Category: Afro Briefs

The commemoration of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Rides scheduled for next year may overshadow any other tourism event the state has ever seen, the Associated Press reported. The 2011 remembrance of the protest against segregated interstate bus travel is set to draw visitors from across the country, with President Barack Obama set to also attend. […]

A wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles over the fatal shooting of Notorious B.I.G. has been dismissed, although it is likely to not be the last legal word in the rapper’s death, the Associated Press reported. The suit alleges the Los Angeles Police Department was involved in the killing of the rapper. […]

Legendary R&B singer Patti LaBelle will receive an honorary doctorate from Temple University at the school’s commencement ceremony in May. LaBelle, a Philadelphia native, will receive an honorary doctor of human letters from her hometown university. Labelle began her singing career more than 40 years ago as the lead singer of the Bluebelles, and has […]

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Watch are calling on the state governments of South Carolina and Alabama to immediately end their practices of segregating prisoners infected with HIV. In a new report entitled, “Sentenced to Stigma: Segregation of HIV-Positive Prisoners in Alabama and South Carolina” the two groups implore both states […]

A man has filed a restraining order against actor Columbus Short, claiming the “Stomp the Yard” star broke his jaw in a February fight. The order requires Short to keep 100 yards away from Jason Hill. According to BlackAmericaWeb.com, Hill told authorities that he was beaten so badly by Short that he had to undergo […]

A discrimination lawsuit filed against a popular Atlanta restaurant by two customers, a former NBA player and a prominent local lawyer may soon go to trial. Former NBA all-star Joe Barry Carroll and Atlanta lawyer Joseph Shaw say they were escorted out of the Tavern at Phipps restaurant in August 2006 for refusing to give […]

African-American employees at a Turner Industries plant in Paris, Texas were the subject of racial discrimination and were targeted by management if they complained, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said on April 14. According to an EEOC letter, Black employees at the plant “were subjected to unwelcome racial slurs, comments and intimidation, racial graffiti, nooses […]

A letter claiming to be from the United White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which circulated to a number of businesses in Oklahoma City, Okla. to promote an upcoming rally may be a hoax. The letter, dated April 7, claims a KKK rally will be held at the Oklahoma State Capitol on April 17.  […]

First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, arrived in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 12. The two touched ground at 10: 40 a.m., after taking a helicopter tour of the country’s capital where more than 1 million people are still homeless. Obama and Biden’s visit came one day after […]

In its 161-year history, an African-American student has never claimed the coveted valedictorian title at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. However, Katie Washington, a biological sciences major from Gary, Ind., has made history at the school and was recently named the 2010 University of Notre Dame valedictorian, according to the school’s Web site. […]

According to the Star Ledger, dozens of men joined Trenton, N.J. Mayor Doug Palmer and media mogul Russell Simmons in an unplanned march April 10 in a troubled neighborhood where police believe a 7-year-old girl was gang-raped. The march took place after a rally organized to promote discussion about among young people in urban neighborhoods. […]

The alleged killers of a recently engaged Jersey City, N.J. couple have been apprehended, according to The Associated Press. Darmelia Lawrence and Latonia Bellamy were arrested April 9 in connection with the college sweethearts’ murder. The two women, who are both 19, were arrested on charges of armed robbery and murder. A third suspect, Shiquan […]