President Barack Obama Picks Dr. Regina Benjamin, the "Angel in a White Coat," as the Next Surgeon General

President Barack Obama has picked Dr. Regina Benjamin as the next surgeon general. Dr. Benjamin hails from the Deep South, rural Alabama to be exact. She made headlines in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with an unyielding determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic. As you know, the surgeon general is the advocate of the people and the position can be a very powerful and effective one with the right personality -- like Dr. Benjamin. According to media reports, about 10 years ago, the New York Times referred to her as an "angel in a white coat." She is a country doctor who made house calls along the impoverished Gulf Coast and was paid whatever her patients could afford. She has tirelessly called for improvements in health disparities, pushed by the need in her own community of Bayou La Batre, Ala., a small shrimping village along the gulf coast.

Dr. Benjamin is the first black woman and the youngest doctor (under 40) elected to the American Medical Association's board of trustees. She received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights in 1998 and Pope Benedict XVI awarded her the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal for her distinguished service. Dr. Benjamin also serves on the Board of Physicians for Human Rights. She is a former Kellogg National Fellow and has been featured as ABC Television's Person of the Week, and in 1996 was chosen by CBS This Morning as Woman of the Year. Dr. Benjamin is a graduate of Xavier University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the University of Alabama School of Medicine

Her nonprofit clinic was rebuilt by volunteers after being destroyed by Katrina, only to burn down months later. Benjamin later told of her patients' desperation that she rebuild again, recalling one woman who handed her an envelope with a $7 donation to help. "If she can find $7, I can figure out the rest," Benjamin said last fall as she received a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," money she dedicated to finishing that job. Source: Huffington Post

I am pleased with the president's nomination of Dr. Benjamin and I am glad he chose her for the position. She will be a far more effective surgeon general that Dr. Sanjay Gupta could have ever been. I am confident that she will be confirmed by the Senate. We all know how some of the Republican senators like to take on the role of bottom feeders to stymie President Obama's nominees, but I am sure she will be confirmed without delay. I would imagine that the last thing the Republican Party needs to revisit is the nightmare that ensued in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which was under the watch of President George W. Bush.

Helen Suzman, South African Anti-Apartheid Activist, Dies on New Year's Day

South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who won international acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the injustices of racist rule, has died on New Year's. She was 91. Suzman was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and fought a long and lonely battle in the South African parliament against government repression of the country's black majority and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Achmat Dangor said Suzman was a "great patriot and a fearless fighter against apartheid." For 13 years, Suzman was the sole opposition lawmaker in South Africa's parliament, raising her voice time after time against the introduction of racist legislation by the National Party government.

After her retirement from parliament in 1989, she served on a variety of top public institutions, including the Independent Electoral Commission that oversaw the country's first multiracial elections in 1994. She was at Mandela's side when he signed the new constitution in 1996 as South Africa's first black president. A year later, Mandela awarded her a special gold medal in honor of her contributions.

"It is a courage born of the yearning for freedom; of hatred of oppression, injustice and inequity whether the victim be oneself or another; a fortitude that draws its strength from the conviction that no person can be free while others are unfree," Mandela said at the time. Source: Huffington Post

The world has lost another icon who worked tirelessly for equal rights for all. Rest in peace, Ms. Suzman, you have done well.

Helen Suzman, South African Anti-Apartheid Activist, Dies on New Year's Day

South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who won international acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the injustices of racist rule, has died on New Year's. She was 91. Suzman was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and fought a long and lonely battle in the South African parliament against government repression of the country's black majority and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Achmat Dangor said Suzman was a "great patriot and a fearless fighter against apartheid." For 13 years, Suzman was the sole opposition lawmaker in South Africa's parliament, raising her voice time after time against the introduction of racist legislation by the National Party government.

After her retirement from parliament in 1989, she served on a variety of top public institutions, including the Independent Electoral Commission that oversaw the country's first multiracial elections in 1994. She was at Mandela's side when he signed the new constitution in 1996 as South Africa's first black president. A year later, Mandela awarded her a special gold medal in honor of her contributions.

"It is a courage born of the yearning for freedom; of hatred of oppression, injustice and inequity whether the victim be oneself or another; a fortitude that draws its strength from the conviction that no person can be free while others are unfree," Mandela said at the time. Source: Huffington Post

The world has lost another icon who worked tirelessly for equal rights for all. Rest in peace, Ms. Suzman, you have done well.

Miriam Makeba, South African Music Legend Who Sang About Apartheid, Dies at Age 76

As a child growing up in Jamaica, I remember hearing the sultry voice of South African legend Miriam Makeba as she sang about the scourge of Apartheid. I can hear Peter Tosh singing about "Mama Africa," as Ms. Makeba was affectionately known. She was banned from her own country for more than 30 years because of the stance she took on the injustices. She died early this morning after collapsing on stage in Italy, a fitting place for her to spend her last moments. She was 76 years old.

In her dazzling career, Makeba performed with musical legends from around the world — jazz maestros Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon — and sang for world leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela. "Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us," Mandela said in a statement. He said it was "fitting" that her last moments were spent on stage. Source ABC News

The Pineta Grande clinic in Castel Volturno, near the southern city of Naples, said Makeba died of a heart attack.

Makeba collapsed on stage Sunday night after singing one of her most famous hits "Pata Pata," her family said in a statement. Her grandson, Nelson Lumumba Lee, was with her as well as her longtime friend, Italian promoter Roberto Meglioli. "Whilst this great lady was alive she would say: 'I will sing until the last day of my life'," the statement said.

Castel Volturno Mayor Francesco Nuzzo said Makeba sang at a concert in solidarity with six immigrants from Ghana who were shot to death in September in the town, an attack that investigators have blamed on organized crime. Yes, she took her last bow, fighting for a cause she believed in. Wow. That is profound on so many levels.

The death of "Mama Africa," as she was known, plunged South Africa into shock and mourning. "One of the greatest songstresses of our time has ceased to sing," Foreign Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said in a statement. "Throughout her life, Mama Makeba communicated a positive message to the world about the struggle of the people of South Africa and the certainty of victory over the dark forces of apartheid and colonialism through the art of song." Source: ABC News

The world has, indeed, lost a true champion. Someone who perserved in raising awareness of the plight of South African in her songs, despite the odds that were against her. She was the first African woman to win a Grammy award. Her rise to international prominence started when she starred in the anti-apartheid documentary "Come Back, Africa" in 1959. Ms. Makeba is survived by her grandchildren, Nelson Lumumba Lee and Zenzi Monique Lee, and her great-grandchildren Lindelani, Ayanda and Kwame.

To read more about Miriam Makeba, CLICK HERE.....

Miriam Makeba, South African Music Legend Who Sang About Apartheid, Dies at Age 76

As a child growing up in Jamaica, I remember hearing the sultry voice of South African legend Miriam Makeba as she sang about the scourge of Apartheid. I can hear Peter Tosh singing about "Mama Africa," as Ms. Makeba was affectionately known. She was banned from her own country for more than 30 years because of the stance she took on the injustices. She died early this morning after collapsing on stage in Italy, a fitting place for her to spend her last moments. She was 76 years old.

In her dazzling career, Makeba performed with musical legends from around the world — jazz maestros Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon — and sang for world leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela. "Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us," Mandela said in a statement. He said it was "fitting" that her last moments were spent on stage. Source ABC News

The Pineta Grande clinic in Castel Volturno, near the southern city of Naples, said Makeba died of a heart attack.

Makeba collapsed on stage Sunday night after singing one of her most famous hits "Pata Pata," her family said in a statement. Her grandson, Nelson Lumumba Lee, was with her as well as her longtime friend, Italian promoter Roberto Meglioli. "Whilst this great lady was alive she would say: 'I will sing until the last day of my life'," the statement said.

Castel Volturno Mayor Francesco Nuzzo said Makeba sang at a concert in solidarity with six immigrants from Ghana who were shot to death in September in the town, an attack that investigators have blamed on organized crime. Yes, she took her last bow, fighting for a cause she believed in. Wow. That is profound on so many levels.

The death of "Mama Africa," as she was known, plunged South Africa into shock and mourning. "One of the greatest songstresses of our time has ceased to sing," Foreign Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said in a statement. "Throughout her life, Mama Makeba communicated a positive message to the world about the struggle of the people of South Africa and the certainty of victory over the dark forces of apartheid and colonialism through the art of song." Source: ABC News

The world has, indeed, lost a true champion. Someone who perserved in raising awareness of the plight of South African in her songs, despite the odds that were against her. She was the first African woman to win a Grammy award. Her rise to international prominence started when she starred in the anti-apartheid documentary "Come Back, Africa" in 1959. Ms. Makeba is survived by her grandchildren, Nelson Lumumba Lee and Zenzi Monique Lee, and her great-grandchildren Lindelani, Ayanda and Kwame.

To read more about Miriam Makeba, CLICK HERE.....