In today’s top news, Herman Cain endorses Mitt Romney for president, legendary go-go performer Chuck Brown dies at age 75 and pastor and famous gospel singer Marvin Winans is carjacked and robbed in Detroit.

Herman Cain endorses Mitt Romney for president. [BET]

Legendary go-go performer Chuck Brown dies at age 75. [CNN]

Pastor and famous gospel singer Marvin Winans was carjacked and robbed in Detroit Wednesday. [WXYZ]

Man sues Walmart over “all black people leave” announcement. [MSNBC]

An all-white Houston jury acquits a white officer in the beating of a Black teen. [LATimes]

Children from ethnic and racial minorities now make up more than half the births in the U.S. [BBC]

Tim Story has surpassed Tyler Perry as the highest grossing Black director in Hollywood. [BET]

Tupac Shakur’s estate denies he was a homophobe. [BET]

Usher wants his ex-wife Tameka Foster out of his Atlanta mansion. [TMZ]

Precious metal reserves valued at $20 billion discovered in Haiti’s hills. [Caribbean360]

Kirk Franklin has a new book and he’s taking it on tour.

The GRAMMY award winning Gospel music producer-slash-artist’s book, to be released May 18, is part-memoir, part-instructional guide.
Titled “The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms,” Franklin uses an analogy to break the subject of his upcoming project down. “It’s almost like if you are trying to build a building and you’ve got all the great workers there – everybody shows up, the electrician, the construction guys, the wood guys, the light guys, and then everybody’s there to work,” he told Tavis Smiley. “But if there’s no blueprint there, then everybody has to go on what they think is right.”

Franklin says everyone, especially those without strong parental figures, needs a spiritual blueprint to live a full and successful life.

In the book, Franklin encourages readers to, above all, trust the goodness of God. He says people must believe that all things will work in favor of those that love God. There are unseen rewards, Franklin explains in the book,  for doing good even if the benefits seem unclear. The host of BET Sunday’s Best  also offers advice for building strong, meaningful interpersonal relationships and valuable tips for maintaining overall spiritual health.

To meet Franklin and get an autographed copy of “The Blueprint,” catch him on tour at one of the locations below or visit www.kirkfranklin.com.

Tuesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Borders
8000 Mall Parkway, Suite 2460
Lithonia, GA 30038
 
Wednesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Ebenezer AME Church
7806 Allentown Road
Fort Washington, MD 20744-1741
 
Thursday, May 20 at 6:00 p.m.
 
Borders
2 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10121
 
Friday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Legacy Village
24519 Cedar Road
Lyndhurst, OH 44124
 
Saturday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m.

Borders
5601 Mercury Drive
Dearborn, MI  48126
 
Sunday, May 23 at 9:00 a.m.
 
The Potter’s House
6777 West Kiest Boulevard
Dallas, Texas  75236
 
Monday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Barnes & Noble
Firewheel Towne Center
190 Cedar Sage Drive Unit #BB01
Garland, TX 75040
 
Tuesday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Barnes & Noble
7626 Westheimer
Houston, TX  77063
 
Friday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Eso Won Bookstore
4331 Degnan Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA  90008

The critically injured Grammy nominee lost his wife, grandson in car accident

The Rev. Timothy Wright, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer and pastor who was critically wounded in a head-on collision Friday, is gradually recovering, Newsday reports. Wright lost his co-pastor wife, Betty, and his 14-year-old grandson, D.J., in the accident, but he has not yet learned about his spouse’s death, the Long Island, N.Y.-based newspaper reports. Rev. Wright, 61, has been asking for Betty, but family members say they are waiting until he is physically stronger before breaking the tragic news to him. “He’s holding on,” said David Wright, one of his five sons. “He’s conscious. He can’t talk, but he can nod his head.” Wright, pastor of the Grace Tabernacle Christian Center Church of God in Christ in Brooklyn, suffered extensive injuries, including a broken jaw, according to Newsday. He remains in critical condition at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. Authorities say that John Pick, 44, was traveling the wrong direction on I-80 in Greene Township, when his vehicle struck Wright’s. Pick was also killed. They were returning from a religious conference in Detroit. Lori Wright, D.J.’s mother, told Newsday that her son “was a perfect kid … not an ounce of trouble. He loved gospel music; he loved all types of music. You couldn’t ask for the more perfect child.” Said his father, Danny, “I never really let [his three sons] away from us, but he wanted to go.” Send your condolences below.