The College World Reporter

COLLEGE WORLD = REPORTER=AE=20
Vol. 1 - No.=20 = 2A = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; =20 February=20 = 2009

PLEASE NOTE FOR = BEST VIEWING=20 RESULTS: When using MSN/HOTMAIL, = must click=20 SHOW CONTENTS after opening. Best viewed on Yahoo = using the=20 ALL-NEW Mail version. Best viewed on AOL using the = Standard=20 version; after opening click SHOW IMAGES and LINKS. If = using=20 Gmail, check bottom left corner and if "message clipped" = message=20 appears, click View Entire=20 Message.

DATE

EVENT

Mar.=20 5, 1770

Crispus=20 Attucks=20 becomes one of the first casualties of the = American=20 Revolution.

Mar.=20 13, 1773

Jean=20 Baptiste Pointe DuSable,=20 Black pioneer and explorer, founded the city of=20 Chicago.

June=20 17, 1775

Peter=20 Salem,=20 a Minuteman, fights in the battle of Bunker = Hill.=20

Feb.=20 2, 1807

Congress=20 bans foreign slave trade.

May=20 24, 1854

Lincoln=20 University of Pennsylvania, the first Black = college in=20 the U. S. is founded.

Sept.=20 22, 1862

The=20 Emancipation Proclamation is = announced.

Jan.=20 1, 1863

President=20 Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation=20 Proclamation.

Jan=20 24, 1865

Congress=20 passes 13th Amendment, which on ratification = abolished=20 slavery.

June=20 19, 1865

Blacks=20 in Texas notified of Emancipation Proclamation;=20 Juneteenth now marks this = event.

Jan=20 9, 1866

Fisk=20 University is founded in Nashville,=20 Tennessee.

Mar.=20 2, 1867

U.=20 S. Congress enacts charter to establish Howard=20 University.

Nov.=20 28, 1868

14th=20 Amendment, granting Blacks full citizenship = rights,=20 becomes part of the = Constitution.

Mar.=20 30, 1870

15th=20 Amendment ratified, guaranteeing voting rights = to=20 African Americans.

July=20 2, 1872

Elijah=20 McCoy=20 patents his first self-lubricating locomotive=20 engine. The quality of his inventions = helped coin=20 the phrase "The Real = McCoy."

Dec.=20 9, 1872

P.B.S.=20 Pinchback=20 from Louisiana becomes first African American = governor=20 in U. S.

Feb.=20 14, 1879

B.=20 K. Bruce=20 becomes first African American to preside over = U. S.=20 Senate.

Dec.=20 2, 1884

Granville=20 T. Woods=20 patents telephone = transmitter.

Apr.=20 7, 1885

Granville=20 T. Woods=20 patents Synchronous Multiplex Railway=20 Telegraph.

Sept.=20 13, 1886

Alain=20 Locke,=20 literary critic and first African American = Rhodes=20 Scholar, is born.

Oct.=20 11, 1887

Granville=20 T. Woods=20 patents telephone system and = apparatus.

May=20 14, 1888

Slavery=20 abolished in Brazil.

July=20 5, 1892

Andrew=20 J. Beard=20 patents rotary engine.

July=20 9, 1893

Dr.=20 Daniel Hale Williams=20 performs first successful open-heart=20 operation.

Sept.=20 18, 1895

Booker=20 T. Washington=20 delivers famous Atlanta Exposition=20 speech.

May=20 18, 1896

Plessy=20 vs. Ferguson, U. S. Supreme Court upholds the = doctrine=20 of "separate but equal" education and public=20 accommodations.

Oct.=20 20, 1898

The=20 first African American owned insurance company, = North=20 Carolina Life Insurance Company, is=20 founded.

May=20 23, 1900

Sgt.=20 William H. Carney, first African American = awarded=20 Congressional Medal of Honor for valor at Fort = Wagner,=20 S. C., 1863.

Nov.=20 6, 1901

James=20 Weldon Johnson=20 and J. Rosamond Johnson compose "Lift = Every Voice=20 and Sing", widely regarded as the Black national = anthem.

Feb.=20 12, 1909

NAACP=20 founded in New York City.

Apr.=20 6, 1909

Matthew=20 A. Henson,=20 Black explorer, becomes first to reach North=20 Pole.

Sept.=20 29, 1910

National=20 Urban League founded in New York = City.

July=20 25, 1916

Garrett=20 Morgan,=20 inventor of the gas mask, rescues six people = from=20 gas-filled tunnel in Cleveland, = OH.

Aug.=20 26, 1920

19th=20 Amendment, giving women the right to vote is=20 ratified.

Feb.=20 19, 1923

In=20 Moore vs. Dempsey decision, U. S. Supreme Court=20 guarantees due process of law for Blacks in = state=20 courts.

Jan.=20 29, 1926

Violette=20 Nealy Anderson=20 becomes the first Black woman lawyer to argue a = case=20 before the U.S. Supreme = Court.

Aug.=20 23, 1926

Carter=20 G. Woodson,=20 educator, historian and author, inaugurates = Negro=20 History Week.

May=20 16, 1927

William=20 H.Barnes=20 becomes the first African American certified by = any=20 American Surgical Board.

Dec.=20 6, 1932

Richard=20 B. Spikes=20 patents automatic = gearshift.

July=20 22, 1939

Jane=20 M. Bolin=20 from New York City, appointed first African = American=20 female judge.

Mar.=20 9, 1941

Amistad=20 defendants freed by U.S. Supreme = Court.

Dec.=20 22, 1943

W.E.B.=20 DuBois,=20 first African American elected to National = Institute of=20 Arts & Letters.

Dec.=20 13, 1944

First=20 African American servicewomen sworn into the=20 WAVES.

June=20 21, 1945

Col.=20 Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.=20 becomes first African American to command U.S. = Army=20 Corps base.

Apr.=20 10, 1947

Jackie=20 Robinson=20 first African American to play baseball in major = leagues.

Jan.=20 12, 1948

Supreme=20 Court rules African Americans have right to = study law at=20 state institutions.

July=20 12, 1949

Frederick=20 M. Jones=20 patents air conditioning unit used in food=20 transportation vehicles. =

Dec.=20 10, 1950

Dr.=20 Ralph J. Bunche=20 becomes the first Black to be awarded the Nobel = Peace=20 Prize.

May=20 17, 1954

U.=20 S. Supreme Court declares segregation in public = schools=20 unconstitutional in Brown vs. Board of Education = decision.

Sept.=20 7, 1954

Washington,=20 D.C. and Baltimore, MD public schools=20 integrated.

Oct.=20 27, 1954

Benjamin=20 O. Davis, Jr.=20 becomes first African American general in the = U.S. Air=20 Force.

Dec.=20 5, 1955

Dr.=20 Martin Luther King, Jr.=20 organizes Birmingham bus = boycott.

Oct.=20 3, 1956

Nat=20 King Cole=20 becomes first Black performer to host his own TV = show.

Sept.=20 24, 1957

Federal=20 troops enforce court-ordered integration as nine = children, who become known as the Little Rock = Nine, integrate Central High School in = Little Rock,=20 AR.

May=20 4, 1961

Freedom=20 Riders=20 begin protesting segregation of interstate bus = travel in=20 the South.

Aug.=20 5, 1962

Nelson=20 Mandella,=20 South African freedom fighter, imprisoned. = He was=20 not released until 1990.

Sept.=20 30, 1962

Under=20 protection of federal marshalls, James = Meredith=20 enrolls as the first African American student at = University of Mississippi.

June=20 12, 1963

Medgar=20 W. Evers,=20 civil rights leader, is assassinated in Jackson, = MS.=20

Sept.=20 15, 1963

Four=20 African American girls killed in Birmingham, AL = church=20 bombing.

June=20 24, 1964

Carl=20 T. Rowan=20 appointed the Director of the U.S. Information=20 Agency.

Oct.=20 14, 1964

At=20 35, Dr. M. L. King, Jr., becomes youngest = man=20 ever to win Nobel Peace = Prize.

Feb.=20 21, 1965

Malcolm=20 X=20 assassinated in New York.

Mar.=20 14, 1965

Montgomery=20 bus boycott ends when municipal bus service is=20 desegregated.

Mar.=20 21, 1965

Dr.=20 Martin Luther King, Jr.=20 leads voting rights march from Selma to = Montgomery,=20 AL.

July=20 13, 1965

Thurgood=20 Marshall=20 becomes first African American appointed U.S. = Solicitor=20 General.

June=20 13, 1967

Thurgood=20 Marshall=20 becomes first African American appointed to U.S. = Supreme=20 Court.

Apr.=20 4, 1968

Dr.=20 Martin Luther King, Jr.=20 assassinated in Memphis.

Nov.=20 5, 1968

Shirley=20 Chisholm=20 of Brooklyn, NY, becomes first African American = woman=20 elected to Congress.

Feb.=20 13, 1970

Joseph=20 L. Searles=20 becomes first African American member of NY = Stock=20 Exchange.

Nov.=20 26, 1970

Charles=20 Gordone=20 becomes first Black playwright to receive the = Pulitzer=20 Prize.

Jan.=20 4, 1971

Congressional=20 Black Caucus=20 formed

Jun.=20 2, 1971

Samuel=20 L. Gravely, Jr.=20 becomes first African American admiral in U.S.=20 Navy.

Apr.=20 8, 1974

Hank=20 Aaron=20 breaks Babe Ruth's career all-time home run=20 record.

Jan.=20 16, 1978

NASA=20 names Black astronauts: Maj. Frederick D. = Gregory, Maj.=20 Guion S. Bluford, and Dr. Ronald=20 McNair.

Apr.=20 12, 1983

Harold=20 Washington=20 becomes first African American mayor of=20 Chicago.

Aug.=20 30, 1983

Lt.=20 Col. Guion S. Bluford=20 becomes first African American astronaut in=20 space.

Sept.=20 17, 1983

Vanessa=20 Williams=20 becomes first African American woman to win Miss = America.

June=20 5, 1987

Dr.=20 Mae C. Jemison=20 becomes first Black woman = astronaut.

Mar.=20 31, 1988

Toni=20 Morrison=20 wins Pulitzer Prize for = Beloved.

Feb.=20 22, 1989

Col.=20 Frederick D. Gregory becomes=20 the first African American to command a space = shuttle=20 mission.

Aug.=20 10, 1989

Gen.=20 Colin Powell=20 is nominated Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, = the first=20 African American to hold the = post.

Jan.=20 13, 1990

L.=20 Douglas Wilder=20 becomes first African American U. S. governor = (Virginia)=20 since Reconstruction.

Sept.=20 12, 1992

Dr.=20 Mae C. Jemison=20 becomes first African American woman to travel = in=20 space.

Oct.=20 16, 1995

Million=20 Man March=20 held in Washington, D.C.

Nov.=20 4, 2008

Barack=20 Hussein Obama=20 elected first African American president of the=20 = U.S.

SPECIAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUPPLEMENT = IMPORTANT EVENTS IN BLACK HISTORY

IN THIS = ISSUE=20

Editor's = Note: Black=20 History Month Supplement =

Modern Era = Black=20 History Makers

What Black = History=20 Month Means To Me=20

GET THE CWR = DELIVERED TO=20 YOUR EMAIL INBOX EVERY=20 MONTH

=20

SPREAD = THE=20 WORD!

FORWARD THE CWR=20 TO YOUR FRIENDS AND=20 = ASSOCIATES

RESOURCE = Links

(New) MTV=20 Internship=20
FastWEB=20
(New) = Project On=20 Student Debt
U.S. Dept. of Ed.=20 Home=20
Direct Loan=20 Servicing
College.gov=20
PARLO - Learn=20 A Language=20
Workforce=20 Management=20
(New) Student Loan=20 Help=20
Yahoo=20 Widgets=20
(New) Find=20 Internships=20
(New) Coleman=20 Entrepreneurial = Scholarship=20
(New) US House=20 of Reps Page=20 = Program

________________________

Black History=20 Quick Links

Celebrating=20 Black History 365=20
African-American = Migration=20 Experience=20
Association of=20 African American Museums=20
The Black=20 History Museum=20
Black History=20 Study Guide=20
The Triumph=20 Over Slavery=20
Black History=20 Month on History.com=20
Black History=20 Month on Biography.com=20
Celebrating=20 Black History=20
Black History=20 Hotlist=20
Fact=20 Monster=20
Black=20 Inventors=20
Black=20 Scientists=20
Civil Rights=20 Movement Timeline=20
The Great=20 Debaters=20
Top Black=20 Museums=20
HBCU = Connect=20
Scholastic=20 Black History=20
(New) Association for = the Study=20 of African American Life and=20 History=20
(New) Debunking=20 Myths of Black=20 History

________________________

February=20 Happenings

Monthly=20

AMD/Low Vision Awareness = Month=20
American Heart Month=20
Black History Month=20
Chocolate Lovers Month=20
International Boost Self Esteem=20 Month=20
International Expect Success=20 Month=20
Library Lovers = Month =20
Marfan Syndrome Awareness = Month=20
National African American History=20 Month=20
National Bird Feeding = Month=20
National Caffeine Addiction = Awareness=20 Month=20
National Children's Dental Health=20 Month=20
National Hot Breakfast = Month=20
National Mend A Broken Heart=20 Month=20
National Parent Leadership = Month=20
National Pet Dental Month =
National Senior Independence=20 Month=20
National Time Management = Month=20
National Weddings Month=20
Plant the Seeds of Greatness=20 Month=20
Relationship Wellness = Month=20
Spiritual Teachers Month=20
Wise Health Care Consumer = Month=20
Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart = Month=20
Youth Leadership = Month

Weekly

Children's Authors = and=20 Illustrators Week: 1-7
International = Coaching Week:=20 1-7
National Parent = Recognition=20 Week: 1-7
Solo Diners Eat Out = Weekend:=20 1-7
Women's Heart Week:=20 1-7
International = Networking Week:=20 1-7
Boy Scout = Anniversary Week:=20 3-9
International Snow = Sculpting=20 Week: 4-8
World Special = Olympics Winter=20 Games: 6-13
Congenital Heart = Defect=20 Awareness Week: 7-14
Celebration of Love = Week:=20 10-16
Children of = Alcoholics Week:=20 10-16
Random Acts of = Kindness Week:=20 11-17
National Engineers = Week:=20 15-21
International = Friendship Week:=20 17-23
National Eating = Disorders=20 Awareness Week: 22-28
Telecommuter = Appreciation=20 Week: 24-3/1
American Crossword = Puzzle=20 Week: 27-3/1

Daily

National Freedom Day - 1=20
Super Bowl Sunday - 1=20
Women's Heart Health Day - 1=20
Groundhog Day - 2=20
Self Renewal Day - 2=20
Candlemas - 2=20
African American Coaches Day - 3=20
National Girls and Women In Sports Day - 4 =
USO Day - 4=20
Weatherman's (Weatherperson's) Day - 5=20
Chinese New Years Day - 7=20
Boy Scout Anniversary - 8=20
Grammy Awards - 8=20
Man Day - 8=20
World Marriage Day - 8=20
Daytona Pole Day - 8=20
Tu B'Shevat - 8=20
National Shut-in Visitation Day - 11=20
Satisfied Staying Single Day - 11=20
Abraham Lincoln's Birthday - 12=20
Valentine's Day - 14=20
National Have A Heart Day - 14=20
World Congenital Heart Defect Awareness = Day - 14=20
League of Women Voters Day - 14=20
Race Relations Day - 14=20
Daytona 500 - 15=20
President's Day - 16=20
National PTA Founders Day - 17=20
World Human Spirit Day - 17=20
International Residence Hall Student Staff = Recognition Day - 18=20
Iwo Jima Day (Landing) - 19=20
World Day for Social Justice - 20=20
Academy Awards - 22=20
George Washington's Birthday - 22=20
Iwo Jima Day (Flag raised) - 23=20
Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday - 24=20
Ash Wednesday - 25=20
Inconvenience Yourself Day - 25=20
National Chili Day - 26

Sources: ResidentAssistant.com, Brownielocks.com = and HolidaySmart.com

________________________

BLACK=20 HISTORY MONTH=20 =
SUPPLEMENT

Welcome CWR Readers,

If this is your first experience with the = CWR and=20 you would like to subscribe to our monthly = ezine, just=20 click on the "Join Our Mailing = List"=20 button in the green lettered area to the = left. We=20 are proud to be an advocate for student success = and to=20 work diligently to empower college and = university=20 students.

This Black History Month Supplement = includes=20 profiles of 17 modern era Black history=20 makers. Although there are countless Black = history=20 makers from the modern era that are worthy = of=20 recognition, it would be impossible to = recognize=20 all of them in this space. However, = The=20 College World Reporter is proud to present = this=20 small representative group of outstanding = African=20 Americans, from very diverse backgrounds, to = represent=20 all of the Black history makers from the modern=20 era. Many of these may not be as familiar = to you=20 as historical figures from earlier periods of = Black=20 history.

These outstanding men and=20 women have overcome seemingly = insurmountable=20 odds: some experienced extreme poverty,=20 others faced severe prejudice, some were = labeled=20 as unintelligent, and yet they all rose = above the=20 barriers that were used to restrict them to=20 achieve extraordinary success. Their = examples=20 of courage and determination should remind each = of us=20 never to allow what anyone says or does to = cause us=20 to feel incapable of achieving our full = potential, even=20 if it may seem impossible. Their=20 accomplishments

demonstrate for all of our readers, and = especially=20 our student readers, that anything is = possible.

In this supplement we have also included = comments=20 from a diverse group of Americans expressing = their=20 thoughs on why Black History Month is important = to=20 them. Their expressions prove that Black = History=20 Month is an American event, and that we = still need=20 Black History Month.

We have already begun planning for our = Black=20 History Month special for 2010, and we are = asking our=20 readers to submit the names and information of = any=20 persons you feel are modern era = Black history=20 makers for consideration in next years = issue. Send=20 your nominations to CWROnline@DonellEdwardsEnterprises.com.

Sincerely,

Donell Edwards

Founder/Editor/Publisher

The College World=20 Reporter

Modern Era = Black History=20 = Makers

Kenneth Irvine=20 Chenault - Chairman and CEO, American = Express=20

Kenneth=20 Irvine Chenault, born June 2, 1951, was the = first=20 African-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company, = American=20 Express. Prior to being appointed CEO, Mr. = Chenault served as president of American Express = from=20 1997-2001. He was born on Long Island in = 1951,=20 attended the Waldorf School of Garden City and = is a=20 graduate of Bowdoin College (1973) and Harvard = Law=20 School (1977). After Harvard he worked as = an=20 associate with the law firm Rogers & Wells = in New=20 York City (1977-1979) and as a consultant for = Bain &=20 Company (1979-1981).

When in January 2001 Mr. Chenault claimed = the top=20 position at American Express---one of the = best-known=20 symbols of U.S. capitalism, then with yearly = sales of=20 $25 billion---the prospects for = African-Americans in=20 corporate America had seemed dismal. Only = two=20 other African Americans headed Fortune 500=20 companies: Franklin Raines was the CEO of = Fannie=20 Mae, and A. Barry Rand was the CEO of = Avis.

For his part Chenault did not dwell on = racial=20 issues. He understood the social = significance of=20 his appointment but wanted people to judge him = based=20 solely on his performance. He commented in = Fortune, "It's a big deal; I won't = minimize=20 it. But I want them to say, 'He's a = terriffic=20 CEO,' not 'He's a terrific black CEO.' = Because the=20 reasons why I'm CEO have nothing to do with the = social=20 significance of this breakthrough. I've = always=20 been focused on performance" (January 22, = 2001).

In 1995, Ebony = Magazine listed Mr.=20 Chenault alongside Michael Jordan, Rosa Parks, = Bill=20 Cosby and Colin Powell as one of 50 "living = pioneers" in=20 the African-American community.

Source: Nationmaster.com/encyclopedia = and=20 Answers.com

********************************************************************= **************

Marva N. Collins - Educator, = Author,=20 Speaker, Trainer

Marva Collins grew up in Atmore, Alabama at = a time=20 when segregation was the rule. Black = people were=20 not permitted to use the public library, and her = schools=20 had few books, and no indoor plumbing. =20 Nonetheless, her family instilled in her an = awareness of=20 the family's historical excellence and helped = develop=20 her strong desire for learning, achievement and=20 independence. After graduating from Clark = College=20 in Atlanta, Georgia, she taught school in = Alabama for=20 two years. She moved to Chicago and taught = in Chicago's public school system for = fourteen=20 years.

Her experiences in that system, coupled = with her=20 dissatisfaction with the quality of education = that her=20 two youngest children were receiving in = prestigious=20 private schools, convinced her that children = deserved=20 better than what was passing for acceptable=20 education. That conviction led to her = decision to=20 open her own school on the second floor of her=20 home. She took the $5,000 balance in her = school=20 pension fund and began her educational program = with an=20 enrollment of her own two children and four = other=20 neighborhood youngsters.

Thus, Westside Preparatory School was = founded in=20 1975 in Garfield Park, a Chicago inner-city = area. =20 During the first year, Marva took in learning = disabled,=20 problem children and even one child who had been = labeled=20 by Chicago public school authorities as = borderline=20 retarded. At the end of the first year, = every=20 child scored at least five grades higher proving = that=20 the previous labels placed on these children = were=20 misguided. The CBS program 60 Minures, = visited her=20 school for the second time in 1996. That = little=20 girl who had been labeled as borderline = retarded,=20 graduated in 1976 from college Summa Cum = Laude. It=20 was documented on the 60 Minutes programs in = 1996. =20 Marva's graduates have entered some of the = nation's=20 finest colleges and universities, such as = Harvard, Yale,=20 and Stanford, to mention just a few. And, = they=20 have become physicians, lawyers, engineers, = educators,=20 and entered other professions.

Her achievements prompted President Ronald = Reagan=20 to offer her the post of Secretary of Education, = which=20 she declined in order to continue the = development of=20 Westside Preparatory School.

Ms. Collins has received many accolades in=20 recognition of her outstanding work with = children. =20 She was featured on Good Morning, America, = 20/20, Fox=20 News, and many more programs too numerous to = list. =20 A made-for-television movie titled, The Marva = Collins=20 Story starred Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman = first=20 aired in 1982, and is still presented on=20 television.

Some of her awards include:

The Jefferson Award for Benefiting the=20 Disadvantaged=20
The Humanitarian Award for Excellence=20
Legendary Women of the World Award=20
Many honorary doctoral degrees from = universities=20 such as Amherst, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, and = Clark=20 University=20
The prestigious National Humanities Medal = from=20 President Bush in 2004

She has turned the responsibilities of = running her=20 school over to her daughter, Cynthia B. Collins, = who was=20 one of her first students in the Westside = Preparatory=20 School. Today, Marva Collins trains = teachers in=20 her educational program and methodology. = Her=20 curriculum is based on classical = literature, and=20 other subject material that contain ideas, lofty = thoughts, and abstract concepts. The = purpose is to=20 teach children the values that hold societies = together=20 and that present to students thoughts that may = be=20 interpreted differently. Fourth graders in = her=20 school, for example, read Plato's dialogue, The=20 Republic. In it, Plato asks, "What is=20 justice?" Justice has different meaning, = according=20 to one's viewpoint or interpretations. The = students are encouraged to express their own=20 opinion. And, as any observer of Ms. = Collins=20 classes will attest, the children are eager to=20 participate in classroom discussions, and their = verbal=20 skills are outstanding as are their reasoning=20 abilities. Her students are taught to = appreciate=20 the nuances of language, how to analyze and = challenge=20 what they read, and to express their = opinions. =20 They learn to contrast their own ideas with the=20 differing ones as expressed by the other = students.

Ms. Collins has spoken to many major = corporations=20 including The National Girl Scouts, The National = Retailers Association, The National Dairy = Association,=20 The European Division of IBM, Xerox Corporation, = The=20 Million Dollar Roundtable, The Young President's = Organization (YPO), The National Bankers' = Association,=20 Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and she has trained = executives of=20 Long John Silvers. Corporations have = accurately=20 discerned that the same skills Ms. Collins = develops in=20 her students are applicable in successful = business=20 entities.

Source: http://www.marvacollins.com/

********************************************************************= **************

Ann M. Fudge - Corporate=20 Executive

Ann Fudge became the first African-American = to head=20 a major advertising agency when she was named = CEO of=20 Young & Rubicam Inc., a division of WPP = Group. =20 While at Young & Rubicam she managed = the Young=20 & Rubicam Advertising Agency, the Landor = Associates=20 branding firm and the public relations firm=20 Burson-Marstellar, among others.

Young & Rubicam Advertising at the = time=20 Ms. Fudge assumed control was Young & = Rubicam's=20 largest operating unit, with reported billings = of $3.4=20 billion in 2002. She served as the = Chairman and=20 Chief Executive Officer of Young & Rubicam = from 2003=20 to the end of 2006.

The Young & Rubicam agency is a major = industry=20 force which has developed ad campaigns for=20 Lincoln-Mercury, AT&T, Colgate, Sears and=20 Metropolitan Life.

Prior to joining Young & Rubicam, Ms. = Fudge=20 worked at General Mills and at General Foods, = where she=20 served in a number of positions, including = president of=20 Kraft General Foods' Maxwell House Coffee = Company, and=20 president of Kraft's Beverages, Desserts and = Post=20 Divisions.

Ms. Fudge is one of the most accomplished = women in=20 the world of business. She serves on the = Board of=20 Directors of General Electric, Honeywell = International,=20 Marriott International, the Gates Foundation, = the=20 Rockefeller Foundation, and the Federal Reserve = Bank of=20 New York. She is also a trustee of the = Brookings=20 Institution, and is on the board of overseers of = Harvard=20 University.

Ms. Fudge received a BA degree from Simmons = College=20 and an MBA from Harvard University.

Ms. Fudge most recently joined healthcare = firm,=20 Norvatis AG's Board of Directors. Ms. = Fudge was=20 elected to the Board of Directors for a = three-year=20 term.

********************************************************************= **************

Berry Gordy, Jr. - Founder Motown = Record=20 Corporation=20

Founder=20 and owner of the Tamla-Motown family record = labels,=20 Berry Gordy, Jr. established Motown Records = as one=20 of the most important independent labels in the = early=20 '60s. Assembling an industrious staff of=20 songwriters, producers, and musicians, Motown = Records=20 built one of the most impressive rosters of = artists in=20 the history of pop music, and became the largest = and=20 most successful independent record company in = the United=20 States by 1964.

Berry Gordy dropped out of school in the = eleventh=20 grade to become a professional boxer. At = one time=20 he even fought on the same card with the Brown = Bomber,=20 Joe Louis, at Detroit's Olympia Stadium. = He=20 ended his respectable career as a = featherweight in=20 1950. After serving in the Army in Korea = from 1951=20 - 1953, his love for jazz caused him to open up = the 3-D=20 Record Mart-House of=20 Jazz. Too obsessed = with his=20 own love of jazz, Berry was too stubborn to = stock the=20 Blues records the neighborhood craved. So = in 1955=20 the store went bankrupt and was forced to = close.

The Flame Show Bar opened in 1949 and = was...the=20 showplace for top Black talent in Detroit during = the=20 50s. It was during this time that Al = Green, the=20 club's owner, invited Gordy to write songs for = the=20 artists he managed, which included Jackie = Wilson. =20 Berry, teaming with Roquel "Billy" Davis, began = writing=20 at Green's office. Berry would eventually = bring=20 sister Gwen in and the trio would write several=20 bestsellers, including "To Be Loved," "Lonely=20 Teardrops," That's Why (I Love You So)" and = "I'll Be=20 Satisfied," establishing themselves as hit=20 writers. At this time Gordy started doing = some of=20 the producing.

An unsuccessful audition of the Matadors = for=20 Wilson's manager Nat Tarnopol would change = Gordy's=20 life. Berry really liked them a lot and = told them=20 so after the audition. This was to be the=20 beginning of a close friendship between Gordy = and the=20 Matador's lead singer Smokey Robinson. The = Matadors soon changed their name to the = Miracles. =20 Gordy managed the Miracles and produced their = 1958=20 single "Got A Job" on the End Records = label. The=20 small royalty check he received from End along = with=20 similar small royalty checks for other hits he = had=20 co-written convinced him to form his own label, = Tamla=20 Records. Originally he had wanted to call = it Tammy=20 after the Debbie Reynolds ballad, but the name = had=20 already been taken.

In 1959 Gordy started his own publishing = company,=20 Jobete Publishing, named after his three = children: =20 Hazel Joy, Berry and Terry. If you wrote = for=20 Motown you were published by Jobete, which grew = to be=20 one of the most powerful in the industry.

Gordy initially recorded R&B artists on = Tamla=20 Records. In his first year of operation he = co-wrote and produced "Money," which was = recorded by=20 Barrett Strong. "Money" eventually reached = the=20 number two spot on the R&B charts. In = November=20 1959, Gordy recorded "Bad Girl" by a young = William=20 "Smokey" Robinson and the Miracles that reached = number=20 ninety-nine on the pop charts with the help of = national=20 distribution by Chess Records.

Smokey Robinson convinced Gordy that Motown = should=20 distribute its own records. In 1960, Gordy = co-wrote and distributed "Shop Around" by Smokey = Robinson and the Miracles, which was a number = one hit=20 and established Motown as an important = independent=20 company. By this time Jobete Music was his = publishing firm and International Talent = Management was=20 his management agency. He also set up = various=20 subsidiary labels.

Gordy, the son of a Black entrepreneur who = hoped=20 for the upward mobility of Blacks, specifically = groomed=20 and cultivated streetwise teens from the streets = of=20 Detroit to make them acceptable to mainstream=20 America. In 1964 he hired Maxine Powell, = who had=20 operated a finishing and modeling school, to = prep his=20 performers. Powell tried to transform = Motown=20 artists into polished professionals.

A few months after adding Maxine Powell, = Gordy=20 hired choreographer Cholly Atkins, a well known = dancer=20 in the 1930s and 1940s who had performed at the = Cotton=20 Club and Savoy Ballroom, to teach these groups = how to=20 move gracefully.

Atkins worked with Maurice King, who served = as=20 executive musical director. King who had = arranged=20 shows at Detroit's Flame Show Bar for years and = had=20 worked with jazz artists such as Billie Holiday = and=20 Dinah Washington, taught the Motown Groups about = stage=20 patter.

By the mid-1960s, Gordy had assembled a = Motown team=20 that could take poor Black youths from Detroit = and teach=20 them to talk, walk, and dress as successful = debutantes=20 and debonair gentlemen.

Gordy combined the polished images of the = Motown=20 acts with a gospel-based music that could appeal = to=20 mainstream America. Blues and R&B = always had a=20 funky look to it back in those days, and Motown = wanted=20 to have a look that fathers and mothers would = want their=20 children to follow. They wanted to kill = the=20 imagery of liquor and drugs and how some people = thought=20 it pertained to R&B. Therefore they = rejected=20 anything that had a strong blues sound to it = when=20 choosing material for their artists.

In place of the blues and R&B, Gordy = favored a=20 distinct music grounded by an insistent pounding = rhythm=20 section, punctuated by horns and tambourines and = featuring shrill, echo-laden vocals that bounced = back=20 and forth in a call and response of = gospel. =20 Building upon his experience with the girl group = sound,=20 he produced a full sound reminiscent and = expanding on=20 Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.

Aiming for the mass market, Gordy called = the music=20 "The Sound of Young America" and affixed a sign = over=20 Motown studio that read "Hitsville U.S.A."

The different singles produced by Motown = sounded=20 remarkably similar because of the in house = rhythm=20 section known as the Funk Brothers. In = 1964, Earl=20 Van Dyke, a former be-bop jazz pianist who = toured with=20 R&B singer Lloyd Price, became the leader of = the=20 studio band. He played with drummer Benny = Benjamin=20 and bassist James Jamerson, who had backed = Jackie Wilson=20 and the Miracles. Together with a few = other=20 musicians the Funk Brothers provided the = trademark=20 percussive beat of the Motown sound.

During the mid-1960s, Gordy established a = music=20 empire that included eight record labels, a = management=20 service, a publishing company, and grossed = millions of=20 dollars a year. From 1964 to 1967, Motown = had 14=20 number one pop singles, 20 number one singles on = the=20 R&B charts, forty six more Top Fifteen pop = singles=20 and seventy-five other Top 15 R&B = singles. In=20 1966 alone, seventy-five percent of Motown's = releases=20 made the charts.

In July 1988 Berry Gordy sold Motown = Records to MCA=20 and Boston Ventures for $61 million. = Boston=20 Ventures later bought out MCA's interest and = sold Motown=20 Records to the Dutch-based Polygram conglomerate = for=20 $325 million in 1993. Berry Gordy was = inducted=20 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in = 1990.

Source: www.history-of-rock.com/motown_records.htm

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Earl G. Graves, Jr. - Publishing=20 Magnate

While=20 serving on an advisory board to the Small = Business=20 Administration, he launched his own management=20 consulting firm. By the late 1960s, the = civil=20 rights movement had paved the way for Black=20 empowerment and the concept of "Black=20 capitalism." Proponents believed that a = liberated=20 American society would come only when minority=20 communities thrived with their own businesses.=20

With this in mind, Graves founded Black = Enterprise magazine in New York City = in=20 1970. At the time, only the Johnson = Company in=20 Chicago issued magazines targeted at = Black readers=20 in the United States: Ebony and=20 Jet. Many believed Graves was too=20 optimistic in starting a magazine aimed = at=20 African American businesspeople. At the = time,=20 there were only about 100,0000 Black-owned = businesses in=20 the United States, and most of them were small,=20 family-run, neighborhood operations. Only = three of=20 the 3,000 business leaders who were serving on = the=20 boards of Fortune 500 companies were African=20 Americans. "Lacking capital, = managerial and=20 technical knowledge and crippled by = prejudice,=20 the minority businessman has been effectively = kept out=20 of the marketplace. We want to help = change=20 this," Graves declared in Black=20 Enterprise's first issue in August = 1970.

Graves' publication was a success within = its first=20 year, becoming profitable after just ten = issues. =20 In June 1973, the magazine started listing its = Black=20 Enterprise 100, ranking the top Black-owned = companies in=20 America by revenues. At the time, Berry = Gordy's=20 music and entertainment company, Motown, was = number one=20 on the list, and it remained there for a record = eleven=20 years. In time, as Black-owned businesses = grew in=20 both number and revenues, the magazine expanded = its=20 rankings to list banks and insurance companies, = auto=20 dealerships, and other enterprises; it also = began to=20 publish statistics on Fortune 500 and other = companies=20 that were positive places for African Americans = to work=20 or to join as franchisees.

Graves expanded his empire over the = years. He=20 acquired several radio stations, and in 1990, in = a=20 much-heralded deal, joined with Los Angeles=20 Lakers basketball star Earvin "Magic" = Johnson to=20 acquire the distribution rights for Pepsi-Cola = products=20 in the Washington, D.C. area. It was a $60 = million=20 deal, and their venture became the largest=20 minority-owned franchise in the United States at = that=20 time. It was all the more remarkable = because=20 Pepsi rarely allowed outsiders to acquire = its=20 lucrative local distribution = franchises. =20 "Pepsi-Cola made the conscious decision, to = their=20 credit, to identify a minority person who could = be a=20 successful bottler," Graves told = Beverage=20 World's Tim Davis.

Graves has often used the pages of = Black=20 Enterprise to call attention to unfinished = civil=20 rights business. He urged readers to = support=20 historically Black colleges and to contribute to = the=20 United Negro College Fund. In one "Letter = to My=20 Grandchildren," Graves noted that many critical = changes=20 had taken place since his own childhood, opening = the=20 doors for unparalleled achievement for = Blacks in=20 the United States. "It is important to=20 remind ourselves from time to time that = the=20 entrepreneurial, professional, and economic = strides and=20 accomplishments that fill the pages of BE each = month=20 were unimaginable just a few short = decades ago, "=20 he wrote. However, Graves noted, there was = still=20 work to be done, particularly with setbacks in=20 affirmative action in the 1990s. "...Even = as we=20 pause to congratulate ourselves, = our=20 celebration is tempered by deep concerns," he=20 reflected. "I worry that the same = legislation and=20 policies that enabled the advances of my = generation, and=20 that of your parents' generation, will no longer = exist=20 for your generation."

Black Enterprise magazine = continues to=20 thrive. In 2001, the company enjoyed $5.7 = million=20 in sales, with four million readers. The = company=20 also included a book publishing arm, sponsored = seminars=20 for entrepreneurs, and ran a private equity = investment=20 fund. Washington Post writer Linton Weeks = called=20 its founder, "one of the most influential Black=20 businesspeople in the country" and also said = Graves "has=20 used Black Enterprise to tell the = community how=20 to work together, dress smart, pull strings, = borrow=20 money, live revengefully well."

Source: Answers.com

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Cathy Hughes - Chairperson and = Founder of=20 Radio One =20

Cathy=20 Hughes is an African-American entrepreneur, = radio and=20 television personality and business=20 executive.

After working for KOWH, a Black radio = station in=20 Omaha, Hughes was offered a job as a lecturer = and=20 Assistant to the Dean of Communications at = Howard=20 University School of Communications in=20 Washington, D.C. In 1973 she became = general=20 sales manager of WHUR-FM, and by 1975 was hired = as the=20 general manager of the station. In 1978=20 Hughes left WHUR for WYCB Radio, where she = served=20 as the vice president and general manager of the = station.

Hughes and her husband at the time, Dewey = Hughes,=20 decided they wanted to buy their own radio = station in=20 1979, and after being rejected by thirty-two = banks, they=20 found a lender. With their loan, they = purchased=20 WOL, a small Washington, D.C. station, and Radio = One was=20 born.

Hughes' marriage ended shortly after = purchasing the=20 station and she began her path as a single = mother. =20 She purchased her husband's share in the = station, but=20 hard times soon forced she and her son, Alfred, = to give=20 up their apartment and move into the station to = make=20 ends meet. Over time, however, the station = began=20 turning a profit, largely due to the success of = her talk=20 show.

Since the early days of being a station = owner,=20 Hughes' rise has been remarkable. Today, = Radio One=20 owns 65 radio stations throughout every major = market in=20 the country, making the company the largest = Black-owned=20 radio chain in the nation. In January of = 2004,=20 Hughes launched TV One, a cable television = channel=20 targeted at the African American = community.

Source: The = HistoryMakers

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Dr. Mae C. Jemison - Astronaut, = Physician,=20 and Scientist

Dr.=20 Mae C. Jemison became the first woman of color = go go=20 into space when she blasted into orbit aboard = the space=20 shuttle Endeavor on September 12, 1992. = This=20 historic event was only another in a series of=20 accomplishments for this dynamic = African-American woman,=20 who speaks fluent Russian, Japanese, and=20 Swahili.

Dr. Jemison was Science Mission Specialist = (a NASA=20 first) on the STS-47 Space lab J flight, a = US/Japan=20 joint mission. She conducted experiments = in life=20 sciences, material sciences, and was = co-investigator in=20 the Bone Cell Research experiment.

At sixteen, she entered Stanford University = on=20 scholarship where she graduated with a Bachelor = of=20 Science degree in Chemical Engineering, and = fulfilled=20 the requirements for an A.B. in African and=20 Afro-American Studies. She attended = Cornell=20 Medical College where she earned her Doctorate = in=20 Medicine in 1981. In medical school, her = interest=20 and knowledge in Third World countries evolved = into a=20 commitment to effectively contribute. She = traveled=20 to Cuba, rural Kenya, and spent a medical = clerkship in=20 Thailand at a Cambodian Refugee Camp. She=20 completed her internship at Los Angeles = County/USC=20 Medical Center in 1982. In addition to her = extensive background in science, she is also = trained in=20 dance and choreography.

Prior to joining the National Aerounatics = and Space=20 Administration (NASA) in 1987, she worked as a = General=20 Practicioner in Los Angeles with the INA/Ross = Loos=20 Medical Group. She then spent two and a = half years=20 (1983-85) as an Area Peace Corps Medical Officer = for=20 Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. = Returning=20 to Los Angeles, she resumed her medical = practice,=20 working with CIGNA Health Plans of = California.

This attitude and her high achievements in=20 historically exclusionary fields led Dartmouth = College=20 to invite her to its Hanover campus in 1993, = where she=20 taught a course on Space Age Technology and = Developing=20 Countries.

Because her excellent educational = foundation was=20 acquired in the Chicago public schools, Dr. = Jemison=20 strongly believes that U.S. public schools must = be kept=20 viable. Many of her interests and skills = for what=20 she has accomplished emerged during these early=20 years. She feels very honored by the=20 establishment (1992) of the Mae C. Jemison = Academy, an=20 alternative public school in Detroit.

Dr. Jemison resigned from NASA in March = 1993.

Source: NASA

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Reginald F. Lewis - Entrepreneur=20 and Philanthropist=20

Reginald=20 F. Lewis was born in an East Baltimore = neighborhood he=20 once described as "semi tough." The = Harvard Law=20 School graduate was part of a group that set up = Wall=20 Street's first African American law firm. = Lewis=20 focused on corporate law, structuring = investments in=20 minority owned businesses and became special = counsel to=20 major corporations like General Foods and = Equitable Life=20 (now AXA).

A desire to "do the deals myself" led Lewis = to=20 establish TLC Group, L.P. in 1983. His = first=20 successful venture was the $22.5 million dollar=20 leveraged buyout of McCall Pattern = Company. Lewis=20 streamlined operations, increased marketing, and = led the=20 company to two of the most profitable years in = McCall's=20 113 year history. In the summer of 1987 he = sold=20 the company for $65 million dollars, making a 90 = to 1=20 return on his investment.

Lewis made history in August of 1987 when = he=20 purchased the International division of Beatrice = Foods=20 (64 companies in 31 countries). The deal = was=20 supported by the most powerful banker at the = time,=20 Drexel Burnham Lambert, and led by high yield = bond king=20 Michael Robert Milken. Lewis re-branded = the=20 corporation as TLC Beatrice International, = Inc. At=20 $985 million dollars, the deal was the largest = offshore=20 leveraged buyout ever by any American company, = Black or=20 otherwise.

In January 1993, at age 50, Lewis died of = brain=20 cancer.

Source: Reginald F. Lewis = website

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Barack Hussein Obama - President of = the=20 United States=20

Barack H. Obama is the = 44th=20 President of the United States.

His story is the American story --- values = from the=20 heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong = family,=20 hard work and education as the means of getting = ahead,=20 and the conviction that a life so blessed should = be=20 lived in service to others.

With a father from Kenya and a mother from=20 Kansas, President Obama was born in Hawaii = on=20 August 4, 1961. He was raised with help = from his=20 grandfather, who served in Patton's army, and = his=20 grandmother, who worked her way up from the = secretarial=20 pool to middle management at a bank.

After working his way through college with = the help=20 of scholarships and student loans, President = Obama moved=20 to Chicago, where he worked with a group of = churches to=20 help rebuild communities devastated by the = closure of=20 local steel plants.

He went on to attend law school, where he = became=20 the first African-American president of the = Harvard=20 Law Review. Upon graduation, he = returned to=20 Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, = teach=20 constitutional law at the University of Chicago, = and=20 remain active in his = community. =20

President Obama's years of public service = are based=20 around his unwavering belief in the ability to = unite=20 people around a politics of purpose. In = the=20 Illinois State Senate, he passed the first major = ethics=20 reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working = families, and=20 expanded health care for children and their=20 parents. As a United States Senator, = he=20 reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking = lobbying=20 reform, lock up the worls's most dangerous = weapons, and=20 bring transparency to government by putting = federal=20 spending online.

He was elected the 44th President of the = United=20 States on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on = January 20,=20 2009. He and his wife, Michelle, are the = proud=20 parents of two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, = 7.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/=

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Richard Parsons - Chairman of the = Board,=20 Citigroup, Inc. =20

Richard=20 D. Parsons was recently named Chairman of the=20 Board for Citigroup Inc. Mr. Parsons = has been=20 a director at Citigroup Inc. since 1996. = From May=20 2002 to December 2007, Mr. Parsons served as = Time=20 Warner's Chief Executive Officer. Time=20 Warner's businesses include filmed = entertainment,=20 interactive services, television networks, cable = systems=20 and publishing. In May 2003, he = became=20 Chairman of the Board, a position he held until = December=20 2008.

As CEO, Mr. Parsons led Time Warner's = turnaround=20 and set the company on a solid path toward = achieving=20 sustainable growth. In the process, he put = in=20 place the industry's most experienced and = successful=20 management team, strengthened the company's = balance=20 sheet and simplified its corporate structure, = and=20 carried out a disciplined approach to realigning = the=20 company's portfolio of assets to improve = returns. =20 In its January 2005 report on America's Best = CEOs,=20 Institutional Investor magazine named Mr. = Parsons the=20 top CEO in the entertainment industry.

Before becoming President of Time Warner, = Mr.=20 Parsons was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer = of Dime=20 Bancorp, Inc., one of the largest thrift = institutions in=20 the United States. Prior to that, he held = various=20 positions in state and federal government, as = counsel=20 for Nelson Rockefeller and as a senior White = House aide=20 under President Gerald Ford.

Mr. Parsons has the distinction of being = one of few=20 African Americans or other minorities to have = held the=20 position of Chairman of the Board at two = different=20 Fortune 500 companies.

Main Source: TimeWarner.com

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=20

Emily J. T. Perez - West Point=20 Graduate

Second=20 Lieutenant Emily J. T. Perez, 23, West Point = Graduate,=20 became the first Black Woman to become Command = Sergeant=20 in the history of the U. S. Military=20 Academy. Lieutenat Perez graduated in = the top=20 10 percent of her class, out-ran many men, = directed a=20 gospel choir, and read the Bible every = day. She=20 also headed a weekly convoy as it rolled down=20 treacherous roads, pocked with bombs and bullets = near=20 Najaf, Iraq. As platoon leader, she = insisted on=20 leading her troops from the front. Shortly = before=20 shipping out to Iraq with the 204th Support = Battalion,=20 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, she flew=20 cross-country to be a bone marrow donor for a = stranger=20 for whom she was a match. She was killed = in Iraq=20 when a bomb detonated near her Humvee in Kifl, = south of=20 Baghdad. She was the 64th woman from the = U. S.=20 military to be killed in Iraq or=20 Afghanistan.

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General Colin L. Powell - Former = U.S.=20 Secretary of State=20

Colin=20 Powell was born in Harlem in 1937. His = parents=20 were Jamaican immigrants who stressed the = importance of=20 education and personal achievement.

Powell earned an MBA at George Washington=20 University in Washington, D.C., = and=20 after being promoted to major, won a White House = fellowship. Powell was assigned to the = Office of=20 Management and Budget during the administration = of=20 President Nixon, and here he made a lasting = impression=20 on the Director and Deputy Director of the = Office: =20 Casper Weinberger and Frank Carlucci. Both = of=20 these men were to call on Powell when they = served as=20 Secretary of Defense and National Security = Advisor,=20 respectively, under President Ronald = Reagan.

In 1991, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of = Staff=20 under President George H. W. Bush, Powell became = a=20 national figure during the successful Desert = Shield and=20 Desert Storm operations which expelled the Iraqi = army=20 from Kuwait. General Powell continued as = Chairman=20 of the Joint Chiefs during the first months of = the=20 Clinton administration.

In 2001, newly elected President George W. = Bush=20 appointed Colin Powell to be Secretary of = State. =20 At the time, it was the highest rank ever held = by an=20 African American in the United States = government. =20 In his first months in office, Powell won praise = for his=20 efficient administration of the State = Department, and=20 cordial relations with other governments. =20 Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, = 2001,=20 Secretary Powell took a leading role in rallying = America's allies for military action in=20 = Afghanistan.

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=20

Dr. Condoleeza Rice - Former U.S. = Secretary=20 of State

Dr.=20 Condoleeze Rice became Secretary of State on = January 26,=20 2005, becoming the first Black woman, only the = second=20 African American, and only the second woman (at = the=20 time), to hold the office. Prior to her=20 appointment as Secretary of State, she served as = National Security Advisor (Assistant to the = President=20 for National Security Affairs).

In June 1999, she completed a six year = tenure as=20 Stanford University's Provost, during which she = was the=20 institution's chief budget and academic = officer. =20 As Provost she was responsible for a $1.5 = billion annual=20 budget and the academic program involving 1,400 = faculty=20 members and 14,000 students.

As professor of political science, Dr. Rice = had=20 been on the Stanford faculty since 1981 and had = won two=20 of the highest teaching honors -- the 1984 = Walter J.=20 Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching and the = 1993=20 School of Humanities and Sciences Dean's Award = for=20 Distinguished Teaching.

Dr. Rice was listed as the seventh most = powerful=20 woman in the world by Forbes magazine on its = list of the=20 100 most powerful women in the world in = 2008.

Dr. Rice speaks five languages fluently, = she is an=20 accomplished concert pianist, she has a = reputation of=20 being somewhat of a shopaholic and reportedly = loves=20 expensive designer clothes by Armani and Oscar = de la=20 Renta.

It is reported that while serving as = Secretary of=20 State, Dr. Rice worked very hard not to reveal = her own=20 views, but instead to gather the information = provided=20 and present it to the president. =20 Newsweek's Evan Thomas stated, "She has = often=20 said that she is 'determined to leave this town' = without=20 anyone outside Bush's tight inner circle ever = figuring=20 out where she stands on major issues. She = claims=20 that she 'rarely' tells the president her = private=20 opinions, and if she does, she never shares her = advice=20 to the president, not even with her closest=20 aides."

She earned her Bachelor's degree in = political=20 science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the=20 University of Denver in 1974; her Master's from = the=20 University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. = from the=20 Graduate School of International Studies at the=20 University of Denver in 1981. She is a = Fellow of=20 the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and = has been=20 awarded honorary doctorates from Morehouse = College in=20 1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, the = University=20 of Notre Dame in 1995, the National Defense = University=20 in 2002, the Mississippi College School of Law = in 2003,=20 the University of Louisville and Michigan State=20 University in 2004.

Newsweek's Thomas summed it up when he = stated in an=20 article on September 9, 2002, "At an early age, = she=20 drove right through the boundaries of race and = chased=20 excellence and accomplishment all the way to the = northeast corner office of the West Wing."

Sources: U.S. State Department and=20 About.com

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=20

Susan L. Taylor - Editor Emerita of = Essence Magazine

Susan=20 L. Taylor, former Editor-In-Chief of = Essence=20 Magazine, was called "the most influential black = woman=20 in journalism today" by American Libraries in=20 1994.

She was the first and only African American = woman=20 to be recognized by the Magazine Publishers of = America=20 with the Henry Johnson Fisher Award, the = industry's=20 highest honor, and the first to be inducted into = the=20 American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of = Fame. =20 She is the recipient of the NAACP President's = Award for=20 visionary leadership, and has honorary degrees = from more=20 than a dozen colleges and universities.

In her early 20s Taylor trained in acting = with the=20 Negro Ensemble Company. She also founded = her own=20 cosmetics company, Nequai Cosmetics, obtaining a = license=20 as a cosmetologist and developing beauty = products for=20 African American women. Taylor's=20 experience with Nequai attracted the = editors of=20 Essence, which led to her first = free-lance=20 articles with the = magazine. =20

Her success is remarkable when one = considers that=20 she was once barely getting by, alone with her = daughter,=20 Shana-Nequai. When she was 24, she found = herself=20 separated, with rent due, car broken, and three = dollars=20 to her name. One Sunday morning in = November=20 of 1970, Taylor was beset by pain in her chest = and=20 experiencing trouble breathing. The New = York City=20 emergency room doctor who admitted her diagnosed = her=20 with acute anxiety. Leaving the hospital = feeling=20 fearful and hopeless, Taylor stumbled on=20 inspiration on her way home.

Walking up Broadway, Taylor came to a = church and=20 went in on impulse. She had not attended = church in=20 years, but sitting in a back pew in her jeans = and=20 leather jacket, she heard a sermon that changed = her=20 life. "The preacher said that our minds = could=20 change our world. That no matter what our=20 troubles, if we could put them aside for a = moment, focus=20 on possible solutions and imagine a joyous = future, we=20 would find a peace within, and positive = experiences=20 would begin to unfold," she recalled in In = the=20 Spirit. Taylor held on, and eventually her = part-time job at the new magazine Essence=20 became full-time, providing direction for = her=20 career. =20

Taylor's rise to the top of = Essence took=20 some ten years. While friends moved from = one=20 magazine to another, Taylor stayed on at = Essence. =20 "There were some moments of self-doubt, but the = bottom=20 line was that I was still challenging = myself. And=20 the waiting paid off." = Taylor=20 moved from the part-time position of free-lance = beauty=20 editor, to the full-time staff position of = fashion and=20 beauty editor, and eventually became = editor-in-chief in=20 1981.

Taylor founded the National CARES Mentoring = Movement in 2006. Its goals include = increasing=20 high school graduation rates among African = American=20 students; ending violence in black communities; = and=20 ending the over-incarceration of our = young. =20 "Creating safe, top-tier schools in every = underserved=20 community in this nation is the mandate-and it's = doable," says Taylor.

Main Source: =20 answers.com

=20 =

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Oprah Winfrey - Talk Show Host and = Media=20 Mogul

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in Kosciusko,=20 Mississippi. After a troubled adolescence = in a=20 small farming community, where she was sexually = abused=20 by a number of male relatives and friends of her = mother,=20 she moved to Nashville to live with her = father. =20 She entered Tennessee State University in 1971 = and began=20 working in radio and television broadcasting in=20 Nashville.

In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, where = she=20 hosted the TV chat show, People Are=20 Talking. The show became a hit and = Winfrey=20 stayed with it for eight years, after which she = was=20 recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her = own=20 morning show, A.M. Chicago. Her = major=20 competitor in the time slot was Phil = Donahue. =20 Within several months, Winfrey's open, = warm-hearted=20 personal style had won her 100,000 more = viewers=20 than Donahue and had taken her show from last = place to=20 first in the ratings. Her success led to=20 nationwide fame and a role in Steven Spielberg's = 1985=20 film, The Color Purple, for which she = was=20 nominated for an Academy Award for Best = Supporting=20 Actress.

Winfrey launched the Oprah Winfrey = Show in=20 1986 as a nationally syndicated program. = With its=20 placement on 120 channels and an audience of 10 = million=20 people, the show grossed $125 million by the end = of its=20 first year. She soon gained ownership of = the=20 program from ABC, drawing it under the control = of her=20 new production company, Harpo Productions.

In 1994, with talk shows becoming = increasingly=20 trashy and exploitative, Winfrey pledged to keep = her=20 show free of tabloid topics. Although = ratings=20 initially fell, she earned the respect of her = viewers=20 and was soon rewarded with an upsurge in=20 popularity.

The media giant contributed immensely to = the=20 publishing world by launching her "Oprah's Book = Club,"=20 as part of her talk show. The program = propelled=20 many unknown authors to the top of the = bestseller lists=20 and gave pleasure reading a new kind of popular=20 prominence.

With the debut in 1999 of Oxygen Media, a = company=20 she co-founded that is dedicated to producing = cable and=20 Internet programming for women, Winfrey ensured = her=20 place in the forefront of the media industry and = as one=20 of the most powerful and wealthy people in show=20 business.

Her highly successful monthly, O: The = Oprah=20 Magazine debuted in 2000, and in 2004, she = signed a=20 new contract to continue The Oprah Winfrey = Show=20 through the 2010-11 season. The show is = seen on=20 212 U.S. stations and in more than 100 countries = worldwide. OWN: The Oprah Winfrey = Network=20 will make its debut in the second half of = 2009. =20 OWN will take over the Discovery Health Channel=20 distribution platform, which guarantees it a = strong=20 subscriber base of 67.7 million cable and = satellite=20 homes, according to Nielsen. (Source: =20 Variety.com)

According to Forbes magazine, Oprah was the = richest=20 African American of the 20th century and the = world's=20 only Black billionaire for three years = running. =20 Life magazine hailed her as the most=20 influential woman of her generation. In = 2005,=20 Business Week named her the greatest Black=20 philanthropist in American history. = Oprah's Angel=20 Network has raised more than $51,000,000 for = charitable=20 programs, including girls' education in South = Africa and=20 relief to the victims of Hurricane = Katrina.

Winfrey launched the career of relationship = specialist Dr. Phil, who became famous while = making=20 regular guest appearances on her show. = .

Winfrey is a dedicated activist for = children's=20 rights; in 1994, President Clinton signed a bill = into=20 law that Winfrey had proposed to Congress, = creating a=20 nationwide database of convicted child = abusers. =20 She founded the Family for Better Lives = foundation and=20 also contributes to her alma mater, Tennessee = State=20 University. In September 2002, Oprah was = named the=20 first recipient of the Academy of Television = Arts &=20 Sciences' Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.

Sources: Biography.com and = Answers.com

Colonel Guion S. Bluford - Former = NASA=20 Astronaut

Guion=20 S. Bluford graduated from Penn State University = in 1964=20 as a distinguished Air Force ROTC graduate, = where he=20 received a bachelor of science degree in = aerospace=20 engineeging; a master of science degree with = distinction=20 in aerospace engineering from the Air Force = Institute of=20 Technology in 1974; a doctor of philosophy in = aerospace=20 engineering with a minor in laser physics from = the Air=20 Force Institute of Technology in 1978, and a = master in=20 business administration from the University of = Houston,=20 Clear Lake, in 1987.

He attended pilot training at Williams Air = Force=20 Base, Arizona, and received his pilot wings in = January=20 1966. He flew 144 combat missions, 65 of = which=20 were over North Vietnam.

He has logged over 5,200 hours jet flight = time,=20 including 1,300 hours as a T-38 instructor = pilot. =20 He also has an FAA commercial pilot = license.

Bluford became a NASA astronaut in August=20 1979. His technical assignments have = included=20 working with Space Station operations, the = Remote=20 Manipulator System (RMS), Spacelab systems and=20 experiments, Space Shuttle systems, payload = safety=20 issues and verifying flight software in the = Shuttle=20 Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) and in = the Flight=20 Systems Laboratory (FSL). A veteran of = four space=20 flights, Bluford served as a mission specialist = on=20 STS-8, STS 61-A, STS-39, and STS-53, and has = logged over=20 688 hours in space.

Missions:

STS-8 launched from = Kennedy Space=20 Center, Florida, on August 30, 1983. This = was the=20 third flight for the Orbiter Challenger and the = first=20 mission with a night launch and night = landing.

STS 61-A, the German D-1 = Spacelab=20 mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center, = Florida, on=20 October 30, 1985. This mission was the = first to=20 carry eight crew members, the largest crew to = fly in=20 space and included three European payload=20 specialists.

STS-39, launched from the = Kennedy=20 Space Center, Florida, on April 28, 1991, aboard = the=20 Orbiter Discovery.

STS-53 launched from the = Kennedy=20 Space Center, Florida, on December 2, = 1992. The=20 crew of five deployed the classified Department = of=20 Defense payload DOD-1 and then performed several = Military-Man-in-Space and NASA = experiments.

Source: NASA website

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Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. - = Pediatric=20 Neurosurgeon=20

Ben=20 Carson had a childhood dream of becoming a=20 physician. Growing up in a single parent = home with=20 dire poverty, poor grades, a horrible temper, = and low=20 self-esteem appeared to preclude the realization = of that=20 dream until his mother, with only a third-grade=20 education, challenged her sons to strive for=20 excellence. Young Ben persevered and today = is a=20 full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, = plastic=20 surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins = School of=20 Medicine, and he has directed pediatric = neurosurgery at=20 the Johns Hopkins Children's Center for nearly a = quarter=20 of a century. He became the inaugural = recipient of=20 a professorship dedicated in his name in May,=20 2008.

One of the more publicized highlights of = Dr.=20 Carson's amazing career was the first successful = separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined = at the=20 back of the head in 1987, the first completely=20 successful separation of type-2 vertical = crainopagus=20 twins in 1997 in South Africa, and the first = successful=20 placement of an intrauterine shunt for a = hydrocephalic=20 twin. Although he has been involved in = many=20 newsworthy operations, he feels that every case = is=20 noteworthy -- deserving of maximum = attention. He=20 is interested in all aspects of pediatric = neurosurgery=20 and has a special interest in trigeminal = neuralgia=20 (severe facial pain) in adults.

Dr. Carson holds more than 50 honorary = doctorate=20 degrees. He sits on the board of directors = of=20 numerous organizations, including Kellogg = Company,=20 Costco Wholesale Corporation, the Academy of=20 Achievement, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the = Yale=20 Corporation, the governing body of Yale=20 University. He was appointed in 2004 by = President=20 George W. Bush to serve on the President's = Council on=20 Bioethics.

In 2001, Dr. Carson was named by CNN and=20 Time Magazine as one of the nation's 20 = foremost physicians and scientists. That = same=20 year, he was selected by the Library of Congress = as one=20 of 89 "Living Legends" on the occasion of its = 200th=20 anniversary. He is also the recipient of = the 2006=20 Springarn Medal which is the highest honor = bestowed by=20 the NAACP. In February, 2008, Dr. Carson = was=20 presented with the Ford's Theatre Lincoln Medal = by=20 President Bush at the White House. In = June, 2008,=20 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom = by the=20 President, which is the highest civilian honor = in the=20 land. He has received literally hundreds = of other=20 awards during his distinguished career.

Source: http://carsonscholars.org/

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What Black = History Month=20 Means To = Me

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Mike Boyce - Insurance=20 Broker

President

InCon, LLC

Little Rock, AR

To me, Black History = Month is=20 overdue acknowledgment that yes, Black people = did indeed=20 (and do and will) constitute an undeniable part = of the=20 whole of U.S. history. It also means an=20 opportunity to soak up more knowledge of our = country's=20 past. I love studying U.S. history, and a = large=20 part of it has been swept under the rug, or = simply=20 ignored in many cases, regarding the absolutely = integral=20 role of Blacks in America.

I like having a month dedicated to the = recognition=20 of the achievements of and contributions by = Blacks in=20 American history. It brings focus to a = neglected=20 facet of our national heritage, good, bad, or=20 indifferent. Far too few native-born = citizens of=20 any race know enough about our history in = general, and I=20 think things that bring U.S. history into the = public=20 focus are beneficial. From our collective = national=20 history, we can draw inspiration during = difficult times,=20 and can hopefully learn to build upon our = ancestor's=20 achievements and not repeat their = mistakes. I hope=20 the specific recognition of Black history is = something=20 that helps unite us as a nation.

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Jeannie Davis - Professional = Speaker,=20 Trainer, and

Award-Winning Author=20

President

Now Hear This, Inc.

Aurora, CO

http://www.phoneskills.com/

It=20 has been said that history repeats itself. = Given=20 the outcome of our 2008 presidential = election...let the=20 repetition begin. This year's celebration = of Black=20 History Month will be just that...a genuine = celebration=20 of our history. Many steps have been taken = to get=20 us closer to the mountain top. Lives have = been=20 lost, backs have been broken, spirits depleted, = dreams=20 squashed and stairs climbed. Perhaps = now, we=20 can stop celebrating our individual problems and = start=20 celebrating our success as a people. As we = support=20 President Obama, we support one another. = And we as=20 a people will eventually get to the mountain top = together!

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U.S. Senator Blanche L. = Lincoln=20

Washington, DC

On January 20, Barack = Obama was=20 inaugurated as the forty-fourth President of the = United=20 States. It was a historic milestone and = tremendous=20 day of celebration as President Obama became the = first=20 African-American to take the oath of = office. As we=20 celebrate Black History Month this February, I = would=20 like to share my reflections on this historic=20 occasion.

As I sat on the platform during President = Obama's=20 inaugural address, I was struck by the millions = of=20 Americans who turned out that cold day. It = was a=20 sea of people that extended as far as the eye = could see=20 -- to the Washington Monument and beyond. = Although=20 the sheer magnitude of the event was something = I'll=20 never forget, I was more impressed by the = message of the=20 day.

I was moved by how President Obama = displayed with=20 such strong conviction a vision of hopefulness = for our=20 country's future. He began by = acknowledging that=20 "every so often, the oath is taken amidst = gathering=20 clouds and raging storms." No doubt, our = nation is=20 in the midst of trying times. Although the = challenges we face are real, we have the means = and the=20 know-how to overcome them, just as generations = did=20 before us.

I also appreciated President Obams's candor = as he=20 talked about the need for our nation to work = hard to=20 begin the task of remaking our economy: = "Starting=20 today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves = off,=20 and begin again the work of remaking = America...For=20 everywhere we look, there is much work to be=20 done."

He mentioned many of the priorities that I = have=20 championed for the past year. We must = create jobs,=20 build roads and bridges, increase access to = health care,=20 lessen our dependence on foreign sources of oil, = and=20 expand educational opportunity for = everyone.

President Obama also discussed the need to = turn the=20 page on the last eight years and move forward to = reassert our nation as a leader in the free = world: =20 "As for our common defense, we reject as false = the=20 choices between our safety and our ideals...Once = more we=20 can meet those new threats that demand even = greater=20 effort, even greater cooperation and = understanding=20 between nations."

It will not be an easy task. However, = I am=20 committed to working with President Obama and = Vice=20 President Biden on the many challenges we face = at home=20 and abroad.

As we celebrate Black History Month, = President=20 Obama's inauguration reminds us how far we have = come as=20 a nation. But there is much more to be = done, and=20 we will only be able to succeed when we stand=20 together. If the millions of Americans = that came=20 to Washington on January 20 --- as well as the = millions=20 who watched on television --- are any = indication, our=20 nation is ready to do its part. The future = of our=20 country will rest on all Americans' ability to = work=20 together to address these critical issues.

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Chris Small - Owner/VP of = Sales=20

C. L. Small Enterprises, LLC

Recruit Tool, LLC

Little Rock, AR =20

http://www.recruittool02.com/

Growing up in the mid = 60s to the=20 present, there has been so many changes in our = cultures=20 to our economics, to our electronics, to where = most=20 people tend to forget where and how it all = began. =20 I mention to a child have you ever used a rotary = phone=20 to make a call and they reply: "You mean = like in=20 the old movies?", which was like yesterday to = most of=20 us.

We need a presence of our past to remind us = that we=20 have come so far in many spectrums which impels = me to=20 type a few words on why Black History Month is = so=20 important to not just me, but to our youth of=20 today.

We just elected an African American = President of=20 the United States. I would have put my = house up=20 for a wager that in my time we would never see = an=20 African American lead a Country such as ours and = in a=20 time where our country has fallen into a crisis = that=20 looks dim for the future. How can this=20 happen? The only way you would know is to=20 understand the roots of the past, the footsteps = that=20 were taken from literally barefooted to shiny = shoes in a=20 large White House, yes, Mr. Barack Obama and his = ancestors.

Martin Luther King implied "I have a = dream," which=20 kids are reminded by his holiday which just has = passed,=20 however, do they really understand what went on = behind=20 the scenes in order for this dream to come = true? =20 The sweat, the fear, even to have fallen not = from a war=20 where tanks, grenades and missiles can destroy, = but from=20 a society that would not tolerate a black man to = instruct or even rule a Country such as = ours. I=20 get chills thinking of the smile on Mr. King's = face=20 knowing everything he has done was for the good = of his=20 people and for our Country.

In short, if we don't keep a presence of = our=20 history from time to time, the next generation = will not=20 be reminded of what it takes to achieve = greatness no=20 matter what the situation may be. I = sincerely hope=20 Black History Month maintains a presence today = into=20 tomorrow and the future for not just me, but for = the=20 generations to=20 = come.

Dr. Cornel West - University=20 Professor

Princeton University

Center for African American = Studies

"The Black freedom movement is = the key=20 that opens the doors to the depths of American=20 democracy." =20

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Dr. Zalonya Allen - Speaker, = Author,=20 Poet

Zalonya Allen International

Southfield, MI

http://www.zalonya.com/

Black=20 History Month is great because it gives = America an=20 opportunity to focus on the positive = contributions of=20 African Americans. I always learn = something new=20 about the achievements of African Americans = during Black=20 History Month. When I speak to college = students=20 about diversity they are always eager to hear = what I=20 have to say because many of them have not had a = lot of=20 exposure to other cultures and ethnic = groups. =20 Black History Month is a time to provide = students, as=20 well as the rest of America with valuable = information=20 that they want and=20 = need.

Be=20 A Part Of the CWR - Nominate A=20 = Friend

If you or a friend has an inspiring story = of how=20 you have successfully overcome a major = obstacle in=20 your life as a college student, please contact = the CWR,=20 or nominate your friend, so that we can examine = your=20 story for publication in The Empowered = Student=20 section.

SHARE YOUR STORY OR NOMINATE A = FRIEND

Disclaimer

The opinions=20 expressed within The College World Reporter by = writers=20 not associated with Donell Edwards Enterprises, = are=20 those of the writers, and are not = necessarily=20 shared by the publisher. The items = contained=20 herein are provided for general information = purposes only. Readers should not rely = solely on=20 this information, but should do their own=20 research. This newsletter may contain links = to=20 websites that are created and maintained by = other=20 organizations. Donell Edwards Enterprises does = not=20 necessarily endorse the views expressed on these = websites, nor does it guarantee the accuracy or=20 completeness of any information presented there. =