African American children are at historic lows in their academic failures within the Minneapolis Public Schools. Black graduation rates in Minnesota are the lowest in the country at 38% while their white counterparts’ graduation rates soar to 83%, which is amongst the highest in the country.  As a result of these contradictions, the African American Mobilization for Education (AAME), made up of community activists, organizations and educators, created a Covenant that was approved by the Minneapolis Public School board in June, 2008, to develop specific strategies that would assure academic excellence for all African American children in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is awarding 2,500 rental assistance vouchers to 37 public housing authorities across the U.S. to reunite more than 7,500 children with their parents. The children are currently in foster care.

MINNEAPOLIS (NNPA) - The Chicago Defender Newspaper, which at 104, one of the nation’s oldest and most influential Black-owned newspapers, was awarded the prestigious Russwurm Award during this year’s NNPA Merit Awards Gala.

The New York of the City offices Thurgood Marshall College Fund is closed Thursday, July 2, 2009 in recognition of the life and legacy of the late Supreme Court Associate Justice. The trailblazing attorney and jurist would have turned 101 on July 2.

Thurgood Marshall Sr.’s extraordinary contributions to American society are chronicled through photos, videos, speeches, and interviews available on the commemoration website at:
http://www.thurgoodmarshalltribute.org.

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - In an emotionally charged eulogy that took place on a radiant afternoon, Stephen Tyrone Johns, the special police officer who was slain at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, was remembered as a gentle giant with a big heart and warm smile.

The Black Press of America convenes this week in Minneapolis for the National Newspaper Publishers Association Annual Convention June 24 through June 28 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

US Rep.Keith Ellison (D-Minneapolis), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other elected officials and tribal leaders toured the American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (AIOIC) on Sunday, June 7, to witness firsthand the economic recovery package at work.  Pelosi met with students and employers of the American Indian OIC Summer and Year Round Youth Employment Program funded by the economic recovery package passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President.

Twin Cities Northside resident and Master Storyteller, Nothando Zulu has been invited to perform her storytelling magic at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC June 24 through July 5th. The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum complex and research organization composed of 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo.

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Minnesotans need to prepare for significant property tax increases and major cuts to public safety, libraries, parks, and other city services, mayors said in response to the announcement that Governor Tim Pawlenty will unallot $192 million of funding to Minnesota cities.

The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) announces the fifth funding cycle for its grant program, the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA).  The NALAC Fund for the Arts provides grant support to Latino artists and small and mid-sized organizations in all regions of the United States.  Through the NFA, NALAC has awarded more than $523,000 to Latino artists and organizations in four years, representing a significant investment in the creative and cultural assets of the nation.
Launched in 2005 with major support from the Ford Foundation, the NALAC Fund for the Arts is the only national arts fund in the country that provides support specifically for Latino artists and arts organizations working in all artistic disciplines.