On February 27, 1869, John Willis Menard of Louisiana became the FIRST African American to address the U.S. House. With the passage of the 15th Amendment, African-Americans first exercised the vote, catapulting hundreds of southern blacks into public office. In November 1868, Menard appeared to have won a special election to succeed the late James Mann, whose district encompassed New Orleans—a victory that would have made him the first African American to serve in Congress. But his opponent, Caleb Hunt (who also had contested Mann’s original election), challenged Menard’s right to be seated. During his brief appeal on the House Floor, Menard recounted the decisive support (64 percent) he had received from New Orleanians: “I would feel myself recreant to do the duty imposed upon me if I did not defend their rights in this floor. . . I do not expect nor do I ask that there shall be any favor shown me on account of my race or former condition of that race.” The House deemed neither candidate qualified, leaving the seat vacant for the remainder of the final days of the 40th Congress (1867–1869). In the following Congress, Joseph Rainey of South Carolina won election to become the first African American seated in the House.  

Thursday, February 25, 2016; 6-8 p.m. – WEOP- 250 Georgia Ave.- Atlanta, GA
Info Session: Come out to learn about “Invest Atlanta”,” AAHOP”, the “Atlanta Beltline Homebuyer Incentives”, the “Georgia Dream Program”, and the other NSP programs available RIGHT NOW for downpayment and closing cost assistance in Georgia. Incentives are as high as $13,000 per homeowner.

Gain an understanding of programs and incentives available for intown homebuyers which can help open the doors of home ownership to traditionally marganlized groups. On hand will be American Mortgage to answer your questions, and Fidelity Bank to present alternative credit options and the SBA loan opportunities for emerging businesses.
Examples:
· If you have a police officer, he or she would be eligible to receive above the $13,000 limit, but no more than $25,000.
· If you have a client who is leaving a Section 8 Program and becoming a homeowner, he or she would be eligible to receive above the $13,000 limit, but no more than $25,000.
· If a home buyer is a security guard or does not fall into any of the preference categories and would be eligible for a maximum DPA of $13,000.
· If a home buyer works at IHOP, he or she would be eligible for a maximum DPA of $13,000
· If a home buyer is a police officer, and also works a part-time second job as security guard at Kroger, he or she would be eligible for a max DPA of $25,000 because he or she is a [public safety] police officer which falls into the ‘preference’ category.
· If a home buyer is an Administrative Assistant for a television station, he or she would be eligible for a maximum DPA of $13,000

Special Guest Speakers Danette O’Neal Realtors; Patty robertson, American Eagle Mortgage, & Brandon Sherman, Fidelty Bank

  
In honor of Black History Month, the Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) and the Graduate Association of Student Psychologists (GASP) at GSU hosted a screening of the film Selma. Selma documents the march from Selma to Montgomery lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr during the Civil Rights Movement. The movie screening will be followed by a discussion hosted by graduate student members of both organizations. The discussion emphasized the importance of the events portrayed in the film and connect those events to current social movements.  

    
Sir Sidney Poitier, is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author and diplomat.In 1964, Poitier became the first Bahamian and first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of these achievements was bolstered in 1967, when he starred in three successful films, all of which dealt with issues involving race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, making him the top box-office star of that year. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of classic Hollywood cinema, ranking 22nd on the list of 25. Poitier has directed a number of films, including A Piece of the Action, Uptown Saturday Night, Let’s Do It Again, with Bill Cosby; Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; and Ghost Dad, also with Cosby. In 2002, thirty-eight years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award, in recognition of his “remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.” From 1997 to 2007, he served as the non-resident Bahamian ambassador to Japan.On August 12, 2009, Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama. In 2016 he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.Sidney Poitier, born in Miami, Florida on February 20, 1927, celebrates his 89th birthday,

A Stolen #BlackHistory Moment Alexander Graham Bell WAS NOT the inventor of the telephone …THE TELEPHONE Was Invented And Patented By An African American Named #GranvilleWoods 

In 1885, Granville Woods patented a system combining the telephone and telegraph and thus allowing railroad stations to send voice and telegraph messages over a single wire. The device was so successful that he later sold it to the American Bell Telephone Company in 1887. (As a black inventor, Woods had difficulty in marketing his inventions and had little choice but to sell them to white-owned corporations.) 

 Granville Woods often had difficulties in enjoying his success as other inventors made claims to his devices. Thomas Edison made one of these claims, stating that he had first created a similar telegraph and that he was entitled to the patent for the device

Granville Woods was twice successful in defending himself, proving that there were no other devices upon which he could have depended or relied upon to make his device. After Thomas Edison’s second defeat, he decided to offer Granville Woods a position with the Edison Company, but Granville declined.