Locks Conference Natural Hair, Wholistic Health & Beauty Expo

After several years of informal spoken word performances, occasional vending events, and natural hair design demonstrations a group of determined young women decided to approach developing their businesses in a different manner. In 1994, those three Nubian business women with the help of committed sponsors began planning an event to celebrate the unique beauty of their natural hair and provide a venue that offered an opportunity to exchange goods, services, and information; share experiences; learn techniques; and support each other’s growth: culturally, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  Now years later, after a few changes and natural evolution, the Annual International Locks Conference: Natural Hair, Wholistic Health and Beauty Expo has grown into two exhilarating days full of excitement, edutainment, delicious healthy food, informative and consciousness raising workshops, soothing healing circles, great live music, soul-stiring poetry, alluring fashions, breath-taking hair styles, hair adornments and a stunning natural hair show and competition.  Proving that the Locks Conference like an Afro is bigger than a hairstyle or hair show. It is about spiritual upliftment, social change, empowerment,  and celebration of our divine  rights and natural beauty.


The Annual International Locks Conference: Natural Hair, Wholistic Health Beauty Expo is the original and longest consecutive running African centered and Indigenous cultural and educational natural hair conference in the country.  The Locks Conference in Philadelphia is always held the first weekend in October, and since its inception it has placed a specific focus on natural hair care, cultural heritage, social change, justice, and wholistic health and wellness.  Over the years the organizing committee and sponsors have produced and promoted a conference that is more than an educational, cultural, and natural hair event; it seeks to turn around the damage created by 400 hundreds without a comb, and it is a memorable experience with something of value for all who attend.


The Locks Conference has always been a special and nurturing event for families and friends to enjoy a wholesome weekend together.  The dedicated members of the Kuumba Family Organizing Committee are committed to continuing the tradition and have dedicated their energy as previously stated, to promoting cultural awareness, education, wholistic and natural health and living, social change, and raising consciousness.


Attendance: Over the past years  more than 3,000 patrons have converged on the expo from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, California, UK, Canada, and the Caribbean: Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados,  St Thomas. The

Kuumba Family Organizing Committee is very appreciative of the growing numbers of people who attend year after year and will work hard to produce a conference that more and more people will want to attend.         


Organized by: Kuumba Family Organizing Committee and the Hair-ITAGE Society


Attractions: Annual International Locks Conference (AILC) features local, regional, and national  arts and craft artists /merchants exhibiting the finest quality hand crafted jewelry, natural body and hair care products, African artifacts and Aboriginal and urban fashions, poetry cafe, doll making and belly dancing workshops; line dancing, yoga, visual art and cultural entertainment, African marketplace, children’s activities, live musical performances,  workshops, lectures, cultural fashion shows and natural hair show and competition. AILC also features leading Aboriginal Indigenous experts from the natural wholistic health and natural hair care field,  world-renowned scholars, activists, and artists from a myriad of professions. They join many people who utilize the expo as an annual autumn family gathering and networking opportunity. Attendees report that their time at the conference year after year has provided  physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual upliftment and renewal.

The Tradition Continues! 

For additional information about:
Volunteering * Vending * Presenting * Sponsorship

Feel free to email the Kuumba family at locksconference@verizon.net or

call 1-888-305-3186

Date: October 2nd & 3rd

Time: 11 AM - 8:30 PM

Admission: $5.00

Location: Walter D. Palmer LLP Charter School

                  910 N 6th Street (6 & Popular)

                  Philadelphia, PA, 19123

Van Jones

Our country is in the depths of an economic recession and ecological crisis. We need nine million new jobs in the United States. They must be jobs that can support families and jobs that do no harm to the environment. America needs her best minds generating smart and innovative ideas to create more jobs. Van Jones is one of those people.

Van Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean-energy economy. He is the best-selling author of the definitive book on green jobs: The Green-Collar Economy. He served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House in 2009.

Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress. Additionally, he is a senior policy advisor at Green For All.

Van also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

The Clean-Energy Economy

Van is the founder of Green For All, the national organization working to get green jobs to disadvantaged communities. He was the main advocate for the Green Jobs Act, which George W. Bush signed into law in 2007. The Act was the first piece of federal legislation to codify the term "green jobs." Under the Obama administration, it has resulted in $500 million for green job training nationally.

Human Rights

While best known for his promotion of green jobs, Van has been hard at work for nearly two decades, fashioning solutions to some of urban America's toughest problems. In addition to Green For All, he is the co-founder of two social justice organizations: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Color of Change.

Awards & Honors

Van's work has earned him many awards and honors, including:

• Van was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2009.
• Van was designated by the World Economic Forum as a "Young Global Leader."
• Van is a recipient of the international Ashoka Fellowship.
• Van was one of Essence Magazine's 25 most inspiring African Americans in 2008. Last year, Ebony Magazine named him one of the Power 150.

Source: http://vanjones.net/

Cable Network dedicated to HBCUs set to launch next fall

An “edutainment” and lifestyle network devoted to Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the United States, will launch in 2011.  The announcement was confirmed by C3 Media, LLC a holding company, at a press conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Designed to fill a void in the cable industry, the channel will serve as the official destination of the four major HBCU Conferences (MEAC, SWAC, SIAC, CIAA) featuring Black College sporting events. Additionally, the network will offer a full complement of education & entertainment (edutainment) as well as lifestyle programming.  Built on the solid foundation of the 143-year old HBCU brand, the network will focus on a previously unexplored aspect of African American life focusing on its significant cultural importance to the global community.

The new channel will bring a different business model to the cable industry by reinvesting in the African American community it will serve.   The HBCU Network will provide a 20% equity position to HBCUs, offering direct financial benefit and long-term sustainability.

“The idea and vision behind the creation of the HBCU Network is to preserve and celebrate the African American colleges and universities, while also providing opportunities for their growth and further prosperity,” said CEO Curtis Symonds. “At the same time, we are passionate and excited about building a strong media brand and network from the ground up.”

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the HBCU Network is owned and operated by C3 Media, LLC, a holding company that includes an executive team with more than 75 years of cable industry experience. C3 Media LLC  is comprised of industry notables including veteran cable television executives Curtis Symonds, Chief Executive Officer; Clint Evans, Executive Vice President, Distribution & Marketing, and Candace Walker, Executive Vice President, Programming.

“We are excited at the opportunity to bring an unexplored side of the African American experience to television,” said Ms. Walker, EVP, HBCU Net Programming.  “Our goal is to engage our audience with quality programming that promotes the rich history and legacy of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities while giving voice to a young and diverse urban population.  HBCU Net is well-positioned to educate, motivate and inspire with a clear focus on African American heritage and legacy.”

According to Clint Evans, Executive Vice President, Distribution & Marketing, “The HBCU Network will be available across the United States, but initially within the 20 state HBCU footprint. This footprint encompasses the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southern regions of the country.”

The network’s primary audience will consist of African Americans 15-24 years of age and include the HBCU student population, Panhellenic organizations, Theological seminaries and the multicultural and general market student populations at non traditional universities and colleges. The network will also target HBCU faculty, alumni and sports fans; along with the broader African American 25 – 49+ population, as well as the multicultural and general market, and the educational community.

Source: http://www.onnidan.com/index.php/newsroom/40-september-2010-headlines/143-cable-network-dedicated-to-hbcus-set-to-launch-next-fall.html?sms_ss=facebook

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry's inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood's A-list is the stuff of American legend.  Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Tyler fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and shows.

It was a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey that set Tyler's career in motion.  Encouraged to keep a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences, Tyler began writing a series of soul-searching letters to himself-letters full of pain, forgiveness, and, in time, a healing catharsis.  The letters inspired a musical, I KNOW I'VE BEEN CHANGED, and in 1992 Tyler gathered his life's savings and set off for Atlanta in hopes of staging it for sold out crowds.  He spent all the money but the people never came, and Tyler once again came face to face with the poverty that had plagued his youth.  He spent months sleeping in seedy motels and his car but his faith-in God and, in turn, himself-only got stronger.  He forged a powerful relationship with the church, and he kept writing.  In 1998 his perseverance paid off and a promoter booked I KNOW I'VE BEEN CHANGED for a limited run at a local church-turned-theatre.  This time the community came out in droves, and soon the musical moved to Atlanta's prestigious Fox Theatre.  Tyler Perry never looked back.

I KNOW I'VE BEEN CHANGED was a poignant story of failure and redemption, and it resounded with urban audiences who identified with its themes and exalted in its spirit.  In Tyler they'd found a voice for their longings, and an outlet for their entertainment, and so began an incredible run of eight plays in as many years, including WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED!, a celebrated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes.     

But if audiences were buoyed by Tyler's faith, they were bowled over by his humor.  No way around it: the man was plain funny.  Nowhere was this more in evidence than in 2000's I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF, which marked the first appearance of the now-legendary Madea.  A God-fearing, gun-toting, pot-smoking, loud-mouthed grandmother, Madea was played by Perry himself.  Madea was such a resounding success, she soon spawned a series of plays-MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION (2002), MADEA'S CLASS REUNION (2003) and MADEA GOES TO JAIL (2005)- and set the stage for Tyler's jump to the big screen.

 In early 2005, Tyler's first feature film, DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, debuted at #1 nationwide.  By the end of its first weekend in theatres, two things had happened: the film had earned $22 million, and Tyler Perry-writer, actor, and producer-had become a superstar.  Tyler's ensuing films, MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION, DADDY LITTLE GIRLS, WHY DID I GET MARRIED?, MEET THE BROWNS, and THE FAMILY THAT PREYS have all met with massive critical and commercial success, delighting audiences across America and around the world.  His most recent film, MADEA GOES TO JAIL, spent two weeks at the top of the box office and ultimately went on to gross more than $90 million.

2006 saw the publication of Tyler's first book, DON'T MAKE A BLACK WOMAN TAKE OFF HER EARRINGS: MADEA'S UNINHIBITED COMMENTARIES ON LIFE AND LOVE, which shot to the top of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and remained there for eight weeks.  It went on to claim Quill Book Awards for both "Humor" and "Book of the Year" (an unheard-of feat for a first-time author), and spread Tyler Perry's unique brand of inspirational entertainment to a devoted new audience.  

               

It is a brand that is quickly becoming an empire.  In 2007, Tyler expanded his reach to television with the TBS series TYLER PERRY'S HOUSE OF PAYNE, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time, which went into syndication after only a year.  His follow up effort, MEET THE BROWNS, was the second highest debut ever on cable - after HOUSE OF PAYNE - and was picked up for 80 episodes to begin airing this summer.  Not one to rest on success, Tyler Perry and his 300 Atlanta-based employees are hard at work on new projects including I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF starring Academy Award® nominee Taraji Henson and Mary J. Blige, currently in production; WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO, which will go into production this summer.  This fall, he will help release PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SAPHIRE, in conjunction with his 34th Street Films banner, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films and Lionsgate. The film was also the recipient of three prestigious awards at the festival: Grand Jury Prize: U.S Dramatic, Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Acting.

In the fall of 2008, Perry also opened his 200,000 square foot studios in Atlanta situated on the former Delta Airlines campus on more than 30 acres.  Employing hundreds of local Atlantans, his new studio consists of 5 sound stages, a post production facility, a pond, a back lot, a 400 seat theater and private screening room and designated areas for entertaining and holding events.

But listen to Tyler Perry and you'll hear a man who hasn't forgotten about the people that have helped him reach the top a mountain he could once only dream of climbing.  He has been intimately involved in civil rights cases-including the trial of the Jena 6 in his home state of Louisiana - and charities that focus on helping the homeless, such as Feeding America, Covenant House, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure and Perry Place - a 20 home community Tyler built for survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.  Tyler Perry practices what he preaches, and what he preaches has endeared him to millions of fans drawn by that unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor that continues to shape his inspiring life story and extraordinary body of work.

Source: http://www.tylerperry.com/

National CARES Mentoring Program

National CARES Mentoring Movement is dedicated to recruiting and connecting mentors with local youth-serving and mentoring organizations to help guide struggling Black children to academic and social success, and to closing the huge gap between the relatively few Black mentors and millions of our vulnerable children.

Our Purpose

NCMM is devoted to closing the huge gap between the relatively few Black adult mentors and the millions of vulnerable Black children on mentoring organizations' waiting lists throughout the nation. It is imperative that we raise awareness of the critical need for mentors and role models among Black adults.

We are dedicated to recruiting and connecting mentors with local youth-serving organizations to help guide our struggling children to academic and social success. Research proves that mentoring is a low-cost, high-results solution to a deepening crisis. Mentoring has the power to transform even the most challenged children’s lives. 

Source: http://www.caresmentoring.org/

Lupe Fiasco: I'm Beamin...

Will Smith On Pursuing Your Dreams

Get Real, Get Rich: Conquer the 7 Lies Blocking You from Success

Raised by a single parent in the impoverished south side of Chicago as the youngest of five children, Farrah Gray defied the odds to become a millionaire at the age of fourteen. He made his second million by sixteen and now inspires thousands through his speeches, writing, and consulting. His recipe for success: attitude, hustle, and an emphatic rejection of the most pervasive lies most of us believe about money and success.

In Get Real, Get Rich, Farrah breaks down those seven lies one by one. Have you ever thought to yourself I’ll never be rich because I wasn’t born with connections, or a special talent? That’s The Born Lucky Lie. The truth is this: Luck is about showing up. And Farrah will help you move beyond the lottery mentality. If you’ve convinced yourself that you must first have money to make money, then you’ve fallen prey to The Money Lie. In the real world, the path to millions starts with just one dollar, and Farrah can help you find that first one. Perhaps you recognize yourself in one of these other misconceptions:

I have to hit it big in entertainment or sports to be rich (The Celebrity Lie).
I have to work hard and make sacrifices to be rich (The Work Hard Lie).
I have to have zero debt to be rich (The Debt Lie).
I have to be super smart or invent something the world relies on to be rich (The Google and Gates Lie).
I have to know a lot about the stock market or work on the Street to be rich (The Wall Street Lie).

In seven simple and provocative chapters blending inspiration and an actionable wealth building plan, Farrah lays out your road map to a richer life.

“Too many of us live paycheck to paycheck and pray that those compilations of books and CDs and DVDs will somehow lead us to ‘automatic wealth.’ News flash: There’s no such thing as automatic wealth - at least not in the real world. In this book, I’m not only going to share the mind-set you need to achieve all that you dream, but also the specific strategies that accompany that state of mind. I want to help you marshal out your own wealth potential, which relates to everything about you - not just your bank account.”

Source: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Get-Real-Get-Rich/Farrah-Gray/e/9780525950448

Clothing: Dangerous Negro

Our Mission
To help promote the Black Empowerment Movement through positive propaganda.

The Brand
We firmly believe that through our products we can increase the number of socially conscious individuals around the world, and, in turn, increase their impact on the community. By serving as a visual representation of the Black Empowerment Movement, our brand can help to inspire action and combat the apathy that has taken over many aspects of the Black community.

The Company
Started in 2006 by seven recent college graduates, dN|Be began with a committment to Black empowerment through fashion and entertainment. We are 100% Black/African owned and are committed to providing jobs in Black communities in the U.S.A. and several international locations in the name of economic empowerment. Five Percent (5%) of all proceeds go to support various non-profits that contribute to Black empowerment (click here to see our current beneficiaries).

dN|Be is now comprised of two operating companies, dN|Be Apparel and dN|Be Entertainment. Potential investors (in the apparel and/or entertainment companies) can contact us at info@dnbeapparel.com.

The Logo
Our logo, The Rankh, represents enlightenment and is a combination of two ancient Egyptian (or Kemetic for those that know better) symbols: the Eye of Ra and the Ankh. In short, The Eye of Ra symbolizes the sun and the ability to perceive that which is illuminated, and the Ankh is the symbol of life. The logo signifies a return to our roots and a return to greatness.

Source: http://www.dangerousnegro.com

Lotus Academy

The Lotus Academy was founded in 1974, and has operated since that time on the basis of one primary objective: creating an academically superior and culturally affirming institution that develops future leaders and thinkers. Because the Lotus Academy is a private, independent school that receives no funding from city, state, or federal sources, it is able to operate on a very selective admissions basis. Every student applicant is tested and observed, and must meet our high academic and developmental standards in order to be accepted for admission. All incoming students’ previous report cards and school records are thoroughly reviewed prior to their admission to ensure that their behavioral and character development will also allow them to be successful in a program where conduct is as important as academic performance.

The Lotus Academy is dedicated to educating talented students who come from families that motivate them and support their academic, creative, and character development. The school’s mission is to provide these students with an academic program that will ensure a solid foundation of learning skills while guiding and directing them to be innovative and independent thinkers. At the same time, every aspect of the program is designed to instill a strong sense of discipline, respect, and self-control in every student. One of the critical elements in this process is a commitment to ground the Lotus Academy program in a cultural environment that enhances our students’ sense of self-confidence and self-esteem by nurturing them with a celebration of their African heritage.

Source: http://www.lotusacademy.org


http://www.lotusacademy.org

African-American exhibit is coming to Racing Hall of Fame

9/5/2010 11:06 PM
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer

An exhibit featuring the contributions of the African-American community to the equine and Thoroughbred industries in the area will be featured next February during Black History Month at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum.

"We're reaching out to the African-American community to people who may have photographs, stories or clippings or anything else they may want to share for the exhibit," said Lisa Hall, City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department and Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame program supervisor. "We've already had a couple of e-mail inquiries."

African-Americans have played a significant role in the sport of Thoroughbred racing. African-American jockeys during a 27-year period - from 1875-1902 - were a dominant force in the Kentucky Derby as 11 different riders won the Run for the Roses 15 times during that span. African-Americans have made significant contributions as horsemen as owners, trainers, grooms and exercise riders.

"People can call me at the office if they want to set up an appointment to come by and show me what they have. I'll be more then happy to sit down and take a look," said Hall.

All of the items that are part of the exhibit will be returned. The clippings and photographs will be scanned, she said. Those who have a story that has been passed from one generation to another about a family member or friend who had worked in the area's equine industry will be recorded, and the story will become part of a DVD compilation that will play during the exhibit, said Hall.

For those parties interested in participating in the exhibit, call 642-7650 or contact the Hall of Fame via e-mail at lhallcityofaikensc.gov or halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov.

Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com. 


Source: http://secureaik.mediaspanonline.com/Local/0904halloffame

Facebook - Fan Page: I Love Being Black

 

Basic Info

Founded: 2003

Detailed Info

Website:

http://www.becauseimblack.com http://www.ilovebeingblack.com http://www.bushdoesntcareaboutblackpeopl...

Company Overview:

Established in 2003, BecauseImBlack.com entered the fashion scene with I love being Black apparel and accessories. These products are sold online and at marketplaces, festivals, expos and trade shows. The originator of this company was the recipient of the 2007 Urban League Top 40 Under 40 award. BecauseImBlack.com makes many charitable contributions to organization such as: Sistas Against Drugs & Alcohol Abuse, The Los Angeles Black Women's Health Conference, The National Society of Black Engineers, The Urban League, Several Hurricane Katrina efforts, The Jena 6 movement, Bibliotheque du Soleil (a Haitian library), African American Excellence in Business Awards Silent Auction, Black Family Day, UCSD Black Student Union, Childrens Defense Fund and more. BecauseImBlack.com also participates in fashion shows, photo shoots, and modeling contests to showcase products. For additional information, please visit BecauseImBlack.com. Trolls/Racists/Agitators & people who attack other fans beware, you will be banned without warning. (read less)

Established in 2003, BecauseImBlack.com entered the fashion scene with I love being Black apparel and accessories. These products are sold online and at marketplaces, festivals, expos and trade shows. The originator of this company was the recipient of the 2007 Urban League Top 40 Under 40 award. BecauseImBlack.com makes many charitable contributions to organization such as: Sistas Against Drugs & Alcohol Abuse, The Los Angeles Black Women's Health Conference, The National Society of Black Engineers, The Urban League, Several Hurricane Katrina efforts, The Jena 6 movement, Bibliotheque du Soleil (a Haitian library), African American Excellence in Business Awards Silent Auction, Black Family Day, UCSD Black Student Union, Childrens Defense Fund and more. BecauseImBlack.com also participates in fashion shows, photo shoots, and modeling contests to showcase products. For additional information, please visit BecauseImBlack.com. Trolls/Racists/Agitators & people who attack other fans beware, you will be banned without warning.

Mission:

To combat self-hatred and negativity coming from outside or inside our community, and to do it with style. This page was created so Black people can come together to discuss topics and enjoy the information/links we post.

Products:

I Love Being Black Apparel & Accessories. Visit our webpage for more info: • Products - http://www.becauseimblack.com/ • Calendar - http://www.becauseimblack.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=17

 

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/lovebeingblack

 

Source: http://www.facebook.com/lovebeingblack

NBC Show: Undercovers

From acclaimed writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams ("Star Trek," "Fringe," "Lost," "Alias") and executive producer/writer Josh Reims ("Brothers and Sisters," "What About Brian") comes a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world's most dangerous partnership.

Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe, "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Vacation," "Soul Food," "Resident Evil: Afterlife") and his wife, Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, "Dr. Who," "Bonekickers"), are a typical married couple who own and operate a small catering company in Los Angeles - with help from Samantha's easily frazzled handful of a sister, Lizzy (Mekia Cox, "90210," "This Is It"). Secretly, the duo were two of the best spies the CIA had ever known, until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired.

When fellow spy and good friend Leo Nash (Carter MacIntyre, "American Heiress," "Nip/Tuck") goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss and agency liaison, Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney, "Deadwood," "Jericho"), to locate and rescue Nash.

With assistance from resourceful CIA field agent Bill Hoyt (Ben Schwartz, "Parks and Recreation," "Bronx World Travelers"), whose professional admiration for Steven isn't hard to miss, the pair is thrust back into the world of espionage, disguises and hand-to-hand combat.

Following leads that take them to cities spanning the globe, Steven and Samantha quickly realize that perhaps this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides exactly the kind of excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.

"Undercovers" is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Abrams directed the pilot and co-wrote it, along with Reims. They also serve as executive producers along with Bryan Burk ("Star Trek," "Fringe," "Lost, "Alias").

Source: http://www.nbc.com/undercovers/

Undercovers
Premiers Date: 9/22/2010
Time: 9/8 c

TNT Show: HawthoRNe

The doors of Richmond Trinity have closed…permanently. That’s the dramatic reality that opens the second season of TNT’s powerful medical drama, HAWTHORNE. This June, the hit series returns with star and executive producer Jada Pinkett Smith (The Women, The Matrix trilogy) as Christina Hawthorne, a Chief Nursing Officer ready for battle on the front lines of a war against declining patient services and hospital budget cuts.

HAWTHORNE is told from the point of view of nurses as they struggle against the odds to deliver the best care possible. The series also stars Michael Vartan (Alias) as Dr. Tom Wakefield, Richmond Trinity’s Chief of Surgery who helped Christina’s husband during the last stages of his cancer; Suleka Mathew (Men in Trees) as Bobbie Jackson, a fellow nurse and one of Christina’s best friends; David Julian Hirsh (Lovebites) as Ray Stein, a nurse struggling with being accepted in a female-dominated profession; Christina Moore (90210) as Candy Sullivan, a nurse with a patriotic sense of duty; Vanessa Lengies (American Dreams) as Kelly Epson, who continues to find her footing as a nurse; and Hannah Hodson (TNT’s The Ron Clark Story) as Christina’s daughter Camille.

As the second season of HAWTHORNE opens, several Richmond Trinity doctors and nurses have been transferred to James River, a failing hospital in terrible shape. There, Christina butts heads with the ER’s head nurse, Gail Strummer (Vanessa Bell Calloway – The District), who is extremely set in her ways. Christina is impressed, however, by the charming Dr. Steve Shaw (Adam Rayner – Mistresses), who hails from England, and the hard-working ER clerk Marcus Leeds (Collins Curtis Pennie – Half Nelson), who has his eye on Camille.

This season, Christina and Tom will try to forge a romantic relationship, especially now that he is no longer serving as Chief of Surgery and can devote more time to patient care and a private life. Bobbie will once again find herself helping out homeless mother Isabelle. Ray’s lust-hate relationship with Dr. Marshall will hit some snags over Ray’s continued feelings toward Candy, who is serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Kelly’s confidence as a nurse will slowly build, thanks in part to her work with a nurse (guest star Sarah Gilbert – Roseanne) who’s even more insecure. And Camille takes a step toward adulthood that her mother isn’t sure she’s prepared to take.

Created by Emmy winner John Masius (St. Elsewhere, Providence, Dead Like Me), HAWTHORNE comes to TNT from Sony Pictures Television in association with Pinkett Smith’s 100% Womon Productions, John Masius Productions and Jamie Tarses’ FanFare Productions. HAWTHORNE is executive-produced by Pinkett Smith; Masius; Glen Mazzara (The Shield, Crash, Life); and Jamie Tarses (My Boys).

Source: http://www.tnt.tv/series/hawthorne/

HawthoRNe
Day: Tuesday
Time: 8/7c

Image Source: http://www.buzzsugar.com/TV-Tonight-Series-Premiere-TNTs-HawthoRNe-3313437

Mosaic Literary Magazine

Launched in 1998, Mosaic is a website and quarterly print magazine exploring the literary arts by writers of African descent. Each issue contains a unique blend of profiles, book reviews, and literature  lesson plans.

Mosaic is produced by the Literary Freedom Project, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt not-for-profit arts organization that supports the literary arts through education, creative thinking, and new media.

Ron Kavanaugh
Executive Director
ron@mosaicmagazine.org

Marcia E. Wilson
WideVision Photography
“Around Town” Photographer

Mosaic Literary Magazine
314 West 231 St #470
Bronx NY 10463
718.530.9132

EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The Literary Freedom Project provides educators with literary arts lesson plans based on the content of each issue of Mosaic. Each plan uses the work by writers of African descent as a connective tool to a variety of subjects: history, social studies, and English. Our goal is to increase self awareness while promoting reading and strengthening literacy.

Lesson Plans
Mosaic supplements its editorial content with lesson plans that are developed based on the content of Mosaic. These lesson plans, developed for secondary school educators, demonstrate how Mosaic’s content can serve as a connective tool to explore educational subjects such as history and social studies while also serving to increase the importance of literature in the classroom

Mosaic Literary Conference
MLC provides a platform for literature-based creative thinking and knowledge sharing. Each year we invite educators, community and arts organizations, and artists to participate in various professional-development workshops.

SUPPORT
Programs of the Literary Freedom Project are funded in part by the Bronx Council on the Arts, a JP Morgan Chase Re-grant, the New York State Council on the Arts, and Poets & Writers, Inc. through public funds from the New York State Department of Cultural Affairs. In-kind support provided by WNYC Radio

Source: http://mosaicmagazine.org

Black America Web

BlackAmericaWeb.com, launched in June 2001, is a broad-based effort to become a timely and credible source for news and information covering all aspects of daily life, featuring a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives. In launching BlackAmericaWeb.com, Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," endeavored to create an interactive, easy-to-use Internet community and comprehensive source of information for and about African-Americans. Providing visitors with relevant news and information produced by original writers and the Black press, and tools that help site visitors make informed decisions that affect their daily lives is our goal.

Joyner envisions BlackAmericaWeb.com as a vehicle to leverage his tremendous popularity and to create a one-stop source that will bring African-Americans together. "This is more than just a website," said Joyner, the site's founder and principal, whose morning drive time show is heard by more than 8 million people in more than 115 markets. "We want to bring together the African-American community like no one has ever done before."
The site, which is Joyner's latest enterprise, builds off his drive to "inform, entertain and empower" African-Americans. BlackAmericaWeb.com is building upon the unparalleled ability of Tom Joyner to mobilize African-Americans.

If you have a comment about a news story you have seen on BlackAmericaWeb, you can email news@blackamericaweb.com to submit your comments.

Source: http://www.blackamericaweb.com/

Image Source:  http://www.blackamericaweb.com/

Pull Your Pants Up and be a man!

Foreword by actor Malik Yoba. Pull Your Pants Up and be a man! is a book to inspire thought and change. It will benefit the young thirteen-year-old boy who may not be fully aware of the steps he should take in planning a good life. It will be equally beneficial to the eighteen year old who has wandered away from a life of decency and good judgments. Pull Your Pants Up covers:

* What kills a dream?
* How can you start to dream again? Is it too late for you?
* How important is education in reaching your goal?
* What is a family, and what role do you play in making it work?
* How are you related to your neighborhood?
* How do you show respect?
* What is the honest way to make money and save it?

The Black Scholars Index

Have you ever had to highlight the advantages of getting an education to those around you?   Are there Black youth around you who need/want to see academic role models?  Do you need/want mentally stimulating motivation yourself?

Well, The Black Scholars Index is for you!

Powered by Uplift, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization, The Black Scholars Index™ (BSI)  is an online venue to highlight, record, analyze, and illustrate the scholarly achievements within the Black Diaspora (descendents of Africans who have settled throughout the world as a result of the Atlantic slave trade). In keeping with current uses of Internet technology, BSI hosts features such as:

1. An extensive Directory of Black Scholars;
2. Talented Tenth, BSI’s online Journal for Black Scholars;
3. the BSI Digital Repository, a database of dissertations, research papers, and other work produced by Black scholars;
4. online collaboration tools;
5. a network for mentoring potential students of higher education;
6. pod/webcasts, and a host of Web 2.0 data visualization elements;
7. Interviews and articles featuring Black Scholars.

These tools and features will provide analytical measurements, share insightful perspectives, and enhance the historical account of the knowledge production and of the many societal contributions by Black Scholars.

Source: http://www.blackscholarsindex.com/about-2/