Newly installed pastor David Allen Jr., shown with his wife Regina, says when it comes to helping his real estate customers, “My experience has blessed me with the ability to think outside of the box.”

At a town hall meeting last week in Henderson, Nevada, President Barack Obama talked about his administration’s new efforts to stabilize the housing market by buying vacant homes and converting them into affordable housing.  The program will not only help the housing crisis, but it will create jobs and grow the local economy for the states of Nevada, California, Michigan, Florida and Arizona.


He also talked about the loan modification initiative that allows homeowners who are struggling with their mortgages by giving them lower monthly payments. This initiative will help homeowners in all states.

The $1.5 billion fund for housing finance agencies in Nevada and other hard-hit states was designed to help unemployed homeowners avoid foreclosures. The money that had been initially reserved for the bank bailout will be instead sent to Nevada and other states that have seen housing prices drop more than 20% in the last four years.

For nearly two decades, Jennifer Jones Austin dedicated herself to her career as an attorney in the private and public sectors. Although the lure of big money as a corporate attorney danced in her head, social issues concerning children and families tugged at her heart. Her passion allowed her to enhance the lives of thousands of the disenfranchised across New York State, and even today at 41-years-old, she embodies enough beauty and grace that she could easily be mistaken for a former America’s Next Top Model pageant winner.



JENNIFER AUSTIN...
“Just days before I was walking around feeling fine,
taking care of my family, going to the gym daily, and
working professionally as an advocate for children and
families living in poverty.  I had no medical history of
health problems.  Things were good.”

Five years ago, Janice Billingsley of HealthDay, wrote in an article “Blacks more prone to Alzheimer’s,” that  “Alzheimer’s disease is a silent epidemic striking Black Americans, who seem more susceptible to the brain-wasting condition than any other group of Americans.” She went on to state, “One possible explanation: Black Americans are at greater risk of vascular disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. And studies have found that people with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol are twice as likely to succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.”


Annie McClenton stands with her 79-year-old father James McClenton
at the Hudson Manor Health Care Center. Last year, McClenton, suffering
from Alzheimers’s disease gave his family a scare when he walked out of
a gated nursing home and got more than a mile away before being stopped.             
                                                     Photo by Conner Jay Jersey Journal Photo             

One month ago, a 7.0 earthquake hit the country of Haiti. In the weeks that followed, horrific images captured bodies of people of all ages being discovered in grotesque positions; survivors being pulled out from under rubble, barely alive—after several days and sometimes weeks without food and water; and hundreds of thousands of citizens weeping and wailing at the realization that their relative or friend would never be seen again.   

 Around the world, people safely watched the events unfold on their television or computer monitors, shaking their heads in disbelief and thanking God or whatever their higher power might be that they are not the ones to have to deal with such tragedy. And no matter how it comes about—expectantly or unexpectedly, publicly or quietly—the grieving process does not stop with the benediction given at graveside services.

In part 3 of Fighting for Change, Congressman Al Green explains appropriations and how the 9th District he serves will benefit from them.

After Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley for the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, the mood in  America tended to suggest that Americans were fed up with President Obama and his administration’s policies. After his State of the Union address last week, an instant poll conducted by CBS News and Knowledge Networks found that 83 percent of speech watchers approve Obama’s proposals, while 17 percent disapprove them. It also revealed that 70 percent of speech watchers think that Obama shares the same priorities for the country as they do, although 57 percent thought so beforehand.

As AAN&I begins its 15th year, the publisher states the Black media should speak now or else  forever, hereafter, hold its peace.

Congressman Al Green and State Rep. Sylvester Turner talk
shop at an event at the St. Regis Hotel.
                                                           Photo by Collins Metu





In part 2 of Fighting for Change, Congressman Al Green shares how 10 members of the House Committee on Financial Services brought an additional $4 billion to the African-American community and gives insight to healthcare reform.

Understanding the need to ensure that African-Americans get a fair share of federal dollars under President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, Congressman Al Green and nine of his colleagues on the House Committee on Financial Services engaged in a sit out on an important piece of legislation. The 10 protesters wanted more dollars for businesses in the African-American  community.

Third-time Congressman Al Green greets constituents at a
community event.

When U.S. Rep. Al Green took the oath of office for the third time in January, 2009, as the people of Texas’ representative in the 9th Congressional District, it was a watershed moment for the veteran civil rights advocate, who still had the same eye for issues that captured his attention while working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Namely, fair housing and hiring practices for the poor and minorities were at the top of the list for the “statesman” who has dedicated his life to fighting for those people etched in stone on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, the “tired ... poor ... huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

But this term, the first under the historic leadership of America’s first African-American president, would be an opportunity to effect real change while the 111th Congress, the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, takes place. The hallowed halls of Washington D.C, is a long way from the Big Easy, New Orleans, La., where his parents not only taught him the importance of education, but instilled in him the drive and determination to succeed.

Gabourey Sidibe’s depiction of the character
Precious has stirred controversy among moviegoers,
however professionals who work with girls with low
self-esteem say that the portrayal is not a far cry from reality.

A couple of months ago, the movie “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,”  hit the big screen and in doing so caused a deep chasm between  African-American movie-goers, philosophers and almost anyone else with an opinion on images of Blacks in the media. The film, which is about a poor, illiterate, Black girl who is sexually abused by her father and emotionally and physically abused by her mother,  has been compared with  “The Color Purple” for its negative portrayal of the Black male, along with a stereotypical image of the title character.

The main concern is the history of how Blacks have been depicted in popular culture. Negative images served to keep Black people in their place with negative reinforcement. Blacks were always said to be inferior, therefore if it were shown repeatedly, it must be so.
And the fact that two of the movie’s executive producers are Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry does nothing to calm the debate. However, overlooked in the sometimes heated discussions is the fact that “Precious,” although fictional, has at its roots some element of truth.

The following photos by publisher Roy Douglas Malonson capture the Inauguration of President Barack Obama
held January 20, 2009.