From NewsOne:

Written by Terrell Jermaine Starr

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arguably one of the most-studied public figures in world history. Very few facts about the former civil rights icon have gone unpublished. Still, here are some facts about Dr. King’s life you may not know.

1) Dr. King Was Involved In A Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Libel Case

On March 29, 1960, the New York Times published a full-page advertisement titled “Heed Their Rising Voices” that abhorred southern police departments and local government officials for physically abusing peaceful protesters and suppressing their rights to protest. The ad also solicited funds to defend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. against an Alabama perjury indictment that alleged he lied on tax returns from 1956 and 1958 (more on King’s tax-evasion trial below). The advertisement inaccurately stated that Alabama State Police arrested Dr. King seven times when he had only been arrested four times prior to its publication.

Even though Montgomery, Alabama’s then-Public Safety Commissioner L. B. Sullivan was not mentioned in the ad, he argued its commentary damaged his reputation. An Alabama court ruled in Sullivan’s favor, awarding him $500,000 in damages.  The ruling was appealed and argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in the Times’ favor 9-0, determining that Alabama’s courts did not sufficiently protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press as required by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The Court’s ruling set the precedent for more aggressive reporting of civil rights abuses by southern states forthwith.

Moreover, the ruling specifically required that any plaintiff suing for defamation must prove that the statements in question were made in malice. So you may not like the National Inquirers of the world, but unless you can prove their content was purposefully designed to harm your reputation, you’ll have to live with it.

Sources: archives.gov, The Oyez Project At Chicago-Kent, “Parting the Waters, America In The King Years 1954-63,” by Taylor Branch

2) Alabama Prosecuted Dr. King For Back Taxes

Dr. King was the first person in Alabama’s history to be prosecuted for felony tax evasion, according to “Parting The Waters.” Technically, he was charged with perjuring himself by signing his tax returns for 1956 and 1958. Here’s an explanation behind why the charges were brought forth:

“King commonly accepted donations to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization he led from its inception until his assassination, and other civil rights activities via his personal checking account. He tallied, in great detail, every donation given to him in personal diaries. This practice got him into trouble with the State of Alabama for tax evasion. Of course, King’s civil rights activities in the state were of great consternation to local and state officials determined to bury him. His questionable record-keeping was a weakness his racist adversaries in Alabama’s bureaucracy hoped to use to imprison him.”

King‘s lawyers thought his chances of winning the case were slim, especially since he had never won a court case in Alabama before. Still, his personal diaries ended up keeping him out of prison, and he was eventually found not guilty.

Sources: “Parting The Waters, America In King Years 1954-63″

3) The March On Washington Was Organized By A Gay Black Man

Bayard Rustin was one of King’s top aids but the least-discussed because he was gay. Rustin regularly assisted King with fund-raising, bus-integration initiatives, and a host of other issues. Most importantly, Rustin is recognized as one of the key organizers for the 1963 March on Washington, but he was never allowed to be fully recognized for his work because of his communist leanings and sexual orientation. Hopefully, Rustin‘s efforts can be truly recognized in 2012.

It is worth noting that before her death in 2006, Dr. King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, supported gay marriage and denounced efforts to make it constitutionally illegal.

Sources: Wikipedia, USA Today, “Parting the Waters, America In The King Years 1954-63″

4) Dr. King Was Painstakingly Frugal, Conscience Of Image

Dr. King was paid a token salary of $1 from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and an annual salary of $6,000 from Ebenezer Baptist Church, a paltry sum for a man of his stature – even in the 1960s. According to Branch, King was painstakingly cognizant of his public image, fearing any perceived excess would draw unneeded scrutiny.  Nonetheless, his frugality drew accusations from Atlanta’s black elites that he was “too conspicuously humble.”

Source: “Parting the Waters, America In The King Years 1954-63″

5) Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” Is Dedicated To King

If you do not know the lyrics, your ear would likely skip over the lines that go:

“I just never understood
How a man who died for good
Could not have a day that would
Be set aside for his recognition
Because it should never be
Just because some cannot see
The dream as clear as he
That they should make it become an illusion
And we all know everything
That he stood for time will bring
For in peace our hearts will sing
Thanks to Martin Luther King”

Sources: YouTube, The Guardian

6) There Was A Racist Road To MLK Federal Holiday

King is one of only three people (Christopher Columbus and George Washington are the others) to have a U.S. federal holiday named in his honor. Four days after King’s assassination, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich) introduced a bill on the House floor that established a Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday.

The bill faced years of fierce opposition, with some congressmen claiming that King was unworthy of such an honor. Leading the opposition was the late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina). On Oct. 3, 1983, Helms presented a paper, “Martin Luther King Jr.: Political Activities and Associations,” on the Senate floor, outlining King’s alleged communist affiliations and promiscuity. His blocking of the bill didn’t work. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) introduced the Senate version of the MLK bill that passed by a vote of 78-22 sixteen days later.

On Nov. 3 of that same year, 15 years after Conyers first legislative attempt, Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law, establishing that every third Monday of January be recognized as an MLK federal holiday.

Still, many states refused to honor the holiday. Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) infamously opposed the holiday’s recognition in his home state of Arizona during his early days as a representative. Watch this video clip here to see him explain why he initially opposed the bill. (His ignorance is breathtaking.)

McCain eventually supported the holiday and even backed a 1990 referendum asking Arizonians to recognize it. The referendum failed. Consequently, the National Football League (NFL) rescinded its decision to have Super Bowl XXVII played in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona in 1993.

Arizona eventually voted in favor of the holiday via a referendum in 1992. (Subsequently, the NFL played Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz., in 1996.) In 2000, South Carolina became the last state to observe the holiday. Ironically, its state Legislature voted to remove the Confederate battle flag atop the Statehouse that same year.

Sources: Time Magazine, New York Times, The King Center

Given that Dr. King’s birthday is upon us, let us rejoice in his spirit by singing his praises. Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

Do you have what it takes to be crowned the All American Handyman?

HGTV is in search of highly skilled Handymen and Handywomen from across the country!

If you have the personality and skills to impress Mike Holmes and Scott McGillivray – we want to meet you at our Open Casting Call!

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Time: 10am-12pm
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Application http://allamericanhandymancasting.com/application/
2 photos of yourself
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Put your Handiwork to the test for the chance to win a $20,000 Prize Package!

If you can’t make it to an open call, please visit us at www.allamericanhandymancasting.com for details about how to submit a home video!

From: thegrio.com

By Donovan X. Ramsey

Director George Lucas talked with The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart Monday about the difficulty of getting his latest project, Red Tails to the big screen screen.

Red Tails stars a virtually all-black cast. It tells the story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilots from World War II. They were the first black pilots to serve in combat and their story will be recreated by stars like Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard and Nate Parker.

Lucas, who serves as executive producer of the film, told Stewart that he has been developing on the film for 23 years. He financed its production and tried to get promotion from major studios.

“They said it’s not green enough,” said Lucas.

WATCH DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS ON ‘THE DAILY SHOW’ HERE

…..SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

From: thegrio.com
By Oelania Pena

When the parody video Sh*t Black Girls Say went viral through YouTube it received millions of hits. It also received thousands of complaints from African-American women who were upset at the negative stereotypes that comedian Elijah Griffin perpetuated. The comedian himself admitted that “when your work is provocative it will offend others.”

Now, there’s a new parody by blogger and comedian Franchesca Leigh Ramsey, a 28-year-old graduate of the Miami International University of Art and Design. Her satirical video “Sh*t White Girls Say… to Black Girls” received almost 4,000 likes on YouTube in its first day on the web

From: thegrio.com

From the Huffington Post: Don Cheadle took to Twitter on Friday to clarify remarks he gave to Jet Magazine about Barack Obama and his disappointment in the President’s not being enough “gangster.”

“I realize that when speaking to reporters who are looking for the juiciest comments to print, a word like gangster in connection with a black president uttered by a black celebrity can almost be too much to resist,” the Oscar-nominated actor wrote. “I say this not in defense but to offer some perspective. I believe I used the word gangster and I meant it. But I wasn’t talking about pants sagging and forties and ‘hoes’ or any of that other nonsense and I find it hard to believe that that is what some people thought I was saying. I was talking about wish fulfillment; my own and my desire to witness something more than I had.”

Cheadle continued, writing that he was eager to campaign with President Obama in 2008 and will support him in the upcoming election, as well. Still, he has not seen the changes he had anticipated and for which he had hoped.

“Many of my friends and family are scratching it out somewhere decidedly south of the ever widening gap between the haves and have nots, looking at losing their homes, colleges they can’t afford and healthcare they can’t avail themselves of. They’re the ones I’m thinking of when I say gangster,” he wrote, noting the constraints of having to work with an uncooperative Congress. “President Obama inherited a broken country mired in two wars, a financial crisis, a mortgage mess and more than we all probably even know about and has in my opinion brought us back from the brink. But I still see my friends in no better shape and the gap widening.”

From thegrio.com

ATLANTA AVIATION CAREER ENRICHMENT HOSTS 12TH ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE
“If I Can See It, I Can Be It”
Atlanta, GA – Aviation Career Enrichment is pleased to announce its 12th Annual Open House – “If I can see it, I
can be it!” ACE, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization uses flight and aviation training to inspire young people ages
nine to 18 to sharpen their academic skills and remain in school by introducing its participants to career opportunities in
the airline and aerospace industry.
Saturday, November 5, 2011 | 10:00am to 4:00pm
Fulton County Airport – Brown Field
During the annual open house, participants will be exposed to the year-round curriculum of the ACE Academy
and current students will offer tours of the facility. This program is packed full of exciting events for aviation enthusiasts
of all ages including flight simulator demonstrations and airplane rides. Attendees will have a chance to learn about
ACE’s educational efforts and to speak with ACE students to better understand the ACE mission.
“We have a dedicated group of volunteers who are here each and every Saturday to educate students and provide
mentorship to ensure that they are on a path to success,” said ACE founder Julius Alexander. “Their commitment and
loyalty to the development of our students is simply unmatched and is truly an inspiration for all.”
ACE was founded in 1980 as a non-profit organization by Julius Alexander, a 10,000+ hour FAA gold seal flight
instructor and is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. In establishing ACE, Mr. Alexander
realized that less than one half of one percent of the airline pilots employed in the United States were African American or
female. Very few were employed in related aerospace professions. The mission of ACE is to address this shortfall by
exposing disadvantaged, at-risk and minority youth to aviation opportunities.
Today, scores of former ACE students and volunteers are now successful aviation professionals and are among
the very small percentage of African-American and other minority groups in the airline industry, military and corporate
aviation. While African Americans comprise the majority of its participants, the doors of ACE are open to all young men
and women ages nine to 18.
For further information on the ACE program, contact Jill Nidiffer, Director of Community Programs and
Development at 404-763-8252, jill.nidiffer@atlantaaceacademy.org or visit www.aviationcareerenrichment.org.

Visit: http://www.cityoflovejoy.com/

Take a listen:

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Miguel recently took part in TheUrbandaily.com’s “Face-To-Face” series having an intimate sit-down with fellow R&B sensation Marsha Ambrosius. The two singers talk about everything from their first sexual experiences to what it really means to be in love.  Make sure to catch them by clicking below!

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Remember Fred “Rerun” Berry? He was best known for his role as Rerun in the hit 70′s sitcom What’s Happening!!

Well what many don’t know is that Rerun was a member of The Original Lockers; or more widely known as the The Campbellock Dancers. A Los Angeles based dance group that pioneered poplocking and paved the way for popping. The original members were Toni Basil, the legendary Don “Campbellock” Campbell and Fred “Rerun” Berry a.k.a. Mr Penguin.

During the mid to late 70′s The Cambellock Dancers received a lot of attention due to their unique and unusual form of dancing. They appeared on commercials and TV shows such as:  The Carol Burnett Show, Saturday Night Live and Soul Train to name a few.

Unfortunately, Fred “Rerun” Berry could not shake his identity of his Rerun character and ended up being typecast. Fred “Rerun” Berry passed away in October 21 of 2003 but definitely left a legacy within the street dance culture.

Here is a an entertaining video of The Cambellock Dancers performing on the set of The Krofft Superstar Hour Show.

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