The Black Informant

Major black news stories of 2005

…

January

Reggie Fowler’ s attempt to buy the Minnesota Vikings
HOT 97’s ‘Tsunami Song’
African-American Chamber Survey: 40 Percent of Black Businesses Have Difficulty Finding Trained Staff; 81.8 Percent of Black Firm Employees are African-American

February

First African-American to be Named Acting Head of NASA
The 2004 Census of African-American Directors on Fortune 500 Corporate Boards
The rebirth of SaVoy Magazine
The passing of Ossie Davis

March
The passing of Nelly’s sister
Usher Buys Into Cleveland Cavaliers
Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union conference in Atlanta

April
New DNA studies suggest that all humans descended from a single African ancestor who lived some 60,000 years ago.
Minority homeownership hits new high

Television celebrity and businessman Byron Allen on Tuesday said his Entertainment Studios Corp. may bid $2.2 billion in cash to acquire struggling Paxson TV network and remake it for black audiences. — I don’t know what came of this story

May

Chicago Defender–first black newspaper to create a podcast.
Navy Capt. Bruce E. Grooms has been named the 81st commandant of midshipmen at the , the first time an African-American has held the No. 2 post at the 160-year- old Annapolis military college.
Colonel Stayce Harris was installed Sunday as the first African-American woman to command an operational Air Force flight wing.

June

Early Humans May Have Crossed Sea to Leave Africa
The Mexican Stamp
Author Terry McMillan has filed for divorce from the man who inspired the 1996 novel “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,”

Lt. j.g. Jeanine McIntosh smiled from ear to ear as her father, Conrol McIntosh, pinned golden wings on her uniform Friday, making her the first black female U.S. Coast Guard aviator.

FDA Endorses Drug For African Americans; Stirs Debate

Woman named new SA deputy leader
Ronald Winans, a Grammy-winning member of the Winans gospel family who was part of the quartet The Winans, has died. He was 48.
A Senate Apology for History on Lynching
Michael Jackson–cleared on all counts
Tyson gets his butt kicked one last time
Black securites firm makes a billion-dollar move
BET gets a new CEO

July

Minority and Women Business Ownership Increasing Faster Than National Average
Zimbabwe’s demolition blitz
Sheila Johnson - first woman to own a WNBA team and the first African-American woman to have a piece of three sports teams at once.

August

Katrina strikes!!!
Liberia’s first post-war presidential election
Million Father March
Canada’s first black governor general
John H. Johnson passes
The American Center for Voting Rights (ACVR–a non-partisan group backed by both Democrats and Republicans) releases the WHOLE story regarding voter suppression.

September
Aylwin Lewis takes Chief Exec spot with Sears

James Blake becomes first African-American man since Rodney Harmon in 1982 to make the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open

October

Black blogger inadvertently forces black Americans to face up to our usage of the word “Uncle Tom”.
Rosa Parks passes
Millions More March
August Wilson passes
Report shows how TV, Internet play different roles with black consumers
First black Archbishop to begin job
Mobile’s first black mayor ready for first full day in office (Alabama)
De Beers appoints first black to head S.Africa unit
Missouri Bar elects first black vice president

November

BET founder to set up hedge fund
NASA names first black flight director
380,000 votes in Detroit found tainted

December

Randal wins The Apprentice
Stanley “Tookie” Williams executed
Richard Pryor passes

If there are any stories that I missed, please add them via the comments feature below. Thanks!