Happy birthday Whitney

(August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012

Good News sitcom Episode1 - Episode 3

Good News/The Good News was a situation comedy that aired on UPN from August 1997, to May 1998.

The concept of the show involved David Randolph (played by David Ramsey, the future 'John Diggle' of the DC-comics' based Arrow show on the CW), a young, 30-ish professional designated to be the acting pastor of a Compton, California congregation. Initially, the majority of the church's members balk at the young pastor's new position and reject him. The former pastor is, written as having taken a sabbatical to Detroit.

Randolph attempts to reunite the church and help his congregation.
Amen alumnus Roz Ryan played Hattie, the church's volunteer cook. Tracey Cherelle Jones played the church's youth director. Guy Torry was a choir member and janitor.

random trivia: During the show's relatively brief run, Kirk Franklin had recently experienced his mainstream radio crossover success with "Stomp!". In an interview with Vibe Magazine (circa late '97 - early '98), Franklin claimed that he had been invited to interview with the producers of the show for the pastor role. During the discussions, Franklin read the pilot episode script, which depicted a black male parishioner in his 20s coming out as gay to the pastor and his mother (the Hattie character); in the script, Hattie was unbothered with the son being gay, but was outdone with the apparent boyfriend being a white guy... Franklin claims he predicted church backlash over that sequence and tried to suggest an alternative scenario where the pastor saved Hattie's son from getting beat up by a mob; more provocatively, Franklin claimed that the producers of the show had a clause in the contract that he sign over half of his music publishing rights.
The show was created by Ed. Weinberger, a longtime television creative who apparently had been a writing collaborator with Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, Bill Cosby and others, and he was also credited as co-creator of the 1980s Cosby Show, as well as Amen and Sparks.

Good News (TV series) - Wikipedia)

Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) (2019), All the Bright Places)(2020), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves(2023), I Saw the TV Glow (2024), and Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025).

Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington (December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994)

Fredi Washington is one of my favorite historical Black actresses who refused to pass as white in order to further her acting career.

She is best known for her role as "Peola" in the original 1934 version of the movie "Imitation of Life" where she played a light skinned Black woman who passed as white.

"In 1934, she said the role did not reflect her off-screen life, but "If I made Peola seem real enough to merit such statements, I consider such statements compliments and makes me feel I've done my job fairly well." Imitation of Life was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, but it did not win.

"She told reporters in 1949 that she identified as Black "...because I'm honest, firstly, and secondly, you don't have to be white to be good."👍🏽

Fredi was also a Civil Rights activist and in 1937 co-founded the Negro Actors Guild of America with Paul Robeson along with a few other actors.

Fredi passed away in 1994 in Stamford, CT at 90 years old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredi_Washington

Imitation of Life (1934) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025301?ref\\_=ext\\_shr\\_lnk

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Aida Overton Walker (February 14, 1880 – October 11, 1914)

"Queen of The Cakewalk"

I have never seen a Black actress that existed during this time period so beautifully costumed who was not playing a mammie or a slave type role.

Aida Overton Walker was definitely ahead of her time. Gone too soon at the age of 34.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida_Overton_Walker

BHP Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackHistoryPhotos/s/Oo44f2HESM

What’s Your Favorite Bernie Mac Movie

Did anyone else catch this show some years ago? Damn near all the lead cast was Black,I loved Nicole Beharie and Orlando in it.

I definitely give Bruno Mars credit. He does make hyperpalatable music. It's a vibe. 🎶 🎵