AFRICAN-AMERICANS

It all started with one week in 1926, when one organization chose the second week of February to promote the achievements by Black Americans and other people of African descent.

CHRISTIANSBURG., Va. – You can now learn Black history by hopping into your car and going for a drive. From the locations where slaves were once sold, to the playground where children were once segregated, Christiansburg holds valuable Black history. That’s why Christiansburg Institute created a map highlighting five locations to create a driving tour. The non-profit’s executive director, Chris Sanchez, said he hopes the 3.4-mile trail will inspire people to preserve the legacy African-Americans have already paved. AdSanchez said he hopes to work with other organizations to expand the tour and cross county lines to highlight other monumental areas.

February is now underway, and with that comes Black History Month.

We want to know: What does Black History Month mean to you? Did you talk about it, growing up? Did you attend events? We want to hear, in your words, about your experience with the month.

India sends 2 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to Bangladesh. The state health department says only 15% of vaccinations administered so far in Mississippi have been to Black residents, with around 70% going to white residents. The state had previously been directing the vaccine to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. It expands the use of telemedicine and adds flexibility in health care licensing through March 31. The move comes as Kelly said communities can move beyond immunizing health care workers and long-term care residents.

The comments from Michelle Bachelet came in a catch-all speech to open the latest session of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council on Monday. She also raised concerns about the human rights situation in Myanmar, Nicaragua and Venezuela, among other places on her agenda. Many see the law as Beijing’s boldest move yet to remove a legal firewall between the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong and the mainland’s Communist Party system. “The Hong Kong authorities have consistently stated that the law is not intended to impact negatively on the peaceful exercise of human rights by Hong Kong residents,” said Bachelet. She said her office had documented 47 killings of human rights defenders in Colombia this year.

FILE - In this June 25, 2020, file photo, State Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, discusses one of the more than one dozen budget trailer bills before the Senate at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. California lawmakers are setting up a task force to study and make recommendations for reparations to African-Americans, particularly the descendants of slaves, as the nation struggles again with civil rights and unrest following the latest shooting of a Black man by police. The state Senate supported creating the nine-member commission on a bipartisan 33-3 vote Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

The state Senate supported creating the nine-member commission on a bipartisan 33-3 vote Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. The state Senate supported creating the nine-member commission on a bipartisan 33-3 vote Saturday. Let's be clear: Chattel slavery, both in California and across our nation, birthed a legacy of racial harm and inequity that continues to impact the conditions of Black life in California, said Democratic Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles. Although California before the Civil War was officially a free state, Mitchell listed legal and judicial steps state officials took at the time to support slavery in Southern states while repressing Blacks. It said reparations could take the form of cash, housing assistance, lower tuition, forgiving student loans, job training or community investments, for instance.

Edelman said he hopes that recent anti-Semitic social media posts by Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson can be a teaching moment not just for him but others as well. In a video posted to Instagram Thursday, July 9, 2020, Edelman joined the Eagles, NFL and others who have condemned Jacksons posts over the weekend. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)BOSTON New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman said he hopes recent anti-Semitic social media posts by Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson can be a teaching moment, not just for him but others as well. I know he said some ugly things, but I do see an opportunity to have a conversation, Edelman said in the video. Edelman later acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he has heard anti-Semitic taunts during games.

Greg Drumwright, a minister at the Citadel Church & Campus Ministries, helped organize a group of Black fans to attend the NASCAR race at Talladega and support driver Bubba Wallace. We want to see that the call for diversification and true equity in the sport extends beyond the banning of the Confederate flag, Drumwright said. The group was about two dozen strong but only one had been to a NASCAR race before. We were there to stand with Bubba but what we learned through the media coverage is that it seems as if were standing with NASCAR, Drumwright said. Theres a willingness to listen and engage that NASCAR has that I dont believe they were sincere about earlier, said Bill Lester, one of at least seven other Black NASCAR drivers before Wallace.

In this video grab issued Sunday, June 28, 2020, by BET, Beyonce accepts the humanitarian award during the BET Awards. The singer dedicated her award to the Black Lives Matter movement, and encouraged activists to continue to push forward. DaBaby rapped a verse from the Black Lives Matter remix of his hit song Rockstar with Roddy Ricch at the awards. While holding a baseball bat, DaBaby then stood on a stage behind a group of people who had their fists raised high while others held Black Lives Matter signs. During the performance, video clips were shown of the national protests over the deaths of unarmed Black people including Floyd, Arbery and Taylor.

The three-hour show will be jam-packed with heavy hitters currently dominating the pop charts and streaming services, including DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Kane Brown and Chloe x Halle. The three-hour show will be jam-packed with heavy hitters currently dominating the pop charts and streaming services, including DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Kane Brown and Chloe x Halle. Comedian, actress and TV personality Amanda Seales will host the 2020 BET Awards, which will air on CBS for the first time. Drake is the leading nominee: Hes up for six honors, including video of the year and best male hip-hop artist. Ricch and Megan Thee Stallion follow Drake with five nominations each.

(Neon via AP)Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, Clemency was well-reviewed but got unjustly overshadowed by some of the higher profile awards contenders when it was released in December. Doctor Sleep: The Directors Cut: This Danny Torrance-focused sequel to The Shining was a little divisive upon release, which wasnt all that surprising. Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSICGrey Daze: Fans of the late Grammy-winning screeching rock singer Chester Bennington will get a chance to hear him one more time. HAIM: Its been three years since sister trio HAIM have released a new album.

Economists have forecast that the government will report Friday that employers shed 8.5 million more jobs last month on top of 21.4 million lost in March and April. The economic shock, like the pandemic itself, has widened economic disparities that have disproportionately hurt minorities and lower-educated workers. But business closures related to the unrest could cause job losses that would be reflected in the June jobs report to be issued next month. That is still more than all the jobs lost in the Great Recession. Oxford Economics estimates that the economy will regain 17 million jobs by years end, a huge increase by historical standards.

The three-time NBA champion has announced he will fund the first six years of a new NCAA Division 1 program at Howard University -- but for golf, not basketball. Golf isn't just a sportClint Sanchez has seen firsthand how the game of golf can change a young person's life. Given the slow pace of the sport, golfers spend long periods of time with other players. The students who participate in the Howard golf program will have the chance to broaden their network with other Division 1 schools, especially those in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which includes Bethune-Cookman University, Florida A&M University and Morgan State University. Langston was built in 1939 and remains one of the nation's most important historically black golf courses, which made Curry's choice of venue even more profound.

Rembrandt Peale, White House/Wikimedia CommonsCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Charlottesville will no longer celebrate Thomas Jefferson's birthday as an official city holiday and instead will observe a day recognizing the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. The city council voted Monday night to scrap the decades-old April 13 holiday honoring the slave-holding president and Founding Father. Charlottesville will now mark Liberation and Freedom Day on March 3, the day U.S. Army forces arrived in the city in 1865. Charlottesville has been grappling publicly for years with how to tell its history of race and discrimination. Those efforts intensified after white nationalists gathered in the city in 2017 for a rally that descended into deadly violence.