WASHINGTON (NNPA) – U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) stood behind President George Bush as he sat down, pen in hand, in front of the open folder. Among the string of witnesses beside Davis were Black Caucus members Reps. Bobby Scott (Va.), Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Ohio) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (Mich.).
It was a rare, but happily unified non-partisan gathering to sign what had once appeared to be a mission- impossible for Davis. It was five years ago when he first conceived, introduced and began fighting for the Second Chance Act to deter the recidivism rate that is so disparate among Black inmates.

The Hip Hop Anniversary Tour will bring legendary artists and some of the talents who created the rap music genre to Portland and Seattle this June. But this tour is NAACP approved, and promises to offer family friendly concerts, with no swearing and a positive message.
Last year Kurtis Blow, former 'gangsta' rapper Master P, his son Romeo, other entertainers and media corporations, signed on to the NAACP's STOP Campaign. Blow, now a minister, also participated in the NAACP's symbolic burial of the N-word at its annual convention in Detroit.
"The music from the past was fun," rap industry legend Blow said Friday in Washington, D.C. "The tour brings those beats and good feelings back with three hours of Hip Hop with no profanity and within the bounds of universal acceptance."

Life Center and the Global Neighbor Project are hosting the "World Vision Experience: AIDS" exhibit,  a multi-media, interactive exhibit that allows visitors to step into the lives of actual children affected by HIV and AIDS in the hardest-hit region of the world, Sub-Saharan Africa, where about 25 million people are infected with HIV (2/3 of the world's total).
The free exhibit will be open to the public from April 18-21 with tour times available from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Life Center, 1717 S. Union Avenue in Tacoma.  ...

What's happening for me in Portland this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your week. Please click on "Read the complete article" below.

May 21 2008, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
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The 82nd Avenue Business Association is launching The 82nd Avenue  of Roses Parade this Saturday. With Rose Court princesses (pictured), Chinese Lions, the Keystone Kops, the Royal Rosarians, the Portland Corvette Club and marching groups, the parade is likely to be an annual event. After setting out from Eastport Plaza, 4000 SE 82nd Ave. at 9 a.m. it will travel north along 82nd Avenue then west onto SE Yamhill, disbanding at S.E. 78th Avenue.
Montavilla East Tabor Business Assn. and Montavilla Neighborhood Assn. have organized a sidewalk festival to take place after the parade. ...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Three more lawmakers are seeking investigations of federally funded research in poor, Black neighborhoods that resulted in sewage sludge being spread on several families' lawns in attempt to determine whether it could combat lead poisoning in children.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Gov. Chet Culver on Thursday signed into law a bill that will require lawmakers to look at the impact proposed sentencing laws will have on racial and ethnic groups.
The new law comes as Iowa tries to shake the reputation of having the greatest prison racial disparity in the nation.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton talks to a crowd in Hillsboro last week. She was greeted by 6,000 people across the state. Just the week before, Sen. Barack Obama made his second appearance in Oregon. Both candidates are vying for the state's 52 electoral votes.

Radio talk show host Warren Ballentine is heading to Portland next week to help lead a conference on law enforcement. The Northwest Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives will hold its annual training meeting, "Leadership through Excellence: A Dialogue to Mentor Our Future" from April 17 – 20 at the Crowne Plaza Holiday Inn. A civil rights advocate, whose radio handle is 'the people's attorney,' Ballentine will host a town hall meeting for 200 students and give the keynote speech at the closing banquet.
Last November, Ballentine was a key instigator of National Blackout Day, urging African Americans to join him in refusing to spend any money on one chosen Friday. The idea was to highlight the spending power of Black America and at the same time draw attention to the persistence of racism and injustice. The University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth has estimated that African American spending power is about  $845 billion a year (after taxes) — more than $2.3 billion a day.
Ballentine helped draw national attention to the Jena 6 case, advocated for Genarlow Wilson, the teen jailed for consensual oral sex, who now has been released, and spoke out in support of Megan Williams, the Virginia woman who was kidnapped and tortured by six Whites.
The Skanner interviewed Ballentine on the phone last Monday. ...