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The U.S. Postal Service is unveiling a commemorative Black Heritage stamp honoring publishing legend John H. Johnson.

Johnson, the founder of Johnson Publishing Company, which publishes Ebony and Jet magazines, is the 35th honoree in the Black Heritage stamp series. Past honorees in the series, which debuted in 1978, include Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Madam C.J. Walker and Barbara Jordan.

“John Johnson’s unyielding commitment to journalistic excellence and his unparalleled reporting on African-American culture have distinguished him as one of America’s greatest publishers,” USPS Chicago Senior Plant Manager Anthony Vaughan said in a statement announcing the release of the stamp.

A dedication ceremony will be held Tuesday at Johnson Publishing Company’s offices with Linda Johnson Rice, chairman, Johnson Publishing Co. and Johnson’s daughter; Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing Co.; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; former Mayor Richard M. Daley; Illinois Rep. Danny Davis and the Rev. James Meeks of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago.

“I’m immensely proud that my father and his life’s passion are being recognized in such a high honor as the Black Heritage Stamp,” Johnson Rice said in the statement. “His legacy lives on in all whom he touched and in the work we continue to do daily.”
 
Roy Betts, a USPS communications officer, said Americans nominate between 40,000 to 50,000 people and events each year for consideration for commemorative stamps.
 
A citizen review committee considers the requests and pares them down to a list of 20 to 25 nominees, and those recommendations are sent to the postmaster general, who makes the final decision.

The Black Heritage series is among the postal service’s most popular.

Each year, however, a rumor starts circulating claiming that USPS plans to eliminate the series, a falsehood that consistently results in a spike in sales of the stamps.

“We’ve been accused of starting the rumor,” Betts said with a laugh. “We’re pretty slick when it comes to marketing, but we can’t take credit for that one. Right around Christmas or Martin Luther King’s birthday, people put a rush on the post office” to buy the stamps.

Betts said other public figures who have been nominated for inclusion in the Black Heritage series include President Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin.

“There was a time when we wouldn’t consider anyone who had been dead less than 10 years, then it was five years,” Betts said. “Now we’ve decided to honor living persons.”

The USPS also now announces two stamps per year and has started using Facebook and Twitter.

“The whole idea is to get the younger generation interested in stamp collecting,” Betts said.

Johnson had a remarkable history. He was born in Arkansas City, Arkansas in a segregated town that had no high schools for black students. By the time of his death at age 87, he commanded a business empire encompassing magazines, cosmetics, radio stations, book publishing and more and was the first black person on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the 400 wealthiest people in America in 1982.

Read more at http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_state_of_black_america_news/36703

In the South, King spearheaded efforts to integrate public spaces and he fought for voting rights. King, however, didn’t just fight racism in the South. He highlighted racism in the North as well. To read a traditional King bio, click here. To learn more about King’s efforts in the North read below.

Watch video of Mahalia Jackson singing at King’s funeral.

In one famous incident, King lead a fight to end housing segregation in Chicago — a mecca for blacks escaping the South. The march didn’t go well. In August 1966, King and his supporters marched in front of more than 4,000 angry white immigrants in southwest Chicago. The white mob called the 800 black marchers “cannibals,” and “savages” and stoned King.

He would later say, “I have seen demonstrations in the South, but have never seen anything so hostile and so hateful as I’ve seen here today.”

The incident showed that the South wasn’t the only bastion of racism that needed to change.

Below are King’s quotes about the fight to end racism everywhere:

“Let’s Not Fool Ourselves, we are far from the Promised Land, both north and south.”

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

Watch this video of King’s “Letter From the Birmingham Jail.”

We all Love Etta James and there are quite a few things we can learn from the legendary queen. What we can learn from the queen is the love she inspired. What the love songs of Etta James can teach us about the beginning, the ending, and keeping relationships.

Etta James, known as the Matriarch of R&B, died today at the age of 73 after a long battle with leukemia. She’s survived by her husband of 41 years, two sons, and all of us who fall in and out of love to her music.

I fell in love with Etta James and my high school sweetheart, Greg, at the same time. Greg and I would drive around our respective small towns blasting “At Last,” like it was a rap song. Etta James’ music was beautiful and romantic. More than anything, I was struck by its universality. Even then, I knew that not everyone shares the same expectations or outcomes in love. But every love is the same in a few ways. It works until it doesn’t. It doesn’t work until it does. Even if you’re lucky to share 41 years with someone, something ends the streak. There’s beauty in endings and beginnings.

I eventually broke my high school sweetheart’s heart… or maybe he broke mine. But Etta James never left me. Her music taught me about the elation and grief of love. Here are the five biggest lessons I learned from her songs:

1) “I want a Sunday kind of love.”

In “A Sunday Kind of Love,” Etta James praises the everyday kind of love that “lasts past Saturday night.” This isn’t love in the best lighting or at its most novel. It’s the kind of enduring love that’s around when you’re low. Or when it’s Monday. Or when you’ve been together so long that it’s not a discussion of love at first sight. It’s just love at every special or unspecial moment.

2) “All I could do was cry.”

Etta James is at a wedding with the man she loves… watching him get married to someone else. In “All I Could Do Was Cry,” she does just that. She shows up and owns her feelings, presumably keeping them to herself (and then sharing them in a song). James doesn’t try to get in the way of what’s happening. She’s not going to plead for the one that got away to love her. Who wants to bargain for someone’s heart anyway?

3) “We can get along…if only you trust in me.”

Unlike many songs that came out at the time, “Trust in Me” isn’t about what Etta James seeks from her partner. It’s about what she brings to the table as an emotional equal. She urges her love to “come to me when things go wrong. Cling to me, daddy, and I’ll be strong.” Don’t ask what your man can do for you. Tell your man what you can do for him.

4) “I found a dream that I could speak to.”

“At Last” isn’t just about finding the One. It’s about realizing that if you’re patient and sincerely want something to happen, it can happen. This is why the song’s perfect for a wedding or the inauguration of our first black president. Dreams do become a reality. It just takes time.

5) “I want you to be true, and I just wanna make love to you.”

You can be coy about what you want in a relationship and in the bedroom, or you can follow the example of Etta James. In “I Just Wanna Make Love to You,” she tells her lover what she wants (to make love, for him to commit) and what she doesn’t (to control him). James is traditional when she expresses the desire to cook and clean up after him. But she’s going to speak her mind and get hers, too.

Source: YourTango

Click Here for more on Etta James WZAKCleveland.com

Radio One Cleveland joined forces with Truemme & the Villa Dream Project to kick off the program called The “Do Something Day” Movement on Wednesday, January 11. We encouraged students to take part in Radio One MKL “Do Something Day” of Service. One group of students worked at the Salvation Army to feed the needy. Check out the photos.

October 16, 2011 marked the historic dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. The event marked the first time a non-president and African-American leader was honored with a monument at the National Mall.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He was jailed over 30 times and ultimately gave his life in the fight for jobs and freedom. By dedicating himself to the civil rights movement, he became responsible for the careers of countless black activists, including Ralph Abernathy, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and Andrew Young – all powerful leaders who carried on his legacy.

Read more at http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/36240

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/entertainment/around_town/here-are-a-few-free-mlk-day-events-happening-around-town-monday#ixzz1jcY742H6

Civil rights leader’s many visits to Cleveland

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