Voices In Color

Today's Black Fact

On this day in 1984, the first nationally broadcast telethon for the United Negro College fund is held and raises $14.1 million.

Obama: My Wife Says 'Now Or Never'

In the new issue of Vanity Fair, Michelle Obama tells a reporter that when it comes to her husband's White House bid, “it’s now or never.”

“We’re not going to keep running and running and running, because at some point you do get the life beaten out of you. It hasn’t been beaten out of us yet," she tells the magazine. "We need to be in there now, while we’re still fresh and open and fearless and bold. You lose some of that over time. Barack is not cautious yet; he’s ready to change the world, and we need that.”

Read more: CNN Politics.com

Affirmative Action May Be On Ballots

A campaign is underway to ban affirmative action in five states already embroiled in debates over illegal immigration.

Efforts are proceeding in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma to put initiatives on November ballots that would end programs to increase minority and female participation in government and education.

The push is led by Ward Connerly, a California management consultant who successfully ran similar campaigns in California, Washington and Michigan.

It is part of Connerly's effort to ban race- and gender-based policies nationwide.

Read more: USA Today

Today's Black Fact

On this day in 1977, Karen Farmer becomes the first African American member of the Daughters of the American Revolution when she traces her ancestry back to William Hood, a solider in the Revolutionary War.

Delahunt Says Obama Will Restore US Image Abroad

US Representative William Delahunt of Massachusetts, a leading foreign policy voice in the Democratic Party, will endorse Barack Obama for president today, saying he believes the senator will repair the image of the United States overseas.

"If Barack Obama is elected president, I daresay America will present a new face to the world, will restore, simply by his election, hope - not just within the United States, but from all corners of the world, that America's claim to moral authority is back on track and that our leadership in world affairs will see a renaissance," Delahunt told the Globe.

Read more: The Boston Globe

What To Wear For New Year's Eve

In case you're still on the hunt, maybe this will inspire you...

Black Paris Tours

Any American with even a slight familiarity with Paris knows about Josephine Baker, the black swivel-hipped cabaret entertainer who shunned racism in America, vaulted to stardom here in 1925, and stayed on to become one of France's most adored 20th century icons.

But what about William Wells Brown, the 19th-century former slave turned abolitionist who once expressed awe that he could pray next to whites at La Madeleine church, or that some tipped their hat to him on Paris streets?

Both historical figures feature high in Black Paris Tours, offering a glimpse of the mutual love affair between black Americans and the City of Light.

If You Go...

BLACK PARIS TOURS: http://www.blackparistour.com. Offered Tuesday-Friday, year-round except for August, late December and January.Cost: $129 per person for a daylong tour (does not include lunch), and $86 for a half-day tour. Discounts for groups of six or more.

Read more: The Canadian Press

Diddy To Get Star On Hollywood's Walk Of Fame

No offense to the many talented folks who have received this once prestigious award, but it’s starting to feel like just about anyone can get one of these…

Sean 'Diddy' Combs recently announced that he will be honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame next year.

Read more: sixshot.com

Today's Black Fact

On this day in 1941, new ground is broken in the field of blood plasma research by Dr. Charles Richard Drew, he establishes a pioneer blood bank in New York City.

Not Relevant? Sharpton Scoffs At The Idea

Even by his own frenetic standards, the Rev. Al Sharpton has had a busy 12 months.

Late last year was the police shooting in Queens of Sean Bell, an unarmed black man leaving a bachelor party, and Sharpton organized the protests. There was the spring controversy over racially insensitive remarks by shock jock Don Imus, with Sharpton leading the calls for Imus's firing.

Sharpton put together a march in Jena, La., in support of six black teenagers jailed in the beating of a white student, and he held a protest rally outside the Justice Department in Washington to demand more prosecution of hate crimes.

And now, he is being wooed by the leading Democratic presidential candidates, all of whom seek his endorsement. "I think this has been a banner year, to say the least," said Sharpton, smiling contentedly over coffee. "This year proved the real revival of civil rights activism."

For Sharpton, the hyperkinetic pace of his past year and the pleas for support from presidential aspirants provide the answer to the question some are posing: How does Al Sharpton remain relevant in a Barack Obama world?

Read more: The Washington Post