“A Gulf Coast Juneteenth” is scheduled to bring a stellar musical lineup to celebrate and commemorate the abolition of slavery in Texas. Music fans will gather from across the region at Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston’s largest public outdoor theatre, on Friday, June 19, 2009, to hear performances by noted artists representing the rich African American musical traditions of the Gulf Coast.

Twelve years of hard work paid off for millions of high school students who are a part of the class of 2009. All of the studying in late night sessions, balancing after school activities with academics, and going the extra mile are among the travails the students endured. Their efforts have been crowned with success as those whose names are listed below have been named 2009 valedictorians of their respective high school classes.

Councilmember Jarvis Johnson, District B is expressing his support for minority radio stations and against House Bill HR 848, a bill that would negatively impact small and minority radio stations.

“I never expected to be an Olympian. I never thought I was going to be capable of doing that. Growing up in Irvington NJ it wasn’t on my radar. I was having fun with the sport,” said Cullen Jones, and look where just “having fun” has gotten him. As the first African American male to hold a world record in swimming and one of two to hold a gold medal in the sport, I say it has gotten Mr. Jones pretty far.

Not long after she was out of diapers, Marian Anderson was making up tunes and playing a toy piano. By the time she was four years old, people knew she had “a gift”. At age six, she joined the Union Baptist Church’s junior choir and was soon singing solo. As a teen, her voice contributed monetarily to the household.

The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program (FWEP) will honor three exceptional community leaders at its 11th Annual “Heart of Houston” luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, at The Power Center, 12401 South Post Oak Road, Houston, TX 77045. With a theme of “Celebrating Education and the Entrepreneurial Spirit,” the Heart of Houston will honor Entrepreneurial Trailblazers Mr. and Mrs. Percy Creuzot and Education Champion Dr. Felix L. Cook. This year’s title sponsor is KBR, Inc.

Fort Bend ISD, touting a population that today is 23 percent white, elected Marilyn Glover its only African American school board trustee in Saturday, May 9 elections after its first year in the last 26 years with no African American on the seven member elected school board. “My husband Albert and I have worked tirelessly for more than 16 years throughout all the Fort Bend community at every level to increase quality of life for all the families that call Fort Bend County home,” Glover said while savoring her victory.

Despite voter surveys showing a close presidential race, Illinois Senator Barack Obama continues to enjoy a clear advantage in gathering the electoral votes he will need to win election in November, according to a convention guide that will be distributed next week to delegates and press at the Democratic Convention by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint Center).

The Ensemble Theatre, the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, will celebrate Mothers Day with a special performance by acclaimed actress Ella Joyce, benefiting the Heart of the Theatre subscription Drive. Joyce will perform her one-women show entitled A Rose Among Thorns: A Dramatic Tribute to Rosa Parks.

I was honored to serve as a moderator for the “Rising Cost of Higher Education” panel today, which was part of the African American Legislative Summit held at the Capitol. On the panel were an exceptional group of higher education administrators, including, Dr. John Rudley, President of Texas Southern University.

On April 28, 2009 American history will be made. The National Congress of Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) will introduce Sojourner Truth as the first African American woman to have a memorial bust in the United States Capitol building amidst hundreds of guests. After nearly a ten year effort spearheaded by the late Dr. C. Delores Tucker, former chair of NCBW, the memorial has been completed by current National Chair, Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. and members of NCBW.

Environmentalist, political activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai of Kenya was inducted into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as an Honorary Member during a special members-only induction recently held at the Sorority’s Corporate Headquarters in Chicago. In place of International President, Barbara A. McKinzie, who was unable to attend, former International President, Mattelia B. Grays of Houston, TX and the International Chairman of the Honorary Members/Awards Committee, Mae R. Carr, presided over the induction.

Charles Bolden knows a lot about reaching beyond existing boundaries. He logged over 680 hours in space for NASA before returning to the operating forces of the U.S. Marine Corps. Bolden flew in several missions including STS-30, Space Shuttle Discovery, where he commanded a crew of seven aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. This was the historic first joint U.S./Russian Space Shuttle mission involving the participation of a Russian Cosmonaut as a mission specialist crew member. In 2009, Bolden has been reported to be a front-runner for appointment by President Barack Obama to head NASA.

Be ready, no matter how much high school you have left. Read “Tom Joyner Presents How to Prepare for College” by Thomas LaVeist and William LaVeist, foreword by Tom Joyner and get the knowledge you need to get the college you want.

Most fans remember TLC’s Chilli as one-third of the best-selling girl group of all time. In April, Chilli partnered with the Dasani brand to give women one of her staple beauty secrets: water. “People have always asked me questions about how to take care of their skin. Drinking plenty of water has always been a part of my daily routine. It hydrates the skin keeping it taut and supple,” she reveals.

America’s history is an inspirational story of pioneers who gambled their lives and those of their families in search of liberty and freedom. But that remarkable history bears the taint of a history that challenged these lofty goals with years of denying freedom and liberties to many of its people. Spanning centuries, America has persecuted racial and ethnic groups, women, children and those of sexual orientation. Amidst these abuses, those heaped upon the African immigrant have been the most long lasting and cruelest. From its inception, slavery in America established and institutionalized the denial of civil and human rights to people brought forcibly onto American soil.

The long-awaited National Museum of African American History and Culture took an important step forward yesterday with the selection of an architectural and design team.

The exhilarating third edition of Who’s Who In Black Houston™ will be released by Who’s Who Publishing Company, the nation’s largest annual directory publisher targeting the African-American market, on Thursday, April 9, 2009, at the InterContinental Hotel. Join us for the networking reception at 6:00 p.m. and the Official Book Unveiling Program at 7:30 p.m

Hip Hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been spending a lot of time and money in recent months trying to sharpen his image as a debonair Black playboy who should take the leading role in the next James Bond movie. But he hurt himself among many fans last week when issuing a casting call for his next CIROC vodka commercial.

Adoptions From The Heart (AFTH), a licensed, non-profit adoption agency, will hold a free online webinar on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 7:00PM EST. Attendees will learn about our agency and our programs. The focus …