1. February 7 Is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Tuesday, February 7, marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). Founded in 1999 by five HIV/AIDS organizations that are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the goal of this day is to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black America. [MORE]

2. Obama Pushes Veterans Jobs Programs
President Obama on Friday called for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands. He also said that he is seeking additional funding that would help local communities hire veterans to serve as police officers and firefighters. [MORE]

3. Some Blacks Insist: “I’m Not African-American”
The labels used to describe Americans of African descent mark the movement of a people from the slave house to the White House. Today, many are resisting this progression by holding on to a name from the past: “black.”

For this group — some descended from U.S. slaves, some immigrants with a separate history — “African-American” is not the sign of progress hailed when the term was popularized in the late 1980s. Instead, it’s a misleading connection to a distant culture. [MORE]

4. Commentary: Is There Really a Need for a “White Appreciation Day”?
Black History Month serves as a time to commemorate the deeds of many African-Americans whose names have never been learned. Now, however, some lawmakers are saying there also needs to be a “white appreciation day.”

Recently on the House floor, Rep. Cecil Ash, a Republican from Mesa, Arizona, suggested that the state needs a holiday for white people … Really? [MORE]

5. BET.com Exclusive: Kevin Hart Talks Exit Strategy With Quincy “QDeezy” Harris and Jameel Saleem
Kevin Hart lends laughs to upcoming romantic comedy Exit Strategy, and we’ve got an exclusive clip of the funnyman sitting down with co-stars Jameel Saleem, a Slamdance screenwriting finalist who also wrote the film, and Hot 107.9 personality Quincy “QDeezy” Harris, one of the film’s producers, to talk about the film. [MORE]

For more news and information, visit BET.com/news

TAGS: African-American, AIDS, Arizona, BET.com, Black, Black History Month, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Exit Strategy, HIV, Hot 107.9, Jameel Saleem, job programs, Kevin Hart, Mesa, National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, NBHAAD, Obama, QDeezy, Quincy Harris, Republican Cecil Ash, Slamdance, veterans, White Appreciation Day, White House