California
Pelican Bay prisoners named as plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against the use of solitary confinement in California gained a victory last week when U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled in favor of a motion filed for the plaintiffs. The motion allows prisoners who have been in solitary confinement for more than 10 years, but have been transferred out of Pelican Bay State Prison since the lawsuit was first filed, to be eligible as class members in the case. “Our success with this motion should be a strong message to the prison administration that its attempts to evade court review of its unconstitutional practices,” says Carol Strickman, co-counsel for the plaintiffs and an attorney at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. According to lawyers for the plaintiffs (prisoners), the prison system has been transferring prisoners out of the units in order to weaken the case.
The Eighth Annual Toast to Urban Entertainment Executives Honoring Women will honor women making strides in the urban entertainment and media atmosphere. The event acknowledges the contributions made to urban entertainment by outstanding industry executives in television, film, news, multimedia, music and more in honor of Women’s History Month. Lynn Allen Jeter & Associates, partnered with sponsors Urban Network Digital, Amalgamation Magazine, Wilson & Associates and Bleu Magazine to honor six women on March 25 at H.O.M.E in Beverly Hills from 7 to 11 p.m. Honorees include CEO of multi-media entertainment company Monami Entertainment, TV producer of VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop” Mona Scott-Young; creator and owner of entertainment blog TheJasmineBrand.com, Jasmine Brand; BET V.P. of talent casting Robi Reed; associate director of ASCAP Mir Harris; founder of ICON MANN Tamara Houston; and founder of Black Don’t Crack, Debra Hubbard. News anchor and radio personality Josefa Salinas will be the M.C. and there will be live performances by independent artists.
Colorado
Denver resident Leopoldine Doualla-Bell Smith was honored last weekend as the world’s first Black fight attendant. The 76-year-old’s 40 years of service was celebrated by the Black Flight Attendants of America at a gathering at the L.A. International Airport. Smith began flying with Union Aeromaritime de Transport when she was just 17 in 1957. Ruth Carol Taylor was the first African American flight attendant in the U.S. in 1958. Smith was born in Cameroon (Africa). “When I was young there were only White men and women working on the plane,” she recalls. “I was one of the first Blacks to be hired and it was a big deal. Everybody in my town was talking about it. It was even in the newspaper.” Smith admits she did encounter racism, with people telling her not to touch them or even not to touch their things, but she said she would just walk away and help other people.
Georgia
Gov. Nathan Deal signed a bill recently referred to as Ban the Box, an effort to remove a barrier that often prevents people with criminal records from getting jobs they may have been trained for while serving their time. Ban the Box is a national political movement that seeks to ensure job applicants with criminal records can show a potential employer their qualifications before revealing their criminal histories. “Box” refers to the job application check box that people with criminal records are asked to check. Hawaii was the first state to pass this type of law. Nebraska has also passed it. Georgia joins about 13 states and the District of Columbia that have passed it into law.
Popular Atlanta-based preacher Creflo Dollar came under fire, when he went public recently to ask parishioners for $60 million in donations to buy a new jet. Dollar had told his worldwide congregation of the World Changers International Church that if 200,000 people donated $300 or more, he could use the jet to “spread the Gospel.” After a lot of negative reaction, the post was removed.
Louisiana
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new film studio took place last week in New Orleans. The FilmWorks New Orleans is located near the French Quarter and features 37 acres of indoor and outdoor space, which includes a 20,000-square-foot stage, a 406,000-square foot back lot, two floors of 92,000 square feet of space and acres of lush greenery. “We are proud to contribute to the growth of the film industry in New Orleans, and we truly appreciate the incredible community support we’ve received,” said George Steiner, president of FilmWorks New Orleans. “FilmWorks New Orleans’ flexible studio space will help ensure that we continue to draw major film projects to the area.” Steiner added that the studio is already booked for months in advance.
Massachusetts
For more than 50 years, Debra Britt, founder and executive director of the National Black Doll Museum has collected and displayed Black dolls. Her initial purpose was to nurture her own low self-esteem due to bullying and racism. In July 2012, the National Black Doll Museum opened its doors in Mansfield with the mission of creating an educational facility that could facilitate difficult conversations in a non-threatening environment. Britt’s effort has caught the eyes and heart of White House Master Chef Ronnie J. Seaton Sr. who has decided to visit Mansfield on March to participate in a fundraiser for the museum. Cooking for a Cause will use the White House menu to create a unique dining experience that invites guests to savor favorite presidential dishes served to the first family and their guests. Tickets are $100 per person, $1,000 per table and include gift bags, tales and tidbits from Chef Seaton. Visit www.NBDMHC.org for more information.
Missouri
Just days after the U.S. Dept. of Justice said it would make sure the Ferguson Police Dept. made drastic changes to its policies, a young Black man has been arrested, allegedly for shooting two policemen. Jeffrey Williams, 20, has been charged with assault in the second degree, says St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCollough. However, it’s being alleged that Williams was not firing at the cops and instead at someone else at the otherwise peaceful protest occurring at the time in front of the Ferguson Police Dept. Many of the protestors told police that Williams was not a regular member of their group. One of the officers received gun shot wounds to the face and the other to the shoulder. Both are recovering.
New York
Brooklyn resident Marcus “Melo” Sumpter, 25, and three others were arrested last week for reportedly trying to prostitute a couple of 13-year-old girls. According to a police report, Sumter met the teens at a party and convinced them to go back to his place for sex, and then tried to “pimp them to others with the help of his friends.” However, before anything more happened, family rescued the girls. Sumpter and his three friends-including a 55-year-old woman-are facing up to 25 years in prison on charges that include kidnapping, rape and promoting prostitution.
Nevada
Comic and actor Kevin Hart will receive the CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award on April 23 in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace. The award will be presented at the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). “With a tireless work ethic and a comedic timing that is like no other, Kevin Hart has become box-office gold, with his films drawing moviegoers to the theaters in droves,” noted Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon. “An outstanding comedic talent and one of the most entertaining comedians in film today, Kevin has brought laughter to audiences around the world, cementing himself at the top of the box office. We could not be more thrilled than to honor him with the ‘CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award’.”
Oklahoma
Talk show host Rush Limbaugh went on the air last week and declared that if the racist chant by a University of Oklahoma fraternity-which also mentioned lynching-was recorded by hip hop artist Kanye West, it would be “a hit.” He was referring to the video of a fraternity using a racial slur in a chant that caused the dismantling of the fraternity and suspension of some of its member from the university. MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts Mika Brzezsinski and Joe Scarborough went on the air and suggested
that rappers are to blame for these kinds of chants. The two brought up rapper Waka Flocka Flame’s disgust for the fraternity’s behavior, but then went on to say that Rap music is the core reason these chants exist. “If you look at every single song, I guess you call these, that he’s written, it’s a bunch of garbage,” Brzezinski said. “It’s full of N-words, it’s full of F-words. It’s wrong. And he shouldn’t be disgusted with them, he should be disgusted with himself.” Scarborough added: “The kids that are buying hip-hop or gangster rap, it’s a White audience, and they hear this over and over again,” Scarborough added. “So do they hear this at home? Well, chances are good, no, they heard a lot of this from guys like this who are now acting shocked.”
Pennsylvania
A former madam last week was convicted of third-degree murder in the death of a British dancer. The woman reportedly got silicone injections from a lady referred to as the Black Madam to enhance her buttocks. Padge-Victoria Windslowe told a Philadelphia jury she performed thousands of the procedures despite a lack of formal medical training. Police say she fled after a botched injection caused the death of the 20-year-old dancer from London in 2011. Windslowe was also convicted of aggravated assault for injuries to another woman who was hospitalized after silicone from an injection spread to her lungs. Windslowe claimed women paid thousands of dollars for her work and called her “the Michelangelo of buttocks injections.”
Wisconsin
Hundreds of people of all ages and races attended the funeral last weekend of 19-year-old biracial Tony Robinson Jr., who was reportedly unarmed when killed by a White Madison police officer. The autopsy shows that Robinson was shot in his head, right arm and torso. Robinson was fatally shot by police officer Matt Kenny after the officer was summoned to a call that the young man was jumping in and out of traffic and had assaulted someone. Authorities said the officer heard a disturbance and forced his way into an apartment where Robinson had gone, and fired after Robinson assaulted him. There have been numerous peaceful protests since the shooting, often drawing about 1,000 people. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the incident under a new state law that requires that an outside agency look into any fatal police shootings, rather than the agency where it occurred.
National
On March 20, President Barack Obama will host the second annual White House Student Film Festival, which provides an opportunity for K-12 students to produce short films on the idea of service and helping your community. The film festival event will showcase 15 students’ visions on the theme, “The Impact of Giving Back.” The film festival will highlight the promise of mentorship in the arts and be a call for the entertainment industry to build upon their mentoring programs and engagement nationwide. The selected films will be screened at the White House with the students and their guests, with a panel of students, parents, teachers, Hollywood executives and education advocates in attendance. The selected students will also be treated to a day of workshops the next day with professional filmmakers and actors.
The Exodus Foundation.org is holding a rally in the nation’s capitol to encourage Congress to reform the U.S. Prison System through the implementation of a restorative justice program with the goals of reducing racial disparity, recidivism rates, mass incarceration and costs. The organization’s agenda on March 26 includes a Congressional luncheon and a public rally. “The symposium will educate and inform participants about H.R. 1000 crime prevention, and a crime prevention resolution and jobs bill,” said Dr. Madeline McClenney, founder of Exodus Foundation. “The public needs to be aware of successful, evidence-based re-entry programs nationwide that promote the general welfare of returning citizens, and the effectiveness of juvenile and adult mentoring programs.” Go to www.ExodusFoundation.org for more info.
Rihanna is the new face of Dior, and is the first Black woman to do so. The 27-year-old will appear in Dior’s fourth installment of their “Secret Garden” campaign-a series featuring models posing in the palace of Versailles wearing Dior creations. She will be
photographed by famed photographer Steven Klein, with the film and print versions of the campaign scheduled to run this spring. Landing Rihanna is quite the coup, the fashion company said, as she was named last year’s Fashion Icon at the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and in November, designer Tom Ford said that Rihanna is “one of the most beautiful women I have ever beheld.”
Compiled by Carol Ozemhoya
