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The Black Bank Initiative and The United States Of Africa/Diaspora Advocacy Group - 'Business and Building' III? BlackElectorate.com is informally exploring the level of interest among its viewership in a follow-up to its 2006 and 2007 "Business and Building" Community Events in Washington D.C. The proposed event, could be devoted to one or two Initiatives: The Black Bank Initiative (BBI). ... [  more... ]

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Wichita Eagle: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. added reparations disclaimer.


Mondoweiss: Rep. Donna Edwards says U.S. lacks a spirited, open debate of Israel/Palestine.


Fox News: A disclaimer at the end of the Senate slavery apology, dealing with the touchy issue of reparations, is causing some dissension among House Democrats and may prevent the two chambers from coming together on the measure.


Mason: President Barack Obama, fresh from his first legislative victory on climate policy, expressed confidence on Monday that new greenhouse gas emission limits would become law with help from the U.S. Senate.


Boston Globe: Lobbyist at center of healthcare overhaul. It is no accident that Karen Ignagni is the chief executive of the main health insurance lobby, at a time when a popular new Democratic president is planning a sweeping healthcare overhaul.


Detroit Free Press: Conyers' resignation clears way for Cobo. Foes of expansion plan losing a key vote.


Tampabay: St. Petersbug has Ten mayoral candidates qualify for Sept. 1 primary. It's a diverse cast, with businessmen & activists, experienced politicians & first-timers & the city's first viable African-American candidate.


Time: The Obamas Find a Church Home — Away from Home.


Slate: A Connecticut City's Race Problem Sparks a National Debate.


Religion Dispatches: Obama Threaded the Moral Needle of Latino Evangelicals in '08.


Ahmed: Teacher turnover plagues Chicago public schools.


CNN: Blacks in survey say race relations no better with Obama.


Detroit News: Detroit City Councilmember Monica Conyers, wife of Congressman John Conyers, pleads guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for votes.


Washington Post: The Political Enclave That Dare Not Speak Its Name. The Sanford and Ensign Scandals Open a Door On Previously Secretive 'C Street' Spiritual Haven.


Miller: Conyers backs off probe of ACORN. Says 'powers that be' ended plans for hearings on group.


Hill: U.S. Capitol is too white, say critics.


Washington Times: Gay Democrats close wallets to Obama. DNC funds threatened.


Hill: Obey, Waters in noisy floor fight.


AP: Attorney general wants review of cocaine sentences. Eric Holder sought support Weds for erasing the gap in prison sentences for crack & powder cocaine crimes, a disparity that hits Black defendants the hardest.


Nola: Nigerian executive testifies he gave cash to William Jefferson.


Roll Call: House liberals are warning the Senate, Democratic leaders and Pres Barack Obama that a govt-run insurance option must be included in any health reform bill, or else the powerful bloc will vote it down.


National Review: Racial Progress Stymied. Why we should not gerrymander majority-minority districts.


Memphis Daily News: Candidates meet the public. Herenton’s supporters have said a black candidate should be elected to the seat because there are no black members of Congress in the Tenn. delegation & the 9th District is majority African-American.


Jackson: Dems must bring Blue Dogs to heel.


CQ Politics: Democrats Tout Four States as Takeovers in Governor Races.


Hill: An investigation into a trip taken by members of the Congressional Black Caucus to the Carribean is triggering a backlash against the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s signature ethics proposal.


Bay Area Indymedia: Charles Rangel and Cynthia McKinney support Mumia Abu-Jamal, a civil rights investigation.


Smedley: Healthcare reform important to Blacks.


St. Louis American: AARP Moves to Increase Black and Latino Membership.


Zelizer: Is Obama's honeymoon over?


Washington Post: A key part of the landmark Voting Rights Act survived a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court, but justices made it clear that the law may no longer be appropriate.


Seattle Times: Former Sonics player James Donaldson's campaign to become Seattle mayor is in debt and losing support, but Donaldson says he is kicking off a more grass-roots campaign.


Philadelphia Inquirer: The pressure to pass students - even those who rarely go to class or can't read - is pervasive in the Philadelphia School District, teachers around the city say.


Washington Post: A Quest to Be Heard. What Drives a Black Farmer to Work His Fields and the Halls of Congress?


EURweb: CBC, NAACP AT ODDS OVER SLAVERY APOLOGY: Congressional Black Caucus has issue with disclaimer in the resolution; civil rights org doesn't.


White House: STATEMENT FROM PRES. OBAMA ON THE OCCASION OF JUNETEENTH. “In light of the historic unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate this week supporting the call for an apology for slavery & segregation, the occasion carries even more significance.”


Page: Apology, at last, but with an escape clause. After all, talk of slavery apologies leads inevitably to the more volatile "dollars-and-sense" issue of reparations for the damage slavery left behind. Did somebody say "preferential treatment"?


Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate apology on slavery lacks sincerity.


Chicago Sun Times: Burris won't be charged with perjury by Illinois prosecutor.


Times Daily: Can a minority be elected governor?


Dallas Morning News: Trial set to begin in Dallas public corruption case. For former Mayor Pro Tem Hill & his supporters, the FBI's 4 yr old investigation is a product of the Bush era, which they have said unfairly targeted Democrats & Black leaders.


WSJ: New York Standoff Sharpens Focus on Lawmaker. As Governor Calls for a Mediator if Session Ends Without Resolution, a Bronx State Senator Is Poised for Wider Powers.


The 'O' Generation. Star, Of Star and Buc Wild, Asks The Question: "Now That The 100 Days Are Over - In The Age of Obama - Do YOU Fit In?" (warning: strong language).


NYT: Senate Approves Slavery Apology, With Reparations Disclaimer. In floor remarks, Sen. Burris, the lone Black member, said the “disclaimer in no way would eliminate future actions that may be brought before this body that may deal with reparations.”


Boston Globe: Supreme Court rejects inmates' right to have DNA test.


National Review: Quite a few Senate Democrats have expressed nagging doubts about the health-care bill’s most controversial component, the public option.


Hill: DLC seeks to play bigger role in Obama era. The centrist Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a powerful group during the Clinton admin, has inserted itself into the highest levels of the Obama admin & is promising not to go away.


Boston Globe: Seeking to rebut a well-known minister’s scathing critique of Gov. Deval Patrick, about 30 Black citizens gathered on a Dorchester street corner yesterday to express support for Patrick, praising his work on their behalf.


Weekly Challenger: National Health Care Reform Must Include Remedies for Racial Disparities, Experts Say.


Tri State Defender: Herenton explains why he wants to run for Congress.


AP: "I think all along, Steve Cohen has known that's his vulnerability," said political scientist Marcus Pohlmann. "It's not so much that he's disliked because he's white, but he's running in a district that was created to elect an African-American."


The Root: It used to be that the hard line Jewish right could torment Democrats who did not follow their pro-Israel playbook. Not anymore. President Obama and Jewish moderates are providing cover.


Black Voices/AP: AG Holder Urges New Hate Crimes Law.


Jackson: Guns and hate are on rise in America.


Washington Times: Feinstein cancels fundraiser after lobbyist boasts. Heather Podesta mentioned the intelligence comm. in an invitation saying donors who gave between $1,000 & $2,500 could order up "the Select Comm. on Intelligence for the first course."


The Tennessean: GOP aide rebuked for racist Obama ‘spook’ e-mail. Sen. Diane Black tells CNN she won't fire staffer.


American Chronicle: Obama's Marriage Defense Shouldn't Surprise or Anger Anyone.


USA Today: Young Americans who are minorities outnumber young whites in almost one of every six U.S. counties. It's a demographic wave that is transforming more parts of the nation & raising questions about who is a minority.


Curtis: The GOP's Minority Outreach?


ABC Action News Tampa Bay: Crist endorses Deveron Gibbons for St. Petersburg mayor.


St. Petersburg Times: A united black vote in mayor's race?


Harris-Lacewell: Obama and the Black Daddy Dilemma.


Times-Picayune: Case against Jefferson may not be airtight; Experts see weak spots in feds' arguments.


Star Ledger: White House officials express concern about Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election bid.


Gonzalez: Sen. Hiram Monserrate switches sides again, tells News he'll return to Dems - without Sen. Pedro Espada.


Detroit Free Press: Federal prosecutors forged an important link Monday in a City Hall corruption probe that appears to be closing in on Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers.


Cannon: Black Pastors and Gay Rights: D.C. Becomes a Battleground.


Hill: Congressional Black Caucus say more diversity needed on Sunday political talk shows.


WYFF: SC Republican's Facebook Insults First Lady. Rusty Depass Says Escaped Gorilla Is Obama's Relative.


Memphis Commercial Appeal: Intense match-up ahead for 9th District between Cohen, Herenton in Congressional Race.


Redding News Review: Congressional Briefs: Cummings, Fudge, Jackson, Lee, Scott.


Charlottesville Daily Progress: The Albemarle County school system has too few black educators & administrators, & it is failing to make adequate progress toward remedying the problem, the president of the local NAACP said.


Washington Post: Justice Dept leaders, responding to pleas from lawmakers & community groups, are training their attention on efforts to reduce crime & substance abuse on land controlled by the nation's roughly 560 Native American tribes.


Miami Herald: Drive targets tailored voting districts in Florida. Most black lawmakers have dropped their long standing resistance to reform & signed off on the petition drive. So has U.S. Rep Meek, who is vying to be Florida's 1st Black senator.


Sweet: The Senate Ethics Committee probe of Sen. Roland Burris is moving to its next phase, seeking information from Burris himself, after having interviewed Sen. Durbin & Majority Leader Harry Reid & asking for the release of federal wiretaps.


VladTV: "Michael Eric Dyson Hates The President." Star, of Star and Buc Wild, addresses Professor Michael Eric Dyson's disgruntled position regarding President Obama's duties as commander and chief. (Warning: Very Strong Language)


Wilson: GOP sees Pelosi as Dems Achilles’ heel.


Weekly Standard: Not Right. The Obama administration grants Miranda rights to detainees in Afghanistan.


Single Payer Action: Conyers Rips Rangel, Waxman for Backing Off Single Payer.


South Florida Times: Civil rights groups put city & business leaders on a 30 day notice that unless they meet a list of demands-including a ban on the display of the Confederate flag at taxpayer funded events-they will be subjected to protests & boycotts.


CaribWorldNews: CaribID, the movement to get Caribbean nationals accurately counted & their own category on the U.S. Census form has kicked off its own multi-media campaign to encourage Caribbean Americans to participate in the 2010 Census.


Robinson: Feeding the Lone Wolves. In April, a prescient Dept of Homeland Security memo predicted that the election of the first African American Pres & the advent of economic hard times could worsen the threat from "right-wing extremist groups."


Walker: On Rev. Eugene River's criticism of Gov. Deval Patrick. Reading the messenger.


Queens Chronicle: Southeast Queens residents rallies round Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans).

NY Daily News: Ousted Majority Leader Malcolm Smith fiddled with BlackBerry while Senate burned.


VladTV: It's A Tribute To Michael Jackson Like No Other. Star and Buc Wild Bring It To Britney, Justin Timberlake, R. Kelly, Usher and Other Beneficiaries Of The King of Pop. (Warning: Strong Language)


Cedric Muhammad: Securitization As Satan II: N M Rothschild Linked To Slavery.


Financial Times: Rothschild and Freshfields founders linked to slavery.


Investor's Business Daily: Waxman-Markey Is Our Smoot-Hawley.


WSJ: Some states faced with sinking tax collections and rising debt are going after unused gift cards that bolster their revenue.


Bloomberg: Jackson’s Parents Gain Control Over Property in Absence of Will. A will Jackson drafted in 2002, dividing the estate among his children, mother & charities, is expected to be submitted this week, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.


AP: Battle to control Jackson's fortune begins. At stake is Jackson's 50 % ownership in Sony/ATV Music Publishing., a company estimated to be worth $2 billion; & Jackson's own recordings & songwriting rights, worth more than $150 million.


Publishers Weekly: At a time when the number of bookstores is shrinking & regional chains have all but disappeared, Carl Weber is opening more African-American bookstores as part of his four-year-old Urban Knowledge brand.

USA Today: Economy takes its toll on Amish. "It's a better life to be home with your own business & to be around your family," he said. "The children learn from watching you work."


Hard Assets Investor: Gold, Green And The Fate Of The Dollar.


Waggoner: Rising national debt raises prospects of eventual inflation. The consumer price index has actually fallen 1.3% in the past 12 months. So why is everyone so worried about soaring prices? In a word: debt.


USA Today: Small businesses wary of health care legislation.


Honolulu Star Bulletin: Prepare for life to get a lot more expensive. Wednesday marks the launch of a new fiscal year, along with new taxes and fees.

Sun Times: Castle Construction Co. -- a clout-heavy firm charged with cheating minority subcontractors on city projects -- has also had problems meeting hiring goals set by Mayor Daley's Public Building Commission.


Buchanan: California, Here We Come! And Americans should take a good, long look at the fiscal and social wreck of the Golden Land, because California is at a place to which all of America is heading.


WSJ: A Buffett Turns to Farming in Africa. Warren’s son Howard has quietly become a player in the fight against global hunger.


Daily News: The Philadelphia School District is making a special effort to recruit Black teachers. A request to spend $250,000 to hire a consulting firm to recruit up to 50 "qualified" Black teachers for the 2009-10 school yr has been approved.


BBC: Baltimore's tale of sub-prime woe. The sub-prime salesmen also used an unlikely source of influence - the black churches. "The African American churches in Baltimore were an excellent source of business.."


Zero Hedge: From tech stocks to high gas prices, Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression - & they're about to do it again says Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi.


USA Today: Bernanke fights back, says he didn't bully BofA to buy Merrill.


NYTimes: G.M., Detroit and the Fall of the Black Middle Class.


Sowetan: Black-owned upmarket salon is a first in Durban. “We black people need to maintain the same standard set by white people,” Zulu says. “There is no need for our salons to be third class.


Sherman: Minority-Owned Broadcasters Feel Crippling Effect of Performance Tax.


Diverse: Minority-serving Institutions Battle for Budget Consideration. Colleges disagree over what constitutes an agricultural program & therefore who qualifies for limited federal agricultural resources.


Washington Informer: Homeowners Find New Options to Avoid Foreclosure.


FT: Proposals for a consumer financial products agency were on Weds attacked by the biggest US banking association as expensive, vague, contradictory & bureaucratic.


Daily Deal: Issa's smoking gun against Bernanke. The Federal Reserve sought to "cover up" its extensive involvement & concerns about Bank of America's deal to purchase Merrill Lynch as the latter's financial condition worsened.


AJC: Holyfield’s estate faces foreclosure again.


Rove: ObamaCare Isn't Inevitable. Americans are increasingly concerned about the cost -- in money and personal freedom -- of the president's nanny-state initiatives.


CPR: Black Contractors Say Stimulus Dollars Aren't Turning Into Jobs.


Washington Post: For Hedge Funds, Biggest Fear Is More Regulation.


NYTimes: Behind the Scenes, Fed Chief Advocates Bigger Role.


WSJ: Who Owns the Banks, Round Two? Bank nationalization will soon be back on the agenda unless the economy picks up.


Redding News Review: Obama Dodges Black Unemployment Question.


Edney: U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, is pressing the White House & the president’s cabinet on the apparent void in federal government advertising in Black-owned newspapers & radio.


Black Web 2.0: Urban League’s Morial Responds to Pew Broadband Report on African American usage.


Charlotte Observer: Lawyer claims racial bias led to her firing. Chicago firm with Charlotte office denies discriminating against African American who lost job there last year.


Ebony/Jet: The Story That Black Radio is Afraid to Tell.


Voice of America: Microlender Targets U.S. Entrepreneurs for Loans


Plain Dealer: Shaq in Cleveland? Local businesses would happily embrace a (big) new Cavalier


BusinessWeek: Does Silicon Valley Still Matter? The region may lose its edge as a tech hub as entrepreneurs focus on short-term gains and VCs increasingly look abroad for innovation

Connecticut Post: Hundreds of job-seekers and entrepreneurs seeking an opportunity are expected to attend the third annual Entrepreneur and Career Summit hosted by the Westchester/Greater Connecticut chapter of the National Black MBA Association.


Crain's Business: Legacy on the line. Ebony owner, Johnson Publishing Co. is under siege, battered by sharp drops in advertising & circulation amid the most severe downturn in its 67-year history.


Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Possible racial disparity in city contracts to be studied.


LA Times: Mayors complain about stimulus spending. City & county officials say a disproportionate amount of the economic stimulus money is going to rural areas, leaving urban areas shortchanged.


San Francisco Bay View: New SBA loans can make Black businesses bloom.


Nation: Our elected & reasonably accountable federal officials cannot cede more control over the U.S. economy to the unelected & unaccountable Fed without auditing, reviewing and reforming how the Federal Reserve System operates.


Fox Business: Three More Banks Fail; 40 Closures So Far This Year.


CNBC: The Fed's mid-week meeting and a record $104 billion of Treasury auctions are the big hurdles for stocks in the week ahead.


Greider: The most disturbing thing about Obama's call for financial reform was the way in which the President falsified our predicament. He tried to make it sound as though everyone was implicated in the breakdown & therefore no one was really to blame.


American Prospect: Who Regulates the Regulators?


Cedric Muhammad: The Crown Jewel Of Marx & End Of The Colonial Economy Pt I. The Financial crisis has exposed those who have sought to apply Socialism as an economic model. The problem for Marx, is that he had & has some bad students.


Armour: Foreclosures grind on as bank lenders fail to modify loans. "Some lenders may not be turning (homeowners) down right away because it might be politically easier to push them off and delay," says Joel Naroff at Naroff Economic Advisors.


FT: Senate quick to attack Geithner reforms. Role of Federal Reserve questioned.


Investor's Business Daily: Viral Marketing: From 'Rock Star' To 'Potty Dance'. No matter what new ad guidelines the FTC approves, online viral marketing will continue to spread fast.


Economist: "Empty creditors", a new breed of investors who relish letting firms go bankrupt. Credit-default swaps are pitting firms against their own creditors.


Herbst: California's Economy: Too Big to Fail? Despite a $24 billion budget deficit & a legislature in stalemate, California lawmakers haven't persuaded the Obama Admin to bail out the state.


Real Clear Markets: Is There An Oil Story Behind the Iranian Elections?


Roubini: The BRICs: An Analysis. What is the outlook for Brazil, Russia, India and China?


Poole: Financial Reform: Up To Us To Change The Game.


State of NJ: The state Division on Civil Rights finds Pipefitters' local union ousted shop steward because he is black.


Detroit News: Pair will push their 'buy black goods' campaign in Detroit.


Black Enterprise: Black Banks Are Feeling the Pinch. Recession pushes profits to nine-year lows.


VOA: US Students Become Honey Entrepreneurs with Villagers in Ghana.


Washington Times: The Federal Reserve, already arguably the most powerful agency in the U.S. govt, will get sweeping new authority to regulate any co. whose failure could endanger the U.S. economy & markets under the Obama regulatory overhaul plan.


CNN Money: Magic Johnson's captivating customer service. The NBA great builds a retail empire in the inner city.


LA Times: California's credit rating may get cut further. Standard & Poor's warns that the state is at risk of a downgrade over concern that it could miss payments to bondholders.


Boston Globe: Lawmakers look to capital gains tax to bolster savings.


Brush: Lobbyists dig in as Obama pushes financial overhaul.


WALB-Albany GA: Restructuring may hurt minority businesses.


Pro Football Weekly: The NFL has extended its minority interviewing rule ('Rooney Rule') to include openings for general manager jobs & equivalent front office positions, in addition to head coaching vacancies.


Daily Monitor: New report on Africa’s financial state worries World Bank, African Development Bank.


Washington Post: Regulatory Revamp Targets Securities at Heart of Crisis. Sellers of Mortgage Loans to Share In Losses Under White House Plan.


Curran: A Stock-Market Pullback: Is the Recovery Stalling?


WSJ: Summers Calls Obama Defender of Free Markets.


Chicago Sun Times: President Obama got nine standing ovations and just one “boo” from the crowd of American Medical Association members today as he sought their help in taming medical costs.


Essence: Rep. Elijah Cummings on What Obama's Foreclosure Relief Plan Could Mean to Black America.


Indy Star: Lost jobs send some Amish back to their roots. Layoffs at Northern Indiana RV factories trigger return to crafts and self-reliance.


WSJ: World financial leaders are starting to examine how they will unwind their emergency spending packages and bank rescues as signs emerge that the economic crisis may have hit bottom.


Geithner & Summers: A New Financial Foundation.


Newsweek: The Capitalist Manifesto: Greed Is Good. (To a point).


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 10 black teens from area to visit China for 2 weeks. The program aims to prepare teens to enter and succeed in an increasingly global work force by exposing them to job opportunities around the world.


USA Today: Sports hire lobbyists for Capitol Hill clout. Major League Baseball, for instance, often spends about $1 million a year to influence Congress on antitrust, labor & myriad other issues.


Washington Post: Spending Stimulus Money Takes Money. Funds Allocated to Federal Bureaucracy as It Gears Up to Oversee Programs and that's good news for Washington.


FT: Geithner’s plans for Wall Street regulation. Revised reforms reveal power of entrenched interests.


Klare: It's Official--The Era of Cheap Oil Is Over.


American Prospect: Five Questions We Should Ask About Financial Oversight.


My MBA Career: The Graduate Management Admission Council & deans of the 36 Historically Black College and University (HBCU) business schools have joined together to better prepare African American students for MBA schools.


BusinessWeek: Lawsuit accuses Chuck E. Cheese's of racial bias.


Cedric Muhammad: We Are All Schizophrenic Enablers Now. While we may think we are only fans and supporters of talent and great art we are always in fact enablers of the cultural degeneracy, institutions, and forums that shape them.


Chosun: 30 Years On, Insooni Sees Heyday Still Ahead. In order to keep my fans' attention, I've learned dancing, ballads, Trot [Korea's oldest pop music style], jazz, musicals, and traditional Korean singing."


Pastore: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”


BallerStatus: Outlawz Member Stormey Busted In Sweden For Drug Possession. "The Outlawz believe this was a clear case of racial & social profiling, being that Stormey is African-American & a Hip Hop Artist."


South Florida Carribean News: Dazzling Exhibition of Jamaican Artist on display at African-American Research Library.


Oregonian: Honoring African American loggers' Oregon roots.


Louisiana Weekly: Florida A&M looking for Black female students.


Real Talk Xpress: Free the Jena 6-My Thoughts After the Verdict.


Washington Post: Burqas Worse than Bikinis?


Davis: Where does Michael Vick fit in the NFL if the league reinstates him? Take a look at all 32 and see where the QB would be the best match.

BroJesse: Historic Jena Six case comes to a close: What role did The Final Call Newspaper play in it all?


NYTimes: Black Reverence for Michael Jackson Is Now Unreserved. Around the world, Mr. Jackson was celebrated Sunday, but there was a special fervor in black neighborhoods and churches.


The Ring: Victor Ortiz didn't learn from Guerrero's mistake.


Detroit Free Press: Curry must step up to fix relationship with Hamilton. The Pistons' biggest problem isn't a dearth of talent. It's that their head coach & best player barely speak to each other.


AP: As it celebrates 20 years, 'Do The Right Thing' still asks burning questions.


South Bend Tribune: Students follow Underground Railroad trail. Youngsters learn about their ancestors & themselves.


Fort Worth Star-Telegram: African Music Makes Another Comeback in U.S.: African Music, Often Exiled From the Pop Mainstream, is Making a New Incursion.

Bridgeton News: Fairfield Township's Black history effort ripped.


Roland Martin: Michael Jackson's Family Speaks on His Death.


Telegraph: Michael Jackson: what he means to Black America.


NBA: The Draft's winners & losers. Blake Griffin No. 1 pick.


USA Today: Jamie Foxx is a force as singer, actor & comic. "It's an interesting thing to be in this world. I mean, I feel comfortable being the black star, like being hood-grounded."


CNN: In the black culture, a richness of hairstory.


PopMatters: Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation and Advancing an Independent Black Cinema.


Bakersfield Californian: Who will be the 'Junior Black Apprentice' of Bakersfield?


Catholic Spirit: Black priest says pro-life, African-American communities must unite.


AP: The Senate urged President Barack Obama to pardon the late Black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, who was sent to prison nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.

DuBois: Black and single: You’re fly – just not that much.


Saxton: Black Oral Traditions Featured at Smithsonian Folklife Festival.


Plain Dealer: Shaquille O'Neal is going to be a Cavalier & join Lebron James. The Cavs will send the Suns veterans Ben Wallace & Sasha Pavlovic in a deal plus the 46th overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.


The Star: Lawyers of the US R&B singer R Kelly, will meet members of the South African Police Service on Thurs to discuss his involvement in an alleged investment scam that apparently swindled money out of more than 50 people, many of them pensioners.


AJC: Queen Latifah on ‘Ice Age,’ her new album and her past, private life.


AP: Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues.


Detroit Free Press: ACLU finds black pupils disproportionately punished.


The Ledger: A Heavy Toll. Educators Work Intensely to Teach Blacks the Danger of AIDS.


Chicago Sun Times: Jeff Jordan, Michael's son, leaves University of Illinois basketball.


New Times: Queen YoNasDa, Phoenix MC with Ties to Louis Farrakhan, Wu Tang Clan and Radical Native American Group, Preps Album.


Essence: Jill Scott on Single Motherhood.


Rolling Stone: Beyonce Brings Hits, Jay-Z to “I Am …” Tour Opener in New York.


Digital Journal: Native and African Americans chronicle history together for first time in Louisiana.


ABC 7: Green tea may help fight prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is more common among African American men. Researchers are not certain why race & ethnicity is a factor but African American men are also more likely to die of the disease.

KAMR: Kids & Gangs. Often, a gang provides young members with comforts society &/or family fails to give them. A gang can morph into the child’s parental unit & also his/her sibling.


SOHH: According to the NY Post, Papoose has reportedly been linked to a 2006 Rikers Island violent brawl when he allegedly signaled various gang signs during his concert performance.


AP: Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron called on Major League Baseball to do more to increase participation by Blacks in the game.


Washington Times: At least 9 killed in Metro's deadliest accident. D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: 'The scene is as horrific as you can imagine'


Los Angeles Times: Can Chris Brown save career with plea deal in assault on Rihanna?


Philadelphia Inquirer: Hospitalized twice over the weekend because of flu-like symptoms, Ryan Howard could be back in the Phillies' lineup tonight


Washington Post: Putting Teeth in Health-Care Reform. Advocates Press to Have Dental Issues Addressed: 'We're Always Left Out'. Putting Teeth in Health-Care Reform Advocates Press to Have Dental Issues Addressed: 'We're Always Left Out'

Great Falls Tribune; Great Falls Library dedicates arch to pioneering black librarian, leader


Final Call: Quote the Bible, go to prison? Farrakhan speaks at rally for pastor jailed over biblical reference.


Parade: President Obama: 'We Need Fathers To Step Up'.


Los Angeles Daily News: Mosley wants a piece of Pacquiao.


AFP: Fifty years after the birth of Motown, the music lives on as a legacy for a city that has seen more than its share of hard times in the past decades.


Rabinovitz: U. S. Open fit tips: Tiger Woods workout. He's as much athlete as golfer.


Sports Illustrated: No longer a doubt: Boxing has its legitimate heavyweight champion.


Patina Muhammad ND, CNC: Aphasia 9/Medical Update 2. "I felt the need, to not only talk about my witness of Bro. Jabril's health, but, since Allah allowed me to see a small part of what Min. Farrakhan went through, I must state my witness of him too. "


East Side Boxing: Now, that the Marquez fight is on hold due to Floyd’s rib injury & amidst rumblings that ticket sales were less than record setting, is it reasonable to believe that Floyd’s bargaining power with Manny Pacquiao will be diminished?


Dallas Morning News: For Dallas-area family, Juneteenth signifies struggle for equality. "In my city, it is hard to find black history," says Rainwater, 66. "It's like black people never lived here."


Philadelphia Daily News: Bishop Audrey Bronson named 1st female President of Black Clergy.


LA Times: On Weds, Latinos & Blacks gathered for the opening of the Cheryl Green Community Youth Center, a sign that racial tensions in the area are calming.


Daily Press: Pastors in Hampton call for church action on crisis of youth violence. "One of the problems facing the African American church is we've been conditioned to believe that the only relevant issues are homosexuality & right-to-life."


Afro-American: Howard University's Buckley Finishes Season amongst Nation’s Best.


Boston Herald: Islamic minister transcends all faiths to give Boston what it needs.


SOHH: Sheek Louch confirms Lox & Diddy reunion, "We're all in a better space now".


DaveyD: 2Pac Lost Interview w/ Davey D from 1991 (from Juice to the meaning of Hip Hop).


Horowitz: Francis Ford Coppola Talks on Whether He'll Make Another 'Godfather'.


LA Times: Soccer is uniting South Africans.

Youngstown Vindicator: Boy, 14, offers his wisdom at seminar on black males.


AJC: Study: Black smokers view menthols as 'soothing,' 'smooth'.


AP/Philadelphia Inquirer: Pittsburgh transit worker fired over black doll.


Brotherdash: Muslim Hip-Hop: The Dawah Hope, The Dawah Reality & Changing The Game.


New York Daily News: Tonja Styles of TheMichelleObamaEffect.net said there's a reason why the First Lady is one to watch. "Michelle Obama's style resonates with everyday women for the same reasons her husband won the election: accessibility."


Sowetan: World Cup in Africa must be racism-free - says Blatter.


NY Daily News: WRKS news director Bob Slade looks for more black radio talk programs.


Times Online: Is there a Life On Mars Conspiracy? What is preventing us from finding our neighbours?


Health Day: Depression May Lead to More Preemies Among Blacks. Expert thinks pre-pregnancy mood could partly explain disparity in birth rate.


Plain Dealer: Cleveland Browns fans stunned by Donte Stallworth's 30-day jail term for DUI manslaughter.


Nola: Youths help New Orleans homeowners while building own skills.


Ghana Web: Prostate cancer is the second deadly illness afflicting Ghanaian men.


Final Call: Surviving the summer. Communities must act now to keep youth safe and reduce violence.


Hector Tobar: For Latinos and blacks, a call for unity, not hate. Without blacks' sacrifice, Latinos would be 30 years behind in the fight for civil rights.


NYTimes: A New Cultural Center Springs to Life in Harlem.


LA Times: 'Old lions' take pride in their social activism. As they retired from South L.A. pulpits, civil rights era ministers took with them a civic minded Christianity that is neither the 'prosperity gospel' nor the ministry of televangelists.


Philadelphia Inquirer: At African American Museum, an exhibit with epic sweep. When the new permanent exhibition at the African American Museum in Philadelphia officially opens Friday, it will mark a turning point.


Chicago Tribune: City born, country drawn. African-American aims for rare climb up country charts.


Christian Science Monitor: Blacks abandon San Francisco. No U.S. city has seen a more rapid decline of its African-American population.


Chicago Tribune: Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose responds to photo controversy.


Bleacher Report: Kobe Bryant Wins Fourth Title, and Now He Can Sleep Soundly.


Real Talk Xpress: Trials of Hip Hop Educator: An Open Letter to the Class of ‘09.


Staples: Even Now, There’s Risk in ‘Driving While Black’.


Hernandez: Prince George's schools issued more than 21,700 suspensions in the 2007-08 academic year, involving almost 13,000 students. Principal Jeffrey Parker agrees that suspensions are ineffective & a new proposal is needed.

Miami Herald: Discovery of suspected black cemetery reopens a chapter of Miami's history.


Arizona Republic: A potential Suns trade that would send center Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to help LeBron James' title quest is heating up again after the idea was put on a back burner following February talks.


Only "The Cedric Muhammad And Black Coffee Program" Asked The Question. Who Delivers The Greetings of Peace and Paradise - 'As-Salaam-Alaikum' - Better: Snoop Dogg or President Obama? Listen To The June 10th Show To Hear The Salutation Champion.


Chicago Tribune: Kanye West gives free concert for Chicago students. Rapper tells teens that finishing high school is a must.


Honolulu Advertiser: The African American Diversity Cultural Center Hawai'i is looking for artifacts owned by African-Americans that are connected to Hawai'i and the Pacific islands.


Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: August Wilson Center for African American Culture receives $2.6 million grant.


Irish Independent: African-American novel/novelist wins Irish literature prize.


Matthews: Brad and Angelina Set To Adopt Two More Black Children.


Los Angeles Sentinel: Verbum Dei: Black Institution or Done? The once rich athletic tradition of one of Southern Calif's most treasured institutions made a historical hire of a varsity football coach that has the school at a critical crossroads.

Black female scientist, Dr. Johnnie Hines Watts Prothro, was a Southern trailblazer.

BEC & The News Return July 12th & The Cedric Muhammad & Black Coffee Program Will Return on Weds. July 15th. Until then, Please Visit & Enjoy the Updated Archives!


Free Gaza: "ALL WE WANT IS TO REACH GAZA. WE DO NOT SEEK A CONFRONTATION." Activists aboard boat demand they be allowed to visit their friends & family in besieged Gaza, & deliver their cargo of medical supplies, children's toys, & reconstruction kits.


Gaunt: Why The BRICS like Africa.


AU: African Union Promotes Agricultural Development in Africa.


Xinhua: The Kenyan government has urged the executive council of the African Union to come up with a clear vision of solving the Somali crisis.


Annan: Africa & the International Court. The I.C.C. represents hope for victims of atrocities & sends a message that no one is above the law. That will be undermined if the African Union condemns the court because it has charged an African head of state.


Washington Post: International Court Under Unusual Fire. Africans Defend Sudan's Indicted Leader.


AFP: Some 85 percent of Australians believe the country has a problem with racism, new research has shown following renewed ethnic tensions in recent weeks.


NY Daily News: A group of Black & Latino NYPD officers marched in Harlem Sunday night to mark the 1 mo. anniversary of the friendly fire death of Detective Omar Edwards - many of them warning the tragedy can happen again.


Palm Beach Post: Why are so many black babies dying in Palm Beach County?


Namibian: Medvedev eyes African resources.


Jerusalem Post: Cynthia McKinney & 20 other human rights & solidarity workers, set sail with supplies from Cyprus Monday morning for the Gaza Strip in yet another attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.


Le Mali en ligne: Libyan leader Gaddafi opened the African foreign ministers meeting with an explosive speech, calling for a radical transformation of the African Union (AU) key organs in an effort to achieve the desired dream of an African govt.


Tico Times: Region's leaders rally behind ousted Honduran president.


Garowe: President Sheikh Sharif accuses Eritrea of aiding Somalia insurgents.


Mial & Guardian: SABC 'pillaged' by corrupt staff.


Mbeki: African capitalists: Parasites not creators.


Daily Nation: Niger’s national bar association has warned that the ruling party’s proposed constitutional referendum to allow Pres. Tandja to stay on beyond the 10 yr limit – amounts to an illegal takeover of power.


Time: Has Britain Replaced the U.S. as Iran's 'Little Satan'?


OneWorld: A coalition of African solidarity & debt relief organizations applauded U.S. legislation introduced last week to protect countries from vulture funds -- companies that profit off of the debt of poor nations.


Herald: Diaspora must heed Prime Minister Tsvangirai's call.


Mail & Guardian: Pres. Mugabe says Zimbabwe may revive the use of its own currency because the U.S. dollar introduced to tame hyperinflation was unavailable to a majority of people in the countryside.


Times of Nigeria: President Yar’Adua Proclaims Amnesty to Niger Delta militants.


This Day: Fresh Attack on Niger Delta Pipeline by MEND Pushes Oil towards $70.


FT: The US & western allies have embarked on a surge of diplomatic activity to prevent the civil war between north & south Sudan from reigniting. Both also agreed to accept as binding on where their border cuts through the oil rich Abyei region.


Carib World News: Haiti's Wyclef Jean Lends Support to Iran Protestors.


AFP: Medvedev seals Russian nuclear, gas pacts with Nigeria.


The Guardian: Nigeria runs out of crude, refineries shut.


The Independent: Sarkozy sidelines young Black cabinet minister, Rama Yade, who angered the French President by taking an independent line on Libya and China.


Elliott Abrams: Hillary Is Wrong About the Settlements. The U.S. and Israel reached a clear understanding about natural growth.


Washington Post: U.S. Sends Weapons to Help Somali Government Repel Rebels Tied to Al-Qaeda.


Uhuru News: CIA Afghan Drug Trade: Occupation Abroad, Prisons at Home.


Business Day: Self-reparation for African Power: Pan-Africanism and Black Consciousness.


Chicago Tribune: A 9-year-old girl was killed & three other people were wounded when an unknown shooter or shooters opened fire from a van on a crowded block on the South Side Weds night.


Mail & Guardian: Zimbabwe on Weds launched efforts to write a new Constitution to pave the way to fresh elections, a key step in the power-sharing pact meant to haul the country from a decade of turmoil.


Royal Gazette: Rev. Al Sharpton says Bermuda 'set the tone' for the world with their decision to accept four former Guantánamo detainees.


Daily Nation: Mau Mau war veterans left for London to file a suit against the British Government for human rights abuses and torture.


Network Journal: Obama and Iran.


Bay Area Indymedia: Disappointing NOBLE Community Forum for BART Police Review, San Francisco.


Louisiana Weekly: Blacks and Latinos have shared experiences in post-Katrina New Orleans.


Guardian: Leaders of The ECOWAS 36th summit of the Authority of Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja took decisive actions on the political crisis in Guinea-Bissau and the proposed adoption of a single currency by some member-states.


New African: Justice in Africa…the great debate continues. We publish the first responses to our debate on the Court and why human rights NGOs often appear to pick on African personalities and causes that are disliked by Western governments.


Latin American Herald; Prime Minister Patrick Manning has warned that Trinidad and Tobago could “pay in blood” if it fails to enter into an economic and political union with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.


No Agreement After All? Bloomberg: Japan may cancel a planned $1.5 billion loan for Venezuela’s El Palito and Puerto La Cruz oil refineries after the South American nation seized Japanese company asset

BBC: Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has set a two-year target for the creation of a Palestinian state, in a speech in Jerusalem.


The Peninsula: Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Peace Prize winner from Ireland, Mairead Maguire will be among the 36 people who will set sail from Cyprus to Gaza in a fresh bid to challenge the continuing Israeli blockade on the war-ravaged Palestinian city

AP: federal commission on prison rape has concluded that the risk of being attacked depends greatly on the type of prisoner, and where the inmate is locked up.


AP: Sarkozy says burqas are 'not welcome' in France.


AP: Guns from America fuel Jamaica's gang wars. As the Obama admin cracks down on smuggling into Mexico, Jamaicans fear even more firearms will reach the gangs whose turf wars plague the island of 2.8 million people.


WPLG: A delegation of Republican and Democratic lawmakers from South Florida left for Haiti Monday morning. The representatives will be meeting with Haiti's president to discuss U.S policy towards Haiti.


Haiti Action: "Thank you Bill Clinton" — one more assassination by UN troops in Haiti.


Mail & Guardian: Somalia seeks support against insurgents. On Monday, the African Union reiterated its concern and gave its blessing to Somalia's earlier appeal for foreign backing.


Zimbabwe Herald: Let’s not waste time begging. Any money that comes as humanitarian aid is strictly for consumptive purposes and does nothing to develop our capacity to feed ourselves as a nation.


White House: The President's Statement on Iran.


Al Jazeera: Iran's Guards to 'crush' protests. Elite military unit warns Western countries against supporting "rioters".


Robin Wright: In Iran, One Woman's Death May Have Many Consequences.


New Republic: Obama’s Progressive Path On Iran Is Fraught With Peril.


On June 20, at 7PM EST Watch The Imam Siraj Fundraising Concert, Live From Atlanta, Featuring Performances by "Allah Made Me Funny" and "Native Deen".


Mostaghim/Daragahi: Iran's supreme leader rules out election fraud in a very politically nuanced speech carried live on Iranian TV & radio.


Axis of Logic: Proof: Israeli Effort to Destabilize Iran Via Twitter.


Hurriyet: US lawmakers urge President Obama to back Turkey's EU bid.


AFP: Britain says too early to lift Zimbabwe sanctions.


Majavu: South Africa's New Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson says her ministry won’t allow the repossession of black-owned farms.


Haaretz: Israeli troops humiliate Palestinians - and put it on YouTube.


Washington Post: Sudan's 'Coordinated' Genocide in Darfur Is Over, U.S. Envoy Says. The comments appeared to expose an emerging rift between Gration & Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., who accused Sudan of genocide as recently as two days ago.


Daily Monitor: Uganda could be a total desert in 40 years.


France 24: Late president Omar Bongo of Gabon laid to rest.


America: Sudanese Aid Restored, but U.S. Warns of Tight Political Timeline.


AFP: US wants world to 'rekindle' passion for southern Sudan peace.


De Waal: “This Should Be the Last Panel.” Political Parties Meet With the AU Panel.


Zeleza Post: The Need to De-Atlanticize African Diaspora History.


Herald: Zanu-PF has expressed concern over the divisive attitude of western govts during PM Tsvangirai’s visit to western capitals that have all refused to either lift economic sanctions or offer any meaningful financial assistance to the inclusive Govt.


Spiegel: Many in Iran & the West assume that Ahmadinejad's re election was the product of fraud. U.S. Iran expert Flynt Leverett told Spiegel that the irregularities likely weren't as bad as in Florida in 2000. Now, the US has to make the regime an offer.


Royal Gazette: Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Cabinet building to call for the Premier to step down following his decision to bring four Guantanamo detainees to Bermuda without consulting with the Governor or the UK Govt.


Hiraan: U.N. wedge politics in Somalia hampers.


Tribune: Deterioration of Sudan-Chad relations hurts Darfur region.


Al Jazeera: The Peruvian prime minister has said he plans to resign in the coming weeks following the deaths of dozens of people in clashes between indigenous groups & police over land laws.


Oakland Tribune: Iranian-Americans frustrated with election here and in homeland.


Zimbabwe Guardian: Obama, listen to African voice. Obi Egbuna Interviews Zimbabwe Minister of Tourism & Hospitality Industry- Walter Mzembi- during recent delegation visit to U.S.


AFP: Ahmadinejad blasts U.S. at Russia summit.


Ignatius: In dealing with Iran, Obama should reach out-but not meddle. U.S. intelligence officials tell me that it's quite possible that Ahmadinejad actually did win Friday's election...


Daily Nation: The African Union (AU) condemned foreign jihadists in Somalia who are helping local Islamist insurgents, and accepted Ethiopia’s denial that it had sent troops across the border to counter the rebels.


Gordy: The Trouble With Darfur: Congressman Donald Payne on Solving the Crisis.


Miami Herald: Supreme Court rejects final appeal in 'Cuban Five' spy case.


Reuters: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said he will press industrialized nations at the G8 summit in Italy in July to make a commitment to compensate African countries for the colonial period.


White House: Remarks by President Obama & Prime Minister Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe after meeting.


MehrNews: To heal the rifts between supporters of different candidates, Ahmadinejad, who was declared the winner of Friday’s presidential election, said it is time for “friendship”.


Iran Daily: Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the need for stronger bonds between Shiites & Sunnis and recalled the late Imam’s recommendations on maintaining unity & spirit of brotherhood within the Ummah.


This Day: The Burden of Being A Nigerian.


Tribune: Sudan hails UN humanitarian chief’s report on Darfur.


Nyathi: Distorting Tsvangirai's goodwill mission.


Hill: Israel lobby swings into action over 'road map'.

Mareeg: Somali MP accuses Spain and South Korea of leading the illegal fishing in Somali waters.


Angola Press: Top UN-African Union Envoy Meets Darfur Rebel Leader & reiterated that there is no military solution to the problems facing the strife-torn Sudanese region.


Africa News/Asomaning: Somalia needs a bottom-up approach.


Al Jazeera: Peruvian tribes vow to continue protest battling against laws making it easier for foreign companies to explore for oil.


Economist: The promise and peril of independence. In 2011 Africa is set to get a new country. But South Sudan could well start life as a prefailed state.


Mije: Four months after the New York Post caused an uproar with its cartoon of a chimpanzee that many took to be Pres Obama, its parent company is sponsoring an event hosted by the New York Association of Black Journalists.


Global Peeks: AFRICOM Re-Packaged is still AFRICOM.

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