Photo by Michael Grant

WASHINTON- BMXNational is organizing a leardership summit for local chapter leaders.

You already have a functioning business. And, this outline in no way seeks to belittle or undercut what has already been conceived. The idea however is to create and establish a structure for your business that works for the web, through your site. Because we’ve already investigated your ideas thoroughly and brainstormed together, I was able to come up with an idea of how your business should function, what your business needs to say, and how your site should operate.

We’ll be using google docs to collaborate during the process of drafting our master idea. We will see it develop into a solid idea that we will work from to produce text on the final website.

We seek to answer that the business is and does here. Think elevator speech, to fully explained idea. Let’s fine-tune.

Cleo shakes it up tonight on the OT SHOW and host Ollie Yero Tansimore aka OT – with a panel that includes includes Best Selling Author Omar Tyree, C.E.O an Author Gregory V. Arnold ( HELP Enterprises,Motivation,Self Help) and Gerald Father. You don’t want to miss this show. The topic – the Trayvon Martin case – tune in @7pm est athttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/otshow/2012/03/30/ot-show

While some people were watching and reading news of the Trayvon Martin story in their homes, the Black Mens Xchange of Los Angeles (BMX-LA) participating in public demonstration. The faces of Malcolm X, the young boy wearing a hoodie, and the word “JUSTICE” were plastered on protest boards in support of a call to action and justice for the slain 17-year-old boy from Florida.

Through the grounds of the a murder scene though hundreds of miles away, resonated deep rooted feelings in the hearts people on the opposite coast. So much so, it has brought many organized groups together in public outcry against the system. BMX-LA and it’s members feel justice is not being served, so they march and protest.

On the scene, leading BMX-LA Organizer Malcolm Harris had this to say about the ordeal, “We believe that our lives, the lives of Black males in America and around the world have human value no less than anyone else.”

The controversy around the officer’s actions in following Trayvon point to what some say believe are of obvious ill intent. ”Zimmerman stalked and followed young Trayvon, even after ‘law enforcement’ told him not too,” Harris said. “That alone should have put him in jail. It was raining that day. I don’t think burglars walk the street in the rain in broad day like talking on a cellphone.”

Barron Chisolm, also a BMX Organizer agreed. “I know what it’s like to constantly be accused of being ‘up to no good,’ and face threats to my life because of it,” said Chisolm. “But to make thing worse, Trayvon has not been treated right eve after the murder. His body wasn’t identified until the next day when police, responding to his father’s missing person report, showed him a picture of his dead son’s body! I mean come on. Some dogs are treated better.”

BMX Los Angeles found an outlet to share their grief and distain for the system. “We are out here with our community seeking humane consideration and justice,” said Chisolm.

There’s a name causing quite a stir in the social-sphere, which is being met with both cheer and reprisal just a little over half way into black history month.

It is Cleo Manago’s, after the recent rant of offensive tweets by CNN political analyst Roland Martin.

While Roland Martin’s irresponsible and unadulterated tweets during this year’s Super Bowl were duly noted, Manago’s has expressed publicly his disappointment with the lack of attention to attention to detail by GLAAD and see’s them as having a larger problem.

Recently, Manago was quoted on The Root with claims that GLAAD is “Blackphobic.”

His quote however, is merely a sliver of the larger picture Manago has painted in recent open letters about the problems surrounding Martin’s behavior and his questionable methods surrounding GLAAD.

A recent Huffington Post headline spotlights Manago and Black Men’s Xchange National, presenting the question of Manago as a possible danger, written by renowned African American lesbian activist, scholar and public theologian Irene Monroe.

Monroe’s article plays on the theme of Manago as a danger to some and a hero to others. Ultimately, Monroe’s story suggests Manago is a man of ideas, and action by highlighting the many and various achievements and milestones of he and BMX National.

The Huffington Post’s article gracefully highlights the story of Manago’s journey in LGBTQ community, and so accurately captures real issues he and his organizations have addressed.

Manago was also cited by the Huffington Post as “one of the first innovators in the AIDS movement to provide HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services utilizing a psychosocial, mental health model that was culturally specific to the African-American identity. AmASSI has been in practice since 1989.”

Side Bar:

*The Black Men’s Xchange has published this article in hopes that it will better inform readers about issues concerning our cause. We encourage you to leave commentary on how you feel about the article, and to share this story. Your assistance helps the exposure of our organization, which is very helpful to our sustainability.

[<a href="http://storify.com/BMXNational/the-trail-of-addressing-an-issue" target="_blank">View the story "BMX: Highlights of a Media Fiasco" on Storify</a>]

The moment you’ve been waiting for is here, and stream-lined! This year we’ve made it dead simple to sign up for our annual retreat. See more details about there retreat. Read up, share, and sign up.

Details may change from time to time, so check back often. If you’d like to know more about the retreat, let us know.

Definitive version of “I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity.” from American Truth on Vimeo

This powerful film trailer addresses the “genesis” of Black male sexual, social, religious and historical experience in America, and on the Continent. The voices of noted African American men and women contribute to this narrative about a rarely told story.  Since its September 2011 release, ‘I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity’ has gone viral, and has been featured at events throughout the globe.

Definitive version of “I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity.” from American Truth on Vimeo.

Join the discussion on Facebook and ‘Like’ our page at “I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity.”

Washington, DC – Black Men’s Xchange (BMX) recently announced the launch of a new Washington DC chapter and commemorated the occasion at the Dr. Martin Luther King monument. BMX is the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to promoting healthy self-concept and behavior, cultural affirmation and critical consciousness among same gender loving (SGL), gay-identifying and bisexual African-descended males, and allies.

Offers founder Cleo Manago, ”We have been concerned for some time about the lack of community support and affirmation among same gender loving and bi-sexual black men in Washington DC. Though several DC residents attend our Baltimore chapter, we had been receiving calls over the years for a chapter to be established in the capital. When local community activist Kevin Sanders contacted us asking if he could start a BMX chapter there, we felt it was time to make it a reality.”

The Washington DC chapter of BMX is poised to implement bi-weekly empowerment and educational gatherings to be held at Howard University. The chapter will also convene community forums and town hall meetings. In addition, there are plans in place to work with local organizations who are interested in serving black men more effectively toward helping to resolve health and wellness disparities facing African-Americans in the DC area.

Manago also informs that his study, the Critical Thinking and Cultural Affirmation (CTCA), will be utilized to assist with the unparalleled HIV AIDS crisis facing diverse black men in the area.  CTCA is a culturally informed preventive health strategy that addresses positive mental, sexual and community health, encouraging self-actualization, cultural empowerment and responsibility,

Black Men’s Xchange has chapters in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Harlem/New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and the Bay Area. With 20 years of experience and success at healing, empowering, unifying and transforming young and adult black men’s lives toward constructive decision-making, behavior change and wellness, BMX looks forward to impacting Washington DC with its presence.