Jet back issues from March 1997:
Clinton appoints three blacks to White House staff positions. (President Bill Clinton; Thurgood Marshall, Jr., Robert Johnson, Minyon Moore)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Thurgood Marshall Jr. is among three Blacks who President Bill Clinton recently appointed to White House staff posts. Marshall Jr., son of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, was named assistant to the president and Cabinet secretary. He is the first Black to serve as ...
NAACP President Mfume says he thinks that it is time to stop bashing Justice Clarence Thomas. (Kweisi Mfume, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Kweisi Mfume, the head of the NAACP, says he has had enough of the picketing and protesting of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. "I don't think we can ever change Clarence Thomas, and I don't want to spend any more of my time or NAACP time trying," Mfume said of ...
Jackson vows to continue fight for black Chicago contractor. (Jesse Jackson, Carter's Excavating and Grading; project for Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Rev. Jesse Jackson recently spent a night in jail after being charged with disorderly conduct for a protest of the firing of a Black subcontractor working on a construction project in Chicago. Jackson, president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, was arrested when he tried to ...
Why are reported rapes declining?
Mar 03, 1997 ... Nationally, rapes reported to law enforcement authorities fell from a high of 109,000 in 1992 to 97,000 in 1995, the lowest number of rapes since 1989. The sizable decrease was welcomed news to police across the country, among them, Black police chiefs who explained to JET the ...
Lois Davenport Fambro, mother of former Chicago Defender editor, dies. (mother of Theresa Fambro Hooks)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Funeral services were held recently in Chicago for Lois Davenport Fambro, a former school teacher and employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). She was 89. She was the mother of Theresa Fambro Hooks, a former columnist and editor of the Chicago Defender newspaper. ...
Hiram R. Revels: February 25, 1870. (first African American senator)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ...February 25, 1870 - Hiram R. Revels became the first Black United States senator on this day. He represented the state of Mississippi. Revels was born in 1822 in Fayetteville County, NC. At that time, Blacks in the state were forbidden to learn to read and write, so as a ...
John Borders. (named vice president and general manager for Woolworth Account Worldwide)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... John Borders, vice president and general manager of Reebok's Northeast Region, has been appointed vice president and general manager for the Woolworth Account Worldwide. His duties include ...
Alma Powell. (elected vice-chair of John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Alma Powell, co-chair of the 25th anniversary of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and wife of retired Gen. Colin Powell, has been elected as a vice-chair of the Kennedy Center. Ken ...
Betty Appleby. (named managing director of Michigan's International Trade Office in Johannesburg, South Africa)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Betty Appleby, deputy director of the Governor's Southeastern Michigan office in Detroit, has been named managing director of the state of Michigan's International Trade Office in Johannesburg, ...
Yvonne Kilpatrick Tracey. (appointed to Livingstone College and Hood Theological Seminary Board of Trustees)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Yvonne Kilpatrick Tracey, manager of Ethnic Events for Kraft Foods, Inc. in Chicago, IL, has been appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees of Livingstone College and Hood Theological ...
Jawana Smith. (becomes first African American police officer in Bexley Police Department, Bexley, Ohio)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Jawana Smith, a graduate of Grambling State University in Louisiana, has been sworn in as the first Black police officer in the 64-year history of the Bexley Police Department in ...
A healthy breakfast is key to a child's good day.
Mar 03, 1997 ... A nutritious as well as filling breakfast can be a key part to your child's having a good day at school. Studies have shown that the absence of breakfast can affect a student's attention span and concentration. With the fast-paced family living today, most families ...
Univ. of Virginia portraits of Law School deans focus attention on need for diversity.
Mar 03, 1997 ... Portraits of former deans of the University of Virginia Law School have come under fire by some students who are concerned about lack of representation by minorities and women. The oil portraits, all featuring White men draped in Black robes, were recently moved from the law ...
Stedman Graham offers tips on success in book, 'You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success.'
Mar 03, 1997 ... Noted businessman Stedman Graham offers an inspirational and practical program for achieving success and creating a better life in his new book, You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan For Success. Graham's program incorporates studies of a wide variety of successful ...
You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success.
Mar 03, 1997 ... Noted businessman Stedman Graham offers an inspirational and practical program for achieving success and creating a better life in his new book, You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan For Success. Graham's program incorporates studies of a wide variety of successful ...
SCLC Pres. Joseph Lowery announces resignation. (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... The Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), recently announced that he plans to step down in July. Lowery has been head of the civil rights organization since 1977. He has been involved with the Atlanta-based group since it was ...
Denver Mayor Wellington Webb recovering from surgery for prostate cancer. (Colorado)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Denver, CO, Mayor Wellington Webb recently underwent surgery there to remove his cancerous prostate gland. Webb, 55, was recovering well in a downtown Denver hospital, according to a spokesperson at the mayor's office. ...
Andrew Young blames poverty for much of crime in America. (former ambassador)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young recently told people attending the Greater Miami Urban Peace Conference that poverty was to blame for much of the crime in the nation's urban centers. Young said Americans should work together to ensure the nation's wealth is more ...
Bobby Brown files bankruptcy petition to save his Atlanta recording studio equipment. (Georgia)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Best-selling rap artist Snoop Doggy Dogg recently pleaded guilty to being an ex-felon in possession of a handgun, and he has agreed to pay a fine, serve three years of probation and perform community service. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was charged with gun ...
Snoop Doggy Dogg pleads guilty to gun possession charge. (rap artist)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Singer Bobby Brown's recording studio equipment recently was saved from repossession when it was placed under a bankruptcy petition just minutes before the seizure was to take place. Brown's lawyers filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition for Bosstown Inc. in Atlanta just 15 ...
Halle Berry takes control in Ebony's March issue. (actress)(Interview)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Superstar actress Halle Berry candidly talks about the pain of divorce, the lessons she's learned and how she has taken control of her life in EBONY'S Annual Women's Issue in March. The actress reveals to EBONY that she thought about suicide, but she has now triumphed over the ...
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s family seeks murder trial for James Earl Ray.
Mar 03, 1997 ... The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s family recently announced that it is appealing for a trial of James Earl Ray. The family said the trial might be the only way to answer painful questions about King's assassination. The family is appealing for a trial because Ray, who ...
Army suspends Sgt. Maj. McKinney after storm of criticism. (sexual harassment investigation of Gene C. McKinney)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Following a hail of criticism, the Army has suspended Sgt. Maj. of the Army Gene C. McKinney, its top-ranking enlisted soldier, while it investigates allegations that he sexually harassed a retired female soldier (JET, Feb. 24). In a prepared statement, Army Chief of Staff ...
Mother sues city; son died of overdose in Florida after officers allegedly ignored his pleas. (Virginia Barrett sues Fort Pierce, Florida, for death of Anderson Tate, Jr., from crack cocaine overdose)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... A federal civil rights lawsuit recently was filed by the mother of a Black man who swallowed crack cocaine when he was arrested and died in police custody because his pleas for help were ignored by officers. Anderson Tate Jr., 22, was pulled over by a state trooper in Fort ...
Bernie Bickerstaff returns to Washington Bullets as head coach. (basketball)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Bernie Bickerstaff, a former assistant coach with the Washington Bullets. recently returned to the team as its head coach. He stepped down as general manager of the Denver Nuggets to return to Washington. He was an assistant there from 1973-85. "I'm very fortunate ...
Black congressional district in VA ruled unconstitutional. (3rd District in Virginia)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... A panel of federal judges recently ruled that Virginia's only congressional district represented by a Black is unconstitutional because it was drawn too heavily along racial lines. Virginia's 3rd District, which is represented by Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott has a voting-age ...
Sidney Poitier, Jessye Norman and Ed Bradley honored at New York's Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Awards Dinner.
Mar 03, 1997 ... Legendary Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier, world-renowned opera superstar Jessye Norman and veteran "60 Minutes" news correspondent Ed Bradley recently were honored by New York's Associated Black Charities (ABC) at the 11th annual Black History Makers Awards Dinner at the ...
Arsenio Hall returns to TV in new ABC series. ('Arsenio')(Cover Story)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Arsenio Hall, the man who changed the landscape of latenight television for five years, is back. But this time it's prime time network television he's taking on instead of late night talk as the star of the ABC sitcom that bears his name. In "Arsenio," Hall is cast as Michael ...
Ebony's 50th anniversary show, Denzel Washington among NAACP Image Award winners. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Mar 03, 1997 ... EBONY Magazine's 50th anniversary special, "Celebrate The Dream: 50 Years of EBONY", and Denzel Washington were big winners during the recent 28th annual NAACP Image Awards. The Image Awards, presented over two nights in Los Angeles and nearby Pasadena, are awarded annually to ...
Michael Jackson and wife become parents of baby boy. (Debbie Rowe)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... The King of Pop is a pop! Megastar Michael Jackson and his wife, Debbie Rowe, recently became the proud parents of a baby boy. The child was born on Feb. 13 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to the entertainer's publicist. Jackson expressed ...
Actors Cuba Gooding Jr. and Marianne Jean-Baptiste get Oscar nominations. (Academy Awards)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... Cuba Gooding Jr., whose line from Jerry Maguire "Show me the money" has been used by people all over the country, was recently nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his role in that hit movie. Gooding was joined in the nominating category by British ...
Death Row Records hit with lawsuit by American Express. (Marion Knight and attorney David Kenner sued for unpaid bills)(Brief Article)
Mar 03, 1997 ... American Express has filed a lawsuit against Death Row Records' rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight and his attorney alleging that they owe the credit card company $1.7 million in charges. American Express claims in the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that they ran up the ...
Clinton publicly supports Herman for cabinet post.(Labor Secretary nominee Alexis Herman)
Mar 10, 1997 ... President Clinton and the AFL-CIO Executive Council announced their support of Alexis Herman for Labor Secretary as leaders of civil rights and women's organizations met at the White House to dense an aggressive strategy to force the Senate to hold hearings in Washington. "I ...
Business role model.(Pres. Clinton awards corporate social responsibility awards to Yla Eason of Olmec Toys, and four others)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... President Clinton presents Yla Eason, whose company, Olmec Toys, sells millions of dollars worth of ethnic dolls f each year, with the Business Enterprise Award during a ceremony in New York. Among a growing number of business executives who realize that a social vision can also mean big ...
Benjamin Chavis joins Nation of Islam.(Interview)
Mar 10, 1997 ... The Rev. Benjamin Chavis, the CEO of the National African American Leadership Summit, has become a member of the Nation of Islam. Chavis, a Christian minister who has changed his name to Benjamin Chavis Muhammad, made the announcement before an audience of 12,000 people at the ...
Warm welcome.(Graca Michel makes first official public appearances with Nelson Mandela)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... South African President Nelson Mandela and his friend Graca Machel, the widow of Mozambique's founding president Samora Machel flank Queen Silvia of Sweden during a welcoming ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa. Though Mandela, 78, and Machel, 51, have held hands, kissed in public and walked ...
Court says police can order passengers out of car during traffic stop.(U.S. Supreme Court says danger to officers justifies intrusion on passengers' rights)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Police can order passengers, as well as drivers, to get out of vehicles during traffic stops, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled. Ruling 7-2 in a Maryland case in which Attorney General Janet Reno argued as a friend-of-the-court, the justices said the need to protect police ...
Kansas City, MO, homeless couple weds after they met at soup kitchen.(LaToyva West, Raymond Robinson)(Interview)
Mar 10, 1997 ... It's often said that love is a two-way street, and apparently love can also be found on the streets. Homeless mates LaToyya West, 27, and Raymond Robinson, 35, who both live in Kansas City, MO, recently married after they met while in a soup kitchen line. The two strolled down ...
Scientists find natural chemicals that make you fall in love.
Mar 10, 1997 ... When two people hit it off and fall in love, some might say they have the right "chemistry." The phrase might not be very far from the truth. Scientists are finding that love very well may be a chemical thing. Dr. Helen Fisher of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, has ...
Crispus Attucks: March 5, 1770.(first African American revolutionary casualty; Boston Massacre protest at British garrison against the Townshend Acts)(This Week In Black History)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ...March 5, 1770Crispus Attucks, the first Black casualty in the American Revolution, was killed on this day. Attucks is believed by many historians to have been the same man who in 1750 was advertised as a runaway slave from Framingham, MA. A stranger to Boston, he led a group ...
Two-hour Black History exchange stirs U.S. House.(1997 Black History Month program in the U.S. Capitol)
Mar 10, 1997 ... During the biggest, longest and most moving program ever sponsored on Capitol Hill by the Congressional Black Caucus to celebrate Black History Month, Chairwoman Maxine Waters and New York Rep. Major Owens cooperated by putting their hour-long requests for time back to back, thus allowing ...
Temple University names scholarship program in memory of Ennis Cosby.(slain son of Temple alumnus/trustee Bill Cosby)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Temple University's Faculty Senate has named its academic scholarship award program in memory of Ennis William Cosby, the slain son of Bill and Camille Cosby. Bill Cosby is an ...
Better medical treatment, not better lifestyles is reason for drop in heart disease deaths.
Mar 10, 1997 ... Deaths from heart disease in the United States are declining mostly because of better drugs and other treatment and not because people are warding off trouble by leading healthier lives, a newly released study suggests. Only 25 percent of the decline in heart disease deaths ...
Survey: proportion of seniors entering nursing homes down due to growth in home care services.(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... The number of older people living in nursing homes is declining according to a survey of the nursing home industry, "An Overview of Nursing Homes and Their Current Residents," conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The growth in the number of home ...
Business group salutes Mfume.(National Minority Business Council gives Special Achievement Award to NAACP Pres/CEO Kweisi Mfume)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume is greeted by National Minority Business Council (NMBC) Chairman Ernest P. Gonzalez and John F. Robinson, NMBC founder, during the organization's recent business awards luncheon in New York. Mfume was presented the NMBC Special Achievement Award. In ...
Education stamp.(new US postage stamp, 'Helping Children Learn' unveiled)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... "Helping Children Learn" is the title of the newest postage stamp unveiled recently by the U.S. Postal Service during a ceremony in Sacramento, CA. The stamp, designed by artist Christopher Van Allsburg, features an adult and child ...
Study: children's books lack interracial interaction.(percentage of Blacks appearing in children's books has been 20%-30% since 1965)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... A recent study found that children's literature lacks interracial interaction. The study, conducted by Purdue University sociologist Elizabeth Grauerholz and colleagues, reported "children's literature is largely void of interracial cooperation," after having examined 2,400 ...
Nancy at 60.(jazz singer Nancy Wilson's gala birthday party)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Legendary songstylist Nancy Wilson celebrates her 60th birthday and the release of her upcoming 60th album during recent concert gala at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. During the show, she performed tunes from the album If I Had My Way, set for release in May on the Columbia Records label ....
Rap star Dr. Dre buys $3 million home.(Chatsworth area of Los Angeles, CA)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Grammy Award-winning rap star-producer Dr. Dre recently bought a $3.25 million home in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. He and his wife, Nicole, recently moved into the five-bedroom, 10,000-square foot home, which is situated on 7 1/2 ...
Black Caucus urges U.S. to apologize for deceiving syphilis victims 60 years ago.(Tuskegee Syphilis Study)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) leaders recently urged President Clinton to issue a long overdue formal apology on behalf of the U. S. Government for the disgraceful Tuskegee Syphilis Study that was conducted 60 years ago. Newly elected CBC Chairwoman Maxine Waters of ...
New Haven gets first black police chief.(New Haven, CT; Melvin Wearing)
Mar 10, 1997 ... The recent resignation of the police chief of New Haven, CT, amid scandal cleared the way for the installation of the city's first Black police chief. Melvin Wearing, 53, was sworn in to office February 24. He was serving as assistant police chief when Police Chief Nicholas ...
Klansmen sentenced in burning of two black South Carolina churches.(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Two former members of the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan who pleaded guilty to burning two predominately Black churches in South Carolina last year were recently each sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison. Gary C. Cox, 23, was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison, and ...
LA nightclub agrees to open doors to black patrons.(Holly Beach, Louisiana)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... A Louisiana nightclub that allegedly turned away Black customers recently agreed to end its discriminatory policy and open its doors to all prospective patrons. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Evelyn's Lounge in Holly Beach, LA, agreed to stop excluding Black ...
Ex-Alabama Supreme Court Justice Oscar Adams Jr. dies; first black elected to statewide office there.(at age 72; appointed in 1980 and elected in 1982, served until 1993)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Oscar W. Adams Jr., the former state Supreme Court Justice who became the first Black elected to statewide office in Alabama, recently died of an infection related to cancer at the Baptist Medical Center-Montclair in Birmingham AL. He was 72. Justice Adams made Alabama history ...
Pittsburgh Steelers' star Jerome Bettis signs history-making four-year, $14.4 million deal with team.(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis recently signed a four-year, $14.4 million deal with the team, which makes him the NFL's third-highest-paid running back. NFL running backs who earn more than Bettis are Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith and Detroit Lions Barry Sanders ....
Barry Bonds inks $22.9 mil. extension to become top-paid player in baseball.(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds recently-signed a two-year, $22.9 million contract extension with his team, which gives him the highest average salary in baseball at $11.45 million. And for now he is the highest-paid for 1999 and 2000. ...
U.S. Tennis Association names stadium in honor of Arthur Ashe.(Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, NY)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... The U.S. Tennis Association's (USTA) board of directors has voted unanimously to name its new U.S. Open stadium in honor of one of tennis' most cherished heroes--champion, humanitarian Arthur Ashe. The 23,000-seat stadium at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, NY, will be ...
Andrea Gardiner is first black to win U.S. Figure Skating junior title.
Mar 10, 1997 ... Andrea Gardiner recently skated her way into history when she became the first Black to win the junior women's title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville,TN. "It feels good, but I don't think it's a big thing to me," ...
Erik Williams sues Dallas police, TV station over false rape accusation.
Mar 10, 1997 ... Dallas Cowboys football star Erik Williams, falsely named with teammate Michael Irvin in a rape case, recently filed suit against the city of Dallas and its police department, accusing police officers of violating his civil rights. In a separate lawsuit, Williams named a TV ...
Riddick Bowe drops out of marines after 11 days.(former boxing champion)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... After just 11 days of basic training, former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe bowed out of the Marines. Bowe, who was granted' age, weight and dependent waivers so he could enlist, told his drill instructor and battalion commander that the regimen was too strict, that he ...
Judge throws out $4.4 million ruling against Mike Tyson.(former boxing champion's breach of contract with trainer Kevin Rooney)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... A federal court judge recently threw out a $4.4 million ruling that a jury returned against former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson for unjustly firing his former trainer Kevin Rooney. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas McAvoy said in a ruling made public in Albany. NY ....
Screenwriter files suit against NBC claiming movie was based on her screenplay.(Karen Henry; film 'Voices From Within')(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... An aspiring Black screenwriter has filed a lawsuit against NBC-TV and two production companies claiming the movie, Voices From Within, was based on her screenplay. The screenwriter, Karen Henry of Plano, TX, copyrighted her screenplay "Splintered images" in 1991, and her agent ...
Della Reese stars in hit TV show about faith and love, 'Touched By An Angel'.(Cover Story)(Interview)
Mar 10, 1997 ... Spiritual faith and love would hardly seem to be the main ingredients for a successful television series. But, indeed, that is what has happened with Della Reese's hot CBS drama "Touched By An Angel." In the series, Ms. Reese plays Tess, a heavenly supervisor who works with a ...
Woman pleads not guilty in Cosby extortion case.(Autumn Jackson; Bill Cosby)
Mar 10, 1997 ... A 22-year-old woman charged with trying to extort $40 million from Bill Cosby recently pleaded not guilty. At a news conference held outside federal court in Manhattan, Autumn Jackson told reporters: "I deny the charges that have been brought against me. I'd like to send my ...
Jet top 20 albums.(popular music; led by 'The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory' by Makaveli/Tupac Shakur)(Brief Article)
Mar 10, 1997 ... 1. THE DON KILLUMINATI THE 7 DAY THEORY Makaveli (Death Row)2. THE PREACHER'S WIFE Whitney Houston (Arista)3. DANGEROUS GROUND Various Artists (Jive)4. DRU HILL Dru Hill (Island)5. IL NA NA Foxy Brown (Violator/Def Jam)6. HARD CORE Lil' Kim ...