The Edge

by A.man.I
I had an unexpected visitor from Tampa last week, my friend Patrick Sneed. He's the Program Director for the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association (THJCA), a grassroots non-profit community organization based in Tampa.


Pat didn't always work for the community. He was raised in the College Hill public housing community, on Tampa's East side. In his younger days, the lure of the dope game was too tempting. "The money, the cars, and the females," he said, reflecting back.

Pat dropped out school in the seventh grade, but later realized he was on the wrong path after he blew $6,000 dollars in one weekend during Black Spring Break in Daytona. That's when he decided to take some positive steps.

He seems to be on the right track now. For the past two years, Pat's worked as the Program Director for the THJCA. He serves more than sixty kids from the neighborhood. He not only handles all of the daily administrative duties, he also organizes, and supervises field trips, and tries his best to be a positive example to the kids he is responsible for. He says he does it for the kids, not the money.


Pat is also focused on his education. At age 32, and after years of extra school work, he'll receive his diploma (not a g.e.d) soon. He plans to attend a community college, and his goal is to obtain a four-year degree.

That's what I call a RIGHTeous brotha. Keep it up Pat.
He shares his light below.

Frederick Douglass Honored

by A.man.I
Pioneering journalist Frederick Douglass has been recognized in Washington D.C., for his groundbreaking political reporting. He broke the color barrier at the Capitol press galleries in 1870.


The Associated Press quotes Senate historian Donald Ritchie as saying, "He was here. He did report because the African-American community really wanted to know what was happening in Congress during Reconstruction."

Today, the committee of reporters that controls access to the galleries dedicated a plaque and portrait in honor of him.

CNN Correspondent Robbed at Gunpoint

by A.man.I
CNN's Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange, and his wife were robbed at gunpoint in Johannesburg South Africa. According to CNN.com, four young armed men pointed a gun to Koinange's head, and took everything he had. Koinange and his wife weren't harmed.


CNN Released this statement:
"CNN's first concern is for the safety of Jeff and his wife, and additional security measures have been put in place. The robbery is now under investigation by the police and CNN."

Thanks to TVNewser for the link, and my thoughts are with you, and your family Jeff.

Sharpton, Thurmond, and Slavery Ties

by A.man.I
In honor of the great, late night talk show host Arsenio Hall, here's something to make you say "hmmmm." It looks like political activist Al Sharpton, and late South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond are linked. It turns out Sharpton is a descendant of slaves, who were owned by Thurmond's relatives.


The revelation was made by the Daily News, after the tabloid traced Sharpton's roots. Thurmond was a segregationist who was against equal rights during the height of his political career, but he also fathered a bi-racial daughter.


Associated Press writer Adam Goldman quotes Sharpton as saying, "It was probably the most shocking thing in my life."

Indeed.

The Winners

Forest Whitaker - Oscar winner for best actor, "The Last King of Scotland."

Jennifer Hudson - Oscar winner for best supporting actress, "Dreamgirls."

Calling All Citizen Journalists

by A.man.I
If you're a video maker, student, community leader, work for an organization that's trying to make a difference, or if you've always wanted to be on TV, pay attention.

I'm developing a TV show with Black Family Channel that will allow the everyday citizen to have a voice. The show is called UR TV, and it's based on the idea of citizen journalism. Basically we're looking for a worldwide army of community reporters. If I need to explain why you should think about sharing some of your experiences and stories to us, watch your local news tonight, and come back tomorrow and read this post again.

If this sounds like a great opportunity for you, or someone you know, send them a link here. We are all the media, and need to start acting like it.

Watch my homemade message below.

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Urban Headlines

by A.man.I

-Farrakhan May Give Final Public Address Sunday
Minister Louis Farrakhan is the Key Note Speaker at "The Nation's" Saviors Day convention in Detroit. The Nation of Islam leader has suffered from poor health, and this is expected to be his last big speech.

-Imminent Domain Appears to be Hurting Black Communities
The Institute of Justice is releasing a series of studies that examine imminent domain, and how Black communities are being negatively impacted.

-Jessie Jackson Wants More Diversity in Hollywood
Jessie Jackson met with Hollywood industry executives to discuss ways to increase minority representation in the film industry.

According to Carl DiOria (Reuters),

Jackson aims to convince industry elite that increased casting and hiring of minorities will broaden the creative scope of Hollywood entertainment and thus its revenue base.

Sounds like a step in the right direction.

SAILORS GET CRUNK

This is a great video. Props to the VAW-116 Hawkeye Squadron.

CNN Anchor Asks the People

By A.man.I
CNN anchor T.J. Holmes is reporting live from various Atlanta neighborhoods today.

Exclusive photos: Courtesy CNN
He's speaking to a Clark Atlanta University professor about Dr. King's legacy. Holmes will stop by a local restaurant near the Atlanta University Center and talk to residents abour revitalization efforts. He's also scheduled to visit Sweet Auburn Avenue, the home to the King Center and the neighborhood where African American businesses once thrived.

The folks at CNN told me that Holmes wanted to get out and ask some questions in the community. I like that. I've been meaning to catch up with him since he got in town. It just so happens, Holmes used to work with my brother at NBC11 in San Jose CA... Small world.


Courtesy CNN
It looks like the sistas appreciate his work. Adure wrote, Tj Holmes....Tj Holmes... let me allow you see why I called his name twice.

A Piece of History

by A.man.I

Toussaint L'Overture - Haiti's Liberator

The first of January is a day when we usually pop a few bottles and celebrate the new year, but the day also holds an important place in black history. On January 1, 1804, the island nation of Haiti became the only country ever to form after a slave revolt, and the first independent Black republic.

Its history isn't much different from the other colonized areas in the west. The indigenous Arawak's and Taino's were wiped out by infectious diseases like smallpox, so the Spanish turned to African slaves to replenish the population and mine for gold.

In 1625, the French started colonizing the island, eventually renaming is Saint-Dominique. The French side eventually became the richest colony in the West from the sugar and coffee trade. By 1790, the population had grown into thee distinct groups. The Europeans numbered about 32,000, there were also about 28,00 free blacks, and the slave population numbered about 500,000.

The French Revolution served as an inspiration to the non-European population, which pressured the government for expanded rights. In 1791, the French National Assembly granted political rights to all blacks who were born free, but not to the slaves. The slaves in the North however, rose up to fight their masters, and under the leadership of Toussaint L'Overture, the French army was defeated. L'Overture was eventually captured and died in jail, but Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe resumed the rebellion and defeated Napoleon's army.


Jean-Jaques Dessalines - Haiti's first emperor

The nation declared its independence in 1804, and became the second country after the United States to become independent, and it was all because of the only successfull slave rebellion in (modern) world history. The name Haiti was chosen to recognize the former Arawak name for the island, Ayti.

Source Wikipedia

Black Wall Street

by A.man.I

How many of you have heard of Black Wall Street? It was an affluent, thriving Black community made up of doctors, business owners, and other well-to-do professionals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This piece of American history has been all but forgotten, and left out of history books. So has the story of the massacre that occured on Memorial Day, May 20 in 1921.

Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell writes in the Chicago Defender,

For the past 75 years, the riot had remained Tulsa's shameful, unspeakable secret....

The savage massacre of 'Black Wall Street' in Tulsa, OK, was more heartless than any blood-thirsty lynching in the South, and more ruthless than the random slaughter of thousands in race riots of the North.

It's a horrible story of domestic terrorism, and I've only recently learned about the story.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

Atlanta Hosts Its First Social "unConference"

by A.man.I

On February 9 and 10, about 200 people representing corporate America, academia, government, press and non-profit organizations gathered at Kennesaw State Univeristy for a first of a kind conferece in the region called SoCon07.

The gathering focused on how social media and Web 2.0 can be utilized to spark a new wave of businesses, and enhance the way we communicate. The event's co-chair, Professor Leonard Witt said, "One of the biggest surprises of this conference was how mainstream its participants were. This is a clear indicator of how deeply Web 2.0 open source culture is moving into our society."

If you're not up on how this technology can benefit you, just look at websites such as Wikipedia.com, or Craigslist. The web has evolved into an interactive medium that allows users to contribute to "our" collective bank of knowledge, and it's building online communities as well. It presents a tremendous opportunity for people to share experiences, ideas, and build new businesses.

What does this mean for Black folks?
Watch the video below.

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Words that Changed a Nation

by A.man.I

This weekend, CNN will air a moving documentary that examines the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His inspiring speeches and sermons began as hand written thoughts that he penned on scraps of paper, and volumes of notepads, which reveal his thoughts, fears, goals, and doubts as he rose to greatness.

The Executive Producer of the documentary Jeff Reid says, "As journalists we all hope at least once in our careers we work on a project that will have an impact. Over the last 26 years I have been blessed to have worked on quite a few. However, for the past several months I've been working on a documentary with Soledad O'Brien I believe is exceptional, but I want you to be the judge."

Reid is encouraging families to watch the special, which airs this Saturday and Sunday at 8pm and 11pm EST.

A Video Lesson

By A.man.I
I've always had an interest in teaching, and I had the opportunity to teach video production at a Tampa community college for about three years when I lived there.

I would encourage anyone to take a class or two at a community college if you've ever considered learning about journalism, or video production. I got my first taste of broadcasting at a SF Bay Area community college (College of San Mateo), where I had the chance to work as a radio announcer, and TV producer. That lead to more opportunities and before I knew it, I was in Tampa, Florida reporting the news.

I'm now in Atlanta where I've become an advocate of the emerging form of journalism, most commonly known as citizen journalism. Since I'm now looking for grassroots journalism stories that focus on urban issues, I figured some of the Atlanta colleges may be a good source for stories.

It just so happened that one of the instructors is teaching journalism students about broadcasting this semester. Since this is my area of specialty, he asked me to lead a few class discussions on video basics.

The class is made up of a small group of seniors, who seemed very skeptical at first about having to learn about video. They're going to have to produce a video story for their mid-term project, so I'm giving them a production crash course.

Watch the video below.

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Check Deez

by A.man.I

Here are links to a few blogs that have caught my eye recently.

-The SuperSpade (Black Thought at the Highest Level)
The SuperSpade is a forum that presents critical, intellectual, relevant perspectives on the day's current issues and connects them to your everyday decisions.

These brothas write about everything from politics to new media, and they're always giving you something to think about.

-ItIsMyMind
Levois keeps an eye on the political scene and provides excellent commentary and anlysis of issues in his hometown Chicago.

-TrueGritz
If you want to get a taste of Southern culture vblog style, check out TrueGritz. The creators are out to prove to you that culture in the south is still alive. It's creatively produced, and the hosts are witty... It's like "He Haw" meets the Internet.

Please remember to always consider your source, there's a thin line between fact and fiction, especially online.

Peace

A Day for Lovers

by A.man.I

This is a day when we're supposed to pay more than the usual attention to the love in our life. That "love," is supposed to be someone like you're spouse, or significant other, but I believe that whether you're in love, married, happily single, or looking to mingle, we should all take a moment to reflect on love and its power.

It's not always manifested in the physical, though that is the standard by which many of us define love. For some it's sex, others are looking to fall in love, but I believe that life is love, because love created the heavens above and earth beneath our feet. So, if you bought chocolates, some expensive jewelry, or something simple and special for your loved one that's great, but don't forget to give a moment of your thoughts and energy to the most high, because God is love, and that love is eternal, and unconditional.

I'll now digress, and share some thoughts and moments from Passion and Poetry 9. It's an annual event that features some of the best poets, and music artists around. Radio station V-103 sponsored the event, and radio personality Joyce Little was one of the co-hosts.

This year singers, Algebra, Tank, Lorenzo Owens, and Philpia kept the crowd moving. Poets like Spinxx, Queen of Sheeba, and Tameka "Georgia Me" Harper, blessed the mic with their brilliant word play.

The annual event has quite a following in Atlanta, and the promoter informed me that they're planning to take the show on a nationwide tour, they're working some kind of TV deal as well, and the DVD from last year's show is now for sale. There were two sold out shows, and I can see why people keep coming back... It's all about love.

Some of the performers talk about the show below.

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Gettin' Buck

by A.man.I

Young Buck and the G Unit invaded Atlanta for a two-day music video shoot on February 6th and 7th. The song, entitled "Get Buck," is from his upcoming release "Buck the World." Atlanta's own DJ Polow Da Don produced the head nodding track.

"It's one of those records, it has a lot of energy. It's got a band theme," Buck said from the set on the first night of shooting. "It's one of those party records, and to me, I like to compare it to Fifty Cent's "In The Club," but ten more notches up," said Buck.

The music video was directed by Bernard Gourley, and rappers Lil' Scrappy, C-Bo, Hot Rod, Rich Boy, and DJ Polo made cameo appearances. Students from Atlanta's Mt. Zion High School were also featured in several scenes, along with members of Clark Atlanta University's Omega Psi Fi fraternity.

Sha Money XL, President of G Unit records said the album will drop on March 20th and said, it's "incredible."

One of my boys from back home Hasain Rasheed, was working on the set, and invited me out. Rasheed is a photographer, and now works with Gourley's film company, Immigrant films.

HR Photography website
HR Photography MySpace
Young Buck's website

Watch all the behind the scenes action from the video shoot below.

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Urban Headlines

by A.man.I

-Obama for President
It looks like Senator Barack Obama is set to officially announce his plans to run for President in '08. Read about it here.

-Genes and Premature Births in Black Women
A study conducted at Washington University indicates that black women might be genetically predisposed to give birth prematurely. Read about it here.

-African Countries Unite
Nigeria, Togo, and Benin have created a new regional body called the Co-Prosperity Alliance Zone (COPAZ). It's designed to integrate the economies of the three west African neighbors. Read about it here.

-R. Kelly has Emergency Surgery
Singer R. Kelly will miss a status hearing in the ongoing pornography case in Chicago. Kells reportedly had an emergency appendectomy in Miami during the Super Bowl. Read about it here.

Save for A Rainy Day (An Opnion)

by A.man.I

Are Americans in trouble financially? There's no doubt our society is built on consumerism. I see plenty of young adults driving luxury cars, we're bombarded with messages that tell us that success is measured by the things you own, and it can be hard to not fall into the trap of materialism.

Growing up, my father urged me to pay myself first, but as an adult it's been hard. All the bills, which included mounting credit debt, and a mortgage, made it nearly impossible for me to make saving a priority. It looks like I'm not the only one.

This article caught my attention last week. Apparently last year, Americans saved less money than since the time of the Depresssion. That's depressing. The savings rate nationally was negative 1 percent. That means people are spending more than they save, and they're paying for it primarilly with credit.

So while we spend our hard earned cash, and make these corporate exectives rich, we're digging our selves into a hole that's going to be tough to get out of. My household has managed to eliminate our debt, thankfully, and I've made a resolution to do more to keep the money in the community, and in my bank account.

Watch the adventure below.

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A Bangin' Documentary on HBO Tonight

by A.man.I

HBO's Jackie Glover with "Bastards of the Party" director Cle Sloan

"Bastards of the Party," gives an inside look at the rise of LA's notorious Crips and Bloods gangs. The picture was directed by Cle "Bone" Sloan, a now inactive member of Athens Park Bloods. Sloan's father died when he was four, he joined the Bloods at 12, but didn't begin to question his violent path until saw the name of his gang mentioned in a book he was reading while in jail.

Sloan eventually beat the murder rap, and continued to "bang," until former football star, and activist Jim Brown, helped him land a PA job on a movie set. Sloan eventually met movie producer Antione Fuqua, which lead to an appearance in "Training Day." This opened the doors for other acting film production jobs.

Fuqua then decided to help finance Sloan's documentary. Fuqua is quoted in Variety as saying,"I'd seen too many shrines in South Central and thought it was worth asking where the first bullet came from that started all this violence."

Sloan interviewed early gang members to trace the history of Southern California's gang movement, back to the 1940s, and follows its evolution through the politically charged 60's and 70's and on through the brief truce that occurred after the 1992 LA Riots.

Bastards of the Party airs tonight (Feb. 6) at 10pm on HBO.

-Variety article
Link to trailer (be patient while loading)

Here's to the Champions

by A.man.I

You don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate Super Bowl XLI. The game was for the history books. For the first time two Black Head Coaches, Tony Dungy (Colts), and Lovie Smith (Bears), let their teams to football's biggest game. When it was all over, Dungy, and the Indianapolis Colts, were rewarded with the coveted Lombardi Trophy.

It's been quite a ride for Dungy. He represents a different breed as far as head coaches go. He talks openly about his Christian faith. When he coached the Tampa Bay Bucs, he was often criticized for not being emotional, and even though he quickly turned the Bucs into winners, he was fired in 2002 when he failed to reach the Super Bowl. His successor John Gruden, got all the glory the following year when the Bucs won it all, but it's been argued that Gruden won with the team Dungy built.

After he became the head coach in Indianapolis, his family was dealt a tragic blow in 2005, after his 18-year-old son committed suicide. Dungy stood by his faith, and family, and never wavered.

So there he stood, on the sidelines of a drenched Dolphins Stadium. He watched the Bears score on the opening kickoff, but it wasn't time to panic. This was his time to shine, and when it was all over, he and his team were crowned champions. Congrats to Dungy, the first African-American Head Coach to win a Super Bowl.

Sometimes the good guys do win.

Dungy speaks about his faith and family below.
Courtesy Athletes in Action.

Watch part 1 of the video here.

Dreams Came True... I'm an Uncle!!

by A.man.I
On January 20th, my brother and his wife became first time parents. Their son had a tough time coming into this world, and he spent more than a week in the hospital, but Lorenzo Elijah Channel is home now, and giving his parents sleepless nights. Though I'm miles apart, technology allowed my brother to share his first moments of fatherhood.

Watch below.
DREAMS CAME TRUE

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A Call To Lead

by A.man.I

Courtesy Kennesaw State University

Nearly 200 African American high school students from the Atlanta area learned lessons about leadership, networking, and the importance of higher education, at a first of its kind conference at Kennesaw State University on Tuesday, January 30th.

H.E. "Doc" Holliday, Ph.D., organized the Men of Distinction Leadership Conference because he says public schools are doing a poor job of educating male students and preparing them for college.

According to college enrollment reports, black women outnumber men 1,266,107 to 686,615. “We have more and more dropping out, or in jail, than we do in college today,” explained Holliday.

It’s a nationwide problem, said KSU President Dr. Dan Papp. Two years ago the university started the African American Male Initiative program to not only attract males, and keep them in school through graduation.

“By bringing students in high school, students who are performing well, to college campuses, in this case Kennesaw State, we are providing opportunities for them to understand what college life is all about,” explained Papp.

Tuesday’s workshop included a speech from motivational speaker Mike Howard, who stressed the need for male leadership. The students then broke into smaller groups were they were mentored by KSU students who explained the importance of networking, mental and physical wellness, and politics.

Theodore Bullard, the NAACP Student President at KSU, told the group they all should all be politically involved, and encouraged them to organize voter registration drives at their schools. “I hear people talk about grassroots, the grassroots is the young people,” said Bullard.

After lunch, the participants learned about college financial aid, and how to avoid some of the obstacles that prevent students from finishing. The students were hand picked from roughly 20 area high schools because of their strong leadership qualities.

Holliday said the public school system is doing a terrible of job of educating students across the board. “We can’t wait for others to resolve the problem,” he said. Holliday is an Assistant Professor at KSU who spent four decades working in public schools. “We have to empower young people, teach them, train them empower them, to resolve issues themselves,” he said.

The lessons seemed to reach listening ears. Matthew Crowley, a junior at Kennesaw Mountain Valley High School said, “I think it’s great. I’m glad we had the opportunity to be here.”

Crowley is already involved in a peer mentoring program at his school. “I wish we could get some more men from our school to be here. Hopefully we can take this information back and gather with the rest of our group, and make a difference,” he said.

Doc Holliday's website.

Watch video below.

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