The plight of the Black Actress in America: Rise or decline?

Photos of black actresses

There are those who believe that African American women have “come a long way baby” in regards to the world of movies and television. It appears that they have evolved from being just maids and cooks on film.  They no longer are seen standing quietly with their heads bowed down, eyes looking downwards at the ground, never giving eye contact to their white co-actors.
  In 1939 Hattie McDaniel was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actress” in Gone with the Wind. The story takes place in the South during the era of the end of slavery and, of course, Hattie played the devoted Black maid who would never leave her mistress. What do people most remember about the Black women in Gone with the Wind? The high squeaky voice of Butterfly McQueen claiming “I don’t know nothing ‘bout birthin' babies!”

Represent Columbus launches new council district effort

Woman speaking at podium outside at press conference

A bipartisan group of Columbus residents, led by Whitney Scott, unveiled citizens’ latest effort to reform Columbus City Council. The group, Represent Columbus, seeks to move Columbus City Council from its current setup with seven members, all elected in citywide elections (at large), and form a 13 member council, with three members elected at large and 10 elected by their neighbors in each of ten districts to be created and revised every ten years by an independent apportionment board.

Clearing up lingering questions about Issue 3

Hand holding marijuana plant

What does Issue 3 say?
  It is understandable that people want concrete answers concerning what will happen if Issue 3 passes. To help clear up a few misconceptions concerning ResponsibleOhio’s ballot language – assuage some of the uncertainty surrounding it – we have consulted experts and attorneys to answer these commonly heard and often misunderstood questions:
  Does Issue 3 have a clause about medical marijuana?
  Yes. The use of marijuana for medical conditions leads off the amendment. Patients who have been certified by a doctor to have defined medical conditions can use, possess and purchase cannabis from non-profit dispensaries. These are mandated to be operational no later than May 30, 2016.
  Will there be caregivers?
  Yes. They will need to be licensed by the Commission and serve their patients for purposes more than just acquiring marijuana. They can purchase, possess and transport it on behalf of those patients.

ColumbusMediaInsider Dispatch News Coverage Improves, Editorials Still Stuck In ‘Basement’

Newspaper

Why did the press (The Columbus Dispatch) agree to meet the press on Sept. 26 at a forum sponsored by the Columbus Metropolitan Club?
  The answer was obvious to those of us in attendance. It was all about doing public relations. Yet the Dispatch chose not to cover the event. Columbus Business First did.

  The brass at the Dispatch are afraid that the cuts and changes they are making will be perceived by central Ohioans as cheapening the product and will lead to even more defections by readers (the Dispatch lost 10 percent of its print readers in the past year), and maybe advertisers, too.

  That is why interim publisher Jim Hopson (recently replaced, see below) and editor Alan D. Miller brought their song and dance to the Athletic Club luncheon.


Good journalism promised while leaner

Bob Bites Back: A history of computer voting “conspiracies”

Voting box

When you are lazy, ignorant and not willing to do research – accuse your more-informed opponents of being “conspiracy theorists.” A recent Columbus Dispatch editorial utilized this technique in its defense of Ohio’s antiquated and easily hacked voting apparatus.
  The Dispatch, with few facts or statistics, stated that, “Secretary of State Jon Husted claims ‘…Ohio’s current voting equipment should be in fine shape through the 2016 election.’” In a subhead, the Big D also claimed “Transparent bipartisan approach should head off conspiracy theorists.”
  Here are some points to consider.
  In 2005, highly-regarded scholar Tracy Campbell published Deliver the Vote: A History of Election Fraud, and American Political Tradition 1742-2004. The book makes a solid case detailing that election fraud is the norm throughout U.S. history.

Community Shares of Mid Ohio “Support. Connect. Succeed Together.”

Logo

Community Shares was established in 1993 by a group of nonprofits for the purpose of fundraising on their behalf through workplace giving campaigns. Through these campaigns, each individual donor gets to decide which charity or charities will receive their donation based on which organization is working on the issues and causes they care about most in their community.
  There are nearly 60 member agencies working on local issues in the following categories: Animal Welfare and Rights, Civic Involvement and an Inclusive, United Community, Civil Action and Social Justice, Ensuring Affordable, Accessible Housing, Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition, Fostering Literacy, Education and the Arts, Healthy Lifestyles and Choices, HIV/AIDS Care and Support, Preservation and Environmental Protection, Promoting the Potential of Individuals Violence Prevention and Safety, and Youth-Focused Services. The Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism, the non-profit organization that published The Free Press through the years, is a founding and current member of Community Shares.

Ginther train continuing long, ugly derailment

GInthzilla

Last month, The Free Press reported on how the Ginther Express was losing its steam. As events have unfolded, the Ginther train has left the tracks and is doing nothing but damage to those around it. The first casualty is former Mayoral candidate James Ragland, who announced he would be supporting Andrew Ginther, the candidate he had criticized so harshly in the primary. Ragland went from saying “if you can look outside your front window and things are getting better then perhaps Andy is right” and calling for Ginther’s apology for the school data scrubbing scandal, to saying “it has become clear to me that in spite of our many differences, Andy understands my views on these issues, accepts them, and has asked for my help in bringing solutions to the table to solve them…”
  Ragland’s about face caused immediate damage to the reputation he had been cultivating, and he received heavy criticism from friends, former supporters and advisors for this reversal. Most people commenting believe he hurt himself, more than helped Ginther.

Ohio legislators aim to gut Planned Parenthood

People rallying at the stateouse wearing pink shirts

The young woman hands me a hot pink tee shirt and a clipboard. “Please sign your support for funding Planned Parenthood.” She smiles broadly and continues, “I’m testifying tomorrow!” Chelsea Golferman was referring to the Ohio House of Representatives hearings which began Tuesday, October 20 for House Bill 294 to defund Planned Parenthood. In spite of the House panel limiting individual testimony to 90 seconds, women are signing up to testify that Wednesday.
  “I first went to Planned Parenthood because I couldn’t afford to go to a private practice,” Golferman says. “I kept going because I got good health care. And I’ve never had an abortion.” You hear that a lot from women and families who use Planned Parenthood as a healthcare resource.  

  Demonstrators gathered on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse on that warm autumn evening to make clear the importance of Planned Parenthood in Ohio. It was a good turnout; several hundred people, young, old, women and men, mostly white that evening though Planned Parenthood is a mainstay for diverse and ethnic communities.    

How a High Dollar Speech Sends a former Israeli Prime Minister to US Federal Court on Claims of War Crimes

Serving legal documents on high visibility persons who have been involved in international criminal acts is very difficult. However, the temptation of large honoraria for speeches in the United States tripped up a former Israeli Prime Minister who has been accused of war crimes for his involvement in the murders of ten passengers (nine were killed immediately and a seriously wounded passenger died after being in a coma for several years) on the Mavi Marmara in the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

In a telephone press conference on October 21, the international legal team that filed the lawsuit against former Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak described how “legal process service” or official notification of a legal claim filed against him was done. The legal team knew Barak would be in Southern California giving three talks as a part of the Distinguished Speaker Series of Southern California and hired a commercial “certified process server” to deliver the court documents to Barak.

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