Dionne Warwick, legendary recording artist, comes this way Sept. 10 along with other distinguished local and national guests for a ground-breaking ceremony and private reception for the new Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4440 N. Clark.

Corey Hardiman, 19, who graduated in June from George Henry Corliss High School, said he had to avoid trouble in and near his Roseland community in order to excel academically.

“Emmett still speaks, “ said Reverend Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin.

As a figure skater, Debra “Debi” Thomas captured national and international titles and headlines for her feats. Her precision, athleticism and talent made her beloved in the world of figure skating and by young girls who wanted to emulate her.

The country's largest ancestry magazine has named Cook County Genealogy Online a best website.

Black re-enactors from South Carolina and other states say they are dedicated to retelling the story of black Civil War troops as the 150th anniversary of the war approaches.

According to civil rights veteran the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., an estimated 23,000 people were arrested in civil rights protests across America between Feb. 1, 1960 and Aug. 28, 1963. On that day, 47 years ago, people not only marched on Washington, but in cities and towns around the nation.

It will be a “night of firsts” on Sept 3, 8:30 p.m., when legendary jazz pianist – none other than Ramsey Lewis – brings his trio to Millennium Park as part of the Chicago Jazz Festival at the Pritzker Pavilion.

Dr. Margaret Burroughs and members of the DuSable Museum developed the Arts & Crafts Festival approximately a half-century ago. Now, what became famous as a major cultural event has been changed to Yanga Fest with a different focus and new date.

One of Chicago’s largest festivals, “The African Festival of the Arts”, presented by Africa International House, takes place September 3-6, 2010, during Labor Day Weekend

The Washington theater that opened as a first-of-its-kind showcase for black artists turns 100 years old and is edging closer to a long-delayed restoration.

Film star, multi-Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist, author and motivational speaker, Chicago’s own Common, received the much coveted 2010 Deloris Jordan Award for Excellence in Community Leadership on the opening night of the 16th Annual Black Harvest International Festival of Film and Video that runs through Sept. 2 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 160 N. State St.

As a student at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Nia Foney has excelled academically throughout her high school career.

First, Dwyane Wade blocked shots from elementary school kids. Then Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul swatted away questions about their NBA futures.

Those who attended the 81st Annual Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic Saturday said it lived up to its reputation as being fun and exciting.

Christopher Hope has heard all the criticism about hip-hop: It's angry, it's degrading toward women, it glorifies drug pushing, pimping and partying.

An attorney for the state of Tennessee argued in court Friday that allowing Fisk University to sell a donated art collection could deter people from giving gifts in the Volunteer State.

Defender founder Robert S. Abbott wanted a way to highlight the young boys who sold his then-weekly newspaper. In 1929 he established Bud Billiken Day – a day of fun – to honor them.

Dr. Samella Sanders Lewis, 86, (pictured) widely collected and exhibited as an artist (primarily a printmaker) and also revered as an art historian and writer on African Art, stops by the South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan, on Friday, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., with historian Dr. Richard Long to discuss and sign copies of her book, Barthe: Life in Art, which took 20 years of extensive research to produce.

The Obama administration's primary advocate for historically black colleges is slated to speak and listen at a town hall meeting at Paul Quinn College.

The 17th Annual Black Women's Expo held Saturday and Sunday at McCormick Place proved to be bigger and better.

Just like the years fly by as we age, it’s hard to believe it’s been 75 years since Social Security was first created. And for many Americans of all generations, and of all ethnic backgrounds, Social Security is a lifeline. To fully celebrate this historic anniversary, we need to recognize the program’s importance and its value for future generations.

President Barack Obama’s senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 81st Bud Billiken Parade.

The Chicago Alumnae and Lambda Chapter members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are in count-down mode for the inaugural national Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for Developing Independence webcast presented as part of the 50th National Convention on July 29

Popular media sistah, businesswoman and radio/TV personality, none other than Catherine “Cathy” L. Hughes – she’s founder, chair and secretary of Radio One! – delivers the keynote address at The Phenomenal Woman Awards Gala on the opening night of the Black Women’s Expo

A coalition of four Black Baptist groups have come together to form a volunteer association whose primary goal is to raise $50 million for Haitian relief.

The DuSable Museum was transformed to a venue of international culture and celebration July 20 as the world-famous institution welcomed Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade to its South Side confines.

Fisk University of Nashville has received a science and technology award for its groundbreaking development of hypersensitive crystals used in the detection of radiation.

Toni Morrison, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Oprah Winfrey, Chicago icon who through the power of media has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, will appear in conversation at the annual Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner on Oct. 20

Kiratiana Freelon plans to expose the world to Paris and its Black lineage with the first in a line of travel guides. “Kiratiana’s Travel Guide to Black Paris: Getting Lost and Getting Found” attempts to inspire people to explore more than just the Eiffel Tower when visiting the iconic city.

WACA honors 3 at Blue Monday Extravaganza at Yacht Club

The Chicago Defender’s Carol Bell, director of finance, received a special honor, “A Local Chicago Entrepreneur and Business Leader You Should Know,” from Davis Media Inc.

Clark Atlanta University's School of Business has named a new dean.

Kicking It! – An evening of food, fun and music kicks-off Black United Fund of Illinois’ Silver Year Celebration of Making a Difference at Thursday’s Media Kick-Off Party in anticipation of its Oct. 2 “Living Legends/ Passing the Torch Awards” at DuSable Museum. For 10 years, BUFI’s Torch Awards have honored significant accomplishments of leading Chicago trailblazers – and given well-deserved recognition to their progeny poised to carry the torch of power, liberation and freedom forward into the future.

Black Press publishers and members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association gathered for the organization’s 70th anniversary and convention. Defender/Worsom Robinson

Christopher Chancey and Larina Bourne of Morgan Park High School.

Congrats to Judge Lewis M. Nixon, of the Circuit Court of Cook County, who was installed as the 39th president of the 1,100-member Illinois Judges Ass’n at its annual meeting.

Patrons at the public library in south suburban Robbins take note of all the books donated to the library as part of Cook County board President Todd Stroger’s book giveaway there.

On Friday, Copernicus Elementary School, 6010 S. Throop, was renamed to honor the legacy of a late, former alderman.

WASHINGTON – America's drug abusers are going gray.

For the past 20 years, ‘Real Men’ have gathered in Chicago to cook on Father’s Day. The annual event, founded by Kofi Moyo and Yvette Moyo-Gillard, is now put on simultaneously in cities around the country. Defender/Sheila Black

Glenda Hatchett, was comfortable as a corporate attorney who rose through the ranks as a senior attorney at Delta Airlines. She had planned to retire from that company.

Congrats to Jermikko, award-winning Chicago designer and manufacturer, whose label includes high-end contemporary novelty coats, jackets, suits and dresses in natural fibers with colorful whimsical detailing and appliqués in addition to eveningwear in fine imported silks.

The Proviso-Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc. is gearing up to commemorate the 20th year of its annual Victor Goodell Memorial Golf Classic.

Behind every man is a great woman, according to the age-old phrase, and behind the church pastor is the first lady.

Several men – all from different stations in life – receive recognition as “faithful fathers” at the inaugural National Gala Tribute presented by The Pine Forge Academy Foundation, which supports Pine Forge Academy, a unique boarding school in Pennsylvania built especially for African Americans. The gala, June 20 at Alhambra Palace, 1240 W. Randolph, is guest hosted by Rev. Clifton Davis, a Pine Forge Academy graduate who is best known for his for role as Rev. Ruebin Gregory, the real life inner-city minister in the former NBC prime-time sitcom Amen.

Class of 2010 program grads include, top photo, from left: Amber Gordon, Alicia Cifton, Santanna Benford, Lanai Richardson, Shelicia Young, Shamari Shoter, Dyandrea Wells, (kneeling) Leroy Johnson. Defender/Worsom Robinson

Tuesday the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution honoring the life of Thomas E. Wortham IV, 30, a Chicago police officer who was gunned down May 19 during a botched robbery outside his parents' home in the Chatham community. He had completed two tours in Iraq and was 1st Lieutenant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Accepting the resolution were, from left: his sister, Sandra; mother, Carolyn; County board President Todd H. Stroger; and the officer's father, retired Chicago police officer Thomas Wortham III. Photo/Cook County

For those of you who just can’t get enough of Chicago’s own Chaka Khan, a.k.a. “Queen of Funk Soul,” who has garnered 22 Gammy nods and 10 Grammy awards and who performed for WTTW’s benefit gala last week at Harris Theatre, she returns home June 5 for UNCF’s 10th Anniversary Black & White Ball at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

On May 25, Mary Magalene Pullins, one of the oldest Illinois residents, passed away. She was 108.

Michelle Obama stuck to some of her fashion favorites for the state dinner honoring Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife, Margarita Zavala: a one-shouldered silhouette, a belted waist, a bold color - and designer Peter Soronen.

WASHINGTON - A proposal to step up the repeal of the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military but still allow the Pentagon time - perhaps even years - to implement new policies was being discussed Monday by administration officials and gay rights activists.

NABJ to discuss violence in Chicago communities at monthly panel

Pictured from left, Amtrak Chairman of the Board Tom Carper, Mud Morganfield and "Big Bill" Morganfield. Photo/Special to Defender

WASHINGTON – Several of the nation's largest food companies say they are going on a diet.

The University of Denver recently installed Catherine Smith as its first dean of institutional diversity, which is believed to be the first deanship-level position of its kind for any law school in the country.

President Barack Obama addresses the 1,200 graduates of Hampton University, a historically Black university, at the school's Armstrong Stadium in Hampton, Va., Sunday.

First lady Michelle Obama speaks at commencement exercises at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in Pine Bluff, Ark., Saturday. AP Photo/Danny Johnston

Legendary Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chaka Khan comes this way for a special one-night-only performance on May 20, 6:30 p.m., to headline WTTW’s annual benefit at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.

The 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc., presented State Farm Insurance with its coveted Chairman's Award for “Corporation of the Year” at the organization's 13th annual benefit gala May 1. Craig M. Gilmore, CPCU, pictured, State Farm's Director of Multi-cultural Markets for the Great Lakes Zone, was on hand to receive the award.

Dubbed spring’s “must attend affair,” Jabberwock 2010, presented by D’Estee Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Chicago Alumnae Chapter, is Saturday, 7 p.m.-midnight, at South Shore Cultural Center. “Club Delta II: A Scholarship Soiree” planned by Rose Jackson, Erma Davis and Wendy Winston, co-chairs, and Taliva A. Tillman, chapter prez, includes dancing, music, Vegas-style casino gaming, silent auction andraffles. From steppin’ to jazz, there’ll be music for all.

The state’s budget woes are having a ripple effect for needy college students who are being denied financial assistance due to a lack of education dollars.

Bernada Nicole Baker, center, is pictured with her organization’s newest princesses. Baker founded The Princess Within girl-empowerment foundation six years ago to help the young royalty realize their power and potential. Defender/Rhonda Gillespie

From left, Alexander, Andre and Anthony Evans are the first set of triplets to be accepted to West Point's Summer Leaders Series for high school juniors. After the summer program, if the triplets are accepted into the prestigious military academy, ranked by Forbes magazine as the nation's top college, after their high school graduation, they will make history again. Defender/Worsom Robinson

A most impressive roster of Chicago’s “movers and shakers” have banned together to host a salute to a couple of women in educational who are at the top of their game – Cheryl Hyman, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, and Mary B. Richardson-Lowry, president of the Chicago Board of Education.

Percy L. Julian High School honor roll student Daniel Abankwa Jr. has been chosen as a 2010 recipient of the prestigious William Gates Millennium Scholarship.

"Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Manhunt for His Assassin" (Doubleday, 459 pages, $28.95), by Hampton Sides: Nonfiction doesn't have to be a rote regurgitation of established truths.

Mourners gathered at a Houston church for a moving homegoing service for newspaper publisher Lenora “Doll” Carter. Photo/NNPA

Hakim Pinklyn is one of many success stories in our Orr Academy High School Community. He demonstrates the core beliefs of Orr Academy, which are Commitment, Compassion, Integrity and Reflection.

The Black McDonald's Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana (BMOA), in partnership with Operation PUSH's Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, PUSH for Excellence and other sponsors, recently helped send more than 100 Chicago-area high school students on a rare spring break bus tour of 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Dr. King dreamed of the day that African-Americans would enjoy a full measure of freedom; however, he knew that we would not enjoy a full measure of freedom until we gained economic empowerment.

State Sen. Emil Jones III, D-14th Dis., introduced a measure that passed the Senate that will allow local law enforcement officials to disclose information to school districts about incidents of violence involving students when school is not in session, and help prevent retaliation efforts during school hours.

JaMaya Austin, 15, of Lincoln Park High School, addresses the media about high childhood obesity rates at a press conference before a health and resource fair targeted to teens and their families held at the Southside YMCA on 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue. Photo/LaRisa Lynch

Spencer Leak Jr., of the funeral home dynasty fame, has taken on the awesome task of chairing the 100 Black Men of Chicago’s 13th Annual Benefit Gala on May 1 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel.

In the Chicago Urban League’s first-of-its kind spring summit held April 8, members of a CEO roundtable panel discuss the state of urban Chicago. Panelists include, from left, moderator Diann Burns, Wayne Watson, Barbara Eason-Watkins, Terry Mazany, Valarie King-Bailey and Mellody Hobson. The summit addressed, among other things, ecucation and employment woes in the Black community.

An afternoon overflowing with musical surprises … and more … is promised when eta Creative Arts Foundation’s Board of Directors stages its 27th annual Spring Board Benefit on April 25, 4 p.m., at eta Square.

Team members from Prairie View A&M University show off the trophy they received after being crowned National Champions at the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge on April 12 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The annual event is the largest academic competition of its kind.

Arthurine “Darlene” Joseph is a senior at Robeson High School. She is Valedictorian of the senior class with a 4.6 GPA and composite ACT score of 23.

Ladies Who Lunch – Dr. Lona C. Bibbs, chair of the National Hook-Up of Black Women’s Annual Conference, is in countdown mode preparing for the organization’s annual conference, April 15-18 at the Holiday Inn O’Hare, highlighted by the Fannie Lou Hamer Luncheon on Saturday where all former Chicago Chapter sisters are invited to attend and be saluted.

Bill Hampton

The literary force that is poet Nikki Giovanni descended upon the campus of Chicago State University's Gwendolyn Brooks Writers' Conference Giant's Day Celebration. She was feted Saturday with recitations and praise for her works.

Congratulations – to Bill Williams, vice president of the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, is the newly installed president of The Rat Pack of Chicago, the organization of mostly corporate guys who host a popular Wednesday afterwork set that attracts a loyal group of followers and supporters at Norm Bolden’s Room 43.

Former Chicago news anchor Diann Burns will host the second season of the Emmy Award-winning TV series “ nextTV: Change You Can See,” starting April 11.

NEW YORK – Cars use lights, bells and buzzers to remind drivers to fasten their seat belts as they start their engines.

National Newspapers Publishers Association publishers pose with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack stands in center between NNPA Chairman Danny Bakewell and NNPA Foundation Chair Dorothy Leavell. Photo/Roy Lewis

From left: Victoria Murphy Smith, Kennedy-King College executive director of business and auxiliary services; Tony Cameron, ComEd manager of Overhead Electrical Line Program Training; Phyllis Brooks, Ph.D., KKC; Bob Schacht, Dawson Technical Institute /ELWP coordinator; Shannon Ross, ComEd recruiter; John Dozier, KKC president; Terry Donnelly, ComEd executive vice president; Tim McGuire, ComEd vice president of construction and maintenance; Suzanne Baugher, ComEd HR executive; Selom Assignon, DTI dean; Mike Litino, ComEd HR vice president Photo/Special to Defender

NEW YORK — For Kenny and Lynette Seymour, last weekend's black marriage gala was about celebrating their seven-year marriage. They got to meet other black couples while spending a romantic evening together.

In commemoration of Women's History Month, President Todd H. Stroger and the Cook County Board Tuesday paid tribute to military service women and women veterans including those who paid the ultimate price for their country.

In commemoration of Women's History Month, President Todd H. Stroger and the Cook County Board Tuesday paid tribute to military service women and women veterans including those who paid the ultimate price for their country.

Tavis Smiley has been catching a lot of heat lately, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Tilden students and their culinary instructors pose earlier this month on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where their award-winning healthy school lunch was served to ask Congress for more money for better school food.

Front row, from left: Wynona Redmond, Dominick's, Don Keprta, President, Dominick's, Ald. Walter Burnett, Chair, Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus, Casey Marsh, Director, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Francesca Maher, CEO, American Red Cross of Metro Chicago, Bob Shepard and Frank Guiglio, Dominick's District Managers. Back row, from left: Jean Pierre, Distribution Center, Dr. Joel Augustin, Rush University Family Physician, Jeff Norkiewicz, Dominick's VP of Marketing, Gerard Durang, Dominick's Fox Lake Store Manager

PocketBook Pals! – WVON’s news director Sharon McGhee has asked Kathy Chaney and Teesee to “star” in her production of The PocketBook Monologues on Thurs., 7 p.m., at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren. Free admission!

Lawrence (Larry) Kennon, premier civil rights attorney who retired Dec. 31 from Power & Dixon Law Firm after practicing his craft for 55-plus years, receives a special tribute at the Cook County Bar Association’s 11th annual Barristers & Scholarship Ball on Saturday at the Oak Lawn Hilton.

A free day of film screenings, panel discussions with top photographers and scholars and a reception highlights Bobby Sengstacke Appreciation Day on Saturday at Woodson Regional Library, 95th and Halsted Streets.

This file photo shows commentator Jada Collins relaxing backstage before the show with a magazine at the 48th Annual Ebony Fashion Fair in Flint, Mich. AP Photo/The Flint Journal, Megan Spelman,File

From left, Dr. Benjamin F. Payton, president Tuskegee University; Jack F. Stahl chair of The Board of Directors, UNCF; Dr. Michael Lomax president & CEO, UNCF; Linda Johnson Rice, chairman & CEO, Johnson Publishing Company; and Dr. Billy C. Hawkins, president of Talledega College are pictured as Johson Rice picked up the UNCF Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her parents the late John H. and Eunice W. Johnson and the Johnson Publishing Company. Photo/Margot Jordan

Pictured below, front row, from left, are Michael House, President, Chicago Defender; Carl W. Latimer, President, Coalition for United Community Action-ORTC, Inc.; Rena A. Livingston, VP Programs & Administration, Coalition for United Community Action-ORTC, Inc.; Lewis A. Jordan, Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Housing Authority; Peter Kurpiewski, Regional Manager, AMERESCO; and Laura Wharton, Senior Project Management Engineer, AMERESCO. On the second row, from left, are the graduates: Kevin Dunn, Branson Wellington, Jacob Cummings, Ja'Ron McFee, Mia Beal, Jonathan Belmont, Rene Brown, Tristan Stanley, Eddie Walters, and Kinlawyed Hendrix; 3rd row: Ashley Linzy, Genisha Smith, Sharon Jones, Tungee Garrett, Teri Payton, Sylvia Mack, Sabian Ellis, Nicole Harris, Ja'De French, Isaiah Mack, Larry Basemore, and Kendra Bell; 4th row: Jamel Wiley, Ronnie Pete, Tiffany Conway, and Amailia Conway. Photo/Special to Defender

Award-winning Windy City designer – our own Barbara Bates – will not only provide fashions but is one of several women to be saluted “for continuous service to your community” when the Skyline Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction Inc. stages its Annual Fashion Show & Crown Awards Program on Saturday at the Lexington House.

The celebrity spotlight focuses on Sherri Shepherd, comic, actress (Precious), author, co-host of the ABC’s The View and executive producer and star of Lifetime’s Sherri Show, when she comes “home” Saturday to receive a “Superstar” award from DuSable Museum at its annual Night of 100 Stars. Also honored at the glittering evening of entertainment and dancing:

Silky smooth and sho nuf sexy Will Downing, the R&B, soul and jazz vocalist, songwriter and composer, fills the spotlight at “Still We Rise: Committed to Families & Communities through Service,” the eighth annual black-tie benefit gala for Proviso-Leyden Council for Community Action Inc. on Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel.

Lorraine Hansberry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning American theater masterpiece, “A Raisin in the Sun”, which debuted in Chicago in February of 1959 at the Blackstone Theatre, will be staged Feb. 5-14 on the same stage where it premiered over 50 years ago.

ATLANTA — Paul R. Jones, an Alabama native who built one of the largest collections of 20th century African American art, has died in Atlanta. He was 81.

Observing a New Year’s Day tradition of over 50 years, U. of I. alums and chums gathered at the Obama neighbor’s home of Jim Montgomery (of Cochran & Montgomery Law Firm fame) for a full day of football, billiards and cards.

A celebration of the accomplishments of 20 extraordinary African American women, “Freedom’s Sisters,” comes to DuSable Museum in the form of a traveling multimedia exhibit in January and continues through April 4.

A Mediterranean-style dinner, performances from several Black Ensemble Theater Co. hit productions, including its most recent, The Message Is in the Music (God is a Black Man Named Ricky), and a live auction highlight Oct. 28’s “Building a New Legacy,” BETC’s ninth annual benefit at Alhambra Palace, 1240 W. Randolph. On the auction block: a walk-on role in an up-coming show, a chance to sponsor 100 students at a Plays with a Purpose production and much more!

CINCINNATI — The president of the City College of New York has been selected as the new president of the University of Cincinnati.

PAPILLION, Neb. — The head of a local Democratic committee says her group had alliteration — not discrimination — on its mind when it named an upcoming fundraiser.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The state NAACP president says an outburst by a South Carolina congressman has embarrassed the state.

Two back-to-back episodes with Whitney Houston in a candid, revealing, no-holds barred world exclusive interview launches the 24th season of "The Oprah Show" Monday.

Dear Chat Daddy, My husband and I do not approve of our 27-year-old daughter’s relationship with a guy she met while away attending medical school. He’s 30 years old, has three children, unemployed, is not in school and lives with his mother.