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African American news for the week of Nov. 20, 2014.

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Alabama

Dennis Driver, the new chairman of Historically Black College/University (HBCU) Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, served as grand marshall of the school’s annual homecoming parade on Saturday, Nov. 8. But the bigger news came with the announcement an anonymous donation of $2 million to the college. “This gift will allow us to make a significant impact on our financial responsibilities and provide increased opportunities for our students,” commented Stillman President Peter Edmund Millet. “Our ability to do this supports the Stillman mission of providing an enriching educational environment for our current and future students. We hope that this donation will serve as an incentive for our alumni and the community to support Stillman at an unprecedented level.” Driver, who is an alumnus of the school, added that he intends to use the donation to motivate other alumni of the school to give back and provide support.

California

The University of Southern California (USC) Glorya Kaufman School of Dance is welcoming six new choreographers and performers as part of its faculty. Each of them brings a different specialty to the celebrated department. E. Moncell Durden is a dance educator who specializes in American Afro-Cuban dance. He taught at Drexel University for seven years and is currently developing a documentary on the genealogy of hip hop dance. Victor Quijada offers expertise on a number of dance forms, including ballet and hip hop. He is often commissioned to create dance works for performance groups such as the Hubbard Street Dance Group of Chicago, Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Scottish Dance Theatre. Desmond Richardson has been called “one of the greatest dancers of his time” by The New York Times. He has been a principal of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Ballet Theater and Ballet Frankfurt. Richardson has appeared on Broadway and worked in film, on TV and with renowned artists such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna and Aretha Franklin. Other new faculty members include Patrick Corbin (ballet and modern dance), Zippora Karz (ballet) and Fiona Lummis (ballet).

District of Columbia

The Industrial Bank marked its 80th anniversary with a celebration at the Arena Stage in southwest Washington, D.C. The purpose of the event was to thank the Black-owned bank’s many customers and employees for their support over the years and to honor its founding in 1934 by Jesse H. Mitchell. The bank’s mission is to promote financial and economic empowerment to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. In an effort to continue to serve as a key catalyst delivering the capital necessary to support small business growth and development, Industrial Bank also announced a new Small Business Grant initiative to support existing entrepreneurial enterprises to position them for long-term success. Five grants totaling $80,000 will be awarded to companies meeting specific criteria, all doing business in Industrial Bank’s service area. Since 1934, Industrial Bank has provided the commercial and small business loans necessary to fuel the aspirations of businessmen and women in the D.C. metro area, with a proven track record of providing financial services to small businesses and low-to-moderate income communities.

Long before the final results of the midterm elections were reported on Nov. 4, a team of esteemed women from Black Women’s Roundtable, students from Howard University and young professionals from Black Youth Vote and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, determined that Black voter participation surpassed expectations and outnumbered turnout from 2010. The intergenerational team at the eighth biennial National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) Ronald Walters Election Day National Command Center (NCBCP RWCC) communicated with on-the-ground field operations in 12 states to monitor problems at the polls, disseminate important information via social media and analyze voter turnout and election results. “This is the first time the command center was held on a historically Black college campus, but not the last. The Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center (RWLPPC) is the perfect partner to co-host the Election Day Command Center,” said Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO, NCBCP and convener Black Women’s Roundtable. For more information on the RWCC visit www.ncbcp.org.

Georgia

The third season premiere of Bounce TV’s popular, family-friendly original comedy series “Off the Chain” kicked off last week. Featuring some of the freshest African American comedians on the stand-up scene, Atlanta-based Bounce TV turned over the mic to just one comic per show and expanded to an hour-long format. Actress/comedienne Kim Coles was the first to headline. “I always wanted to do a comedy special and it feels wonderful that this amazing dream-come-true opportunity has come as I enter my 30th anniversary as a standup comedian,” Coles said. Other top comedians to be featured this season include Michael Colyar (premieres Dec. 10), Rodney Perry, Cocoa Brown, Nore Davis, Jordan Carlos, Rudy Rush and Roy Jackson. For more details, visit www.bouncetv.com

Maryland

Silver Spring-based RLJ Entertainment Inc., created by Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) has announced the launch of UMC – Urban Movie Channel (UMC), a new digital channel. The channel is designed to feature urban-themed movies as an alternative to conventional subscription-based channels. The line-up will showcase dramas, documentaries, comedies, horror and stage plays. “As founder of BET, I have gained a deep understanding and knowledge about the African American and urban consumer and the entertainment content that appeals to them,” Johnson said of his latest venture. Programs previously released by RLJE under the One Village brand will be incorporated into UMC’s library, which will also include titles from his existing Image independent feature film line. UMC will launch with a free trial period for subscribers through February 4, 2015, and then with a suggested retail price of $4.99/month or $49.99/year, but with a special limited time introductory pricing of $2.99/month or $29.99/year to start. Among the titles launching are live stand-up performances featuring Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx and Charlie Murphy; documentaries “Dark Girls” and “I Ain’t Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac;” the feature films “All Things Fall Apart” starring 50 Cent, Mario Van Peebles and Ray Liotta; and “The Suspect” starring Mekhi Phifer. UMC can be found at: www.urbanmoviechannel.com.

Missouri

With a decision expected soon in the case of police officer Darren Wilson shooting and killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Brown’s parent are asking for restraint from protestors as well as police. Along with Gov. Jay Nixon, the Brown family’s attorneys—Benjamin Crump and Anthony Gray—spoke on behalf of the Browns and asked that protestors avoid looting, rioting and violence. Renowned Dr. Michael Baden was set to testify on the results of his autopsy before the grand jury. Baden’s version of what happened differs slightly from the St. Louis coroner’s office, while a third autopsy conducted by the U.S. Justice Dept. has yet to be released. In the meantime, protestors staged a “Die In St. Louis” event last weekend, briefly blocking a major intersection. Dozens of protestors laid down in the streets, pretending to have been shot by other participants playing the role of police officers. Despite the fact that a major thoroughfare was blocked off from traffic by the protestors, police did not react with tear gas or violence during this protest. “This is a mature movement. It is a different movement than it was in August. Then it just had anger, justifiable anger,” said DeRay McKesson, a 29-year-old protest leader, according to Reuters. “We are strategizing. And we are going to bring our message to the power structure.”

Montana

A Klu Klux Klan sect in Montana is claiming its outlook has changed and it is opening its membership to Blacks and Jews, two of its main targets of attack in the past. It’s also making an attempt to appeal to Hispanics and homosexuals as well. “White supremacy is the old Klan. This is the new Klan,” declares John Albarr, a KKK member based in Great Falls. According to the Jerusalem Post, members of this particular sect of the KKK have met with the NAACP to reveal the “new” group’s goal of a stronger and better America. “I don’t feel we need to be separate,” Albarr reportedly said. The Post says that it is unclear how many actual members this new version of the KKK has. Albarr ran for the U.S. House of Representatives a few years ago as a Republican.

New York

BET has canceled its long-running music-oriented show, “106 & Park” after 14 years on the air. The show, which is currently hosted by Shad Moss, AKA Bow Wow, and Keisha Chanté, will air for the last time on Dec. 19. “106 & Park” is credited with launching the careers of several television hosts, including A.J. Calloway, Free, and Rocsi Diaz. A lot of A-list artists, celebrities and even dignitaries have appeared on the show, including First Lady Michelle Obama, “Scandal” star Kerry Washington, Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez, just to name a few. Officials at BET said in a release that the “106 & Park” brand will continue, however. “The ‘106 & Park’ brand remains strong and will continue to produce various specials throughout the year, including its annual New Year’s Eve show, ‘106 & Party,’ along with live event experiences at the BET Awards and BET Experience.”

First an Academy Award and now Glamour magazine has named Lupita Nyong’o as one of its prestigious Women of the Year. She was presented the honor last Monday at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall. Other recipients included Chelsea Clinton, actress Laverne Cox, fashion designer Sarah Burton and U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power. Nyong’o has been on an upward swing since her Oscar for her role in “Twelve Years A Slave,” becoming the new face of Lancôme and being on the cover of People magazine’s Most Beautiful issue. Other honorees at last Monday’s event include Robin Roberts of “Good Morning America,” actress Mindy Kalin, who created and stars in the TV show “The Mindy Project,” model Natalia Vodianova, who created the Naked Heart Foundation to help kids with special needs, and Sylvia Earle, who at 80 years old still works as an oceanographer.

Virginia

Grammy Award winning producer Timbaland, aka Tim Mosley, has signed a new deal with Epic/Sony after nearly a decade with Interscope. The new contract is for a joint venture with his own Mosley Music Group. The multi-platinum producer has worked with a slew of major artists, including the late Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson. Under the new agreement, Epic will carry most of the burden for marketing and distribution. Initial releases are set to occur in early 2015 with a hip hop artist named Tink and a pop singer called V. Bozeman. Interscope, however, has one more release slated from Timbaland, “Textbook Timbo,” also set for release in 2015. In addition, he will be the music producer for the new Fox TV series, “Empire,” which will debut in January.

Tennessee

The Research Center on Health Disparities, Equity and the Exposome (RCHDEE) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has initiated a Breast Cancer Awareness and Action Coalition that includes local and state health care, civic and community organizations. The coalition has a goal to arm African American women with information to prevent breast cancer with best practices in early detection, screening and treatment of the disease.

The coalition will hold a summit on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., titled, “LIVE! African-American Women Surviving Breast Cancer through Education, Early Detection, Screening and Treatment.” Designed to unite, support and empower, this event will gather a group of 500 Black women of varying ages, education levels and socioeconomic backgrounds at the UTHSC campus. The event will include breast cancer survivors, women who consider themselves at risk for the disease and those whose lives have been altered or touched in some way by breast cancer. Registered participants may attend at no cost. All participants must register in advance at: https://uthsc.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2c5AgwTSV7InK0l. Local businesses, civic and community organizations are underwriting the approximate $100 expense for each participant. To become a sponsor, contact Dr. Matthews-Juarez via phone: (901) 448-7226 or email: pmatthe3@uthsc.edu.

National

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has endorsed the naming of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner as recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The civil rights activists, who were murdered in Mississippi in June 1964 while trying to register voters during the Freedom Summer, gave their lives defending civil rights and trying to expand the right to vote. Schwerner, 24, and Goodman, 20, were both Jewish activists from New York, and Chaney, 22, was an activist from the local African American community. June 21 marked the 50th anniversary of their murders. Barry Curtiss-Lusher, ADL national chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, issued the following statement: “Our country owes a profound debt of gratitude to Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner—and their families. Their passion for civil rights and dedication to securing equality for all helped propel our country forward immeasurably. As we mark the 50th anniversary of their senseless murders, we strongly applaud President Barack Obama’s decision to award them the nation’s highest civilian honor.”

Compiled by Carol Ozemhoya.

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