Kentucky

Nov 15 2012

John Edward Smith is the latest in a long line of prisoners released by the Innocence Network

A grateful John Edward Smith happily joined a small group of family and friends at his exoneration party Saturday, where he was welcomed with applause, cheers, and tears of relief. Smith was exonerated on Sept. 24 after spending 19 years in state prisons, most recently at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County for a crime he did not commit.

“Thank you everyone for getting me back to my grandmother,” said the 37-year-old man. “She was the source of my faith and strength.”

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Mar 10 2011

Lower scores than other groups

In a trend that continues to plague education officials, African Americans have once again scored the lowest of any ethnic group on a key assessment.

Black students in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades have scored lower than all other groups on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science test.

However, despite that dismal news, there was one bright spot.

Jan 27 2011

Trailblazing author

William Wells Brown, a trailblazing author and literary revolutionary, was born in Kentucky in 1815 of mixed parentage to a “whip cracking” father and slave mother. Brown worked as a house servant. In his teens, he attempted to escape the cruel inhumanities of slavery by running away, but was captured on his first attempt. After several more attempts, he finally made it to freedom at 19 on New Year’s Day 1834.

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.”