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OW Contributing Columnist
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OW Contributing Columnist
David L. Horne, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 23, 2013
NNPA Columnist
May 23, 2013
Julianne Malveaux  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 23, 2013
Sikivu Hutchinson  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 23, 2013
Harry C. Alford  |   OW Guest Contributor
May 23, 2013
Julianne Malveaux  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 16, 2013

Our Features

May 13 2013

Could face the death penalty

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — A jury Monday found a Philadelphia abortion provider guilty of three counts of first-degree murder.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, was accused of killing babies by using scissors to cut their spinal cords. Authorities alleged that some of the infants were born alive and viable during the sixth, seventh and eighth months of pregnancy.

Monday’s first-degree murder conviction means Gosnell, who is not a board-certified obstetrician or gynecologist, could be sentenced to death.

May 10 2013

First responder Bryce Reed arrested for possessing materials to make pipe bombs

One of the emergency responders at last month’s deadly Texas fertilizer plant explosion is now charged with possessing materials for a pipe bomb, a court document states.

Authorities on Friday said they are launching a criminal investigation into last month’s blast in the town of West, but have not said if the arrest of Bryce Reed is connected.

Local sheriff’s deputies were called on Tuesday to a residence where they found components for a pipe bomb, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.

May 10 2013

“Bury the garbage in the landfill.”

The body of one of the two men accused of pulling off the Boston Marathon attack has been buried in Virginia, one of his uncles said Friday — a development that local officials said caught them totally “off guard.”

Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s remains were accepted “by an inter-faith coalition in that community — they responded to our calls,” his uncle Ruslan Tsarni, of Maryland, told CNN. The body was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Doswell, Virginia, according to Tsarni.

May 9 2013

Zach’s song “Clouds” went viral on YouTube

Zach Sobiech is dying with grace, love, joy and optimism — the kind that somehow makes us all feel more alive.

When he was 14, Zach was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that mostly strikes children. His prognosis wasn’t great. Last May, with no more treatment options, he was given just a year to live.

Zach turned 18 on Friday. On Saturday he went to prom with his girl, Amy. His high school class graduates next month.

May 9 2013

Homelessness, God and Me

One of the most dangerous things about being part of the working homeless community is that you learn how to adapt to an unhealthy situation. It’s not comfortable, or safe, but you find ways to carry on with your life. Like most people, I grew up hearing the old saying, “misery loves company.” I always thought it was meant to be negative, that miserable people liked to make other people’s lives miserable like theirs. But being a part of the homeless community was a lifesaver for me.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”