(NNPA)—Black film director Spike Lee apologized March 28 and agreed to pay relocation costs for an elderly couple in Sanford, Fla., whose address was incorrectly linked to the unrelated George Zimmerman, Neighborhood Watch volunteer and admitted killer of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, according to U.S. News on MSNBC. FILMMAKER ISSUES APOLOGY FOR HARMFUL TWEET—Filmmaker Spike Lee poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will, File) Elaine and David McClain, who happen to have a son named William George Zimmerman, are in hiding in fear of vigilante violence after a surge of Twitter traffic—from Black film director Spike Lee, among others—generated hate mail, media queries and even death threats, all aimed at them.
Week of April 4 to April 10 April 4 1915—Muddy Waters is born McKinley Morganfield in Rolling Fork, Miss. Walters would go on to become one of the primary shapers of that genre of music known as the blues. Indeed, he was easily one of the most influential musicians of the first half of the 20th century. MUDDY WATERS 1928—Poet Maya Angelou is born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Mo. Angelou now ranks as one of the greatest poets in America. But her talents have also been expressed as a playwright, author, producer, historian and civil rights activist.
by Marilyn Marchione CHICAGO (AP)—Provocative new research might help explain why Black women are so much more likely than Whites to develop and die from cervical cancer: They seem to have more trouble clearing HPV, the virus that causes the disease. Doctors have long thought that less access to screening and follow-up health care were the reasons Black women are 40 percent more likely to develop cervical cancer and twice as likely to die from it. The new study involving young college women suggests there might be a biological explanation for the racial disparity, too.
by Michael RubinkamAssociated Press Writer ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP)—Neighborhood watch groups were designed to be the eyes and ears of police—passively observing what they see and reporting back to law enforcement—not to enforce the law themselves.
Week of March 28-April 3 March 28 1900—The British demand the Ashanti Golden Stool. Ironically, the Ashanti had been one of the tribes which had actually benefited from slavery by capturing and selling their fellow Africans. But when the slave trade ended, the British turned on the Ashanti in a bid to colonize the Gold Coast (now Ghana). QUEEN YAA ASANTEWA In an apparent attempt to demoralize and humiliate the Ashanti, the British demanded that they turnover one of their greatest symbols—the Golden Stool. The demand led to war. The Ashanti were led by Queen Yaa Asantewa. Her fighters kept the British at bay for several months. But with superior fire power, the British eventually prevailed.
by Ken ThomasAssociated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama spoke in unusually personal terms Friday about the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in Florida, a case that has roiled civil rights activists and a suburban Orlando community. "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," Obama said, vowing to "get to the bottom of what happened." ANSWERS QUESTIONS—President Barack Obama answers a reporter's question about the death of Trayvon Martin, March 23, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/ Haraz N. Ghanbari)
by Kathy Barks HoffmanAssociated Press Writer LANSING, Mich. (AP)—The debate over how best to help Detroit avoid going broke escalated into a war of words March 14 as Gov. Rick Snyder urged the city to get over a “cultural challenge” by accepting his plan for reviving its finances, and local officials snapped back that they’re up to the job. TOUGH QUESTIONS—Mayor Dave Bing answers questions posed to him by Bankole Thompson, the senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle, during the Global Conversations Speakers Series at the downtown campus of Wayne County Community College District, March 14, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Eric Seals)
by Larry Miller For New Pittsburgh Courier (NNPA)—A preliminary hearing scheduled for Padge Victoria Winslowe, also known as the “Black Madam,” was continued to a later date on March 15. Winslowe, who is accused of performing illegal buttocks enhancement procedures, was also scheduled for a bail hearing. ARRESTED—Padge Victoria Windslowe, also known as the Black Madam, was arrested and charged for performing illegal silicon enhancement injections. Windslowe is also a person of interest in the death of Claudia Aderotimi, who died in February 2011 following illegal silicon injections. (PHOTO FROM PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT)
Week of March 21-27 March 21 1955—Walter White dies. As head of the NAACP, White was perhaps the most prominent and powerful civil rights leader of the first half of the 20th century. The light complexioned, blue eyed White became somewhat of a legend in 1919 when he “passed for White” in order to investigate the notorious Elaine, Ark., race riot when marauding bands of Whites killed over 200 Blacks. He barely escaped with his life when news of his true identity leaked out. WALTER WHITE
by David Porter NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Rep. Donald Payne was a modest man who favored quiet persuasion over bombast, qualities that didn’t detract from his effectiveness as an advocate for the most vulnerable in the U.S. and abroad, former friends and colleagues recalled at his funeral March 14. U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (AP Photo/Mike Derer, File) Former President Bill Clinton called Payne, who died last week of colon cancer at age 77, “a dear friend” who “made me a better president” for his humanitarian efforts in Africa and elsewhere.
