Daily News Feed 1.01.09/Vocab: billingsgate

Hudson Tipped to Perform for Inauguration
It is thought that the 27-year-old will sing the US national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, at the ceremony on January 20. It would be the Oscar winner’s first public performance since he mother, sister and nephew were murdered in October. A source close to the Dreamgirls star claimed that Hudson is already in talks with inauguration organisers about the show and described her as a “huge Obama supporter”. The source told the New York Post’s gossip column, Page Six: “Organizers want Jennifer to sing The Star-Spangled Banner at the Inauguration on January 20. “They are talking to Jennifer about it. It would be the first time she performed since the murders. She is from Chicago and a huge Obama supporter.” (Continue Reading…)

Obama Alone Can’t Halt the Surge in Black Murders
Northeastern University criminologist Alan Fox virtually pleaded with President-elect Barack Obama to do something about big city black homicides. Fox had good reason to implore Obama to take action. He just released a study this week that showed that young black males who are murdered or who murder other blacks has jumped forty percent since 2000. The magnitude of the jump and the crisis that it poses is even more astounding since during the same period crime and murder rates overall nationally have plunged. (Continue Reading…)

The Year in Politics: Blacks Revel in the History Made in ‘08
From coast to coast, joyous African-Americans watched history unfold in 2008 with the unprecedented election of Barack Obama, who became the nation’s first black president by offering voters his vision of hope for a better life. On Jan. 20, the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., will culminate with a week of festivities, including the swearing-in ceremony, inaugural address, inaugural parade and a night of inaugural balls and galas honoring Obama. The official theme for Obama’s inauguration is “Renewing America’s Promise,” which aides said underscores Obama’s commitment to restoring opportunity for Americans. “My father almost lost his life trying to secure the right to vote for black people. This year, we saw a return on his investment,” Elsie L. Scott, president and chief executive officer for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “I just hate my parents did not live to see November 4, 2008.” (Continue Reading…)

billingsgate \BIL-ingz-gayt; -git\, noun: