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Rev. James Orange

(BlackPressMagazine.com) - Rev. James Orange, a civil rights activist whose 1965 jailing sparked a fatal protest that ultimately led to the famed Selma-to-Montgomery march and the Voting Rights Act, died Saturday at Atlanta’s Crawford Long Hospital. He was 65.

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New Celeb-Filled Music Video for Obama

Song from Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am Inspired by Obama Speech

Celebrity-filled music videos have been used to support many social movements, from famine relief for Africa, to support for American farmers, to opposition to apartheid in South Africa.

But rarely have celebrities and musicians banded together to create new music in the heat of a presidential campaign.

The Black Eyed Peas’ frontman, songwriter and producer known as will.i.am, along with director and filmmaker Jesse Dylan, son of another socially active musician, Bob Dylan, released a new song Friday that attempts to do just that.

The music video "Yes We Can" premiered on ABCNewsNow’s "What’s the Buzz" on Friday. It was inspired, will.i.am told ABC’s Alisha Davis, by Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and in particular by the speech he has gave after the New Hampshire primary.

"It made me reflect on the freedoms I have, going to school where I went to school, and the people that came before Obama like Martin Luther King, presidents like Abraham Lincoln that paved the way for me to be sitting here on ABCNews and making a song from Obama’s speech," will.i.am said.

"The speech was inspiring about making change in America and I believe what it says and I hope everybody votes," Dylan said.

The music video includes excerpts from the Obama speech and appearances from a range of celebrities including: Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Adam Rodriquez, Amber Valetta and Nick Cannon.

When word got out about the song, will.i.am and Dylan said people were eager to participate.

"I’m blown away by how many people wanted to come and be a part of it in a short amount of time. It was all out of love and hope for change and really representing America and looking at the world," will.i.am said.

Dylan and will.i.am say they did not coordinate the production or release of this video with the Obama campaign and the filmmakers say they don’t even know if Obama is aware of the video.

"We didn’t talk to anybody there… We just came together because it was an inspirational song about change coming out of his speech," Dylan said.

And what change do will.i.am and Dylan say they hope to see?

"Education, America’s finance, getting our dollar back to where it should be, stopping the war, health and international policies," they said.

Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

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Yes We Can!

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Civil Rights Leader Myrlie Evers-Williams to Speak at ASU

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – (February 1, 2008) – Myrlie Evers-Williams is perhaps best remembered as the widow of Medgar Evers, the Mississippi state field secretary for the NAACP who, in 1963, was gunned down in the driveway of his home in Jackson. In the years since the assassination and two hung juries that left the accused gunman, white supremacist Byron De la Beckwith, a free man, Evers-Williams has persevered to keep her husband’s memory and dreams alive and to bring his killer to justice.

Her diligence eventually paid off when Beckwith was brought to trial for a third time and finally, in 1994, was found guilty of the murder of Medgar Evers more than 30 years after the crime.

As the guest speaker at Alabama State University’s Black History Month Opening Convocation on February 5, Evers-Williams will share her thoughts on the last 30 years and her vision for the future. The Opening Convocation will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Thelma Glass Auditorium.

 “We know this woman as a shining example of courage in the face of tribulation during this nation’s struggle for civil rights,” said Dr. Dorothy Autrey-Harris, acting chair of the Department of History and Political Science at ASU. “ASU itself is a fountainhead of the Civil Rights Movement, and we know that not only can Mrs. Evers-Williams relate to our history, we can all relate to her history as well.”

In 1995, Evers-Williams became the first woman to chair the NAACP, a position she held until 1998. In 1999, she published her memoirs, “Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on the Way to Becoming the Woman I Was Meant to Be,” which charts her journey from being the wife of an activist to becoming a community leader in her own right.

The convocation is sponsored by ASU’s Black History Month Committee, the Department of History and Political Science, the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture and the Lyceum Committee.

For more information, call (334) 229-4876.

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Oakwood University – It’s Official

A special meeting of Oakwood’s constituency delegates representing the school’s core groups changed the name of the112-year-old institution on Sunday, December 2,2007.  Appreciating the rich history of the name Oakwood, the delegates’vote for “Oakwood University” brought closure to extensive discussions engaging administrators, faculty, staff, and students during the past several months in efforts to facilitate diversity of input.

The final vote followed two hours of careful deliberation that began 10 years ago in response to questions surrounding strategic planning for the institution’s future direction.  Such discussions provided a springboard for the issue of incorporating graduate program offerings as a part of the institution’s academic goals.

Last June, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) approved the institution’s request to offer its first graduate degree, the master of arts in pastoral studies.  That SACS approval advanced Oakwood to its current Level III status.

As a result, the college considered changing its historic name to more accurately represent its academic programs to prospective students.

For the past 10 consecutive years, Oakwood has been one of the few Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to enjoy inclusion in top tier rankings among America’s Best Colleges and Universities in the southern region of the United States (U.S.  News & World Report).

Recently, Oakwood was listed #22 among the 110 HBCUs in a special ranking published by U.S.  News & World Report.  In stark contrast, the institution’s first graduating class numbered five in 1909—a far cry from the anticipated number of graduates who will comprise the Class of 2008 and are expected to receive the first diplomas granted by Oakwood University this coming May.  That alone was reason enough to join in a pre-holiday, campuswide celebration that took place last month just before the students left campus on winter break. 

The invitation was extended by Delbert Baker, Oakwood president, and his administrative staff a couple of days after the renaming decision.  Administrators, faculty, staff, and students took turns at the microphone, expressing excitement and an overall spirit of thankfulness in between bites of old-fashioned cookies and ice cream.  Blue and gold balloons flanked the celebrants as they pressed into the Blake Center cafeteria to share nostalgic stories and testimonials about God’s rich blessings on the institution for many years. 

And while others may make New Year’s resolutions, you can be assured that fellow “Oakwoodites” around the nation and the world will celebrate January 1, 2008, as the birthday of Oakwood University.  This blessed event in Oakwood history comes 50 years after its original accreditation in 1958, and 112 years after opening its doors as Oakwood Industrial School in 1896.

Oakwood, named for the abundance of oak trees that populated the original 380 acres purchased in 1895 for the establishment of the school, has been known by three additional names since that time.  It became Oakwood Manual Training School in 1904, Oakwood Junior College in 1917, and eventually Oakwood College in 1943.  The assumption of each new label marked its progression through the various levels of regional accreditation.

Baker noted that “this historic decision speaks to the quality of Oakwood faculty, staff, and students.  We have a rich legacy and a bright future as Oakwood University.”

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