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CNN “Black in America 2″ featuring Cicely Tyson and John Legend. CNN’s “Black In America 2″ airs July 22 and 23 at 8pm (ET).

From health to education, CNN’s “Black in America 2” continues to investigate some of the most significant and challenging issues facing African-Americans.

Airing on July 22 & 23 at 8PM (ET), host Soledad O’Brien focuses on emerging leaders, innovative community programs and business ventures that are addressing the most persistent and pressing issues and disparities facing African-Americans. Here is the trailer and some brand new clips, as well as the episode summaries for both nights.

On July 22, Black in America 2: Today’s Pioneers will examine the programs and progress of people working in ways large and small to make a difference. This is the story of community organizers across the country and the progress and improvements that they are creating locally.

On July 23, Black in America 2: Tomorrow’s Leaders will look at solutions aimed to developing leaders of tomorrow. We meet those that have already achieved heights of power, education and influence. And, we learn how others are reaching out to the next generation to ensure their success and achievement.

Anthony Anderson, Kelly Rowland and John Legend

Twista

Vivica A. Fox and John Legend

Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson and DJ Mad Linx

Christine Teigen and John Legend

A New York Post cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police drew outrage Wednesday from civil rights leaders and elected officials who said it echoed racist stereotypes of blacks as monkeys.

The cartoon in Wednesday’s Post by Sean Delonas shows two police officers, one with a smoking gun, standing over the body of a bullet-riddled chimp. The caption reads: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

The cartoon refers to a chimpanzee named Travis who was killed Monday by police in Stamford, Conn., after it mauled a friend of its owner.

Some critics called the cartoon racist and said it trivialized a tragedy in which a woman was disfigured and a chimpanzee killed. Others said the cartoon suggests that Obama should be assassinated. Many urged a boycott of the Post and the companies that advertise in it.

“How could the Post let this cartoon pass as satire?” said Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists. “To compare the nation’s first African-American commander in chief to a dead chimpanzee is nothing short of racist drivel.”

State Sen. Eric Adams called it a “throwback to the days” when black men were lynched.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called the cartoon “troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys.”

The cartoon set off a furious response against the Post. Its phones rang all day with angry callers. Protesters picketed the tabloid’s Manhattan offices, demanding an apology and a boycott and chanting “shut the Post down.”

Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post, defended the work.

“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut,” Allan said in a statement. “It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”

The cartoon drew hundreds of comments on the Internet including at the liberal Huffington Post, where columnist Sam Stein wrote: “At its most benign, the cartoon suggests that the stimulus bill was so bad, monkeys may as well have written it. Most provocatively, it compares the president to a rabid chimp.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined comment.

“I have not seen the cartoon,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One as Obama returned to Washington from Arizona, where he announced his plan to deal with the foreclosure crisis. “But I don’t think it’s altogether newsworthy reading the New York Post.”

It is not the first time that Delonas, the longtime cartoonist for the Post’s Page Six, has raised eyebrows with a heavy-handed caricature.

An earlier Delonas cartoon made fun of Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills for having only one leg, and another compared gay people seeking marriage licenses to sheep lovers. In a cartoon last month, an enormous Jessica Simpson dumps boyfriend Tony Romo for Ronald McDonald.

Singer John Legend wrote this open letter yesterday to The New York Post:

Dear Editor:

I’m trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?

If that’s not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can’t imagine what possible justification you have for this. I’ve read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It’s about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.

I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I’m personally boycotting your paper and won’t do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.

You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.

I’m well aware of our country’s history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don’t need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.

Sincerely,
John Legend

Check out John Legend’s Kyte player to see behind the scenes video from the Inaugural Concert along with a meet and greet with President Obama and the First Family.

Watch videos here: http://www.johnlegend.com/us/kyte now!

The music man, who just performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, is dating model Christy Tiegen. The two showed up to the “Best of Both Worlds” birthday party for Kerry Rhodes of the Jets and Reuben Droughns of the Giants the other night at a penthouse in SoHo and could barely keep their hands off each other.

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JOHN Legend is taking a break from modelizing to warm up with sultry “ET” host Maria Menounos. The former Miss Teen USA was spotted with Legend at the Carlyle Monday night, “enjoying a romantic dinner.” A spy said “they looked very cozy and it definitely seemed to be a date.” Legend might have been at the hotel taking music tips from Woody Allen, who was there playing clarinet with his jazz band as he does every Monday.

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CROONER John Legend doesn’t keep his opinions to himself. Spies at Café Mogador on St. Marks Place Saturday overheard Legend criticizing Scarlett Johansson’s collection of Tom Waits cover songs, “Anywhere I Lay My Head.” Legend reportedly told a female companion, “Her voice doesn’t match her face.” Legend told us via a flack that he was “misheard.”

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Live From Philadelphia — the new concert album from multi-platinum Grammy-winning recording artist John Legend — will be available as an individual CD and in a CD/DVD combination package exclusively at Target and Target.com on Tuesday, January 15, 2008.

The artist’s first new album since his 2006’s #1 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart-topping platinum release Once Again, Live From Philadelphia captures the on-stage artistry, magic and chemistry which electrified audiences lucky enough to catch a concert on John’s critically-acclaimed SRO 2007 world concert series, “The Show Me Tour.”

John Legend’s Live From Philadelphia CD showcases 19 new songs including John’s new hits “Slow Dance” and “Where’s The Love” featuring a duet with Corinne Bailey Rae. Also featured are live versions of John Legend hits like the Grammy-winning “Ordinary People” and “Heaven.” Additional in-concert exclusives include show-stopping covers of Sly & the Family Stone’s “Dance To The Music,” the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and much more.

The deluxe CD/DVD Live From Philadelphia combination package includes the concert CD as well as a 30 minute DVD premiering excerpts of sizzling concert footage, the “Show Me” and “Another Again” music videos, and a revelatory exclusive interview with John.

Check it out at Target today!