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Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks dies
Leon Spinks, who won Olympic gold and then shocked the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight title in only his eighth pro fight, died Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. He was 67.
Joe Sample, pioneer in jazz funk, dies at 75
Music lovers around the world are mourning the loss of pianist and composer Joe Sample, a founding member of the genre-crossing Jazz Crusaders, who helped pioneer the electronic jazz-funk fusion style.
Trial in ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal gets underway
The first full trial in the college admissions bribery scandal opened Monday with defense attorneys seeking to portray the two parents accused of buying their childrens’ way into school as victims of a con man who believed their payments were legitimate donations.
President Obama’s memoir off to record-setting sales start
Former President Barack Obama’s memoir, “A Promised Land” sold nearly 890,000 copies in the United States and Canada in its first 24 hours, putting it on track to be the best selling presidential memoir in modern history.
Black lives celebrated and mourned at emotional BET Awards
Black power, suffering and the fight for justice took center stage at the BET Awards on Sunday, the first Black celebrity event since recent nationwide mass protests broke out over systemic racism.
Former Congressman Ron Dellums, who pushed U.S. sanctions against apartheid South Africa, dies at 82
Ronald Vernie “Ron” Dellums was a fiery anti-war activist who championed social justice in his community and in Congress. The first African-American Democratic congressman from Northern California and a former mayor of his native Oakland, Calif., died from cancer at his Washington residence on Monday, July 30, 2018, according to his family. He was 82.
Ken Jennings to be first interim host on ‘Jeopardy!’
“Jeopardy!” record-holder Ken Jennings will be the first in a series of interim hosts replacing Alex Trebek when the show resumes production next week.
Jackson family patriarch dies
Joseph “Joe” Jackson, the patriarch who launched the musical Jackson family dynasty, died Wednesday morning, June 27, 2018, in a Las Vegas hospital.
Malcolm X bio wins National Book Award
Tamara Payne and her late father Les Payne’s Malcolm X biography, “The Dead Are Arising,” has won the National Book Award for nonfiction.
Charlottesville removes Confederate statues that sparked bloodshed
Cheers erupted last Saturday as a Confederate statue that towered for nearly a century over downtown Charlottesville was carted away by truck from the place where it had become a flashpoint for racist protests and deadly violence.
Vanderbilt launches James Lawson Institute or the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements
Vanderbilt University announced the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements, honoring the 92-year-old influential activist who taught nonviolence to protesters during the civil rights struggles last century.
National Urban League finds State of Black America is grim
ATLANTA The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9 percent of the American pie white people enjoy.
Controversial Bishop Eddie L. Long dies at 63
During a 30-year tenure, Bishop Eddie Lee Long transformed the once tiny New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta into a megachurch that peaked at 25,000 members before he became embroiled in a sex scandal. A controversial figure who lived a lavish lifestyle and earned millions of dollars from real estate investments and book royalties while pastor, Bishop Long died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. His church attributed his death to an aggressive form of cancer.
Foundations buy Ebony and JET photo archives for preservation at Smithsonian
The sale of the photo archive of Ebony and JET magazines chronicling African-American history is generating relief among some who worried the historic images may be lost.
Singer Traci Braxton of ‘Braxton Family Values’ dies at 50
Singer Traci Braxton, who was featured with her family in the reality television series “Braxton Family Values,” died at age 50 on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
Mayweather seals legacy; rematch possible
Floyd Mayweather Jr. cemented his place among the pantheon of boxing greats, improving to 48-0 with a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao last Saturday in a fight some believed didn’t live up to its immense hype and price tag.
Prince Harry says ignorance no excuse for unconscious bias
Britain’s Prince Harry says it took him many years and the experience of living with his wife, Meghan Markle, to understand how his privileged upbringing shielded him from the reality of unconscious bias.
Virginia’s voter ID law upheld by federal judge
A federal judge has upheld a 2013 Virginia law requiring prospective voters to show approved photo identification before being allowed to cast ballots.
Kaepernick draws fire again — this time over Nike ad
Controversy continues to surround former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick two years after he first took a knee during the national anthem to protest the oppression of people of color and continuing police brutality against African-Americans.
Ex-prosecutor charged in Ahmaud Arbery case booked at jail
The former prosecutor charged with misconduct for her handling of the Ahmaud Arbery case was booked at a Georgia jail on Wednesday and released.
