(NNPA)—Four men who committed three hate crime assaults in response to President Barack Obama’s election victory have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carol B. Amon in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y. Ralph Nicoletti, 19, was sentenced to 108 months in prison; Bryan Garaventa, 18, was sentenced to 60 months; Michael Contreras, 19, was sentenced to 55 months; and Brian Carranza, 21, was sentenced to 70 months. The sentencing was Sept. 11.
Week of September 17-23 September 17 1787—The United States Constitution is approved but it includes three clauses allowing for the continuation of slavery even though it was supposed to be a document of freedom. 1861—Hampton Institute (now a university) is founded. It has become one of the nation’s leading predominately Black educational institutions.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP)—In a pep talk that kept clear of politics, President Barack Obama on Tuesday challenged the nation’s students to take pride in their education—and stick with it even if they don’t like every class or must overcome tough circumstances at home. TALKING TO STUDENTS— Education Secretary Arne Duncan looks on as President Barack Obama talks to students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., Sept. 8. “Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer,” Obama told students at Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., and children watching his speech on television in schools across the country. “And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.”
(NNPA)—After more than 50 years of vibrant colors, decorative runways and models of color ranging from stick thin to plus-size, the Ebony Fashion Fair show has called it quits, at least for now, a (Philadelphia Inquirer) article reported. Organizers of the Ebony Fashion Fair have canceled the annual fashion showcase this year due to the economic slowdown. Staged annually at venues across the country, it hopes to return in 2010.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (NNPA) — The Rev. Dr. Henry J. Lyons and his supporters vowed to challenge the results, announced a little after 9:30 p.m. Sept. 10, of the run-off for presidency of the National Baptist Convention, USA after a stunning loss. REV. HENRY LYONS
WASHINGTON (AP)—The White House environmental adviser under fire for inflammatory statements made before he joined the administration resigned after what he called a “vicious smear campaign against me.” Van Jones “understood that he was going to get in the way” of President Barack Obama’s agenda, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Sunday. EMBATTLED ADVISER RESIGNS—Van Jones, an administration official specializing in environmentally friendly “green jobs,” is seen at the National Summit in Detroit, in this June 16 file photo.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Marcus Wells and Shirley Walker view their economic prospects from opposite ends of the age spectrum. Wells, 25, was initially optimistic about his prospects for finding a new job after he was laid off as a systems analyst in January in San Jose, Calif. Now unemployment has begun to wear on him, and he believes his age has factored into his frustration. SEARCHING—Marcus Wells prepares his job resume in his bedroom in San Jose, Calif.
For the Week of Sept. 10-16 September 10 1847—John Roy Lynch was born into slavery on this day near Vidalia, La. Lynch would be among the first group of Blacks to serve in the United States Congress after slavery. He represented the state of Mississippi. Lynch would even serve as temporary chairman of the Republican Party National Convention. During this period, the Republicans were the more progressive and friendly-to-Blacks party. FATHER DIVINE But as the period of Reconstruction faded and Southern politicians made it virtually impossible for Blacks to remain in political office, Lynch moved to Chicago and practiced law. He died in 1939 at the age of 92.
For the Week of September 3-9 September 3 1838—Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore using so-called “free papers” and disguising himself as a sailor. He would go on to become the most prominent anti-slavery activist and Black leader of his day. He is perhaps best remembered for his now famous 1857 quote: “If there is no struggle there is no progress...Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Free papers were documents normally required to be in the possession of all free Blacks. But one freedom tactic employed during slavery was for a slave to somehow borrow the papers of a free Black who fit his or her general description and use the papers to escape from slavery. FREDERICK DOUGLASS
ATLANTA (AP)—The city that became a post-civil rights movement emblem of the political power held by African-Americans could have a White mayor for the first time in a generation—a possibility that has some in the Black community scrambling to hold on to City Hall. Atlanta Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who is White, is one of the front-runners for the Nov. 3 election, along with City Council President Lisa Borders and state Sen. Kasim Reed, both of whom are Black. FINAL PREPARATIONS— City of Atlanta mayoral candidates Mary Norwood, second from left, is surrounded by a field of Black candidates including Lisa Borders, left, Peter Brownlowe, right, Rod Mack, second from right, and Glenn Thomas as they make final preparations before facing off in a debate. If Norwood wins the election she would become the first White mayor of Atlanta in a generation. All three have bristled at a racially charged e-mail circulated by a Black leadership group calling for Norwood’s defeat before a possible runoff. If the Black candidates split the African-American vote, Norwood may find herself in a runoff, where she could benefit.
