Serena described her tour of Wee as fabulous, saying the whole project was about changing the lives of hundreds of students for the better. She outlined her plans for the future following her announcement that tennis was less important to her compared to helping other people to realise their dreams.

“The computer technology provided by Hewlett Packard (HP) will give students an opportunity to read and realise their dreams in life” she said. The star player said she intends to open more schools in partnership with HP with the aim of empowering children.

“Education is supreme because it is the way out of poverty all over the world,” she told a gathering that included area Member of Parliament Peter Kiilu.

Wee Secondary is the second educational project Serena has established in Kenya after the Serena Secondary School established in Matooni last November. The school has a special class for the deaf, which is the first of its kind in the region.

The NAACP elected a health care executive as its youngest board chairman Saturday, continuing a youth movement for the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.  Roslyn M. Brock, 44, was chosen to succeed Julian Bond. She had been vice chairman since 2001 and a member of the NAACP for 25 years.

Brock works for Bon Secours Health Systems in Maryland as vice president for advocacy and government relations, and spent 10 years working on health issues for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. She joins Benjamin Todd Jealous, the 37-year-old CEO of the NAACP, as leader of the 500,000-member organization.

Brock said she plans to focus on pushing for policy changes to eliminate inequality, strengthening the relationship between the national and local NAACP branches and holding people accountable.

“It’s not always what someone is doing to us, but what we are doing for ourselves,” Brock said in an interview.

The departure of Bond, 70, after 10 years as board chairman marks a turning point for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Pepole.

Bond came of age in the segregated South, helped found the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and was on the front lines of the protests that led to the nation’s landmark civil rights laws. He is a symbol and icon of “the movement,” which was a defining experience for older generations.

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Freedom Fighters

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VIA:  ShaniDavis.Com

Shani Davis was born on Friday, August 13, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois. Raised by his mother on the city’s south side, he started roller-skating at local rinks at age two. By age three Shani was darting around the roller rink so fast that skate guards would chase him just to ask him to slow down. Seeming to become bored with roller-skating, at age six a coach suggested that Shani switch to ice skating. Shortly thereafter, his mother started working for an attorney, Fred Benjamin, whose son happened to be involved in speed skating at an elite level. It was at that time that Benjamin suggested that Shani give speed skating a try.

Shani joined the Evanston Speedskating Club at age six and within two months started competing locally. Though immediately taking to ice, at competitions Shani was generally more interested in running around with his competitors and playing video games than he was with competing. Nevertheless, by age 8 he was winning regional age-group competitions and began to hear about the Olympic ideal from his Northbrook competitors and friends. Shani’s mother encouraged him to participate and, in an effort to build his endurance, woke him most mornings to run a mile on a track close to their home. As there were — and still are — no speed skating clubs in inner city Chicago, at age 10 Shani and his mother moved to the far north side of the city to be closer to the Evanston rink.

Click here to read more on Shani Davis…

Watch Shani’s video blog dated 2/13/10:

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2006 World Cup Interview:

VIA: TYLERPERRY.COM

Tyler Perry is by all means, a Renaissance man.  He’s an actor, director, screenwriter, producer and author.  He is a true American success story.

Tyler Perry’s inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood’s A-list is the stuff of American legend.  Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Tyler fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and shows.It was a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey that set Tyler’s career in motion.

Encouraged to keep a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences, Tyler began writing a series of soul-searching letters to himself-letters full of pain, forgiveness, and, in time, a healing catharsis.  The letters inspired a musical, I KNOW I’VE BEEN CHANGED, and in 1992 Tyler gathered his life’s savings and set off for Atlanta in hopes of staging it for sold out crowds.  He spent all the money but the people never came, and Tyler once again came face to face with the poverty that had plagued his youth.  He spent months sleeping in seedy motels and his car but his faith-in God and, in turn, himself-only got stronger.  He forged a powerful relationship with the church, and he kept writing.

In 1998 his perseverance paid off and a promoter booked I KNOW I’VE BEEN CHANGED for a limited run at a local church-turned-theatre.  This time the community came out in droves, and soon the musical moved to Atlanta’s prestigious Fox Theatre.  Tyler Perry never looked back.I KNOW I’VE BEEN CHANGED was a poignant story of failure and redemption, and it resounded with urban audiences who identified with its themes and exalted in its spirit.  In Tyler they’d found a voice for their longings, and an outlet for their entertainment, and so began an incredible run of eight plays in as many years, including WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED!, a celebrated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes.

But if audiences were buoyed by Tyler’s faith, they were bowled over by his humor.  No way around it: the man was plain funny.  Nowhere was this more in evidence than in 2000′s I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF, which marked the first appearance of the now-legendary Madea.  A God-fearing, gun-toting, pot-smoking, loud-mouthed grandmother, Madea was played by Perry himself.  Madea was such a resounding success, she soon spawned a series of plays-MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION (2002), MADEA’S CLASS REUNION (2003) and MADEA GOES TO JAIL (2005)- and set the stage for Tyler’s jump to the big screen.

In early 2005, Tyler’s first feature film, DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, debuted at #1 nationwide.  By the end of its first weekend in theatres, two things had happened: the film had earned $22 million, and Tyler Perry-writer, actor, and producer-had become a superstar.  Tyler’s ensuing films, MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION, DADDY LITTLE GIRLS, WHY DID I GET MARRIED?, MEET THE BROWNS, and THE FAMILY THAT PREYS have all met with massive critical and commercial success, delighting audiences across America and around the world.  His most recent film, MADEA GOES TO JAIL, spent two weeks at the top of the box office and ultimately went on to gross more than $90 million.2006 saw the publication of Tyler’s first book, DON’T MAKE A BLACK WOMAN TAKE OFF HER EARRINGS: MADEA’S UNINHIBITED COMMENTARIES ON LIFE AND LOVE, which shot to the top of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and remained there for eight weeks.  It went on to claim Quill Book Awards for both “Humor” and “Book of the Year” (an unheard-of feat for a first-time author), and spread Tyler Perry’s unique brand of inspirational entertainment to a devoted new audience.   It is a brand that is quickly becoming an empire.

Read Tyler’s entire bio and more at TylerPerry.com.

Enjoy this interview with Tyler as he speaks with CBN about his rise to fame, relationships and marriage.

VIA:  TheGrio.Com

The Hysterectomy is one of the most invasive procedures in the medical practice, and Tony Hansberry  has invented  a device that will do the post surgery stitching with minimal chances of complications or harm.  Sounds like something a seasoned physician developed, but it’s actually something a 15-year-old high school student named Tony Hansberry invented. People in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida are calling him the “next Charles Drew.”

Hansberry is a student at Darnell Cookman School of Medical Arts, referred to as the first medical magnet school in the country with an integrated medical curriculum. He came under the tutelage of Bruce Nappi, the director of the University of Florida’s Center for Simulation Education and Safety Research (CSESaR) in the summer of 2008. From his experience there, he developed a project that showed how to reduce surgical time for hysterectomies. It only won him second prize in his school’s science fair, but it caught the attention of University of Florida physicians who invited him to present his project alongside theirs during a medical education event.

Click here to read more on this extraordinary student…

HOUSTON, Feb 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr., the first African American to walk in space, and ExxonMobil announced today that more than 1,500 middle school students will participate in free science camps this summer.

The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camps will be hosted in 30 universities across the country. The announcement came on the 15th anniversary of Dr. Harris’ historic space walk on Feb. 9, 1995 while aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.

“Much in my life has changed since that historic day, but one constant is my passion to make a difference with today’s students, especially kids who have similar backgrounds to mine,” Harris said. “This year’s summer science camps will give students a chance to learn about mathematics and science, more about themselves and about life on a college campus. Most importantly, campers learn that they have the power to achieve their dreams whatever they may be.”

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Click here for more information on the Science Summer Camps…

Check out this video of the shuttle launch that Dr. Bernard Harris Jr. was on:

Basketball legend Magic Johnson may soon take over a legend in the publishing world — Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Co.

Johnson Publishing owns the influential Ebony and Jet magazines, which have been at the forefront of African-American journalism for more than 50 years.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the president of Magic Johnson Enterprises said “there have been discussions,” but “no definitive agreement” about purchasing the publishing company.

But sources told Bloomberg that Johnson’s Chicago headquarters would be included in the sale, pending the resolution of liens placed on it by a creditor.

Like most publications, both Ebony and Jet have seen their ad revenues plummet in recent years, putting them in a financial tight spot. If Magic’s company does purchase Johnson Publishing, it would be added to his massive Magic Johnson Enterprises, which focuses on servicing ethnically diverse, urban communities, according to its mission statement.

Founded in 1942, Johnson Publishing is one of Chicago’s premier minority-owned businesses. Its founder, John H. Johnson, died in 2005. His daughter, Linda Johnson Rice, now runs the publishing house.  The company said Johnson Rice has not talked to Magic Johson about his interest to buy the publisher.

VIA:  TheHuffingtonPost.Com

26 year old Joshua Dubois has definitely made a name for himself.  Dubois has recently been appointed to the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by President Obama.  See this video from the Prayer Breakfast where President Obama made is announcement:

Mandela served 27 years behind bars of a life sentence  for his activism against apartheid, the movement that enforced segregation in the country.

His homeland is commemorating his plight in several ways. In particular through the singing of a song dedicated to him with the words,“Nelson Mandela, there is none like you” and by reenacting the historic walk he made from prison signaling the end of apartheid.

Mandela who is 91-years-old now, did not attend the reenactment  but did make a rare appearance at parliament to attend a commemorative speech by South African President Jacob Zuma.

He was also paid tribute to in the summer release of the movie “Invictus” where the country’s first Black President was played by Morgan Freeman.

VIA:  NBLSA.Org

Melinda Hightower is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and attended Cornell University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations in 2000. At Cornell, she was a Mening Family Cornell National Scholar and a member of the Cornell Debate Team. In 2000, she was selected to be member of the Cross-Examination Debate Association’s National Debate Team and represented the United States at competitions throughout Europe.

Upon graduation, Ms. Hightower worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, in New York, New York. She was an associate in the human resources consulting group and undertook graduate coursework in Statistics at Columbia University. In 2001, Ms. Hightower became a compensation and benefits professional at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a sports entertainment company based in Stamford, Connecticut. While at WWE, she volunteered with the New York Urban Debate League, a nonprofit organization that uses debate training and curricula to mentor and develop informed, concerned citizens.

Click here to read more on Melinda Hightower…

Beautiful Black Sisters

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