african american

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jun 12 2009

Organization pushes the importance African American fathers

During slavery, a black child was more likely to grow up with both parents than he or she is today.

That shocking statement from the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) in part underscores why the organization recently launched a campaign called “What’s Your Legacy” to encourage African American fathers between ages 18 and 40 to think about the benefits of marriage for their children.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jun 5 2009

Medical pipeline prepares thousands of minority students

John A. Davis is not a medical doctor but in 1970, he made diagnosis about a problem he saw.

“I was working on a behavior science module here (at USC) with medical students to get them to be culturally sensitive to their patients. My secondary job was to recruit black students for the medical school. But what I found was there were not enough students out there interested, so I hit upon the idea of developing our own,” explained Davis.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jun 5 2009

Newest scores show African American students continue to lag behind

They can memorize the lyrics to hundreds of songs, easily master and create complicated dance routines, and navigate the intricacies of the Internet without blinking an eye.

Yet African American children post scores on the Academic Performance Index (API) behind students who are learning English as a second language. In fact, the California Department of Education just released its 2007 API base scores, growth targets, and school rankings, and state-wide African American students scored lower than all subgroups except disabled students.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Jun 5 2009

Expanding your library

By now your DVD library should be rich with great films, documentaries, and past television shows that reflect the best and most controversial of African American life in America. Come June 10, more great films can be added to your collections.

BET’s American Gangster: The Complete Second Season arrives in stores June 10. This well made, incredibly interesting and mind-blowing documentary will have you going back to look at it again and again.

May 22 2009

Parents protest; Council seeks details

A coalition of African American and Latino parents from schools throughout the region gathered at the Los Angeles Unified School District Seven office on Western Avenue and 106th Street Friday morning, to protest removal of Carol Truscott and Scott Braxton. The parents claim the two are being used as scapegoats in the matter of how Steven Rooney, a former Markham administrator, was returned to a school site, after allegations of improper conduct with a student surfaced.

Across Black America

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

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.