Author: Dennis J. Freeman

Upon meeting Jordan Anthony Swain for the first time, it is easy to come away completely charmed by the earthy, easygoing nature the 19-year-old model and actor exudes with refreshing candor. He’s got a great smile, Tyson Beckford good looks to go along with an engaging wit. But don’t get it twisted. This is where the materialism end of Swain’s work comes to an abrupt halt. Swain is a businessman, first and foremost. He is the king of his castle, a budding conglomerate unto himself. Swain, who gave up a possible medical career to pursue the vanity of the entertainment…

By Dennis J. Freeman The image of the Black athlete can usually be perceived as one monolithic view by the national media, and more or less, it is usually painted from the same paint brush. Usually that brush stroke is different to that of their white peers. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick spent nearly two years in prison for running a dogfighting operation and is darn near ostracized. Meanwhile, Pittsburg Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gets called out on a second alleged sexual assault charge and walks back to normalcy.

By Dennis J. Freeman Los Angeles-Fantasy football is alive and well. This is not the atypical fantasy league team where you can plop down a marquee NFL player on your roster sheet. This fantasy football league have less clothes and exudes the glamour of promoting beautiful women running around smacking each other in shoulder pads and helmets. In short, sex sells. And the fledging Lingerie Football League (LFL) has done a pretty job of marketing that mantra, lining up sexy women across the country to battle each other in an otherwise male sport.

The Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley recently paid homage to a couple of living legends. Longtime stage and film actor Obba Babatunde and the Whispers were both feted by the chamber at is 6th Annual Small Business Gala Dinner of Recognitions at Universal City, California. Babatunde, who built his long time theatrical career with starring roles in Jelly’s Last Jam, Blues in the Night and the original Broadway Dreamgirls stage production, was recognized. With over four decades of producing music that includes seven gold and two platinum albums, the Whispers were also honored.

 By Dennis J. Freeman  LeBron James much anticipated return to Cleveland turned out to be just another NBA basketball game. And not a very good one, mind you. James, not fazed by the constant chorus of boos raining down from the Quicken Loans Arena, did his thing as usual, scoring 38 points as the Miami Heat embarrassed the Cleveland Cavaliers and quieted his critics with a wondrous performance. Now go and hide back under the rock from where you came from, Cleveland.  

By Dennis J. Freeman The Claims Settlement Act of 2010 that just went through passage from the chambers of Congress and the House of Representatives has been a long time coming for African American farmers and Native Americans. The egregious ways that black farmers and Native Americans have been treated through acts of discrimination and racism from the federal government has now been remedied. Finally. After years of litigation, tens of thousands black farmers and an estimated number of half a billion Native Americans will be compensated for racial wrongdoing on the part of the federal government. As much as…

For Craig Robinson, being the older brother of First Lady Michelle Obama, can have its rewards at times, especially in the ongoing recruiting zones of college basketball.  Robinson’s famous brother-in-law, President Barack Obama, is well-known for his basketball skills and affection for the sport.   Every now and then that name connection works out for the benefit of the Oregon State basketball program, says Robinson, now in his third year as the Beaver’s coach.

By Dennis J. Freeman The stigma still lingers. But as each day passes, Michael Vick is doing his best to wipe the slate clean from his dogfighting days, a season in his life which eventually landed the one-time NFL megastar in prison and cost him millions of dollars. Eighteen months ago, Vick sat behind bars, unemployed, financially bankrupt…his status as an elite NFL quarterback shattered with devastating consequences. Today, Vick is yet on the path to superstardom again, thanks to a stellar season he is having as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, including his once-in-a-lifetime-performance against the Washington Redskins in front…

In contrast to the “Tea Party” minority, data shows that black, low-income, and youth voters want a government that does more, not less  WASHINGTON/PRNewswire/USNewswire/ — Today Project Vote released a new report summarizing the results of a telephone survey of 1,947 Americans who cast ballots in 2008, analyzing their views on the role of government, government spending, and the budget. The poll is unique in that it not only surveys the historic 2008 electorate, but also includes special samples of black voters, low-income voters, and youth voters, and compares these groups both to a national sample and to self-identified “Tea…

By Dennis J. Freeman New York bestselling author Iyanla Vanzant is no longer a broken vessel. Personal tragedy, a collapsed relationship, self-doubt, financial ruin and embarrassment had nearly derailed one of the most influential motivational speakers in the world.  Fortunately for the rest of us, Vanzant is still around to share her testimony of going through turbulent periods in her life, while at the same time managing to find a smile to bless other folks.

By Dennis J. Freeman Hollywood, CA-No one does Ella Fitzgerald quite like Freda Payne. Payne, the illustrious sultry soul singer with the big band voice, is the closest thing that you’re going to get outside of ever seeing the late, great jazz singer herself.  If you haven’t seen Payne perform live doing her best impression of Fitzgerald, you’re missing a treat. Payne makes it easy on the eyes as well as the ears as she struts, doo-wop and croons herself across the stage with the ease of a swan swimming beautifully across a welcome bed of water. Recently performing at…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented the 2010 Governors Awards in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood®, CA, on Saturday. Pictured here at the event (left to right): Oscar®-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy, Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, Honorary Award recipient Eli Wallach, Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award recipient Francis Ford Coppola, Previous Oscar-nominee Talia Shire, Previous Oscar-nominee James Caan, Oscar-winning director Sofia Coppola and Two time Oscar®-winning actor Robert DeNiro.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all voters for taking the time to exercise their right to vote in the November 2nd Mid-Term Election. On Election Day, the NCBCP (www.ncbcp.org) managed the Black Women’s Roundtable Power the Sister Vote National Command Center, in partnership with the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, The Praxis Project, National African American Clergy Network and Girlfriends Pray to monitor Black voter turnout and voter suppression in 12 states.   

The National Football League achieved an A grade on racial hiring practices and a C on gender hiring practices in the 2010 NFL Racial and Gender Report Card, released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida. This gave the NFL a combined B grade. In the history of the NFL Racial and Gender Report Card, that is the best grade ever received on racial hiring practices by the NFL.