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educated, informed and engaged
Magazine
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Alpha phi Alpha fraternity
delta sigma theta Sorority
creating
WHO WE ARE National History National Officers
What We Do National Programs Community Partnerships
WHERE WE WORK Professional Listings
2016-17 edition
Transformational dorothy buckhanan wilson
Mark S. Tillman
Paulette C. Walker
International President
General President
National President
iota phi theta fraternity
Kappa alpha psi fraternity
omega psi phi fraternity
Robert Clark
THOMAS L. BATTLES, JR.
Antonio F. Knox, Sr.
International Grand Polaris
Grand Polemarch
Grand Basileus
phi beta sigma fraternity
sigma gamma rho sorority
zeta phi beta sorority
Jonathan Mason Sr.
Deborah Catchings-Smith
Mary Breaux Wright
International President
International Grand Basileus
International President
HOW WE GROW Current News and Views
change in...
Civil Rights Community Service Economic Development Health Care Justice Reform Mentoring Politics Technology
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1
On Your Corner, In Your Corner. The truth is, McDonald’s® is more than food. From fostering partnerships with schools, churches and organizations, including sororities and fraternities, to providing jobs, training and scholarships, McDonald’s is always on your corner and in your corner.
EMPLOYMENT IMPACT
COMMUNITY IMPACT
ECONOMIC IMPACT
McDonald’s® is a great place to work. Your local McDonald’s provides internships, exposing youth to restaurant business management. Additionally, special programs throughout every community provide educational benefits to employees, as well as career advancement opportunities.
McDonald’s offers convenient and accessible space to engage with fellow community members. Your local McDonald’s accommodates special events such as McTeacher’s Nights® and morning coffee meetings, supports local youth organizations and sponsors special community programs.
McDonald’s enhances communities. Your local McDonald’s contributions to local tax bases help build and develop the communities it serves. McDonald’s drives commerce and stability in the community with the monies paid to employees in wages and local suppliers.
EDUCATION IMPACT McDonald’s supports educational advancement. Your local McDonald’s offers programs supporting public schools and provides college scholarships. For example, in Atlanta, McDonald’s has touched nearly 15,000 students, educators and parents. Additionally, over $690,000 in scholarships have been awarded to college-bound Atlanta youth. Over $350,000 in retail value each year is provided to primary, elementary and middle schools through the Annual McDonald’s School Rewards Program. McDonald’s has similar programs in cities across the country.
© 2016 McDonald’s
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Table of Contents
PUBLISHERS: Michael Falker and Daniel Pierson The DIVINE NINE MAGAZINE is published annually by: Omega One Connect Inc. Post Office Box 40953 Indianapolis, IN 46240 Advertisers: In the event the Divine Nine Magazine should fail to print or publish, in w h o l e o r part, any advertisement accepted by the publisher or in the event of an error or omission, the liability of the publication and/or
7 who we are FEATURE: Members of the Divine Nine from the past and present creating transformational change in Civil Rights
28 economic
Initiatives
Brief History, Divine Nine Council of Presidents, NPHC Leadership
Creating transformational change in the Economy. ARTICLES: Congressional Black Caucus Releases Statement in Recognition of Equal Pay Day, National League of Cities Announces 2016 Federal Priorities, The Wall Street Project, JEC Democrats & Congressional Black Caucus updated Black History Month report shows need for Congress to act on economic issues facing black community
14 consumer survey
32 educational
8 leadership
i t s ’ a g e nts shall be solely limited to crediting advertisers for proportionate space in which a n y e r ro r occurs or to rerun in the next issue.
The Divine Nine Magazine, published by Omega One Connect Inc., tells the ongoing story of the Divine Nine Organizations. It highlights the achievements of the or g a n i z a t i o n s , celebrates its members, past, present and into the future. The magazine features articles, analysis, biographies and information that explores the culture, o u t re a c h a n d leadership provided by m e m b e r s o f the Divine Nine around t h e w o r l d . “The Divine Nine” is a term that identifies the nine predominately African-American Greek-letter sororities and fraternities: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Delta S i g m a T h e t a S o ro r i t y I n c . , I o t a P h i Theta Fraternity Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. The Divine Nine organizations currently represent over 1.7 million members. The first organization was founded in 1 9 0 6 . E a c h o r g a n i z a t i o n p ro m o t e s community awareness and action through educational, economic, and cultural service activiti e s .
4
Survey of the buying habits of members of the Divine Nine
19 WHAT WE DO FEATURE: Divine Nine Programs and Initiatives: Civil Rights, Community Service, Economic, Educational, Heath, Justice Reform, Mentoring, Political and Technology
20 civil rights Initiatives
Creating transformational change in Civil Rights. ARTICLES: Our Votes Matter, 15th Amendment, Black Women Lead, CBC responds to voter id restriction, CBC applauds, new Motor Voter Act, Urban League Wants Racial Breakdown Of Effect Of Sentencing Reform Bill
24 community
service Initiatives
Creating transformational change in Community Service. ARTICLES: Sigma Gamma Rho and USA Swimming Continue Partnership to Teach Swimming and Water Safety, National Park Service Teams Up with Omega Psi Phi to Preserve Legacies of African American Leaders, USATF & Sigma Gamma Rho to Encourage Youth Activity, Alpha Phi Alpha and Peace Corps enter partnership.
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
Initiatives
Creating transformational change in Education. ARTICLES: Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, Inc., UNCF A mind is a terrible thing to waste, Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Fortifying Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education, Progress in Our Schools
36 health Initiatives Creating transformational change in Health Care. ARTICLES: CBCF Annual Health and Wellness Luncheon - An Ounce of Prevention Beats a Pound of Cure, Adverse childhood experiences research, Health Care Reform, African American sororities and fraternities working to help Flint families, Responses from the Flint Water Crisis
40 justice reform Initiatives
Creating transformational change in Justice. ARTICLES: Democrats conduct sit-in for Gun Control, Harassed and Detained for Filming the Police, Democrats Plan Police Body-Camera Legislation, White House Plans for Criminal Justice Reform, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., to Host “When Justice Matters for All” Panel, We Affirm that All Black Lives Matter, End the Culture of Warrior Policing
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mentoring Initiatives Creating transformational change in Mentoring. ARTICLES: President Obama declares January 2016 National Mentoring Month, The Big Brothers Big Sisters Process, Alpha Phi Alpha Receives $1 Million Federal Grant to Promote Mentoring, College Readiness, My Brother’s Keeper initiative
46 big brothers big
wants Google to invest in startups led by Blacks and Latinos, Black Stanford alumni create $5M investment fund and technology innovation foundation to provide financial assistance and resources for Black techpreneurs
the Bus is a month long collection of exquisitely written, provocative short essays written to encourage you (parents, teachers, and educators) to stop the bus – to stop and really think about what we are doing to our children under the guise of education
55 WHERE WE WORK
72 no excuses: black
FEATURES: Divine Nine Business/Professional Listings; Arts and Entertainment, Business, Civil Rights, Education, Health and Science, Law, Politics, Religion, and Sports
sisters of america
ARTICLE: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose goal is to help all children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with volunteer mentors
48 political Initiatives
Creating transformational change in Politics. ARTICLES: H.R.6021 - Jobs, On-the-Job `Earn While You Learn’ Training, and Apprenticeships for AfricanAmerican Young Men Act, H.R.4539 - 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act, The Sentencing Reform And Corrections Act! Your Signatures Are Needed In Huge Support!, CBC Applauds Today’s Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Affirmative Action for Public Colleges and Universities, Congressional Black Caucus Applauds Unanimous House Passage of Bill Recognizing the Historic Contributions of African Americans, , CBC Congratulates TaskRabbit On Its Adoption of a CBC TECH 2020 African American Inclusion Plan
52 technology Initiatives
Creating transformational change in Technology. ARTICLES: Congressional Black Caucus TECH 2020, Lack of Talent Pipeline a ‘Myth’ Says Congressional Black Caucus Chair CBC and black tech professionals announce new diversity and inclusion efforts, National Black MBA Association® and National Society of Black Engineers Establish Monumental Partnership to Promote Leadership in S.T.E.M. Careers, Jesse Jackson
64 who mentored
mlk?
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America takes a look at those people who served as mentors to the civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King
69 HOW WE GROW FEATURES: Divine Nine News on portrayal of African Americans in the Media, D9 in the Entertainment Industry and Black Lives Matter) and Views on Raising Children Responsibly, Education Reform and Downsizing
70 Public Perception
and the Portrayal of African Americans in the Media
ARTICLE: The Divine Nine organizations are speaking out against negative press and playing a strong role in helping to change the narrative of African Americans and culture
men stand up
ARTICLE: “Black Men Stand Up” challenges every generation of black men to take responsibility for their lives and for the lives of young black men to come behind them
75 The Upside to
Downsizing
ARTICLE: The upside to downsizing is aimed at helping a person who is downsized to focus on the things they can control and creating their own “Upside”
76 Divine nine and
the entertainment industry
A look at recent movies and televisions show that feature members of the Divine Nine
77 black lives matter Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organization working to (re)build the Black liberation movement
78 advertiser index Listing of Advertisers
71 raising supaman
and stop the bus: education reform in 31 days
ARTICLE: Raising Supaman is a collection of beautifully written letters Nathaniel Turner wrote to his son Stop
educated, informed and engaged
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w w w . d i v i n e n i nFROM e m a g a z i n e . THE com LETTER EDITORS Greetings! We are humbled and honored to present to you the 2016-17 edition of the Divine Nine Magazine. We want to first of all thank God from whom all blessings flow. The publication connects on a personal level with members of the African American community. Our coverage is about you—your lives, your challenges and your aspirations, through the lenses of the Divine Nine organizations. We view the Divine Nine as the “Talented Tenth” popularized by W. E. B. Du Bois. The Talented Tenth is a term that designated a leadership class of African Americans in the early 20th century. We hope that our expertise in presenting this Magazine will empower you to make the best choices when it comes to growing your family, your career, your business, your community and your life. This year we focus on the importance of initiatives underway to transform the African American community. The publication addresses the impact of the Divine Nine organizations and it members on the developments in Community Service, Economic Development, Education Reform, Health Care Reform, Justice Reform, Mentoring, Political, and Technology Initiatives. We also present information on organizations that support the type of reform required to transform the African American community: the White House, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Black, Lives Matter, NAACP, UNCF, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and AARP. Our mission is to educate, inform and engage the people of the African American community. We hope that you look, listen and participate in our upcoming events. We salute and support all Divine Nine and the partner organizations included in our publication. Let us unite; we are a powerful force with great strength and buying power. We ask for more involvement and support on a local and national level, there is much more work to do on all levels. Lastly we want to sincerely thank the advertisers and supporters of our magazine. We ask that you support and patronize them. In Collective Unity!
Michael Falker and Daniel Pierson
Om ega On e Connect LLC, Post Office Box 40953 Indianapolis, IN 46240, info@omegaoneconnect.com 317-445-4462 6
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
www.divineninemagazine.com
who we are There are nine historically Black Greek Letter Organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council. These organizations are referred to as "The Divine Nine." Each of these fraternities and sororities is rich in history. Ties to one or more of these organizations may be found in many collegeeducated Black families in the United States. The stated purpose and mission of the organization: “Unanimity of thought and action as far as possible in the conduct of Greek letter collegiate fraternities and sororities, and to consider problems of mutual interest to its member organizations.”
h i s t o r y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p
Divine Nine Membership Has Exceeded 1.5 Million. It’s Members Are Located In The United States And Several Countries Around The World
NPHC Headquarters, 3951 Snapfinger Parkway, Suite 218, Decatur, GA 30035 Phone: 404.592.6145, Fax: 404.806.9943, http://www.nphchq.org/ The Headquarters of the Divine Nine Organizations Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 5656 S. Stony Island Ave. Chicago, Illinois, 60637-1997 773.684.1282 http://www.aka1908.com
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 1707 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 202.986.2400 http://www.deltasigmatheta.org/
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 2322-24 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19132-4590 215.228.7184 http://www.kappaalphapsi1911.com
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. 145 Kennedy Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 202.726.5434 http://www.pbs1914.org
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 2313 Saint Paul Street Baltimore, MD 21218-5211 410.554.0040 http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. 1600 N. Calvert Street Baltimore, MD 21202 443.438.5691 http://www.iotaphitheta.org/
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. 3951 Snapfinger Parkway Decatur, GA 30035 404.284.5533 http://www.oppf.org
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. 1000 Southhill Drive, Suite 200 Cary, NC 27513-8630 888-SGR-1922 919.678.9720 http://www.sgrho1922.org
Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. 1734 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington, DC 20009 202.387.3103 http://www.zphib1920.org
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a Brief History of the Divine 9
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The Phi Beta Kappa Society, founded on December 5, 1776, at The College of William & Mary, is generally recognized as the first Greekletter student society in North America. The main developments associated were the use of Greekletter initials as a name and the establishment of chapters at different campuses. On November 17, 1911, three Howard University undergraduate students, with the assistance of their faculty adviser, gave birth to the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity in Washington DC.
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first African-American Greek-Lettered fraternity. It was founded by seven men on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University in Washington, DC.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority was founded on January 16, 1920, Zeta began as an idea conceived by five coeds at Howard University in Washington DC.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was organized on November 12, 1922 at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN by seven school teachers.
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established by African-American college women. It was founded by nine students on January 15, 1908 at Howard University in Washington, DC.
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity was founded by twelve students on September 19, 1963, at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD by 12 students.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity was founded by ten students on January 15, 1911 at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. 8
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. was founded by three students on January 9th, 1914 at Howard University in Washington, DC.
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, was founded with the assistance of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, is the sister organization. No other fraternity and sorority is constitutionally bound as Sigma and Zeta. Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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t h e d i v i n e N I N E council of presidents
Dr. PAULETTE WALKER
International President Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
General President Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
National President Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Robert clark Grand Polaris
thomas battles
anTONIO KNOX
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity
Grand Polemarch Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
Grand Basileus Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
Jonathan mason
Deborah Catchings-Smith
Mary Breaux Wright
International President Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
International Grand Basileus Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority
International Grand Basileus Zeta Phi Beta Sorority
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MARK TILLMAN
h i s t o r y
Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson
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Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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National Alliance of Black School Educators
November 16-20, 2016 â—? Tampa, FL
www.NABSE.org
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N a t i o n a l p a n - h e llenic council leadership
Floyd Worsley National Vice President
Gloria Shannon National Secretary
Toni Johnson National Treasurer
Frances Jackson, Ph.D. National Parliamentarian
Beverly H. Burks Executive Director
Felicia N. Shepherd Alumni Chairman
Stacy Jones, Ed.D. Programming Chairman
Dr. Michael V. Bowie Collegiate Chairman
Lloyd Stallings Conference Planning Chair
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Jennifer Jones National President
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NPHC National Leadership Conference The annual Conference focuses on the needs of collegiate, alumni and Greek life staff. It targets members of the Divine Nine who serve as officers in their respective organization or local affiliate of NPHC.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital The individual organizations of the Divine Nine and collectively under the banner of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. (NPHC), adopted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its national philanthropic partner. The chapters of the Divine Nine organizations across the country raise money and awareness for the hospital.
Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
Association of Fraternity Sorority Advisors National leadership from all nine member organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. annually attend the Association of Fraternity Sorority Advisors (AFA) Meeting. The meeting provides enriching and informative educational experiences for Greek Life staff from over 700 colleges and universities.
Voter Empowerment On a national level and through its Collegiate and Alumni Councils, NPHC works to increase importance of voter empowerment and decrease voter suppression.
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference The Conference is the premier gathering of African Americans, cultivating engaging policy discussions on issues that impact black communities around the world. The conference features the Council of Presidents Forum, a national town hall, a job and contract procurement fair, a Prayer Breakfast, and Awards Dinner.
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N a t i o n a l p a n - h e llenic council programs
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Listings from this section were researched from the website (http://www.nphchq.org). The publisher is not responsible for changes after the publication is printed.
www.divineninemagazine.com The Divine 9 Consumer Survey Our research reflects consumers' shopping and media habits of the Divine Nine members who participated. The Divine 9 Magazine will continue to offer Divine 9 consumers a range of opportunities to provide feedback about their shopping and media consumption. We will send surveys such as this and ask them to join a panel.
Financial and Insurance Behaviors: 1. Has life insurance 2. Has one or more retirement savings plan 3. Household uses a Financial Planner, Accountant, Broker 4. Has property and casualty insurance 5. Plans to buy savings plan or insurance in the next 12 months
Travel Behaviors: 1. 1 or more business round-trips via commercial airline in the past year 2. 1 or more vacation round-trips via commercial airline in the past year 3. 5 or more business nights stayed in a hotel or motel in the past year 4. 5 or more vacation nights stayed in a hotel or motel in the past year 5. 5 or more times used a rental car in the past year
Education Behaviors: 1. Registered for a college course for business or personal reasons in the past year 2. Earned a certification for business or personal reasons in the past year 3. Registered for training class for business or professional reasons in the past year 4. NONE of the above
Automotive Behaviors: 1. Owns or leases 1 vehicle 2. Owns or leases 2 or more vehicles 3. Plans to buy a vehicle in the next 12 months
Technology Behaviors: 1. Uses computer for business or personal reasons 2. Purchased or leased a desktop computer in the past year 3. Purchased or leased a laptop computer in the past year 4. Uses the internet for business or personal reasons 5. Uses wireless products/services for business or personal reasons 6. Made an online purchase in the past year
Retail Behaviors: 1. Shopped at a discount store 8. 9. 2. Purchased a smart phone 3. Shopped at a department store 10. 4. Shopped at a convenience store 5. Purchased women’s apparel 6. Purchased men’s apparel 7. Purchased jewelry or watches
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We believe our analysis will help to inform decision making process of brands identified in our surveys. We value the privacy of our participants. The personal identifiable information will NEVER be used by the Divine 9 Magazine to advertise, promote or market third-party good or services to you. We will not license, publish or sell any information from you that can be tied to an individual such as your name, email address, mailing address, etc.
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DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
Purchased a flat screen television Purchased a digital music player Purchased a digital streaming device
Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
www.divineninemagazine.com The Divine 9 Consumer Survey Which of the following Department Store Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. Macy’s 2. Kohl’s 3. Target 4. Walmart 5. Nordstrom 6. JC Penney
Which of the following Automotive Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. General Motors 2. Toyota 3. Ford 4. Mazda 5. Chrysler 6. Kia 7. Nissan 8. Volkswagen
Which of the following Insurance Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. State Farm Insurance 2. Allstate Insurance 3. American Family Insurance 4. Berkshire Hathaway Insurance 5. Progressive Insurance 6. Nationwide Insurance 7. Northwestern Mutual 8. GEICO
Which of the following Casual Restaurant Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. Olive Garden 2. Cheesecake Factory 3. Red Lobster 4. Texas Roadhouse 5. Cracker Barrel 6. Applebee’s 7. O’Charleys 8. Outback Steakhouse
Which of the following Pharmaceutical Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 7. 1. Pfizer 8. 2. Novartis 3. Roche 4. Lilly 5. Johnson & Johnson 6. Merck
Which of the following Technology Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. Apple 2. Google 3. Microsoft 4. Samsung 5. HP 6. Dell
Which of the following Mobile Applications have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 7. 1. FaceBook 8. 2. Instagram 9. 3. Twitter 10. 4. Pandora 11. 5. Youtube 12. 6. Snapchat
KFC Chick-fil-A
7. 8. 9. 10.
General Mills Unilever Proctor & Gamble Johnson & Johnson
Which of the following Smartphones have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 7. 1. Samsung 8. 2. Apple 9. 3. Google 4. HTC 5. Sony 6. LG
Google Maps Google Search Gmail Google Apps Android MAC OS
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Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
Which of the following Grocery Brands have you used in the past (Select all that apply) * 1. Kraft General Foods 2. Nestle 3. Coca Cola 4. Pepsico 5. Kellog’s 6. Mars
IBM Amazon Sony
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Which of the following Credit Card Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. Master Card 2. VISA 3. Discover 4. American Express
7. 8. 9.
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GlaxoSmithKline Abbott Laboratories
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Which of the following Wireless Service Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 1. AT&T 2. Verizon 3. Sprint 4. T-Mobile 5. US Cellular 6. Comcast
Which of the following Quick Service Restaurants Brands have you used in the past? (Select all that apply) * 7. 1. McDonald’s 8. 2. Starbucks 3. Subway 4. Burger King 5. Wendy’s 6. Pizza Hut
Motorola Blackberry Nokia
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HealthNet, Inc. Introduction For over 48 years, HealthNet has been working to provide quality health care that is accessible to all who need it.
Address: 3403 E. Raymond Street Indianapolis, IN 46203 Phone: 317-957-2000 Website: www.indyhealthnet.org Year Established: 1968
Mission Statement To improve lives with compassionate health care and support services, regardless of ability to pay.
Geographic Service Area Marion County
Today, more than 59,205 people in Marion County rely on HealthNet as their primary source of medical, dental and behavioral health care, including special groups such as women at-risk, children and the homeless. Through our 9 community health centers, 5 dental centers, 4 specialty care centers, 7 school-based clinics, Homeless Initiative Program, and Healthy Families program, HealthNet serves over 1,000 people per day – most living at or below the federal poverty level.
Services Provided • Pediatrics • Family Practice • Internal Medicine • OB/GYN and Nurse Midwives • Foot Care • Immunizations • X-Ray • Dental Care • Eye Care • Health Education
• Social Services • Behavioral Health Services • Family Planning • Free HIV Testing • Free Pregnancy Tests • Homeless Initiative Program • School-Based Services • Healthy Families • Hoosier Healthwise Enrollment • Foreign Language Interpretation
• Breast Cancer Screening Assistance • Financial Planning • Medicaid and Medicare • Healthcare Marketplace Enrollment
President/CEO - J. Cornelius Brown J. Cornelius “Jimmy” Brown is an accomplished senior executive with over 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry with work in both military and civilian settings. He, as HealthNet’s President and Chief Executive Officer, leads Indiana’s largest federally qualified health center that provides care annually to almost 60,000 patients through its network of 35 primary care health centers, dental offices, school-based clinics, homeless service sites, outreach programs and the delivery of more than 2,200 babies each year. Jimmy, prior to joining HealthNet, served as Vice President of Corporate Services and Community Affairs at Swope Health Services in Kansas City, MO. He also served as Swope’s Chief Operations Officer and as Vice President of Clinical Operations where he led several creative partnerships to expand access to much needed health care for communities in both Missouri and Kansas. Before joining Swope in 2004, Jimmy spent over 12 years leading efforts to improve the delivery of quality, affordable health care services in various leadership roles, including President and CEO of Dallas Southwest Medical Center in Dallas, Texas; Senior Vice President for Medical Operations/Corporate Administration at Continuum Healthcare Systems, Inc. in Houston, Texas and as Chief Operating Officer at Hadley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. Jimmy retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U. S. Air Force after a 20-year military career in health and hospital administration. During this time, he held numerous key positions and performed varied health care related duties to include Chief, Health Professions Recruiting; managed facility construction and equipment acquisition for a new $18.9 million hospital in the Republic of Turkey; served as Hospital Administrator at two Air Force community hospitals and led financial operations as the Associate Administrator at a 1,012 bed military medical center. Upon completion of military service, he began his civilian career as a Regional Healthcare Manager and Senior Healthcare Consultant. Some of his accomplishments during these tenures include the successful evaluation of the Department of Defense’s $491 million managed care support contract and the design and development of a dental insurance plan for military retirees. Jimmy’s past community involvement and activities include serving as a Board Member for the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce; Vice Chair, Texas Pediatric Diabetes Research Advisory Committee; Member, Missouri Primary Care Association; Member, Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved and Commissioner with the Metropolitan Development Commission of Marion County. He currently serves as Chairman of the Governing Board for Learning Well, Inc.; Vice Chair, Hamilton Centers, Inc.; Board Member, Southeast Community Services, Inc.; Board Member, Asante Children’s Theater and Board Member of the Indianapolis Urban League where he serves on the Executive Committee. He also serves as Vice Chair, Indiana Primary Health Care Association where he sits on the Executive and Finance Committees. Past and current memberships in professional organizations include the American Academy of Medical Administrators, National Association of Health Services Executives and holds Diplomat (membership) status in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Jimmy is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from North Texas State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, with an emphasis in health care management, from the University of North Dakota.
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What We Do
what we do
m i s s i o n , l e a d e r s h i p, n o t a b l e s a n d p r o g r a m s
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What We Do
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Civil Rights Initiatives
p r o g r a m s
WASHINGTON—The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) will host its National Town Hall meeting, “The Black Agenda for the Next Administration: What’s at Stake!”, during the 46th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). “It is imperative that the African American community understand the stakes of any and all elections and that voters be engaged,” said Rep. G. K. Butterfield, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus
In the 2012 presidential election, Blacks in America voted at a higher rate than other minority groups—and at a higher rate than whites, according to a Pew Research Center report. The town hall will emphasize voter mobilization and
educational opportunities and the impact that the Black vote has on economic justice and criminal justice reform. “It is urgent that we come together to discuss how to activate our voice and vote,” said Rep. Lacy Clay, ALC honorary co-chair. “We have too much at stake in this election and cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. We must get out and vote for the sake of our children.”
Source: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
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The 15th Amendment Until the ratification of in 1870, African American men did not have the constitutional right to vote. (African American women did not gain the right to vote until passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, when all women obtained this right). But even with this constitutional right, many states prevented African Americans from enjoying the benefits of full citizenship through laws known as Jim Crow laws.
n o t a b l e s l e a d e r s h i p, m i s s i o n ,
Our Votes Matter
(CBC). “It is the job of every CBC member and elected official to ensure they mobilize their constituent base, so that their voices are heard and concerns addressed.”
To prevent African Americans from voting, many states enacted legislation that erected barriers to voting — such as literacy tests, moral character tests, property ownership requirements, and poll taxes.
Black Women Lead — Three black women are running the Democratic National Convention this week, taking charge of the top jobs that keep the massive gathering on schedule and, as much as possible, on message. Veteran Democratic strategist Donna Brazile stepped up at the last minute to serve as interim chairman of the Democratic National Committee after embattled Chairman Debbie Wasserman
Although many of these laws were “colorblind” on their face, they were designed specifically to exclude African American citizens by allowing white election officials to apply the p r o c e d u r e s s e l e c t i v e l y. S o u r c e : w h i t e h o u s e . g o v promise." All three women are used to making history. Brazile was the first African-American to manage a major presidential campaign, working to try to elect former Vice President Al Gore in 2000. Fudge was the first African-American and first female mayor of Warrensville, Ohio. And Daughtry is the only person to serve as CEO twice — once when Democrats chose their first black nominee and now that they are about to Schultz resigned from her position Sunday. nominate the first woman. Brazile is joined this week by Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who is serving as convention chairman, and the Rev. Leah Daughtry, a Washington D.C. pastor who is reprising her 2008 role as the convention's CEO. "When Democrats say ‘We the people,’ we mean all the people,” said Daughtry, speaking Monday during the first night of the convention. "All the people regardless of race, color, creed or ethnicity...We know that our diversity is not our problem. It is our
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Civil Rights Initiatives
“We continue to see challenges to voting rights across the country, and Alabama’s decision to close more than thirty driver’s license offices around the state disproportionately impacts African American voters. The decision is particularly troubling considering that many of the shuttered offices are located in rural areas and counties where more than 75 percent of the registered voters are African American. The closure of these offices in eight out of the ten counties with the highest numbers of African Americans, blocks residents’ ability to obtain a driver’s license, which is required in order to vote in the state. Alabama’s harsh voter ID law further restricts the ability of residents to obtain the requisite identification needed not only to vote, but also to drive, get a job, or apply for a passport.
“The Congressional Black Caucus applauds the decision by the California Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown to make registering to vote easier. The new legislation, the New Motor Voter Act, streamlines and modernizes the process of registering to vote by making the process more accessible for the state’s nearly 6.6 million eligible but unregistered residents. The California decision is fundamentally different and a far cry from the wave of disenfranchisement we have recently witnessed in several states across the country. It stands in stark contrast to Alabama where a suppressive voter ID law passed in 2011 influenced the state’s recent decision to close 31 state DMV offices which will limit residents’ ability to obtain the required identification to vote and participate in the Democratic process. As the CBC continues its work to remove restrictive laws and barriers that impede voting for millions of Americans, we encourage more states to follow California’s lead.” Source: cbc-butterfield.house.gov
Below are examples of key voter resources: American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclu.org/voting-rights) The Brennan Center for Justice (www.brennancenter.org) Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (www.lawyerscommittee.org) Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (www.civilrights.org) League of Women Voters (www.lwv.org) Local Board of Elections NAACP - 1-866-MYVOTE1 National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (www.ncbcp.org)
Business Owners: If you're a business owner, make a commitment to give your employees time off to vote during elections.
Register to Vote: If you need to register to vote — or if you have questions about your local election office, voting by absentee ballot, or how to avoid voter fraud — visit USA.gov.
Urban League Wants Racial Breakdown Of Effect Of Sentencing Reform Bill
The Urban League has requested the U.S. Sentencing Commission to provide statistics on the racial breakdown of the effect of the sentencing reform bills which are likely to start the reversal the policy of mass incarceration. Source: NCRI.forum
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“Alabama’s decision to close ID offices reminds us that 50 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the fight for equal access to the polls still continues today. Having a say in our country’s Democratic process still does not exist for all.” Source: cbc-butterfield.house.gov
Get People to the Polls: If you want to help get people to the polls, contact your local election office and find out how you can volunteer to register voters, or work the polls on Election Day.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield released the following statement in response to California Governor Jerry Brown signing into law the New Motor Voter Act, which automatically registers eligible residents to vote when they interact with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield released the following statement in response to the Alabama decision to close thirty-one satellite driver’s license offices and its immediate impact to predominately African American counties and minority voters around the state.
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The Congressional Black Caucus Applauds California Gov. Jerry Brown and the State's New Motor Voter Act
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CBC Responds to Alabama Driver's License Office Closures and Further Voter ID Restrictions
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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Sigma Gamma Rho and USA Swimming Continue Partnership to Teach Swimming and Water Safety
National Park Service Teams Up with Omega Psi Phi to Preserve Legacies of African American Leaders
Sigma Gamma Rho is focused on water safety. Through our partnership with USA Swimming, our members and affiliates are encouraging the community to learn how to swim. Sigma Gamma Rho and the Swim 1922 program are making a splash across the country!
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (OPPF), have signed an agreement to work together to protect, preserve, and promote the NPS sites dedicated to the legacy of important African American figures in U.S. history. The agreement is the first of its kind between the NPS and a national African American organization.
Source: sgrho1922.org
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FLINT, Michigan — Thanks to the community, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. (NPHC) Milwaukee Graduate Chapter delivered a semi-truck and a 22-foot truck filled with bottled water as part of its “Clean Water for Flint Water Collection and Donation” campaign.
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The Milwaukee community responded to the group’s call to action to help Flint residents during their water crisis.
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On Sunday, January 31st, NPHC of Milwaukee Graduate Chapter made stops at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan (Feeding America Affiliate) and directly to residents through a Flint-based church. Altogether, many individuals, organizations and businesses donated: • More than 1,530 cases (approximately 45,000 bottles) of water • 20 five-gallon containers of water • 108 one-gallon containers of water • 18 five-gallon containers of water • 8 donated pallets • $917 in-person donations • $2,588 online donations More than 100 volunteers from all over the city helped with collection efforts. Source: www.sgrho1922.org
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NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis and OPPF Grand Basileus Antonio F. Knox, Sr. signed a memorandum of intent on September 15 to establish future national partnership and fundraising activities to benefit the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument and Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site. The agreement was signed in a ceremony in Washington, DC. “As America’s storyteller, the National Park Service is dedicated to sharing a more complete and diverse history of our nation as we enter a second century of stewardship,” Jarvis said. “Linking our 854 chapters worldwide and thousands of Omega Men to the partnership with the National Park Service is only natural. It is natural because we both share in preserving the legacy of Col. Charles Young and Carter G. Woodson: two Omega Men, as well as, the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers,” Knox said. “We look forward to working together as partners and being the best Friends organization that the National Park Service can have.” Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument is dedicated to preserving Col. Young’s legacy as a diplomat, civil rights leader, soldier, and the first African American National Park Superintendent. The Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site tells the story of the man known as “the Father of Black History” as Dr. Woodson created the first scholarly narrative of African American history. Source: oppf.org
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Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. has partnered with USA Track & Field (USATF) to promote youth activity nationwide through RunJumpThrow, USATF announced Friday. USATF and The Hershey Company teamed up in 2015 to create RunJumpThrow (RJT), a hands-on learning program that gets kids excited about physical activity by introducing them to basic running, jumping and throwing skills through track and field. To date, the program has reached more than 100,000 children.
Leading African American sorority Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today signed a historic memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C., to work cooperatively to engage urban youth in outdoor recreation, biological sciences and healthful activity in nature.
Source: sgrho1922.org
Alpha Phi Alpha and Peace Corps enter partnership
The five-year agreement follows last year’s signing of a similar MOU between the Service and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., the brother organization of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Steve Guertin, deputy director of the Service, and Mary Breaux Wright, international president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, attended the signing ceremony during Zeta Leadership Training, which brought more than 900 sorority leaders to Washington.
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“Our country’s future depends on the knowledge and wellbeing of youth in our nation’s cities,” Guertin said. “We are thrilled to join with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority to boost opportunities for young people to explore the natural world, learn about science and science careers, and reap the benefits of outdoor recreation. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, with its long commitment to health and community wellbeing, is a wonderful partner, and we look forward to forging many new connections.”
Source: zphib1920.org
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Wright shared Guertin’s enthusiasm. “Since our inception in 1920, Zeta has maintained a rich legacy of bettering the lives of women, children and the communities in which we live,” she said. “Partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helps Zeta expose our youth to more possibilities for leading healthful lives and promising futures.”
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Alpha Phi Alpha and the preeminent international service organization of the United States, the Peace Corps, has entered into a partnership that will send brothers abroad to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world. Brother who serve as Peace Corps Volunteers work at the grassroots level toward sustainable change that lives on long after their service—at the same time becoming global citizens and serving their country. When brothers return home, they bring their knowledge and experiences—and a global outlook—that enriches the lives of their communities. Source: apa1906.net
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Zeta Phi Beta and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enter partnership
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USATF & Sigma Gamma Rho to Encourage Youth Activity
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Releases Statement in Recognition of Equal Pay Day
National League of Cities Announces 2016 Federal Priorities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) released the following statement recognizing Equal Pay Day and calling for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act:
Nearly seven years after the Great Recession, many of you are reporting improvement in your local economy. Job growth, increasing residential property values, and retail sector health are helping to put cities on a stronger fiscal footing. Despite cuts in federal and state aid, you continue to raise the bar, increasing citizen engagement and government transparency and improving the quality and accessibility of city services.
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“It is imperative that Congress takes action on pay equity. In 1960, women made just 59 cents per every dollar that men made. This number has since risen to 79 cents, but the disparity is even higher for African American women who make only 60 cents for every dollar earned by white, nonHispanic men. If we continue at this rate, women would not see pay equity until 2058. We have made progress, but it is time that we make solutions.
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“The gender-based wage gap stubbornly remains despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963 and a variety of legislation prohibiting employment discrimination. That is why members of the Congressional Black Caucus have joined House Democrats in cosponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act to protect pay equality and fair labor standards. Republicans have blocked this bill nine times from being voted on by the entire House, thereby denying women the tools they need to fight back against pay discrimination. “The gender pay gap is not a result of a woman’s choice. Women have chosen to graduate from college in higher numbers than men, to make up nearly half of the workforce, but pay inequalities still persists. As members of Congress, it is our responsibility to ensure we raise awareness of the need for equal pay, because when women succeed, America succeeds.”
Source: cbc-butterfield.house.gov
NLC’s 2016 federal priorities reflect important issues around the economy, infrastructure and public safety, providing a framework to empower cities to address the challenges we face and move our nation forward. Specifically, NLC calls on Congress and the administration to: • Close the online sales tax loophole. Today’s marketplace offers more choices than ever. But simply put, the playing field isn't level for all sellers - and states and localities are unable to collect more than a fraction of the revenue that's owed. Over 23 billion dollars a year are lost. • Protecting the tax exemption for municipal bonds is critical to local government's ability to respond to community needs. If the tax exemption is eliminated or limited, states and localities will be forced to pay more to finance projects, leading to less infrastructure investment, fewer jobs and a greater burden on local residents in the form of higher taxes and fees. • Reform federal sentencing: We urge Congress to reform the federal criminal justice system to allow for greater flexibility in sentencing and increased resources to support re-entry programs. • Reauthorize the EPA brownfields program Many local governments, out of necessity, take ownership of brownfields properties. About the author: Clarence Anthony is CEO & Executive Director, National League of Cities, former Mayor of the City of South Bay, Florida and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Source: nlc.org
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• Provide more business opportunities for minority and women-owned companies on Wall Street and throughout the financial services industry • Improve hiring, promotion and retention practices • Name more minorities to corporate boards • Allocate more capital to minority companies • Promote intra-trade relationships among diverse businesses • Increase funding for educational scholarships, and voter registration education • Increase financial literacy in minority and/or underserved communities through the work of the One Thousand Churches Connected program. Source: rainbowpushwallstreetproject.org
The JEC report also contains a chart that shows large differences between black and white unemployment over time, as well as a chart that compares median income for different races and ethnicities since 1980.
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9, checkout their websites: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
Source: cbc-butterfield.house.gov
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That is the goal of the Wall Street Project.” The Wall Street Project uses Operation Breadbasket’s model of research, education, negotiation, and reconciliation to achieve its mission to promote inclusion, opportunity and economic growth by encouraging public and private industries to:
Key findings of the report include: • The African American unemployment rate (8.8 percent) is more than twice the rate for white Americans (4.3 percent). • African Americans are twice as likely to live in poverty as whites – 26.2 percent compared to 12.7 percent. • The median income of African American households is $35,400 – nearly $25,000 less than the median income of white households ($60,300). • The median net worth of white households is 13 times greater than that of black households ($142,000 vs. $11,000). • Among those aged 25 and older, 36 percent of white Americans hold Bachelor’s degrees or higher compared to 22 percent of African Americans.
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“The road to shared economic security travels through two-way trade, where all are included, and none are left in the margins of the marketplace. Industry by industry, the quantifiable gaps in opportunity and in access to capital for people of color-owned businesses define our agenda.
“During Black History Month our nation celebrates the extraordinary achievements of African Americans,” CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield and JEC Ranking Democrat Carolyn B. Maloney said in a joint statement. “Our country has come a long way, and African Americans have made significant economic progress since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but so much more work remains ahead. We’ll never eliminate economic disparities based on race if Congress continues to ignore the issues facing the black community.”
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“The Wall Street Project is not an end in itself,” says Rev. Jackson, “nor a means to an end. It is an evolutionary process by which we view people of color and women as ‘value added’ and a mutually beneficial proposition to American business.
WASHINGTON – The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Thursday released an update to their 2015 report on the economic status of African Americans. The study finds that African Americans lag far behind white Americans in almost every measure of economic well-being in all 50 states.
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The Wall Street Project challenges Corporate America to end the multi-billion dollar trade deficit with minority vendors and consumers, while working to ensure equal opportunities for culturally diverse employees, entrepreneurs and consumers.
JEC Dems & Congressional Black Caucus updated Black History Month report shows need for Congress to act on economic issues facing black community
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The Wall Street Project was founded in 1996 by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and the Citizenship Education Fund; it was officially launched by Rev. Jesse Jackson and prominent minority business owners on January 15, 1997, Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.
NAACP President Joins A.M.E. Church and Black Community Leaders to Mobilize Black Voters in November September 14, 2016 WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks met with the leadership of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church; Congressional Black Caucus Chair and Congressman G.K. Butterfield; Melanie Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, pastors, millennial activists and leaders of other national African American organizations to launch a mobilization plan for black voter turnout in the November election for the presidential and down-ballot races. Issues that directly impact African Americans are at the center of the 2016 campaign, including criminal justice reform; voting rights; disrupting the broken education system; entrepreneurship; innovation; income inequality; and unemployment. The leaders issued a call to action to the black community to vote at the same levels that elected and re-elected President Obama in 2008 and 2012, to secure increased influence over policies impacting black lives at the national, state and local levels. “It is essential for black churches and social justice organizations to work together to maximize voting levels within the black community this Fall,” Brooks said. “The stakes of this election demand the kind of innovation and persistence we can only achieve through collaboration.” Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Director for the AME church’s Commission on Social Action echoed this call. "Voter apathy is the greatest threat to democracy! For that reason, amev-alert.org has joined with the NAACP and other partners to reach out to every eligible voter. When they speak with their vote, on or before November 8th, the voice of the people will have resoundingly sent a message that social justice matters." This is the next step in the NAACP’s aggressive campaign to protect black Americans’ access to the ballot. Yesterday, the organization announced that its Youth & College Division members and Chance the Rapper will come together this Fall to register thousands of concert-goers to vote as part of the #staywokeandvote campaign. NAACP Youth & College volunteers will begin registration drives at the Magnificent Coloring Day Festival on Sept. 24 in Chicago, with registration drives to accompany concerts through Oct. 21 in Fairfax, VA, Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA, Miami and Tallahassee, FL, New Orleans, LA, Houston and Dallas, TX and San Francisco, CA. The NAACP and allies have challenged individual state laws in federal court while calling for congressional action to prevent future attempts to restrict the voting process from candidates seeking office. Through volunteer-driven events across the nation, in communities and on college campuses, NAACP members are aggressively working this Fall to help register voters and stand against intimidation and discrimination in the November election. Last week, President Brooks and NAACP Youth & College Division Director Stephen Green were ordered to pay fines and court costs for their refusal to leave Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s office after they held a six-hour sit-in protest on voting rights. The NAACP has repeatedly called on Goodlatte and other congressional leaders to hold a hearing to restore the voting rights protections that were eliminated under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby v. Holder ruling. Since that ruling, more than 17 states have passed restrictive and discriminatory laws that make it more difficult for African-American, young, old and poor voters to cast ballots by requiring IDs and cutting back programs that led to record African-American turnout in recent elections. ### Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas here.
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Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, Inc.
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The Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, Inc. is the non-profit charitable arm of the fraternity, which focuses on scholarship, programs and training and development of the membership. Education Foundation encompasses the implementation of Go-to-High School, Go-to-College; Project Alpha; First of All, We Vote; The Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Contest; The John Hope Franklin Collegiate Scholars Bowl; The Hobart Jarrett Debate Competition; Leadership Development Institutes and the professional and personal development thrusts of the fraternity— Alpha University. Source: apa1906.net UNCF “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”®
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For more than seven decades, this principle has remained at the heart of UNCF, enabling us to raise more than $4.5 billion and help more than 430,000 students and counting not just attend college, but thrive, graduate and become leaders.
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We do this in three ways: By awarding more than 10,000 students scholarships, worth more than $100 million, each year. By providing financial support to 37 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). And by serving as the nation's leading advocate for the importance of minority education and community engagement. This three-pronged approach is powerful: Since our founding in 1944, we've helped to more than double the number of minorities attending college. The six-year graduation rate for UNCF African American scholarship recipients is 70 percent. This is 11 percentage points higher than the national average and 31 percentage points higher than the national average for all African Americans. Source: uncf.org/
Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign
Overview The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), in collaboration with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (DST), is embarking upon a potentially highly impactful educational endeavor, which aims to enhance student 32
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academic achievement by focusing on improving teacher effectiveness. The Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign emanates from the Foundation and the Sorority’s joint commitment to ensuring that all students are educated in a manner that prepares them to enter and excel in college, and, ultimately, create a thriving life and career for themselves. DREF has received a matching grant of $450,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support The Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign which will focus on addressing the needs of the teachers. DREF President Alison J. Harmon, Ed.D., stated: “Our position on teacher efficacy is aligned with the Gates Foundation’s focus on ensuring that 80 percent of students graduate from high school with the knowledge and academic preparedness needed to complete college by 2025.” The Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign will support teachers serving students of color as it considers the key findings of the Measures of Effective Teaching research project conducted by the Gates Foundation. The DREFDST collaborative will include a three-prong approach: training for teachers, conducting advocacy sessions for communities, and publishing scholarly research on teacher efficacy and student achievement in PHILLIS: The Journal for Research on African American Women published by DREF. Source: deltafoundation.net/teacher-efficacy
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and represents good news for our nation’s schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The new law builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country. Source: ed.gov
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Source: ed.gov
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Here’s a snapshot of what that change looks like: • Quality preschool: The Obama Administration has invested $1 billion to provide preschool to every child, and more than half of states have dramatically boosted their own investments in early learning. Through the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge program, 5.2 million children from low-income families in 20 states will benefit from high-quality, seamless state early learning systems that link education, health, nutrition, and family supports. • Higher standards: Today, more than 24 million students have access to higher standards than they did a few years ago. That includes approximately 4 million black students, 3.5 million Hispanic students, 2.8 million students with disabilities, and 1.5 million English learners. States are driving this effort. • More useful assessments and data: The Obama Administration has invested $360 million in two consortia of states that have developed new assessments aligned to college- and career-ready standards that move beyond traditional bubble tests, focusing more on critical thinking, problem solving, and writing. • Strong teachers in every classroom: Every student needs and deserves a strong teacher, but research indicates that minority and low-income students are less likely to have effective teachers than their peers. The Department of Education has launched a number of efforts to support great teachers and teaching: • The Excellent Educators for All Initiative aims to help states and school districts support talented educators. • New regulations will strengthen teacher preparation, building on innovation already happening across the country, by requiring states to determine how the teachers they train are doing in the field. • Teach to Lead, works to advance student outcomes by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership.
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The President has consistently called for improvements in STEM education to move America’s students to the top of the pack by enabling all students to learn deeply and think critically in science and math; expanding STEM education opportunities for students from all backgrounds; and building partnerships among educators, businesses and community partners to support advances in STEM education. This Administration has promoted several successful STEM initiatives, including prioritizing STEM education in Race to the Top and the Investing in Innovation Fund; improving the coordination of STEM education initiatives between the Department of Education and NSF; and promoting over 100 industry partners in their efforts to boost STEM learning through Change the Equation. We have focused our STEM agenda further in 2012 to address the following two goals: 1. Excellent teachers, with content knowledge, mastery of how to teach that content, and ability to motivate students in STEM subjects and careers; and 2. Improving undergraduate STEM teaching, setting a trajectory of producing one million additional STEM degrees over the next decade, as recently recommended by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.. The President has issued a national challenge to prepare 100,000 effective STEM teachers and has requested $80 million for a competition by the Department of Education to support effective STEM teaching preparation programs. Also in advancement of this goal, the President has proposed the creation of a new, national Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps comprised of some of the nation’s finest educators in STEM subjects. The STEM Master Teacher Corps will begin with 50 exceptional STEM teachers established in 50 sites and will be expanded over 4 years to reach 10,000 Master Teachers. These selected teachers will make a multiyear commitment to the Corps and, in exchange for their expertise, leadership and service, will receive an annual stipend of up to $20,000 on top of their base salary. The Administration will launch this Teacher Corps with the $1 billion from the President’s 2013 budget request currently before Congress. Source: whitehouse.gov/
Progress in Our Schools m i s s i o n ,
Fortifying Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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Programs for the Black Community Source: http://www.aarp.org/ For nearly 60 years, AARP has been fighting for Social Security! With Take A Stand, we will keep fighting to make sure the next President has a plan to keep Social Security strong.
America’s Family Caregivers! Tell Congress to Pass the RAISE Act Now!
Programs to improve your Life
Mission AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social welfare organization with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and Turn your goals and dreams into real dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the possibilities, and connect with family, friends and community in meaningful ways issues that matter most to families — such as health care, employment and income security, and protection from financial abuse. Advocacy AARP fights for age 50 and over individuals and their families at the local, state and national levels. We work on important issues, such as: •Leading efforts to update Social Security and promote other retirement savings efforts to help everyone achieve lifetime financial security •Promoting adequate, affordable health care, including prescription drugs and long-term care •Fostering communities with affordable and appropriate housing, as well as supportive community features and options for getting around
Eat Well! The best way to take care of your health is to follow a healthy eating plan as food helps heal
Recent advocacy victories include passage of family caregiver-support bills in dozens of states and saving residential consumers billions of dollars on utility bills in recent years.
Watch Out for Scams! Combating Financial Relief Scams in the African American and Hispanic Communities
The IRS and Retirement! Agency softens rule that trips up retirement savers
Trustworthy Information People imagine and shape better lives with information and inspiration from AARP’s publications and multimedia offerings. We produce AARP The Magazine, the nation’s largest-circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin, the goto news source for people 50-plus; an award-winning website (www.aarp. org); AARP television and radio programming; AARP Books; and AARP en Espaňol, a bilingual news source. Member Products, Services and Discounts AARP leads the way in the marketplace by influencing companies to offer new and better choices for our members and 50-plus Americans. AARP makes available through third-party providers high-quality products, services and discounts specifically catering to the unique needs and wants of our members and the entire 50-plus population. With a focus on quality management and customer service, we hold companies that provide AARPbranded offerings to a high standard.
Stay Active! Physical Decline Starts Earlier Than Thought
Get a Job!
Job Search Resources for 50+
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Health Initiatives
CBCF Annual Health and Wellness Luncheon “An Ounce of Prevention Beats a Pound of Cure”
Adverse childhood experiences research by Vanessa Sacks, M.P.P., David Murphey, Ph.D., and Kristin Moore, Ph.D.
WASHINGTON—The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) today announced that medical pioneer Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, Dr. Regina Benjamin, 18th U.S. Surgeon General and baseball great Ken Griffey, Sr. are part of this year’s all-star lineup for the CBCF’s 46th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), Health and Wellness Luncheon “An Ounce of Prevention Beats a Pound of Cure.” Reps. Lacy Clay and Karen Bass are the 2016 honorary co-chairs for ALC.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being. These experiences range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce or the incarceration of a parent or guardian. A growing body of research has sought to quantify the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and illuminate their connection with negative behavioral and health outcomes, such as obesity, alcoholism, and depression, later in life. KEY FINDINGS • Economic hardship is the most common adverse childhood experience (ACE) reported nationally and in almost all states, followed by divorce or separation of a parent or guardian. Only in Iowa, Michigan, and Vermont is divorce or separation more common than economic hardship; in the District of Columbia, having been the victim of or witness to violence has the second-highest prevalence, after economic hardship. • The prevalence of ACEs increases with a child’s age (parents were asked whether their child had “ever” had the experience), except for economic hardship, reported about equally for children of all ages, reflecting high levels of poverty among young families. • Abuse of alcohol or drugs, exposure to neighborhood violence, and the occurrence of mental illness are among the most commonly-reported adverse childhood experiences in every state. • Just under half (46 percent) of children in the U.S. have experienced at least one ACE. In 16 states, a slight majority of children have experienced at least one ACE. In Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey, 60 percent or more of children have never experienced an ACE. • States vary in the pattern of specific ACEs. Connecticut and New Jersey have some of the lowest prevalence rates nationally for all ACEs, while Oklahoma has consistently high prevalence.
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This year’s luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and will include two expert-led panels moderated by former member of Congress, Delegate Donna M. Christensen, M.D., that will focus on the importance of preventive care in the reduction of health disparities in African Americans. Panels will discuss best practices and evidence-based models that can help reduce racial disparities within African American subpopulations.
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“Despite the progress of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), persistent disparities in health care among African Americans continue to impact communities of color,” said CBCF president and CEO A. Shuanise Washington. “African Americans must know and understand their rights and benefits under the ACA in order to ensure equitable access to long term quality health care.” “Prevention is one of the cornerstones of medicine. It is important that we are proactive in the detection of disease and injury, because these efforts, combined with prevention, will significantly reduce health disparities,” said Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. former secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services and chairman & chief executive officer, The Sullivan Alliance. “It is incumbent upon us to take responsibility for our health and that of our families and communities, so that we may live longer and healthier lives.” Source: cbcfinc.org/
Source: policynow.org
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Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis
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Civil rights advocates characterized the crisis as a result of environmental racism, a term primarily referring to the disproportionate exposure of ethnic minorities to pollution as a result of "poverty and segregation that has relegated many blacks and other racial minorities to some of the most industrialized or dilapidated environments."
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Responses from the Flint Water Crisis The water disaster called attention to the problem of aging and seriously neglected water infrastructure nationwide. The Flint crisis recalled recent lead contamination crises
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African American sororities and fraternities working to help Flint families African American Greek organizations are working together to support families in Flint who are living through the water emergency. Source: abc12.com
The crisis highlighted a lack of transparency in Michigan government; the state is one of just two states that exempts the governor's office from state freedom-ofinformation legislation. A number of commentators framed the crisis in terms of human rights, writing that authorities' handling of the issue denied residents their right to clean water. Some have framed it as the end result of austerity measures and given priority over human life. Jacob Lederman, for example, contends that Flint's poisoned water supply, in addition to high crime rates, devastated schools and crumbling infrastructure, can be attributed to neoliberal economic reforms.
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It is necessary that the Caucus remain diligent in addressing these problems to holistically improve African American communities. Furthermore, it is important to protect health equity and the access to affordable healthcare. African Americans have long-suffered from poorer health and premature mortality as a direct result of their disproportionately high rates of uninsurance, HIV/ AIDS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and overweight and obesity, as well as from the social determinants of health that not only sustain, but that exacerbate racial and ethnic health disparities (learn more here. Furthermore, it is important to protect health equity and the reliable access to affordable healthcare that this new law will ensure. Source: cbc-butterfield.house.gov
in the tap water in various cities, such as the lead contamination in Washington, D.C. drinking water (2001), Columbia, South Carolina (2005); Durham and Greenville, North Carolina (2006); Jackson, Mississippi (2015); and Sebring, Ohio (2015). The New York Times notes, "Although Congress banned lead water pipes 30 years ago, between 3.3 million and 10 million older ones remain, primed to leach lead into tap water by forces as simple as jostling during repairs or a change in water chemistry." Inadequate regulation was cited as one reason for unsafe lead levels in tap water and "efforts to address shortcomings often encounter push-back from industries like agriculture and mining that fear cost increases, and from politicians ideologically opposed to regulation." The crisis called attention to a "resource gap" for water regulators. The annual budget of the EPA's drinking water office declined 15% from 2006 to 2015, with the office losing over 10% of employees, and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators reported in 2013 that "federal officials had slashed drinking-water grants, 17 states had cut drinking-water budgets by more than a fifth, and 27 had cut spending on full-time employees," with "serious implications for states’ ability to protect public health."
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Health Care Reform The healthcare reform debate raises many complex issues including those of coverage, accessibility, cost, accountability and quality of health care. In 2010, with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, a major feat was accomplished with the passing (and subsequent signing into law) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/index. html). Nearly every aspect of the Affordable Care Act positively impacts minority communities: from protecting those with preexisting conditions, ensuring dependent coverage, providing vital preventive services and care, making health care affordable for small businesses and increasing Medicare benefit coverage. While this was a tremendous victory for all Americans, it was particularly important to the Black community.
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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Ken Thorpe
Ken Thorpe s Philanthropist
Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur ♦ Philanthropist Ken Thorpe is a successful entrepreneur and
business consultant with more than 15 years of
Ken Thorpe is a successful entrepreneur and business
professional leadership experience in the areas
consultant with more than 15 years of professional
of business development, strategic planning development, and leadership experience in the areas of business relationship management. strategic planning and relationship management. He'sKen always of new innovative has been alwaysa person been a full person full and of new and ideas, implementing them in 1998one when started innovative one ideas,of implementing of hethem in his first company, Thorpe Associates, LLC.company, Today, Ken has eight companies under his belt. 1998 when he&started his first Thorpe His responsibilities include directing project managers; constructing estimates;
& Associates, LLC. Some of his responsibilities include directing project managers;
devising, implementing and regulating budgets; negotiating with clients and
constructing estimates; implementing and regulation budgets and negotiating with
vendors; coordinating subcontractors; monitoring the quality and schedule of
clients and vendors. Today, Ken has eight companies under his belt with Compass
work; and overseeing a range of other aspects of the businesses.
Residential and Consulting leading the growth of his success. Compass was started in 2010 with just 3 employees, at the close of 2016 they will end up with over 600
Thorpe earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Indiana University in Bloomington
in both andaTennessee the 2017.in Information and employees continuedwith hisexpansion education and Georgia achieved Master’sindegree Technology from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and a Master’s of
ThorpeAdministration earned his Bachelor ScienceWesleyan degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Business from of Indiana University. Indiana and his Master’s degree in Information Technology from Ball State University Keninalso fulfilled hisand duty to the of United States Army as afrom Reserve Officer. He Muncie, Indiana a Master’s Business Administration Indiana Wesleyan received an honorable discharge in 2005 with a rank of Captain and continues to University. carry a clear vision and passion for "commitment to community" by dedicating countless hours of support and involvement in the community by serving on the
Ken also fulfilled his duty to the United States Army as a Reserve Officer. He received
boards of Forest Manor Multi Service Center and Christamore House. In addition,
an honorable discharge in 2005 with a rank of Captain and continues to carry a clear
he is a member of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and the United Way Key
vision and passion for “commitment to community” by dedication countless hours of
Club. Ken is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
support and involvement in the community by serving on the board of One Voice. In ### addition he is the President of the Indiana Black Chamber of Commerce. Ken is also a
member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc and Sigma Pi Phi. For further information on Ken Thorpe please call 317-423-9350. ####
22 East Washington Street Suite 600 Indianapolis, IN 46204
Fighting for Your Rights! www.RoweandHamilton.com
Tim Rowe
David Hamilton
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Democrats conduct sit-in for Gun Control Democratic members of the House, including Rep. John Lewis (Ga.), center, and Rep. Joe Courtney (Conn.),left, participate in a sit-in protest seeking a vote on gun-control measures.
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The sit-in turned somber at times. At one point, Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) offered a prayer. Other members sang the spiritual “We Shall Not Be Moved.” Late Wednesday, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) emotionally recounted her personal history with gun violence. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.), who was one of those using his phone to livestream the proceedings, told colleagues that the sit-in marked the proudest moment of his two terms in Congress. At several points they waved signs with the names of gun violence victims or sang protest songs such as “We Shall Overcome.” Source: cbc-butterfield.house.gov
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Harassed and Detained for Filming the Police Since the killing by police of Michael Brown in Ferguson nearly two years ago, protesters, witnesses, and victims of police brutality have increasingly taken to their phones to monitor and record police behavior, posting their videos on social media to shed light on the official narrative of events. Several individuals who have documented and publicized police violence against people of color have since alleged police harassment and retaliation. The First Amendment protects all individuals from being punished for recording or disseminating information related to government misconduct. Police must be trained on the First Amendment right to record, and that right must be guaranteed to all. Please stand with PEN America, People Demanding Action, and the ACLU in calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate this troubling trend of police retaliation against citizen journalists and enforce its policies on First Amendment rights. Source: aclu.org
Democrats Plan Police Body-Camera Legislation As part of a broader community policing initiative designed to ease tensions between officers and the citizens they serve, President Barack Obama asked Congress in December for $75 million in grant money to help law enforcement agencies buy more cameras. The White House, which says that investment could help purchase 50,000 cameras over three years, is expected to include language on the policing plan in its fiscal 2016 budget request due on Feb. 2. Source: rollcall.com
White House Plans for Criminal Justice Reform What’s At Stake: There are 2.2 million people behind bars in the United States, compared to 500,000 just 30 years ago. Meaningful sentencing reform, steps to reduce repeat offenders, and support for law enforcement are crucial to improving public safety, reducing runaway incarceration costs, and making our criminal justice system more fair. Clemency: Building on his commitment to address instances of unfairness in sentencing, President Obama has commuted the sentences of more men and woman than the past six presidents combined. Commutations underscore the President’s commitment to using all the tools at his disposal to bring greater fairness and equity to our justice system. To further this progress, the President has established a clemency initiative to encourage individuals who were sentenced under outdated laws and policies to petition for commutation. Policing: The Administration is committed to strengthening community policing and trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve and has invested more than $2 billion to retain or hire 10,000 police officers. Among other initiatives, the President created the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to develop a blueprint for building trust between law enforcement and communities, and the White House launched the Police Data Initiative. Source: whitehouse.gov
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Focus on The Impact of the Criminal Justice System on Fathers and Sons; Men and Boys
It’s time to end the culture of warrior policing. It’s time to stop the tragic killings of Black Americans by police officers. It’s time to change policing culture and practices – to protect us ALL equally. Right now there’s a bill in Congress, the Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2016, that aims to do exactly that. If passed, the Preventing Tragedies bill would require officers to use non-lethal and de-escalation tactics and use the lowest level of force possible – the safest means – to deal with an identified threat. The bill also outlines accountability mechanisms to enable states and localities to make sure police officers use these tactics whenever possible. In the wake of the tragic killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas police officers, we must consider just how broken policing practices are in America – and act to prevent more deaths.
We are committed to acknowledging, respecting and celebrating difference(s) and commonalities.
Call for justice and demand that Congress pass the Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2016.
We are committed to collectively, lovingly and courageously working vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension all people. As we forge our path, we intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting. Source: blacklifematters.org
Source: aclu.org
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Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.
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We Affirm that All Black Lives Matter
Police officers are supposed to serve and protect the communities they work in. So why aren’t they mandated to use practices that ensure safety and prevent escalation and police brutality?
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Source: oppf.org
A typical police cadet spends 58 training hours on how to use a gun and 49 hours on defensive tactics. They only spend about 8 hours learning how to calm situations before force is needed – what is called de-escalation.
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Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated will host several powerful events in Washington, DC during the Congressional Black Caucus ALC 2016. On Friday, September 16th the Fraternity will host an issue forum, "When Justice Matters for All," The Impact of the Criminal Justice System on Fathers and Sons; Men and Boys, from Noon - 2:00p.m. at the Washington Convention Center in Room 146B. The Honorable James E. Clyburn, distinguished member of Omega Psi Phi is the Honorary Host. The Panel includes Brother Benjamin Crump, Civil Rights Attorney and President of the National Bar Association; Mr. Tracy Martin, Co-Founder, Trayvon Martin Foundation and the Founder of Circle of Fathers; Sakira Cook, Counsel, The Leadership Conference and Criminal Justice Reform Policy Expert; Lt. Sonia Pruitt, Montgomery CTY Police Department and Vice President of the National Black Police Association; Acacia Salatti, Director of African American Outreach, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Etan Thomas, Former NBA Player. The moderator is Brother Thabithi Boone the White House Fatherhood Representative.
End the Culture of Warrior Policing m i s s i o n ,
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., to Host "When Justice Matters for All" Panel
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER: A PLACE OF INSPIRATION The conviction and courage that Muhammad Ali has shown throughout his incredible life journey has empowered and inspired literally millions of people around the world. So when Lonnie and Muhammad Ali opened the Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c) corporation, they envisioned a center that would continue to share Muhammad’s legacy through educational programming, exhibits, outreach, and impactful partnerships. Located in the heart of historic downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the Muhammad Ali Center is an international cultural center that promotes the six core principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, gender equity, and global citizenship. Its newest initiative, Generation Ali, fosters a new generation of leaders to contribute positively to their communities and to change the world for the better. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. In its short history, the Ali Center has welcomed visitors from all 50 states and 110 countries. In recent years, the Ali Center has received the following awards: Official Best Of “Best Cultural Attraction” in the State of Kentucky (2011) Bronze MUSE Award for Video, The American Association of Museums (2007) Media and Technology Award/Exhibit “The Greatest” Best New Attraction Award, North American Travel Journalists Association (2006) Best Places List, Pathfinders Travel Magazine (2006 and 2007) Best Museum Environment, Silver Design Award, Event Design Magazine (2006) The Muhammad Ali Center is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and on Sundays from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. For a list of temporary exhibits, retail store items, event space, special holiday closings, and to learn more, please visit www.alicenter.org or call 502.584.9254. A visit to the Center is not just an experience, but a journey into the heart of a champion.
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PRESIDENT OBAMA DECLARES JANUARY 2016 NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH
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National Mentoring Month is celebrating 15 years of activating the public in an effort to connect more of the nation’s young people with caring adult mentors. President Barack Obama has joined the efforts of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR), the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Highland Street Foundation by declaring January 2016 National Mentoring Month through a presidential proclamation.
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“At the heart of America’s promise is the belief that we all do better when everyone has a fair shot at reaching for their dreams. Throughout our Nation’s history, Americans of every background have worked to uphold this ideal, joining together in common purpose to serve as mentors and lift up our country’s youth. During National Mentoring Month, we honor all those who continuously strive to provide young people with the resources and support they need and deserve, and we recommit to building a society in which all mentors and mentees can thrive in mutual learning relationships,” President Obama said.
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This year, MENTOR launched a national public awareness campaign called In Real Life in response to President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative and his callto-action to connect more young men and boys to opportunity. Identified as a critical support for today’s youth, mentoring was recognized as a centerpiece of the initiative. “We are truly grateful to President Obama, his administration and other public officials from across this country for again recognizing the importance of mentoring and the powerful impact mentors have on the lives of America’s young people. We encourage everyone to join the mentoring movement by engaging in National Mentoring Month through actions big and small. Together, we can help close the mentoring gap,” MENTOR CEO David Shapiro said. Source: mentoring.org
The Big Brothers Big Sisters Process How it all comes together Big Brothers Big Sisters operates in approximately 330 communities across the United States - large and small, urban and rural. Our local agencies work with their colleagues across the nation to design and develop programs that are tailored to the needs of their community. Big Brothers Big Sisters partners with individual donors, foundations, corporations, governments, and others to build the critical network of support that funds and enables the work of carefully matching children with caring adult mentors and providing ongoing support to the child, volunteer mentor and child’s family. Professionally trained Big Brothers Big Sisters staff members work with our partners in the education and juvenile justice communities to find children facing adversity and assess how our programs can have the greatest impact. Big Brothers Big Sisters targets the children who need us most, including those living in single parent homes, growing up in poverty and coping with parental incarceration. How a Big becomes a Big—and a Little, a Little. Before we make a match, we do our homework. After someone expresses an interest in becoming a Big, they go through a background check and careful interview process. Then we match Bigs and Littles based on location, personalities and preferences. And we provide full support from the start, so matches can grow into lasting, impactful friendships. The entire matching process is made possible through donations—we can’t do what we do best without them! What are a Big and Little to do? Each match is unique. Getting together doesn’t require a special occasion or expensive activity—just a few hours every month doing things the Little and Big already enjoy. For example: Playing catch, Reading books, Going to a museum, Providing advice and inspiration, Some Bigs meet their Littles on the weekends. Others get together with their Littles in the evenings. Each match develops a schedule that works for them. Source: bbbs.org
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Source: apa1906.net/
Source: whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper
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Established in 1922, the Alpha Phi Alpha Go-to-HighSchool, Go-to-College® program concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement, and is the fraternity’s oldest national program.
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Alpha will establish mentoring networks with to help students remain in school and on track for high school graduation, and to promote community safety and college preparation. The fraternity will develop a mobile application to offer resources and support for students participating in the network, and will report to the Department of Justice as a ‘Category 2’ community outreach initiative to for crime prevention.
My Brother’s Keeper is focused on six milestones: 1. Getting a Healthy Start and Entering School Ready to Learn: All children should have a healthy start and enter school ready – cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. 2. Reading at Grade Level by Third Grade: All children should be reading at grade level by age 8 – the age at which reading to learn becomes essential. 3. Graduating from High School Ready for College and Career: All youth should receive a quality high school education and graduate with the skills and tools needed to advance to postsecondary education or training. 4. Completing Postsecondary Education or Training: Every American should have the option to attend postsecondary education and receive the education and training needed for the quality jobs of today and tomorrow. 5. Successfully Entering the Workforce: Anyone who wants a job should be able to get a job that allows them to support themselves and their families. 6. Keeping Kids on Track and Giving Them Second Chances: All youth and young adults should be safe from violent crime; and individuals who are confined should receive the education, training, and treatment they need for a second chance.
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“This comprehensive truancy and juvenile delinquency prevention effort offers high school and college readiness training and common sense direction for program participants, providing them with the resources, skills and relationships they need to make positive decisions that help them to become productive members of society,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity executive director and COO, William Douglass Lyle.
Through this initiative, the Administration is joining with cities and towns, businesses, and foundations who are taking important steps to connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and the skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into the middle class.
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The funding supports the fraternity’s national Go-ToHigh-School, Go-To-College® program, and will target more than 5,000 males age 6-17 in 22 states, including Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, Illinois and California.
My Brother’s Keeper initiative President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.
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Alpha Phi Alpha Receives $1 Million Federal Grant to Promote Mentoring, College Readiness Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will work to reduce juvenile delinquency and to broaden college access in communities nationwide, thanks to a $1 million grant awarded by the US Department of Justice earlier this month.
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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Big Sister Karen, a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta, is a Big to not one but two Little Sisters through BBBS of the Mid-South in Memphis. Winiford is 13 and her sister TaLiyah is 12. They are two of their single mom’s five children, and they’re very busy, active kids who do Girl Scouts and dance and get good grades at their strict charter school. To Big Sister Karen, spending time with them is part of helping her community. “I was raised that we’re here for each other and we’re supposed to help other people,” Karen says. So she attends Winiford’s ballet recitals and watches TaLiyah’s tap shows. When they were into Girl Scouts, she became a leader. Karen is involved in many community organizations, from food banks to foster children’s charities to the Special Olympics and the Memphis Recovery Center. She takes Winiford and TaLiyah along with her to community events. “It’s good to get them started young and giving back to their community,” she says. At a walk to benefit the Special Olympics, they helped register walkers and pass out t-shirts. It’s important for them to see an adult helping out in the community, Karen says. Big Sister Karen says the most important thing to know about being a Big Sister is that being a Big isn’t about doing special things. It’s about spending time with a child, and that can mean bringing them along to walk your dog or ride bikes in the neighborhood. Karen had worked on BBBS fundraisers in the past, but four years ago, she decided to jump into being a Big herself. She says her Little Sisters are kind, outgoing girls who are becoming “nice young ladies.” She knows that just spending time with her Little Sisters has had an impact on them. “Things that we might think are not very important and are not a big deal, can make a big impact on a child,” she says. “Just being there, it helps them see that they’re important, that they’re special.”
Program is a life-changer ... for all parties Eugene Hawkins said he didn’t see a bleak future for Alex Oladimeji when he matched with the young man in the spring of 2010. “I think Alex has the fortitude and determination that he was going to make it,” said Hawkins, 44. “Maybe I had an influence to accelerate what was happening.” Hawkins, the father of 2 children, now 12 and 7, specifically asked to be matched with a teenager when he decided to become a Big Brother. Through his college fraternity and other organizations, volunteering and working with youth was already a part of his life, and Big Brothers Big Sisters seemed a good fit. “Littles” range from 8 to 18 years old. Boys are matched with adult men, girls with adult women, and boys and girls can be matched with “Big Couples.” Initially, Hawkins and Oladimeji stuck to one-on-one, structured meetings – two hours, once a week, often to play basketball or some other sport. But over time, as they got to know each other, unofficially, Hawkins’ wife and children also became part of the team. “After a while, Alex was part of the family,” Hawkins said. Oladimeji, who wants to work in the entertainment industry, will attend Indiana State University and study business and music. He was just starting high school when he was matched with Hawkins, and he says he learned over the years just how important it was to have a role model, someone who mostly made the time to talk to him, to listen to him and to take an interest. “I kinda knew I needed (mentoring), but I didn’t think I needed it that bad,” he said of his 14-year-old self. What does he see now, when he looks back at that young man? “I think he needed that guidance – and he was blessed to get it. Source: indystar.com
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H.R.6021 - Jobs, On-the-Job `Earn While You Learn’ Training, and Apprenticeships for African-American Young Men Act
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Sponsor: Rep. Scott, David [D-GA-13] Latest Action: 09/14/2016 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. (a) In general.—The Secretary of Labor shall strongly and urgently request those labor unions, general contractors, and businesses, who will rebuild the Nation’s crumbling infrastructure, transportation systems, technology and computer networks, and energy distribution systems, to actively recruit, hire, and provide on-the-job training to African-American young men ages 18 to 39 through their existing jobs, apprenticeships, and “earn while you learn” programs. The Secretary shall provide assistance to such labor unions, general contractors, and businesses through every means available to help coordinate the recruitment of such individuals for such jobs, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships.
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(b) Coordination.—The jobs, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships made available by labor unions, general contractors, and businesses described in subsection (a) shall be conducted in conjunction with the Secretary of Labor and the labor unions and other associations which have been identified as those primarily involved in the infrastructure rebuilding described in such subsection, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the National Electrical Contractors Association, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), and the United Steelworkers (USW). Such coordination shall also be done in conjunction with the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, which allows apprentices to earn while they learn.
(c) Recruitment.—The labor unions, general contractors, and businesses described in subsections (a) and (b) shall recruit African-American young men for the jobs, on-thejob training, and apprenticeships described in subsection (a) by reaching out and seeking assistance from within the African-American community, churches, the National Urban League, the NAACP, 100 Black Men of America, high school and college job placement offices, media outlets, and other African-American organizations that can offer valuable assistance to the Secretary of Labor, the labor unions, general contractors, and businesses with identifying, locating, and contacting unemployed African-American young men who want jobs, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships. These African-American organizations have a long and rich history of working to improve the lives of African-Americans, and can be very helpful in successfully reaching, contacting, and recruiting unemployed African-American young men. Source: congress.gov 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act Sponsor: Rep. Scott, David [D-GA-13] Latest Action: 09/06/2016 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. This bill establishes the 400 Years of African-American History Commission to develop and carry out activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619. The commission must: • Plan programs to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States; • Encourage civic, patriotic, historical, educational, artistic, religious, and economic organizations to organize and participate in anniversary activities; • Assist states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration; and • Coordinate for the public scholarly research on the arrival of Africans in the United States and their contributions to this country. Source: congress.gov
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DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
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“Passage of the 400 Years of African American History Act is a tremendous achievement in our efforts to commemorate the countless contributions that African Americans have made throughout our country since 1619,” said Chairman Butterfield. “I commend Congressman Bobby Scott for introducing such legislation that allows us to reflect on the painful impact of slavery in our country and further help us address the racial discrimination and oppression that continues to plague our society today.”
“For many Americans, particularly African Americans, racism is still a fact of life. Members of the CBC vow to continue our efforts to lessen the burdens of racism in our communities to ensure all Americans have equal access, including access to quality education, and the right to achieve the American dream.” Source: cbc-butterfield.gov
Source: cbc-butterfield.gov
CBC Congratulates TaskRabbit On Its Adoption of a CBC TECH 2020 African American Inclusion Plan WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and CBC Diversity Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13) congratulate TaskRabbit for being the first technology company to adopt a CBC TECH 2020 African American Inclusion Plan, which outlines steps the company will take to increase its African American representation. TaskRabbit’s new African American CEO, Stacy Brown-Philpot, announced the details of the plan in a blog post today. Source: cbc-butterfield.gov
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) released the following statement following the Supreme Court decision to uphold affirmative action programs at the University of Texas at Austin: “The CBC applauds today’s decision in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a case that would have otherwise had a devastating impact on affirmative action programs and diversity in our institutions of higher education across the country. “Diversity in higher education is especially important and serves as a pathway for an American workforce that reflects the full racial and ethnic makeup of this country at all levels of employment.
The bill will establish a commission to plan and implement programs and activities across the country in 2019.
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June 23, 2016 | Press Release
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Mass incarceration disproportionately affects the African American community and Omega believes that the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act and the Sentencing Reform Act will offer the federal government the critical and necessary start toward making changes in the justice system that is broken fiscally while also ensuring equal justice for every citizen. Please click on the following link for more information and to sign the petition: https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/supportthe-sentencing-reform-and-corrections-act-of-2015-withomega-psi-phi. CBC Applauds Today’s Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Affirmative Action for Public Colleges and Universities
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Congressional Black Caucus Applauds Unanimous House Passage of Bill Recognizing the Historic Contributions of African Americans WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield released the following statement on the unanimous House passage of the “400 Years of African American History Act,” recognizing the resilience and significant contributions that African Americans have made in the United States since 1619.
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The Sentencing Reform And Corrections Act! Your Signatures Are Needed In Huge Support! Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated has requested Congress to co-sponsor and vote for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. In an effort to help move this agenda forward, I am calling on the Men of Omega to join in this rally in huge support by signing the Petition. Many of you have signed but we want each of you to take just a few brief minutes to help us move this agenda forward
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns. For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently served as the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the government of the United States of America to ensure that everyone in the United States has an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. 22 members of the CBC are members of Divine 9 organizations.
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. 1720 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20036 Email: info@cbcfinc.org Phone: 202.263.2800
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Congressional Black Caucus TECH 2020 is an initiative to bring together the best minds in the tech, nonprofit, education, and public sectors to increase African American inclusion at all levels of the technology industry.
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The Goal: Achieve full representation of African Americans at every level of the tech industry by 2020.
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Why 2020? The Level Playing Field Institute estimates that there will be 1.4 million new tech jobs by 2020, and 70 percent of those jobs will be unfilled at the current rate U.S. colleges and universities are producing qualified graduates for these specialized roles. African Americans are a largely untapped talent pool that can help close this gap.
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Areas of Focus: The CBC is looking to increase African American inclusion at all levels of the industry, including but not limited to: Board of Directors, Executive Leadership, Workforce, Vendors, Suppliers, Contractors, Consultants, Philanthropists and Venture Capital Investment
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TECH 2020 AFRICAN AMERICAN INCLUSION SOLUTIONS 1. Making African American inclusion a priority for the company’s board of directors and executive leadership, and integrating its commitment to inclusion of underrepresented minorities in the company’s values and mission statement. 2. Investment from the Top: CEO’s must commit to making African American inclusion a priority if companies are going to make serious advancements in diversity. 3. Setting clear, public goals to measurably increase the number of African Americans at all levels within the organization with external contractors and including with its affiliated venture capital investment. 4. Providing significant financial and human capital resources to achieve these goals. 5. Sharing best practices to ensure broad success and long term viability of the tech sector. 6. Increasing the use of African American-owned vendors and requiring majority-owned vendors to meet specific diversity goals. 52
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
Lack of Talent Pipeline a ‘Myth’ Says Congressional Black Caucus Chair CBC and black tech professionals announce new diversity and inclusion efforts by Samara Lynn Posted: December 7, 2015 CBC Tech 2020 AAIP Troy Clair (Office of Rep. Butterfield), Kevin Antoine (AAAED), Perry Carter (BDPA), Cam Snaith (Bleeker), Viola Thompson (ITSMF), Zack Lemelle (GLF) (Source: Medium. com). “There’s not enough talent in the pipeline,” is what heads of some of the largest tech companies have told those pushing for more diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. We have found that to be somewhat of a myth,” said Congressman G.K. Butterfield (NC), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, at a CBC Tech 2020 event in Washington D.C. on Thursday. Congressman Butterfield and Rep. Barbara Lee (CA) co-hosted the event to announce that seven African American tech professional organizations will create and implement African American Inclusion Plans (AAIPs) to increase diversity in tech. "There are African Americans who are ready, who are willing, and who are able to work for tech companies and sit on boards of directors," said the congressman. "Companies can no longer stand on the crutch that a lack of a talent pipeline” is a reason for not including significant numbers of African Americans in technology", he said. The seven organizations that will work with the CBC on the AAIP effort are American Association for Access, Equity & Diversity; Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA); Blacks In Technology (BIT); Bleeker; Career Communications Group (CCG); Global Leadership Forum (GLF); and Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF). The next steps include: focusing more intently on the representation of African Americans in the government affairs offices of tech companies in the D.C. area; traveling to tech hubs outside of Silicon Valley to access a broader range of stakeholders; working with a broader selection of techrelated companies such as telecoms, financial services, and biotech firms; and highlighting the work of tech companies that are achieving diversity goals.
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To learn more about the conference, visit http://www.nbmbaaconference.org. For more information, go to http://www.nbmbaa.org. For more information, visit http://www.nsbe.org/.
A number of companies, including Intel and Google, have announced plans to increase the number of blacks, Latinos and women in their workforces.
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“Today’s job market has shifted and many executives in science and technology fields need advanced degrees in business to secure leadership roles at top companies,” said Karl W. Reid, Ed.D, executive director, National Society of Black Engineers. “Our partnership with the National Black MBA Association® will reinforce our commitment to developing and grooming our members to be able to compete globally.”
Jackson, who pushed tech companies last year to release data on the diversity of their employees, said he would ask companies to publish similar reports this year by Sept. 1, along with a report card on what had been achieved in the area of inclusion of underrepresented communities.
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The three-year partnership will provide members of both organizations with exclusive offers that will include membership discounts, continuing education programs, professional development, and other joint local chapter engagement initiatives.
Addressing a Google shareholder meeting Wednesday, Jackson also asked the Internet giant if it would invest in early-stage Black and Latino-led tech startups.
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“The number of African Americans graduating with Master’s degrees in science and technology has increased in recent years, but still pales in comparison to the graduation rates of other ethnicities,” said Jesse Tyson, president & CEO, National Black MBA Association®. “We are optimistic that this partnership will increase S.T.E.M. engagement among African Americans in graduate programs and will help more students and professionals in science, technology engineering, and math achieve advanced degrees and management careers.”
Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson asked Google to make an amendment to its governance bylaws to make a search for women and people of color a must before filling board positions, as part of his push to get higher representation for women and minorities in tech companies.
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ATLANTA (September 27, 2016) – The National Black MBA Association® (NBMBAA®) announces its partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). The strategic alliance will provide S.T.E.M. Professionals with enhanced leadership development and access to the country’s top corporations with interest in recruiting management level professionals with experience in science and technology disciplines.
Jesse Jackson wants Google to invest in startups led by Blacks, Latinos
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National Black MBA Association® and National Society of Black Engineers Establish Monumental Partnership to Promote Leadership in S.T.E.M. Careers
But these companies have not moved the “needle on representation” very much, Jackson said. Source: http://www.computerworld.com
Black Stanford alumni create $5M investment fund and technology innovation foundation to provide financial assistance and resources for Black techpreneurs STANFORD, California, June 23, 2016—On the heels of President Barack Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit at Stanford University, an international group of influential Black Stanford alumni today announced the creation of a $5 million investment fund that will provide financial support and resources to techpreneurs that are current students and recent graduates. The Black Angel Technology Investment Fund (BATIF) aims to bridge the gap in technology funding by helping Blacks develop and launch entrepreneurial ventures. Source; http://www.blackangeltechfund.com/
The views published by the Divine 9 Magazine do not represent the views of the organizations of the Divine 9. For more information on the organizations of the Divine 9: www.apa1906.net www.aka1908.com www.deltasigmatheta.org www.iotaphitheta.org www.kappaalphapsi1911.com www.oppf.org www.phibetasigma1914.org www.sgrho1922.org www.zphib1920.org www.nphchq.org
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What We Do www.divineninemagazine.com c i v i c a n d P r o fessional Organizations
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What happens when a people is without institutions to articulate its concerns, preserve its heritage, or make manifest its desires? It is vanquished, made into an oppressed caste, or is assimilated into the majority culture--losing its distinctiveness, diminishing its voice, and dissipating its ranks. Fortunately, African Americans have not met this fate. Established in an age when racial segregation and disenfranchisement plagued African Americans, the rise of each of the black fraternities and sororities that make up the “Divine Nine” bore witness to the fact that despite hardships African Americans refused to assent to a status of inferiority. Serving more than just their immediate members, the “Divine Nine” joined with business, civic and professional organizations to provide service to the entire black community. As the twentieth century progressed, black social organizations rose to reflect the middle class aspirations of many African Americans, and more recently civic groups have emerged to address the community’s social, economic, and political challenges..
BDPA: Organized in 1975. BDPA is an international organization with a diverse membership of professionals and students at all levels in the fields of information technology, computer science and related S.T.E.M fields. http://www.bdpa.org/
National Association of Black Accountants: Since 1969, the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. has been the leader in expanding the influence of minority professionals in the fields of accounting and finance, http://www.nabainc.org/
National Black MBA Association: A 8,000-member professional organization made up of African American graduates with MBAs and advanced degrees. Established in 1970, its mission is to increase the number and diversity of African Americans in business. http://www.nbmbaa.org/
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers: Organized in 1972 to build a community of minority scientists and engineers; 39 professional and university chapters. https:// www.nobcche.org/
National Society of Black Engineers: Started in 1975, the group's mission is to increase the number of African American engineers, as well as help them succeed professionally and to give back to their communities. https://www.nsbe.org/
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Blacks in Government: Members are civil servants at the federal, state, county and municipal levels. Founded in 1975; more than 50 chapters include the Departments of State and Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and the National Institutes of Health. http://bignet.org/
National Black Nurses Association: Organized in 1971; 80 chapters represent more than 150,000 African American nurses in the US, Caribbean and Africa. http://www.nbna.org/
National Medical Association: The oldest (founded 1895) and largest national professional organization for African American physicians. A leading force for parity in medicine, it provides educational programs and conducts outreach efforts. http://nmanet.org/
National Bar Association: An advocate for social justice since 1925; promotes professional development for African Americans in the legal profession. More than 20,000 member lawyers, judges, educators and law students. http://www.nationalbar.org/
National Association of Black Journalists: A professional organization for African Americans working in print, radio, television, new media and related areas; founded in 1975. http://www.nabj.org/
100 Black Men of America: Founded in 1963; now 110-plus chapters with more than 10,000 members. Its mission includes leadership, mentoring, education, health and economic development. http:// www.100blackmen.org/
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
United Negro College Fund: The UNCF provides operating funds and technology services for historically African-American colleges and universities, scholarships and internships for students, faculty and administrative professional training. http://www.uncf.org/
National Urban League: The National Urban League is a civil-rights organization focused on the economic empowerment of underserved urban communities. http://www. nul.org/
National Newspaper Publishers Association: The National Newspaper Publishers Association, also known as the African-American Press of America, is a 65-yearold federation of more than 200 AfricanAmerican community newspapers from across the United States. http://www.nnpa.org/
National Coalition of 100 Black Women: The mission of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women is to develop leaders who will help to rebuild their communities and redirect the energies of younger AfricanAmericans in those communities. http://www. ncbw.org/
National Council of Negro Women: Founded in 1935, the NCNW’s mission is to lead, develop and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities. http://www.ncnw. org/
National Black Chamber of Commerce: The National Black Chamber of Commerce, incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1993, represents 95,000 African-American– owned businesses and provides advocacy that reaches one million African-American-owned businesses. http://www.nationalbcc.org/
US Black Chamber of Commerce: USBC is an association of over 100 self sustaining, viable Black Chambers and small business associations nationwide whose collaboration with strategic partners increases our capacity to serve. http://usblackchamber.org
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. http:// www.naacp.org/
Rainbow PUSH Coalition: The Rainbow PUSH Coalition (RPC) is a multiracial, multi-issue, progressive, international membership organization fighting for social change. RPC was formed in December 1996 by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. http://rainbowpush.org
National Action Network: National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton,. http://nationalactionnetwork.net
The Executive Leadership Council: was founded in 1986 to provide AfricanAmerican executives with a network and leadership forum that adds perspective and direction to the achievement of excellence in business, economic and public policies for the African-American community and their corporations. http://www.elcinfo.com
WHERE WE WORK Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
Star M. JOnes
Lawyer, Journalist, Talk Show Host, Writer, Women’s Advocate, Fashion Designer
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Kendrick J. Dean
Alpha phi Alpha fraternity
Robert F Smith
delta sigma theta Sorority
Loretta E. Lynch
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners
Attorney General of the United States
kappa alpha psi fraternity
omega psi phi fraternity
Music Producer, Songwriter, Photographer and Businessman
Businessman, Media magnate, Executive, Philanthropist
Robert L. Johnson
Benjamin L. Crump
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John R. Lewis
Deshauna Barber
Politician and Civil Rights Leader
Miss USA 2016 and Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve
Attorney, Civil Rights Advocate, Speaker, Author
Sheryl Underwood
Comedian, Actress, Television Host
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
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Arts and Entertainment African American influence in the ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT is rising. Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
Phylicia Rashad
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Film, television and stage actress, Tony Award winner
Suzanne de Passe
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Nominated for an Academy Award for writing; CEO of de Passe Entertainment
Hill Harper
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Film, television and stage actor, and author b u s i n e s s
MC Lyte
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Hip-Hop recording artist
Terrence Jenkins
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Actor, producer, television personality and model
Kelly Price
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Grammy-nominated R&B singer, songwriter and author
Terrence Carson
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Singer and stage, voice, and television actor
Rickey Smiley
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Stand-up comedian, television host, actor, and radio personality
Minnie Riperton
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Singer and songwriter
Webster Lewis
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Jazz and disco keyboardist, co-founder of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc
Terrence Howard
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Actor, singer, musician and songwriter
Traci Braxton
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Singer, reality television personality and Radio personality
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Harry Belafonte
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist
Cedric Kyles
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Actor, comedian, director, and game show host
Soledad O’Brien
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Broadcast journalist, executive producer and Chairman of Starfish Media Group
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Tavis Smiley
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist
Keshia Knight Pulliam
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Actress, the youngest person to ever be nominated for an Emmy Award
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Lionel Richie
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Singer and member of the Commodores; Grammy Award and Academy Award winner
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business African American influence in the BUSINESS is rising. Barbara Ciara
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Television journalist, former president of the National Association of Black Journalists
Mecole Brown
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Conifer Health
Thomas J. Burrell
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Chairman Emeritus at Burrell Communications Group Inc.
John H. Johnson
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Businessman, publisher, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company
Carla Harris
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley
Terrie Petty-Daniel
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Deputy Commissioner, Division of Supplier Diversity at State of Indiana
Harry Alford
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce
Shelley Stewart
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer at DuPont Company
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Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
Reginald F. Lewis
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Former Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice International
Herman J Russell
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Founder and former chief executive officer of H. J. Russell and Company 58
Kedar Massenburg
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Founder, president and CEO of Kedar Entertainment, former president of Motown Records
Joy Collins Profet
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. General Manager for Essence Communications Inc
Earl Graves
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Entrepreneur, publisher, businessman, and philanthropist. Founder of Black Enterprise magazine
Dr. Margena A. Christian
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Founder of DocM.A.C. write Consulting, Former Senior Editor and Senior Writer for EBONY
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
Nathaniel Bronner
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Entrepreneur, founder and president of Bronner Brothers hair-care products company
Otis M. Smith
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Former corporate officer of the General Motors Corp and Michigan Supreme Court Justice
Joe Louis Dudley, Sr
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. President and CEO of Dudley Products
Joshua I. Smith
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Businessman and former chairman of the Commission on Minority Business Development
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Civil Rights African American influence in the CIVIL RIGHTS is rising. Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
C. Delores Tucker
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Politician and civil rights activist best known for her participation in the Civil Rights Movement
C. Minnijean Brown Trickey
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Social Activist and civil rights leader, made history as one of the Little Rock Nine
Dick Gregory
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Civil rights activist, social critic, writer, entrepreneur, and comedian b u s i n e s s
Benjamin Chavis
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Organizer, Million Man March and former President of the NAACP
Roy Wilkins
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Civil rights activist, Executive Director of the NAACP
A. Philip Randolph
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and the American labor movement
Martin Luther King Jr.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Minister and activist, leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement
Bayard Rustin
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Leader in social movements for civil rights and nonviolence
Oliver Hill
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Civil rights attorney whose work against racial discrimination helped end “separate but equal�.
Martin Luther King III
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Human rights advocate and community activist
Al Sharpton
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Civil rights activist, minister, television/radio talk show host
Benjamin Hooks
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Civil rights leader, minister and attorney, former executive director of the NAACP
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Hosea Williams
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Civil rights leader, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician
George W. Crockett
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Politician, civil rights activist
Mary Church Terrell
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Activist for civil rights and suffrage, founding member of NAACP
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Walter E. Fauntroy
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Pastor, politician, civil rights and human activist
Frankie Muse Freeman
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Civil rights attorney, appointed to the United States Commission on Civil Rights
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Joseph Lowery
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Minister and leader in the American civil rights movement
Where We Work
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Education African American influence in the education is rising. Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
Cynthia Jackson Hammond
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Title
Carolyn Meyers
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Title
John Hope
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Title
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Selena Sloan Butler
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Title
Benjamin Mays
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Title
Lorraine A Williams
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Title
Dr. Christopher Catching
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Title
Rickey Smiley
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Title
Linda Royster Beito
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Title
Dr. J. Keith Motley
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Title
Edison O. Jackson
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Title
Elmira Mangum
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Title
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Kevin Rome
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Title
Rob Flot
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Title
Dr. Julianne Malveaux
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Title
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Samuel DeWitt Proctor
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Title
Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Title
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Thomas W. Cole, Jr.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Title
Where We Work
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Health and Science African American influence in the Health and Science is rising. Mary Winston Jackson
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Mathematician, featured in the movie: ‘Hidden Figures’
Katherine Johnson
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Mathematician, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, featured in the movie: ‘Hidden Figures’
Dorothy J. Vaughan
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Mathematician, featured in the movie: ‘Hidden Figures’
J. Marshall Shepherd
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. American meteorologist, former president of the American Meteorological Society
Louis Sullivan
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Health policy leader, minority health advocate, author, physician, and educator
Regina Benjamin
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. physician, former Surgeon General of the United States
Alexa Canady
Kevin Lofton
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Medical doctor specializing in neurosurgery
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. President and CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives
David Satcher
George Washington Carver
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Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
J. Ernest Wilkins Jr.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. nuclear scientist, engineer and mathematician, worked on The Manhattan Project
Arthur N. S. Mcunu, Jr.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist
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Henry Foster
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Professor emeritus and former dean of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College
Roselyn Elaine Williams
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Professor of Mathematics Florida A & M University
Ronald McNair
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Physicist and NASA astronaut.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Physician, and public health administrator, former Surgeon General of the United States
Myiesha Taylor
Monica Frazier Anderson
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. emergency room doctor, founder and President of Artemis Medical Society
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Author, journalist, motivational speaker, and Doctor of Dental Surgery.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Botanist and inventor
Evelyn J. Fields
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps rear admiral
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Law African American influence in the LAW is rising. Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
Constance Baker Motley
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, state senator, and Borough President of Manhattan, New York City
Vicki Miles-LaGrange
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma
Damon Keith
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Senior Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit b u s i n e s s
Mary Eugenia Charles
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Attorney, former Prime Minister of Dominica
Vernon Jordan
Tanya Walton Pratt
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Carl E. Stewart
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Attorney, business executive and civil rights activist
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Ruth Whitehead Whaley
Violette Neatley Anderson
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. First African-American woman to practice law in New York
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. First African-American woman to practice law at the United States Supreme Court
A. A. Birch, Jr.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Title
Charles E. Freeman
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Attorney and first district justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Sharon R. Wilson
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Attorney, Former Chief Magistrate, Commonwealth of The Bahamas
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Morris Overstreet
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist
Gonzalo P. Curiel
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Charlene Honeywell
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
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Johnnie Cochran
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J. Simpson
Robert l. Carter
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Singer and stage, voice, and television actor
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Thurgood Marshall
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” These are the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. As we celebrate his life and legacy on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Big Brothers Big Sisters takes a look at those people who served as mentors to the civil rights leader. Dr. King was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first of three historically African American Fraternities to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters. The Alphas, Kappas and Omegas have been leaders in national efforts to recruit African American male mentors. Many know King was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and the concept of nonviolent resistance, but there were mentors who led King to learn more about the Indian leader. The first of those is Howard Thurman who was a scholar and a religious leader. The Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground is a good place to begin to understand the man: he was Dean of Chapel at Howard University and Boston University for more than two decades, wrote numerous books, and in 1944 helped found a multicultural church: Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. According to Common Ground, Thurman travelled the world to explore religion and during those journeys met Gandhi in 1935. Thurman shared Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence with Dr. King while King was a graduate student at Boston University.
King, Jr.’s leadership and helped the civil rights leader organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. According to the Stonewall Museum and National Archives, Rustin said after the passage of the civil-rights legislation of 1964–65, there needed to be a focus on the economic problems of workingclass and in particular unemployed African Americans. He felt that the civil-rights movement had left its period of "protest" and had entered an era of "politics.” A third mentor to King was Benjamin Mays. Based on historical notes from the Mays House Museum, Mays was the son of slaves and that truly left an impression and gave him the drive to succeed and continue to strive in higher education. He went on to be the dean of the school of Religion at Howard University in 1934, where he met Howard Thurman, also a professor there. It was Thurman who urged Mays to travel to India to meet Gandhi. Mays moved on to be the president of Morehouse College in Atlanta from 1940 to 1967, and it was there where he met his famous student, Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1944 Martin Luther King was admitted to the college at age 15 and Mays became so close to Dr. King, that later in life he referred to King “as a son” and would go on to deliver the eulogy at King’s funeral.
The second, so called mentor to King was Bayard Rustin. In an Bayard Rustin and Benjamin Mays were members of Omega Psi article from Legacy.com entitled “10 Facts About Bayard Rustin”, Phi Fraternity. author Linnea Crowther says Rustin exposed King to the works Big Brother Big Sisters of America of Gandhi after Rustin spent time with members of Indian Source: http://www.bbbs.org leader’s movement in India. Rustin recognized Martin Luther
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Politics African American influence in the POLITICS is rising. Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
C. Delores Tucker
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Politician and civil rights activist best known for her participation in the Civil Rights Movement
Frederica Wilson
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Politician, member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida’s 24th district
Samuel Pierce
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development b u s i n e s s
Kasim Reed
Lawrence Douglas Wilder
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Attorney and politician, current mayor of Atlanta, GA from Louisiana.
Georgia Davis Powers
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Politician, who served as a member of the state Senate in Kentucky
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Politician, who served as the first African American to be elected as governor of Virginia
Lindy Boggs
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana.
Clifford Graham
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Senator for the United States Virgin Islands, St. Thomas/St. John
Walter Washington
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Civil servant and politician, served as 1st Mayor of the District of Columbia
Yvonne B. Miller
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Politician, member of the Virginia Senate
James L. Walls, Jr
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Former Mayor and City Commission of District Heights, Maryland
Melvin H. Evans
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Former Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
Julia Carson
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Former US Representative from Indiana
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Harold Washington
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Lawyer, politician, former Mayor of Chicago
Carol Moseley Braun
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Politician, lawyer, former United States Senator representing Illinois
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Tom Bradley
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Former Mayor of Los Angeles, CA; Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi
Karen Freeman-Wilson
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. American attorney, former judge, former Indiana Attorney General, and current Mayor of Gary, Indiana.
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Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Pastor and politician, who represented Harlem in the United States House of Representatives
Where We Work
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Religion African American influence in the RELIGION is rising. Bernice King
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Minister, CEO of the King Center
Leontine T. Kelly
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Bishop of the United Methodist Church
Vinton R. Anderson
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Theodore J. Jemison
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Minister, civil rights leader, former president of the National Baptist Convention
Clementa C. Pinckney
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Minister, Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate
Vashti Murphy McKenzie
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Suzan Johnson Cook
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Presidential advisor, pastor, United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
Steven Ray
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Fisher Professor of Systematic Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
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Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
Ralph Abernathy
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Minister, leader of the Civil Rights Movement
Joseph Walker
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, TN
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Jamal Harrison Bryant
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Pastor of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, MD
Joseph H. Jackson
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. pastor and former President of the National Baptist Convention
Eddie Long
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
Howard Z. Plummer
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Cardinal Bishop, Church of God and Saints of Christ
DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
E. Dewey Smith Jr.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Senior Pastor/Teacher of The House of Hope Atlanta and The House of Hope Macon in Georgia
Carolyn Tyler Guidry
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Staccato Powell
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Bishop of Grace AME Zion Church located in Raleigh
Rev. Willie T. Barrow
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Director of Operations, Operation PUSH/Rainbow Coalition
Where We Work
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Sports African American influence in the SPORTS is rising. Members of the Divine 9 are leading the charge in the past, present and future!
Althea Gibson
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Professional Tennis player, golfer, first African-American to win a Grand Slam in tennis
C. Vivian Stringer
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Basketball coach, with one of the best records in the history of women’s basketball.
Jesse Owens
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Track and field athlete and fourtime Olympic gold medalist in the 1936 games b u s i n e s s
Uhunoma Osazuwa
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Track and field athlete competing in the heptathlon
Vince Carter
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. NBA basketball player
Maritza McClendon
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Olympic swimmer from the United States
Vaughn Booker
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Football defensive end who played nine years in the National Football League.
Michael Jordan
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Former NBA player, owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA 50 All Time Greatest Players
Camille Cooper
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Former WNBA Player
Elvin Hayes
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Retired NBA player. Member of the NBA’s 50th All-Time Team, and Basketball Hall of Fame
Ben Coates
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Former NFL player
Wendy Palmer
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Former WNBA Player
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Eddie Payton
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Former NFL player, head golf coach at Jackson State University
Oscar Robertson
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Former NBA Player, two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
Candice Wiggins
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Former WNBA player
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Bernie Bickerstaff
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Assistant NBA coach, former NBA coach and front office executive
Wilma Rudolph
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. First American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during one of the Olympic Games
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Nate Archibald
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Former NBA player; Basketball Hall of Fame; voted one of the NBA 50 All Time Greatest Players
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Where We Work
YOUR RIGHTS • You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise that right, say so out loud. • You have the right to refuse to consent to a search of yourself, your car or your home. • If you are not under arrest, you have the right to calmly leave. • You have the right to a lawyer if you are arrested. Ask for one immediately. • Regardless of your immigration or citizenship status, you have constitutional rights. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES • Do stay calm and be polite. • Do not interfere with or obstruct the police. • Do not lie or give false documents. • Do prepare yourself and your family in case you are arrested. • Do remember the details of the encounter. • Do file a written complaint or call your local ACLU if you feel your rights have been violated IF YOU ARE STOPPED FOR QUESTIONING Stay calm. Don't run. Don't argue, resist or obstruct the police, even if you are innocent or police are violating your rights. Keep your hands where police can see them. Ask if you are free to leave. If the officer says yes, calmly and silently walk away. If you are under arrest, you have a right to know why. You have the right to remain silent and cannot be punished for refusing to answer questions. If you wish to remain silent, tell the officer out loud. In some states, you must give your name if asked to identify yourself. You do not have to consent to a search of yourself or your belongings, but police may "pat down" your clothing if they suspect a weapon. You should not physically resist, but you have the right to refuse consent for any further search. If you do consent, it can affect you later in court.
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IF YOU ARE QUESTIONED ABOUT YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS You have the right to remain silent and do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with police, immigration agents or any other officials. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, whether you are a U.S. citizen, or how you entered the country. (Separate rules apply at international borders and airports, and for individuals on certain nonimmigrant visas, including tourists and business travelers.) If you are not a U.S. citizen and an immigration agent requests your immigration papers, you must show them if you have them with you. If you are over 18, carry your immigration documents with you at all times. If you do not have immigration papers, say you want to remain silent. Do not lie about your citizenship status or provide fake documents. IF THE POLICE OR IMMIGRATION AGENTS COME TO YOUR HOME If the police or immigration agents come to your home, you do not have to let them in unless they have certain kinds of warrants. Ask the officer to slip the warrant under the door or hold it up to the window so you can inspect it. A search warrant allows police to enter the address listed on the warrant, but officers can only search the areas and for the items listed. An arrest warrant allows police to enter the home of the person listed on the warrant if they believe the person is inside. A warrant of removal/deportation (ICE warrant) does not allow officers to enter a home without consent. Even if officers have a warrant, you have the right to remain silent. If you choose to speak to the officers, step outside and close the door. IF YOU ARE ARRESTED Do not resist arrest, even if you believe the arrest is unfair. Say you wish to remain silent and ask for a lawyer immediately. Don't give any explanations or excuses. If you can't pay for a lawyer, you have the right to a free one. Don't say anything, sign anything or make any decisions without a lawyer.
IF YOU ARE STOPPED IN YOUR CAR Stop the car in a safe place as quickly as possible. Turn off the car, turn on the internal light, open the window part way and place your hands on the wheel.
You have the right to make a local phone call. The police cannot listen if you call a lawyer.
Upon request, show police your driver's license, registration and proof of insurance.
Prepare yourself and your family in case you are arrested. Memorize the phone numbers of your family and your lawyer. Make emergency plans if you have children or take medication.
If an officer or immigration agent asks to look inside your car, you can refuse to consent to the search. But if police believe your car contains evidence of a crime, your car can be searched without your consent. Both drivers and passengers have the right to remain silent. If you are a passenger, you can ask if you are free to leave. If the officer says yes, sit silently or calmly leave. Even if the officer says no, you have the right to remain silent. 68
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Special considerations for non-citizens: • Ask your lawyer about the effect of a criminal conviction or plea on your immigration status. • Don't discuss your immigration status with anyone but your lawyer. • While you are in jail, an immigration agent may visit you. Do not answer
Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
How We Grow
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how we grow
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and National Society of Black Engineers
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and US Department of Justice
The Divine Nine organizations have signed partnership agreements with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have signed a historic memorandum of understanding to work cooperatively to engage urban youth in outdoor recreation, biological sciences and healthful activity in nature.
to civic and community leadership, which will benefit the common good of all humanity and serve as an enduring legacy for the advocacy of Women Leaders.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) have partnered to increase the number of U.S. black engineers produced each year.
The National Park Service (NPS) and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (OPPF), have signed an agreement to work together to protect, preserve, and promote the NPS sites dedicated to the legacy of important African-American figures in U.S. history. OPPF is the first predominantly African-American fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black university. The agreement is the first of its kind between the NPS and a national African American organization. Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
The Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign (DTEC) is a collaboration between The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF) and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (DST) funded by a matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The three year campaign is designed to enhance teacher effectiveness and promote learning among at-risk, urban students with the goal of increasing graduation rates. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. hosted the “Balancing Our Media Images, Saving Our Communities” forum that provided solutions for remedying the impact of harmful media images on minority communities.
Mentoring Brothers in Action is a movement led by Big Brothers Big Sisters and the nation’s three largest African American fraternities Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi to engage more African American men in fraternal, social, faith-based and professional organizations to get involved in one-to-one mentoring to change the odds for African American boys. Mentoring Brothers in Action hopes to create new and broader pathways to provide mentors for African American boys who disproportionately represent children waiting to be matched with Big Brothers. The Fraternity Collaborative has partnered with a number of Big Brothers Big Sisters local agencies to host “friend raisers,” barbershop recruiting drives, Bowl for Kids Sake fundraisers, and other efforts that have been successful throughout the mentoring network to engage more African American men in long-term, professionally supported outcomes-focused mentoring. Harry Belafonte’s Sankofa Org Releases Powerful Public Service Announcement. The powerful police brutality PSA was released staring celebrities like Michael B. Jordan and Danny Glover, produced by Harry Belafonte’s nonprofit Sankofa and directed by film gurus Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. Harry Belafonte is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. signed a historic agreement with Women Veterans ROCK to become the leading national and international voice that engages, inspires and empowers women and girls in military families to successfully transition from military service DIVINE NINE Magazine | 2016-17 Edition
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Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and NIMHD have launched Brother, You’re on My Mind: Changing the National Dialogue Regarding Mental Health Among African American Men, an initiative to help start conversations about mental health.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. has requested Congress to cosponsor and vote for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. In an effort to help move this agenda forward, we are calling on the Men of Omega to join in this rally in huge support by signing the Petition.
For over 30 years the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the organizations of The Divine Nine have partnered to provide college scholarships and to support UNCF’s “An Evening of Stars”.
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Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., announced that it was providing sub-award grants to forty of its chapters (representing twenty-eight geographic regions), as a part of the expansion of its mentoring program, Go-ToHigh-School, Go-To-College. Strengthened by a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Justice, the fraternity will directly serve more than 1,000 young black and Latino youths, while indirectly serving an additional 45,000 young people, ages 6–17 years old, in urban areas across the country.
Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. has signed an agreement with United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) through their ASCEND program to implement Model UN mini-simulations throughout the United States with specific focus on bringing this experiential learning activity into communities disconnected from international concerns and dialogs. The goal is to implement the program in all 10 geographic regions of AKA and engage at least 10,000 high school students.
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Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and USA Swimming have partnered to increase swim participation and decrease drowning rates in the African American community.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA), Inc. have partnered to expand mental health education, awareness, and support activities on the campuses of colleges and universities and in local communities.
INROADS, the nation’s largest non-profit source of salaried corporate internships for outstanding diverse students, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. have partnered to develop a nationwide collegiate pilot program to provide outreach, recruitment, professional mentorship, coaching, training and career development for underserved youth.
P a r t n e r s h i ps
The Divine Nine organizations and some of its members provided sponsorships for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Museum is a sight to behold. With about 85,000 square feet of exhibition space, the museum houses almost 3,000 objects, has 12 exhibits, 13 interactive spaces with 17 stations and 185 videos.
S t r a t e g i c
Divine Nine partners with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
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Public Perception and the Portrayal of
African Americans in the Media Background
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using recent coverage of social unrest as a backdrop, nPHc presidents will speak about how their respective organizations have interacted with the media and helped change the negative portrayal of african americans in the media. When a reported story seems factual and unbiased, accompanying imagery, picture captions, interviews, quotes or headlines can alter objectivity. Further, the rise of social media has had both a positive and negative impact on how society digests the news. on the hand, social media has drastically affected media credibility, speeding up news reporting, increasing media sources, and encouraging a new era of citizen journalists. on the other hand, social media has increased accountability by calling out bad headlines, poor picture choices, or mistaken identifiers, and making the public more aware of media injustice. citizens are now fighting back against this negative imagery through social media campaigns such as #IfIwasgunneddown, #BlackLivesMatter, and #Baltimoreuprising, and entities such as #BlackTwitter. national PanHellenic council (nPHc) organizations are not immune to inaccurate media coverage. Misreported as gang members, angry protestors, and everything in between, historically Black fraternities and sororities often find themselves defending their colors, relevancy and purpose. These organizations are speaking out against negative press and playing a strong role in helping to change the narrative of Black americans and culture. Scholarly articleS in Brief race and Poverty Misconceptions in news Media http://ereed.homestead.com • analysis of how the media unfairly and disproportionately categorizes those living on welfare as being only poor, jobless, working-age minorities.
a monolithic narrative which thereby affects the perception of both Black neighborhoods and the Black community as a whole. Select newS articleS in Brief Shooters of color are called ‘terrorists’ and ‘thugs’. why are white Shooters called ‘Mentally ill’? https://www.washingtonpost.com • a critical analysis regarding the loaded language used by the mainstream media when discussing cries committed by criminals of different races. throw away the Script: how Media Bias is Killing Black america http://www.theroot.com • a discussion regarding implicit media bias and how it frames the relationship between Black america and society. as Sorors, we were right to Protest the way our sisterhood was Portrayed on Sorority Sisters http://www.theroot.com • an opinion piece supporting the backlash against VH1’s ‘Sorority Sisters’ due to the shows perpetuation of negative stereotypes of Black women - specifically members of collegiate greek organizations. Missouri highway Patrol captain ron Johnson is not a Gang Member, he’s Just a Kappa https://www.washingtonpost.com • a discussion regarding the mass media’s ignorance of Black greek cultures, traditions, etc. and how misinformation undermine the Black community. Media treats white Killers Better than Black Victims http://www.huffingtonpost.com • a discussion regarding the messaging inequities between reports that cover mass killings / shootings by White versus african americans. to the Media, ‘Black’ is too often Shorthand fro ‘Poor’ http://theatlantic.com • an examination of how the images that run alongside stories in print affect the perception of those living in poverty, and how photos of the Black community disproportionately accompany stories of poverty and crime.
Perceived realism of african american Portrayals on television https://library.uoregon.edu • an analysis regarding the perceived truthfulness of african american stereotypes perpetuated by television and film and the effects they have on the perceptions of both whites and african americans of the african american community. Portrayal and Perception two audits of news reporting on african americans Men and Boys http://heinz.org • a report discussing the findings of an audit of Pittsburgh media outlets that shows how the mainstream media’s reporting on neighborhoods that are predominantly Black, by newscasters and journalists that are predominantly White, create 70
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Source: office of congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, presented at the 6th annual nPHc council of Presidents Forum, September, 2015 congresswoman Fudge is a committed public servant. She has represented the people of the 11th congressional district of ohio since 2008. congresswoman Fudge is a Past national President of delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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Raising Supaman is a collection of beautifully written letters Turner wrote to his son. The wonderfully loving letters established the “relational legacy”, provided instruction on being a great citizen, inspired his son to strive for excellence, and left a historical account of a parent’s love. Raising Supaman is loaded with practical, insightful and useful tips to help parents. Raising Supaman encourages parents to be their best so that they can raise successful children. Whether you are dealing with the growing pains of a child or whether you are a attempting to inspire or motivate a child, Raising Supaman is a must read.
stop the Bus: education RefoRm in 31 days
Nathaniel A. Turner was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. Despite graduating in the bottom quarter of his high school class from one of the worst and most impoverished school systems in the country, Nate went on to earn several degrees. Nate holds a Bachelors (Accounting), a Masters (Theology & History) and a Juris Doctorate degree. Nate is an entrepreneur and has operated a financial services practice for nearly twenty years. However, Nate's greatest passion is helping children realize what he rarely experienced growing up in Gary: feeling valued as a human being and knowing his life had a purpose. Nate's counsel and advice are included on his blog "The Raising Supaman Project," his radio show "The Road Less Traveled," and in his books "Raising Supaman" and "Stop The Bus." Nate encourages parents, guardians, and community to raise children to become great world citizens and he challenges us all to maximize our abilities to their fullest potential. Nate also speaks nationally and contributes to other nationally recognized blogs, publications, and radio programs. Nate believes each day is another opportunity to share valuable experiences, methods and resources with those charged with preparing the sons and daughters of our Nation. Nate considers it a calling to make certain that OUR future is ready for this awesome journey called life. Nate is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Listings from this section were researched from social media sources. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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aBout the authoR
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Find us on: lybrary.com/stop-the-bus-education-reform-in-31-days https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/stop-the-bus https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Bus-Education-Reform
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Stop the Bus is a month long collection of exquisitely written, provocative short essays. Stop The Bus was written to encourage you (parents, teachers, and educators) to stop the bus – to stop and really think about what we are doing to our children under the guise of education. Through thirty-one daily essays, the author shares ways to regain control of the bus (education) before we harm everyone on the bus and all those who depend on it. If you care about America's educational system and America's children you won't dare miss the launch of Stop The Bus.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Supamans_Dad, Website: http://raisingsupaman.com
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Jackson, author of The No More Excuses Curriculum featuring the following books, No More Excuses: Black Men Stand Up!, No More Excuses: The Workbook, No More Excuses: Solutions to Educating Black and Latino Males, and No More Excuses: Put a Stop to Bullying, is a National Speaker, Consultant, Trainer, and Owner of Lavelle Publishing and Nova Concepts Speakers. Robert received his BS, Industrial Technology degree from Western Kentucky University where he lettered four years in both football and track. After being cut from the NFL Minnesota Vikings during training camp, Robert has remained deeply rooted in his commitment to serve his community as a mentor and leader especially on issues facing African American Students. He mentors young men and presents workshops, seminars and speeches nationwide to youth and adults. As a Consultant and Speaker, Robert works to reverse the drop out rates of Black and Latino Males and to create positive change in school systems across the country and abroad to bridge the gap between Parents, Teachers, Administrators and Students. He has been invited to do just that in Nova Scotia Halifax, Canada and at Harvard University Graduate School. Robert Jackson is an active Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and 100 Black Men of Indianapolis.
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the divine nine partners with st. jude hospital
For more information: http://www.stjude.org
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Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. have turned a girls night into a child’s future. St. Jude ‘Girls Night In’ encourages sorors to host events where they can have fun and socialize, all while supporting St. Jude. Since 1992, Sigma Gamma Rho has partnered with St. Jude to support their lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children. Sigma Gamma Rho knows that greater service means greater Final Photo: Richard Lee Snow (ALSAC, at mic); Mark S. progress for St. Jude kids. Together, we won’t stop until childhood cancer, sickle cell and Tillman (General President – Alpha Phi Alpha); Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson (National President – Alpha Kappa Alpha); Thomas other deadly diseases are eliminated. For more information: http://www.stjude.org L. Battles, Jr. (National Vice President – Kappa Alpha Psi); Antonio F. Knox, Sr. (National President – Omega Psi Phi); Ebonie Zeta Phi Beta Sorority supports the life-saving work of Johnson Cooper (Representative – Delta Sigma Theta); Daryl Anderson (Executive Director – Phi Beta Sigma); Stacye Montez (Executive Director – Zeta Phi Beta); Bonita M. Herring (National President – Sigma Gamma Rho); Robert M. Clark, Jr. (National St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Members participate President – Iota Phi Theta); and Richard C. Shadyac, Jr. (President & CEO, ALSAC) in the St. Jude Sunday of Hope program, and help St. Jude We don’t hear enough about the philanthropic giving of the Divine Nine in its mission of finding cures and saving children. within the black community. We know the organizations collect dues and provide local programs but they also provide financial support to causes that affect our community. About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® These causes include education, breast cancer awareness, nutrition, HIV & AIDS prevention St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way and yes, childhood cancer, to name a few. One such childhood cancer cause is St. Jude the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. St. Children’s Research Hospital. Jude has the world’s best survival rates for the most aggressive childhood cancers, and All of the members of the Divine Nine organizations have committed to treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival supporting St. Jude year-round. To date, the organizations have collectively donated millions rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since it opened more than 50 years ago. For more of dollars to St. Jude. They have done so through various individual programs including: information: http://www.stjude.org ‘Sunday of Hope’, a faith-based program where churches are recruited to support St. Jude; ‘Give Thanks. Walk’, an annual walkathon in over 70 markets across the country; Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, following St. Jude on facebook.com/stjude ‘Girls Night In’, a peer-to-peer fundraising event where members host individual social or on twitter.com/stjude. gatherings; and ‘Game Day Give Back’, a peer-to-peer fundraising event where members host Super Bowl parties. Posted on October 30, 2014 by friendsofebonie, http://friendsofebonie.com/2014/10/30/ divine-giving-to-st-jude-by-the-divine-nine/ Paul R. Williams , architect, member of Through the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, designed the ‘Sunday of Hope’ campaign, original building of St. Jude Hospital as a chapters of Kappa Alpha three level central hub with five radiating Psi Fraternity partner with wings in the late 1950s. The building was churches in their communities dedicated in 1962. http://www.paulrwilliamsproject.org/ to ask for their support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During one select worship
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service, members address their congregations and ask for a special offering for St. Jude. All funds raised are donated to St. Jude. The campaign runs from January through March. Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. walked in the St. Jude ‘Give Thanks Walk as National Gold and Silver Level teams, respectively. On Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 thousands of participants in 75 cities gathered for the St. Jude Give thanks, Walk., a noncompetitive 5K that to date has raised more than $11 million to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® continue to lead the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. For more information: http://www.stjude.org Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is proud to be a national volunteer partner for the 2015 St. Jude ‘Game Day. Give Back.’ The Omega Psi Phi motto is “Friendship is essential to the soul.” What better way to exhibit true friendship than to use one of the best days for friends to gather — game day — as a way to extend that friendship and support to the patients of St. Jude.
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The Divine Nine is answering a Call to Service for St. Jude to support the children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital battling pediatric cancers, sickle cell and other deadly diseases. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity are coming together to make a difference for kids across the country and around the world. Chapter’s from each organization are organizing teams to support the cause. Together, they show the impact the Divine Nine is making behind a common cause. The Call to Service for St. Jude culminates with the Radio Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon on April 5, when both the Divine Nine and Radio One, Inc. celebrate funds raised collectively to support St. Jude. Radio One, Inc. is a diversified media company that primarily targets African-American and urban consumers. Since 2008, the national radiothon has raised millions of dollars in cash and pledges through the support of Radio One stations and the Yolanda Adams Morning Show. For additional information, please send an email to nphc@stjude.org. To thank the organizations, St. Jude invited members of the organization’s leadership to be recognized during the Congressional Black Caucus Weekend. The evening was amazing! St. Jude brought their Memphis hospitality to Washington, D.C.
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celebrating senior members of the divine nine Katherine G. Johnson A d v o c a c y
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 98 years young. (born August 26, 1918)
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Active with Lambda Omega Chapter
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John Slade
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77 years old
Charles Todd
Mildred Page
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
98 years young
92 years young (born August 21, 1924)
Initiated in 1950 Charter member of Tucson Alumni Chapter
Initiated Alpha Rho Chapter - Spring 1944
James Hightower Horn
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Founder of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, September 19, 1963
92 years young (born August 31, 1924)
James S. Walker
Evelyn Hawkins Hood
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
100 years young (born January 17, 1916)
93 years young (born Aug. 25, 1923)
Active with the Alpha Beta Sigma Chapter.
Dosh Jackson Sr.
105 years young Born 22 Feb 1911 Active Member of Eta Omega Chapter
Initiated at Sigma Chapter on Dec. 16 1948
Initiated at Psi Chapter in 1934
Captoria Taylor Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. 101 years young (born August 31, 1915) Initiated in 1985 (Theta Gamma Zeta- West Helena, Arkansas)
Initiated 1950 into Eta Sigma Chapter
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The Upside To downsizing By James W. Officer III
@JOfficerSpeaks - https://www.periscope.tv/w/1gqxvdodENzGB A change agent, thought provoker, speaker, coach, author, and transformational leader.
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About the Author For 20 years James Officer has been coaching, motivating, and teaching others to maximize their potential in their personal and professional lives. Some of the most requested topics are in the areas of decision-making, conflict resolution, personal branding, and creating value. In 2012, James founded Dash Master’s. The vision of the organization is to inspire and empower individuals from all walks-of-life to uncover and live out their potential. The Dash Master is one who develops the skill and will to maximize every moment of their life, hence, mastering their own dash. James is a powerful keynote speaker who presents for numerous seminars and conferences nationwide.
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Effective Networking Everyday there are networking events all over the country. There are probably several in your community today. Eager professionals will show up with a stack of crisp business cards, an elevator pitch, and a desire to sell. What if you flip that paradigm and show up to a networking event just to meet people and learn
Very rarely does anyone choose to be downsized. Hence, the experience typically falls in the category of uncontrollable circumstances. The thoughts above are aimed at causing you to focus on the things you can control and creating your own “Upside”.
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Being Intentional about Your Mindset Like weeds, our thoughts also grow without the presence of maintenance, nurturing, or cultivation. Think of our minds like an abandoned home or lot; when left unattended they quickly become overgrown with doubt, fear, insecurity, and hopelessness. Live with intention; don’t leave your days to chance. Focus on staying engaged with positive activity. The possibilities are endless: become a student of your industry, volunteer at your favorite charity, or even take care of those lingering home projects that you have been putting off. None of these activities generate a direct deposit into your bank account; however, they do generate a direct deposit into your self-image. Additionally, these practical activities provide a gateway for you to connect with your "higher-self". Focus on who you are, discover your purpose, and what makes you happy. Reflection is one of the first casualties of a busy lifestyle and your time of transition offers you the opportunity to get re-acquainted with yourself. Finally, be conscious of what you are thinking. During the course of any given day, we have more conversations with ourselves than with anyone else. Be aware of what you are saying to and about yourself. Don’t allow your thoughts or the day’s circumstances to shape your self-image. Be conscious about what you are thinking. A positive self-image allows both a faster and easier transition into your next career. Again, this time you allocate to yourself; schedule it. With intention and conscious thought comes a well-nurtured, maintained mind-set.
Remain Open Perhaps in your previous career you were a banker, teacher, or a claims adjuster. Ideally, your next career would find you transitioning into the perfect job that picks up exactly where you left off (hopefully with more money and flexibility). I'm not suggesting that can't happen. However, what if the opportunity that presents itself is in retail, manufacturing, or even healthcare? While that is not what you were looking for, it somehow found you and it is important to remain open to all opportunities that arise. Remember, your next job is not necessarily your last job. This principle also applies to relationship. There is no insignificant connection when you are in transition. Implicit in transition is that you are moving and often to a destination unknown. Everyone you meet along the path has the potential to impact your next career. At the very least they can provide you an opportunity to help them.
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“This is going to open up new opportunities; the end of this chapter of your life means the beginning of a new one. Let’s face it, if you have experienced downsizing, you’ve heard this before. Losing your job may be jarring and unsettling. Often you find yourself inundated with clichés. Though this advice is appreciated it cannot replace the sense of insecurity or the feelings of selfdoubt and fear. Despite the motivational books you ingest, the support groups you participate in, and the encouragement you receive from friends and family, the reality is you must replace the income you lost. This period of joblessness is referred to as "in transition". While seeking your next career move, optimize your time. There are a few fail-safe steps you can take to ensure your transition is a time of personal development and that your next career finds you sooner than later. During this time be intentional about your mind-set, network effectively, and remain open.
more about them? Your next career will not likely come from a post on a job site, but will more likely come from a relationship you have forged. Engaging people in conversation allows them to talk about themselves and is a far quicker path to establishing relationships. Avoid talking about you. Listen for ways to help and look for connections you can make for them. Effective networking allows you to stand out and ultimately, establish meaningful relationships. Not comfortable with starting conversations? Get a business card to gain insight on who they are. Or try asking a question relevant to the present circumstance. My favorite is, “Why did you come to this event today and what do you hope to gain from it?” You'd be amazed at the responses and the direction the conversation can go. Even during job fairs, don't push your resume into the face of a recruiter. Ask questions about why they chose the company or what their career goal within the organization is. The key to effective networking is focusing on the other person, doing so enables you to stand-out and gain favorable attention.
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I’d be willing to bet that McDonald’s is one of the only organizations where you can still have a supersized experience. Virtually, every other American organization has endured some sort of “downsizing.” Due to globalization and advances in technology, companies are constantly competing for market share. Consequently they are looking at their highest line-item to cut cost: human capital. That means everyday more and more Americans are losing their jobs, hence, their livelihood in the name of doing good business.
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the divine nine and the entertainment industry
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Movies and TV Shows that highlight the leadership, history and culture of the Divine Nine Fraternities and Sororities
Katherine Johnson Mary Jackson Dorothy Vaughan A new movie comes out in 2017 called Hidden Figures, based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly. The incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson - brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
Empire is an American musical drama television series created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong which debuted on January 7, 2015 on Fox. The show centers on a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of the company. Terrence Howard is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens [Kappa ‘35], the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. “Race” is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend. Jesse Owens and a few of his teammates were members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
But did you know that these women are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.?
Think Like a Man Too is a 2014 romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story and the sequel to Story’s 2012 film Think Like a Man based on Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. The script is written by David A. Newman and Keith Merryman. Think Like a Man is a 2012 ensemble American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story, written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, and based on Steve Harvey’s 2009 book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. Steve Harvey and Terrence Jenkins are members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
13TH is a 2016 American documentary by director Ava DuVernay. Centered on race in the United States criminal justice system, the film is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which theoretically outlawed slavery. DuVernay's documentary argues that slavery is being perpetuated, however, through mass incarceration. Selma is a 2014 historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis.
The Best Man Holiday is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It is the sequel to the 1999 film, The Best Man. The Best Man is a 1999 American romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It was produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, with Lee’s cousin, Spike Lee, serving as producer. A number of the characters in the movie portray members of the Divine 9 fraternities and sororities.
A number of the characters are members of the Divine 9.
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Name: Tiffany Lenoi Jones Theme: Healing Justice Title: Healing our past, present & future
Name: Alixa Garcia, Issue: Global Perspectives Title: Inextricable
Name: Alyssa Etoile Theme: Black Children & Youth. Title: The Education of Black Self Love
Now we need your help with Black Lives Matter For Black Lives are in danger
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source: http://art.blacklivesmatter.com
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We need safety and justice in communities all across America
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advertiser index ADVERTISER................................................................................................................................. PAGE NUMBER National Black McDonald’s Operators Association...............................................................................................2 - 3
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WHO WE ARE SECTION: National Alliance of Black School Educators............................................................................................................10 Light of the World Christian Church.........................................................................................................................12 California Association of African American School Administrators.........................................................................13 HealthNet............................................................................................................................................................16 - 17 Tyscott Records, Scott Dentistry and Rock Church..................................................................................................18
WHAT WE DO SECTION: Viva Dental.................................................................................................................................................................22 Ball State University....................................................................................................................................................23 Steward Speakers Series.............................................................................................................................................26 Blessed Photography..................................................................................................................................................27 Odyssey Air.................................................................................................................................................................30 NAACP.......................................................................................................................................................................31 AARP..........................................................................................................................................................................34 Ken Thorpe................................................................................................................................................................38 Rowe & Hamilton Attorneys at Law...........................................................................................................................39 Muhammad Ali Center........................................................................................................................................42 - 43 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America...........................................................................................................................46 Enthrall.......................................................................................................................................................................47 Congressional Black Caucus.......................................................................................................................................50 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation...................................................................................................................51
WHERE WE WORK SECTION: The Jewel Center........................................................................................................................................................56 Bryan Thompson........................................................................................................................................................60 ACLU Know Your Rights..........................................................................................................................................68 HOW WE GROW SECTION: Black Lives Matter......................................................................................................................................................77 National Museum of African American History and Culture...................................................................................79 The Jewelry Lady........................................................................................................................................................80 For more information on advertising, please call Michael Falker at 317-445-4462 78
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution. There are four pillars upon which the NMAAHC stands:
1.It provides an opportunity for those who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history through interactive exhibitions 2.It helps all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences 3.It explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resiliency, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture 4.It serves as a place of collaboration that reaches
beyond Washington, D.C. to engage new audiences and to work with the myriad of museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before this museum was created. The NMAAHC is a public institution open to all, where anyone is welcome to participate, collaborate, and learn more about African American history and culture. In the words of Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the Museum, “there are few things as powerful and as important as a people, as a nation that is steeped in its history.�
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