Blue_Tires
Blue_Tires's JournalAlan Page ruled on and off the field
Alan Page grew up to be a Hall of Fame football player, but he always wanted to be a lawyer. He loved watching “Perry Mason” on TV, and the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case ignited something in his young mind.
”I can remember as a 9-year-old, 1954, reading newspaper stories about the Brown vs. Board of Education and somehow, don’t’ ask me how, understanding the significance of what the court had done,” he said of the Supreme Court’s ruling the segregated schools were unconstitutional. “I was fascinated by the power the law has to bring about change. “
And so Alan Page grew up to be a Hall of Fame football player and the first African-American member of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
“It was a big deal, but in my world it wasn’t,” Page said. “It was an opportunity for me to serve, it was an opportunity for me to perform as well as I could. I suppose to some degree it makes it clear that whether you’re a person of color or not, you can have the talent and the skills and the wherewithal to perform the judicial responsibility at a high level.”
In 1945, Page was born in Canton, Ohio, where his bust now rests in the Hall of Fame. His parents told him to do the best he could at whatever he tried. Every parent says that, of course, but that message stuck to Page’s brain and wormed its way deep inside.
”If you’re going to be a garbage collector, be the best garbage collector you can be,” he said. ”If you’re going to be a doctor, be the best doctor you can be. Fortunately for me, don’t ask me why, I took that to heart. I think one of the problems people run into is there’s a tendency to perform at the level of the competition. In doing that, in trying to do that, most people don’t play to their full potential.”
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/alan-page-ruled-on-and-off-the-field-021014
Eight Great Ways To Celebrate Black History In America's National Parks
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The African American Experience Fund of the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, released today a list of great ways to celebrate and honor African American contributions in our national parks during National African American History Month and throughout the year.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090630/DC40408LOGO)
"We encourage everyone to engage year-round with the African American history that is preserved in our national parks, and National African American History Month is a time to shine a special light on the important contributions that African Americans have made to our country," said Julie Williams, Senior Vice President of Community Partnerships at the National Park Foundation. "Our national parks tell our shared story, and we invite everyone to uncover something new, visit a place they've never been, and add their story to our collective history."
Below are eight great ways to celebrate African American history in our national parks. Find even more suggestions on the African American Experience Fund's website and on the National Park Service's calendar.
Louisiana – Enjoy a free concert featuring musicians from New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Hosted by Cane River Creole National Historical Park and Asbury United Methodist Church in Natchitoches, the performers will be playing selections from their acclaimed CD collection, "Freedom is Coming: Songs of Freedom, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad." Find out more here.
Massachusetts – Experience the powerful story of the Civil War soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, an all-black Civil War contingent, at Springfield Armory National Historic Site. Find out more here.
Missouri – Encourage all fourth graders you know to enter the George Washington Carver National Monument's annual Art and Essay Contest! This year's theme is "Overcoming Obstacles: Struggle and Triumph in the Life of George Washington Carver." Find out more here.
New York – Take part in an African Beads Workshop or an African Person Puppet Workshop led by anthropologist and designer Vickie Fremont African Burial Ground National Monument. Find out more here.
Ohio – Help preserve the incredible legacy of Colonel Charles Young and join the African American Experience Fund in its efforts to establish the Colonel Charles Young Leadership Academy at the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. The academy will focus on leadership, and through community service, it will inspire young leaders, cultivate future park stewards, and rangers to follow in the footsteps of an "officer and a gentleman" who never wavered in his pursuit of excellence.
Virginia – Spend the next three Saturdays at the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site watching the award-winning PBS series "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." Find out more here.
Washington, D.C. – Celebrate the life of Frederick Douglass with a community-wide birthday party at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Live music, games, films, speakers, and plays will fill the day! Find out more here.
Everywhere – Experience Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy by exploring www.WeAreStillMarching.com. Not only can you read Dr. King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech and record yourself reciting it, but you can also connect with the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The interactive site transports you to August 28, 1963 and allows you to engage with the momentous march that epitomized the civil rights movement.
http://news.yahoo.com/african-american-experience-fund-shares-eight-great-ways-204300505.html
http://aaexperience.org/celebrate-african-american-history-parks
Month of African-American Comics – The Inheritors #1
All this month I’ll be reviewing different comic books by African-American creators, based on submissions from the actual creators of the comic books themselves. A quick note – since this month is so relatively short, I’ll be featuring an extra comic every week, for a total of 32 comics spotlighted! Here is a list of all the comics spotlighted so far!
Today we take a look at Robert Garrett’s The Inheritors #1 from XMoor Studios, drawn by Elbeni Olena.
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/02/07/month-of-african-american-comics-the-inheritors-1/
Kansas African American Museum to present program
“More than a Month,” a program celebrating the stories of influential African-Americans who are rarely recognized, will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Kansas African American Museum, 601 N. Water.
Performers will include Gordon Parks Academy students, as well as Wichita State University’s Roberts Sisters.
Visit the museum’s website, www.tkaamuseum.org, for more information.
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/02/10/3279122/kansas-african-american-museum.html#storylink=cpy
Black History Month: 10 must-read classics by African American authors
#2. ‘The Collected Poems,’ by Langston Hughes
Alongside such famous works as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", “I, Too, Sing America,” “Let America Be America Again,” and the book-length poem “Montage of a Dream Deferred,” this poetry collection includes 868 poems spanning five decades of lyrical jazz poetry.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2014/0210/Black-History-Month-10-must-read-classics-by-African-American-authors/The-Collected-Poems-by-Langston-Hughes
Obama honors African-American History Month
President Obama has issued the annual proclamation declaring February to be National African-American History Month.
"We remember the courage that led activists to defy lynch mobs and register their neighbors to vote," wrote the nation's first African-American president. "And we carry forward the unyielding hope that guided a movement as it bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice."
From the proclamation:
"Americans have long celebrated our Nation as a beacon of liberty and opportunity -- home to patriots who threw off an empire, refuge to multitudes who fled oppression and despair. Yet we must also remember that while many came to our shores to pursue their own measure of freedom, hundreds of thousands arrived in chains.
"Through centuries of struggle, and through the toil of generations, African Americans have claimed rights long denied. During National African American History Month, we honor the men and women at the heart of this journey -- from engineers of the Underground Railroad to educators who answered a free people's call for a free mind, from patriots who proved that valor knows no color to demonstrators who gathered on the battlefields of justice and marched our Nation toward a brighter day.
"As we pay tribute to the heroes, sung and unsung, of African-American history, we recall the inner strength that sustained millions in bondage. We remember the courage that led activists to defy lynch mobs and register their neighbors to vote. And we carry forward the unyielding hope that guided a movement as it bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. Even while we seek to dull the scars of slavery and legalized discrimination, we hold fast to the values gained through centuries of trial and suffering.
"Every American can draw strength from the story of hard-won progress, which not only defines the African-American experience, but also lies at the heart of our Nation as a whole. This story affirms that freedom is a gift from God, but it must be secured by His people here on earth. It inspires a new generation of leaders, and it teaches us all that when we come together in common purpose, we can right the wrongs of history and make our world anew."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/02/03/obama-proclamation-african-american-history-month/5181423/
Essence to honor African-American men in cinema
LOS ANGELES — Essence is known for honoring black women, but during Oscar week, it’ll also be lauding the accomplishments of African-American men in film.
The magazine is launching its first “Black Men in Hollywood” dinner, an intimate affair that will salute the work of Spike Lee, Lee Daniels, Malcolm Lee, and filmmaker Tyler Perry, who will host the event.
The California Endowment’s “Sons and Brothers” campaign, which acknowledges role models for young men of color, will also be recognized.
Honorees will gather on Feb. 26 in Los Angeles on the eve of Essence’s annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, which returns to Beverly Hills to recognize best supporting actress nominee Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave,” Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and writer-director Ava DuVernay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/essence-to-honor-african-american-men-in-cinema/2014/02/10/b95f6a84-9253-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html
Child Death Investigation: Police Lapel Video Released
Two Albuquerque cops have been placed on leave for allegedly failing to report their visit to a family home following a 911 call made by a 9-year-old boy who died of physical abuse six months later, police told ABCNews.com today.
Omaree Varela called 911 in June 2013 and later died of what authorities described as child abuse injuries in December 2013, police said.
“There are many aspects of this call which are extremely troubling,” Perry said. “If it is determined by the internal affairs investigation that officers involved did not respond in accordance with proper procedures, swift action will be taken to hold those individuals accountable.”
The 911 call captured the cries of a child while a male voice was repeatedly cursing and saying, “I wish you weren’t here,” “I don’t want to be your dad,” and “I don’t want to deal with you anymore.”
ABC News affiliate KOAT obtained lapel-camera footage taken by the officers who were dispatched to the source the 911 call on that day.
The video begins with two officers arriving at the scene, questioning a man and a woman and Omaree while taking a quick look through the house.
The two officers did not notify the Child, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) of a possible case of child abuse, said Henry Varela, communications director for the agency.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/02/cops-allegedly-dropped-the-ball-on-case-of-abused-boy-who-later-died/
Media Relieved They Don’t Have To Deal With Fucking Harbaughs This Year
NEW YORK—Grateful to interview anyone but the two head coach brothers, members of the sports media expressed on Wednesday their unanimous, unequivocal relief that they didn’t have to put up with those goddamn Harbaughs while covering this year’s Super Bowl. “Thank fucking Christ,” said NESN reporter Doug Kyed, adding that he “just could not handle” sitting through any more terse, hostile press conferences with that asshole Jim or pretending to care that John was always the supportive brother. “Compared to that god-awful Harbaugh shit, John Fox is nothing—he just shuts up and lets Peyton Manning go. Hell, even Carroll’s fine. Give me Pete Carroll any day of the week if it means I never have to talk to another fucking Harbaugh again.” Media personnel were reportedly further relieved after realizing they wouldn’t have to watch Joe Flacco take a single snap on Sunday.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/media-relieved-they-dont-have-to-deal-with-fucking,35095/
Now that this football silliness is finally over
It's time for a MAN'S game...
I can happily say that pitchers and catchers report on Thursday, Feb. 13...
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