http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/debate-teams-help-black-students-find-their-voice.php High school juniors Devonte Escoffery and Stephon Adams have made their school's debate team their number one priority. Both attend Metropolitan Corporate Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y. But their debates on issues such as poverty don't just consist of traditional exchanges of arguments at warp speed. The duo also perform original raps. "In debate, I talk about my social location, Canarsie [Brooklyn] and rap music inf...
Dec 21, 2009•2 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/rev-jesse-jackson-gives-his-grades-for-president-obama.php Rev. Jesse Jackson continues to push President Barack Obama to make black unemployment more of a priority in his administration. Jackson, who founded the RainbowPUSH Coalition, talked with theGrio about President Obama's first year in office. President Obama recently told talk show host Oprah Winfrey he deserves a "solid B+" for his first 11 months in office. Jackson instead gave Obama several grades -- hig...
Dec 21, 2009•2 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/tiger-woods-on-the-barbershop-buzz.php Tiger Woods continues to make headlines with his growing list of reported lovers. And bad timing for Golf Digest magazine as it offers ten tips President Obama can take from Woods. Today on the Barbershop Buzz: As his sponsors begin to pull the plug, is Tiger really living the dream?
Dec 21, 2009•2 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/cornel-west-obama-is-for-big-business-not-the-jobless.php Educator Cornel West sat down with theGrio to discuss how unemployment is affecting African-Americans. TheGrio asked West about national unemployment trends for African-Americans. He called on President Barack Obama to implement a comprehensive jobs policy -- a program that would mirror former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, and focus primarily on creating jobs for people without a college ed...
Dec 21, 2009•4 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/11/harlem-is-home-to-several.php Harlem is home to several legendary African-American political leaders: New York's first black congressman, Adam Clayton Powell, the city's first black mayor, David Dinkins, and the dean of Harlem politics, Congressman Charles Rangel. But suddenly, Rangel faces what his staff admits is a very serious challenge. "I've decided to run for Congress," 2010 congressional candidate Vince Morgan said. "I think the community is ready to look be...
Dec 21, 2009•4 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/sharpton-jackson-attack-limbaughs-rams-bid.php Al Sharpton speaks with theGrio about Rush Limbaugh's NFL bid for St. Louis Rams
Dec 21, 2009•4 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/11/personal-ties-bind-makers-to-movie-precious.php The film "Precious" stars newcomer Gabourey Sidebe, who plays an illiterate teenage girl from Harlem, New York, whose story of repeated sexual abuse at the hands of her father and mother will send viewers on an emotional journey. Based on the novel "Push," the story is one that captured readers and the film's creators more than a decade ago. "Both Lee and I read the book," executive producer Lisa Cortes told TheGrio. ...
Dec 21, 2009•3 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/11/60-minutes-pitts-rises-above-his-past.php When Byron Pitts was 18 years old, his dream was to work for "60 Minutes" by the time he was 45. Raised by his mother in East Baltimore, Pitts was functionally illiterate until the age of 12. He spoke with a stutter until his early 20s. But that didn't stop him from dreaming big. He chronicles his journey from troubled child to an Emmy award-winning journalist in his new book "Step Out On Nothing: How Faith and Family Helpe...
Dec 21, 2009•3 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/women-preachers-make-their-way-to-the-pulpit.php Roots in the anti-slavery movement have led the A.M.E. Church to take a more inclusive approach to women in ministry.
Dec 21, 2009•4 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/the-future-of-education.php In an age where technology is so much a part of our lives, many say the U.S. education system still lags in advancements. The result, according to Brian Smith, founder of the non-profit group, What's Left Out, is an "outdated educational model" that "lacks a certain amount of relevancy to young people right now."
Dec 21, 2009•5 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/post-11.php Tyler Perry hopes he can do good ... very good at the box office with his newest release "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," starring Academy Award Nominated Taraji P. Hensen, Adam Rodriguez, multiple Grammy Award winning singers Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight, and of course, Tyler Perry. "I want people to leave the theaters with hope, going, 'OK. I can make it, I'm going to be alright, I just saw a great film that uplifted me, I got hope, I can make it thro...
Dec 21, 2009•3 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/documentary-series-explores-citys-challenges.php New York City's murder rate has dropped nearly 15 percent compared to last year, according to the New York City Police Department. But East Harlem's 23rd Precinct is another story. There have been seven murders in that area this year, compared to two after nine months last year. Iesha Sekou knows all about crime statistics in Harlem. She is often among the first to arrive at crime scenes and console victim's families...
Dec 21, 2009•3 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/david-patterson-and-politics-is-the-talk-at-the-shop.php New York's Governor David Paterson is embattled with an all-time low approval rating, and it has been suggested by the White House that he should step aside and not run for election next year. Should President Obama back his fellow African-American Democrat and allow him to make his own decision on what is best for New York?
Dec 21, 2009•2 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/chris-paul-crossovers-into-childrens-books.php NBA star Chris Paul is crossing over into children's books. Paul read his new book, "Long Shot: Never Too Small To Dream Big" to the kids at the NBA store in New York City. Paul, of the New Orleans Hornets and one of the shortest players in the NBA, wrote about his journey to the NBA and how he didn't let his small stature deter him from achieving his dream. Like most kids growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, P...
Dec 21, 2009•2 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/young-911-victim-leaves-behind-legacy-of-scholars.php On September 11, 2001, 11-year-old Asia Cottom was headed to California. She had been selected to attend a National Geographic Society ecology conference with other talented young students from around the country. Tragically, terrorists hijacked Cottom's plane and crashed into the Pentagon. No passengers survived. "My mind can't even fathom where [Asia] might be right now," said Michelle Cottom, Asia's mother. "...
Dec 21, 2009•3 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/shamed-to-silence-war-against-hivaids.php According to data from the CDC, at the end of 2007, blacks accounted for almost half of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in America. Marline Hines works at New York City's oldest minority AIDS service organization, Faces, where she leads a women's support program called the Asha Project. Four hundred women have already passed through this program, which aims to help women address the emotional baggage that comes with ...
Dec 21, 2009•3 min
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/cosby-talks-to-thegrio-about-his-tv-special-hip-hop-and-women.php This Sunday Dr. Bill Cosby will hold a town hall discussion which will be broadcast live on MSNBC from Howard University. The two-hour event, entitled About Our Children, will address the nation's dilemmas concerning poverty, parenting, education, and health. The special will be moderated by Independent Women's Forum president and MSNBC political analyst Michelle Bernard. The town hall panelists will...
Dec 21, 2009•5 min
