United States

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

California
Michael Brownlee recently joined NBC4 Los Angeles as co-anchor and general assignment reporter. Brownlee will co-anchor the station’s new midday newscast alongside Lucy Noland and serve as a general assignment reporter for the early morning newscast, Today in LA. “Michael has the right combination of on-air vitality and journalism experience that is well-known in the greater Los Angeles area,” said Steve Carlston, the newly named president and general manager at NBC4 Los Angeles. “He is a dynamic anchor who will further strengthen our newscasts.” Since 2003, Brownlee has served as a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor at KCOP’s My 13 News in Los Angeles, where he covered a variety of feature, local and community news stories. “NBC4 LA is home to some of the most talented, respected and sought after journalists in the market, and to be part of this incredible team is truly an honor for me,” said Brownlee, a San Diego native who started his broadcasting career in radio.

District of Columbia
Bounce TV (www.bouncetv.com), “the first over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans,” has signed a distribution agreement with Gannett Broadcasting which will make Gannett’s WUSA-TV the exclusive provider of Bounce TV in Washington, D.C. The agreement is Bounce TV’s second with a Gannett station; the network is also carried by Gannett’s WATL-TV in Atlanta. Since entering the marketplace six months ago, Bounce TV has aired in more than 50 percent of the country and landed distribution agreements with several major station. With the addition of Washington, D.C., the No. 4 African American market in the country, Bounce TV is now seen in four of the top five African American markets.  "This is a very significant agreement,” said Jeffrey Wolf, executive vice president for distribution. “Getting Bounce TV on the air in Washington, D.C., is tremendous, and partnering with Gannett again and the powerful WUSA-TV makes it even more rewarding. It was very important to align with the right affiliate in our nation’s capital, especially given the large African American composition of the market. We continue to build a strong lineup of affiliates that will ensure the success of Bounce TV.”

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

California
The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers (“BAD West”) recently announced that award-winning actor and director Carl Franklin will be the moderator for its sixth annual “Day of Black Docs” on Saturday, from 1-6 p.m. at the American Film Institute, Mark Goodson Theater, 2021 Western Ave., Los Angeles. Franklin wrote and directed Denzel Washington in “Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995). “Day of Black Docs” will feature three documentaries—“The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975,” a new take on the racial history of the U.S. in the ’60s and ’70s; “Sing Your Song,” on the life and times of singer/actor/activist Harry Belafonte; and the Jamie Foxx executive-produced documentary, “Thunder Soul,” following a performance from Houston’s Kashmere High School Stage Band. Admission to the “Day of Black Docs” is $15. Tickets can be purchased at AFI or in advance at www.dayofblackdocs.org.

District of Columbia
A federal judge has given final approval to a $1.2-billion government settlement for Black farmers, who claim they were unfairly denied loans and other assistance from the Agriculture Department over many years. Federal judge Paul Friedman approved the settlement late Thursday. He said it will likely take about a year for neutral parties to review claims and then all of the settlements will be paid out at once. This is the second round of settlements in the 1999 case known as the Pigford case, after the original plaintiff, North Carolina farmer Timothy Pigford. The settlement is directed at farmers who were denied payments in the first round because they missed deadlines for filing. Congress passed the settlement last year.

Florida
Florida A&M University (FAMU) has been awarded an education and research grant totaling $15 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to meet the agency’s work force needs in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This is the largest single grant awarded in the history of the university. “One of the highest criteria used to determine the quality of a university is the level of extramural funding and quality of research taking place by faculty and the funding obtained for them to conduct research on a regular basis,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “This announcement proves that Florida A&M University meets that standard of excellence.” With 30 percent of the grant designated for scholarships, FAMU has partnered with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Delaware State University, Jackson State University, University of Texas at Brownsville, and Creighton University, as well as three National Estuarine Research Reserves: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System. The grant will provide funds to support students as they pursue education, research, and training in environmental science.

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

California
Annually, the East Bay Women’s Initiative for Self Employment recognizes San Francisco Bay Area women business owners for their respective professional and civic contributions. During its recent annual regional awards ceremony the nonprofit organization named Raye Mitchell the 2011 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in recognition of her leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropic contributions. The event was held in the Lakeside Theater at Kaiser Center in Oakland. Mitchell is CEO of Making a New Reality Foundation and the G.U.R.L.S. Rock Leadership Program. Mitchell, who attended the University of Southern California’s Marshall Graduate School of Business and Harvard Law School, guides girls and women of color to be SocialPreneurs, defined as individuals applying business entrepreneurial skills, experiences and training to combat social problems and challenges limiting their vision and ability to achieve greatness. Recent Women’s Initiative research shows that its graduates created or retained more than 4,300 jobs in 2010 alone.

Florida
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced this week that prominent philanthropic leader Stephanie Bell-Rose and national investment expert and former NAACP national treasurer Francisco L. Borges are joining the foundation’s board of trustees. Knight Foundation is dedicated to the ideal that democracies thrive when communities are informed and engaged. The foundation supports transformational ideas that engage communities, promote quality journalism and media innovation, and foster the arts. Based in New York City, Bell-Rose has an extensive background in philanthropy and policy initiatives. She is a managing director of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement and Equity Fund and head of its institute, where she focuses on higher education, financial security policy and research and charitable organizations. Bell-Rose previously served as president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and also as counsel and program officer for public affairs at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. There, she directed legal affairs and designed philanthropic initiatives in education and public policy. Borges is a leader in business and in promoting civil rights for all. With a background in state government, Borges previously served as treasurer for Connecticut and deputy mayor of the city of Hartford. He is also chairman and managing partner at Landmark Partners Inc., a full-service alternative investment firm specializing in private equity and real estate. Borges was also managing director of GE Capital’s Financial Guaranty.

Georgia
The nations marching band fans have spoken, and have chosen the top eight marching bands at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands. Now marking 10 years of celebrating the heritage, showmanship and scholarship of HBCU bands, the Honda Battle of the Bands will bring The Homecoming to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for the Invitational Showcase on Jan. 28. Albany State University Marching Rams Show Band, Bethune Cookman University Marching Wildcats, Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South, Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm, South Carolina State University Marching 101, Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands, Virginia State University Marching Trojan Explosion, and Winston-Salem State University Red Sea of Sound are the HBCU marching bands that will earn a $20,000 grant for their music education programs and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase. Each band will have 12 minutes to showcase the musical excellence, distinctive style and superior showmanship that earned them a place in the 2012 Invitational Showcase.