Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
Alabama
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. has been cast in TBS’ half-hour comedy pilot “Sullivan & Son,” starring comedian Steve Byrne and executive-produced by Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and Cheers alum Rob Long. Wood will play alongside fellow comedians Ahmed Ahmed and Owen Benjamin as one of Steve Sullivan’s (Byrne’s character) best friends. Wood became a household favorite on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, where he placed in the top three finalists. Written by Byrne and Long, “Sullivan & Son” takes place in a popular and legendary neighborhood bar in a working-class neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It centers on Steve Sullivan, the son of the bar’s current owner and the grandson of its founder, who decides he wants to leave his job as a successful corporate attorney in New York and return to the neighborhood to take over Sullivan & Son.
California
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund held its first Awards of Excellence event in Los Angeles recently at the Getty House, the official residence of the Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The event co-hosts were Rolonda Watts and Judge Joe Brown. Presenters included heavyweight boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard. “The Thurgood Marshall College Fund is preparing the next generation of leaders,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., TMCF president and CEO. “Our organization has proudly supported Justice Marshall’s legacy and commitment to education by providing over $100 million in scholarships to deserving students. We are excited to have presented our first Los Angeles event, recognizing the outstanding achievements of our 2011 honorees, as well as our partners, who stand with us in making sure young people have access to quality education.”
District of Columbia
The Links Inc., an international nonprofit service organization of professional women of color, recently hosted its 65th anniversary in Washington, D.C. Nearly 1,200 guests from throughout the United States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, representing the 274 Links chapters, attended the weekend celebration, which included a rededication and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly renovated state-of-the-art national headquarters. The Marriott Wardman Park was the backdrop for a black-tie reception and gala hosted by actors Tim Reid and Daphne Maxwell Reid and featuring Grammy-award winning singer Will Downing. The evening marked the debut of the organization’s highest honor bestowed upon an organization, The Links Medal, presented to Johnson Publishing Co. Chairman Linda Johnson Rice for making a significant and positive impact in the lives and culture of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.
