March 21 – 27, 2010 | FREE
Volume 79 Number 21
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STATE CHAMPS! IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK PRESS WEEK
Defender calendar
INSIDE!
Senate extends unemployment See story on page 3 benefits
Yates players celebrate 2010 Class 4A state basketball championship. Bush players celebrate 2010 Class 5A state basketball championship.
Congratulations Champions
SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AFRO AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS
Edwards files for recount DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE
White Texas State House Rep. 146 candidate Borris Miles is declaring victory in his race against incumbent, Al E d w a r d s , Edwards has officially filed for a recount. Edwards lost the March 2 primary election by 10 votes. On Al Edwards March 15, he filed the paperwork and submitted a $4,400 deposit at the T e x a s Democratic Party headquarters in Austin. Borris Miles “A machine could have malfunctioned or miscounted,” Edwards explained. Edwards says since his push for a recount comes at the urging of peo★RECOUNT, Page 7
Are HBCUs still relevant? By ReShonda Tate Billingsley DEFENDER
By ReShonda Tate Billingsley DEFENDER
For years, they have stood as the beacon for African-American students, a home when the world turned those students away. But as more and more universities opened their doors to Black students, and the world began to reflect a more diverse culture, some have questioned the need and legitimacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Make no doubt about it, university leaders say, not only are HBCUs still needed, they’re still relevant and necessary in building the leaders of tomorrow. The Defender talked with two area presidents – Dr. George Wright from Prairie View A & M University and Dr. John Rudley from Texas Southern University
– for their take on the significance of HBCU’s in the 21st Century. Defender: Why are Historically Black Colleges and Universities crucial to our society today? Dr. John Rudley: Although the historical reasons for attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities have changed, the benefits are still very real and indeed are increasing. Today’s HBCUs are ★HBCU, Page 7
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TSU & PVU Preidents’ Priorities Log on to defendernetwork.com.
INTERVIEW
Down with Don Cheadle By Kam Williams CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Donald Cheadle might be the best actor around yet to win an Oscar. His only Academy Award nomination came in 2005 for his powerful performance as Paul Rusesbagina in “Hotel Rwanda.” But he’s been delivering an abundance of critically-acclaimed work both before and since in such films as “Devil in a Blue Dress,” “Boogie Nights,” “Rosewood,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Crash,” “Traffic,” “Swordfish,” “Talk to Me,” “Mission to Mars,” “Traitor,” “Rush Hour 2,” “Bulworth” and “Reign over Me.” In this spirited tete-a-tete, Don talks about his latest outing as NYPD Detective Tango Butler in “Brooklyn’s Finest,” a gritty cop saga directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-starring Wesley Snipes, Richard Gere, Ellen Barkin and Ethan Hawke.
WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The U.S. Senate has passed a $140 billion extension on unemployment benefits by a vote of 66-34. The bill, or a sister version, must still be passed by the House of Representatives before a joint version of the bill is passed by a HouseSenate conference committee. The bill would also extend cuts for college tuition, help pay for the COBRA program, which helps laid-off workers keep their health insurance, provide additional funding for Medicaid and tax breaks for high-tech research and development. Democrats called the bill crucial for improving conditions for both unemployed workers and businesses, ahead of this fall’s mid-term elections. “Extending these tax cuts and the critical safety-net programs in this bill will give businesses the tax certainty they need to move forward and families the support they need to make ends meet,” Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, told The Chicago Tribune. Not everyone is pleased about the bill. Many Republican senators think the bill may be too expensive for American taxpayers. “There’s $100 billion in the bill that’s on the Senate floor right now that’s not paid for,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told CNN. “So whatever savings they allege will occur under their health care bill over the next
Kam Williams: Hi, Don, thanks for the time. Don Cheadle: Thank you. KW: How did you prepare for this role as an undercover detective? DC: I spent some time with several police officers who are actually doing the same type of work in Brooklyn. KW: Citing the maxim ”Great actors do not act, they show their true selves to the camera,” are there any parts of your psyche you have not yet explored on camera? DC: After making 40-something films, if there’s anything I haven’t revealed yet, it’s probably best kept under wraps. KW: Was the energy on the set of “Brooklyn’s Finest” similar to working with the large ensemble of talented actors in “Ocean’s Eleven?” DC: No, this was a very different experience. KW: Is there any truth to the rumor that you’re planning to ★CHEADLE, Page 2
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I Am Empowered - Are You?
Black Buying Power.
Black Male Dropout Rates.
★UNEMPLOYMENT, Page 7