Ph.D.

Sep 27 2012

Rev. Jackson still securing prisoners’ release

Civil Rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. once again used his diplomatic skills to secure the release of American citizens held captive by foreign governments or entities. This time Jackson successfully talked face to face with the president of The Gambia, Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, Ph.D., and was able to convince the head of state to release men who were serving long sentences for treason.

They traveled by plane to New York with Jackson on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Sep 13 2012

From Sarah Baartman to Kim Kardashian

“Although she was known as Sarah Baartman, historical scholars aren’t sure if she ever knew her birth given name. She was a daughter of South Africa. She went to Europe willing, thinking she would find riches and fame. They fooled her in Europe; she found only humiliation. Forced to be a spectacle, because many of them had not seen a naked Black woman’s body, they nicknamed her the Hottentot Venus. They were fascinated with her big hips and buttocks.

Sep 6 2012

Blacks weren’t allowed to be priests until 1978

For most of the world’s post-biblical history the story of naked Noah and his sons has been the single greatest justification for the enslavement of individuals of African heritage, according to David M. Goldenberg author of “The Curse of Ham: Race Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”

According to Goldenberg the scripture describing Ham’s act denied minorities equal treatment wherever religious majorities believed, as a matter of faith, that racial variation from “whiteness” was malignant.

Aug 16 2012

Seven years after the nation’s costliest natural disaster, New Orleans continues its recovery

NEW ORLEANS, La.—Seven years after Hurricane Katrina, its legacy remains a challenge for visitors to this $5 billion-a-year tourist destination. That’s because the remnants of death, destruction and desertion reside just outside the city’s popular downtown and French Quarter.

Aug 9 2012

Will open in September with 540 students

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy will open its doors to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Aug. 10.

The academy, located on the former site of Cactus Middle School, will open in September with 540 students.

“The idea of the Aerospace Academy was inspired by Palmdale’s rich aerospace heritage” said Palmdale School District Superintendent Roger Gallizzi.

“Challenging projects, hands-on activities and collaborative learning will engage student interest and foster student learning.”

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.