Author: Carma Henry

       Meet Black America’s “Unknown Celebrity Chef”, Lena Richard, a gift to Cajun cuisine foodies everywhere. In 1892, just 27 years after the Civil War, this phenomenal chef was born in New Roads, Louisiana. In a Smithsonian Magazine interview, Marie Rhodes, Richard’s daughter and sous chef: “Her reputation was very fine…Everybody used to call her Mama Lena.”

  On December 21, 2024, Donnell Suggs, the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlanta Voice, and his wife, Chia Suggs, who holds the dual roles of Advertising Administrator and Executive Assistant to the Publisher, had the honor of attending the White House holiday reception. This exclusive event gathered an eclectic mix of guests from the realms of print, digital, and radio media, illustrating the vital role that diverse voices play in shaping the nation’s public discourse.

        The celebrated “Mean Green Marching Machine” HBCU marching band from Mississippi Valley State University has received an invitation to participate in the 60th Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025.

       Preliminary designs for a new 500-bed residence hall at FAMU, to be constructed on the site of the former Paddyfoote housing complex, have been revealed. The design, crafted by Washington, DC-based architect David M. Schwarz, draws inspiration from FAMU’s historic buildings and features a traditional Georgian style commonly found on many American campuses.

   However, Saldaña was the only Black actor to take home an award on Sunday. The Emilia Pérez star won her first Golden Globe for her supporting role in the film.

Nunnie on the Sideline

       Kristian Hobbs has made history as the first female JV head coach of the boys’ basketball team at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy in Fort Pierce, Florida. A former standout player from Martin County, Hobbs enters her first season as head coach with a mission to inspire and lead her team toward success on and off the court.

    The Dolphins’ season came to a screeching halt even before late afternoon loss to the New York Jets. You see, any opportunity the Fins had of making the playoffs was predicated on the outcome of the Denver Broncos/Kansas City Chiefs game and the results were never in doubt. That’s  what happens when your destiny is in another’s control. Denver’s decisive victory over the Chiefs eliminated both the Dolphins and the Bengals from the playoffs, though Cincinnati’s 19-17 victory over Pittsburgh kept their playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins’ defeat reflects their middle of the road NFL status. A good draft, a foray into free agency, a trade or two and possibly working something out with Tyreek will elevate the Fins.

 This week’s arrests and sentences of more alleged offenders show effort by the Department of Justice hasn’t stopped as they continue to attempt to hold those involved accountable for the violence that disrupted American democracy.

Among them were groundbreaking figures, including two Black women Senators and two Black U.S. House members from Alabama serving simultaneously for the first time.