On Sunday, September 27, 2009, friends and family will come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of Mattie H. Grant at the St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 2508 Clay Street at 9am. Mrs. Grant along with her husband Roland T. Grant are pioneers in entrepreneurship owning several grocery stores, a drug store with a lunch counter and a wholesale tobacco store in the Third Ward when there were very few African Americans who were doing so.

The Houston Public Library will be hosting the Vernacular Architecture and the Building Arts in Houston: The Gulf Coast Connection symposium on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 10 AM to 6 PM. The event will take place at the Central Library, 500 McKinney, 77002, 832-393-1313, on the 4th floor’s Program Place. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Pat Jasper at (713) 527-9330, cell (512) 484-1180 or by email at pat@haatx.com.

When I was in a parking lot getting into my test car, a woman walked up to get in her car and said, “I like this car” then she asked “what is it?” I said “it’s an Audi” and she admiringly said, “I should have known.”

Massachusetts- (Democrat) Senator Edward M. Kennedy whose nickname was “Ted” has died late Tuesday, August 25, 2009. Senator Kennedy was battling brain cancer. Unfortunately, he succumbed at the age of 77 at his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts. Kennedy is survived by his wife, Victoria Ann Reggie Kennedy; his ex wife, Joan Bennett; and five children, Patrick, Kara, and Edward Jr. from his first marriage to Bennett and Curan and Caroline Raclin, stepchildren from his second wife Victoria.

Urban Fashion Week is coming to Dallas following 10 years of paramount success in Paris, New York, Miami and many other major metropolitan areas. The five-day event, September 16-20, 2009 will serve as a platform for the style savvy elite of the city including designers, models, artist, performers and more to present their talent and creativity. Events will be held at various locations throughout the city showcasing the diversity of Dallas. Dallas Urban Fashion Week will be featuring Troop Clothing and Footwear by Nelly, Fumi Designs from New York D Boy Solider from Harlem and partnering with the FAME Festival sponsored by the City of Dallas and Eva Pigford of America’s Next Top Model, making Dallas Urban Fashion Week an event you will not want to miss.

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s have teamed up to launch Book A Brighter Future, a national partnership to raise awareness and support of children’s literacy.

This evening The Miss Black USA Pageant and Scholarship crowned a new national titleholder Miss Black Pennsylvania U.S.A., Shayna Rudd as Miss Black U.S.A. 2009. The pageant was held at the University of District of Columbia Theatre in Washington DC.

The John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, also known as The Health Museum, announced H-E-B as the sponsor of the Free Family Thursday program. During Free Family Thursday, guests enjoy free admission to the Museum from 2 to 5 p.m., year round. On July 30, Free Family Thursday will feature Bernard Harris, Jr., MD, a former NASA astronaut who will be presenting An Astronauts Perspective: Preparing for America’s Future. Dr. Harris presentation, scheduled for 3 p.m., will take place in the Museum’s McGovern Theater and is open to all museum guests. Museum hours on July 30 will be extended to 7 p.m.

The first elected African American mayor of Durham, North Carolina died last week. Chester Jenkins was 71-years-old. He was first elected in 1989 and had been a fixture in the city’s politics and history for decades. However, family and friends would not reveal the exact cause of Jenkins death. Ironically, he died on July 14 – the same day he was born in 1938.

Carolyn Mattocks has created a new educational program for African American youth called “I Can Do Anything”. This powerful program features famous American Blacks who have excelled in various professions to give African American children a practical introduction to potential career choices and a greater knowledge of the historical achievements and successes of those who have come before them.

The national furor which erupted over the arrest of distinguished Black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates began to subside late last week after Cambridge, Massachusetts police dropped disorderly conduct charges against him. The controversy began two Thursdays ago when Gates was accused of attempting to break into his own house.

The Black Pilots of America is sponsoring its 12th Summer Flight Academy (SFA) in Houston, Texas July 11-25, 2009. Sixteen (16) students from across the country are in Houston for this 2 weeks program. The BPA has partnered with Texas Southern University and its Airway Science Program, Ellington Field and Southwest Services to provide a comprehensive introduction to flight training.

Forty-eight colleges, universities and schools across Texas have entered into Yellow Ribbon Program agreements with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve financial aid for veterans participating in the Post-9/11 GI Bill program.

HP recently introduced a new line of printers and PCs that could significantly help level the playing field for African-American college students as the role of technology gains importance in facilitating academic success.

Having the right technology helps students tackle complex assignments, is a valuable aid for research, projects and homework assignments, and is a must-have for participation in many of today’s classrooms. Parents looking to provide their children with the right technology – products with speed, power and lightweight designs – can find it all with HP PCs and printers.

On July 16, in Gettysburg during their 3rd annual partners meeting, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership will unveil, Honoring Their Paths: .African American Contributions Along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

The book shines a light on the realities of slave life, freemen, nationally acclaimed artists and civil rights leaders, revealing three hundred years of untold contributions to our American heritage.

Many ascribe to the cliché “death comes in three’s.” This past week was living proof of this overused expression. Ed McMahon was first to die. Two days later Farrah Fawcett would be called home. Later, on the same day as Farrah’s death the world was in a state of shock after learning that the King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson who was affectionately called MJ, had died.

The Fort Bend Pastors Association and community leaders are standing up to fight for Thurgood Marshall High School’s Electronic Engineering Academy! On Saturday, July 11, 2009, leaders in the Fort Bend Community, such as United States Congressman Al Green, State Senator Rodney Ellis, State Representative Dora Olivo, County Commissioner Grady Prestage, Councilwoman Cynthia Lenton-Gary, Councilwoman Wanda Adams, Constable Ruben Davis, Judge Joel Clouser, and Attorney Ron Reynolds, President of the Missouri City & Vicinity Branch of the NAACP will join the Fort Bend Pastors Association and key stakeholders in a “March for Marshall High School.”

Chaired by attorney Brian Cweren, the group met recently at the museum, consisted of more than 30 local civic leaders, representing a range of different interests committed to expanding awareness of the museum, annihilating hate and opening it as a meeting place.

As a proud supporter of this year’s Black Music Month and online sponsor of the BET Awards, Coors Light, The World’s Most Refreshing Beer, has announced the results of an exciting promotion in which six consumers have been invited to attend this year’s BET Awards Show in Los Angeles.

Washington, DC—DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and DNC Black Caucus Chair Virgie M. Rollins issued the following statement commemorating Juneteenth: “On this day in 1865, emancipation finally made it west, freeing the last slaves in Texas. So today, we commemorate the end of slavery in America and honor all those throughout our history who have fought for freedom, equality and justice by celebrating Juneteenth.