Black women and their contributions to American history and culture

Athens, Ga. - Black women and their contributions to American history and culture will be highlighted on the University of Georgia campus in February as the university celebrates Black History Month.

From civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and Mahalia Jackson to modern icons like professional boxer Laila Ali and First Lady Michelle Obama, black women will take center stage during a month-long series of lectures, performances, movies and discussions at UGA.

"Almost all of our programs will tie into the theme, which is a national theme" of highlighting contributions African-American women have made to American history and culture, said LaRetha Spain-Shuler, associate director of intercultural affairs at UGA. "We wanted to reflect the contributions of African-American women in history and in the present day. For example, our keynote speaker is Mary Evelyn Dickson, who can talk of her own background, how she was homeless at one point and now she's the mayor of Riverdale."

Events are as follows:

Feb. 1 ¬- "The Meeting," 6 p.m., the Chapel. This tense play is a dramatization of a conversation between civil rights icons Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Admission is free.

Feb. 8 - APERO Brown Bag Discussion: "How the Accusation of Acting White Influences Leisure Preferences," 12:15 p.m., 407 Memorial Hall. The discussion is co-sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies and the Institute for African Studies.

Feb. 9 - "The Death of the African-American Family?" 12:30 p.m., 407 Memorial Hall. Tera Hurt of the Institute for Behavioral Research will explore the structure of African-American family dynamics past and present.

Feb. 16 - "Where are the Black Ballet Dancers in America?" 4 p.m., 407 Memorial Hall. Joselli Deans and Anjali Austin, artists and scholars formerly with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, will discuss how they fought their way into the exclusive world of dance.

Feb. 17 - Dinner, Movie and Discussion: "The Help," 6 p.m., Tate Student Center Theater and Reception Hall. This screening of the 2011 box office success, based on an influential novel, will be followed by dinner and a discussion. The event is sponsored by the Committee for Black Cultural Programs, a division of the University Union Student Programming Board.

Feb. 19 - "Black Roses," presented by the Black Theatrical Ensemble, 7 p.m., Tate Student Center Grand Hall. This play will feature poetry, songs and notable scenes from African-American romantic comedies. Tickets are $2 for fees-paid students with valid UGACards on the Athens campus and $3 for non-students. Tickets may be purchased at the Tate Student Center cashier window or by calling 706/542-8074.

Feb. 22 - APERO Brown Bag Discussion: "A Mediator's Work," 12:15 p.m., 407 Memorial Hall
The discussion is co-sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies and the Institute for African Studies.

Feb. 22 - Keynote Address: Mayor Evelyn Dixon of Riverdale, Ga., 4 p.m., the Chapel
Dixon will share her path to elected office and discuss the obstacles faced by women in politics.

Feb. 23 - "The Emerging Black Church," 6 p.m., 171 Miller Learning Center
Community members, pastors and students will discuss the role of the black church in the community. The event is co-sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies.

Feb. 28 - "We Have Issues: Representations of African-American Women in Contemporary Media," 7 p.m., 407 Memorial Hall. This panel discussion will explore contemporary images of African diaspora women in entertainment, including music videos, reality television and film. Topics will include skin color, image, materialism and stereotypes.

Feb. 29 - "Confessions of a Big Girl: Reflections on Fat, Faith and Femininity," 4 p.m., South Psychology-Journalism Auditorium. Author Naima Johnston Bush will discuss cultural definitions of beauty, faith, eating disorders, sexual assault and discovering the power of your own voice.

All events are student Blue Card events. For questions and ticket information, call 706/542-8468 or see http://aacc.uga.edu. The African American Cultural Center is a unit within the UGA Division of Student Affairs.

Writer: Matt Weeks || Don Reagin || Contact: LaRetha Spain-Shuler

News Service: University of Georgia Office of Public Affairs UGA Public Affairs Hodgson Oil Building, Suite 200N 286 Oconee Street Athens, GA 30602-1999 Phone 706 / 542-8083 · Fax 706 / 542-3939.

The Fannie Lou Hamer Story, sick and tired of being sick and tired

Fannie Lou Hamer, an activist during the civil rights movement who fought for African-American voting rights, will come to life in the play "The Fannie Lou Hamer Story" on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center as part of Franklin College's 2011-12 Convocation Lecture Series.

Hamer was known as the lady who was "sick and tired of being sick and tired." The play depicts a woman who defined the phrase "freedom fighter" during the civil rights movement. She was born into Mississippi sharecropping poverty, and in the 1960's, she became an inspiration to those fighting for the right to vote.

Singer and actress Mzuri plays the role of Fannie Lou Hamer.

The play is free and open to the public.

Contact the Office of Public Relations for more information at (317) 738-8185.

Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus located 20 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. The college prepares men and women for significant careers through the liberal arts, offering its approximately 1,000 students 30 majors, 35 minors and nine pre-professional programs. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA.

TEXT CREDIT: Franklin College ⋅ 101 Branigin Blvd. ⋅ Franklin, IN 46131 (800) 852-0232 Release date: January 19, 2012.

Black worker unemployment much higher than national average

Berkeley — A new report by the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education finds that throughout 2011, Black worker unemployment remained in the 15 to 16 percent range, while unemployment for the rest of the workforce dropped below 9 percent.

“Annual Report: Black Employment and Unemployment in 2011”, is based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey.

“The jobs gap between black and white workers is a story that we’ve seen for more than 50 years, but this report shows that unemployment rates for Black workers have not fallen as much as they have for their white and Latino counterparts,” said Steven Pitts, a labor policy specialist at the center and author of the report.

Pitts also noted that “current unemployment rates for Black workers are still higher than in June 2009, when the recession officially ended, and well above December 2007, when the downturn began.”
(see charts, right)

The report’s main findings include:

There was virtually no change in the official Black unemployment rate from January to December 2011. When Black women and Black men are examined separately, however, Black female unemployment rates rose, while Black male unemployment rates fell. This differs from the situation of white workers, where the unemployment rates for both men and women fell.

Since the Great Recession ended in June 2009, Black female unemployment rates have risen and Black male unemployment rates have fallen only slightly. In contrast, unemployment rates for white men and white women fell over the same time period. Source: Steven Pitts, Ph.D. 510-643-6815 Spitts1@berkeley.edu CONTACT: Rebecca Graham, 510‐642-9187, rebecca.graham@berkeley.edu The U.S. added 1.6 million jobs this year, but unemployment rates for Black workers remain higher than they were during the Great Recession. Source: Steven Pitts, UC Berkeley Labor Center

Tuskegee Airmen Red Tails use Archive at the University of California, Riverside

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – “Red Tails,” a feature film scheduled for release on Jan. 20, depicts the heroism and skill of the African-American pilots and crew members who battled segregation on the ground as they challenged Germany’s aces in the air during World War II. Those aviators, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, went on to become judges, university presidents, teachers, architects, engineers, physicians, actors, scientists, and musicians. Documents and artifacts illuminating the careers of many of those pilots and crews are preserved in the Tuskegee Airmen Archive at the University of California, Riverside.

Before shooting on the Lucasfilm Ltd. production started in Europe, several actors auditioning for parts in the film visited the UCR archive to learn more about the original Tuskegee Airmen they hoped to portray, according to University Librarian Ruth Jackson. Photographs from the archive were used in preparing for the production’s release activities, and the archive responded to requests for contact information for the filming of the DVD documentary film about the Tuskegee Airmen that will be released simultaneously.

“The emphasis of our archive is to collect not only the military history but the history of their personal lives as well,” Jackson said of the archive that was established in 2005. The university also hosts an annual celebration to honor the airmen and women who were a part of the famed Tuskegee Experience. The graduates of the program, which trained the first African-American pilots between 1943 and 1945, established an enviable record during World War II.

“Red Tails” was written by John Ridley (“U Turn,” “Three Kings,” “Undercover Brother”), produced by George Lucas (“Star Wars”), and stars Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Jerry Maguire,” “Radio”) , Terrence Howard (“Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Ray”), and Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad,” “Malcolm in the Middle”). It tells the story of a crew of African-American pilots in the experimental Tuskegee training program who are given a chance in 1944 to demonstrate their skill, and their courage, as the war in Europe takes its toll on Allied forces. Jackson said the archive receives inquiries from around the world for information about the Tuskegee Airmen. For example, a salvage team retrieving a plane that was shot down off the coast of Corsica in World War II contacted the UCR archive for a photo of the Tuskegee pilot. The university was able to provide a group photo that included the pilot.

To date more than 80 donors have contributed papers, artifacts and historical records documenting the military careers and personal lives of dozens of Tuskegee Airmen, including Buford Johnson, who lives in Inland Southern California. Johnson was the chief mechanic for the three Tuskegee Airmen pilots who won the first “Top Gun” competition in 1949 made famous by the hit movie “Top Guns” starring Tom Cruise in 1986 and recently honored by the UCR archive at its annual celebration of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The UCR archive chronicles personal papers, photographs, oral histories, newspaper clippings, books by and about the airmen, military records, and memorabilia. It is the largest archive in a U.S. public university chronicling the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women.

For more information about the Tuskegee Airmen Archive at UC Riverside contact University Librarian Ruth Jackson at (951) 827-3221, ruth.jackson@ucr.edu; or Assistant Archivist Eric Milenkiewicz at (951) 827-3233, Eric.Milenkiewicz@UCR.edu.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT Name: Bettye Miller Tel: (951) 827-7847 E-mail: bettye.miller@ucr.edu

The story of Zora Neale Hurston African American writer of the Harlem Renaissance

To kick off Black History Month events at the College of Lake County, the American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life® Stage Presentation of “Zora” by Lawrence Holder will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 in the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts.

Performed by Cheryl Howard and adapted and directed by Wynn Handman, this dramatic biography tells the story of Zora Neale Hurston, an African American writer of the 1930s who was a celebrated figure from the Harlem Renaissance. The audience will experience Hurston’s life through intimate portraits of her contemporaries and excerpts from her significant body of literary work.

This theatrical biography was adapted into a solo performance from the original play by Laurence Holder in 2000. The show features 50 minutes of performance by this seasoned actress who captures the extraordinary spirit of the Queen of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston. Incorporating music from the era and some of Hurston’s southern folklore, the story focuses on her battle to preserve her people’s culture and to live an authentic life against all odds. The presentation features a pre- and post-show interactive discussion.

Hurston’s most famous book is “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” According to the National Endowment for the Arts’ The Big Read website, to call the book “an ‘African American feminist classic’ may be an accurate statement -- it is certainly a frequent statement -- but it is a misleadingly narrow and rather dull way to introduce a vibrant and achingly human novel. The syncopated beauty of Hurston’s prose, her remarkable gift for comedy, the sheer visceral terror of the book’s climax, all transcend any label that critics have tried to put on this remarkable work.

Cheryl Howard stars in “Zora” on Feb. 1 at CLC.

First published amid controversy in 1937, then rescued from obscurity four decades later, the novel narrates Janie Crawford’s ripening from a vibrant, but voiceless, teenage girl into a woman with her finger on the trigger of her own destiny.” The role of Zora is played by Cheryl Howard, who has toured and performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

Regionally, she has starred as the witch in “Into the Woods,” Mazeppa in “Gypsy,” Pattie Mae in “Home, the Musical,” LaLa in “The Colored Museum,” Josephine Baker in “Lucky in the Rain,” Miss Monisha in “Tin Pan Alley Rag” and Muzzie in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” She was seen on Broadway as Bebe in “Dance a little Closer.” She played Deena Jones in “Dreamgirls” in Germany and Josephine Baker in “Josephine: The Musical,” which toured throughout Europe. Howard holds a B.A. in theatre arts from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in drama from Washington University in St. Louis.

General admission tickets are $26, with discounts for seniors, staff and Alumni Association members; tickets for CLC students and teens 12-17 are $16; and children’s tickets are $13 (prices include a $1 JLC facility fee). Tickets are available at the Box Office in the James Lumber Center on the Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St. For more information, call the Box Office at (847) 543-2300. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 90 minutes prior to each performance. Discounts are also available for groups of six or more. For group sales information, call (847) 543-2431 or email JLCgroupsales@clcillinois.edu.

College of Lake County, 19351 West Washington Street, Grayslake, IL 60030-1198 (847) 543-2000 +sookie tex

Jeannette Brown first African American to receive degree from University of Minnesota chemistry graduate program

Jeannette Brown was the first African American to receive a degree from the University’s chemistry graduate program.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/13/2012) —University of Minnesota chemistry alumna Jeannette Brown will present a brief lecture and sign her book “African American Women Chemists” at a special book signing event from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the University Bookstore, Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis.

Two meet-and-greet events are also planned with Brown: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17 in Kolthoff Hall, Room 568A, 225 Pleasant St. S.E., Minneapolis and 1:30-3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the Black Student Union, on the second floor of Coffman Union.

In 1958, Brown was the first African American to receive a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry’s graduate program.

In her book, Brown profiles the lives and accomplishments of 25 chemists, from the earliest pioneers to the late 1960s—a time when an explosion of career opportunities opened up to African Americans due to the passage of the Civil Rights Acts. Each mini-biography is a thorough account of the chemist’s passion for the field, what inspired her, and what she accomplished in her career. Brown rounds out this study with a narrative of her own life and achievements and a look at what’s in store for the future of African American female chemists.

For 25 years, Brown worked as a research chemist at Merck & Co. Inc. She is an advocate for science education, and is passionate about serving as a mentor to and role model for underrepresented students. She was honored by the University of Minnesota with an Outstanding Achievement Award in 2005.

Media Note: To schedule an interview with Jeannette Brown, contact Rhonda Zurn at rzurn@umn.edu or (612) 626-7959.

Contacts: Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering, , rzurn@umn.edu, (612) 626-7959 Kristin Anderson, University News Service, kma@umn.edu, (612) 624-1690

Carnegie Mellon Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

PITTSBURGH—Bernard Franklin, a friend of Martin Luther King Jr.'s family and a distinguished educator, community leader and advocate, headlines Carnegie Mellon University's annual celebration of the civil rights leader on Monday, Jan. 16.

Franklin's friendship with King's family began when his brother was Martin Luther King III's roommate at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

He will deliver a keynote address titled "The Courage to Lead" and host a roundtable discussion on the influence of male role models on African-American children.

As an undergraduate, Franklin became the first black student elected president of Kansas State University's Student Government Association. He also made history as the youngest person ever appointed to the Kansas State Board of Regents at age 24 and the youngest chair of the board at age 28.

Franklin has held senior positions in higher education, nonprofit, telecommunications and banking organizations. He currently serves as president of Delta Upsilon International Fraternity; a consultant to his church, Redeemer Fellowship; assistant to the vice president at Kansas State University; chairman of the board for the Satchel Paige Foundation; and a member of Kansas City's Google Fiber Innovation Team.

Carnegie Mellon's Office of the President and Division of Student Affairs are sponsoring the celebration, which is free and open to the public. Classes scheduled after 12:30 p.m. will be canceled to encourage student, faculty and staff participation.

Bernard Franklin

Highlights include: 12:30-1:30 p.m. — School of Drama Tribute and President Jared L. Cohon's State of Diversity Address Rangos Hall, University Center, second floor 1:30-2:30 p.m. — Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Awards Presentation and Readings Rangos Hall III, University Center, second floor High school and CMU students will read personal narratives about their experiences with racial difference and discrimination. The English Department, Division of Student Affairs and Office of the President sponsor the annual awards. 2:30-3 p.m. "MLK" Hip-Hop Music Video and Live Performances University Center, first floor

Teens from CMU's Arts Greenhouse program will screen "Dreams of Kings," a music video they created to explore the relevance of Martin Luther King Jr. to Pittsburgh youth. A monologue by Darrell Lumpkins and a short hip-hop performance will accompany the screening.

3-4 p.m. Role Modeling and the Influence on Children Roundtable Discussion
Dowd Room, University Center, second floor
Facilitator: Bernard Franklin, consultant, educator, community leader and advocate

5 p.m. "The Courage to Lead"
Rangos Hall, University Center, second floor
Keynote address: Bernard Franklin
Student speaker: Heather Rae Martin, Tepper School of Business MBA student

A full schedule is available at www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/first-year/mlk/.

Contact: Abby Simmons / 412-268-4290 / abbysimmons@cmu.edu

Princeton University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Princeton University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual King Day celebration Monday, Jan. 16, in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall. Doors open at 1 p.m. The keynote address will be delivered by civil rights leader and educator Bob Moses, a visiting fellow in Princeton's Center for African American Studies.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:15 p.m. with musical selections from A New Perspective Jazz Band, a youth quintet from Ewing, N.J.

The ceremony will include the presentation of awards to student winners in grades 4 through 12 from area schools who entered an annual Martin Luther King Day-themed contest in literary arts, visual arts and video categories. Marking the 55th anniversary of the landmark desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., by youngsters known as the Little Rock Nine, this year's King Day contests focus on the importance of education as a foundation for success. Students were asked to propose viable options for addressing disparity in educational access and encouraging academic excellence.

During the program, the University also will present the MLK Day Journey Award, which recognizes a member of the Princeton faculty, staff or student body who best represents King's continued journey.

Moses, the keynote speaker, is the 2011-12 distinguished visiting fellow in Princeton's Center for African American Studies. Moses was a leader in the 1960s civil rights movement, serving as a key figure in the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964 to register black voters and protest racial discrimination. He is the founder and president of the Algebra Project, a national nonprofit organization that has helped thousands of students in urban and rural school districts develop essential mathematical skills.

Bob Moses. Photo by Michael Lisnet, Math for America

Moses, who was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Princeton in 2004, will co-teach a course this spring focusing on education and labor policies through the lens of race. He is the co-author of "Radical Equations: Math Literacy and Civil Rights" (2001) and co-editor of "Quality Education as a Constitutional Right: Creating a Grassroots Movement to Transform Public Schools" (2010). The King Day event will be webcast live. It is convened and coordinated by the institutional equity and diversity team in the offices of the provost and human resources. For immediate release: January 9, 2012 Media contact: Martin Mbugua, mmbugua@princeton.edu, (609) 258-5733.

News from PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Office of Communications 22 Chambers St. Princeton, New Jersey 08542 Telephone (609) 258-3601; Fax (609) 258-1301.

A link between air pollution and the risks of diabetes and hypertension is of particular importance to African American women

STUDY FINDS AIR POLLUTION LINKED TO INCREASED INCIDENCE OF DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN

(Boston) - The incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension increases with cumulative levels of exposure to nitrogen oxides, according to a new study led by researchers from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University. The study, which appears online in the journal Circulation, was led by Patricia Coogan, D.Sc., associate professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health and the SEC.

While it is well established that air pollution increases the risks of acute cardiovascular events such as stroke and myocardial infarction, it is not known whether exposure increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. However, emerging findings from laboratory and clinical studies suggest that air pollution may predispose to both conditions.

Researchers assessed the risks of incident hypertension and diabetes associated with exposure to nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM2.5) in a cohort of approximately 4,000 African American women living in Los Angeles. NOx are indicators of traffic-related air pollution. From 1995-2005, 531 incident cases of hypertension and 183 incident cases of diabetes occurred among the participants in the Los Angeles area. The risk of diabetes increased by a significant 24 percent, and the risk of hypertension by 11 percent, for each 12 ppb increase in exposure to NOx. There also were suggestive increases in risks of both diseases associated with exposure to (PM2.5), but the evidence for this was weaker than for NOx.

Patricia Coogan, MPH, D ScT

According to the researchers, two previous follow-up studies have suggested that traffic-related pollution increased the incidence of diabetes, but no African Americans were included. “A link between air pollution and the risks of diabetes and hypertension is of particular importance to African American women, because the incidence of both conditions is almost twice as high in African American women as in white women and African Americans live in more highly polluted areas than white Americans,” said Patricia Coogan, D.Sc., the study’s lead author. “In addition, even a modest effect of air pollutants on the risks of hypertension and diabetes will have significant public health impact due to the high incidence of these conditions and the ubiquity of exposure to air pollution,” she added.tr>

Funding for this study was provided by the National Cancer Institute.

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Boston University For Release Upon Receipt - January 5, 2012 Contact: Gina M. Digravio, 617-638-8491, gina.digravio@bmc.org || +sookie tex

Educating King: Civil Rights, the Liberal Arts and the education that changed the nation

Civil Rights and the Liberal Arts topic of MLK, Jr., Day lecture at Hastings College

Note to Media: For additional information, contact Alicia O’Donnell at 402-705-0120 or aodonnell@hastings.edu.

(Hastings, Neb.) – As part of its festivities for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Hastings College will host Dr. Charles W. McKinney, Jr., Associate Director of African American Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. He will speak on Monday, Jan. 16 at 10:45 a.m. in French Memorial Chapel (800 N. Turner Ave.) His lecture, entitled “Educating King: Civil Rights, the Liberal Arts and the education that changed the nation,” will be free and open to the public.

Among Dr. McKinney’s academic interests is how the civil rights movement unfolded in the Rural South. In his book Greater Freedom: The Evolution of the Civil Rights Struggle in Wilson, North Carolina, Dr. McKinney explores the roles of social engagement and protest outside of the South’s urban centers such as Atlanta, Ga., and Birmingham, Ala.

Bio for Dr. Charles W. McKinney, Jr.

Charles W. McKinney, Jr. is an Associate Professor of History and the Associate Director of African American Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He teaches courses in African American History and American social and political history.

Dr. McKinney’s particular areas of interest include the Civil Rights Movement, the relationship between history and memory in the creation of historical narratives, and the confluence of Black Power and Civil Rights ideology.

He is the author of Greater Freedom: The Evolution of the Civil Rights Struggle in Wilson, North Carolina, a book that sheds light on the dynamic interplay between black agency and white repression, the viability of building a movement in the Rural South, and the evolving nature of social change in the middle of the twentieth century.

His article “Multiple Fronts: The Struggle for Black Educational and Political Equality in Wilson, North Carolina, 1941-1953” won the R.D.W. Connor Award for Outstanding Article in The North Carolina Historical Review for 2011. Another article, entitled “Finding Fannie Corbett: Black Women and the Transformation of Civil Rights Narratives in Wilson, North Carolina”, appears in the volume Local Studies, A National Movement: Toward a New Synthesis of the Black Freedom Struggle, edited by Emilye Crosby.

Dr. McKinney earned his B.A. degree in history from Morehouse College, and his doctorate in American History from Duke University. He is married to Natalie McKinney, and is the proud father of Charles, Mathias and Vanessa Marie, who is currently a senior at Hastings (Neb.) College.

Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students. Hastings College was named among “America’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review, and a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

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TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Hastings College, 710 N. Turner, Hastings, NE 68901 • (800) 532-7642 January 5, 2012 For Immediate Release

'Contemporary Voices' 'here and now' Indiana University Dance Theatre

WHAT: "Contemporary Voices," featuring works by guest artists Laurie Eisenhower, Larry Keigwin, Nicole Wolcott and Ben Munisteri, with new dances by Indiana University faculty members. The Annual Faculty and Guest Artist Concert is presented by the IU Dance Theatre and produced by the IU Departments of Kinesiology and Theatre and Drama.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and 14. "Contemporary Voices Family Matinee," 1:30 p.m. Jan. 14.

WHERE: Ruth N. Halls Theater, 275 N. Jordan Ave., Bloomington

TICKETS: Advance: $20 for adults, $10 for children, seniors and IU students with ID. Tickets at the door: $25 for adults, $15 for children, seniors and IU students with ID. The family matinee features a shorter program. Advance tickets: $5 for adults and IU students, $2 for children and seniors. Tickets at the door: $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. Call IU Box Office at 812-855-1103.

PRE-CONCERT TALK: "Dance NOW: Creative and Scholarly Perspectives," 6:30 p.m. both evenings, in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The emphasis of "Contemporary Voices," the upcoming annual faculty/guest artist concert presented by the Indiana University Dance Theatre, is in no uncertain terms on "contemporary."

A couple in their tighty whities dancing with nothing but a mattress. Six college students in their PJs performing on and around a couch. An inflatable sky dancer (yes, like the ones flapping at car dealerships). Original works by IU faculty members, one of whom uses intricate, high-tech embellishments, and another who hopes to see audience members calling the shots in her improvisational piece. Turning from its traditional nod to pioneers and masters of contemporary dance, the concert features only works created in the past decade.

IU dancers Lalah Hazelwood and Joe Musial in "Straight Duet," choreographed by Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott, guest artists of the IU Contemporary Dance Program. Photo by Roberta Wong "Courtesy of Indiana University."

"The historical works are absolutely important so our genre doesn't disappear. It's a really young artistic field, and we will continue to perform those works," said Elizabeth Shea, director of the Contemporary Dance Program at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. "It's also critical for our students and audiences to see what's happening now -- right now. The trends. We wanted to bring a 'here and now' approach to this concert, and all the works reflect this." "Straight Duet" is part of a suite of dances choreographed by Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott, of the New York-based Keigwin and Company dance company. Keigwin successfully bridges post-modern art and popular entertainment dance forms, said Selene Carter, lecturer and dance historian in the School of HPER.

"'Straight Duet' is funny, poignant, sexy, sad (and not in the family matinee)," Carter said. "It has a lot of dimensions."

Detroit-based Laurie Eisenhower, an example of the growing regional influence in modern dance, set her dance "Night Music" on the IU dancers, who make good use of a couch in their performance. Ben Munisteri, no stranger to IU, created "Muse of Fire." Influenced by hip-hop clubs in New York, he brings a techno edge to his works.

Shea will premiere "Between the Sun and the Moon," a solo piece involving the combination of video and motion-capture technology beautifully abstracted and brought to the screen by visual artist Xiaoyuan Zhu, an IU fine arts graduate student.

The work is Shea's capstone to her fellowship with the IU Institute for Digital Arts and Humanities and is also funded by an IU Collaborative Research and Creative Activity Award from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. The performance requires three projectors to display images on the Cyclorama, which is the traditional backdrop for theater and dance lighting, and also on a front scrim, a somewhat invisible screen that will feature the motion-capture material. Shea said the scrim will be between the dancer and the audience, with the dancer behind the screen and the projections, giving her performance an enhanced 3-D quality.

"I wanted to use technology to expand the performance and experience, not to overload the audience's senses," she said. She also will premiere "Lucy's Bones," a meditation on community that was inspired by the 3.2 million-year-old skeletal remains and involves "a bit of creative storytelling that binds the past and the present."

The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and 14 in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre, 275 N. Jordan Ave., Bloomington. A family matinee, which features a shortened performance, will take place at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 14. Pre-concert talks will be held at 6:30 p.m. both evenings in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

The family matinee will feature the guest artists' work, with the exception of "Straight Duet." Shea also will show her technology piece, which includes video footage of local children.

The annual concert also includes new works by Iris Rosa, director of the African American Dance Company, and George Pinney, professor and head of musical theatre in the Department of Theatre and Drama. Pinney's "Stop" focuses on bullying. Ben Wegman, a guest artist-in-residence at the School of HPER, will present a work involving the inflatable sky dancer.

Wegman, who performed with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and in "Ferocious Beauty: Genome," the company's multimedia modern dance performance seen at IU Auditorium in 2009, continues to perform professionally as he works with IU's dance majors.

"It's great to have him," Shea said. "I can already see the effect of his knowledge and his 'here and now' contemporary experience on the students. He takes a multidisciplinary approach to his work. We placed his work before intermission because it will encourage conversations."

Dancers in Carter's work, "Take the Call," will improvise throughout, creating something new at each performance. Communicating through the use of verbal calls, the ensemble might even be directed by audience members, who will be encouraged to take up some of the calls.

"I really want to break the barrier between audience and dancers with this piece, allowing the audience perceptions to merge with the dancers' perceptions," she said.

The atmosphere at the annual concerts is rarely staid, with Carter describing it as "celebratory, kinesthetic and vibrant."

About Contemporary Dance at Indiana University

The IU Contemporary Dance Program offers a collection of dance experiences that are accessible to students who seek serious study in the art of dance. The program's core offerings consist of curricula that, through the highest quality of training and instruction, strengthen and refine contemporary dance technique as well as provide scholarly inquiry into the history, science and aesthetics of dance. The faculty of the IU Contemporary Dance Program strives to not only teach, but mentor and provide a strong theoretical base from which each dancer can grow and work as an individual artist. Students are encouraged to seek their own venue for expression, such as performance, choreography, teaching, production or scholarship, and prepare for a successful career in the professional and academic field of dance.

Carter can be reached at 812-856-2819 or sbcarter@indiana.edu. Shea can be reached at 812-855-7020 or eshea@indiana.edu.

Kick off Black History Month Four Days Early! 11th Annual African American Cultural Celebration

Kick off Black History Month Four Days Early! 11th Annual African American Cultural Celebration.

When the Westover High School percussion section marches into the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh on Saturday, Jan. 28, it will be a rousing start to the museum’s 11th Annual African American Cultural Celebration. This large festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. features more than 75 presenters — well-known musicians, award-winning authors, storytellers, dancers, playwrights, re-enactors and others — who will highlight the contributions of African Americans to North Carolina.

Incredibly, this event and weekend parking are absolutely free. From performances of African rhythms of Djembe Talk (drum talk) by Eugene Taylor to the uplifting a capella harmonies of the men’s quartet the Mighty Gospel Inspirations, the celebration offers a lively mix of entertainment. Engaging presenters range from children’s author Kelly Starling Lyons to basketmaker Neal Thomas. And there’s plenty for kids: a scavenger hunt, hands-on crafts, and more.

In honor of the festival’s 11th year, the African American Cultural Celebration salutes the contributions of North Carolina’s 11 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) — the largest number of any state in the nation.* All 11 HBCUs will be represented. This includes a presentation by Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber, President of St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh.

The African American Cultural Celebration is presented in six categories that encompass culture and history. Several event highlights follow. For a complete schedule of all performances and presentations, go to ncmuseumofhistory.org.

Celebrate Music and Movement

Catch performances by these musicians and a dance group:

● to songs from gospel’s “Golden Era” (1940s-1950s) by the men’s quartet the Mighty Gospel Inspirations, a capella.
Shana Tucker, an award-winning jazz cellist, singer and songwriter whose music is described as “a sultry pastiche of acoustic pop and soulful, jazz-influenced contemporary folk;”
● Ironing Board Sam, known as a master showman, the blues and R&B singer, songwriter and piano player was wildly popular on the New Orleans music scene for decades;
● world-renowned jazz pianist Elmer Gibson;
● Winston-Salem State University Burke Singers, a nationally known female a cappella group that has performed internationally;
● Raleigh’s Leviticus, a hip-hop group that has performed to sold-out audiences at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.
● KidZNotes, 30 children from a Durham program that is a partnership with the N.C. Symphony, will share classical music; and
● Zumba® with the Zeiglers, a couple inviting you to move to this Afro-Cuban dance-fitness phenomenon.

Celebrate History, Drama and Film

Learn about African American life from these individuals and groups:

● the performance group Voices in Concert, dramatizing a scene from “Sojourner and Her Children,” about the family life of 19th-century abolitionist and women’s right activist Sojourner Truth;
● Betty Jamerson Reed, discussing her new book School Segregation in Western North Carolina: 1860s-1970s; and
● re-enactors presenting a Civil War re-enactment focusing on Fort Fisher; Battery B, 2nd U.S. Colored Light Artillery, 18th Army Corps; and the 37th U.S. Colored Troops.

Celebrate Literature and the Spoken Word

Hear from authors and storytellers who will share the expertise:

● a panel discussion led by poet and author Lenard Moore, with four members of the African American Writers’ Collective;
● a presentation by Linda Beatrice Brown, author of Black Angels and a professor at Bennett College for Women; and
● Kelly Starling Lyons, reading from her new children’s book Ellen’s Broom, about the tradition of “jumping the broom.”

Celebrate Craft and Arts Traditions

Watch these artisans and others at work:

● furniture maker Jerome Bias, doll maker Marilyn Griffin; and wire artist Jonathan Daniel;
● the Ebony Raleigh Area Group Stitchers and the African American Quilt Circle; and a
● a robotics demonstration presented by N.C. A&T State University.

Celebrate Food, Health and Beauty

Learn about beauty products, cooking and healthy living:

● a presentation about Dudley’s Hair Care and Cosmetics, one of the most successful African American-owned hair care and cosmetics companies in the world, that was featured in Chris Rock’s film “Good Hair;”
● Rhonda Muhammad, featuring cooking demonstrations of traditional foods; and
● the Green Space Initiative, focusing on organic gardening and leading the workshop How to Eat for $10 a Week.

Celebrate Education and Heritage

Get information about historic sites, museums and organizations across North Carolina:

● representatives from the Montfort Point Marines Museum, the Rosenwald School Project, the N.C. Freedom Monument Project, the TeenFest Foundation, and many more.

Mark your calendar for Jan. 28 for this fun-filled festival at the N.C. Museum of History. The African American Cultural Celebration is supported by the Wells Fargo, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, and the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, with funds from the United Arts campaign as well as the North Carolina Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.

For more information about the N.C. Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.

* Barber-Scotia College, Concord; Bennett College, Greensboro; Elizabeth City State University; Fayetteville State University; Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte; Livingstone College, Salisbury; North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro; North Carolina Central University, Durham; St. Augustine’s College, Raleigh; Shaw University, Raleigh; and Winston-Salem State University.

About the N.C. Museum of History

The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported symphony orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

Fayetteville State University News and Information Media Contacts: For Immediate Release Susan Friday Lamb, 919-807-7943 Emily Grant, 919-807-7979

African American History Is American History

Found this release kicking around DoD since February 1999 Great stuff!

General Says African American History Is American History. By Rudi Williams American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- African Americans' contributions to the nation are not just black history, but an integral part of American history, said Army Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard.

Thousands of black Americans' contributions are absent from American history books because historians ignored them, Ballard told attendees at DoD's Feb. 8 kick off observance of National African American History Month. For years, he said, African American history was "told through whispered tales passed down from one generation to the next.

"Remnants left behind by our ancestors also tell the stories -- worn shackles from a slave ship; records left from a Southern plantation; quilts, painstakingly stitched and hung out to air to point the way to the next stop on the Underground Railroad; and tattered boots of an unknown black soldier who died at Bunker Hill," Ballard told the packed crowd in the Pentagon auditorium.

"This is black history -- this is American history," said Ballard, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"Today, we Americans are proud of our diversity," he said. "We celebrate and honor our unique traditions, our special heritage -- whatever that may be. But regardless of our roots, we remain -- first, last and always -- Americans."

Ballard said much of American history has been shaped by the military, from Bunker Hill to the Civil War, two world wars, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. "All American service men and women have left their mark on American history and American society," he said. African Americans fought at the Battle of Concord in April 1775, crossed the Delaware River with Gen. George Washington on Christmas Day 1776, and served by the thousands in the Continental Army, Ballard said. "Unfortunately," the general said, "the contributions of black Americans to the birth of our nation were, for the most part, unrecorded and were soon forgotten by society." He pointed out that after the Revolutionary War, the military eliminated blacks from their rolls. And in 1792, Congress passed legislation that limited military service only to "free, able-bodied, white male citizens."

But, despite this law, African Americans were called to serve during the War of 1812. When New Orleans was threatened in 1815, a battalion of free men of color held their portion of the
American front line and then counterattacked, Ballard said. "You surpassed my hopes. The nation shall applaud your valor," Gen. Andrew Jackson told his black troops after the battle.

Jackson was wrong. Despite their heroism, African Americans were again barred from military service until the Civil War, Ballard noted. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863
declared that former slaves could join Union forces. That was the beginning of a national policy of recruiting and organizing African American regiments, the general said.

During America's expansion westward, black soldiers, known as "Buffalo Soldiers," protected American interests, he told the audience. Ballard said Buffalo Soldiers served long, isolated
tours of duty in the Southwest, protecting settlers, building roads, and guarding the mail and engineers and laborers who built the railroads.

"Buffalo Soldiers fought in more than 100 battles with Indians," Ballard said. "Their presence was key to the growth of America in the West."

In World War I, more than 400,000 black Americans served in the armed forces in segregated units. However, because of the color of their skin, they were considered mentally and morally unfit to serve on the front lines, Ballard said.

That myth was shattered by the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment. Spurned by American commanders, the 369th was assigned to the French and fought under their command. Ballard added, they supported the French army for 191 days on the front lines and received French awards for bravery in combat.

African American nurses also served with distinction in World War II. Working side by side with their white colleagues they treated all patients, regardless of race, he pointed out.

Perhaps the best-known African Americans of World War II are the Tuskegee Airmen, who trained to be aviators in the experimental Tuskegee (Ala.) Training Program.

"Skeptics of the program believed that blacks were incapable of mastering the complex skills of aviation," Ballard said. "But their skepticism was proven wrong, and many German combat planes fell from the skies at the hands of the Tuskegee pilots."

Although African Americans fought with distinction in World War II, they returned home to a segregated America, Ballard said. "Black Americans who had served their country alongside their white counterparts were not permitted to drink from the same water fountains or sit at the same lunch counters," he noted.

"Unfortunately, this is also black history -- this is also American history," Ballard said.

In 1948, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which called for equal opportunity for all members of the armed forces. That, Ballard said, made the segregated Army a thing of the past. "Soon, the segregation of society as a whole would begin to crumble," he noted.

Since that time, African Americans have fought and died for this country alongside men and women of all races, he said. In Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and Bosnia, the U.S. armed forces couldn't accomplish their goals without the skills and dedication of all their members, he said.

Today, the general said, African Americans make up about 25 percent of the armed forces, and they serve at every level of military leadership. "For example," one-third of the sergeants
major in the Army are black," Ballard said. "These are the folks who are directly responsible for making sure our troops are trained and ready to defend American interests."

He said America's future leaders, sergeant major of the Army, Navy captain, chief of staff of the Air Force, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are today in a boot camp, ROTC or a military academy.

"We don't know the names of these leaders or what they look like, but that's no longer important," Ballard said. "The men and women of today's armed forces have the opportunity to go as far as their dreams will take them. They will not be hindered by the color of their skin.

"This is the legacy of black history -- this is the legacy of American history."

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: osd.dtic.mil

Lorenzo Dow Turner: From Lincoln Park to Leading Scholar

Montgomery County Public Libraries to Host Lorenzo Dow Turner Exhibit at the Rockville Memorial Library in January and February 2012

Montgomery County Public Libraries and the Friends of the Library, Rockville Memorial Chapter, will host the “Lorenzo Dow Turner: From Lincoln Park to Leading Scholar” exhibit at the Rockville Memorial Library. The exhibit, presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, Anacostia Community Museum, takes place from January 5 through February 29, 2012.

Dr. Turner (1890-1972) was the first African American linguist, and a founder of the field of African American Studies. His research demonstrated how African Americans retained linguistic ties with their African past through centuries of slavery and segregation.

Lorenzo Dow Turner was educated in the Montgomery County segregated public schools where his father had a long career as a teacher and principal. The exhibit has a local community connection since the Turner family lived in the Lincoln Park community of Rockville, Maryland.

On Saturday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m. a special program about the exhibit will be held at the Rockville Memorial Library, located at 21 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.

The program features Alcione Amos, Museum Program Specialist at the Anacostia Community Museum. Ms. Amos will talk about the significance of Dr. Turner’s research. The program is free and requires no registration.

For complete information about library programs and events, visit the library website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library. # # # Release ID: 11-377 Media Contact: Michele Sellars 240-777-0196 or Dale Pastor 240-777-0170. Lorenzo Dow Turner, 1917. Taken the year Turner graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree. IMAGE CREDIT: Smithsonian Institution

Johnnetta Cole first African-American woman to head Atlanta's Spelman College featured speaker at UMass Dartmouth's 10th annual MLK breakfast

Renowned educator, anthropologist Johnnetta Cole to speak at UMass Dartmouth's 10th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast February 3

Johnnetta Cole, the first African-American woman to head the nation's foremost college for African-American women, will be the featured speaker at UMass Dartmouth's 10th annual MLK breakfast on February 3 at 8:30 a.m. at the University's Woodland Commons

Johnnetta Cole, PhD, the first African-American woman to head Atlanta's Spelman College, the nation's foremost college for African-American women, will be the featured speaker at UMass Dartmouth's 10th annual MLK breakfast on February 3 at 8:30 a.m. at the University's Woodland Commons.

Dr. Cole currently directs the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., capping a five-decade career as an educator, administrator and anthropolgist.

"We are honored to welcome such a renowned educator and trailblazer to our campus and community to celebrate Dr. King's legacy," UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack said. "Dr. Cole has been a true drum major justice throughout her career and will surely provide us a morning to remember."

Previous keynote speakers at past MLK breakfasts include former UN Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, and Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The breakfast will also feature the presentation of the University's Drum Major For Justice Awards to community leaders who will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the event are $25 for the public, UMD Faculty & Staff; and $10 for students. Corporations and organizations may reserve a table of eight for $200. About Dr. Cole A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Cole graduated high school at the age of 15 and went on to earn anthropology degrees from Oberlin College and Northwestern University.

She went on to produce multiple books and scores of articles in her field, traveling as far as Liberia and Cape Verde for research while teaching at institutions ranging from the University of California, Los Angeles and Emory University.

After serving as professor and Associate Provost at UMass Amherst and directing the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program at Hunter College, Dr. Cole led Spelman College to new heights of academic success as its first African-American female president.

A recipient of 55 honorary degrees and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Cole has also served on the boards of corporations such as Coca-Cola and Merck, and coordinated labor and arts policy for President Clinton's transition team in 1992.

Author: Rob Lamontagne, Date: December 28, 2011, Department: Equal Opportunity / Diversity & Outreach

Judge Glenda Hatchett keynote speaker University of Southern Indiana’s annual MLK Memorial Luncheon

Judge Glenda Hatchett will be the keynote speaker for the University of Southern Indiana’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Luncheon at 11 a.m. Monday, January 16, in Carter Hall in the University Center.

Hatchett is known for her award-winning syndicated television show, “Judge Hatchett,” and is the author of the bestsellers Dare to Take Charge and Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say. She was named one of the “100 Best and Brightest Women in Corporate America” by Ebony magazine.

After graduating from Emory University School of Law, Hatchett accepted a position at Delta Air Lines, as the company’s highest-ranking African-American woman. She served in dual roles as a senior attorney and manager of public relations, supervising global crisis management and media relations for all of Europe, Asia and the United States.

She left Delta to accept an appointment as Chief Presiding Judge of the Fulton County, Georgia Juvenile Court, where she became Georgia’s first African-American Chief Presiding Judge of a state court and the department head of one of the largest juvenile court systems in the country.

A graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, Hatchett was recognized as a distinguished alumna and awarded an honorary degree by the college. She also received the Emory Medal, the highest award given to an alumna by Emory University because of her commitment to excellence and service within the community.

Judge Glenda Hatchett. Photo Credit: Photo provided.

“Judge Hatchett” is currently in its tenth season. Hatchett also is the founder of Parent Power Now, the premiere online parenting network. In addition to the keynote address, the luncheon includes entertainment by the Designed by Grace Praise Dancers, Designed by Grace Gospel Choir, Children’s Center for Dance Education, and Amadeus Percussions Drumline. The sit-down meal will include a garden salad and choice of dressing, baked chicken with rotisserie seasoning, mashed potatoes and gravy, collard greens, a cornbread muffin, beverages and dessert. Tickets may be purchased at the USI Multicultural Center (Room 1244, UC East) and are $5 for USI students, $10 for USI employees, and $15 for the general public. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to stay after the luncheon for a book signing and “Up Close and Personal” session with Hatchett in Forum 1 in the Wright Administration Building.

The MLK Memorial Luncheon is sponsored by the USI Foundation, Scripps Howard Center for Media Studies, Service Learning, Black Student Union (through a Student Government Association Programming Grant) and the Multicultural Center.

For more information, call the Multicultural Center at 812/465-7188.

Wendy Knipe Bredhold Asst. Director News and Information Services 812/464-3333 wkbredhold@usi.edu University of Southern Indiana 8600 University Blvd. Evansville, Indiana 47712 Phone 812/464-8600

More than 200,000 African-American and Hispanic Borrowers who Qualified for Loans were Charged Higher Fees or Placed into Subprime Loans

More than 200,000 African-American and Hispanic Borrowers who Qualified for Loans were Charged Higher Fees or Placed into Subprime Loans

The Department of Justice today filed its largest residential fair lending settlement in history to resolve allegations that Countrywide Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries engaged in a widespread pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in their mortgage lending from 2004 through 2008.

The settlement provides $335 million in compensation for victims of Countrywide’s discrimination during a period when Countrywide originated millions of residential mortgage loans as one of the nation’s largest single-family mortgage lenders.

The settlement, which is subject to court approval, was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in conjunction with the department’s complaint which alleges that Countrywide discriminated by charging more than 200,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher fees and interest rates than non-Hispanic white borrowers in both its retail and wholesale lending. The complaint alleges that these borrowers were charged higher fees and interest rates because of their race or national origin, and not because of the borrowers’ creditworthiness or other objective criteria related to borrower risk.

The United States also alleges that Countrywide discriminated by steering thousands of African-American and Hispanic borrowers into subprime mortgages when non-Hispanic white borrowers with similar credit profiles received prime loans. All the borrowers who were discriminated against were qualified for Countrywide mortgage loans according to Countrywide’s own underwriting criteria.

“The department’s action against Countrywide makes clear that we will not hesitate to hold financial institutions accountable, including one of the nation’s largest, for lending discrimination,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These institutions should make judgments based on applicants’ creditworthiness, not on the color of their skin.

With today’s settlement, the federal government will ensure that the more than 200,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers who were discriminated against by Countrywide will be entitled to compensation.”

The settlement resolves the United States’ pricing and steering claims against Countrywide for its discrimination against African Americans and Hispanics.

The United States’ complaint alleges that African-American and Hispanic borrowers paid more than non-Hispanic white borrowers, not based on borrower risk, but because of their race or national origin. Countrywide’s business practice allowed its loan officers and mortgage brokers to vary a loan’s interest rate and other fees from the price it set based on the borrower’s objective credit-related factors . This subjective and unguided pricing discretion resulted in African American and Hispanic borrowers paying more. The complaint further alleges that Countrywide was aware the fees and interest rates it was charging discriminated against African-American and Hispanic borrowers, but failed to impose meaningful limits or guidelines to stop it.

“Countrywide’s actions contributed to the housing crisis, hurt entire communities, and denied families access to the American dream,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “We are using every tool in our law enforcement arsenal, including some that were dormant for years, to go after institutions of all sizes that discriminated against families solely because of their race or national origin.”

The United States’ complaint also alleges that, as a result of Countrywide’s policies and practices, qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers were placed in subprime loans rather than prime loans even when similarly-qualified non-Hispanic white borrowers were placed in prime loans. The discriminatory placement of borrowers in subprime loans, also known as “steering,” occurred because it was Countrywide’s business practice to allow mortgage brokers and employees to place a loan applicant in a subprime loan even when the applicant qualified for a prime loan . In addition, Countrywide gave mortgage brokers discretion to request exceptions to the underwriting guidelines, and Countrywide’s employees had discretion to grant these exceptions.

This is the first time that the Justice Department has alleged and obtained relief for borrowers who were steered into loans based on race or national origin, a practice that systematically placed borrowers of color into subprime mortgage loan products while placing non-Hispanic white borrowers with similar creditworthiness in prime loans. By steering borrowers into subprime loans from 2004 to 2007, the complaint alleges, Countrywide harmed those qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers. Subprime loans generally carried higher-cost terms, such as prepayment penalties and exploding adjustable interest rates that increased suddenly after two or three years, making the payments unaffordable and leaving the borrowers at a much higher risk of foreclosure.

The settlement also resolves the department’s claim that Countrywide violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by discriminating on the basis of marital status against non-applicant spouses of borrowers by encouraging them to sign away their home ownership rights . The law allows married individuals to apply for credit either in their own name or jointly with their spouse, even when the property is owned by both spouses. For applications made by married individuals applying solely in their own name between 2004 and 2008, Countrywide encouraged non-applicant spouses to sign quitclaim deeds or other documents transferring their legal rights and interests in jointly-held property to the borrowing spouse. Non-applicant spouses who execute a quitclaim deed risk substantial uncertainty and financial loss by losing all their rights and interests in the property securing the loan.

In addition, the settlement requires Countrywide to implement policies and practices to prevent discrimination if it returns to the lending business during the next four years. Countrywide currently operates as a subsidiary of Bank of America but does not originate new loans.

The department’s investigation into Countrywide’s lending practices began after referrals by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Office of Thrift Supervision to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in 2007 and 2008 for potential patterns or practices of discrimination by Countrywide.

Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF). President Obama established the interagency FFETF to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. For more information on the task force, visit www.StopFraud.gov.

A copy of the complaint and proposed settlement order, as well as additional information about fair lending enforcement by the Justice Department, can be obtained from the Justice Department website at www.justice.gov/fairhousing.

The proposed settlement provides for an independent administrator to contact and distribute payments of compensation at no cost to borrowers whom the Justice Department identifies as victims of Countrywide’s discrimination. The department will make a public announcement and post contact information on its website once an administrator is chosen. Borrowers who are eligible for compensation from the settlement will then be contacted by the administrator. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of lending discrimination by Countrywide and have questions about the settlement may email the department at countrywide.settlement@usdoj.gov.

Gamma Kappa chapter of Omega Psi Phi, the first African-American fraternity on Salisbury University campus in 1976

SALISBURY, MD---In 1976, Salisbury University President Norman Crawford welcomed the Gamma Kappa chapter of Omega Psi Phi, the first African-American fraternity on campus.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the fraternity recently honored Crawford for this support, and Salisbury mayor and SU alumnus James Ireton proclaimed Norman Crawford Day in the city. Crawford also received state and county citations, as well as a commemorative gift from the Black Alumni Association, in addition to the Appreciation Award.

“He was instrumental in allowing us to have a charter at [what was then] Salisbury State College,” said Charles Elliott, the chapter’s inaugural president. “He was always there for us. He put the students first and always made himself available to us.”

Crawford said he recognized the need for the Gamma Kappa chapter as he attempted to make African-American students feel more welcomed on campus. Prior to his arrival in 1970, only three of the college’s 965 students were African-American.

That number grew exponentially as he began hiring the institution’s first African-American faculty and administrators, and initiated programs such as weekly meetings with African-American students to discuss problems they might be encountering on campus.

“My goal was to make sure African-American students who came to Salisbury had a positive social and academic experience,” he said, adding that he knew the college’s positive reputation would spread throughout the community. “My proudest accomplishment was the harmonious desegregation of the state college.”

Omega Psi Phi member Jerry West congratulates Dr. Norman Crawford.

“Dr. Crawford was a visionary, a man ahead of his time and a man of purpose and conviction,” said Dr. Clara Small, who was among Crawford’s first faculty hires. “He did not emphasize affirmative action, but looked for talented individuals who knew their craft when he hired faculty and staff to serve a diverse student population. He recognized the worth of all people and the value of a diverse work place, and what could be achieved if there was a concerted effort to reach that goal.” To know that the students he first supported in Omega Psi Phi some 35 years ago remembered his efforts so fondly was especially poignant. “It was probably the most meaningful recognition I’ve received,” Crawford said.

A native of Newark, NJ, Crawford served as president of SU until1980. Under his leadership, enrollment more than tripled; new academic, cultural and athletic programs were added; and Greek life was introduced on campus. He returned to the area following his retirement in 1992. He and his wife, Garnette, reside in Ocean Pines and remain involved with the SU community.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.

John W. Franklin keynote speaker for the 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Convocation at JSU

Jackson, MS—The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University is pleased to announce that John W. Franklin, the Director of Partnerships and International Programs for the National Museum of African American History and Culture being built on the Mall in Washington, D.C., will be the keynote speaker for the 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Convocation at JSU.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the Smithsonian’s 19th museum, and John W. Franklin has worked on African American, African and African Diaspora programs for the past 24 years at the Smithsonian. Initially, he served as researcher and French language interpreter for the Smithsonian’s African Diaspora program of the 1976 Bicentennial Folklife Festival while living and teaching English in Dakar, Senegal.

Franklin developed symposia and seminars for the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies from 1987-1992, and at the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, he curated Smithsonian Folklife Festival programs on the Bahamas (1994), Cape Verdean Culture (1995), Washington, D.C. (2000) and Mali (2003). Franklin served on the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture from 1998 to 2008 and the board of the Reginald Lewis Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture from 2000 to 2009. He served on the Board of Governors of the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies from 2003-2011, and he edited, My Life and an Era: the Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin with his father, John Hope Franklin.

MLK Convocation will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 13, 2012, in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on the campus of Jackson State and will be immediately followed by the 17th Annual Isaac K. Byrd For My People Awards luncheon at 11:45 a.m. in the JSU Student Center Ballroom.

Along with Mr. Franklin, the Margaret Walker Center will honor Mrs. Dorothy Stewart, founder of Women for Progress, and the Honorable Mary Toles, founder of the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture, for their contributions to the public preservation of African-American history and culture with this annual award named Margaret Walker’s classic poem, For My People. Past recipients include James Meredith, Unita Blackwell, Robert Clark, Lerone Bennett, Andrew Young, Jesse Mosley, and others.

Tickets for this year’s For My People Awards luncheon can be purchased through the Margaret Walker Center for $10 starting on January 3, 2012. For more information, visit the Center’s
website at www.jsums.edu/margaretwalker or contact the Center’s staff at 601-979-2055 or mwa@jsums.edu.

John W. Franklin keynote speaker for the 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Convocation at JSU FULL RELEASE in PDF FORMAT

Contact: Dr. Robert Luckett, Margaret Walker Center Jackson State University 601-979-2055 robert.luckett@jsums.edu

For Immediate Release Director John W. Franklin to be keynote speaker for the 2012 MLK Convocation at JSU and a recipient of the annual For My People Award.

African-American men don't receive the same benefits from mentoring that Caucasians do

Athens, Ga. - Networking within an organization and having a mentor are widely thought to promote career success, but a new University of Georgia study finds that African-American men don't receive the same measurable benefits from these professional connections that Caucasians do.

Study co-author Lillian Eby, a professor in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Program in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, said the finding shouldn't discourage African Americans from seeking mentoring and networking opportunities. Rather, it emphasizes the need for women and minorities to think broadly about the mentors they choose and with whom they network. People tend to have professional and social networks that are composed of people who are similar to them, she explained, and African Americans remain underrepresented in high-level positions.

"If African-American men are picking mentors who are like them, then they're more likely to be networking with people who have less power and influence within an organization," Eby said, "which may be why mentoring is not predicting career success for them."

The study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Vocational Behavior, examined data from nearly 250 college-educated, African-American men to determine which factors were most closely related to their career success. Co-author C. Douglas Johnson, an associate professor of management at Georgia Gwinnett College, said the intent was to see if conclusions from previous studies with Caucasians held true for African Americans.

Lillian Eby

Unlike mentoring and networking, universal predictors of success were level of education, training and willingness to move for new opportunities. "The study shows that if you are willing to put forth the necessary effort and obtain the education and appropriate training, then you can achieve career success," said Johnson, who conducted the study while a doctoral student at UGA. For purposes of the study, career success was defined with measures such as annual compensation, number of promotions in one's career and managerial level. Yet Johnson emphasized that career success also involves less objective components, such as personal satisfaction and work-life balance. Mentoring was associated with greater career satisfaction in this population, and the researchers said that choosing multiple mentors might be a way for people to gain both objective and subjective career gains.

Eby discourages organizations from implementing formal mentoring programs created for specific racial, ethnic or gender groups, since they can be viewed as favoritism and perpetuate stereotypes that those individuals need extra help to succeed. Creating opportunities for all employees to expand their skills and knowledge, however, can benefit both the individual and the organization.

"Especially in a bad economy, having a climate that encourages learning and development is probably a better strategy than programs that are targeted toward a particular group," she said.

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