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African Americans are at the forefront of today’s environmental issue, actively seeking ways to improve and break ground (literally). And not all environmentalists are tree-hugging, burlap-wearing hippies.

Whether it’s through the African-American Environmentalist Association that aims to educate the Black community on the issues of the environment today or through community service in our own backyards, African Americans have been giving their time, talent and legacies in order to close the racial divide in environmental activism.

We recognize these nine African-American environmentalists for their contributions to the health of our community and Earth as a whole.

AP Photo/Dave Allocca, StarPix

This Black History Month, we celebrate some of pop culture’s most influential movers and shakers who have changed the landscape of the world of entertainment. From the first African-American billionaire to the one of the hardest working men in radio, African-Americans have pioneered various media outlets, some even simultaneously.

Here are only a few of pop culture’s African-American innovators in the areas of music, television and film. We threw in a bonus, above: Michael Jackson. Besides his singing career both with the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist, and his investments across the music industry (including The Beatles portfolio), he invented the moonwalk, a move that continues to mystify and inspire dancers good and bad around the world. Check out this slideshow for more on the late, great MJ.

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This year has been a great year to learn more about your own finances, how to start your own business, manage your finances and be savvy while doing so, according to Madame Noire Business. From small business tips on how to create your own mobile app as a small business to tips on preparing for the next tax season, MN Biz has informed, introduced and changed the way we see the business and financial part of our lives. Yesterday, we took a look at the big issues we covered over the past six months. Today, we look back on some of the best business advice from Madame Noire in 2012.

Between the kids, the friends, the co-workers and the significant other, the gift-giving season can be strenuous on the pockets. You strive to get everyone the perfect gift, while putting the trimmings on the Christmas tree, feeding the family on Christmas Day, and pleasing professional contacts with a great gift idea. But at what cost?

On average, Americans are expected to spend about $854 on gifts this holiday season alone, according to Yahoo! Finance. To some, that’s close to a week’s pay, which usually means cutting back extremely during the coming New Year. Minimize that expenditure and give inexpensive gifts that are more sentimental then the latest iPhone and you could have a win-win on your hands. Here are a few gift ideas that are budget-friendly, do-it-yourself, or simply straight from the heart, without costing you a whole paycheck in advance.

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Prepare and Give Your Tastiest Dish

One great idea to give this holiday if you are trying to budget while gift to a whole family is prepare and give your favorite dish or treat! Whether it is cookies, homemade candy or pie, or making something straight from the heart, something straight from your stove is a great gift for an entire family. It also saves on the money spent buying individual gifts. If someone has been raving about one of your scrumptious side dishes since Thanksgiving dinner, gift them one for Christmas. Or if baked goods like cookies are your specialty, bake a couple dozen and find a special holiday cookie tin. The only real cost is a little grocery money, elbow grease in the kitchen, and time.

Looking for a little more to add to your holiday plans besides the normal tree trimming, stocking stuffing, and gift giving festivities? With a little planning and a just few dollars, you can experience the holidays in many different ways.

So, put away your wallet, pull out your planner, and gather your friends and family, because with these nine cost-effective holiday plans, you’ll be celebrating the season without breaking the bank.

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Potluck Dinner/Cocktail Party

Nothing says the holidays more than the extra pounds you gain from eating grandma’s favorite Christmas sides. Spare grandma the extra man hours of cooking for the entire family. Gather her and a few friends for a Christmas potluck-style dinner and cocktail party. Not only is a potluck gathering cost-effective for everyone, but it brings a little variety (and maybe even a little competition!) to the dinner table.

Ask guests to cook their best dish (make sure no one doubles up) and have one designated person to serve as bartender. Grandma would be more than happy about saving her time and money this year!

From a former slave fighting for his freedom to a boy shipwrecked in the middle of Pacific Ocean with only a tiger as company, this season’s upcoming movies are a range of comedy, action and fantasy with something for any and everyone. Many of these upcoming movies are book and musical adaptations or original features, bringing out some of the biggest stars in film, from Hugh Jackson to Marlon Wayans.

With a slew of movies opening and coming in the next six to eight weeks, Hollywood is expecting a record-breaking $11 billion year in ticket sales. Waiting for the next big movie in theaters this Fall and Winter? Here are a few good movies MN is looking forward to this season:

Django Unchained

If you were wondering where Jamie Foxx has been since his 2011 co-starring role in Horrible Bosses and his 2010 album “Best Night Of My Life,” the entertainer has been working on his starring role as Django in the anticipated movie, Django Unchained.

The latest Quentin Tarantino film seems to be a promising hit in theaters December 25th, with cast members Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington and more. Set in the U.S. South right before the Civil War, formerly freed slave Django (Jamie Foxx) travels across America with bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Chrisoph Waltz) after he is freed by Schultz from his vicious former owners. In return, Django must hunt down and kill a band of killers, the Brittle Brothers, and Schultz will free him from slavery and help rescue Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from her slave owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

You may have caught Rickey Smiley’s latest entertainment venture, The Rickey Smiley Show, on TVOne, or heard about Terrence J leaving his mainstay, BET’s 106 & Park to pursue other hosting and acting gigs. These celebrities are now coming from behind the mic of their hosting jobs and onto the big screen of television and movies.

Before they were known for the Fast & Furious movie franchise, their upcoming fashion or make-up line or their OWN television network, these 15 celebrities paved their way to stardom as television and radio hosts.

Rickey Smiley

As the star of his own syndicated morning radio show, The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Rickey Smiley has more to smile about. He is now coming from behind the mic and onto the television screen with the premiere of his TVOne sitcom, The Rickey Smiley Show.

Source: Zimbio

Where are these 90′s R&B male singers, you ask? Your guess may be as good as ours, but as a contrast to the popular TVOne hit reality series, R&B Divas, we would love to cast these men as our R&B Fellas.

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After releasing a new single this year, a duet with KeKe Wyatt called “You & I,”  this gave us a reminder of the R&B singer, who sung the hits “Don’t Take Your Love Away” and “My First Love.

We love each of these actors and singers for their talent, but no role in film, TV or stage is more perfect than the roles they have together, reliving some of the most classic movie roles and songs as a duet. Here are 15 Black celebrity couples, primarily from the 90′s and beyond, we love to see together on the big screen, the main stage or in our headphones, and the many projects they’ve starred in together.

Source: Goldstar

Angela Bassett & Laurence Fishburne

This perfect cinematic couple have been featured in multiple projects together, from the big screen to the small stage. This couple most famously played Ike and Tina Turner for “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” were mother and father to Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), performed on the stage together in “Fences,” and appeared together again in the 2006 film, “Akeelah and the Bee.”

As the next Presidential election draws nigh in November, the two most popular candidates, Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been paving the campaign trail. With election year comes slander, controversy and your occasional celebrity political rants. Politics met entertainment with the latest celebrity rant, coming from Nicki Minaj, in which she rapped in vote of Republican Mitt Romney. This was a shock to fans and celebrity bloggers everywhere, but Nicki is not the only popular African-American face that has shown favor to the GOP.  Here is a list of some African-American celebrities who have supported or are affiliated with the Republican party:

Source: USA Today

LL Cool J

LL Cool J attended the Republican Convention in 2004 and has been a supporter of Republican New York governor George Pataki back in 2002. He has never officially stated his political party.