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African American news for the week of August 14, 2014.

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Georgia

The IRS has hit Atlanta resident Jasmine Guy, best known for her portrayal of Whitley on “A Different World,” with a big fine. Guy reportedly owes more than $27,000 for failing to pay taxes in 2008 and 2012. In 2009, the former TV star  and Broadway actress declared bankruptcy, claiming that her ex-husband, Terrence Duckett, left her an excessive amount of debt after their 11-year marriage ended in divorce.

The Bronze Lens Fifth Anniversary Film Festival will be held in Atlanta, Oct. 22-26. The event is designed to showcase films about and created by people of color. The festival will feature panels, workshops and film screenings. The event is open to film production professionals, actors, emerging filmmakers and the general public. For more info, go to http://www.bronzelens.com/

Illinois

The Professional Diversity Network, a leading developer and operator of online recruiting for diverse professionals, has announced a public/private partnership with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), which aids registered users during their search for employment. Available at www.IllinoisJobLink.com, users will be able to optimize their online resumes for free using the Resunate™ resume builder. Potential employers also improve their ability to identify and recruit candidates with the right skills for the jobs. The online tool has proven to double an applicant’s interview rate by providing interactive feedback on how to best tailor a resume for specific positions. The trial service is provided at no cost to both IDES and users. Headquartered in Chicago, Professional Diversity Network owns and operates professional networking communities including: iHispano.com for Hispanic professionals, BlackCareerNetwork.com for African American professionals, WomensCareerChannel.com for women, Military2Career.com for veterans, ProAble.net for professionals with disabilities, OutProNet.com for professionals in the LGBT community, and AsianCareerNetwork.com for Asian professionals. For more info, visit prodivnet.com.

Maryland

A White teacher in Prince George County was awarded $350,000 last week as a result of a discrimination lawsuit he filed after an African American principal allegedly called him “poor White trash,” among other racial slurs. Jon Everhart testified that the principal at Largo High School caused him to lose his job and his teaching credentials. Everhart will also receive back pay and benefits. The 66-year-old educator told the school board that he was “subject to cruelty” from Angelique Simpson Marcus, the school’s principal. Everhart was once named Teacher of the Year at the school, but under Marcus, he began receiving poor performance reviews. Marcus maintained her innocence during the trial.

Michigan

A Detroit-area man who shot and killed an African American teenager on his porch has been convicted of murder. Theodore Wafer shot 19-year-old Renisha McBride after she knocked on his door last November in the early hours of the morning. Prosecutors believe McBride had been in an auto accident and knocked on Wafer’s door seeking help. Wafer claimed during trial that he shot McBride in self-defense, after initially telling police he discharged the gun by accident.

Missouri

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Civil unrest continues in Ferguson where an 18-year-old Black man was shot multiple times by a suburban St. Louis police officer over the weekend. The victim, Michael Brown, was reportedly unarmed when he died, police said Sunday, as hundreds of local residents protested and a civil rights leader expressed outrage at the killing. Brown had recently graduated from high school and was about to enter a local college, according to his mother, Lesley McSpadden. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar told reporters that the shooting occurred after an officer encountered two people—one of which was Brown—and a struggle began. It was not clear if Brown was the man who struggled with the officer. McSpadden said she doesn’t understand why police didn’t subdue her son with a club or Taser instead of shooting him. “We’re outraged because yet again a young African American man has been killed by law enforcement,” said John Gaskin, who serves on both the St. Louis County and national boards of directors for the NAACP. The Rev. Al Sharpton called the shooting death “very disturbing” and the New York-based civil rights leader said he would go to Ferguson to meet with the family.

Nevada

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African American attorney Michelle Roberts has been elected as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), making her the first woman to head a North American pro sports union. “They were looking for, not a man, not a woman, they were looking for a personality,” Roberts told Fox Sports. “I think I’m that personality and I intend to be what I have been in my entire practice, singularly devoted to this union. And that’s what they were looking for.” Roberts received 32 of 36 votes by the NBPA executive committee members and team player representatives at the union’s recent Las Vegas meeting. Los Angeles Clippers player Chris Paul, who is president of the players’ association, told ESPN that he was impressed with Roberts’  “grace under fire, fresh ideas and quiet resolve.” Roberts said she would assemble a management team to run NBPA before getting involved in negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement. The players can opt out of the current agreement after the 2016-17 season.

New York

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Barneys department store is paying out $525,000 to resolve the racial profiling claims that were levied against the retailer. In addition to the money, Barneys will also have to pay fines and legal fees and must hire an “anti-profiling consultant.” “This agreement will correct a number of wrongs,” New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told the New York Daily News, “both by fixing past policies and by monitoring the actions of Barneys and its employees to make sure that past mistakes are not repeated.” The complaints filed with the state’s attorney general’s office accused Barneys of targeting African American and Hispanic shoppers. The settlement only resolves policy issues with the attorney general’s office; civil claims from at least two former Barneys shoppers who were harassed by security after making purchases in the store are yet to be settled.

Amy DuBois-Barnett

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has been named executive editor for ESPN’s new site aimed at African Americans. An award-winning journalist, Barnett will be an integral part of Jason Whitlock’s upcoming site that will provide coverage, commentary and insight about sports and culture directed toward an African American audience. She will manage editorial operations for the site. “Amy’s impressive resume across a wide range of publications and brands, as well as her leadership experience, will ensure that the site will be at the forefront of news and commentary relevant to African Americans,” Whitlock said in a release. No word on when the site will debut.

Washington, D.C.

The National Bar Association (NBA) celebrated the 49th anniversary last week of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. President Johnson called upon the legislation in March of 1965 while Civil Rights leaders were under the protection of federal troops and led the historic March of more than 25,000 civil rights supporters from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. The bill, passed by Congress and signed into law less than five months later, greatly increased the access to vote for all Americans, particularly minorities. “Without question, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a law that changed the face of America,” said NBA President Pamela Meanes. The anniversary is especially important to Meanes because she has made the protection of voting rights a centerpiece of her agenda for the upcoming year. “As much progress as we have seen in the past 49 years, barriers still exist,” she said. “For example, states are passing photo ID laws that potentially disenfranchise thousands of poor or minority voters. It is crucial that the NBA address this injustice, so we are committed to an election protection initiative on the national level, which we strongly believe will have a positive effect on the access all Americans have to voting.”

In related news, the Library of Congress will open an exhibition on Sept. 10 called “The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom” on the second level of the library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. The exhibit, which will stay open until Sept. 15, 2015, will feature more than 200 items, including correspondence and documents from Civil Rights leaders and organizations, photographs, drawings, posters and legal briefs. There will also be audio visual stations throughout the exhibit, where 77 clips can be seen illustrating dramatic events that characterized the Civil Rights Movement.

Compiled by Carol Ozemhoya.

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