Page 19 - Florida Sentinel 12-15-15 Edition

National
Ava DuVernay ‘Barbie’ Sells Out In 17 Minutes
Selma director, Ava DuVernay and the Barbie doll in her likeness.
Noted Attorney Named Executive Director Of National Council Of Negro Women (NCNW)
BB Gun Toting Jacksonville Teen Shot By Police
Mattel released the Ava DuVernay Barbie doll last week, which DuVernay says is a celebration of the image of Black women. Unfortunately though, the doll, which is a part of the Platinum Label col- lector’s edition, sold out in less than 20 minutes after being released on TheBarbieCollec- tion.com and Amazon.com.
She told USA Today, “The only reason I (let Mattel make the doll), was because of how much I was into Barbies. I grew up in Compton where some days my mom didn’t want us to go outside.” She says that staying inside and
playing with Barbie dolls “re- ally sparked my early story- telling.”
She is now working with Oprah Winfrey to produce an upcoming drama series called Queen Sugar, which will air next year on OWN. She is also producing and directing a CBS civil rights crime drama pilot called For Justice star- ring actress Anika Noni Rose.
DuVernay says that all proceeds for the Barbie doll sales will go to two organiza- tions close to Ava’s heart, Col- orofChange.org and Witness.org.
ATTORNEY JANICE L. MATHIS
WASHINGTON, DC — The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) an- nounced the appointment of Janice L. Mathis as the Executive Director of the 80- year old non-profit organiza- tion. Before relocating to Washington, D.C., Ms. Mathis will serve out the year as Vice President of the Citizenship Education Fund (CEF), a position she has held since 2000.
Atty. Mathis is noted for her decades of work with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. She served as General Counsel and Chief of Staff to the Rainbow PUSH coali- tion. She helped negotiate numerous diversity and in- clusion pacts with Fortune 100 firms, served on the Coca-Cola and Georgia Power diversity advisory councils, orchestrated leg- islative-related efforts in Georgia and shareholder ac- tivism nationally. She cam- paigned for media decency and reform of the criminal justice system and led CEF’s financial literacy partnership with Wells Fargo. She also was managing partner of Thurmond, Mathis and Pick- ett, a general practice law firm in Athens, Georgia.
The National Council of Negro Women is a Washing- ton, D.C.-based international non-profit organization making a difference in the lives of women, children and families throughout the world through research, ad- vocacy, and community- based services and programs. The organization was founded on December 5, 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, President Emerita, led the organization for more than fifty years be- fore passing in 2010.
The local Chapter is very active in the Tampa commu- nity.
Los Angeles Police Fatally Shoot Black Man
JACKSONVILLE, FL --- A Black teen carrying an Airsoft gun was shot by police in Jacksonville, Florida, on Fri- day night after an officer mis- took the 14-year-old's BB gun for a real weapon. The boy suffered a non-life-threaten- ing injury to the leg.
Officers were called to a Jacksonville woman's house just after 11 p.m. after she said there was an "armed prowler" shooting at her win- dow, said Tom Hackney of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Of- fice.
Officer Josh Livin- good, who has been on the Jacksonville police force for two years, approached the
teen and told
him to put his
hands up, au-
thorities said.
The boy then
pulled out an
Airsoft gun and
pointed it at LIVINGOOD Livingood, Hackney said. Livingood, not realizing it was a BB gun, and then fired six shots at the boy, hitting him once in the left leg, ac- cording to Hackney.
The teen, who was not identified, has "developmen- tal and psychiatric disorders," Hackney added, and has no criminal history but had had multiple interactions with Jacksonville police before.
OFFICER JOSH
Entrepreneur Launches Historic First African Pride Sneaker
Tariq Edmonson, founder of SneakersCustom.com, poses with his custom-designed African sneakers.
LOS ANGELES -- A Black man who was fatally shot by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies kept holding a gun as he lay dying on the ground, authorities said Sunday in response to ques- tions about why they contin- ued to fire on the man after he fell to the pavement.
A close-up from security footage showed 28-year-old Nicholas Robertson stretched out on the ground with a gun in his hand. He died at the scene Saturday morning in the south Los Angeles suburb of Lynwood.
Two deputies fired 33 bul- lets at the man after he re- fused to drop the gun and walked across a busy street to a filling station where a family was pumping gas, homicide Capt. Steven
NICHOLAS ROBERTSON
Katz said.
Police confronted
Robertson as they investi- gated 911 calls from wit- nesses who saw a man firing a gun into the air. Witnesses said he was walking down a residential street and then through a busy commercial area allegedly holding the weapon and acting strangely.
ATLANTA, GA — The sneaker industry has gone thru many evolutions over the past 30 years. From the emer- gence of global brands like Nike, Jordan, Adidas and Converse to high-end de- signer sneakers from Gucci, Armani to Polo, now the newest development in the sneaker business is the cus- tom sneaker designed for or- ganizations, schools, entertainers and celebrities. Sneakerscustom.com, based in metro Atlanta, is the new trendsetter.
Owned by entrepreneur Tariq Edmondson, Sneak- erscustom.com is a new, in- novative way to generate income for schools, organiza- tions or anyone with aspira- tions of making their own sneaker brand. The first pro- duct launched is a beautiful
black canvas sneaker with red & green trim that’s an instant eye-catcher. Inspired by the design of the Converse Chuck Taylor, the Red, Black & Green sneaker is quickly be- coming a favorite for con- scious African-Americans in the USA, Caribbean and even the United Kingdom.
The company has created an innovative distribution pipeline by selling direct to wholesalers and consumers via the website. The Sneaker- scustom.com wholesale pro- gram features a low-cost system for other entrepre- neurs to get involved in a fast growing business. The whole- sale program offers 50 cus- tom sneakers for $1,000 USD. Each sneaker retails for $40 USD, which allows the wholesaler to make a profit of $20 USD per pair.
Marvin Banks, 29, had been arrested in May in the fatal shooting of two Missis- sippi police officers. On Friday night, Banks was found unre- sponsive in his cell and rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to NBC News, "Au- topsy results showed Banks died of severe heart disease, but toxicology tests are still pending." Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict told the news station that Banks' body showed no signs of trauma.
Banks was in an "isolation cell" when he was found. The sheriff's department did not re- lease the last time Banks had been checked on by an officer or the last time he'd been seen alive.
Banks, his younger brother Curtis Banks and two other suspects were arrested in the
Marvin Banks was charged with fatally shooting Police Officers Deen and Tate.
May 9 fatal shooting of Hat- tiesburg Police Officers Ben- jamin J. Deen, 34, and Liquori Tate, 25, who had stopped the car they were rid- ing in for speeding.
According to the news station, "[Marvin] Banks, the alleged shooter, was charged with two counts of capital murder, grand theft auto and illegal weapons possession. He was denied bail."
Marvin Banks' cause of death has not been deter- mined, and Mississippi's state medical examiner will conduct the autopsy.
Cop Killer Found Dead In His Cell
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