Finally: The National Museum of African American History and Culture

It took decades of lobbying, the retirement of Jesse Helms and Dick Cheney missed the vote yesterday but the Smithsonian Board of Regents finally approved the construction of The National Museum of African American History and Culture.

But as happens so many times, the happy is mixed with the sad as this news comes on the same day as the passing of Coretta Scott King.

Congratulations to all who worked for many years on this idea, especially Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.

I hope the story of the men of the USS Mason can find inclusion at this Mall location that Congressman Lewis calls "the front door to America."

Mrs. King Has Passed at Age 78

From 11Alive WXIA-TV Atlanta:

Web Editor: Sean Rowe
Last Modified: 1/31/2006 7:59:09 AM

Coretta Scott King, the beloved and outspoken wife of civil rights pioneer Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., passed away at her home in Atlanta about 1 a.m. Tuesday. She was 78.Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young broke the news during a phone call he made to NBC's "Today" show on 11Alive. Asked how he found out about her death, Young said: "I understand she was asleep last night and her daughter tried to wake her up."Mrs. King suffered a stroke and heart attack last August. She had been working toward a recovery at home in Atlanta since her release from the hospital in September.Earlier this month, King made a celebrated public appearance at the Salute to Greatness dinner -- a major fundraiser for The King Center -- in Atlanta. Mrs. King founded the King Center in 1968, shortly after the assassination of her husband in Memphis, Tenn.The Kings were married in 1953 and had four children, Martin Luther III, Yolanda, Dexter and Bernice.

Postage Stamp Honors Hattie McDaniel

This image provided by the U.S. Postal Service shows the stamp for movie actress Hattie McDaniel. McDaniel, the first black actress to win an Academy Award, was honored Wednesday Jan. 25, 2006 with a U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp. McDaniel is the 29th person honored in the Postal Service's long-running Black Heritage stamp series. (AP)

Ruby Dee Speaks at Wright State University

Civil rights activist and theatrical groundbreaker Ruby Dee entertained a crowd of all ages in the Student Union Apollo Room last Wednesday. As part of the Presidential Lecture Series and the Bolinga Center's 35th Anniversary celebration, Dee reflected on her stage career and experiences of working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

Full Story from Wright State's The Guardian Online

The Thunder of Angels

Featured today on Black America Web, the Thunder of Angels recounts the story of Pfc. Thomas Edwards Brooks, a uniformed black soldier who was killed by a Montgomery police officer five years before the Bus Boycott. His crime was balking at an order to board a bus through a back door.

A basic theme of the story of the USS Mason is that throughout American history, people of African descent have defended America, many times with the assumption that if they proved themselves in the military, then the basic fairness of equal treatment would be a product of that service.

Says the book's co-author Donnie Williams, "This man gave up his life for all of us just as if he were in a war on foreign land. He was a soldier and was willing to give up his life in a war for us. He was also a soldier in another way -- a civil rights soldier -- and he did die for us all."

State Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery is pushing for a statue or marker to be erected as part of the 50th anniversary, which will culminate Dec. 21, the official end of the boycott in 1956.

PROUD OPENS TODAY IN THE ATL

Thank you to the Cinefe 8 for making PROUD available to Atlanta audiences! You can buy your tickets online from MovieTickets.com.

Showtimes:
11:25am, 2:00pm, 4:25pm, 7:00pm, 9:25pm

PROUD's Denise Nicholas Authors Novel

Denise Nicholas has added author to her long list of credits. Publishers Weekly describes her new novel Freshwater Road:

"In her rich, absorbing debut, actress Nicholas (Room 222; In the Heat of the
Night) follows a young woman South to "trench Mississippi, gutbucket
Mississippi" during the summer of 1964. The daughter of a Detroit bar
owner/numbers runner and his estranged, class-conscious ex-wife (whose light
complexion enables her to pass as white), Celeste Tyree has enjoyed a
comfortable, sheltered middle-class life for all of her nearly two decades. ...
Sometimes gorgeous, sometimes terrifying, this novel marks the debut of a
talented writer."

See PROUD in Atlanta in January

PROUD's first showing of the new year begins January 13 at the Cinefe 8 in Lithonia. Also please take time to read the biography of theater owners Lee and Robin May. These Clark Atlanta University graduates are two of the youngest theater owners in the United States.

Celebrate the Life and Work of Dr. King Online

The King Center

The MLK National Historic Site

The Nobel Peace Prize

The Washington DC National Memorial

The Time Magazine Man of the Year - 1964

Congratulations to Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women Film Critics Circle.