Headlines

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  Legendary Buffalo Soldier Inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame Veterans Day Week began at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage

  November 18, 2019 / Front Page

  By: Charles Blatcher, III Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veteran Organization For the full article with photos, click the link or download. https://unityfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Blatcher-VET-2019-2-1.pdf For additional information contact: cnmmmf@aol.com Contact information: cnmmmf@aol.com 

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  Goldman Sachs to Host WomenCorporateDirectors 2020 Global Institute

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  Goldman Sachs will serve as host to the WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD) 2020 Global Institute at the firm’s New York City headquarters, June 9-11, 2020. The Global Institute is the flagship event for WCD, a not-for-profit educational foundation whose mission is to advocate for greater board diversity, connect women directors globally, and educate directors and other stakeholders around top board and governance concerns. WCD members serve on the boards of public and large, privately held companies. “Emerging Global Trends Changing Business […]

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  Study Reveals Alarming Percentage of Minority Businesses Are Underfunded, Despite Comparable Growth Rate and Higher Profitability

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  Growth Warrior released the 2019 Warrior Report: State of the Underdog, which examines the current state of the investment landscape. The comprehensive analysis aims to identify solutions for the challenges holding back under-represented entrepreneurs, referred to as Underdogs. “Our study reveals compelling insights into the state of minority representation in VC and Private Equity funding. Despite growth in minority-owned and led ventures, relative investment remains low,” Promise Phelon, CEO of Growth Warrior Capital said. “Our objective is to tell an optimistic […]

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  New Rising Voices Classroom Library from Scholastic and David C. Banks Celebrates the Stories of Black and Latino Boys

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  Scholastic announced the Rising Voices Library, a new collection of books for K–5 classrooms containing high-interest, authentic texts that celebrate the stories of Black and Latino boys—some of the historically most underrepresented people in children’s literature. The collection was curated with David C. Banks, President and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation and Founding Principal of The Eagle Academy for Young Men, an all-boys public school educating young men in grades 6–12 in New York City and Newark, New Jersey. The Rising Voices Library features nonfiction, biographical, and […]

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  Weeksville Heritage Center Presents ‘MEMORY’: An Art Exhibition by Dr. Fahamu Pecou October 30 – December 13, 2019

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  Weeksville Heritage Center welcomes Dr. Fahamu Pecou for a solo exhibition titled MEMORY for its final exhibition of 2019. MEMORY is an exhibition of sculptures, paintings and drawings by the internationally known artist. Pecou takes a conscious, nonlinear step into all periods and styles of Blackness. It is a shift away from Western notions of Black identity, and a look towards a decidedly Black aesthetic through a new lens and fresh perspective. “My art raises questions about the types of […]

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  Named after activist Audre Lorde, Spelman College announces a Chair In Queer Studies – backed by philanthropist Jon Stryker of up to $2 million.

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  Spelman College, the global leader in the liberal arts education of Black women, today announced the creation of a chair in Queer Studies backed by a matching gift from philanthropist Jon Stryker of up to $2 million. This first-ever chair of its kind housed at a historically Black college or university will be named after celebrated poet and civil rights activist Audre Lorde and attached to the Comparative Women’s Studies Program housed at Spelman’s Women’s Research and Resource Center. Spelman will immediately implement a fundraising campaign to raise $2 million, […]

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  NAREB President Donnell Williams notes Black homeownership rate increase for Third Quarter 2019

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) is cautiously encouraged about the U.S. Census Bureau’s third quarter 2019 Black homeownership rate of 42.7% up from 40.6% in the previous quarter.  While all of the homeownership rates increased during this latest reporting period, the Black homeownership increase of 2.1% represented the largest uptick.  In the bigger picture, NAREB is mindful that Black homeownership currently and continues to lag more than 30 percentage points behind the non-Hispanic White homeownership rate of […]

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  Civil Rights Activist Al Sharpton Rallies in Delaware to Praise Appointment of the State’s First Black Justice to the Supreme Court and Call for Continued Progress in Court Diversity

  November 3, 2019 / Front Page

  Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware: Today, civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton held a press conference at Ezion Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church, joined by local elected officials, as well as faith leaders from across the state to praise Governor Carney for his appointment of Court of Chancery Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves to the Delaware Supreme Court, the first person of color ever named to the State’s highest court. The desire for increased diversity on Delaware’s courts has been driven in recent months as the grassroots advocacy group, Citizens […]

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  The Language of Inclusion

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  The Language of Inclusion is a guide that includes 94 key terms and standard definitions to help organizations find a common language to Inclusion. Author of the guide, James Wright said: “With increased focus on gender and LGBTQIA+ equality, it is important to update these terms to signal where we are today in our journey to ensure diverse communities are truly seen, heard, and valued.”Wright now shares  the Second Edition of The Language of Inclusion – a free download of over 135 key terms and […]

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  The Fire This Time Festival, the destination for early career and emerging playwrights from the African diaspora, announces its 2020 dates and playwrights in repertoire

  November 3, 2019 / Video Channel

  The Fire This Time Festival, the destination for early career and emerging playwrights from the African diaspora, announces its 2020 dates. The 14-day festival, presented in collaboration with FRIGID New York, which annually honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will take place from January 20 to February 2, 2020. This year, seven commissioned dramatists will be presented in repertoire as part of the annual celebration held at the Kraine Theater in the East Village. The featured playwrights — Cyrus Aaron, […]

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  Female Recent or Upcoming College Graduates Feel Less Confident Entering the Workforce than Male Counterparts, Survey Finds

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  Nearly 100 Years After Women Gained the Right to Vote, Gender Gap Persists As Women’s Equality Day is celebrated across the U.S. commemorating the 19thAmendment to the Constitution, a survey finds a notable gender gap among recent college graduates entering the workforce. The survey, conducted as part of the Cengage Student Opportunity Index, shows that while recent college graduates feel good about their job prospects, women are much less confident than men when it comes to salary expectations.  Women are […]

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  Sherry Hwang Honored with a 2019 Women Who Mean Business Award by Washington Business Journal

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  The Washington Business Journal has honored Pyramid Systems’ President and Co-founder, Sherry Hwang, with its 2019 “Women Who Mean Business Award.” Since 1999, the annual “Women Who Mean Business Awards” have recognized local women for entrepreneurship, professionalism, civic engagement, and community leadership. With more than 300 nominations, 25 women were selected for this year’s award. Sherry and husband, Jeff Hwang, launched Pyramid Systems in 1995. Outside of work, she spends most of her time, energy, and resources on philanthropic efforts. She is a member of the […]

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  Former President of the United States Barack Obama to Keynote the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Informa Connect announced today that Former President Barack Obama will speak at the Wednesday keynote of the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. This year’s conference will take place Nov. 19-22 in Atlanta, Ga. at the LEED Gold Georgia World Congress Center. Registration is now open. “USGBC is deeply honored that President Obama has accepted our invitation to speak at Greenbuild 2019,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president & CEO, USGBC. “President Obama is a global leader and a long-time friend of the green building community. While in office, […]

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  Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Celebrating 100 Years With Historic $100k Scholarship

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, an international women’s service organization with a focus on education, will celebrate its centennial year in January 2020 by awarding a historical $100,000 scholarship to a deserving young woman. Eligible students are encouraged to apply by January 16, 2020; a link to the application and detailed instructions can be found here: https://zphib1920.org/eblast/2019/april/Founders-Centennial-Scholarship-packet.pdf.  Zeta’s International Centennial President, Valerie Hollingsworth Baker, the inspiration behind The Founders’ Centennial Scholarship, and an exceptional student who earned several academic scholarships when she entered college at the age of 14, […]

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  The Pay Gap is the Tip of the Iceberg for Black Women

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  On Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, New Research from LeanIn.Org and SurveyMonkey Shows Many Americans Remain Unaware of the Pay Gap, Major Inequalities That Hurt Black Women’s Career Advancement Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which marks how far Black women had to work into 2019 to make what white men earned in 2018 alone. For a second year, LeanIn.Org and SurveyMonkey have partnered to conduct new research to measure Americans’ awareness of this pay gap and better understand the experiences of Black […]

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  Spelman College and Sloan Foundation to inspire Black women Economists

  September 1, 2019 / Front Page

  Through the support of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a not-for-profit grant-making institution dedicated to the advancement of scientific knowledge, the Department of Economics at Spelman College will develop curriculum and programming to address the scarcity of Black women Ph.D.s in economics. Nationwide, there are very few African Americans in economics professions, and fewer than 10 percent of underrepresented minorities are awarded advanced degrees in the discipline, said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., president of Spelman and a member of the Sloan Foundation […]

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  Princeton professor and MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude Jr. called President Trump the “manifestation of the ugliness that’s in us” in a monologue delivered Monday on MSNBC.

  August 11, 2019 / Video Channel

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  Hilco Streambank Successfully Completes a $30 Million Sale of Historic Johnson Publishing Photo and Media Archive

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  Hilco Streambank (www.hilcostreambank.com), a leading intellectual property advisory firm specializing in the valuation and sale of intangible assets, has successfully completed the auction for Johnson Publishing Company, LLC’s historic photography and media archive, which includes more than 4 million images, negatives and notes along with thousands of hours of video and music footage chronicling African American history dating back to 1945. The archive was sold for $30 million dollars to a consortium of foundations, comprised of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Ford […]

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  Redfin Report: Racial Gaps in Homeownership, Home Equity and Wealth Widened during the Historic Decade-Long Economic Expansion

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  U.S. home prices have risen 73% since 2010, but the resulting home equity gains haven’t benefited black Americans, whose homeownership rate fell to a record low in the second quarter Homeowners in primarily white neighborhoods gained an average of $70,000 more in home equity than homeowners in primarily black neighborhoods from 2012 to 2018, according to a new report from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. In part as a result of the inequality in homeownership and home-equity gains, black Americans have seen […]

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  Brandy To Be Honored With The BMI President’s Award At The 2019 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards Evening Celebrates the Previous Year’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriters, Producers, Music Publishers and Administrators on Thursday, August 29th in Atlanta, Georgia

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) will honor multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter and actress Brandy with the BMI President’s Award at its 2019 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards on Thursday, August 29th.  The private event, held at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, will be hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President Creative (Atlanta), Catherine Brewton. “As a singer/songwriter, actress and humanitarian, Brandy is a triple threat in every sense of the word,” said Brewton. “Her timeless hits about love and heartbreak were anthems to many coming of age during the 90s and secured […]

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  Women in Development, NY Announces 40th Anniversary Year with First African-American President in the Organization’s History–Yolanda F. Johnson

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  Yolanda F. Johnson has had nearly two decades as a successful fundraising professional and non-profit development executive. Her roles have included Vice-President, Development and Communications at Chess in the Schools, a youth development organization in NYC; this was preceded by her tenure as the head of development at the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Before these roles was that of overseeing individual giving and special events at the Hudson River Museum of Art in Westchester. Yolanda also served as Acting Executive Director […]

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  International African American Sorority on Hand to Welcome Alice Allison Dunnigan Statue Home to Russellville, KY

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  In the photo: Sculptor Amanda Matthews, left, and Deborah Catchings-Smith, international president of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, pose with the bronze statue of Alice Allison Dunnigan, the first woman to receive press credentials to cover the White House in 1947, Thursday, August 1, 2019. The statue is now permanently installed in her hometown of Russellville, Kentucky on the grounds of the Seek Museum. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority members were on hand to welcome the statute of their late sorority sister Alice […]

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  In Honor of Black Philanthropy Month: The Winters Group Awards $50,000 in Grants

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  This year’s theme of Black Philanthropy Month is “Let’s Make History,” and The Winters Group, Inc., a 35-year old global diversity and inclusion consulting firm, is doing just that as part of its Live Inclusively® Actualized (LIA) Grant Program. As part of Live Inclusively® Actualized (LIA), the organization’s corporate social responsibility effort, twelve non-profit organizations were awarded a total of $50,000. The awardees were selected based on the effectiveness and outcomes of programming efforts that seek to foster equity, justice, and […]

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  National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. Elects New National President

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  The Northern Virginia Business and Professional Women’s (NOVA BPW) Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. congratulates its president, Sherelle T. Carper. Who was elected National President of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. History Some 86 years ago in 1934, Emma Odessa Young, a realtor in New York City and a member of the New York Club of Business and Professional Women, came up with the idea of establishing a national organization throughout the United […]

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  Sarah Vaughan’s Golden Hits Celebrates A Golden Voice

  August 11, 2019 / Front Page

  On August 30, Verve/UMe is set to release Sarah Vaughan’s Golden Hits on vinyl in two different color options: black and gold. Remastered at Capitol Studios from the original analog tapes, this collection of an even-dozen of the legendary jazz vocalist’s greatest performances showcases the scope of her wide vocal range, bop-phrasing innovations, and expert yet effortless vibrato control. Upon the album’s original release in November 1961, a featured review in Billboard magazine proclaimed, “Mighty good listening here.” No doubt: both sides of Sarah Vaughan’s Golden Hits LP lend ample proof […]

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  Black Veterans call for Congressional Review of Military Records of World Wars I & II Black Soldiers….

  July 15, 2019 / Front Page

  By: Charles Blatcher, III Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations       Release July 2019   The recent news that members of Congress are calling for a review of the Service Record of another Black Servicemen is Deja’ vu. The review is being called on the record of Corporal Waverly Woodson, an Army Medic who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day with the All Black 320th Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion. Wounded under fire he continued to treat others in need of medical attention. […]

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  ’25 Black Women in Beauty’ Launches to Celebrate Black Women Professionals, Entrepreneurs and Influencers in the Beauty Industry

  July 7, 2019 / Front Page

  The collective, the first of its kind, hosted its first annual dinner sponsored by Rémy Martin XO. Shown in the photo: Co-founder of 25 Black Women in Beauty, Cara Sabin; NBC NY Live Jacque Reid; Mega Infuencer Kahlana Barfield Brown; The Lip Bar founder Melissa Butler; and Ulta Sr. Director Karla Davis.  25 Black Women in Beauty celebrated their official launch with a private dinner at the Whitby Hotel, featuring some of the most powerful black female executives, entrepreneurs and influencers in […]

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  Children’s Book Author Erica Pullen Celebrates Release of New Book, “I am America’s Most Wanted”

  July 7, 2019 / Front Page

  Award-winning and international children’s author Erica Pullencaptivated fans with her first book Believing in Myself and has launched the release of her new book I am America’s Most Wanted. Erica’s books connect children to their value and emboldens positive self-identity. Bev Smith, dubbed “The National radio and television Queen of Late-Night Talk” and host of The Bev Smith Show says, “This is a perfect time for a book confronting the issues faced by African American boys and men to come out and be released.  Statistics show […]

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  Iconic Chicago Defender Relaunches as Digital-Centric Content Platform

  July 7, 2019 / Front Page

  Bold step to end regular weekly print run positions brand to begin publishing daily content at chicagodefender.com Real Times Media, parent company of the Chicago Defender today announced that effective July 11, 2019, the Chicago Defender will complete its evolution from a printed newspaper and relaunch as a digitally-focused content platform dedicated to online editorial, premiere events, custom publishing, and archival merchandising. “It is no secret that the media and publishing landscape has shifted drastically and the pace of change continues […]

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  JPMorgan Chase and StartOut Announce Collaboration on the StartOut Pride Economic Impact Index

  July 7, 2019 / Front Page

  The Index will measure the contributions of LGBTQ entrepreneurs to society and provide tools to improve enabling environments for future business leaders In honor of Pride month, StartOut is proud to announce a new collaboration with JPMorgan Chase in the development and launch of the StartOut Pride Economic Impact Index, as part of JPMorgan Chase’s $150 million Small Business Forward initiative to invest in underserved entrepreneurs. StartOut is the largest national non-profit organization to support LGBTQ entrepreneurs. An industry first, the StartOut […]

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  State black–white unemployment gaps hold steady or widen

  June 25, 2019 / Front Page

  By Valerie Wilson In the first quarter of 2019, African American workers had the highest unemployment rate nationally, at 6.7%, followed by Hispanic workers (at 4.7%) and Asian and white workers (both at 3.1%).1 This report provides a state-by-state breakdown of unemployment rates by race and ethnicity and racial/ethnic unemployment rate gaps for the first quarter of 2019. While there have been improvements in prospects for black and Hispanic workers in some states, unemployment rates for these groups increased in the majority […]

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  National Museum of African American Music has released the State of Black Music 2019

  June 25, 2019 / Video Channel

  To celebrate Black Music Month in June, the National Museum of African American Music has released the second annual State of Black Music highlighting the top trends, streaming data and stories over the past year. Highlights include: After overtaking rock as the most-played music last year, hip hop’s dominance has only gotten larger. Eight of the 10 most-streamed artists last year were rappers. Black artists were leaders in mixing genres and defying category. Lil Nas X became the most-streamed artist in a […]

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  BronzeLens Film Festival Celebrates 10 Years and Announces Film Selections for 2019

  June 24, 2019 / Front Page

  The acclaimed BronzeLens Film Festival turns ten this year, and kicks off the celebration with its announcement of the official film selections for 2019. Running August 21-25 in Atlanta, the 10thAnnual BronzeLens Film Festival will take place at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and other venues throughout the city. Award-winning actors Terri J. Vaughn and Keith David hosted BronzeLens’ official film selections announcement on Facebook Live, revealing a diverse slate of national and international filmmakers originating from eleven countries, representing almost 100 projects. Filmed in six continents and covering nine […]

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  Hate speech on Twitter predicts frequency of real-life hate crimes

  June 24, 2019 / Front Page

  NYU researchers turn to artificial intelligence to show the links between online hate and offline violence in 100 cities According to a first-of-its-kind study, cities with a higher incidence of a certain kind of racist tweets reported more actual hate crimes related to race, ethnicity, and national origin. A New York University research team analyzed the location and linguistic features of 532 million tweets published between 2011 and 2016. They trained a machine learning model – one form of artificial intelligence – to […]

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  Urban LGBTQ Radio Station Expands Programming

  May 8, 2019 / Front Page

  WERUradio broadcasts 24hrs a day on WERUradio.com, Live365, streema.com,https://www.radio.net, the WERUradio app and  Alexa/Echo using the WERUradio skill. WERUradio has created a platform that interpolates the uptempo flavors of R&B (Lizzo, Beyonce, Chris Brown) Hip Hop (Travis Scott, Trina, Nicki Minaj) and House Music (Quentin Harris, Martha Wash, Frankie Knuckles) combine to give you a unique musical taste. WERUradio fills a niche market by prominently featuring amazing artists like B. Slade, Big Freedia, Miss Lawrence, Vincint and more from the LGBTQ community in heavy rotation. WERUradio adds dynamic on-air personalties to […]

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