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August
23
1861
James Stone, a fugitive slave, enlisted in the Union Army on this date, becoming the first African American to fight in the Civil War (1861-1865). He fought with the First Fight Artillery of Ohio.
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Most married couples have a hard time recalling the first time they kissed, but the Obamas are no ordinary couple, and they now have a big reminder of that moment. Really big. Last week, workers installed a 3,000-pound granite boulder, fitted with a bronze
by Hazel Trice-Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) – As the GOP prepares to meet in Tampa, Fla., next week, the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been meeting with a team
Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, announced on Monday that it has
by Frederick H. Lowe The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has struck down part of Florida’s new law that limited early voting, a process in which African Americans voted at twice the rate of white voters in the 2008 presidential election.
Michael Strahan made a name for himself as a defensive back for the New York Giants. Now in a new life, Strahan will quarterback a live television show. Strahan, 40, will share hosting duties with Kelly Ripa on Live!, an ABC- talk show that is broadcast
It was his prerogative, so singer Bobby Brown recently checked himself into a rehab center for treatment of alcoholism, four months after reaching a plea deal on charges of driving under the influence. Brown admitted himself for treatment at an undisclosed facility after concluding his honeymoon
Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees last week named two of its members to co-chair a search committee that will screen candidates for the job of president at the Tallahassee-based school. Karl White Brown of Boston and Dr. Sturgeon McWilliams
In the annals of black history, Eugene Chen is one of its most-interesting characters. Chen, who was born in Trinidad, the West Indies, in 1878, to black and Chinese parents, served as China’s foreign minister on four separate occasions, according to his obituary in
In the early 1930s when the Nazi Party’s American cousins were establishing a foothold in Southern California, they built a compound in Pacific Palisades called Murphy Ranch high in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Young women’s clothing retailer, The Wet Seal Inc., occasionally hires young black women to appear in its ads, but fires African-American store managers because they don’t fit the chain’s blue-eyed, blonde-haired image, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory has issued a report saying that a black man who was handcuffed behind his back in the backseat of a patrol car committed suicide.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia has died, the Ethiopian Government Portal announced in a one-sentence statement on Tuesday. “His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has passed away,” the statement read.
TriceEdneyWire.com – Tension continues at a South African platinum mine where striking workers were shot to death last week during a protest for higher wages. Police opened fire on August 16, killing 34 of 3,000 striking workers and wounding 78 others, following violent protests. Rock-drill operators and assistant drill operators at the Marikana platinum-mining complex owned by Lonmin Plc., which is based in London, launched the strike for better wages. The miners demanded that Lonmin raise their pay from $648 a month to $1,500 a month, which is equal to the monthly wage for farm workers. Lonmin is one of the largest producers of platinum group metals used in catalytic converters for internal combustion engine emissions. "You work so very hard for very little pay. It is almost like death," said Thulani, a striking miner, told reporters. The protests also were believed to be linked to rivalry between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union over recognition agreements at the mine. Cyril Ramaphosa,the company’s non-voting executive director, is the former secretary of the African National Congress. Ramaphosa is now a billionaire. As talks broke down and violence loomed, South Africa President Jacob Zuma, left the country. The shootings, which went viral on the Internet, rocked the nation. President Zuma said the dead would be officially mourned for seven days. Flags will be lowered to half mast and an official day for nationwide memorial services will held on August 23. Company officials ordered workers to return to their jobs by Aug. 20 or be terminated, but on Tuesday, Aug. 21, Lonmin officials said they would not discipline striking workers who do not return to work this week. "Employees could be dismissed if they fail to heed the final ultimatum," Ian P. Farmer, Lonmin’s chief executive officer, warned earlier. Farmer has taken a leave of absence after being diagnosed with a serious illness. The company’s executive committee, led by Roger Phillimore, is now running Lonmin. The legal ultimatum had applied to illegally striking rock-drill operators and assistant rock-drill operators. Company officials said the work stoppage has affected the balance of its workforce of 25,000 employees and 10,000 contractors. In addition, Lonmin announced that the work stoppage has led to a cash crunch at the company.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and four other groups concerned with voting rights have launched a free downloadable smartphone app that allows mobile phone owners to register to vote wirelessly
A survey by the Financial Times and the Economist of 1,740 business leaders in a variety of industries found that the majority supported President Barack Obama’s re-election because they said it would be better for the global economy.
Although Republican Mitt Romney and the Tea Party have painted President Barack Obama as a tax-and-spend Democrat, a recent issue of Forbes magazine, which bills itself as the capitalist tool, begs to differ. Rick Unger, a Forbes contributor, wrote in his May 24, 2012, column with the
Ten percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is doing its job, but 83 percent don’t, according to a Gallup telephone poll of 1,012 adults 18 years old and older in all 50 states. The 10 percent approval ranking ties last February’s ranking as the lowest in Gallup’s 38-year history of measuring voters’ opinions about Congress. Approval of Congress is down among all political groups, and it is now virtually the same across these groups, the survey found. Only nine percent of Democrats, eleven percent of independents and 10 percent of Republicans look favorably on Congress, the Princeton, N.J.-based Gallup organization reported. Democrats’ approval declined the most -- from 18 percent in July. The poll found that the nation’s continuing poor economy is a key reason why most voters do not like the job Congress is doing. “The fact that control of Congress is now divided, with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a Democratic majority in the Senate, may provide an opportunity for Americans of all political persuasions to dislike some aspect of Congress,” Gallup said. The polling firm noted that Republican Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s choice for vice presidential running mate, is a sitting member of Congress. It is not clear, however, whether voters' disdain of Congress will rub off on Ryan, who represents Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District. Ryan also is chairman of the House Budget Committee. Gallup polled 600 telephone landline users and 400 mobile phone users for its survey, which was conducted Aug. 9-12.
The Innocence Project is urging supporters to write the Lake County, III., State’s Attorney’s Office to ask officials to vacate a battery conviction against Bennie Starks, who was exonerated of a 1986 rape
The U. S. Army reported in June that 11 active-duty soldiers were potential suicide victims. One soldier's death has been confirmed as a suicide and 10 others are under investigation. In May, the Army reported 16 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Five deaths have been
by Julianne Malveaux (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Every time I see a march or rally, I think of the rally of all rallies, which was the 1963 March on Washington. Forty-nine years later, there is nothing that equals that march, not in participation, nor in results. These days, folks march to make a point, but back in the day, we marched to get legislative action. Shortly after the March on Washington, both the Civil Rights Act
August 23 through August 29 August 23 1861 ----- James Stone, a fugitive slave, enlisted in the Union Army on this date, becoming the first African American to fight in the Civil War (1861-1865). He fought with the First FightRead more