Jet back issues from August 1996:
Blacks help make '96 Olympics opening one of the greatest. (opening ceremonies)
Aug 05, 1996 ... Black participants in the Centennial Olympic Games opening ceremony put their best efforts together to help make it one of the greatest.More than 85,000 fans paid upwards of $600 a person at Atlanta's Olympic Stadium to see what surprises organizers had planned for them. ...
Four Chicago men wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years released; movie deal in the works.
Aug 05, 1996 ... Four Chicago men recently were freed after spending 18 years in prison for a double murder and rape they did not commit. Now, their story is on its way to the big screen as the Walt Disney Company and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have nearly completed a deal to buy the movie rights. ...
The Links, Inc. celebrates 50 years of service.
Aug 05, 1996 ... The Links, Inc., an international women's service organization, recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary at The Links 30th National Assembly in New Orleans, LA, at Riverside Hilton Hotel t Towers.An estimated 8,000 members of The Links, Inc. attended the weeklong celebration which ...
Correction. (to June 17, 1996 article on park dedicated to poet Gwendolyn Brooks)(Correction Notice)
Aug 05, 1996 ... The June 17 issue of JET ran a photo of famed poet Gwendolyn Brooks at the dedication of the Gwendolyn Brooks Park in Topeka, KS. It was incorrectly stated she was the first Black to have a park ...
Air Force celebrates 50 years of service.
Aug 05, 1996 ... The United States Air Force will celebrate 50 years of service with a series of gala events beginning in September.The legacy of the United States Air Force veterans is a bold, blue line stretching from those pioneering days of aviation into 21st Century. For 50 years, Air Force ...
Blacks among 230 aboard TWA Flight 800 who died during explosion off New York coast.
Aug 05, 1996 ... At least three Blacks were among the 230 killed recently when a Trans World Airline (TWA) Boeing 747 bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris from Kennedy Airport in New York exploded and plunged into the ocean off Fire Island, a narrow strip of land 40 miles east of New York City that ...
Richard H. Reynolds II. (named sales and marketing director of The Shurn Group)(Brief Article)
Aug 05, 1996 ... Richard H. Reynolds II, former vice president of human resources and marketing of the Sigma Employment Group in St. Louis, MO, has joined The Shurn Group in the newly-created position of ...
Aretha Franklin: July 10, 1987. (soul singer produced her third inspirational album, 'One Lord, One Faith,' on this day)(This Week in Black History)(Brief Article)
Aug 05, 1996 ... Aretha Franklin, "Queen of Soul" returned to her gospel roots by producing her third inspirational album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, on this day. This was Aretha Franklin's first solo venture as a producer. Ms. Franklin's classic revival meeting was recorded at the New Bethel Baptist ...
Rep. Cleo Fields decides not to seek House seat. (congressman)
Aug 05, 1996 ... Rather than try to win in a congressional district with less than 30 percent Black voters, Louisiana Rep. Cleo Fields will wind up his Capitol Hill career in January. will not seek re-election to the House or attempt to run for the Senate.At a special press conference in Baton ...
Indiana Black Expo celebrates 26th year; honors Ron Brown.
Aug 05, 1996 ... The Indiana Black Expo (IBE) kicked off its 26th annual summer celebration in Indianapolis with a weekend filled with events to celebrate and enhance Black people.One of the highlights of the expo was its corporate luncheon, where Tracey Brown, the daughter of the late Commerce ...
Promoter Butch Lewis celebrates 50th birthday with all-star celebration. (sports and entertainment promoter)
Aug 05, 1996 ... More than 300 well wishers were on hand to join sports and entertainment promoter Butch Lewis when he recently celebrated his 50th birthday in an all-star gala at his home in an exclusive suburb in Delaware.The birthday celebration began when "Godfather of Soul" James Brown jumped ...
Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin are escaped convicts running for freedom in 'Fled.' (movie)(Cover Story)
Aug 05, 1996 ... Laurence Fishburne, one of Hollywood most diverse actors, has recently gone from playing Shakespeare's Othello to a Georgia convict on the run from the law. He and Stephen Baldwin are escaped cons chain@ ed together running for freedom in the action/drama Fled.As Piper (Fishburne) ...
Nuns evicted because of race, lawsuit alleges. (lawsuit filed by Sisters of Providence in Chicago, IL)
Aug 05, 1996 ... A nun's religious order has filed a lawsuit against a White Chicago couple after they evicted two nuns from the apartment building the couple owned. The suit claims the nuns were asked to move out because one nun is Black.The federal suit, brought by the Sisters of Providence, ...
Man freed after 13 years for crime he didn't commit. (DNA tests clear Steven L. Toney of 1983 rape conviction)(Brief Article)
Aug 05, 1996 ... After serving 13 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Steven L. Toney was recently freed from jail, thanks largely to science and his own persistence."I'm elated-I'm just numb" Toney, 49, said during a news conference at his lawyer's office in suburban St. Louis. I just ...
Irvin pleads no contest to drug charges, apologizes. (Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Michael Irvin)
Aug 05, 1996 ... After pleading no contest to felony cocaine possession charges, Dallas las Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin made a heartfelt public apology especially to his late father."I watched my father work to the bone and raise a respectable name,"\ he said. "And that hurts most of all, ...
Ohioan who built his own golf course after being barred from white clubs enjoys its success 50 years later. (William Powell)
Aug 05, 1996 ... William Powell, 79, never wavered in his goal for equitable treatment on the golf course. So when Whites refused to let him play on their facilities, he built his own.Powell cleared some farm land for a nine-hole golf course on Route 30 in East Canton, OH, and named it Clearview ...
Are sports superstars worth the millions they are paid?
Aug 05, 1996; ... Michael Jordan will lead the Chicago Bulls for at least one more season for about $30 Million.Shaquille O'Neal, formerly of the Orlando Magic, has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for a whopping $120 million over the next seven years.Alonzo Mourning will stay with the ...
Shaq leads the way in NBA's free agent multi-year contract bonanza. (Shaquille O'Neal's $120 million, seven-year contract with the LA Lakers is the most lucrative free agent deal in 1996)(Brief Article)
Aug 05, 1996 ... In the wake of Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan's unprecedented $30 million, one-year contract, the NBA's financial floodgates opened wide and and to go to free agents pumped in million contract riches with previously unheard of multimillion dollar, multiyear contracts. ...
Athletes Against Drugs raises more than $50,00 at annual celebrity golf benefit.
Aug 05, 1996 ... Athletes Against Drugs (AAD) recently raised more than $50,000 at its fourth annual "Celebrity Golf Challenge," benefit in Wheaton, IL, near Chicago.The organization was founded in 1985 by noted businessman and former professional athlete Stedman Graham.The non-profit ...
Bruagher, Fishburne, and Goldberg among this year's nominees for Primetime Emmy Awards. (Andre Braugher, Laurence Fishburne, Whoopie Goldberg)
Aug 05, 1996 ... Actors Andre Braugher, Laurence Fishburne and Whoopi Goldberg are among the Blacks nominated for this year's 48th Annual Primetime Emmys.Actors Andre Braugher and Laurence Fishburne, who both starred in The Tuskegee Airmen, both received nominations for their roles in the movie. ...
Charley Pride reflects about how he surprised people as a country singer.
Aug 05, 1996 ... Superstar country singer Charley Pride, a 30-year veteran who is the first Black to break into the White country music industry by selling more records than any RCA recording artist other than Presley, recently revealed that when he began performing many were surprised to learn that he was ...
OPIC establishes $120 million fund to foster South African jobs. (Overseas Private Investment Corp.)
Aug 12, 1996 ... A $120 million fund for South Africa to use in developing workplace opportunities for its Black citizens was announced by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Washington, D.C. OPIC President and CEO Ruth R. Harkin said that the fund brings the first sizable ...
Energy Dept./IBM ink deal for faster computer. (completion of the high speed computer to be built at a cost of $93 mullion by IBM, is slated for 1998)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced $93 million, four-year deal with IBM to build the world's fastest supercomputer, and DOE Secretary Hazel O'Leary says the computer will be able to test the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile to help predict hurricanes better and speed new ...
The College Fund/UNCF has history making year: raises more than $100 million.
Aug 12, 1996 ... For the first time in its history The College Fund/UNCF has raised more than $100 million in a fiscal year. Overall, the organization raised $101.7 million in the 1996 fiscal year, an increase of 13 percent since 1995. The $101.7 million represents revenue from the ...
Brooklyn girl awarded $35.6 million in hospital lawsuit. (judgement on behalf of 8-year-old Shivonne McDonald over botched delivery which resulted in brain damage)
Aug 12, 1996 ... An 8-year-old Brooklyn girl was awarded $35.6 million from a Brooklyn hospital and the doctor who delivered her for permanent, severe brain and neurological injuries that she sustained at birth as a result of their negligence. The three-man, three-woman jury returned the ...
Why suicide is increasing among young Black men. (opinions from various Black doctors, ministers and others)
Aug 12, 1996 ... There's a myth in the Black community that says Blacks don't commit suicide. "Suicide is a White thing, it's not a Black thing," the myth claims. The truth is suicide is increasing among young Black men and is also the third leading cause of death among young Black men, ...
Boy, 4, found in NY toy store four months ago, still waiting for his family. (abandoned in Brooklyn, NY)
Aug 12, 1996 ... New York authorities are still investigating the case of a four-year-old boy found wandering unattended in a Toys R Us store in Brooklyn, NY, on March 21. No one has shown up to claim him and he remains in foster care at JET press time. The boy, who says his name is Jonathan ...
NAACP Defense Fund charges Maryland not enforcing vote law. (failure to comply with National Voter Registration Act and the 'motor voter' law charged)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... In an unexpected move, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund accused the border state of Maryland of failing to enforce the federal "motor voter" law designed to improve voter registration. Filing a law suit in federal court in Greenbelt, the civil rights organization ...
Admiral steps down to appeal sexual misconduct charges. (Anthony Watson in charge of Navy recruiting will appeal case involving wife of a Navy recruiter)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Rear Adm. Anthony Watson, the admiral in charge of the Navy's recruiting command, stepped down while he appeals a preliminary finding of sexual misconduct. Watson "has been temporarily reassigned ...pending resolution of administrative actions taken in response to an allegation ...
Morris Brown College out of debt: expects $2 million surplus.(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Four years ago Morris Brown College in Atlanta was $6.5 million in debt. Today, the institution expects a $2 million surplus for 1996. During the historically Black college's bleakest hours, it was put on probation by the Southern Associations of Colleges and Schools, its ...
UMass settles invasion of privacy complaint from basketball players. (Six members of the Univ. of Massachusettes basketball team received $72,000 from the school because it released their grades to the news media)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Six former and current members of the University of Massachusetts basketball team will receive a monetary award from the school to settle a claim after their grades were leaked to the news media and eventually published. The Boston Globe, the newspaper that released the grades ...
Morgan Freeman stars in 'Chain Reaction': latest movie in the actor's stellar career. (includes a listing of all plays, TV productions and films in which he had a major role)(Cover Story)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Actor Morgan Freeman plays a mysterious and wealthy bureaucrat in the thriller Chain Reaction. That role is the latest to showcase the incredible diversity of the actor who's thrilled audiences in performances ranging from a beloved chauffeur (Driving Miss Daisy) to a pimp (Street Smart) ...
Jimmy Jam and wife become parents of a son. (composer and record producer Jimmy Jam Harris and wife Lisa)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Super producer James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and his wife, Lisa, recently became the proud parents of an 8-pound son, Tyler James. "It feels absolutely wonderful. I've waited a really, really long time to experience this, and it's absolutely wonderful," said Jimmy Jam, 37, who ...
Shaquille O'Neal proud new father of baby girl.(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Shaquille O'Neal's recent excitement did not conclude with the signing of a multimillion dollar contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also became the father of a baby girl. Shortly after announcing his deal with the Lakers, O'Neal dashed from Atlanta, where he is ...
Mail man who lost his legs in work accident returns to new job at post office in Erie, PA. (Ron Holman)
Aug 12, 1996 ... An Erie, PA, mail carrier, who tragically lost both of his legs as the result of an accident while on duty, decided he wanted to go back to work instead of sitting at home and collecting disability. Ron Holman is getting adjusted to his new surroundings in the Human Resources ...
White Alabama man sues charging he was fired from job as police officer for dating Black women. (Elmer Jack Smith)
Aug 12, 1996 ... A White man from Birmingham, AL, was fired from his job as a police officer with the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center (VA) because he dates Black women. For 10 months, Elmer Jack Smith, 47, worked as a police officer with the VA's small federal police force, ...
Reps. draft bill to prevent insurance companies from canceling policies of torched churches. (John Conyers, Cynthia McKinney and Bob Filne support Black churches targeted by arsonists)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Concerned House members are on Capitol Hill drafting legislation to prevent insurance companies from canceling insurance policies of churches burned by arsonists. The coalition includes Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) and Bob Filne (D-CA), who are seeking to ...
Andrew Young nixes criticisms of Atlanta Olympics. (1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, GA)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young recently alluded to Rhett Butler, of the classic movie Gone With The Wind, when he gave his reaction about the negative press his city has gotten during the Olympics. "I give you the Rhett Butler answer," said Young, cochairman of the Atlanta ...
Injury keeps Rubin out of Olympics; she readies for the U.S. Open. (Chandra Rubin, American African tennis champion)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Olympic glory for Chanda Rubin was put on hold, possibly until the year 2,000 when the games are played in Sydney, Australia. That's because Rubin, 20, has a stress fracture in her right wrist which forced her to withdraw from competition. "I'm disappointed that I ...
Bomb blast at Centennial Olympic Park claims Black woman among two deaths. (Alice Hawthorne)
Aug 12, 1996 ... A crude explosive device, believed to be a pipe bomb, was responsible for two deaths and injuries to more than 100 people after it detonated in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park during a free concert as part of Olympic festivities. Among the dead was Alice Hawthorne, a Black ...
Blacks mine Olympic gold in first 10 days of competition. (African American athletes show their superior skills in Atlanta, GA venue)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Dominique Dawes, Gail Devers, Kenny Harrison, Michael Johnson and Carl Lewis were among the Blacks who won gold medals during the first 10 days of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Dawes paved the way for the U.S. women's gymnastic team with some big performances in the ...
Joiner, Renfro inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame. (Charlie Joiner and Mel Renfro)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Charlie Joiner, former wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers, and Mel Renfro, a former defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys, were the Blacks inducted recently into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joiner, who played for the Houston Oilers (1969-72), Cincinnati Bengals ...
Dr. David Satcher, CDC director, says Blacks should pay extra attention to Surgeon General's report. (head of Center for Disease Control and Prevention cites link between lack of exercise and hypertension)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Blacks should pay special attention to the surgeon general's recent warning that exercise is essential to good health, says Dr. David Satcher, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The medical community has long maintained that exercise ...
Dedrick 'Teddy' Withers, African trade pioneer, dies at age 44.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Dedrick James "Teddy" Withers, a pioneer in international trade relations with African nations, recently died after a long illness in Pembroke Pines, FL. He was 44. Withers was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1974 when he was 22 years old. EBONY Magazine ...
John Feaman, cytopathologist and owner of cytodiagnostic laboratory in Chicago, dies.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
Aug 12, 1996 ... John Ahrue Feaman II, a cytopathologist and owner and president of a cytodiagnostic laboratory, recently died at his home in Chicago after a long illness. He was 72. Feaman, who served overseas in the United States Army during World War II, was awarded numerous decorations and ...
Mr T must pay $4.9 million to two Chicago men who created his tough-guy image.
Aug 12, 1996 ... Mr. T recently was ordered by a Cook County judge in Chicago to pay $4.9 million to two Chicago men who said they invented his tough-guy image. Calvin Hollins and John Bitoy, the two given the hefty award, claim they transformed the 44-year-old former nightclub bouncer into ...
Samuel L. Jackson relates racist encounter at Mississippi country club. (actor filming the movie 'A Time t Kill' was isolated for weeks before white members would play near him on golf course)(Brief Article)
Aug 12, 1996 ... Actor Samuel L. Jackson, who is starring in the Deep South thriller A Time To Kill, got a taste of racism while he was in Mississippi filming the movie. When Jackson showed up at a country club with a membership card given to him by the movie's producers to play golf, "the ...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Nix Jr. retires.
Aug 19, 1996 ... "I think I was able to instill in the public some confidence as to the integrity of the system," Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert N.C. Nix Jr. said upon retiring from the bench after a 24-year stint on the state's highest court.Nix, the first Black to head the court, ...
Daughter of famed quadriplegic Celestine Tate Harrington gets married.(Cover Story)
Aug 19, 1996; ... Quadriplegic Celestine Tate Harrington made national headlines in the '70s after winning custody of her infant daughter by demonstrating that she could care for the child despite her condition. She used her mouth and tongue to change her daughter's diaper. Two decades later, she watched her ...
Marcus Garvey: August 17, 1887. (Black nationalist was born on this date in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica)(This Week in Black History)(Brief Article)
Aug 19, 1996 ... August 17, 1887 --Marcus Garvey, orator, organizer and Black nationalist, was born on this day in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica. During the 1920s he turned the world of Black America upside down with his messages of self-help and self-pride. He led a back-to-Africa movement, where ...
Racism deteriorates health of blacks: study.
Aug 19, 1996 ... A recent study of racial confrontations between Black women and White people by a Duke University researcher has found that racism has a negative effect on Blacks' health.Researcher Maya McNeilly's study, which was published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, ...
New testing standards help to detect prostate cancer in black men earlier than more accurately. (new study gives prostatic specific antigen blood test levels for black men)(Brief Article)
Aug 19, 1996 ... Findings from a new study will enhance doctors' abilities to diagnose prostate cancer in Black men, experts reported.The test used to diagnose the cancer is the prostatic specific antigen (PSA) blood test. However, the PSA levels vary widely between races, and until now the levels ...
Number of home loans made to minorities rises. (mortgages given to blacks increased by 9.7% in 1995; blacks still denied twice as much as whites)(Brief Article)
Aug 19, 1996 ... The number of home loans made to Blacks increased in 1995, but Blacks' denial rate continued to be twice that of Whites, according to a government report.Home loans made to Blacks rose by 9.7 percent in 1995, and the number of loans made to Whites decreased by 3.3 percent in 1995. ...
North Carolina teen graduates without missing a day of school in 13 years. (Vaddrick Parker of Hobgood, NC)
Aug 19, 1996; ... Each and every day for 13 years, nine months each year and five days a week, Vaddrick Parker showed up for school. The 17-year-old, who recently graduated from high school, never missed a day of school.But according to Vaddrick, he didn't plan to go through school with perfect ...
President Clinton reaches accord with TV executives on children's programming.
Aug 19, 1996 ... President Bill Clinton, with legendary entertainer Bill Cosby at his side, recently announced that a deal has been made with the television industry that will require stations to broadcast three hours of educational shows a week for children.The president made the announcement ...
Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee wins Democratic nomination to succeed his father in Congress. (son of Harold Ford Sr., who currently represents the 9th congressional district of Tennessee)(Brief Article)
Aug 19, 1996 ... Harold Ford Jr. easily won the Democratic nomination to represent Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, now held by his father, Harold Ford Sr.Ford, 26, received 62 percent of the vote. Of five challengers, his nearest opponent was state Sen. Steve Cohen, who got 33 percent of ...
Party chairmen endorse mayors' fair election code. (chairmen of the Republican and Democratic National Committees)
Aug 19, 1996 ... A pledge to remove race as an issue in the upcoming presidential campaign proposed by the National Conference of Black Mayors was signed by chairmen of both the Republican and Democratic National Committees in Washington, D.C.A bipartisan delegation of the Black mayors led by ...
U.S. Congresswoman Barbara-Rose Collins says she was misquoted in Detroit newspaper about hating whites.
Aug 19, 1996 ... Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI) of the 15th Congressional District in Michigan says her remarks about White people were taken out of context when she was quoted in a Detroit newspaper as saying that she hates the White race.The Detroit Free Press newspaper published a story in ...
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee sue NY construction company and architect for $1 million.
Aug 19, 1996 ... The veteran husband and wife acting team of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee recently filed a million-dollar lawsuit against a New York construction company and architect and claimed that the architect hired a contracting company that allegedly recruited "incompetent" workers from off the streets to ...
Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. takes case of black teen killed by dump truck on her way to mall.
Aug 19, 1996 ... Distinguished lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. is taking the case of a Black teenager whose death led to accusations of racism against owners of a suburban shopping mall in Buffalo, NY.Cynthia Wiggins, 17, suffered fatal injuries when she was hit by a dump truck last December while ...
Nixon, Johnson ink TLC as first client for new management company. (former Los Angeles Laker Norm Nixon and restaurateur Brad Johnson form company and sign music group TLC as their first client)(Brief Article)
Aug 19, 1996 ... Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Norm Nixon and restaurateur/producer Brad Johnson recently formed a management company and signed as their first client the popular rap/R&B trio TLC (Tionne Watkins, Rozonda Thomas and Lisa Lopes) for music, film and television ...
Martin Lawrence detained at airport for carrying gun.
Aug 19, 1996 ... Actor/comedian Martin Lawrence recently was detained at the Burbank, CA, airport after police found a loaded handgun in a suitcase he was taking on a trip.Security officers at the suburban Los Angeles airport spotted an outline of a gun as the comedian's suitcase passed through an ...
Louisiana mechanic files civil rights complaint over mock lynching by co-workers.
Aug 19, 1996 ... A Black auto mechanic in Kenner, LA, has filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Justice Department against his former employer in response to a mock lynching performed by some of his White co-workers.Archie Donald, 51, said he discovered a ...
Panel says widow of Reggie Lewis can sue doctor of late husband. (former player of the Boston Celtics)
Aug 19, 1996 ... The widow of Reggie Lewis, the Boston Celtics captain and NBA all-star who, in 1993, collapsed while shooting baskets and later died, recently was given the OK from a special medical malpractice panel in Boston to file a suit against a cardiologist who treated him.Donna ...
Blacks capture medals at Atlanta Olympics. (1996 Summer Olympics)
Aug 19, 1996 ... Winning gold, silver and bronze medals during the 1996 Atlanta Games, Blacks' triumphant performances were an inspiration to all America.Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Gail Devers, Dominique Dawes and Dan O'Brien were among the major inspirations for the U.S. as they competed in the ...