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August
9
1994
The general assembly of the United Nations proclaimed in December 1994 that August 9 was to be the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.
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Conyers wins but Clarke loses in Michigan by Frederick H. Lowe U.S. Rep. John Conyers, Jr., on Tuesday won the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District The Congressional Black Caucus, however, lost a member when U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke was defeated for re-election in Michigan's 14th District.
Usain Bolt successfully defended his 100-meter title on Sunday in the 2012 London Olympic Games, setting an Olympic record of 9.63 seconds
by Frederick H. Lowe The U.S. House Ethics Committee has fined U.S. Representative Laura Richardson $10,000 for forcing her congressional staff to work on her re-election campaign and then covering up or altering evidence to thwart an investigation. The committee levied the fine on Aug. 1. Richardson, a Democrat who represents California’s 37th Congressional District, must pay the fine no later than Dec. 1, 2012.
Steve Harvey, host of the game show Family Feud, will host an hour-long nationally syndicated talk show originating from Chicago, beginning on Sept. 4, NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution announced on Monday.
He files for divorce Singer Stevie Wonder is no longer singing to “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” to his wife, Kai Millard Morris, because they are getting a divorce, according to the TMZ, the entertainment news website.
By Julianne Malveaux (TriceEdneyWire.com) - If you don’t follow Olympic gymnastics, you may not have heard about Gabrielle Douglas before this year. But the amazing grace of this 16-year-old African-American propelled her to Olympic gold last week, and she is the first African-American to win an individual medal
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Seven years after a series of high-profile murder cases involving the New Orleans Police Department rocked the nation, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken strong steps to reform the troubled department.
by Frederick H. Lowe The nation’s nonfarm businesses added 163,000 jobs in July, but black men didn’t catch a break. Except for white women, the jobless rate for African-American men shot up in July
by Frederick H. Lowe The employment population ratio for black men and black women 20 years old and older dropped in July compared with June, the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Labor Research and Education, reported on Friday. The population ratio, which represents the percentage of the population that is employed, stood at 56.1 percent for African Americans in July, down from 56.6 percent in June. The employment-population ratio for black men was 57.7 percent in July compared with 58.7 percent in June, according the University of California at Berkeley’s Work in the Black Community. For black women, the employment-population ratio was 54.8 percent, down from 55.0 percent in June, reported the University of California.
by Frederick H. Lowe The National Juneteenth Observance Foundation named two new board members at its recent annual board meeting and convention in Indianapolis. The board members assumed their posts several months before United States Senate may vote to approve a resolution that recognizes Juneteenth as a national holiday observance.
Although Americans spend less each week on food than they did in the late 1980s, this summer’s Midwest drought is expected to dramatically increase food prices. Most Americans spend an average of $151 per week on food, with some shelling out $300 or more while others spend less than $50, according to recent Gallup daily tracking survey. The poll, which is titled, “Americans Spend $151 a Week on Food; the High Income,$180,” reported: • 8 percent of the surveyed spent less than $50 each week on food; • 17 percent spent $50 to $99; • 22 percent spent $100 to $124; • 4 percent spent $125 to $149; • 15 percent spent $150 to $199; • 21 percent spent $200 to $299; • 10 percent spent $300 or more. Gallup reported that the weekly average of $151 is down from $157 to $214 in the mid-to-late 1980s when Gallup last posed the question. The Princeton, N. J.-based survey organization organization added, however, that Americans will most certainly see food prices rise because of the drought, which is adversely affecting corn and soybean production. Corn and soybeans are the nation’s two major crops based on harvested acres and cash receipts from sales. Corn is grown on over 400,000 U.S. farms and more than 350,000 U.S. farms grow soybeans, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports. The National Corn Growers Association, which is based in Chesterfield, Mo., reports that about eighty percent of all corn grown in the U.S. is consumed by domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and fish production. About 12 percent of the U.S. corn crop ends up in foods that are either consumed directly such as corn chips or high-fructose corn syrup, an ingredient used to sweeten soft drinks. According to the United Soybean Board, soybean oil, used in both food manufacturing and frying and sautéing, represents approximately 79 percent of all edible oil consumed in the United States. The United Soybean Board also is located in Chesterfield, Mo. Food prices may rise by up to 3.5 percent this year and another 3 percent to 4 percent in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack designated an additional 218 counties in 12 states natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat. The additional counties are in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota,Tennessee, and Wyoming. Now more than 50.3 percent of all U.S. counties have been designated disaster areas by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2012, mainly due to the drought. During the week of July 9-12,Gallup surveyed by mobile and land-line telephones 1,014 adults 18 years old and older in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) - With black unemployment rates still stuck in double digits while whites’ jobless rates remain consistently below
A coalition of organizations has sued top officials of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in federal court, charging that they have not provided voter-registration materials to welfare recipients in violation of the National Voter Registration Act. The law, which took effect in 1993, requires state welfare agencies to offer clients voter-registration materials. The lawsuit alleges that the number of voter-registration applications submitted at Pennsylvania public-assistance offices in 2009-2010 was 4,179, down 93 percent from 59,462 in 1995-1996, according to data that state officials provided the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. “This steep decline in voter registration is particularly significant because it occurred during the same period that both the population of the Commonwealth and the number of applicants for public assistance are increasing,” coalition members charged in their lawsuit. “Public-assistance offices are in a unique position to increase voter-registration rates among low-income citizens,” said Sarah Brannon, director of the Public Agency Voter Registration Program for Project vote. “Pennsylvania should realize this potential and correct the inadequacies within the system.” In addition to Project Vote, coalition members include the Black Political Empowerment Project, ACTION United, Demos and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The organizations announced July 5 that they had sued Carol Aichele, Commonwealth Secretary of State; Gary D. Alexander, secretary of Public Welfare, and Dr. Eli N. Avila, secretary of Health, in Philadelphia U.S. District Court. The lawsuit seeks a court-ordered plan requiring the defendants to comply with provisions of the National Voting Rights Act. State officials could not be reached for comment. Because Commonwealth executives have failed to register welfare recipients, the organizations charged they have to expend their own resources registering individuals who should be registered by the state. The coalition filed the lawsuit after being unable to work with state officials collaboratively over several years. Only when it became clear that the Commonwealth would not voluntarily come into compliance prior to the voter-registration deadline for this year’s election did the group opt to take legal actions, the organization officials said.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services, a Washington, D.C.-based independent agency that provides financial support to the nation’s museums, last month awarded $1.4 million in matching grants to 14 museums in
Congressman Frederica Wilson announced recently that a $148,769 grant had been awarded to the Haitian Heritage Museum, which is located on the outskirts of Miami where the largest number of Haitians live
by Frederick H. Lowe Kofi Annan, who announced last Thursday that he is stepping down at the end of August as United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, that the international community
Family outraged that police claim the man killed himself (TriceEdneyWire.com) - The FBI is investigating how a 21-year-old black man ended up shot and killed while handcuffed in a Jonesboro, Ark., patrol car in what local police said was a suicide.
Wade Michael Page, who Wisconsin police said murdered six people at a Sikh temple on Sunday before he was killed, was an active member of the white power music scene, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups
By Njeri Mbure (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Three elderly Kenyans are in court, seeking compensation and an apology for extreme torture by the British during its colonial rule of Kenya.
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Rights groups are demanding a review of the sentence of stoning issued against a 23-year-old Sudanese woman, convicted of adultery. It is the second such case in recent months. Laila Ibrahim Issa Jamool is reportedly shackled at the ankles in a detention center with her six-month
The National Black Justice Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights organization dedicated to empowering the black gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, has named Michael J. Brewer policy and programs director. Brewer will provide program management, policy development and conference planning. He joined NBJC’s staff after serving as deputy director of operations and a legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell (D., N.C.). “I am thrilled to be joining the staff of the National Black Justice Coalition,” Brewer said. “Under the dynamic direction of Sharon Lettman-Hicks and her
August 9 through August 15 August 9 1994 ----- The general assembly of the United Nations proclaimed in December 1994 that August 9 was to be the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. The body further declared that the day was to be celebrated annually during the First International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004). In 2004, the general assembly decided to declare a Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (2005 to 2015). The assembly gave the second decade a theme, “A Decade for Action and Dignity.” The focus for this year’s (2012) celebration is “Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices.” This year’s theme stresses the importance of indigenous media in challenging stereotypes and in influencing constructive social and political agendas. (Masai people) The United Nation will sponsor a special event on August 9, offering both speakers and videos of indigenous media organizations. Some presentations will be available as live webcasts. The URL for the event is http://www.un.org./en/events/indigenousday/ August 10