Jet back issues from May 1997:
Minorities treated worse than whites when house hunting in D.C. area: study. (Washington, D.C. area)
May 05, 1997 ... Blacks and Hispanics encounter substantial discrimination when they try to buy a home in the Washington, D.C., area, according to a study done by a housing advocacy group. The group, the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, conducted 100 controlled tests in which pairs ...
Sidney Poitier becomes Bahamas' ambassador to Japan. (actor)
May 05, 1997 ... Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier formally became the Bahamas' new ambassador to Japan during a recent ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo where he presented his credentials to Emperor Akihito. The 70-year-old film pioneer was appointed as the Caribbean Islands' ...
Virginia farmer settles bias claim against U.S. Agriculture Dept. (Willie L. Crute, Jr.)
May 05, 1997 ... A Black Virginia farmer who filed a discrimination complaint wth the Agriculture Department (USDA) charging that his farm loan application was delayed because he is Black won a "substantial" settlement from the USDA. Willie L. Crute Jr. received the, settlement, but the exact ...
Reginald Lewis' family agrees to return $15 million to settle lawsuit. (late chairman of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc.)
May 05, 1997 ... The family of Reginald F. Lewis, the late chairman of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc, has tentatively agreed to return some $15 million that Lewis received from the company in 1992, according to news reports. The $15 million payment was recommended by a special board ...
Dr. Audrey Manley named Spelman College president.
May 05, 1997 ... Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley Acting Surgeon General of the United States, was recently named president of Spelman College in Atlanta. Dr. Manle is the first Spelman graduate to be named president in the college's 116-year history. Dr. Manley's position will be ...
SCLC presents Drum Major for Justice Awards in Atlanta. (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)
May 05, 1997 ... The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) recently held its l8th Annual Drum Major for Justice Awards in Atlanta and honored outstanding Blacks in several fields. Famed boxing promoter Don King received the Drum Major for Justice Award for Economic Empowerment during ...
Farrakhan addresses Philadelphia rally on racial healing. (Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan)
May 05, 1997 ... Nation of islam Leader Minister Louis Farrakhan recently led an all-faiths rally in philadelphia in protest of racial violence in the city. "America is the golden chance on the outside, but filled with filth and abomination on the inside," Farrakhan said at Tindley Temple ...
Coca-Cola system surpasses $1 billion spending goal with minority and women-owned businesses.
May 05, 1997 ... The Coca-Cola Co. announced that the Coca-Cola system has surpassed its commitment to purchase more than $1 billion over the past five years in good and services from minority and women suppliers. The results of the initiative were revealed at the Black Entrepreneurship in ...
Bessie Coleman: April 30, 1926. (became the first licensed Black pilot in the U.S. on this date)(This Week in Black History)(Brief Article)
May 05, 1997 ... Bessie Coleman, first licensed Black pilot in the United States, was killed in an airplane accident on this day in Jacksonville, FL. Ms. Coleman, 34, who was not wearing a seat belt, tumbled more than 5,300 feet to her death after her airplane stalled and flipped over. Bessie Coleman ...
Milton H. Jones Jr. (named president of NationsBank Dealer Financial Services Group)(People)(Brief Article)
May 05, 1997 ... finance executive for NationsBanc Services, Inc. in Atlanta, has been named president of NationsBank Dealer Financial Services Group (DFSG) in Greensboro, NC. DFSG provides automotive ...
Leslie L. Mays. (named executive director of corporate diversity for Shell Oil)(People)(Brief Article)
May 05, 1997 ... former corporate diversity director at General Mills, Inc. in Minneapolis, AN, has been appointed executive director of corporate diversity for Shell Oil in Houston, TX. In this capacity she ...
Children learn through imitating behavior of parents. (Dr. Benjamin Spock)
May 05, 1997 ... Children learn a great deal from a formal education. But they also are educated by identifying with and imitating their parents, which Dr. Benjamin Spock calls "incidental learning." Dr. Spock says in Parenting magazine that through incidental learning, "children develop the ...
Black girls showing signs of puberty earlier than white girls, study reveals.
May 05, 1997 ... American girls are showing signs of puberty or sexual organ maturity sooner than experts estimated, and more Black girls show evidence of that development earlier than White girls, according to a newly released study. The study, which analyzed data from more than 17,000 girls ...
In its 4th season, 'Living Single' still tops with black viewers. (TV sitcom)(Cover Story)
May 05, 1997 ... Even though a number of new television programs featuring Black performers have joined the prime-time lineup on various networks, it is still those four ladies and two guys on the FOX sitcom "Living Single" who garner the highest ratings with Black viewers across the country. ...
Nation celebrates anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in baseball.
May 05, 1997 ... President Clinton joined Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, members of the Robinson family and thousands of fans to pay tribute to the baseball player who shattered the racial barrier in Major League Baseball. The celebration, held at New York's Shea ...
NBA rookie Allen Iverson breaks scoring record. (Philadelphia 76ers guard becomes the first rookie ever to score 40 points or more in four consecutive games)(Brief Article)
May 05, 1997 ... NBA rookie Allen Iverson, a guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, has -- with his most recent outstanding offensive performances -- become the first rookie in history to score 40 points or more in four consecutive games. Iverson, 21, passed the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, who set ...
Blacks shine as referees in the NBA.
May 05, 1997 ... In a professional basketball game the athletes may have the fans' undivided attention with their high-flying slam dunks and other fancy moves, but it is the referees who are the bosses on the court, and Blacks shine as referees in the NBA. The NBA has more Blacks officiating ...
Masters victory means more endorsements for golfer Tiger Woods.
May 05, 1997 ... Golf sensation Tiger Woods' endorsements have steadily been climbing since he turned professional. But since he won The Masters tournament, prospective business deals are pouring into Woods' management office. And, with the recent surge of Tigermania, Woods is being viewed as ...
Flight attendants accuse Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley of sexual harassment. (New York Knicks players)
May 05, 1997 ... The New York Knicks are investigating a charge that two flight attendants quit working on the team's plane because they said they were sexually harassed by players Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley. Both Ewing, 34, and Oakley, 32, denied the accusations. "(The) ...
Ohio State's Orlando Pace selected first in NFL draft. (football star)
May 05, 1997 ... Orlando Pace, the massive offensive tackle from Ohio State, was chosen by the St. Louis Rams as the first overall pick in the NFL draft, which was held in New York. Pace, a junior, is only the fourth player in his position to be chosen first in the draft's 62-year history. ...
Top universities endorse affirmative action in admissions.
May 12, 1997 ... The Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of 62 of the nation's top research universities, has adopted a resolution defending the right to use affirmative action in its admissions procedures, according to a statement published in an advertisement in The New York Times ....
L.A. police chief Willie Williams gets $375,000 deal to leave police department early. (Los Angeles, CA, police chief gets severance in exchange for leaving his post early and not suing the city)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... Los Angeles Police Chief Willie L. Williams recently accepted the City Council's offer of a $375,000 severance package in exchange for his leaving office early and dropping his threat to sue the city. The decision by Los Angeles' Police Commission not to renew Williams' ...
Baltimore police chief under pressure after suspending black officer. (Baltimore, MD, police commissioner Thomas C. Frazier faces pressure to resign after he suspended Colonel Ronald L. Daniel for insubordination)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... Some Black Baltimore police officers recently called for the ousting of Police Commissioner Thomas C. Frazier, who is White, after Frazier suspended the department's highest-ranking Black commander for insubordination. Frazier suspended Col. Ronald L. Daniel after Daniel met ...
United Church of Christ says Chavis can no longer be a minister in its denomination. (Reverend Benjamin Chavis)
May 12, 1997 ... The United Church of Christ (UCC) says the Rev. Benjamin Chavis should no longer be a minister in its Christian denomination because he has joined the Nation of Islam. The UCC's Church and Ministry Commission announced the recommendation in Durham, NC, after an appeal by ...
Judge dismisses charges against police in death of football player's cousin. (Jonny Gammage, cousin of former Pittsburgh Steelers player Ray Seals)
May 12, 1997 ... A judge in Pittsburgh ruled against a second trial for two White police officers accused in the death of Jonny Gammage, the cousin of former Pittsburgh Steelers player Ray Seals. The judge said the two officers were unfairly singled out by prosecutors. Allegheny County Judge ...
Studies show men do better in marriage than women.
May 12, 1997 ... When the wedding bells toll, one might think that both the bride and groom embark on years of marital bliss where they both equally enjoy their married life. That's not necessarily the case, according to physical and mental health studies that say men benefit from marriage more than ...
Willie Mays: May 6, 1931. (legendary baseball player of the New York and San Francisco Giants was born on this date)(This Week in Black History)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ...May 6, 1931-- Willie Mays, who became one of the most exciting players in baseball history, was born on this day in Westfield, AL. He electrified fans with his sensational fielding, outstanding hitting and daring base running. During his major league career he hit 660 home ...
New Baltimore Civil War museum highlights black history.
May 12, 1997 ... Harriet Tubman led her family and many other slaves to freedom from Baltimore to Philadelphia on the Underground Railroad. In 1848, Henry "Box" Brown escaped slavery in Richmond, VA, by packing himself in a 2 ft.-8 tn.-by 3 ft. sealed wooden crate--just big enough for him to ...
Sharon Draper named Teacher of the Year at White House ceremony.
May 12, 1997 ... A Black teacher from Cincinnati was recently named the 1997 Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers and educational publisher Scholastic Inc. Sharon Draper, who is also a published fiction writer, was presented the award by President Clinton during a ...
Gray named a 1997 'Four Freedoms' award recipient. (United Negro College Fund president and former Pennsylvania congressman William Gray)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... United Negro College Fund President and former Pennsylvania Congressman William Gray was selected as one of the 1997 "Four Freedoms" award winners. The others are the Washington Post's Katharine Graham, Senators Mark Hatfield (R-OR) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Congressman ...
John Singleton files for divorce from actress Akosua Busia. (filmmaker)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... Famed director John Singleton filed for divorce in Los Angeles from his wife, actress Akosua Busia, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple wed in October last year. They recently became the parents of a daughter, Hadar, in April. Singleton ...
Battling prostate cancer, Les Brown steps down as host of NY radio show.
May 12, 1997 ... Renowned motivational speaker Les Brown recently announced he would be leaving his position as morning host on the New York radio station WBLS so that he can spend more time on motivational speaking and battling his prostate cancer. "The daily grind of producing a show which ...
Judge says some Maryland state troopers target blacks. (US District Judge Catherine C. Blake of Baltimore, MD)
May 12, 1997 ... A federal judge in Baltimore recently ordered the Maryland State Police to gather more statistics on the race of motorists who state troopers stop. The judge said some troopers "have a serious problem" with targeting Blacks for drug searches. U.S. District Judge Catherine C ....
Rep. Jackson, ex-Sen. Simon back moratorium on death penalty. (Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Paul Simon)
May 12, 1997 ... U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), along with ex-U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL), recently joined a coalition to call for a moratorium on capital punishment in Illinois. They say the moratorium should be in place until an independent commission reviews the death penalty process. ...
Cecil Fielder and wife to sue Florida Sheriff's Dept. (New York Yankees player)
May 12, 1997 ... New York Yankees' baseball star Cecil Fielder and his wife, Stacey, recently announced their plans to file a $25 million lawsuit against the Brevard (FL) County Sheriffs Department alleging that Stacey was arrested falsely. The case stemmed from an incident on February 8 when ...
Minorities and women still paid less. (latest statistics on earned wages from the U.S. Census Bureau)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... The average American woman receives 71 cents for each $1 that a man receives in earned wages, according to U.S. Census figures. The gap widens for Black and Hispanic women. Black women earn 64.2 percent of what men earn, and ...
Clinton says government will give jobs to 10,000 welfare recipients.
May 12, 1997 ... President Clinton recently promised to put 10,000 welfare recipients into federal jobs within the next four years. Six of the welfare recipients will receive jobs at the White House. Clinton commented before a recent Cabinet meeting, "If we give people who are on ...
First black flight attendant is still fighting racism. (Ruth Carol Taylor)
May 12, 1997 ... When Ruth Carol Taylor became the first Black person to land a job as a flight attendant in 1958, she didn't take the job because she thought being a flight attendant would be so great. She says she did it to fight discrimination. "It wasn't something that I had wanted to do ...
Isiah Thomas set to buy Toronto Raptors. (general manager of the Raptors signs letter of intent to acquire majority interest in basketball franchise)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... Toronto Raptors General Manager Isiah Thomas has signed a letter of intent to buy majority ownership of the NBA team from broadcast magnate Allan Slaight. The purchase will make Thomas the first Black with majority ownership of a major league sports team. ...
Boston Marathon has first African sweep, first African women's champion. (Kenyan men finish in the top four places while African women occupy the top four spots among women; Fatuma Roba becomes first African woman champ)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... Africans swept the Boston Marathon for the first time in the race's 101-year history as Lameck Aguta became the seventh straight men's champion from Kenya, and Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia became the first African women's champion. Aguta, who finished fourth the last two years, ...
Former Dallas Cowboy Calvin Hill and wife Janet hired as consultants for team.
May 12, 1997 ... Former Dallas Cowboys star Calvin Hill and his wife Janet have been hired by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as consultants for the team, which is in dire need of image reshaping. The Hills, parents of NBA model citizen and superstar Grant Hill, agreed to be, consultants after a ...
Masters champion Tiger Woods accepts apology from former champ Fuzzy Zoeller.
May 12, 1997 ... Masters champion Tiger Woods recently accepted an apology from former Masters winner Fuzzy Zoeller for racially insensitive remarks he made about Woods. In a prepared statement released from the Los Angeles office of his management agency, IMG, Woods said, " At first, I was ...
Tiger Woods says he is more than black. (golfer)(Interview)
May 12, 1997 ... Golf phenom Tiger Woods, who praised the sport's Black pioneers for paving the way for him when he recently won The Masters, says that he is more than just Black. Woods, whose parents are Asian and Black, said while taping the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago, his first interview ...
Frank Thomas defends Robinson remarks. (Chicago White Sox player's remarks about Jackie Robinson)
May 12, 1997 ... Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas said his remarks were taken out of context and he was "hurt" and "embarrassed" by portions of his ESPN interview that ABC's "Nightline" replayed regarding Jackie Robinson's breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. "I'm hurt ...
New York's Starks wins NBA's Sixth Man Award. (New York Knicks guard John Starks wins title for 1996-97 season by a landslide in voting)(Brief Article)
May 12, 1997 ... New York Knicks guard John Starks won the NBA's sixth man award by a landslide by receiving 84 of the 115 votes cast. "It's a great honor," Starks told Newsday. "It wasn't a goal; to be honest with you, I just looked at this as a way to help the team." Starks ...
Three suspects in Lenard Clark beating case indicted.
May 12, 1997 ... The three teens accused of beating 13-year-old Lenard Clark in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago recently were indicted. Michael Kwidzinski, 19, Frank Caruso, 18,and Victor Jasas, 17, were indicted on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and committing a hate ...
Babyface and Tracey Edmonds: Hollywood's hottest couple.(Cover Story)
May 12, 1997 ... Kenneth "Babyface," Edmonds and his wife, Tracey, are one of Hollywood's hottest and busiest couples. The two work together, have separate business ventures and share parenting duties for their 8-month-old son, Brandon. Besides being husband and wife, Babyface, 39, and Tracey, ...
Celebrities recall best advice given by their mothers.
May 12, 1997 ... There's love like a mother's love. When things go wrong, we can always run to tell our mothers. They seem to always know what to say to make everything all right. As Mother's Day is celebrated across the country this week, JET contacted some of the hottest celebrities to find ...
Alexis Herman gets Senate OK as 1st Black Labor secretary.
May 19, 1997 ... The Mobile, AL, native who overcame race and sex barriers to win a coveted White House office is continuing an uphill political climb as the U. S. Senate has confirmed her as the Secretary of Labor, the first Black ever selected for the Cabinet post. A bitter battle to end a ...
Powell, Woods, Jordan, most popular Americans. (Wall St. Journal/NBC poll yields high popularity ratings for Colin L. Powell, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan)(Brief Article)
May 19, 1997 ... The gold, silver and bronze of popularity in America belongs to three Black men: Retired General Colin Powell, Masters champion Tiger Woods, who is also part Asian, and basketball sensation Michael Jordan. According to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC news poll, Powell had a ...
Volunteer Summit ends with pledges and promises to help disadvantaged children. (Presidents' Summit for America's Future)
May 19, 1997 ... President Clinton's Summit for America's Future ended with marching orders from Retired Gen. Colin Powell and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to the thousands of Americans in attendance to stop talking and start doing. With Independence Hall as a backdrop, Mrs. Clinton and ...
Retired petty officer receives Navy Cross more than 50 years after World War II heroics. (Robert Jones)
May 19, 1997 ... Navy Petty Officer Robert Jones became a hero on October 29, 1944. But it wasn't until recently that he received the Navy Cross, the highest honor the Navy can offer other than the Medal of Honor. In 1944 during World War II, Jones, who was a 19-year-old sailor, was aboard the ...
Maxima Corporation father-son legal battle settled. (Joshua L. Smith I and Joshua L. Smith II disputed over management of the company)
May 19, 1997 ... A legal feud between prominent Maryland businessman Joshua I. Smith and his son, Joshua I. Smith II, over operations of the senior Smith's Maryland-based computer services firm has been settled, according to attorneys. No details were disclosed of the agreement that settled ...
John H. Johnson among six inducted into this year's Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame. (publisher of Jet honored)
May 19, 1997 ... John H. Johnson, publisher, chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, was one of six noted business leaders recently inducted into the 1997 Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame at the 23rd Annual National Business Hall of Fame Conference. John Pepper, ...
Charles Freeman slated to become Illinois Supreme Court's first Black chief justice. (selected after resignation of Chief Justice James D. Heiple involved in speeding tickets scandal)(Brief Article)
May 19, 1997 ... Justice Charles Freeman, the first Black elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, is slated to become the court's chief justice following the resignation of James D. Heiple, at Jet press time. Heiple resigned from his post as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court after ...
Larry Johnson denies paternity claim of Los Angeles model. (New York Knicks star accused by Laura Tate)
May 19, 1997 ... New York Knicks star Larry Johnson has flatly denied claims that he got a 26-year-old Los Angeles model pregnant. "All of it is false," he told the New York Daily News. "Everything's untrue. People are trying to get money ... I'm not going to let none of that junk get to me ...
Murphy was trying to be a 'good Samaritan' when he picked up transvestite prostitute: publicist. (actor Eddie Murphy)
May 19, 1997 ... Eddie Murphy's publicist insists that the comedian was just being a good Samaritan when he picked up a male prostitute dressed up as a woman in a section of West Hollywood, CA, where male prostitutes are known to ply their trade. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department ...
Joe Louis: May 13, 1914. (birthday of the heavyweight boxing champion who was born in Lafayette, AL)(This Week in Black History)(Brief Article)
May 19, 1997 ... May 13, 1914 -- Joe Louis, former world heavyweight boxing champion and American folk hero, was born in Lafayette, AL, on this day. Louis, known as "the Brown Bomber," held the heavyweight title for 12 years and defended it in 25 title fights. Of 71 professional fights, he lost only three ...
Ella Fitzgerald's estate makes donations to Smithsonian and the Library of Congress.
May 19, 1997 ... The Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., recently announced that the estate of Ella Fitzgerald has donated to the two institutions a significant collection of the jazz legend's music and memorabilia, including the pieces from the glass she shattered in ...
Josephine Baker's career celebrated in Smithsonian traveling exhibit. (after Washington, DC, the exhibit will visit 10 cities in the US)(Brief Article)
May 19, 1997 ... The legendary Josephine Baker is among the Black American performers remembered in the new Smithsonian traveling exhibition, "The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940." The exhibit recently premiered at the Smithsonian's Center for African American History and Culture in Washington, ...
Single Maryland mother encourages four children to seek careers in U.S. Navy. (Lynn Bowens)
May 19, 1997 ... Lynn Bowens says she wanted to make sure her children were productive members of society, so she encouraged them to join the Navy. Bowens, a single Baltimore, MD, mother, has four children: Lt. Lynelle M. Roberts, MC, USN, 28; Trynelle McNeill, 26; midshipman Christian W ....
Black West Virginia man wins $75,000 in racial harrassment suit. (Corning Glass Works employee Arturo G. Sherrard)(Brief Article)
May 19, 1997 ... A Black former manager at Corning Glass Works recently was awarded $75,000 after a jury ruled that he worked in a racially hostile environment in one of the company's plants in Inwood, WV. An all-White jury awarded Arturo G. Sherrard of Martinsburg, WV, $75,000 in compensatory ...
Percy Sutton named Black Leadership Forum's 1st Lamplighter. (civic award to chairman emeritus of Inner City Broadcasting Corp.)
May 19, 1997 ... For a Black man who excelled in America's most competitive arena, New York's Percy Sutton, chairman emeritus of Inner City Broadcasting CORP., was hailed by the Black Leadership Forum (BLF) at its first annual Lamplighter Awards Gala. More than 350 notables of civil rights, ...
Johnson licensed by Nevada Gaming Commission. (Robert L. Johnson the CEO of BET Holdings Inc now has gambling license as a director in the Hilton Hotels Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 19, 1997 ... Robert L. Johnson, CEO and chairman of BET Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Black Entertainment Television (BET), recently announced that the Nevada Gaming Commission has found him suitable to hold a gaming license as a director in the Hilton Hotels Corporation. Johnson ...
Civil rights leader James Farmer honored in Congress. (a founder of CORE - Congress of Racial Equality)
May 19, 1997 ... During an hour-long tribute on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., civil rights leader James Farmer was honored as an unsung hero. The tribute for the 77-year-old was organized by Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. Lewis called Farmer "one of ...