African Globe The Kenyan government has pledged to meet the cost of prosecuting a court case in London where Kenyan freedom fighters have sued the British government for torture during the suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion. The country’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga said on Friday that the claimants — four men and one woman in their 70s and 80s — had a genuine case in seeking compensation and a statement ...

By Patrick Geans-Ali This week we’re looking at Environmental Justice Principle No.11, which “recognizes a special legal and natural relationship of Native Peoples to the U.S. government through treaties, agreements, compacts and covenants affirming sovereignty and self-determination.” Since my colleague Victoria Goff examined EJ Principle No. 11 from an environmental perspective in last week’s edition of t ...

Marian Wright Edelman NNPA In 1642, the Massachusetts General Court passed one of the very first laws about education in what would become the United States. It ruled that because it was apparent “the good education of children is of singular behoof and benefit to any Common-wealth,” all parents and guardians were required to make sure children received “so much learning as may enable them perfectly to read ...

Highland Park rapper recognized for 4th annual 2012 Detroit Black Music Awards HIGHLAND PARK — Jim-mie “SUPA EMCEE” Brown, Highland Park native, entertainer and community activist, was nominated as “Rapper of the Year” for the fourth Annual 2012 Detroit Black Music Awards. The Detroit Black Music Awards in collaboration with the Motown Alumni Association is elated to present this years’ event. “It is more t ...

Rashida Tlaib, John Olumba, Jimmy Womack By Eric T. CampbellThe Michigan CitizenDETROIT — As the political party in control of the legislature, state Republicans spearheaded the redistricting process following the 2010 census. A 2011 federal discrimination lawsuit resulted, headed by the NAACP, citing violations to the voting rights of African American communities across the state.In Detroit, the redrawn li ...

By Harry M. Anderson, Jr. Special to the Michigan Citizen DETROIT — Unlike past seasons, the Detroit Public School League’s 2012 season will have only one champion. In past seasons there were two champions, one each from Division I and Division II. But with the closing of Southwestern and Kettering, and the consolidation of Crockett Tech and Finney into East English Academy, the PSL is now down to 15 school ...

By Jan Ting Cagle Cartoons Those in the know at Penn State are relieved the university escaped the death penalty for its football program which could, and should, have been imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the cover-up of child sex abuse. The $60 million contribution Penn State pays to the NCAA to fund national child abuse prevention programs is equal to Penn State’s direct ...

By Marcus Wright Special to the Michigan Citizen DETROIT — Rachel Lutz has lived in Midtown most of her life and still loves living there. That’s one of the reasons why she opened her business there. Lutz opened the doors Dec. 3, 2011 and invited customers to step into The Peacock Room. Located at 15 E. Kirby, Suite 110, The Peacock Room is a retail women’s clothing store that sells men’s accessories as wel ...

By Brittany Moore Detroit is home to many small businesses that specialize in preparing food products that are healthy, locally sourced and distinctive in other ways. People who start these businesses are a special breed of especially committed and patient individuals who persist in the face of all odds. What keeps them going? What would make their lives — and business operations — easier? These were some o ...

Elmus Burks, Dorothy Wilson, James Hendrix The 1967 Detroit uprising began in the early morning hours on Sunday, July 23, 1967. The precipitating event was a police raid on an after-hours bar on the corner of 12th (today Rosa Parks Boulevard) and Clairmount. Police confrontations with patrons and observers on the street evolved into a rebellion lasting five days. Gov. George Romney ordered the Michigan Nati ...