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Jan.
26
1863
1863 ----- The United States War Department authorized on this date the Governor of Massachusetts, John A. Andrew, to recruit black troops to serve in the Union Army in the American Civil War. The regiment was named the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
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Joblessness dropped for black men, but it climbed for black women By Frederick H. Lowe The unemployment rate for black workers remained the same throughout 2011, although it dropped for
by Frederick H. Lowe President Barak Obama said during the State of the Union address on Tuesday that the U.S. tax code must be changed so it does not reward companies that outsource U.S. jobs to foreign countries. "We should start with our own tax code," President Obama told a joint session of Congress. "Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let's change it. First, if you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it." President Obama said he met with John Heppner, president and CEO of Master Lock, a Milwaukee, Wis.-based manufacturer of
by Frederick H. Lowe Pepsi Beverages has agreed to pay $3.13 million to African-American job applicants and to provide them job training after an investigation proved that Pepsi refused to hire blacks who had not been convicted of a crime, if the company's criminal background checks showed the applicant had been arrested.
The opening scenes from Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday's short film "The Barber Of Birmingham," premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
by Frederick H. Lowe A short documentary about an 85-year-old African-American barber, who was a soldier in the civil-rights movement, and the feature film The Help, about black domestic workers, received Oscar nominations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday. The Academy nominated The Help for five Oscars, including Best Picture. Viola Davis was nominated for best performance by an actress in a leading role.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday nominated an openly gay, black man as one of seven justices to serve on the state Supreme Court. Bruce A. Harris, mayor of the Borough of Chatham, N.J., would become the
Red Tails, a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, beat expectations for weekend box office receipts, although inclement weather in some parts of the country may have kept moviegoers at home. The film, which opened on Friday on 2,512 screens nationwide,
Analyst Sees Flaws in Gingrich Claims on “Food Stamp President” Newt Gingrich's charge that President Barack Obama is the “Food Stamp President” because many Americans have had to go on food
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 28, in Gardena, Calif., for singer Etta James, who died Jan. 20. Ms. James had been suffering from terminal leukemia, kidney disease, hepatitis C and dementia. She was 73. Before the funeral, which will be private, there will be a public viewing of Ms. James. Rev. Al Sharpton will preside over the funeral. Ms. James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on Jan. 25, 1938, in Los Angeles. Her mother, Dorothy Hawkins, was just 14 years old when she gave birth to her daughter. Her father was believed to have been Minnesota Fats, the legendary pool player, who was portrayed in the 1961 movie The Hustler, starring Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman. Gleason played Minnesota Fats. In 1987, Ms. James met the real Minnesota Fats, Rudolph Walter Wanderone. She asked Wanderone if he was her father, but he refused to confirm or deny her paternity, according to Ms. James 1987 biography Rage to Survive. Ms. James had a successful yet tortured career. She began singing professionally at 14 years old after having been discovered by blues star Johnny Otis. Otis arranged for Ms. James and some of her friends to record under the name The Peaches. The group recorded its first song in 1955. Ms. James soon left The Peaches and began touring with Otis Redding in the 1950s. In 1961, she recorded "At Last," which made her eternally famous. Throughout much of career Ms. James was addicted to heroin and spent stints in drug rehab. Her talent, however, could not be denied. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and she won three Grammys for her work, including the 1994 album, Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday. In 2003, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ms. James released her last album, The Dreamer, in 2011.
January 26 through February 2 January 26 1863 ----- The United States War Department authorized on this date the Governor of Massachusetts, John A. Andrew, to recruit black troops to serve in the Union Army in the American Civil War. The regiment was named the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.