, Jr, pastor 16th Street Baptist Church, and former U.
4798Some 25 years ago I changed my life. 

A visit inside a church opened my eyes to the destructive life I was living, financed by welfare checks generously provided by American taxpayers.
Paul Solman answers questions from the PBS NewsHour audience on business and economic news here on his Making Sense Business Desk page.

Last hired, first fired. It's a cliche of the labor market that becomes an especially bitter reality during economic downturns. In both the Great Depression of the 1930s and the more recent Great Recession, the cliche held particularly true for African-Americans, as we pointed out in this broadcast story about East St. Louis from 2009.
Tavis Smiley has stood out in 20 years in broadcasting, and he has no intention of changing his style or substance.

Pictured: This undated image from video released by PBS shows host Tavis Smiley, right, during an interview with Hillary Rodham Clinton on "Tavis Smiley Reports." Smiley, who's marking his 10th year this month as host of his PBS talk show and his 20th year in broadcasting. (AP Photo/PBS)
It's almost a cliche. First, someone talking about blacks makes reference to fried chicken, watermelon, monkeys or dogs - or even uses the indefensible N-word. Then, along with the inevitable apology, comes the kicker: I'm not racist.
4798Trent Ogilvie, who has served local churches for the past 12 years, has been chosen as the Best Spiritual Leader in Maury County.
4798 The Baltimore mega-church Bethel AME Church announced a partnership with local radio stations 92Q and Magic 95.9 to help send relief to the victims of Moore, Okla., a town which was hit the hardest by a devastating tornado on May 20. The twister killed 24 people including 10 children and two infants, officials said.
4798The organization Black Concerned Clergy of Atlanta, Georgia on May 6th to discuss how they might implement the nation's foremost program for the Prevention of Childhood Sexual Molestation, BEE WISE KIDS (http://beewisekids.org/) to reduce the epidemic of sexual abuse against children in the Atlanta area.
4798People from across the country are sending help to the victims of the Oklahoma tornado tragedy from money to supplies.

The Daytona Beach Black Clergy Alliance held a community prayer service at Tubman King Community Church for the Oklahoma tornado victims -- Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

The Christian History of Morehouse College

4798In 1867, two years after the Civil War ended, Augusta Theological Institute was established in the basement of Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. Founded in 1787, Springfield Baptist is the oldest independent African-American church in the United States. The school's primary purpose was to prepare Black men for ministry and teaching.
4798The first fatality identified as a casualty of the Oklahoma tornado was Ja'Nae Hornsby, 9, an African American student who was among seven people found dead Monday, drowned under the rubble at Plaza Towers Elementary School in suburban Moore, Okla.
4798The Rev. Mark Griffin remembers his father taking him to his childhood church to show him the one-room school he attended.

The Times-Union The Rev. Mark Griffin, a former accountant, preaches at Wayman Chapel AME Church as part of a Bible study.
4798LGBT activists have expressed concern that the D.C. government paid $80,000 this year for a performance at the city's annual Emancipation Day celebration by a gospel singer who has publicly called for gays to abandon the "homosexual lifestyle."
4798While the average African American is feeling more financially secure, many still feel neglected by the financial industry, new research shows.

Many African Americans say financial firms don't reach out to them, according to a new Prudential survey.
4798Giving, kind and caring, that is how West Huntsville United Methodist Church members describe brothers Terry and Anthony Jackson.
4798Virginia Democrats continued focusing their fire in November's bellwether statewide elections not at the top of the Republican ticket but in the middle, at the outspoken conservative black minister nominated by GOP delegates for lieutenant governor.
4798The past year has seen many changes in the position of African Americans in Pasadena setting up what should be a good year for progress in the City of Roses. The dilemma is the same one that African Americans face across America. That dilemma simply put is that with the giant steps made by some African Americans in public life there will be a tendency in the celebration of the giant steps, to think that racism is a thing of the past. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The Alternative to Abortion

4798With the convictions in the case against abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell - three counts of murdering live babies and one count of involuntary manslaughter - abortion is back in the national discussion.
4798As the commencement speaker at the all-male and historically black Morehouse College in Atlanta this past weekend, President Barack Obama used what should be a moment of celebration and honor to preach what can only be considered more of the same politics of division that seem to be the hallmark of his presidency.
4798 A Wayne County judge said Tuesday that he "lusted" after a much younger woman and carried on an affair with her while he was presiding over a case against the father of her child.
4798Freedom fighters Carl Dix (pictured above right) and Cornel West (pictured above center) held an intense dialogue about mass incarceration on the Upper West Side Monday evening. The event, "Mass Incarceration + Silence=Genocide," served to challenge the sociopolitical forces herding a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic men in to prisons. The Stop Mass Incarceration Network/ Revolution Books-sponsored event was tinged with revolutionary fire, which was-a testament to its keynote speakers.
4798 Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), attended the 18th Annual Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo where he was presented with the Arthur G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award, the publication's highest honor.
4798 A Virginia couple was shocked to find a police officer in front of their home when they returned from running errands, but they were even more surprised by the reason for the cop's visit-- to question whether or not they were in fact their children's parents.

Now the Dog Is Racist Too? Wow! What Is This About?

4798"We live in a diverse urban city. I am white and my husband is Filipino and white, but he's often mistaken for Indian or black/mixed because of his dark complexion. He is great with animals in general and is a supersweet, calm, gentle person; we foster rescue dogs that are really sensitive, and they love him! But on several occasions when we're meeting with co-workers and friends, their dogs will bark and act aggressively toward him, yet not toward the other white people who are also present.
4798Trevor Coleman thinks it's time for President Obama to get a new speech for black audiences. The personal responsibility finger-wagging, delivered most recently Sunday at Morehouse College's commencement, is getting old.
4798What if our churches were able to fund four-year college scholarships and missions work abroad for our youth while spending less for office supplies and photocopying services that they already consume? It's not a dream...
4798 Nine-year-old Ja'Nae Hornsby was confirmed dead by multiple news sources following a tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., on Monday.
4798 President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama addressed freshly minted African American graduates over the weekend, reopening a debate that has dogged him since he was a candidate. On such occasions, how much emphasis should he give to addressing the "personal responsibility" of African Americans? How much should he focus instead on the responsibility of the government he leads to address African Americans' plight?
4798Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson, Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans and Pastor Antoine Barriere of Household of Faith joined with hundreds of pro-life advocates today for a rally to oppose a new Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in New Orleans.
4798Diabetes is the "gateway disease" that often can lead to other health concerns, especially for Blacks. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one of every three Blacks in this country either has diabetes or is pre-diabetic, and nearly 39 percent of Black Minnesotans' deaths are caused by diabetes.
4798African-American residents have always been a vital part of our identity as a community.
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Trevor Coleman thinks it's time for President Obama to get a new speech for black audiences. The personal responsibility finger-wagging, delivered most recently Sunday at Morehouse College's commencement, is getting old.

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"The Fighting Temptations" is one of the funniest, tongue-in-cheek depictions of the Pentecostal Baptist church. The 2003 movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and uses humor to expose the wickedness flowing through some church pews. In the film, Gooding navigates church politics to organize a viable choir for a gospel competition.

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This week, President Barack Obama gave the commencement address to the young men at Morehouse College.  I was happy to see the president speak to these men, for I'm sure they were inspired by his presence.  The achievements of Barack Obama are nothing short of legendary and inspirational, he deserves to be recognized as such.  Morehouse College President John Wilson should also be commended for his extraordinary leadership.  Dr. Wilson was gracious enough to join the presidents of Spelman and Clark in co-signing the open letter on mass incarceration written by myself and Russell Simmons.

Rain or shine, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama withheld their commitments and gave commencement speeches at two HBCU graduation ceremonies this weekend.
Would you really want your pastor - and your congregation - to star in a reality television show?