California
Halle Berry doesn’t want her daughter’s father to straighten or lighten their child’s hair, and she went to court to make sure that’s the case. Berry’s ex, Gabriel Aubry, had allegedly been altering the hair of Nahla, the former couple’s 6-year-old daughter, against Berry’s wishes. He refused to stop, so the battle went to court, and last week, a judge ruled that the girl’s hair must be kept in its natural state.
Florida
The City of Miami Gardens announced the first round of artists for its 10th annual Jazz in the Gardens music festival at Sun Life Stadium March 20-22. The three-day weekend will feature Maxwell, Toni Braxton, R. Kelly, Men of Soul’s Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson and Freddie Jackson, and Brian Culbertson. Comedians and nationally syndicated radio personalities D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley will co-host the festival. More artists will be added. The event is predicted to break attendance records, surpassing last year’s 68,000 tickets sold. “This signature event was birthed from humble beginnings with just 1,800 people in attendance our first year,” said Mayor Oliver Gilbert. “I am proud to have watched this festival grow in number and esteem and reach this landmark of 10 years.” Visit www.jazzinthegardens.com for more information.
Georgia
A teenage boy who went missing four years ago was reunited with his mother last Saturday in an emotional event. Five people living in a home in Jonesboro near Atlanta where he was found hidden behind a wall were taken into custody. One of those arrested was the 13-year-old’s father, Gregory Jean, 37. Jean and his female companion, Samantha Joy Davis, face charges of false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstructing an officer. The other three people in the home were juveniles. The boy’s mom had reported him missing to child welfare, but since she didn’t report his absence to police, there was no missing persons case established. The young man managed to get access to a phone and called his mother and told her where he was. When police went to the home to look for the boy, Jean and Davis told the cops they didn’t know where he was. The police left, but went back later, and this time, the boy was able to call his mother while hidden and tell her where he was. The police found him and he was reunited with his mother.
An Atlanta fire chief has been suspended for one month for publishing a book echoing anti-gay sentiments. Kevin Cochran published, “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” in 2013 as what he calls a Christian book. Mayor Kasim Reed said he was surprised to learn of the book and was disappointed in its views. “I profoundly disagree with and am deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community. I will not tolerate discrimination of any kind within my administration.” In addition to the suspension without pay, Cochran must complete sensitivity training before returning to work. One passage that Atlanta authorities found offensive read: Naked men refuse to give in, so they pursue sexual fulfillment through multiple partners, with the opposite sex, the same sex and sex outside of marriage and many other vile, vulgar and inappropriate ways which defile their body temple and dishonor God.” Mayor Reed said he was unaware that the book even existed until a fire department employee complained.
Illinois
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city officials gathered to celebrate the legacy of the first Black mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington, last week at a ceremony at the Harold Washington Library Center. The late mayor was honored with a plaque. “The sun will always rise on Harold [Washington’s] legacy, it’s alive, it’s well, yes, we have to teach it to our kids, but it is about weaving that fabric of 77 neighborhoods, 140 different nationalities into one. That is what he showed all of us with his big personality, big smile and total thirst and love for life,” Emanuel said. “There is more to the history of Harold Washington than just what this plaque will say. The history of Harold Washington lives in this room and throughout the city of Chicago. I would not be standing here today, if I had not been standing on the shoulders of Harold Washington and Jane Byrne because they broke the glass ceiling.”
Louisiana
Dillard University has announced the opening of the medical physics concentration under the Physics and Pre-Engineering Program. As a response to the dire need of the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana for qualified and well-trained medical physicists, the curriculum of Medical Physics will prepare students for graduate school and work in several areas of medical physics, including Imaging medical physics and nuclear medical physics. “To my knowledge, Dillard is the only private four-year college in the state to offer a concentration in medical physics,” said Dr. Abdalla Darwish, professor of physics at Dillard. “The skills learned in the medical physics program will provide students with the training to safely and properly operate and maintain diagnostic imaging devices, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMRs), ultrasound and x-rays, as well as the ability to analyze the resulting images.” According to the American Institute of Physics, Dillard is ranked as a top producer of African Americans with bachelor’s degrees in physics (2012); and according to the National Science Foundation (2013), it is among the top 50 colleges whose graduates earn doctorates in the sciences.
Maryland
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice can play in the NFL again, says U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jones. She has ruled that the NFL wrongfully suspended Rice two times for the same misconduct. Rice, who was let go by the Ravens in September, can now sign with another team as a free agent. The Rice case received national attention when a video was released that showed him punching and his then fiancé in a hotel elevator and Rice did not receive any jail time but had to take part in an anti-domestic violence program. However, the NFL took it upon itself to punish Rice as well and issued a shorter suspension before announcing a lifelong ban. Jones concluded that Rice’s second suspension was based on the same incident and thus was arbitrary. At press time, no team had expressed an interest in Rice. Sports Illustrated writer Michael McCann says that there is a possibility that Rice could sue the NFL for collusion, if no team signs him. One more issue is at hand for Rice, and that is with the Ravens, with which he has a wrongful termination suit. Rice says that the team wrongfully fired him from his $35 million contract. His case stems from the fact that the Ravens stood by him until the second suspension from the NFL, that the NFL didn’t do a proper investigation and thus he wasn’t treated fairly.
Missouri
A lot of retailers in the St. Louis area saw red last week, when protestors from nearby Ferguson successfully shut down three shopping malls on Black Friday, considered the busiest shopping day of the year. Many of the protestors wore signs that said things such as “Black Life Matters” and “Not One Dime,” as they protested the results of a grand jury announcement that policeman Darren Wilson would not be prosecuted for shooting and killing unarmed teen Michael Brown. In addition to the St. Louis area, other cities felt the heel of protestors as well, as they shut down retailers, trains and roads in cities such as Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., among others. The protestors were organized through social media and involved thousands of people in dozens of cities. In Richmond Heights, the Galleria mall closed for about an hour as protestors laid on the floor while chanting “stop shopping and join the movement.” Similar demonstrations took place at the West County Mall in Des Peres and the Chesterfield Mall. In other cities, protestors blocked trains and roads, and chained themselves to retailer doors in protest as well.
New York
New York City is on edge, as it awaits a grand jury’s decision on whether or not any police will be charged in the death of Eric Garner, who died from a choke hold while New York police officers were attempting to arrest him. Using a choke hold on a suspect is supposed to be against police policy in New York City. Any day now, authorities are expected to announce whether or not the officer who is seen wrapping his arms around Garner’s neck will be charged. The video and a medical examiner’s report were crucial aspects of the case that many believe should lead to criminal charges against at least one police officer involved in the attempted arrest of Garner. “You’d have to be blind not to see what happened,” Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, told the Huffington Post. “I can’t see why it should take so long to reach a decision… the wait is making me very anxious, of course. But there’s nothing I can do about it.” According to the Post, New York City authorities are working to avoid violent protests, if the grand jury fails to indict. “The NYPD sent detectives to Missouri to gather intelligence on ‘professional agitators’ who frequent protests and to share strategies for quelling violence, said Police Commissioner William Bratton,” wrote the Post. The police officer’s attorneys are arguing that Garner’s poor health contributed to his death, while the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
The Harlem Holiday Doll Show and Sale will take place this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6 and 7, at the LeRoy Nieman Art Center in New York City. The event is presented by the Morrisania Doll Society, which was organized to bring together doll collectors and doll artists to help preserve the history and culture of Black doll making. This will be the event’s 14th annual gathering. For more info on the Harlem Holiday Doll Show and Sale, go to www.morrisaniadollsociety.com.
Ohio
The Cleveland family of 12-year-old Tamir Rice suffered through a sad Thanksgiving as it mourned the death of the youngster at the hands of what community leaders are considering overzealous police. Rice was seen playing with a pellet gun at a park when a police car comes flying up and officers shoots him before he has time to react. Although the officers involved say they told him to put his hands up, the video clearly shows the officer on the passenger side shooting Rice before the car even stopped. “It is our belief that this situation could have been avoided and that Tamir should still be here with us,” Rice’s family said through a released statement. “The video shows one thing distinctly: The police officers reacted quickly.” The cop that shot the youngster has been identified as 26-year-old Timothy Loehman, a rookie who has only been with the department since March. Both Loehman and his partner are on paid administrative leave until the area’s prosecutor decides whether or not to pursue criminal charges. In addition to the video of the incident, the 9-1-1 call was also released. In the initial call, the caller identifies Rice as a kid and also that the gun looks fake. However, in the audio sent to the cops, the dispatcher does not relay that info, saying instead “he has a gun” and that it is a young man.
Pennsylvania
A woman in Wilkes-Barre was arrested on Thanksgiving Day and charged with aggravated assault after she stabbed her boyfriend because he started eating their Thanksgiving dinner while she was napping. When police arrived at the home of 47-year-old Jack-Lyn Blake, she was on her way out the door, but stopped to tell officers, “I stabbed him.” Benjamin Smith, 46, was found inside the home holding a towel against his chest. He was taken to a local hospital where his wound was considered non-life-threatening. Smith told the cops that the two argued and then Blake went upstairs to take a nap. While Blake was still asleep, Smith started eating. When Blake came downstairs and found that he was eating without her, she picked up a knife and stabbed him. Blake was booked on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, making a terrorist threat and reckless endangerment.
Texas
A pastor in Houston is refusing to bury a 93-year-old woman who was a member of his church because her dues weren’t current when she died. Barbara Day, the daughter of Olivia Blair, said she is insulted that the church’s pastor, Walter F. Houston, won’t allow her mother to have a church funeral. She was a member of that particular church for 50 years. However, Houston claims the elder lady had not paid her dues in two years and had not attended recently either. “For the last two years my mother has been in either a nursing home or she’s been in a hospital. And the last few months, she’s been in a coma,” her daughter explained. Day ended up having her mother’s funeral at another church.
