DC Urban LifeStyle Magazine

President Barack Obama gets the ball rolling, issuing this proclamation in celebration of Black History Month, with a focus on the efforts of African American women. See below. end slavery and tenacious activists who fought to expand basic civil rights to all Americans, African American women have long served as champions of social and political change. And from the literary giants who gave voice to their communities to the artists whose harmonies and brush strokes captured hardships and aspirations, African American women have forever enriched our cultural heritage. Today, we stand on the shoulders of countless African American women who shattered glass ceilings and advanced our common goals. In recognition of their legacy, let us honor their heroic and historic acts for years to come. The achievements of African American women are not limited to those recorded and retold in our history books. Their impact is felt in communities where they are quiet heroes who care for their

Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornell West talk shrinking the gap between the rich and the poor with Suzy Orman at the National Press Club. "The middle class has disappeared", said the product of the south side of Chicago, Orman. Listen to this profound video as the three orators talk poverty in America and offer solutions to rid it.

Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has been in hot water over his comments about America's poor , as well as his comments where he called President Obama 'the food stamp president '. The often brash, former Speaker of the House who has enjoyed a cushy life and lifestyle in politics for over twenty years, gets taken down a peg by talk show host, Joe Madison who critiques Gingrich's performance in the recent presidential debate held in South Carolina. Said Madison, "What you saw yesterday, in that debate, in Myrtle Beach was Gingrich in 3-D".

The First Family attended the historic Zion Baptist Church today in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The church was founded in 1864 by African Americans who migrated to Washington from Fredericksburg, VA and is currently pastored by Rev. Keith Byrd, Sr. who employed the congregation today to "be a source of hope." Dr. King's 'Letter From a Birmingham Jai l' was recited to the parishoners while the Sunday program featured a picture of Dr. King on the cover along with the words "I Have A Dream". The First Family attending church service Sunday at Zion Baptist Church.  Official White House photo. The First Family is known to visit area DC churches.  Churches the First Family have visited in our area include the 19th Street Baptist Church, Allen Chapel A.M.E., Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Shiloh Baptist, the National Cathedral,  St. John's Episcopal Church, and Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.

The annual BET Honors was held this weekend at the Warner Theatre honoring African Americans for their contribution in Literary Arts, Entertainment, Music, and Service. This year's honorees included the Tuskegee Airmen,   for which the movie Red Tails is based, winning BET's 'Service' award. Stevie Wonder won the 'Musical Arts' award, while the 'Literary Arts' award went to poet  Maya Angelou .  A deserving Spike Lee won BET's media arts ward, while  Mariah Carey (new mom and wife of Nick Cannon ) won the (wait for it) 'Entertainer' award.  ( I guess Beyonce just didn't work hard enough this year).  Award-winning track and field coach Beverly Kearney was recognized for defying the odds and teaching her athletes they can overcome their circumstances with perseverance. Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon. The Honors saw everyone in the entertainment industry from a young Willow Smith to musical icon Stevie Wonder . America

President and the First Lady will host the Tuskegee Airmen along with cast and crew members of the movie Red Tails for a screening at the White House. Red Tails stars Terence Howard in a presentation about the first group of African-American fighter pilots to serve in the U.S. armed forces. Said Howard about the White House screening, "I'm way past excited.” Howard also screened the movied with former president George Bush. Said one movie goer of the advanced screening, "The movie is intriguing and has edge-of-your-seat action. It's well done, and certainly worth seeing." Watch the movie trailer, already with over 2 million views, below. The movie was fronted and produced by George Lucas, who described Red Tails as being "close to 'Star Wars: Episode 7' as you could get." Lucas faced many challenges to get the movie made due to most major studios not wanting to take on a big budget risk with an almost entirely African America

The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. will honor Dr. King’s birthday by laying a wreath at the foot of the Stone of Hope at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall, which was opened in August of 2011.    MLK, Jr. Memorial.  Photo/CD Brown. The brief ceremony will take place Monday, January 16 at 8:00 a.m. and will include remarks by Harry E. Johnson, president and CEO of The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation; the Rev. Al Sharpton, p resident of National Action Network and host of MSNBC's PoliticsNation and Robert G. Stanton, senior advisor to the Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The Memorial, officially opened in August 2011, honors the life, the dream, and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [Dr. King's Black and Proud speech. Click the orange arrow to listen.] The program is free and will be open to the public.  T he Martin Luther