Civil rights movement

Minority Pilot Advancement Foundation Launches, Vows to Bring 600 Minority & Women Pilots into Aviation Industry Annually

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Minority Pilot Advancement Foundation launched today during Black History Month with the goal of bringing 600 minority and women pilots per year into the aviation industry.

Key Points: 
  • HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Minority Pilot Advancement Foundation launched today during Black History Month with the goal of bringing 600 minority and women pilots per year into the aviation industry.
  • By educating, inspiring and funding minority teens in aviation careers, the Foundation is poised to drive generational change by breaking the cycle of lack of advancement opportunities, and to help alleviate the significant pilot shortage in the United States.
  • Given that less than 3 percent of all airline pilots are Black, and less that 1 percent are women, the need for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) programs like the Minority Pilot Advancement Foundation has never been greater.
  • Mr. Kelly will become one of a small group of African Americans to receive the distinguished award during the LVFA’s grand opening ceremony.

New CEO of Las Vegas Flight Academy (LVFA) awarded FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award during Feb. 24 Grand Re-Opening Celebration

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ronald E. Kelly, the new CEO the Las Vegas Flight Academy (LVFA), has been awarded with the distinguished Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award given by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in recognition of 50 years of safe flying. Mr. Kelly becomes one of a small group of African Americans to receive the distinguished award during the LVFA’s grand opening ceremony, appropriately held during the nation’s celebration of Black History Month.   

Key Points: 
  • HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ronald E. Kelly, the new CEO the Las Vegas Flight Academy (LVFA), has been awarded with the distinguished Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award given by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in recognition of 50 years of safe flying.
  • Mr. Kelly began flying sailplanes in Southern California at age 14 and later earned his private pilot’s license.
  • In 2020, Kelly bought out the assets of Pan Am’s Las Vegas operation which then became Las Vegas Flight Academy.
  • Youth who are served by the Foundation will be trained at Flight Ventures Aviation Academy in Murrieta, CA, owned by Mr. Kelly, and Chris and Danni Haug.

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center to Rebrand as NeighborHealth

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2024

BOSTON, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, during an announcement to its nearly 2,000 employees, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) outlined plans to rebrand its health system, which serves more than 120,000 people and has an operating budget of $270 million. The largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts announced it will become NeighborHealth in June 2024, taking on a new name and visual identity.

Key Points: 
  • BOSTON, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, during an announcement to its nearly 2,000 employees, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) outlined plans to rebrand its health system, which serves more than 120,000 people and has an operating budget of $270 million.
  • Today, EBNHC operates nearly a dozen clinical sites throughout Greater Boston including East Boston, Winthrop, Everett, Revere, and Boston's South End.
  • "Five decades ago, community leaders of East Boston planted a seed of love in the heart of our community that grew to become the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.
  • Joined together with the South End Community Health Center, we will become NeighborHealth, serving many thousands of families in several communities.

M&T Charitable Foundation Gives $100,000 Grant to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Advancing Its Mission to Educate, Inspire, and Empower

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

NEW YORK, Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The M&T Bank Charitable Foundation has announced a $100,000 grant allocated to the Jackie Robinson Foundation. This funding will support the Foundation's programmatic services dedicated to JRF Scholars within the greater New York City Area. These services include career guidance, internship facilitation, permanent job placement assistance, as well as leadership development and practical life skills.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The M&T Bank Charitable Foundation has announced a $100,000 grant allocated to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
  • The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) administers one of the nation's premier scholarship and leadership development programs for minority college students.
  • The Jackie Robinson Museum is a museum and educational center in Manhattan that honors the legacy of Jackie Robinson.
  • For more information on the M&T Charitable Foundation, please visit the M&T Charitable Foundation website .

Call for Artists: Wyndham Rewards Commissions Gillespie Wall Mural Honoring Greensboro Six

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Plans for a new Greensboro public arts project honoring civil rights pioneers, The Greensboro Six, took a major step forward today with the formal launch of a nationwide search for the mural's artist.

Key Points: 
  • Slated for installation at historic Gillespie Golf Course, the outdoor project is being commissioned by Wyndham Rewards®—proud title sponsor of the PGA TOUR's Wyndham Championship—and overseen by the City of Greensboro in partnership with First Tee - Central Carolina.
  • "The Greensboro Six didn't just change the history of Gillespie Golf Course – they helped change the game of golf.
  • With this mural, it's our hope that we can honor their historic contributions while celebrating the vital role Gillespie continues to play in our community through the work of First Tee."
  • The Gillespie wall mural honoring the Greensboro Six is slated to be unveiled this August ahead of the 85th annual Wyndham Championship and is a part of larger efforts surrounding Wyndham Championship Fore!

Back in the day, being woke meant being smart

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Ron DeSantis had his way, the word “woke” would be banished from public use and memory.

Key Points: 
  • Ron DeSantis had his way, the word “woke” would be banished from public use and memory.
  • As he promised in Iowa in December 2023 during his failed presidential campaign, “We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in the corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress.
  • Back then, the word was used as a warning to be aware of racial injustices in general and Southern white folks in particular.

The early days of wokeness

  • Examples of its use – in various forms of the word “awake” – date back to before the Civil War in Freedom’s Journal, the nation’s first Black-owned newspaper.
  • Because education and literacy were “of the highest importance,” the editors wrote, it was “surely time that we should awake from this lethargy of years” during enslavement.
  • In a 1904 editorial in the Baltimore Afro-American, for instance, the editors urged Black people to “Wake up, wake up!” and demand full-citizenship rights.
  • Wake up Africa!” At around the same time, blues singers were using the word to hide protest messages in the language of love songs.

A miscarriage of justice


On March 25, 1931, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, falsely accused a group of
several Black young men of rape.
Based on their words, the nine Black men – ages 12 to 19 years old – were immediately arrested and in less than two weeks, all were tried, convicted, and with one exception, sentenced to death.

  • All the cases were appealed and eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • In its 1932 Powell v. Alabama decision, the court overturned the verdicts in part because prosecutors excluded potential Black jurors from serving during the trial.
  • But instead of freedom, the cases were retried – and each of the “Scottsboro Boys” was found guilty again.

How woke became a four-letter word

  • Over the years, the memory of the Scottsboro Boys has remained a part of Black consciousness and of staying woke.
  • Two years later, a documentary on the group was called “Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement.”
  • When asked to define the term in June 2023, DeSantis explained: “It’s a form of cultural Marxism.
  • Civic literacy requires an understanding of the social causes and consequences of human behavior – the very essence of being woke.


Ronald E. Hall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Visit St. Augustine Unveils New Black History App

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

In an effort to make the extensive history of African-descended people in the oldest city accessible to all, Visit St. Augustine has created an all-new Black History app — putting history in the palm of your hand.

Key Points: 
  • In an effort to make the extensive history of African-descended people in the oldest city accessible to all, Visit St. Augustine has created an all-new Black History app — putting history in the palm of your hand.
  • "In our work with the team at Visit St. Augustine, we wanted to develop a new Black History app for St. Augustine that would amplify marginalized voices and preserve the rich tapestry of Black History in St. Johns County,” stated Susan Phillips, President & CEO of the St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau.
  • The St. Augustine Black History App has four main sections — Events Timeline, Historical People, Historical Places, Historical Topics.
  • Plan your trip to Florida's Historic Coast using our trip planner and download the St. Augustine Black History App through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store today.

Rainbow PUSH Coalition Formally Installed Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III as President and CEO

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

DALLAS, Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On the first day of Black History Month, Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III was formally installed as the President and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 7 PM at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. The sold-out installation event featured VIP program participants and attendees from all over the country, including Roland Martin, Rev. Al Sharpton (NAN), Shavonne Arline-Bradley (NCNW), Dr. Michael Sorrell, Dr. Amos Brown, and Dr. Ron Daniels, among others. Tashara Parker, 4X Emmy award-winning journalist, served as the mistress of ceremonies. A livestream is available to watch on YouTube, courtesy of Roland Martin Unfiltered, a Black-owned media network. Both the installation ceremony and the President's Inaugural Social Justice Conference were presented by Sound Design Studios, a Dallas-based Black-owned production company. 

Key Points: 
  • DALLAS, Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On the first day of Black History Month, Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III was formally installed as the President and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 7 PM at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
  • Both the installation ceremony and the President's Inaugural Social Justice Conference were presented by Sound Design Studios, a Dallas-based Black-owned production company.
  • Sharpton, however, explicitly called out the issues at hand, connecting the Civil Rights Movement to Dr. Haynes' existing work as a social justice pastor.
  • The day after the installation, Friday, February 2, 2024, Rainbow PUSH Coalition hosted the President's Inaugural Social Justice Conference from 9 AM - 4:30 PM at Paul Quinn College.

Suburban Propane and Historic Tours of America Unite to Support Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in Celebration of Black History Month

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 1, 2024

The LMCC is located in the Lincolnville Historic District, which was founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved people and stands in the town's most prominent historically black neighborhood.

Key Points: 
  • The LMCC is located in the Lincolnville Historic District, which was founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved people and stands in the town's most prominent historically black neighborhood.
  • "At Suburban Propane, we believe in the power of preserving and sharing diverse cultural histories," said Nandini Sankara, spokesperson, Suburban Propane.
  • "Our collaboration with the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center aligns with our SuburbanCares commitment to support initiatives that celebrate and educate on the vibrant heritage of the communities in which we operate."
  • "We are honored to join forces with Suburban Propane to support the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center," said Piper Smith, Vice President of Marketing, Historic Tours of America.

National Black Chamber of Commerce ® President, Charles DeBow, Joins Distinguished Supporters in Backing Main Street Growth Act

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 1, 2024

CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dream Exchange is pleased to announce that Charles DeBow, President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®, has lent his influential support to a letter endorsing the Main Street Growth Act (H.R.

Key Points: 
  • CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dream Exchange is pleased to announce that Charles DeBow, President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®, has lent his influential support to a letter endorsing the Main Street Growth Act (H.R.
  • The Main Street Growth Act is positioned to help reverse this trend, creating more opportunities for communities served by these companies.
  • The Main Street Growth Act aligns with our commitment to fostering economic empowerment and ensuring that opportunities are accessible to all."
  • "The Main Street Growth Act is a transformative step towards empowering local communities and fostering economic vitality.