REDEFINING OUR DREAMS

Conservative Christopher Buckley Endorses Obama

2008-10-11T09:05:00.002-04:00

Christopher Buckley, the son of the late conservative icon William F. Buckley, said Friday he's decided to back Barack Obama's White House bid, the first time in his life he will vote Democrat. Earlier this year Buckley praised McCain in a New York Times Op-ed piece, however he now says that McCain is no longer the “real” and “unconventional” man he once admired.

CNN reports, "This campaign has changed John McCain," Buckley wrote. "It has made him inauthentic. A once-first class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence; he makes unrealistic promises, such as balancing the federal budget 'by the end of my first term.' Who, really, believes that?
"Then there was the self-dramatizing and feckless suspension of his campaign over the financial crisis," Buckley added. "His ninth-inning attack ads are mean-spirited and pointless. And finally, not to belabor it, there was the Palin nomination. What on earth can he have been thinking?"

Buckley just isn't turning to Obama because he's the last resort and there is no other way for him to vote, he believes in Senator Barack Obama. "Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for," Buckley wrote.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK---MY PRESIDENTIAL FAMILY

2008-10-08T15:43:00.003-04:00

Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama share a personal moment on the stage at a campaign rally for Obama outside of the Detroit Public Library. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS COUPLE!

MICHELLE OBAMA ON LARRY KING TONIGHT

2008-10-08T15:22:00.005-04:00

Tonight on Larry King Live our fave Lady and possibly the next First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, will sit down with Larry King. Michelle sits down with Larry for a revealing interview, where she will discuss her thoughts on last nights presidential debate, her thoughts on Gov. Sarah Palin, and much more! Michelle Obama face to face with Larry, the night after the presidential debate! Don't miss it. 9PM ET

YOUNG WOMEN JUMPSTART YOUR FUTURE WITH ESSENCE MAGAZINE

2008-10-04T15:23:00.002-04:00

Essence is holding their Young Women's Leadership Conference in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., November 1 and November 8, respectively. In Atlanta it will take place at the Americasmart Atlanta, and in DC it will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. You will get a chance to meet the celebrity panelists, and meet Essence editors. If you are young and you are a woman, you need to be there!

FAQ
Q: What is the Young Women's Leadership Conference?

A: The Young Women's Leadership Conference: Jumpstart Your Future! was created to address the needs of young, Black women as they prepare to leave college and begin their careers. Each event will be a day of empowerment, that will provide these young women with the tools and information they will need to unleash their brilliance, fuel their success, and fully realize their potential as they navigates this exciting and challenging period of their lives.

Q: When and where is the Young Women's Leadership Conference going to be held?
A: The Young Women's Leadership Conference will take place on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at AmericasMart Atlanta in Atlanta, GA and on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

Q: What is the cost to attend the Young Women's Leadership Conference?
A: Early registration = $35.00 valid through October 6, 2008
General registration = $45.00 valid October 7 – November 8 (or until sold out)

Q: What is included in my registration fee?
A: The registration fee covers admission to all general and workshop sessions and the sponsor and recruitment vendor area for the one-day conference. The registration fee also includes a 1-year subscription (12 issues) to ESSENCE magazine—a $6 value.)
(Travel, lunch and hotel accommodations are the responsibility of each attendee.)

Q: How can I register?
A: Through our online registration system. Please be prepared to pay by a credit card or by money order. (Money orders must be received within two weeks of your registration.)

Q: Will I receive a confirmation of my ticket purchase?
A: Yes, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail.

Q: What is the cancellation policy?
A: There is a $15 non-refundable cancellation fee that will be applied should you cancel up to 30 days prior to the event date. Cancellations made 29 days prior to the event or no-shows will be billed in full. Transfers will not be permitted.
Cancellation Deadlines:
10/1/2008 — Atlanta, GA
10/8/2008 — Washington, DC

Q: Can groups and organizations purchase group tickets?
A: We do have special rates available to groups and organizations. For additional information email ywlc@essence.com.

Q:What is the recommended attire for the day?
A: Business casual

Q: Should I bring my resume?
A: Yes

Q:If I have an idea for a speaker or discussion topic, who should I contact?
A: E-mail all suggestions to ywlc@essence.com.

OJ- GUILTY

2008-10-04T14:57:00.004-04:00

13 years to the day after OJ Simpson was acquitted of the charges in killing his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman, he was back in court with some serious charges. I don't know about you, but if I ever got out of what he got out of, whether I was guilty or not, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would never be caught looking at someone wrong. Simpson was found guilty on all 12 charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping. The case involved a confrontation at a Las Vegas, Nevada hotel over sports memorabilia. Simpson said the items were stolen from him. My prayers are with OJ Simpson, he needs them!

House sends $700 bailout plan to Bush. He signs it. Now, what will be done for the people?

2008-10-03T14:01:00.005-04:00

The House and Senate both pass $700 bailout bill. President Bush signs it. The bill is suppose to fix this nations ailing financial system. Ok, now that this bill is passed, please show me the bill that will fix the lives of the American people. Why is the needy bailing out the greedy? I do not quite understand all of this. I really want someone to tell the American people what all of this really means. How is it that Wall Street is being saved, but the American people are still in a very unhealthy situation. Where is our bailout. This $700 bailout plan is straight disrespect. People all around me are loosing their jobs, homes, cars...this is just ridiculous. Hogwash, as Rev. Al Sharpton so eloquently puts it. So $700 billion goes to Wall Street, and not to mention the billions spent in Iraq, $25 billion to airlines, and the billions given to AIG, and all for what? Please tell me what all of this money is for when not one dime will help the citizens of this country. This is not a white or black issue, this is an American issue, and to be quite honest, this government could care less about the American people. What are the minority companies and small businesses receiving? Just a question.

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!

2008-09-28T00:41:00.002-04:00

I know that I have been M.I.A. I am extremely sorry. I have been extremely busy with school, work, and work. These aren't excuse, just the truth. Promise starting this week ima get back on my blog grind :-)

DON'T FORGET TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE!!!!!

~j.o.writer

NOW YOU CAN HAVE OBAMA WAFFLES WITH YOUR AUNT JEMIMA SYRUP

2008-09-20T06:30:00.004-04:00

Nothing surprises me anymore, but maybe this will be a shocker to you. On display at the Values Voters Summit, which was hosted by a conservative Christian group, were "Obama Waffles." And, yes I did say "Christian" group.
This picture to the left is not political satire, it is unacceptable racism. The phrasing and the imaging is reminiscent of the hatred and animosity towards African-Americans during the days of slavery and the civil rights movement.
While this product reminds you of the Jim Crow racist images that we saw back in the day, there is one problem. This is not back in the day, it is 2008 and we are still seeing things such as this in the United States of America. I guess some things will never change.

Motown's Got A New Leader: Ken Cockrel Jr.

2008-09-20T06:07:00.005-04:00

The place where Motown was born, Detroit, swore in its new Mayor on this past Friday. 42-year old, Ken Cockrel Jr. was sworn in as the temporary mayor of Detroit. The Democrat "officially" became the city's Mayor at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

Crockel, a former newspaper reporter and Detroit's City Council President, has already began to hire new people. He has hired a former federal prosecutor to be his deputy mayor along with choosing a new police chief.

Hopefully these new changes will allow for a new beginning in Detroit. Detroit should now be able to put the scandal of previous Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick behind them and look to better days.

"This is our time for hope and also for renewal," Cockrel said. "It's our time to breathe life back into the city."

"From this moment on, the past is the past," Cockrel said after the ceremony. "Because of the events of the past several months, it's critical that we find closure, mend our wounds, treat our bumps and our bruises and heal as a city."

NOT THIS TIME

2008-09-12T15:21:00.009-04:00

ATTENTION, ATTENTION BLOG READERS!!

If you are not registered to vote and you care about your life, the life of you family and friends, GO REGISTER NOW!!!!! Now if you are registered, please check and make sure that they have not mysteriously taken you off of the list. You do not want November to come when you go to the polls just to find out that they can't find your name, or that you "aren't registered." No matter which state you live in, you can go to sites such as rockthevote.com or nationalactionnetwork.com and register or you can go to your official State website and find voter registration information, or you can go to the post office or your local motor vehicle administration. Google it if you have to. Please find a way to register, and if you have any prolems, you can even email me and I will help you with the process.

I think that it is fair to say that this election is probably one of the most important elections that you will vote in. No matter who you vote for or which party you belong to, VOTE!

Take a look at the article below, and make sure that you do everything in your power to register, make sure that you are still registered if you have registered in the past, and help others to register. I can not stress it enough people, but we have to ALL get out and vote. This is not a BLACK or WHITE thing, female or male thing, or rich or poor thing, this is a SAVING OUR COUNTRY and it's people thing.

REV. AL SHARPTON AND NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK TO EMBARK ON BUS TOUR THROUGH KEY SWING STATES FOR "NOT THIS TIME" CAMPAIGN BEGINNING NEXT WEEK IN OHIO
New York (September 10, 2008) - Reverend Al Sharpton and National Action Network (NAN) will embark on a bus tour of the key swing and battleground states beginning next week to register and protect voters in Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina where thousands of Blacks are currently unregistered. The trend in presidential elections is that their outcome is determined by a handful of swing states by razor thin margins where questions of voting irregularities have been raised. The "Not This Time" voter education and registration campaign is a non-partisan effort designed to eliminate voter fraud and ensure that every vote counts in several of the swing states in this year's presidential election.
National Action Network's "Not This Time" voter registration campaign will conduct a series of 3-5 day bus tours through swing states to educate, register and protect already registered voters from being bounced from the voter rolls. Then, once the voter registration period has ended, the final phase of the effort will be to protect voter participation, particularly in swing states that have early voting components.
Each day of the tour will consist of meetings with community members, civil rights groups, students, and religious leaders to brief them on how they can join the "Not This Time" campaign and become on the ground partners in the effort beyond the five day tour. "Not This Time" will set up in two or three prominent places in the particular city to conduct voter education and registration throughout the day. In each city, Reverend Sharpton will broadcast his nationally syndicated radio show to promote the voter registration sites and discuss how to protect one's right to vote. Reverend Sharpton and "Not This Time" will do student rallies at the local colleges where Not This Time will seek volunteers to conduct voter registration, protection and education. Reverend Sharpton and Not This Time will also hold rallies at local churches where Not This Time staff and volunteers will register voters and take names to check that they are on the voting rolls and where they should vote.
If You Would Like To Join This Historic Movement Right Now Click Here
We invite the media to get on the bus with Rev. Sharpton and NAN! For more information and to submit interest in writing, please contact Rachel Noerdlinger at revalmedia@yahoo.com.-- Rachel NoerdlingerVice President of CommunicationsReverend Al Sharpton Media(212) 876-5444/revalmedia@yahoo.comor Rita AbrahamsCommunications Associatesharptonmediateam@gmail.com

TYLER PERRY GIVES US ANOTHER SMASH HIT

2008-09-11T13:24:00.005-04:00

Laughter & Tears, a great combination no matter what mood you are in. Tyler Perry is sure to bring out both of them every time you watch one of his films. Today in theaters across America Tyler Perry opens his sixth full-length feature film, The Family That Preys. This movie brings together heavyweights such as Academy Award nominee Alfre Woodard, Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, Sanaa Lathan, Taraji P. Henson, Robin Givens and many others. Both Woodard and Bates star as the matricarchs of two completely different families being broken due to scandal and greed. This film chronicles the lives of the two families, one wealthy, and the other working class, and how scandal and greed links them both together.

"While paternity secrets, marital infidelity, greed and unsavory business dealings threaten to derail both families, the matriarchs decide to take a breather from it all by making a cross-country road trip in which they rediscover themselves and possibly find a way to save their families from ruin in Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys."

Check it out and tell me what you think!

IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL, WE STILL FIND JOY IN KNOWING THAT "IN GOD WE TRUST"

2008-09-11T12:16:00.017-04:00

For the past two weeks, for some strange reason, I have been overly concerned with September 11, 2001. Not that I should not be concerned, but out of all seven years, this year in particular I have really been into the stories surrounding that horrific tragedy that took place seven years ago. Starting two weeks ago, I began to watch footage from that day and the days following, I watched several documentaries, read pages and pages from newspapers, magazines, memoirs, and essays. It got to the point where I had to make myself get away from it all. I could not understand why I was so curious about what happened that day. I felt a deep pain for those affected, much different from the pain that I felt for them seven years ago. Maybe it is the fact that I have lived a little as an adult, and I now see how important life is, and how easily you can be here today and gone tomorrow. I'm not sure what it was, but I just found myself praying for the families affected, and thinking about those who lost and risked their lives on that day, much more than I have in the past.

As survivors remember their lost loved ones today and every other day, I would like for them all to remember that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN THEIR LIVES, God will never put more on them than they can bear.

I found the following to be very moving, inspiring, and heart-felt. Please take the time to read.

FROM CNN'S BLOG

Editor’s Note: We are devoting many posts today to the anniversary of 9/11, with first-hand accounts, insight, and commentary dedicated to that day seven years ago that changed our world. Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of themuslimguy.com and Contributing Editor for Islamica Magazine in Washington DC.

Arsalan Iftikhar BIO Founder, themuslimguy.com
Mahatma Gandhi once said that, “I have nothing new to teach the world…Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.” Since time immemorial, our human experiment has revolved around the enlightened advancement of collective human thought. Within the current ungodly global mix of perpetual war, everlasting human poverty, extremist terrorism and global racism; our human race has completely and utterly lost its collective mind. Since our world has gone completely bonkers, the unquenchable thirst for social justice of this young American Muslim human rights lawyer and public diplomat must be positively channeled at this juncture of infinite global sadness towards a purpose-driven life guided down an untaken road called Islamic Pacifism.
9/11 was ten days after my twenty-fourth birthday. As a second year law student at the time, even though I had already lived more than two decades; in many ways, my life only truly began at 8:46 am EST on September 11, 2001.

Because as an American Muslim, that would be the day that my country was attacked by people who would also infamously hijack my religion.
Since that fateful day seven Septembers ago, my life as a human rights lawyer, media troubadour and public diplomat has now become one big absurd game of television musical chairs and YouTube video clips. From CNN to The TODAY Show to BBC World News, I have spent a dizzying chunk of the last several years on the proverbial ‘hot seat’; as a global Muslim public intellectual for over a billion mainstream Muslims who never want to be represented by the bobble-headed terrorist, Osama bin Laden.
So alas, with my trusty ThinkPad and red Swingline stapler, that day began my never-ending quest to condemn terrorism as an international media spokesperson, defeat hate crimes as a leading American Muslim civil rights lawyer, educate the general public about Islam and help create a millennial version of Islamic Pacifism for our entire global community today.
This revived gentle giant of global pacifism shall welcome all people; regardless of any race, religion or socioeconomic status. Whether you are white, black or purple, whether you are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist or celebrate Festivus; our next generation of youthful global pacifists can help reclaim our culture of humanity from sinister warmongering dinosaurs with names like Osama, Coulter, Hamas and Cheney.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” By giving global pacifism a millennial makeover, we shall use the witty humor of Jon Stewart, the humanistic nuance of Noam Chomsky and the fearless determination of Nelson Mandela to quench our collective thirst for social justice.
With the hipster slyness of Danny Ocean to the groovy idealism of John Lennon, for anyone in the world who has ever earnestly prayed for a Muslim Gandhi; you can sleep peacefully at night knowing that the life memoirs of this young Muslim pacifist shall one day be playfully entitled ‘The Autobiography of Gandhi X’.

Finally proving that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword, everyone can rest easy knowing that Barack Obama is not the only brown civil rights lawyer from Chicago with the audacity of hope running through his every vein. Do not worry, ladies and gentlemen, a billion Muslim pacifist sisters and brothers continue to challenge those who hijacked Islam and we will spend our lives serenely hijacking it back; by any peaceful means necessary. Even though some Americans may mistakenly think that Muslims only know recipes for Molotov cocktails; here are some other societal contributions of Muslims to modern civilization: For example, it was Muslims who invented algebra. Most people would also probably be surprised to learn that it was a Muslim who designed the Sears Tower in my sweet home of Chicago. Even more surprising is the fact that 4 out of 57 Muslim nations on earth have already elected female heads-of-state; something that we as Americans have been unable to do thus far in history. Additionally, the greatest American boxer ever, Muhammad Ali; and the funniest dude in America, Dave Chappelle, are both Muslims. Most importantly, 3 out of the last 5 Nobel Peace Prize winners have been Muslims; one for fighting poverty in Bangladesh, one for disarming nuclear weapons and Shrin Ebadi, the Iranian Muslim human rights lawyer valiantly fighting for the rights of women worldwide. But more important than Nobel Peace Prizes, Muslim culture has brought crunchy falafel, henna tattoos and yummy hummus to our American shores.
But all because of one terrorist cave-dweller, 1400 years of Pan-Islamic cultural and societal progress goes down the drain.
Thanks a lot, Osama…
Your ‘Gandhi X’ has also been cast in an upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio Hollywood spy movie thriller (Body of Lies with Russell Crowe) and has also emerged victorious at The Doha Debates in front of 300 million BBC World television viewers.
Honoring the fact that two Nobel Peace Prize winners and an American president (Bill Clinton) had also previously graced that same stage in Doha; this Muslim pacifist used that same global stage to call for the complete eradication of every form of global racism in the world, including Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism.
Black. White. Muslim. Jew. It doesn’t matter. It’s all wrong.
Nonetheless, I still get called a ‘terrorist’ by knucklehead racists because of my unabashed love of Islam and am still called a Muslim ‘hippy’ by knucklehead extremists for my unabashed platform of peace.

click here to read more: http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/11/spending-seven-septembers-hijacking-my-religion-back/#more-8460

THIS SISTER IS BAD

2008-09-08T12:27:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Serena Williams for winning the U.S. Open yesterday. The sister is definitely one of the greatest tennis players ever, and not to mention her and her sister just came back from Bejing with U.S. Olympic gold medals. Congrats to the Williams family!

THE NAKED TRUTH: YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL, AND HIV (POSITIVE)

2008-09-01T11:44:00.003-04:00

Have you ever thought that you could take a look at someone and notice that they were infected with HIV? If you have thought that, take a look at a young woman who is young and beautiful with no sign of sickness whatsoever, and when you look at her know that she is infected with the HIV virus. Marvelyn Brown, a former top track and basketball star, was young, beautiful, and at a pivotal stage in her young life. She had everything going for her, health, beauty, education, and like most young 19 year-old feamles she was "in love." On one fateful day, when a sudden illness landed her in intensive care, myriad tests revealed that the then 19-year-old had acquired the HIV/AIDS virus.

Now at 24 year's old, she has accepted her status, and is committed to educating and empowering others. Brown's new memoir, ''The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive' (Amistad/HarperCollins, August 2008) reveals her very intimate and personal journey of living with HIV/AIDS.

Embracing the Truth

By Marvelyn Brown

Writing a book about your life is probably one of the most difficult and challenging things one can ever do. It requires you to open up in a way that forces the recollection of memories you'd probably prefer be left in that forgotten mental vault. Writing a memoir also means being open and honest, first and most importantly with yourself. The process can strip you bare, leave you emotionally spent, yet happily free and cleansed. The title of my memoir couldn't be more relevant and appropriate to my experience – 'The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive'.

My name is Marvelyn Brown and I am HIV positive. It took me so long to look in the mirror and be able to utter those words. When I look at myself today, I don't see HIV. What I see instead is a young, beautiful, worthy and positive woman. It is for this reason that I chose to place HIV in parentheses for the title of my book. Why is this important? Because we exist in a world where we continue to define the disease as only affecting people with a certain look or belonging to a certain socioeconomic group. I'm living proof that nothing is farther from the truth.

I was 19 years old, a normal teenager who'd met a guy that I really liked. We had unprotected sex. It only took one time, one impulsive moment, and my life was forever changed. Rather than looking forward to what should have been the "hey day" of my twenties, I was given a death sentence. Suddenly, many of the people I loved and who'd cared about me were afraid to touch me, hug me, kiss me. Many refused to believe I was HIV positive, so the topic was avoided altogether. To be able to look in the mirror and state the truth, what is fact, that I am HIV positive, was a major step for me. It's also the moment when I realized that I do not live with HIV, rather HIV lives with me. And no matter how negatively the world views this virus, I will always love myself, no matter what.

One of my chief concerns is that HIV-positive people may not pick up the book because they are fearful their own HIV status will be revealed by merely purchasing or reading the book. I also fear that HIV-negative people may look at the book and feel sorry for me. Or worst, not read the book at all because they feel HIV is not an issue for them. Might I add, a feeling I likely shared before being diagnosed with HIV. The reality that I pray 'The Naked Truth' brings to light is that HIV is everyone's problem-it is a human disease.

Despite all of the stigma and ignorance surrounding HIV/AIDS, I finally quit living my life for everyone else and started living it for me. 'The Naked Truth' is about my journey of finding self-love, self-worth and self-acceptance despite this devastating virus.

Marvelyn's Blog

The Naked Truth Book Signings
Wednesday, August 27, 20085:- 07:00 PM Virginia State University Foster Hall University Avenue Room 300 Petersburg, VA

Wednesday, September 03, 20087-8:30 PMDAVIS-KIDD BOOKSELLERSTHE MALL AT GREEN HILLS

2121 Green Hills Village Dr Nashville, TN 37215

Saturday, September 06, 20081-3:00 PMDAVIS KIDD BOOKSELLER

387 Perkins Ext Memphis, TN 38117

Wednesday, September 10, 20087-8:30 PMBORDERS BOOKSTORE6081 Center Dr

Los Angeles, CA 90045

Friday, September 12, 20086:30- 8 PMMARCUS BOOKSTORE 3900 Martin Luther King Jr. WayOakland, CA 94609

Thursday, September 18, 20085- 7:00 PMHOWARD UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE 2225 Georgia Ave NW Washington, DC 20059

If Martvelyn comes to your area, please check her out, she's quite a powerful young BLACK sister, with information that our community needs.

GAS PRICES HAVE AFFECTED MR. "TAKE THAT, TAKE THAT" HIMSELF, AND HE MUST NOW FLY COMMERCIAL

2008-09-01T11:14:00.007-04:00

Apparently, Diddy just found out that gas was too high. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Combs, P. Diddy, or whatever he goes by these days is no longer using his personal jet, he says, "I'm actually flying commercial."

The hip-hop mogul said he is now flying on commercial airlines instead of in private jets, which Combs said had previously cost him $200,000 to $250, 000 and up for a roundtrip between New York and Los Angeles.

Diddy called out to all his "Saudi Arabia brothers and sisters" and to "any other country that has oil" to send him some free oil. I wouldn't be surprised if Diddy received some oil next day mail. LOL

Peep the video blog from the man who thinks its a big deal to fly commercial below. I'm sure this video is completely for humor, but in all seriousness, if you never realized how much money he has, please just listen to him talk about $250,000 like its a few thousand.

MJ CELEBRATES THE BIG 5-0

2008-08-29T13:34:00.006-04:00

The King of Pop celebrates his 50th Birthday today. As one of his biggest fans, I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL! In celebration of Mike's 50 years, take a look at the classic Thriller video below. I don't know about you, but after all of these years, this video still scares me. But with all that said, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.

IT'S OFFICIAL - HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE

2008-08-27T23:13:00.003-04:00

Today, Barack Obama was officially voted the Democratic Presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention. A few states officially gave their votes in their designated speeches, and briefly after that, Senator Hillary Clinton spoke over a loud roaring crowd for New York and she moved to suspend the roll call vote, and officially named Senator Obama the Democratic nominee. This was an emotional and historic moment, and not only for all BLACKS, but also for this wonderful country. Overjoyed is what I feel. After all of the suffering and all of the pain that my people have endured, finally progress has a name, Barack Obama- YES WE CAN!

DR. DRE'S 20 YEAR OLD SON HAS DIED

2008-08-27T00:12:00.006-04:00

Dr. Dre's 20 year old son, Andre Young Jr. has died. Dr. Dre's publicist said in a statement that, "Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young Jr." Andre Young Jr. was found dead Saturday by his mother at their home in suburban Woodland Hills, county coroner's Lt. John Kades said.

An autopsy was performed Monday, but the cause of death is not likely to be determined for some time while toxicology test are done, Kades said.

Please keep Dr. Dre and his family in your thoughts and prayers, and may Andre Young Jr. rest in peace.

SOUTH SIDE GIRL

2008-08-26T23:10:00.005-04:00

If you did not know or understand Michelle Obama before her Monday night speech at the DNC, you definitely knew and understood her afterwards. Her mission was to humanize her

husband, and for skeptics to see her husband as the next President of the United States. She did everything that she set out to do and she did it perfectly.

During this speech, she dismissed those who questioned her patriotism. A few months back, republicans took her statement in which she said that she was "really proud" of her country for the first time, and made it a negative statement. They tried to say that this statement showed that she was unpatriotic.

This was a very touching and genuine speech. Afterwards her two daughter joined her, while they spoke to Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama via satellite from Missouri. Obama's first statement to the crowd was, "How about Michelle Obama?" "Now you know why I asked her out so many times even though she said no. You want a persistent president."

She used this speech to explain and show ways in which Obama unites people together, while she also mentioned many things that made people see that Obama is just an ordinary man with extraordinary plans for this country. She said, "Barack doesn't care where you're from, or what your background is, or what party- if any- you belong to. That's not how he sees the world. He knows that thread that connects us- our belief in America's promise, our commitment to our children's future - is strong enough to hold us together as one nation even when we disagree."

The whole thing was phenomenal. I was proud to be a woman, a BLACK american, and a BARACK OBAMA supporter watching this speech.

Below is part of the video, "South Side Girl," that the audience watched, which was a biographical film narrated by her mother. It covered her entire life, everything from her childhood to her career in law to her apprehension to dating a man with a funny name.

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA PICKS HIS VP

2008-08-23T10:06:00.008-04:00

My text message reads:

"Jennifer--

I have some important news that I want to make official.

I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.

Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.

I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us cant do this along. We need your help to keep building this movement to change."

Senator Biden definitely meets the test and is highly capable of becoming the President of the United States if anything were to happen to Senator Obama. This key moment was something that all were eager to see, and in my opinion, he has choose someone who can take the punches and throw them as well. Senator Obama, who has been criticized for not being as hard as many believe he should be on the McCain campaign has definitely chosen someone who is not afraid to fight back at criticism and someone capable of holding his own.

Obama's former rival, Senator Hillary Clinton stated in a written statement Saturday morning that, "Senator Obama has continued in the best traditions for the vice presidency by selecting an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant." While many Clinton supporters are upset that Senator Clinton was not even a consideration, this statement proves that Senator Clinton is not totally dissatisfied with Obama's choice.

When Senator John McCain's campaign found out who would be the veep, they quickly reacted with a written statement and campaign ad, calling attention to Senator Biden's past remarks about Senator Obama's experience. This is not the first time that a presidential nominee has chosen a VP who has criticized them during the primaries. No matter who he choose, i'm sure that they have criticized Obama for something in the past.

My words to OBAMA is that he has picked a candidate who enhances his chances of winning and I am proud to support an OBAMA/BIDEN ticket! YES WE CAN!

Sidebar: With everything in my being, I believe that CHANGE will happen for me, my family, and my unborn children, as soon as Senator Barack Obama is elected the next President of the United States of America.

Take a look at the vid below if you BELIEVE!

TODAY'S HOTTEST FEMALE ARTISTS COME TOGETHER TO COMBAT CANCER THROUGH SONG

2008-08-22T13:05:00.010-04:00

Antonio "L.A." Reid along with longtime creative colleague Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds produced and created a smash hit dedicated to combat cancer. "Just Stand Up" features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood. All sales of the star-studded single will benefit cancer research.

All of the singers will come together to perform the song live on Sept. 5 during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, set to air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS. Other stars expected to turn out for the hour-long fund- and awareness-raising program include Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.

In 2007 the Entertainment Industry Foundation founded the Stand Up to Cancer program, which calls on entertainment-industry people and platforms to help fight cancer.

Press play below to hear the song.

OHIO REPRESENTATIVE STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES DIES TODAY

2008-08-20T20:39:00.007-04:00

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first BLACK woman to represent Ohio on the U.S. House of Representatives died Wednesday after suffering a brain aneurysm, medical officials said. Rep. Tubbs Jones, who was 58 years old and in her fifth term, suffered the aneurysm on Tuesday, while driving in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

CNN reports, she was rushed to East Cleaveland's Huron Hospital, where a team of doctors determined Wednesday morning that she had "very limited brain function," said Dr. Gus Kious, the hospitals chief of staff. According to a statement from her family, Huron Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, before Tubbs Jones died the aneurysm was in an "inaccessible part of her brain." Tubbs Jones died at 6:12 p.m.

Tubbs Jones was a superdelegate and scheduled to attend the Democratic National Convention next week in Denver, Colorado.

She was born in Cleveland, she started public life as a municipal judge in 1981. She also was a trial court judge for seven years before her election into Congress. She was expected to win her sixth term this upcoming November. Tubbs Jones was a member of the dynamic Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and she was definitely a woman who defined her own dreams, but also was dedicated to helping others to find and define their dreams. She was truly one of the greatest leaders in the United States political system.

Tubbs Jones' husband passed in 2003 of a heart attack. The couple shared one son.

OBAMA'S VICE PRESIDENT...

2008-08-20T12:24:00.004-04:00

WHO WILL IT BE? Wouldn't it be nice to finally know who will be on the ticket with Senator Barack Obama. I don't understand why people keep pushing the issue. It's one of those things that you can look at like this, you'll find out eventually. Speculation, anxiety, and anticipation just makes for great conversation. The strange thing about the situation is that the VP never usually has this much of an effect on the presidential candidate's outcome, however, this year the VP can help to make or break Obama's chances. Everyday that you turn to CNN, you would think it was the DAY that you would find out. Obama's campaign even played with reporters in sending an email with the subject line reading, "Vice presidential..." with the first line of the email saying, "just kidding." Great humor for those who are dying to find out this important, yet inevitable piece of information.

I'm quite sure that there are a few people who know who the pick is, and whoever it is, it's safe to say that they are nothing like your friends who can't hold anything - they can definitely keep a secret.

Senator Joe Biden, whom many people think is the one, is definitely not spilling the beans, if he is. CNN reported that on Tuesday, he told reporters camped outside his Delaware home that it's not him. "You got better things to do guys; I'm not the guy," he said. Asked where he would be on Saturday -- when Obama is reportedly scheduled to hold a campaign event in Springfield, Illinois, that may feature his new running mate -- Biden replied, "Here," pointing to his driveway. He softened up a little later that night, telling reporters, "I promise you, I don't know anything."

The other person who many people think could possibly be Obama's running mate is the governor of Virginia, Tim Kaine. The only problem with Tim Kaine is that he is running for Senator, and usually a person who is believed to win a seat in the Senate wouldn't usually give their seat up.

Along with Biden and Kaine, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana is considered to be another person among the top tier of VP contenders

The Obama campaign has kept mum on all details, except the most obvious, which is, that he will pick a running mate. His campaign would neither confirm or deny whether Obama would appear with his VP candidate this weekend.

CNN reports that, while the focus in recent days has been on Bayh, Biden and Kaine, there are quite a few other serious contenders, and a curveball pick could always be in the works. Other big names thought to be in the running include retired Gen. Wesley Clark, New York Sen. illary Clinton, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Texas Rep. Chet Edwards, Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Obama's campaign says when he makes up his mind, he'll send a text and e-mail to his supporters to let them know who his sidekick will be.

OUR NEXT GENERATION OF BILLIONAIRES

2008-08-20T10:21:00.014-04:00

Tyler Perry, Tiger Woods, 50 Cent, Jay Z all have one thing in common- self- attained wealth. These people have defined, and continue to redefine their own dreams, making it so their great-grandchildren will be living off of their earnings. I'm so glad our BLACK people are starting to move beyond labels and bling, while that stuff can be fun and entertaining, it does not make one wealthy. Notice that I didn't just say rich, there is a major difference between wealthy and rich. Rich people go broke, wealthy people usually don't go broke.

These guys are labeled as the next generation of billionaires. Yes, you heard correctly, billioniares. It was once enough to be labeled as a millioniare, and not that being a millionaire is not good enough, trust and believe I would not mind having access to a few millions myself, however, it seems that once Oprah made that billionaire mark, she made it okay for other BLACKS to know that the billionaire feat was very much attainable.

What FORBES says about them:

32-year-old Tiger Woods

When the golf champion returns to the links from a knee injury, he'll continue a financial rise that could crown him the first billionaire to make his money through sports. We predict it could happen as soon as 2011 because of Tiger's lucrative endorsement deals.

33-year-old Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson

The new king of hip-hop wealth banked $100 million after taxes on one deal alone when his stake in VitaminWater's parent, Glacéau, was bought by Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people) as part of a $4.1 billion deal. 50's portfolio also includes the popular G-Unit clothing line and record label, plus films, videogames and a slew of platinum albums, including last year's Curtis. Also in the works: a mining partnership with South African billionaire Partrice Motsepe.

38-year-old Shawn "Jay Z" Carter

It's been some year for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. In the past 12 months, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-born hip-hop demigod released a platinum album, signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation and tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles. Quite a record.

38-year-old Tyler Perry

Producer, director and actor Tyler Perry earned $125 million last year, the sixth highest payday on our most recent Celebrity 100 list. The New Orleans native banked more than Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise and Bon Jovi combined, thanks to his three movies and the sale of his sitcom to TBS. Next up is a role in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek prequel. Building a billion-dollar fortune in the entertainment business is extraordinarily rare but certainly not impossible, as evidenced by Steven Spielberg, worth an estimated $3 billion, and George Lucas, worth an estimated $3.9 billion.

BAD CHOICES HAVE LEFT A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE NAMED MICHAEL VICK BROKE

2008-08-16T13:24:00.010-04:00

Choices are something that could have Michael Vick in a very different place right now. This man made more than $20 million in bonuses alone for great football plays, but last year when Vick found himself in the situation that he is in, he couldn't find the $1 million dollars to pay the restitution for care of the dogs in his kennel. If he failed to pay the bills for the dogs, Vick faced additional prison time.

ESPN reports that, Banks in Toronto; South Bend, Ind., and Charlotte, N.C., demanded repayment of more than $6 million in loans used to finance a car rental business, a wine enterprise and other ventures. A sports marketing company that he hired and fired even before he was drafted in 2001 hounded him for another $5 million in lost fees. And he faced breach of contract charges on two other deals.

At this point Mike owed everyone money, and he was in way over his head in debt, and had no clue how to get out of it. He became desperate and started to ask from help from people whom he thought could really help him out of his situation. But, what he did not know was that these people would scam him out of millions more. In desperation, he turned to a Falcons teammate, linebacker Demorrio Williams. This lead to disaster after disaster. Time after time Mike was taken advantage of by scam artists. This situation is extremely sad, but the truth of the matter is that there isn't much that Vick can do to keep his financial affairs in order while he's behind bars at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. It's a shame that a young BLACK man who made a few bad choices has to go through this. He has to feel extremely lonely. It must be a bad feeling to feel like you are alone and can not trust anyone to help you in your time of need.

But this is where prayer comes in, and I hope that is what his days consist of.

See full story and more details here on ESPN.com

YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME

2008-08-15T16:39:00.006-04:00

First, why is Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama okaying Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her family to have their SHINE at the Democratic National Convention? Productions, speeches, introductions and all of that is beyond crazy to me. And then for them to put her name into the nomination is beyond me. I can not even be mad at the Clinton's, they are simply doing them, but Obama is the one who had to okay this madness.

It’s suppose to be for the purpose of uniting the party and heading off potential embarrassing problems at the convention from Hillary supporters. This lady LOST fair and square. It was not a tie, she lost. Obama needs to realize that if the shoe was on the other foot, the Clinton's wouldn't dare let the Obama's in on anything. or, maybe he does already realize that. It just bugs me that BLACKS are always playing the nice role in a bad situation, yet when the situation is flipped we are the last ones to be acknowldeged. If Obama had lost, there would probably be so much as a mention of his name and him waving from the crowd. Yet, 'her name will be placed into nomination. She’ll give a prime-time address, introduced by her daughter Chelsea. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will get his own plum speaking slot on a separate night. She will also have her own production team to create the introductory video that precedes her speech – the same people who produced Bill Clinton’s biography video “The Man from Hope” in 1992. You can bet Obama wants a drama-free convention and sees this laundry list of concessions as a way of keeping the peace," Jack Cafferty states in his Cafferty Files blog.

Is this a party for the Clinton's, (Chelsea, Bill and Hillary) will all be present on the stage during that evening. It wouldnt surprise me if this was all the work of the Clintons, but Obama had to okay this, and honestly, WHY? Senator Clinton even found a way to make it so there's language in the party’s platform that refers to the “18 million cracks in the highest glass ceiling,” which refers to the number of people who voted for her. Am I the only one that didnt forget that Hillary Clinton is the loser in this whole scenario.

I must stop talking because I will go on forever....leave your comments and tell me what you think.

BET HAS A NEW NEWS PROGRAM, JEFF JOHNSON IS THE HOST

2008-08-15T11:40:00.018-04:00

I remember when I was younger, I know that I am only 23, so it wasn't that long ago, but around middle/high school, I used to religiously watch two shows, Moesha and BET Nightly News. I wanted to be Jackie Reid, and would tell myself all the time, when I go away to college I will intern for Jackie Reid. I would even call up to BET (Black Entertainment Television) and ask who I should talk to about interning with BET Nightly News, keep in mind I would not be able to intern for another three to four years once I got to college, I was just that adamant about working with her. I used to call and talk to this lady named Eldra Gillman, whom I think still works for CBS, and I bugged her to death. But to much dismay, once I got to college BET NIghtly News with Jackie Reid was no longer a program on BET. This program meant a lot to me, and I am sure it meant a lot to many other viewers, not only BLACKS, but everyone who watched this program for national and international news that affected the BLACK community.

For some reason BET has not been able to consistently continue on with the news programming. The network has tried to implement a few long standing news oriented programs throughout the years with hosts such as Tavis Smiley, Ed Gordon and Jackie Reid, respectively, but none have remained.

BET's news division will launch its newest talk show, felicitously titled 'The Truth With Jeff Johnson,' tonight at 11pm. AOL Black Voices reports that the show will be hosted by "the young, hip and debonair political motivator and social commentator, who first debuted as "Cousin Jeff" on 'Rap City,' the weekly half-hour program promises to use a mix of investigative reporting and one-on-one interviews with leading experts to review the week's events and examine exactly what the top headlines mean for the Black community."

The former National Youth Director for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) told BlackVoices.com yesterday that, "I don't want us to be the "black show" as much as a show that provides a different perspective and covers issues that other networks don't view as news."

This new show is a bittersweet moment for me. Bitter because I think that it's beyond crazy that BLACKS do not have a daily news show to watch, one that is for us and by us, especially at a time such as now. Yet, sweet because this is a start, a great start, and I am excited to see what comes of this show. I just pray that we drive this show's ratings as high as we drive 106 & Park, I Want to Work For Diddy, Flavor of Love, I Love New York, and all the other non-productive shows that are great for entertainment purposes only. It's time for some substance. Now don't get me wrong, entertainment is great, I watch entertainment shows quite often, but balance is imperative. Imbalance is unhealthy, and detrimental to the BLACK community.

Make sure you tune in tonight and watch!

Sidebar: This show will air on Friday's at 11pm at night. Are they setting themselves up for failure before the program even begins? Where are young people on Friday nights???? I'm just saying. Lets just say unless we (young people) start making some changes, we are usually hanging out.

JESSE JACKSON SPEAKS TO ESSENCE ABOUT HIS OBAMA STATEMENTS ON FOX & MUCH MORE

2008-08-14T11:26:00.012-04:00

A little over a month ago, we all got wind of the "real" Jesse Jackson. That whole burrying the N-word stuff he was talking about obviously included everyone but him. People like that kill me, you ever hear your parents tell you not to do something, that is clearly wrong (so they should be telling you not to do it), but then they do it. Well, Jesse Jackson is the chief ambassador vying for BLACK people to surcease the use the N-word, whether we are using it to speak to each other or using it in any other way, his point was that, it should not be used period. Yet, he is at FOX News Network (of all places) and is talking about Senator Barack Obama (off air but it was picked up y a microphone that was left on), he says, “talking down to Black people” and “telling n—s how to behave.” That was pretty hypocritical of Jesse, and he recieved a lot of backlash from BLACKS about his remarks, critics began to dismiss the civil rights activist, and a previous two-time U.S. presidential candidate, as a non-relevant leader inthe BLACK community.

Rev. Jackson addressed some of these issues and much more over at Essence, but here's an excerpt of the interview.

ESSENCE.COM: The rapper Nas and writer Kevin Powell, who is running for Congress in Brooklyn, have said that you particularly, and other civil rights leaders, are no longer relevant and need to step aside. How do you remain relevant to this newer generation?

JACKSON: The reality is that if you’re running for Congress, you need the votes of senior citizens. You need the votes of churches. You are not getting in Congress on a youth vote. That’s not the mass that you need to win a congressional seat. You need an intergenerational, multicultural coalition. And that experience cannot be thrown away. In Dr. King’s time, Dr. King was 34, but he reached out to A. Philip Randolph. It took both A. Philip Randolph and Dr. King in tandem to make the March on Washington take place.

ESSENCE.COM: We’ve seen you champion African-American issues and fight against injustice. Many people simply want to know, when you mentioned the N-word in your off-air remarks about Obama last month—why? They want you to tell them, as an African-American, why did that happen?

JACKSON: It should not have happened. What was private talk became public controversy, and I am embarrassed by that. There is no virtue in that kind of talk, and it should always be discouraged. My appeal even then was that responsibility is a significant message, but our needs require real government intervention and private sector incentives to address the issues of unemployment, building affordable housing and making education more affordable, which really was my point. It was a very painful period for me to have gone through that. The good news is that it’s behind us now.

ESSENCE.COM: Have you talked to Obama about it?

JACKSON: Yes. As a matter of fact, he sent me a welcome to the convention and made credentials available to me. We’ve gone on to the next stage.

After you read the interview, tell me what you think!!!

Sidebar: Rev. Jesse Jackson was in this situation before, remember when he referred to Jews as "hymies," and to New York City as "Hymietown," circa 1984. Once he admitted to it, he again said that it was a private conversation, as if that makes his remarks less offensive. A leader such as he, should be learning lessons, not repeating actions, right?

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WILL NOT CONSIST OF GETTING BOOKS AND MEETING TEACHERS FOR CHICAGO AREA STUDENTS...THEY WILL BE BOYCOTTING

2008-08-13T12:49:00.013-04:00

The term 'boycott' goes all the way back to the 1800's, and guess what we (BLACKS) were all in the mix back then too. BLACKS always had to figure out ways to make things better for themselves, and boycotting became a way to express that we were fed up, and just not going to take the nonesense being thrown at us. The practice of boycotting started circa 1830, when the National Negro Convention encouraged a boycott of slave-produced goods.

Well, boycotting is still being practiced today and it is 2008. Almost 180 years later, BLACKS are still fighting for what we need and what we should already have, EQUALITY. In this case, Chicago is dealing witn inequality and low resources in the inner city schools. One Chi-town official is taking an unconventional approach, well for 2008, its rather unconventional. When was the last time you heard of a mass boycott where people were actually doing something. It's been some time since I have heard of BLACKS boycotting. I stand to be corrected, if I am wrong. Chicago's Democratic State Senator James Meeks has proposed a rather radical action to protest the underfunding of Chicago's inner city schools. Meeks has issued a call for all school kids in Chicago's poorest districts to boycott the first day at their assigned school and instead head to resource rich predominately white schools and attempt to register there.

Now you know that this will cause a major uproar. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but they will not be accepted with open arms. They will be pushed right back over to the other side of town, where 'they belong.' It's no deep dark secret that schools in middle class and affluent neighborhoods are afforded better schools, better resources and just overall better opportunities. It's a shame that our government, city, state, and federal, does not allocate enough funds for our children to be afforded an education that will allow them to compete with their peers in wealthy neighborhoods. And forget competing for a minute, they do not even have the resources to read at the appropriate grade levels.

Full story from Chicago Tribune:

Nearly 50 ministers on Monday embraced plans for students to boycott at least the first day of Chicago Public Schools classes, a move aimed at ramping up pressure on state officials to address widespread inequities in education funding.

The church leaders from the city's West and South Sides pledged their support as lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday to meet in a special session Gov. Rod Blagojevich called to consider the funding issue that has vexed lawmakers for decades.

The ministers said they would urge their congregations and communities to participate in the first-day boycott Sept. 2 and attempt to enroll Chicago students in New Trier Township High School District 203 in north suburban Winnetka.

"We refuse to continue to allow the State of Illinois to orphan our educational system," said Rev. Albert Tyson of St. Stephen AME Church.

Those who do not agree witht he boycott stated:

"It's counterproductive to urge kids not to attend school," Gov. Blagojevich said at a separate event. "If a child misses a day of school, that child will miss an opportunity to learn. I think children should take advantage of every possible day they can to go to school."

Further, he said, Chicago Public Schools would lose some state money if students skip because average daily attendance helps determine each school district's overall funding.

New Trier District 203 Supt. Linda Yonke, bracing for Meeks' attempt to enroll 1,000 students, labeled the ministers' move a "political action" she hopes won't be disruptive.

The governor thinks its counterproductive for students to boycott and miss school. He says, if a child misses school, that child will miss an opportiunity to learn." I want to know if he honestly believes that, who is he fooling? It sounds nice, but in all actuality, if a child who attends a school with no resources misses school, they aren't missing much learning at all, simply because the resources aren't there for them to learn anything.

For one, a classroom of 35 children has five dated books, if that (no people this is not an exaggeration), two, there aren't any teachers in the classroom, beacuse they get tired of not being properly compensated for their hard work, as a result they have long-term substiutes who aren't prepared to teach anything, so the students aren't learning; then you have students in the classroom who are constantly disrupting the class because they can't read and don't want anyone to know, so they act out.

There are so many things that go on in underpriviledged schools, and for the most part an abundance of learning is not one of them. So if the constant conventioanl way of trying to make our schools better is not working, then you are suppose to try new things.

Go ahead and try to redefine your dreams Chicago inner city schools--BOYCOTT until they give you what you are suppose to already have.

WHO SAID THAT THERE WAS A SUCH THING AS WHITE SPORTS & BLACK SPORTS?... WELL, TELL THEM THAT THEY ARE LIARS!

2008-08-13T11:37:00.011-04:00

When you think of swimming as a sport and not a recreational activity, BLACKS don't necessarily hit top of mind. Swimming is just not our sport, or is it? I never got with the notion of a sport belonging to one particular race. But I totally understand when they say things such as that, which is only a result of the limited number of BLACKS we see participating in whichever sport that is being referenced. With all of this said, BLACKS are moving well beyond basketball and football. Tiger Woods shot that whole notion down of golf not being a sport for BLACKS, Arthur, Serena and Venus shot that notion down about tennis not being a sport for BLACKS. Vonetta Flowers, the first BLACK athlete to win a gold medal in the winter olympics, when she won the inaugural women's bobsled event, shot that notion down about sports that invlove cold weather not being sports for BLACKS . Along with Garret Hines and Randy Jones, who were the first BLACK U.S. men to win medals in the winter olympics when they brought home the silver in the four-man bobsled competition. So this whole thing with WHITE SPORTS and BLACK SPORTS is becoming a thing of the past.

This past weekend Bronx born and Jersey bred, Cullen Jones, made history as one of four men on the USA's winning 4X100 freestyle relay team. They took the Gold with a world record time of 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds in a race that kept all viewers on the edge of thier seats. Jones, who almost drowned the first time he ever entered the pool, is now only the third BLACK person to qualify for the Olympics in swimming, Cullen Jones has also positioned himself as an advocate and ambassador of swimming for reluctant black children.

Jones is a graduate of North Carolina University, where he was an English major. He burst onto the international swimming scene at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, British Columbia. In the summer of 2006, he became a professional swimmer after signing with Nike.

People such as Jones, are definitely redefining the meaning of BLACK sports. We (BLACKS) are a determined group of people, who can compete with the best of them, in any sport when prepared, and when given the opportunity.

WE REMEMBER BERNIE MAC FOR ALL THAT HE WAS: GREAT, HUMBLE & LOVING

2008-08-10T14:04:00.009-04:00

"He opened his eyes on his own and looked at Rhonda. She called his name, and he opened his eyes and nodded to her. She smiled at him and told him, 'Don't leave me … 'I'm waiting for you to come back.' He shrugged his shoulders, and she said that's when she knew he was tired. He signaled to her that his body was tired."

Just like that, the KING OF COMEDY was no longer on this earth with us, and his last few days consisted of non-verbal communication. These are the actions of a man who was never known to be speechless, he always seemed to have words that could make anyone with a sense of humor laugh. No matter how bad your day was going, if you heard one of Bernie Mack's jokes, you could not help but to crack a smile or to let out laughter.

On Saturday, August 9, 2008 Bernie Mack, born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, passed away due to complications from pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital. Mack was 50 years old, and at a very young age he began to work his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side, where he lived with his mother and grandparents.

Through his comedy, his various other projects, and his commitment to his wife, daughter, granddaughter and other family members and friends, he lived his life to the fullest. God must have needed a really good laugh, to call him home so soon. He will truly be missed. My prayers go out to his family, friends and to all of his fans. His jokes and great personality will forever resonate in our hearts.

YEA THEY WHITENED HER...I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS...SEE IT FOR YOURSELF

2008-08-08T14:29:00.011-04:00

I am quite sure that Beyonce Knowles had to approve this advertisement before it got to the public, and appraently she did not see anything wrong with it. L'Oreal, the cosmetic company in charge of this advertisement has been accused of "whitening" the singer's skin colour in a number of print ads for women's magazines in the United States.

What message does this send out? Is it not okay to be exactly who you are or to be BLACk and appear exactly as you are. The thing that makes me want to go to every newstand and tear these ads out is the message that it is sending to our children, not only our BLACK children, but to children in general. first, the chick is not even a dark skinned BLACK girl, she is fair skinned to begin with, why make her appear to be lighter than she already is.

The visual lightening in this advertisement made me, and I am sure millions of other BLACK people do a double take. At first glance, she looks WHITE. I was puzzled. L'Oreal is basically saying we want you on our ads to sell our product but we can't deal with the fact that you are BLACK, so we need to do some fixin up to your face. definitely a slap in the face to BLACKS.

The company releases a statement saying, "We highly value our relationship with Ms Knowles. It is categorically untrue that L'Oreal Paris altered Ms Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Feria hair color." Tell these lies to the next gullible person, because you are lying.

Knowles has worked with the cosmetics company since 2001. And if she approved this ad, she is just as much of a liar as L'Oreal and not to us, but to herself.

The ad is appearing in this month's Elle, Allure and Essence. I can not believe that the editors over at Essence would run this advertisement. So to refrain from saying something without knowing the facts, i'll just leave it at this. Do BLACK people even use L'Oreal hair products? I don't know, i'm just asking?

OUR ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS HUDSON & WHITAKER ARE NOW TOGETHER

2008-08-08T13:07:00.008-04:00

Two of our very own Academy Award winners, Forrest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson are starring in Winged Creatures, a 2008 adaptation of Roy Freirich's novel, which carries the same name as the movie. While in the restaurant, the main charachters which also include, Dakota Fanning, Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pearce, and Josh Hutcherson, suddenly hear gunshots. Dakota Fanning, who plays Anne Hagen, hides under the table with her dad and best friend Jimmy Jasperson, played by Josh Hutcherson, while they watch the gunman shoot several people, including her father and then himself. Forrest Whitaker was one of the victims shot, but he lived.
There were five who survived this trauma, and throughout the movie they struggle to understand how to move on after this event. The reaminder of the movie, all of the actors cope with the situation in the restaurant that day, and how it has drastically changed thier lives.
Struggling to understand her father's death, Anne forms some sort of religious hysteria. Jimmy becomes mute, protecting a secret that he and Anne share until it nearly destroys him and his already fractured family. Charlie (Forrest Whitaker), who was grazed by a bullet and is a driving-school teacher, attempts to make his incredible luck work for him at the casino. Jennifer Hudson plays Kathy Archenault, Whitaker's daughter. Carla, played by Kate Beckinsale, the restaurant cashier, loses her ability to take care of herself and her infant son. Ron Abler, a psychologist, attempts to help the survivors but is met with suspicion and little response from any of them. Dr. Laraby, played by Guy Pearce, an ER physician who failed to save two of the shooting victims, turns to his wife as someone to 'save.' The movie follows these five traumatized people as they struggle to regain their trust in the ordinary world.

This movie is reminiscent of Academy-Award winning movie, Crash, a passion piece, where the charachters are brought together through living thier everyday lives. Through these characters' interactions, Crash seeks to depict and examine not only racial tension, but also the distance between strangers in general. This movie seems to depict some of the same messages, although we are living our own separate lives, certain events can lead us to realize that we are much closer than we would like to think.

Looks to be a HIT! Check out the movie trailer below.

DETROIT MAYOR KILPATRICK JAILED

2008-08-07T22:53:00.004-04:00

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was jailed Thursday after a judge found that he violated terms of his bond by going to Canada last month, unauthorized. Kilpatrick, who is facing felony charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct of office, was freed on $75,000 bond.

Warren Evans, a Wayne County Sheriff said the mayor will be treated like any other high-profile inmate at the jail. He said that appropriate measures will be taken to ensure his security as well as that of other inmates at the facility.

The Detroit Mayor has been involved in a public scandal since January, when the Detroit Free Press reported he exchanged romantic text messages with his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, indicating the two were involved in an affair. Kwame Kilpatrick's attorney Jim Parkman said an immediate appeal of the mayor's jailing is planned. A hearing on the appeal is scheduled for Friday, the Detroit Free Press reported.

See Full Story here

MORGAN FREEMAN IN A BAD CAR WRECK

2008-08-05T00:57:00.010-04:00

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was in serious condition at a hospital in Tennessee, not too far from his home in northern Mississippi, after being in a car accident Sunday night. Freeman has suffered a broken left upper arm, other fractures and neck and shoulder injuries. The car that he was driving was owned by his passenger, a Memphis resident Demaris Meyer, whom Bill Luckett described as a mutual friend of his and Freeman's.

Bill Luckett, a friend and co-owner of a restaurant and blues club with Freeman said, "He's in good spirits, but he's in a lot of pain." A little after 11:30 Sunday night the paramedics removed Freeman and Meyerfrom the car and they were airlifted to the hospital, according to Angie Underwood, a Mississippi Highway Patrol spokeswoman.

Bill Rogers, who lives on the highway where the accident happened said that the vehichle flew about 45 feet before it alighted on its trunk. "The car was torn up so bad I couldn't tell what it was," he said.

Freeman is an Academey Award winning actor, film director and narrator. He won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 2005 for his role in the gritty boxing film "Million Dollar Baby." He has been nominated for Oscars three other times, for the movies "Street Smart," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Shawshank Redemption."

Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in the Mississippi Delta region. He moved back to open the blues club and the restaurant in 2001. In a 2005 interview with CNN, he said returning to the area was "one of the smartest moves I've made in life."

Please pray for a speedy recovery for both, Freeman and Demaris Meyer, the friend whom he was driving with.

OBAMA IS NOT FOR SLAVERY REPARATIONS

2008-08-03T00:42:00.004-04:00

Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama, opposes giving reparations to descendants of slavery, he said Saturday in Illinois. Is he wrong for this? I dont think so, but of course he's at odds with some BLACK people. You and I both know that if we were to receive money and nothing else, that many of us would go broke shortly after. Ya'll know how we do, so please do not front; we'd be in the mall, on vacation, and doing everything that will give the money right back to them. Now dont get me wrong, we will have all intentions on starting our own businesses, paying for college education, building up our communitites, etc...but some how if we received monetary reparations and nothing else, we probably would still have a long way to go.

The point that I am making is that I doubt very seriously if a monetary reparation will give us the change that we need. Make higher education free to all BLACKS, take all the money that BLACKS would get and use it to fix each and every public school across the United States, fix the inner city communities...I could go on forever, but these are some of the things that will help to combat the legacy of slavery.

Senator Barack Obama agrees, he says, "I have said in the past -- and I'll repeat again -- that the best reparations we can provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people who are unemployed." And by the way, Senator Obama has held the same position on reparations since he ran for Senator back in 2004.

Over two dozen members of Congress are co-sponsors of legislation that will create a commission that would study reparations, a combination of programs and payments to make up for the damage done by slavery.

I'm anxious to see what will come out of this whole reparation ordeal.

WAKE UP PEOPLE OR WIN A FREE ONE WAY TICKET HERE...

2008-08-02T22:29:00.020-04:00

Things are real out here people, I mean they are getting serious. HIV/AIDS is moving closer and closer to your bedroom each and every day. I am not for being all preachy, but just check this out. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) was about 16,000 estimates short on the number of new people infected with HIV each year. That is extremely scary. There are more new cases of Americans infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, than previously believed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today. This past year about 56,000 people became infected with HIV, which means that the CDC was 40% off, said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

CDC's previous estimates suggested that there were approximately 40,000 new people infected with HIV each year. CNN reports that the center's estimates used "limited data and less precise methods," which is now using technology that can determine when someone was infected with the virus.

The center says that this new technology can tell if someone has been infected with the virus in the last 5 months, which seems to be a great advancement in HIV/AIDS research.

I dont know about you, but the fact that 56,000 people in the United States contracted HIV scares the HELL out of me. Im not sure how many people out of this number are BLACK, but considreing the fact that in 2005 half of the people infected with HIV/AIDS were BLACK...you should be scared out of your mind.

I'm not here to judge anyone, so whether you are married, single, or dating... please go to Sam's, Costco, BJ's and buy an economy pact of condoms. Time on this side of the dirt is lovely right now, cherish it!

FOX NEWS & BILL O'REILLY, RACIST??? WHO WOULD MAKE THAT MISTAKE

2008-07-31T16:17:00.019-04:00

Last week multi-platinum selling hip-hop superstar, Nasir Jones, better known to many as Nas joined political groups Color of Change and Move On. They were joined by other protesters and fans outside of Fox's New York office to protest the Fox networks portrayal of BLACK people. The two political groups delivered boxes to the network, which included a petition signed by over 600, 000 people who supported the demands of the organizations, however Fox did not accept them.

At the beginning of the protest Nas spoke to about 100 guests, where he urged Fox to "stop the racist smears on the Obamas and BLACK America." Throughout his speech, he noted examples of statements made by Fox reporters that proved to be racist and stereotypical, including a reference to Michelle Obama as Barack Obama's "baby mama," and a fist bumpbetween the couple as a "terrorist fist jabb." "Fox News believes in a protesters exercising their right to free speech, including Nas, who has an album to promote," said a Fox News spokesperson.

Following Nas' appearance outside of the Fox studios, conservative host Bill O'Reilly took a few stabs at the "vile rapper" on his TV show. He responded to Nas' accusations that the Fox network is racist in their coverage of news, O'Reilly says, "This is from a person who makes a living peddling the 'n' word and violent lyrics to children and young adults. He is a real champ. The good news is that only a few media outlets have given him any attention and his new album is a bomb, a disaster, a catastrophe and he desperately wants attention... I hope I'm not racist for pointing that out."

First Mr. O'Reilly, I would love to know how an album that debuted at the top of the Soundscan charts, and hit No.1 on The Billboard 200 translates to disaster and catastrophe. As a former english teacher and Harvard grad, it would be safe to say that he definitely understands the meaning of disaster and catastrophe— a disaster was his unsuccessful attempt to play for the New York Mets; or his sexual harassment lawsuit with O'Reilly Factor producer Andrea Mackris; or his trip with Al Sharpton to Sylvia's soul-food restaurant in New York City, where he made some really crazy comments about his "shocking" observations about the restaurant and the people inside, including, " there wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.' " This man is outrageously stuck on another planet if he would expect anyone to think that he was anything but racist, and any network that would have him as a host is racist as well, in my book. And with all of his post protest comments, he never actually discussed or addressed the issues as to whether or not his channel's news coverage is racially biased. But we all know the deal.

THANK YOU! BUT I AM NOT CONVINCED

2008-07-31T12:15:00.010-04:00

Whether it was done in part for political advances (which is quite obvious), or done purely from the heart, Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, the only white lawmaker to represent a majority black district, led the House of Representatives to issue an unprecedented apology to BLACK americans for the institution of slavery, which subsequently lead to Jim Crow laws, where BLACKS were still discriminated against and treated as second class citizens. Cohen faces a threatening BLACK challenger in a primary face-off next week. (great timing Cohen)

The resolution, passed by a voice vote, was the first given by Congress, while there were proposals delivered before, they have stalled for a number of reasons, partly because of concerns that an apology would lead to a demand for reparations, and you know the closest that we will get to that are those stimulus checks.

Congress has issued apologies before— to Japanese-Americans for their confinement during World War II and President Clinton signed the "Apology Resolution" to Native Hawaiians on November 23, 1993 for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on January 17, 1893. In 2005, the Senate apologized for failing to pass anti-lynching laws. Five states have issued apologies for slavery, but we never received one from our United States Congress.

The Cohen resolution does not mention reparations, it just commits the House to rectifying "the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against African-Americans under slavery and Jim Crow." I am deeply interested in how they will go about rectifying the plight of African-Americans due to the institution of slavery and Jim Crow laws. Maybe they can start by appropriately funding the United States Public School Systems, or taking some of that Iraq War money and funding research for Cancer and HIV/AIDS, maybe they can even think of a brilliant plan that begins to combat homelessness, drugs and violence in the inner citites. Wishful thinking on my part, I bet. I pray to God that my pessimistic attitude is proven wrong. I just find it hard to accept an apolgy that has come 143 years after the emancipation of slavery and 44 yrs since the Civil Rights Act, and then on top of that, the apology was most likely the product of someone with alterior motives.

I am so grateful for the determination, persistence and ambition of my enslaved ancestors, and those who fought through those state and local laws that mandated segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms and restaurants. I am so glad that they thought enough of BLACK people to die and shed blood for our advancement. I am appreciative of an apology from our federal government, but it's a little to late for me to actually believe any of it. I'd much rather hear an apology from my BLACK people for the continuous BLACK on BLACK crime and the deleterious actions that prevent us from being the best that we can be. I just wasnt feeling this apology, but thanks for the belated gesture.

"CHOOSE OR LOSE"--KANYE & MTV

2008-07-29T22:02:00.016-04:00

Kanye West partnered with MTV for the Choose or Lose documentary, which aired Monday, July 28. It is an hour long documentary where West + MTV VJ Sway Calloway visits the homes of recently returned Iraq War veterans. West surprises each vet with a personal visit as he listens to their stories and how they are struggling to re-acclimate to civilian life. The vets are excited at the mere thought of Kanye West stopping by their homes, but little did they know that they were in store for much more. West gives the ultimate gift to each of the veterans— the gift of renewed hope. He committed to paying off their debt, paying for their college tuition, and paying their rent. One of the veterans stated that West gave him a chance at a new life. This same veteran sells his blood every week just to get gas money. WHAT?????? He went to Iraq and gave his blood, then he comes back home and has to sell it just to get by. . . I can't believe that this is America. It's quite ironic that what most people go to the service for is a chance at a better life, but rather they come home often worse off than before. West said, "There are hundreds of veterans out there who are falling through the cracks. They make the ultimate sacrifices for us by laying down their lives, but it seems like a lot of them just get forgotten about." "I know my music inspires and helps a lot of people but you can always do more. I teamed up with MTV and took the opportunity to share the spotlight with these veterans and hear their stories."

I truly commend West for doing this for our vets, but to be honest, he should not have to do this. I often hear people say that they are going into the service in order to provide their families and themselves with a better life; but I am still trying to figure out how medication, debt, depression, homelessness, and being broke goes hand in hand with being a war veteran. Maybe it is just me, but if I were to risk my life daily for this country, in another country, when I returned, I should not have to worry about ANYTHING AT ALL.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the United States government deficit will surge past a half-trillion dollars next year—that's $482 billion dollars. But forget the deficit, we have spent over a trillion dollars so far on this war on Iraq, yet we have people that have fought in the war who can't afford to pay their rent, that's asinine.

Well anyway, thank God for people like Kanye West, who recognizes that our veterans are in dire need of help. Although it has aired already, check MTV for re-airing dates and times.

The Good Life

2008-07-24T20:04:00.012-04:00

Do you know what we are about to witness? The GOOD LIFE indeed. This year's Democratic National Convention entertainment line up will consists of 3, not 1, not 2, but 3 BLACK artists. Kanye West, yes you heard correct, Mr. "Bush doesn't care about BLACK people" himself will join Wyclef Jean, and N.E.R.D. in a celebration to remember. All three groups will perform in support of the presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama.

Other Hollywood big timers scheduled to hit the scene are, Forrest Whitaker, Scarlett Johansson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ben Aflek, and Edward Norton.

The convention will take place in Denver on Monday, August 25.

THE DASH

2008-07-24T12:32:00.014-04:00

Death & Dying. What do you think about when you think of these words? It probably makes you think about the friends and family members that you have lost. I am sure that you start to think of the joyous memories that you shared with them, and then because you are human, hurt and pain fills your head and heart. Death is probably the hardest thing that anyone will have to deal with, and the fact that everyone who lives will die, makes it a universal issue. NO matter if you are BLACK, White, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, or any other race and ethnicity, if there is nothing else that we have in common, we all will deal with death, and there is nothing that anyone can do to change the fact that death is promised to come your way.

Death denotes the end of life as we know it here on earth, it brings sorrow and pain for those loved ones left behind. For a very long time, actually up until this week, I hated the thought of death, and definitely hated thinking about my loved ones, and even myself, dying one day. Then this week and last week happened. Two people who were dear to my heart, someone whom I grew up with and worked with unexpectedly died, and then someone who I befriended in the ninth grade and have grown closer to each and every year since then, unexpectedly died. They both were under 30, neither was sickly, both were healthy young adults who were here, living thier lives, and then just like that, they were gone from this world, here no more. Never will I be able to call, see, or hug neither one of them.

Now this was not the first time that someone that I held near and dear to my heart died, and it won't be the last, but these deaths did something to me, and it was something very positive. It made me think about the dash. Some of you may have no clue about what I am talking about, but we all have a dash. The dash that I am referring to is the time spent here on earth from the moment that you are born, to the moment that you die. December 28, 1984 - date unknown. This is what will go on my tombstone and my obituary, of course with the end date filled in, but that short dash denotes everything that I have done with my life, and the good part about the dash is that we all are the authors of our own. You do not pick your birthdate and you do not pick your death date (unless of course you commit suicide, and even then you dont have complete say in that) but the one thing that you do have control over is the time that you are here. What will your dash say?

Khia "K-Swift" Edgerton 10/19/1978 - 7/21/2008

The ultimate Club Queen was 29 years old and her dash probably reads longer than many people twice her age. This Baltimore native molded, shaped, and formed her own dash. She did not leave it to anyone else to live her life for her, and she most certainly made that dash work in her favor. Swift grew up in City Temple of Baltimore Baptist Church, and it was there that she grew into the determined, successful, god-fearing woman that allowed her to become the pioneering dj that became known to the world as "THE CLUB QUEEN K-SWIFT." She was known across the country for her dynamic djing capabilities, and loved by all that moved to the music that came off of her turntables. She has been featured on a MTV music documentary, she performed at clubs up all up and down the east coast, and she was scheduled to tour overseas this year.

On the evening of her death, I sat and looked out of the window of the studios, ironically, it was the same time that she would normally be sitting in that chair doing her nightly show with her partner Squirrel Wyde, and there were hundreds of young people in the Baltimore and surrounding communities there to pay tribute to this young woman. Khia reached these young children with her music in ways that amazed many. Since she was 17 years old, she was a member of the Radio One 92Q family, and for the past five years she has been an immensely popular DJ with a radio show that aired from 6pm to 10 pm Monday thru Friday. Her dash was definitely all but short, she had a passion for music and she had been perfecting that passion since the age of 11.

Michael Christopher Strickland 2/24/1984 - 7/15/2008

Mikey was one of the calmest, coolest, and loving friends one could ever have. He was just 24 years old, and was a victim of today's violence. Even though the time surrounding his dash was short, his dash was anything but short. Mike grew up in Baltimore County, and he attended the best high school that Baltimore has to offer, the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. During high school Mike got a chance to go and visit his older brother who went to school down in Atlanta. It was then that Mike knew that he wanted to move to Atlanta to be with his older brother and to attend Clark Atlanta University. A little while later he transferred to Georgia State University. This fall Mike was scheduled to receive his Bachelor of Science degree. Beacuase Mike was always so eager to succeed and make money, which he loved to do, Mike got his real estate license while he was in college. He joined his parents in thier real estate company, Strickland Realty, in 2004 as a licensed real estate agent. He was the epitome of a self-starting successful young man, and whenever he put his mind to something he did everything in his power to finish it. I admired and loved that about him. He never knew that he would only live to see the age of 24, yet he lived his life as if tomorrow was not promised.

After sitting through his funeral today, sad and not understanding why he had to go so early with so much life to live, I realized that we are not promised to live a certain amount of years. So I promised myself and God that from today on, I would be the author of my dash. When the pastor does my eulogy he/she will have so much good to discuss that they will have to pull him from the pulpit, my obituary will be all but short. I took the time to write this to let everyone know that your dash is all that you have control of, no matter what circumstance that you are in, or situation that you were born into, you and only you are responsible for the legacy and story that you leave behind. MAKE GOOD CHOICES AND DONT BE AFRAID TO DO WHATS IN YOUR HEART...YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR DASH WILL END.

The Dash Poem
by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speakAt the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone From the beginning… to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth And he spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own; The cars, the house, the cash, What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left, That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough To consider what’s true and real And always try to understand The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger, And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect, And more often wear a smile Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read With your life’s actions to rehash Would you be proud of the things they sayAbout how you spent your dash?

AFTER THIS TALK, CAN WE ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING?

2008-07-23T14:22:00.009-04:00

Okay, so I am probably not the only person tired of hearing BLACK people just sit around and discuss our issues, then get up and act like the mere act of discussing changed something. When will we actually discuss and then act on that discussion? Who knows when that will happen, maybe after "BLACK IN AMERICA" airs tonight and tomorrow night on CNN. Tonight is the first night of the two part documentary series. The topic tonight will be "The BLACK Woman & Family," and tomorrow it will culminate with "The BLACK Man." They both begin at 9 p.m. ET. The 4-hour documentary series will be narrated by CNN anchor and special correspondent, Soledad O'Brien.

You know how you and your girls, or you and your boys get together and hit the club...tonight would be a good night to get some friends together, sit in front of the tube, and see what's going on with BLACKS IN AMERICA, even though I am pretty sure, for the most part, you see it everyday.

POWER PLAYERS- UNDER 30

2008-07-22T16:06:00.006-04:00

It's 2008 and we are on the verge of seeing the first BLACK President of the United States of America! WOW, that sounds and feels so good, doesn't it? Of course it does. This is our time time to shine, and there are two young BLACK siblings who are definitely shining, and they are getting involved and spreading the word with- "Barack-the-Vote." These two young power siblings, Lori and Brandon, are creating and carrying out a vision, a vision that makes voting hip, stylish and just simply the right thing to do. They are the example of how a mere thought, no matter how big, can become your reality. They are the definition of dreaming big. They are the creators of BARACKAWEAR.

After being invited to meet Senator Barack Obama at one of his campaign events, they maximized their opportunity and wore their new line of "Barack-the-Vote" shirts and lapel pins. Next thing you know Will.I. Am asked if he could rock one of their lapel pins, and then people began to take notice, and I'm not talking about your average everyday ordinary people, I am talking about people like Seal, Samuel L. Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. And you know how us BLACK people are, once somebody sees something that they like, "girl/man, where did you get that from," or "that, shirt is hot, how can I get one?" You know us and our six-million degrees of separation, its not hard to spread a word, or in this case a business. BARACKAWEAR is a company definitely on a come up, and its all because two young BLACK people had a vision and used their resources and opportunities to make it come alive.

I first noticed the shirt on www.theybf.com, which I frequent a few times a day, and then I went to the site read their story and bought a couple of t-shirts. And this was the beginning of more sales for them in my hometown, Baltimore city. I work at a Radio One radio station in Baltimore, and I went to work with my shirt on and people started to inquire, and next thing you know other staff went to the site and purchased some shirts. And of course, I can not buy something without letting my bestfriend know, so i'm sitting at BET (where I am doing a graduate independent study) ordering my shirts, and I hit up my bestfriend Kells to tell her about the shirts, and of course she ordered one, and I'm sure she has told other people. I'm sure you all get my point by now, when you believe in something, once you take that first step, it is everything but difficult to earn respect and support.

The message in this post is to take your destiny into your own hands young BLACK people, if you want to do something, make something, be something, don't wait on anyone to do it for you- be like NIKE, and just do it! If you want to be a writer, then just write; If you want to be a business owner, get on the net and figure out what you need to do first and DO IT (www.sba.gov).

Whatever it is that you desire to be, it can be done, but it is up to you. It is time for BLACK people to redefine our own dreams, and to start taking responsibility for ourselves. This is a new season, it our season- IT IS THE SEASON OF CHANGE.

Go BARACKTHEVOTE!

BIENVENIDO BLACK PEOPLE!

2008-07-20T22:52:00.004-04:00

Hey ya'll,

Thanks for visitig my blog. First, I want to say that CNN is the inspiration for this new venture of mine. I love to write, but I never thought that I would use blogging as an outlet to express myself. CNN is doing a special on "Black In America," a year long investigation that explores the myriad experiences of BLACK women, families, and men. They investigate the troubling statistics of racial disparities between students, the HIV/AIDS epidedemic, single-parenthood, and much more. This program opened my eyes to the current situation of BLACK America. I love my people, and it hurts to see my people in so much pain. The destruction in our communities is at an all time high, and I honestly believe that each individual can do something to aid in the advancement of our culture, our people, and our families. So with this said, I will use this blog to discuss current events that affect the BLACK community. I always asked myself, "what can I do?" Well, this will be my start. With this blog, I will discuss BLACK people, empower BLACK people, and do my part in the advancement of BLACK people. I will close this opening blog with a famous quote by Marianne Williamson that means so much to me, and to the BLACK experience.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

---talk with you soon!