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. 
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All posts for the month February, 2016
Photo: Paul Robeson, DuBois, Vito Marcantonio. Read about DuBois on the NAACP website: http://bit.ly/1diKTWs
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.
