1. BET.com Exclusive: Author Kimberla Lawson Roby Chats About The Reverend’s Wife
If the name Reverend Curtis Black means something to you, then you’ve probably been eagerly anticipating the next installment of Kimberla Lawson Roby’s popular series named after the novels’ lead character. This week, the New York Times bestselling author released The Reverend’s Wife, the ninth book in the series (and her 17th novel to date!), so we sat down with Roby to tap into the latest scandals in the reverend’s world, the role church has played in her writing and her advice for other aspiring authors struggling to get their voices heard. [MORE]

2. Unplanned Pregnancies Among 20-Year-Olds on the Rise
Last month, BET.com reported that teen pregnancies in the U.S. were down by a record rate — a whopping 44 percent decrease overall and a 9 percent drop among African-American female teens. But a new report states that unplanned pregnancies among women in their 20s have an opposite trend — they are going up.

Researchers from Guttmacher Institute found that 66 percent of all babies born to women in their 20s between the years 2001-2008 were unplanned. And poor women and women of color were especially at risk for unplanned pregnancies: The study found that Black women and Latinas had twice the rate of unplanned pregnancies as white women. Yet, Black women were the only group to see a decline in unplanned pregnancies during the years of 2001-2008. [MORE]

3. Obama Plunges Into Campaign, Tears Into Romney
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Plunging into his campaign for a new term, President Barack Obama tore into Mitt Romney on Saturday as eager to “rubber stamp” a conservative Republican congressional agenda to cut taxes for the rich, reduce spending on education and Medicare and enhance power that big banks and insurers hold over consumers. [MORE]

4. Black Unemployment Rate Dropped One Point in April
At 13 percent, down one point from 14 percent in March, the African-American unemployment rate showed the biggest improvement in April, Friday’s job report from the U.S. Labor Department showed. The national unemployment rate declined only slightly from 8.2 to 8.1 percent. [MORE]

TAGS: Associated Press, BET.com, black women, church, Columbus Ohio, EDUCATION, Health, Kimberla Lawson Roby, latinas, Medicare, Mitt Romney, New York Times, Pregnancy, President Obama, Reverend Curtis Black, The Reverend's Wife, unemployment rate