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30 members of Congress make pilgrimage to civil rights sites
About a dozen Democrats and Republicans prayed and sang “Amazing Grace” during a solemn ceremony last Friday at the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated nearly 50 years ago. The ceremony marked the start of a three-day congressional “pilgrimage” to sites with ties to the Civil Rights Movement in the South.
Tears flow as Tyler Perry pays off layaway bills for 1,500 people in Atlanta
Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry knows how to wish his Atlanta neighbors a Merry Christmas — the filmmaker paid off all the customers’ items held on layaway at two local Walmart stores.
Will Smith gets 10-year ban over Oscar slap
The motion picture academy has banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years following his slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan dies at 85
Vernon Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, has died at the age of 85.
Sha’Carri Richardson blazes new trail to Tokyo Olympics
Whether watching from Jamaica, Japan or the United States, it was hard to miss that shock of flowing, orange hair that came streaking across the finish line first in Eugene, Ore., last Saturday night.
Bruce Boynton, who inspired 1961 Freedom Rides after Richmond arrest, dies at 83
Bruce Carver Boynton, a civil rights pioneer from Alabama who inspired the landmark “Freedom Rides” of 1961, died Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. He was 83.
UR presents African Film Weekend
Mati Diop was initially disappointed when she, by reading a news article, discovered that she was the first Black female filmmaker in the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious competi- tion in its 72-year history.
Lewis Hamilton has right formula to win
Lewis Hamilton stands out among the ranks of Formula One drivers. He’s the lone black driver in the sport, and his talent and success have propelled him into the ranks of the greats of F1 — the top class of world single-seat auto racing.
Oprah Winfrey exhibit opens at National Black History Museum
One of the most recognizable openings in television history blares on a video screen: “I’m Oprah Winfrey, and welcome to The Oprah Winfrey Show!” The crowd goes wild. At the center of it all, a dancing young Oprah.
Gymnast Simone Biles breaks medal record with 25
American Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in world championship history Sunday when she won the beam and floor finals to take her career tally to 25 medals.
19-year-old Soto called up to play forA royal wedding to remember
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed in ceremony marked by new traditions, global audience
Prince Harry and his American actress bride Meghan Markle married on Saturday in a dazzling ceremony that blended ancient English ritual with African-American culture, infusing the 1,000-year-old British monarchy with a blast of blackness and modernity.
Meghan and Harry welcome second child, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, welcomed their second child Friday, June 4, with the birth of a healthy girl, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Barrier-breaking golfer Lee Elder being honored by the Masters with scholarship
In a year marked by racial injustice, Augusta National announced Monday it would honor Lee Elder with two scholar- ships in his name at Paine College and an honorary tee shot next year for the first Black player in the Masters.
Malcolm X bio wins National Book Award
Tamara Payne and her late father Les Payne’s Malcolm X biography, “The Dead Are Arising,” has won the National Book Award for nonfiction.
GOP gubernatorial candidates meet in first debate
Four out of the seven Republicans running for governor in Virginia met Sunday in their first debate, covering topics ranging from education to law enforcement to the economy, with each promising to turn back liberal Democratic policies and end a GOP losing streak.
’A mass loss of control’: Answers sought in deadly Houston concert
When rapper Travis Scott’s sold-out concert in Houston became a deadly scene of panic and danger in the surging crowd, Edgar Acosta began worrying about his son, who wasn’t answering his phone.
Chef Marcus Samuelsson celebrates Black chefs, food in new book
If anyone asks chef Marcus Samuelsson what African food taste like, he has a ready answer: Have you ever had barbeque? Rice? Collard greens? Okra? Coffee?
Lochte loses sponsors after Olympic embarrassment
U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte lost the last of his four major sponsors, Japanese mattress maker Airweave, days after he admitted to exaggerating his story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio during the Olympics. The incident embarrassed the host city, angered the local police and government and dominated news coverage of South America’s first Olympics, leading the U.S. Olympic Committee to issue an apology.
Lerone Bennett Jr., noted historian of black America, dies at 89
Perhaps no other voice — or pen — captured the real life of Africans and African-Americans like Lerone Bennett Jr., the former editor of Ebony and JET magazines.
Symbolism fills official portraits of Obamas
They have been called “stunning,” “compelling,” “powerful” and “unexpected.” And now, the official portraits of former President Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
