ESCUCHA!

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

2015-05-19T20:57:00.001-07:00

WHO CARES, WE ALL BUSY......Exposing truths (nice and not so nice) about yourself leaves you vulnerable. I think sometimes on social media we only share all the good stuff - smiles, cackles, smiggles - and provoke debates with each other -religion, race relations, politics - etc. I'm always seeking the context between the two. So I'm going to go there and share with you some recent and older truths about me; things I think I found out about the world and my little space in it. I'm calling this 10 Days of Aznola. (Get it?) I hope you like it. ......

10 DAYS of AZNOLA - No. 2 - Mama is Sick

2015-05-19T20:33:00.004-07:00

Mama is sick and in Brandon (Florida) Regional Hospital. My sister, Hope, is great about taking charge, helping mobilize the network and getting the direct info from doctors on the case. You all know that feeling when they call and say your parents - or any of your people - are seriously ill. The family-life transition from being the youngins to the responsible ones is a trip. I read, listen or like other folks' posts when it's you sharing about things like this. Now it's me. I don't like it.

10 Days of Aznola - No. 1 : So You Think You Can Cook?

2015-05-16T17:56:00.002-07:00

I got invited to present a meal at the Rockland County Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.'s annual Men Who Cook event this month.

I was really excited; I've never cooked for more than 25 people before and last year I was supposed to participate but an inadvertent car crash wrecked my entry on my way to the venue.

This year as she always is, Shelly was my biggest cheerleader and supporter.

SHELLY: "You should do it babe, they will love whatever you decide to make make."

She did buy me one of those official white chef jackets to look the part.

The Saturday of the event, I'm all in. Early rising to get to BJ's (think WalMart/Sams Club or grocery supermart) getting the meat, veggies, seasonings, napkins, Bunsen burners etc.

After two hours of cooking and prep time - our kitchen looked like a hurricane had hit - Shelly was totally hyping me up...she'd ironed my white coat ....."YOU ARE GONNA WIN THIS THING BABE!"

We drive there, unload, set -up at the venue......and I start looking around at the hungry horde and the other 50 other MEN WHO COOK, with their aprons, big white hats etc.

I made what I thought would be different: the PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

They - mostly members of other fraternities (Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma - had macaroni and cheese, (four different people made that) fried fish, fried chicken wings and other traditional "Southern cooking".

Undeterred I set up my station and then it happened.

Nothing, no one, no tasters.

Folks were walking right by and going to the other cooks' stations.; looking at me, glancing at my food. I stood there smiling.

"Would you like to try the chicken lettuce wraps?"

I was met with "No"s" and silent walk-on-bys to the catfish and mac/cheese guys.

The heckling started from the other Men Who Cook. " What's wrong over there Alpha man?" .......( I was one of two members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. participating).

Shelly came to my station and took a plate and then she did her best Don King to rally to people to my table...."It's healthy" It's really good" You should try it'.

Not one of the 150+ people there took a plate. I stood there, all up in my feelings for another 20 minutes, while the party was popping all around my station.

Then two little girls came over. 'What's in this dish sir?"

I explained and bid them on all the tasty deliciousness that awaited them.

"I'll take one," she said.

I made her a serving......

Don't you know that little girl went back, told other people how good it was, and then voted for me at then end.

She came back and asked me if I knew a man by the name of St. Louis.

"Yes I do," I said. "Les St. Louis he's a good friend of mine and my fraternity brother."

LITTLE GIRL: "He's my father."

I didn't win the competition despite the wave of tasters that came over after Les' daughter's endorsement and subsequent sending people to my station.

But I felt the biggest sense of affirmation all due to the kindness of one eight-year-old child.

Photos by Shelly.

ABOUT THE TEN DAYS ON AZNOLA
Exposing truths (nice and not so nice) about yourself leaves you vulnerable. I think sometimes on FB we only share all the good stuff - smiles, cackles, smiggles - and provoke debates with each other -religion, race relations, politics - etc. I'm always seeking the context between the two. So I'm going to go there and share with you some recent and older truths about me; things I think I found out about the world and my little space in it. I'm calling this 10 Days of Aznola. (Get it?) I hope you like it. ......

Do I make you nervous?

2013-08-12T06:15:00.003-07:00

The afternoon of the 28^th, I found myself trying to get home via the bus lines from The Outlets at Bergen Town Center in Paramus, N.J. (I normally ride NJ Transit trains but due to weekend track work through mid August on the Pascack Valley Line, there were no trains running. Thus I was forced to ride bus lines of which I was not familiar.)

I left the mall, I came to the bus stop area and looked for a posted schedule of times and bus lines. There was none. I looked for the text number/mobile update sign and there was none posted there either. About 3:25 p.m., a bus pulled up (Bus No. 7583, NJ License Plate OXZ7010) and parked about 30 feet from the covered shelter. I got up and walked over to the bus of which the driver was still sitting but the doors were closed.

I knocked on the closed doors and said “excuse me.”

The driver was filling out a white envelope with the NJ Transit logo on it. She never looked up or even acknowledged me. I said “excuse me” again and told the driver that I just had a quick question about the bus and its destination stops etc. This time she waved her hand at me dismissively and still never opened the door nor even looked at me.

I thought maybe she was motioning me to go look at a schedule somewhere. I walked away, looked around the shelter again and still saw nothing. I walked back to the bus and knocked on the door glass again. I told the driver “there was no schedule posted anywhere and could she please just help me with one question”. She ignored me again, then got up out of her driver’s seat and walked to the back of the bus.

I then told her that I was going to file a complaint with the NJ Transit main office because of her attitude.

I pulled out my smart phone and snapped pictures of the side of the bus and the front of the bus to get the license and bus number. (The pictures are time dated 3:36 p.m.)

I then went back to the shelter and sat down. Another woman was waiting there and witnessed the entire incident. I explained to this woman how I was trying to ask the driver a question and was totally ignored. The woman told me that drivers on this route are often rude and shook her head.

At 3:47 p.m. another bus – that said OUT of SERVICE - pulled up (Bus Number 7856) and I knocked on the window and told the driver I had a question, he opened the door, listened to my question and then I told him what had just happened. He said that the first bus was probably the one I needed to board and that he was going out of service and to be sure to file a complaint against the first driver.

The first bus was still parked, had her sign off and door closed.

I left the bus waiting area and I walked over to the CVS pharmacy across the street to use the restroom and when I came back, the first bus had pulled up to the shelter, had turned her destination sign on (168 New York) and had let the one woman waiting, and several other passengers, on the bus.

I ran back across the street and came up to the bus and waited for her to open the door. I knocked again and she just sat there in her seat ignoring me. I sat back down in the shelter and was resigned for her to pull off and wait for the next bus. It’s now about 3:54 p.m.

At 3:57 p.m., two squad cars from the Paramus Police Department sped up to the scene and out jumped three officers. I then realized that she had called the police on me.

One of the went over to her driver’s side window and started talking to the driver as the other two stood about 10 yards away from me, just staring me down. I just sat and didn’t say anything.

About 4:05, Paramus Police Officer Dmitiriy Mazur (I believed he was the officer that was doing all the talking; the other officers' names were Anthony Mordaga and Michael Ditolla) approached me.

Mazur: "What's your name and where are you going?"

Me: "My name is Alonza Robertson and I'm trying to catch the bus to Chestnut Ridge N.Y."

Mazur: "What's going on here?"

Me: "I was trying to find out if this bus is the one I need to take to Hackensack or Oradell, that will allow me to catch another bus that goes to Westwood or the one that takes the Pasack Valley train route. All the trains are not running on the weekends because of track work. I'm not familar with these buses, or bus lines, and I just wanted to ask this driver a question about which direction she's going."

Mazur: "She's nervous and doesn't want you on the bus."

Me: " You got to be kidding me? Sir...I wasn't even sure if she was the right bus for me to catch. I knocked on her window to ask her but she didn't open the door and just waved me off. I knocked again and she just got up out of her seat, walked to the back of the bus and ignored me."

Mazur: "She doesn't understand why you are taking pictures?"

Me: "Sir, I told her through the door that I was going to file a complaint with N.J. Transit because of how rude she was to me and I'd told her I just wanted to ask a quick question. I took two pictures, one of the front of the bus to get the bus number and license plate number and the other one of her standing in the middle of the bus ignoring me after I knocked on the closed doors."

He walked away, went back over to the driver and then came back again about two minutes later with a bus schedule in his hand.

Mazur: "You can't get on this bus, You can get on the next bus. We don't want to make a record of you."

Me: "Why would you make a record of me?" I haven't done anything wrong."

Mazur: "She's nervous of you."

Me: "She's on the bus, with the doors locked. Why didn't she just drive off then instead of calling the police?"

Mazur: "You can't get on the bus."

Me: "With all that's going on in the national news now, she's nervous of me, why? She won't even acknowledge me. When I had walked away for a few minutes to find a bathroom, she let everybody else she let on the bus before I walked back over her. And she still wouldn't open the door. What would any reasonable person deduce from that? You and I both know the real reason she's nervous and she called the police. It's because I'm black and I was going to complain about her.

Mazur: "It's not that, it's not that."

Me: "Then what other reasonable reason could it be?"

None of the officers said anything. One just looked down at the ground. Mazur handed me the schedule.

Mazur: "You can't get on the bus."

And then they turned around, got in their cars and drove off. The bus, and all the other passengers, pulled off. And I was left sitting there, in the 85-degree heat, feeling painfully disenfranchised.

It is my contention that the driver let the other people on and then stayed at the bus stop and called the police because she wanted to cover herself, and try to get me (a scary black man?) in trouble or at least humiliate me by placing her 911 call.

The police did investigate and concluded I had done nothing wrong – I was not warned, cited nor arrested (Paramus Police Department Incident #1-2013-029908). BUT, I still wasn’t going to be allowed on the bus. They were enforcing her subjectivity too. I asked them why and they said because I make her “nervous.”

If I had been anyone else of any other race, the police would have let me board the bus after they determined the 911 dispute was really about a driver looking to retaliate against me because I intended to file a complaint. They didn’t allow me to ride, even in the back of the bus.

The end story is the bus drove away, I was made a spectacle of and I had to wait another hour for another bus, then missed a connection to my house and ended up waiting in the rain for another hour in Hackensack and just gave up and spent $45 for a cab home to Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.

I visited the NJ Transit website and their slogan says there mission is to provide safe, reliable and convenient service. I didn’t get any of that on July 28. They also say that “NJ TRANSIT is committed to ensuring that no person isexcluded from participation in or denied the benefits of its services on the basis of race, color or national origin, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

I was denied that public accommodation.

Others were allowed on the bus, but I was denied because I told her that I was planned to file a complaint. Thus her act - of refusing to answer my question, intentionally denying me entry on the bus and calling the police and making a false claim against me - was in retaliation. That is against the law too.

Afraid of that Book Cover?

2013-07-13T14:42:00.003-07:00

I penguin shuffled out of Theater No. 4 at the Angelika Film Center Friday night, my eyes focused on no particular spot on the carpet as the exit line moved in hushed tones. A bow-tied usher, propped up near the concessions, peered at the faces of those who’d just seen “Fruitvale Station.”

“It looks like that was a serious movie, “he dutifully announced.

I ignored him and kept walking, wrestling with my own emotions and shaking my head. Almost reaching the up escalators, I stopped and turned my face away from the crowd lining up for the next showing. My eyes welled up and I wept.

“Fruitvale Station” is one movie you are going to hear a lot about because it is a movie you will see and then feel a lot about.

It’s an unspoken fact of life that all humans are pre-programmed to make snap judgments - sizing people up, profiling each other - based on class: where you live, how you dress, the manner of your speech, the type of work you do, the type of car you drive; gender: if you pee standing up or sitting down; orientation; who you prefer to spend your private time with; age: how wrinkled is your skin or how gray is your hair; and from what neighborhood, race, or religion do you come?

All people do it. Some people more than others. Others do it and allow it to influence their behavior; some suppress it and try to give unfamiliar individuals the opportunity to be just that: a unique individual.

In Ryan Coogler’s controversial true story about Oakland resident Oscar Grant, we accompany him on a cinematic reenactment of the last 24 hours of Grant’s life. We make no snap judgments but complex and layered ones; we learn he is a doting father, a son, a grandson, a nephew, a friend to friends, strangers and animals. He also has been to prison, has sold and smoked marijuana, and he has unresolved and gnawing angst about how to make his family’s future more stable. He’s struggling to not be pushed any closer to the edge.

And just like how Spike Lee portrayed Brooklyn in “Do the Right Thing”, and how Albert Hughes portrayed South Central LA in “Menace II Society”, Coogler grittily captures the stores, the music, the streets of East Oakland and the omnipotent BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train that sleekly rumbles across The Town, that’s what locals call Oakland, a reference to Oaktown.

Oakland is seven miles east of San Francisco (The City) via the Bay Bridge or a quick ride through the underwater train bubble on BART. This part of Northern California is called God’s Country because of the beautiful scenery, no humidity summers, the mountains, hills, oceans, bays, the Redwood trees, vineyards etc. one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I feel in love with this area when I first visited in the summer of 1989 and later lived there three different times since college.

Many know that Oakland, it’s hills, and nearby coast towns of Alameda, Berkeley, San Leandro , Richmond and Hayward all have better weather and views than much of San Francisco, which is often cold and foggy. But people stay away. They don’t visit Oakland much because they are afraid of its reputation for gangs, gun violence and “scary’ black people.

But I grew fond of the East Bay. I lived near Lake Merritt in Oakland not far from the real Fruitvale Station in the racially-diverse Fruitvale part of town. I enjoyed the ‘healthy” food, the festive people; the fun of being in cool California; the dread of earthquakes and forest fires but the joy of living and appreciating the environment.

Every Sunday morning (10 a.m. is kickoff time on the West Coast) for years, I watched the NFL games at the Golden Bear sports bar with guys just like Oscar Grant. I’ve laughed and cussed the screens and even bet against “him and Da Raiders” when my Tampa Bay Bucs faced them in Super Bowl XXXVII. I helped coached a Pee Wee football team of 25 black, Latin and Asian boys who all resembled Oscar – and his environment - when he was probably 11 or 12 years old. I cheered their successes and helped try to mentor when their mothers got overwhelmed.

But I also was constantly aware of Oakland’s underlying gun violence problem that seemed to crash in - sometimes randomly, sometimes not - at any time, at any place: political assassinations of news reporters on downtown sidewalks, corner street store owners blasting disrespectful customers or even police officers killing innocent unarmed people, like what the BART police did to Oscar Grant.

I was not emotional Friday night because of how the movie “Fruitvale Station” ended; I felt it because I intimately knew the place the film depicted and I felt I personally knew that young man. He had promise, he had hope, his life had value.

And I know a lot more of them; they look like my nephews Michael in Orlando, Chris and Ben in Morristown; and my friends’ teenage boys in Dallas, D.C. and Atlanta; and the other hundreds of young men I see every day on the streets of the Bronx, Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens.

Or like the one in a hoodie we all learned about last year who died in Sanford, Florida: Trayvon Martin. As that murder trial jury now continues to deliberate George Zimmerman’s fate, the comment pages and posts on social media sites are spewing with venom: “that boy was TRASH” “Zimmerass is a punk loser”, “Trayvon deserved it” etc. etc.

There were plenty of observers, pundits and other “keyboard cowboys” that said all the same things in 2009 about Oscar Grant when he was killed and about the officer that pulled the trigger. (I ask you to closely watch the one scene of humanity and dignity between the two of them at the end of the Fruitvale movie; once both realized the preciousness of life.)

In the Grant incident, a city’s consciousness was outraged. One man died and one man did go to jail for 11 months. But what did we learn from that? What has really changed about handguns, police tactics with unarmed people, with how we value life, or how we profile each other?

I was reminded then, and now with the Martin incident, that you can’t always judge – or be afraid of - a book by its cover. That little saying is known and said by all of us. What’s sad though is too many people still don’t even bother to open the book and look at any of the pages.

###

Drugs are a white elephant, after MJ what have we learned?

2012-06-27T15:41:00.003-07:00

Drugs as the white elephant

Three years after Micheal Jackson’s death, what have we learned?

BY JAMES L. WALKER, JR

ATLANTA – This week marks the third anniversary of the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

On June 25, 2009, the legendary entertainer was found unconscious at his home and rushed to a hospital where he later died from an overdose of propofol.

While Jackson’s personal physician now serves prison time for involuntary manslaughter for his role in putting the singer to sleep and then death, much of the music and entertainment industry remains asleep, or sedated, to its incessant and problematic drug problem. For many, many years now , the early- grave conveyor belt streams through some of the best and brightest artists.

It’s time to wake up.

Michael Jackson was a drug addict. Whitney Houston was a drug addict.

And, so was Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, Gerald LeVert, Donyale Luna, Brenda Fassie, Old Dirty Bastard, Pimp C, Phyllis Hyman, David Ruffin, Ike Turner, Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli , Elvis Pressley, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix Curt Cobain and countless others.

Watch more: Celebrities that have died from drug abuse

But that’s those who’ve died. Good luck assembling the list of the addicts still drinking and drugging their way through their fame today. I’m sure you know some of the names. (Lindsay, Britney, Soulja Boy, Charlie Sheen and others who are so often admitted to the hospital for exhaustion and dehydration?)

Three years ago, I thought Michael Jackson’s death would be used as a world- wide teaching moment about the dangers of legal and illicit drugs. I wrote and spoke on the topic extensively, as did others. But that moment was obviously fleeting.

Rather than effecting a change to the continued veneration of clinically dependent individuals, the clarion call became a familiar but obviously broken record. New title but same tune only sung about a different drug and a different life gone too soon.

Like Jackson, Houston was a megastar.

While certain facets of her story – and death from a cocaine and prescription drug overdose and subsequent bathtub drowning - were markedly different from that of Jackson’s, the world had a seemingly front row seat to her gravely familiar narrative: “music artist bigger than life, grapples with drugs for years and eventually looses the battle and his or her life; another beautiful talent turned ugly because of the tempting appeal of crack cocaine, heroine, ecstasy, marijuana, alcohol, prescription and synthetics drugs.

Unfortunately, if you audited any of the mega-celebrity responses to Houston’s death, and many of the others, it’s seems that they too are in denial or are very good liars because they all express and echo a collective “shock.”

Shock?!?!? For real?

Should the inevitable end not reign obvious at this juncture? Other responses expressed deep regret, sorrow and empathy for the deceased. The one thing you never hear is outrage.

Not one artist ever calls for a revolution of realism, an acceptance about the underlying evil that should first be acknowledged and then confronted.

It appears the answer to the question of “where are we as a music community after Whitney Houston’s death?” is the same as the answer to the question of “where are we as a music community after the third anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death? Answer: The same dead-end place!!!

While a general tone of cynicism may appears to suffuse this commentary, I want to be clear of one undeniable fact.

There is a “silent consciousness” within the entertainment industry.

But, it is not limited to just drug related deaths in the music industry.

Someone, somewhere, on the night of Houston’s death, held another dying person close and begged that friend to seek help. They refused the help and died with traces of drugs in their system like Houston and Jackson.

Perhaps another started with the “Man in the Mirror” and packed a bag to check into rehab.

Either way, as we celebrate Michael Jackson’s music throughout the week, I hope when the music stops, we will wake up and have a real confrontation with this huge white elephant of an issue.

James L. Walker, Jr. is based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of This Business of Urban Music. A professor and entertainment lawyer, he can be found at www.jameslwalkeresq.com

R&B star Stacy Lattisaw Reflects on Michael Jackson

2012-06-25T14:06:00.003-07:00

Three years after the King of Pop Michael Jackson died June 25th of an accidental overdose, former teen singing superstar Stacy Lattisaw – best known for several 1980’s hits including "Jump to the Beat" and "Let Me Be Your Angel," and who once toured and opened for the Jacksons mega successful Triumph Tour in 1981 - reflects back on the man she knew.

Ms. Lattisaw is now married (Mrs. Jackson now to be correct) and the mother of two teenagers and lives in Fort Washington, Maryland. She took this weekend to speak to entertainment lawyer James Walker and myself. Read more below.

“Michael Jackson was the most kind and the most humble person I ever encountered in the entertainment industry,” said Lattisaw, whose own career began in 1979 at age 12 and extended through 1992 with several Top 40 R&B hits.

Click here: Stacy Lattisaw performing on Soul Train with Johnny Gill

“And that’s one of the most important things I learned from him,” she says.

”At the tender age of 14 I had the opportunity to open for The Jackson's "Victory" tour in 1981. I remember that as if it were yesterday, I was outside playing kickball with my friends and my Mom came outside and said "Stacy, we just got a phone call from the Jackson's management company requesting you to open for them."

“Not realizing that this was a opportunity of a lifetime, I immediately began to think, if I accepted the offer, I would be away from home, my family, and friends for 13 weeks on a 38-city tour. My mom set my mind at ease and convinced me to partake in this once in a lifetime experience!”

The tour began July 9^th in Memphis and Stacy’s brother accompanied her on the road. She remembers being in awe of the 23-year Michael, who was already a megastar – as this was just before the release of his classic Off The Wall album – one whose electrifying aura had tens of young fans collapsing in excitement every show.

Watch a clip from the Los Angeles show here: Triumph Tour 1981

“He was a perfectionist and was very diligent. He would practice for hours and hours. He was very dedicated to what he did, but I also remember he was very quiet and reserved. But when he hit the stage, it was like all of a sudden a magic from somewhere just came and the crowd went wild and thunderous. I saw him give all he had every show, he’d be exhausted.

"And after each show, my brother Jerry and I would go sit, talk, and take pictures with Michael for a few short minutes. Just to be in his presence was amazing. And while being around him, I learned the importance of humility. His success never changed him. I learned the importance of being a giver. A lot of people don’t know this, but Michael donated all of his earnings, his money, from the Victory tour to different charities.

“l also learned the importance of surrounding yourself with people who have your best interest at heart. Because Michael was such a giver, there were some who took advantage of his kindness.”

“Those were some of the most precious moments that I will never forget,” she said.

After Lattisaw retired from the music business in 1992 to become a wife and doting mother to two children, she and Jackson did not stay touch. She, like millions of others worldwide, learned of his sudden death June 25, 2009 while watching television.

“I was devastated when I heard the news,” she said recalling the moment and how she began to cry. “It broke my heart.

“In some ways I wish that maybe I could have spent some time with him and maybe we could have prayed together. While I never reached the level of his success, I could totally relate to him, I’d had a taste of what he’d gone through, not having had a childhood and growing up in the harsh light of stardom at a very young age.

“Most people only see the glamour and glitz of fame, but there are so many unseen things I dealt with and sacrificed,” Lattisaw says about fame. “Michael indeed was a superstar and what people should learn is that no one will ever know what it was like to walk in his shoes because when you reach that level of stardom, your life becomes an open book.

“I think people had put so much pressure on him, that it probably became too much for him to handle. All he wanted was to rest and sleep.”

Jackson died from an accidental overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, who is now serving four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

“I am very humbled and honored to have met Michael and tour with the Jacksons and in my opinion, there will never be another Michael Jackson. He was the greatest entertainer of all-time.”

Stacy Lattisaw Jackson lives in Fort Washington, Maryland and now operates a women’s ministry called Believers Building Bridges. Learn more at stacylattisaw.net

Am I Next? Thoughts about Trayvon

2012-03-23T12:28:00.002-07:00

It could have been nothing more than a big brother’s love that prompted Trayvon Martin to make a quick trek to a nearby 7-Eleven, during halftime of the televised Feb. 26th NBA All-Star Game, to buy some Skittles candy for his little brother.

And it probably was nothing more than society’s propensity to disregard the lives of black males that led to 17-year-old Trayvon never making it home alive; and for his killer to still not be charged with any crime.

A Neighborhood Watch volunteer named George Zimmerman admitted to shooting an unarmed Trayvon with one 9mm bullet to the boy’s chest. Zimmerman told police that he spotted the “suspicious” 17-year-old while on his vigilante duty. He called 911, then followed the teen -against the dispatcher’s orders, confronted him and ultimately, after a struggle, murdered him. Zimmerman claims the shooting was in self-defense.

And the police have concurred. They concluded the killing was justifiable because Zimmerman – ten years older and 100 pounds heavier, was “standing his ground” in this Sanford, Florida gated community less than 30 minutes from Walt Disney World.

As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the nation’s first and largest Black fraternity organization, I, and thousands of my brothers nationwide, are speaking out in outrage. Our late Alpha Brother Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

We were all once teen-agers like Trayvon. We are fathers like his father. We are brothers. We are students. We are employers, employees, entrepreneurs. We are Republicans and Democrats. We are taxpayers and, most importantly, we are citizens. We are not suspicious solely based on the color of our skin.

As such, we are compelled to call for immediate action from the federal Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights, since the Sanford Police Department and the local District Attorney have found no sufficient evidence to arrest Zimmerman.

We applaud the department’s recent announcement that they, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the FBI, will launch “a thorough and independent investigation into the facts and circumstances of the shooting” and have pledged to “take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation.”

As it stands now in Florida, walking while black down the street is a crime that could be met by a death sentence. Trayvon posed no imminent danger to Zimmerman; he’d even tried to run away. How else would a reasonable person be expected to try to avoid danger or a confrontation? Can you change your skin color while in flight? What is wrong with this, and other similar situations, and why do they so often involve a young black male?

Could another young black person be shot again, in another part of the country – in our city - just because they looked like they didn’t belong? Probably, and sadly, it very likely will.

The men of Alpha believe in liberty and justice for all innocent people no matter what the color of their skin. We grieve with Trayvon Martin’s family; and mourn for a lost sibling, a young man, a good brother. We, and many others, plan to continue to advocate and agitate because again, “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

President Obama offers a dance challenge to Sarah Palin -Sept. 24 in Brooklyn

2011-09-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

The free Let's Get Mobile Festival is Saturday, Sept. 24th in Brooklyn, 257 N. 6th St. at 10 a.m.

A health and fitness event for families, students and children featuring food, free prizes from the Jets, Knicks, AT&T, Staples and ESPN as well as capoeira, dance, hip hop, yoga and double dutch.

Special guests U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke, NYC School Chancellor Dennis Walcott and international hip hop performer and activist Toni Blackman.

Obama "Let's Get Mobile" Sept. 24th
by: alonza.robertson

Obama, corporations and celebs join forces to fight obesity

2011-09-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Alonza Robertson /Arobertson@todays-child.com, 202.567.1276

Let’s Get Mobile Festival promotes healthier lives for families and youth

NEW YORK – (September 8, 2010) - The Let’s Get Mobile Family Festival – powered by TCC Family Media, Wal-Mart and AT&T – will mobilize celebrities,businesses and public officials in Brooklyn Saturday Sept. 24^th for a free health-empowerment event to promote fitness, nutrition, technology and support services.

In conjunction with the 8^th Annual Worldwide Day of Play –endorsed by First Lady Michelle Obama http://vimeo.com/28457172 – Let’s Get Mobile will offer interactive fun to help families and youth make healthy choices, promote access to healthy food and help children become more active through a half-day of hip hop art, music, spoken word, cooking demonstrations, exercise and technology.

“Families will embrace healthier habits when they can understand and see how beneficial it is to their well-being and life,” said Michelle Drayton, president of TCC Family Media.

The fun will happen Saturday, Sept. 24th, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 pm at the joint campus of the Brooklyn Preparatory High School and Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design, 257 N. Sixth Street in Brooklyn.

Confirmed to attend are:

§ NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott

§ U.S. State Department Hip Hop Ambassador and activist Toni Blackman –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVcoUmJc3Ns

§ Olympic gold medalist Diane Dixon - http://youtu.be/Ufug2NdyXT0

§ The all-youth Renaissance EMS Band - http://www.renaissanceems.com/

§ Double Dutch Dreamz - http://vimeo.com/27122906

Invited to also join us are:

· Celebrity chef, food activist and Red Rooster owner Marcus Samuelsson

· U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clark (D-Brooklyn)

· Underground rapper Stic.man, of the hip hop duo Dead Prez, and founder of the RBG Fit Club - http://www.rbgfitclub.com/

· Allan Houston, retired NBA All-Star New York Knicks

More than 40 percent of NYC Schools’ 1.1 million students are overweight or obese. Events like TCC’s Let Get Mobile energize students, parents and community groups and remind them that physically-fit students do better in school and often have better long-term outcomes in life as well.

Festival attendees can participate in the games and workshops while parents can browse Education Row, a collection of exhibitors, city support services organizations and other resources. Everyone will have the opportunity to win free Samsung smart phones, NY Jets prizes, ESPN book bags and Chef Rock cookbooks.

The Let’s Get Mobile Family Festival is sponsored by TCC Family Media, Wal-Mart and AT&T. Other participating sponsors and exhibitors include Children First BYAM Network 404, NYC Human Resources Administration OCSE, NYC Department of Education, NYC Parks, MobileTrec, PepsiCo, Health and Hospitals Corporation, Monroe College, Advanced Business Solutions and That's My Father Productions.

The festival will be available on Ustream and posted for later viewing on Twitvid, Facebook and YouTube.

About TCC

TCC Family Media is a division of Today’s Child Communications, todays-child.com; a marketing, communications and publishing firm that specializes in developing programs and products that enhance the health and well-being of families. TCC is a private-sector firm invested in the public sector—it’s where brands and families connect.

TCC organizes professional development workshops, health forums, wellness conferences, publishes a quarterly family/parenting magazine, Today’s Child, as well as provides fundraising, grant-writing, media communications and partnership services.

Let's Get Mobile! http://youtu.be/mYP4MgxDV2U

Contact arobertson@todays-child.com or call 2025671276 for more information.

Taye Diggs, Chris Paul and more Back To School news - TCC E-News 2011

2011-08-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

READ TCC E- News September Edition: Chris Paul, Taye Diggs, Help for Parents on Back to School, Get Your Child a safety tattoo and more. Click here http://ow.ly/6fWZJ

Planking: Don't Sweat the Technique

2011-07-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

The fine public art of planking, where people are photographed face down with stiffened arms and legs, has already swept out of Australia and taken the world by storm. Formally called "the laying down game," it has encouraged people to produce surprising and surreal images that have entertained millions. It seems to have just hit Black America in the past week.

And just for the record it DOES not have anything to do with racism slavery. Slaves on slave ships were brought over to America not LYING on their stomachs as some as saying. They were simply on their backs. Planking is a social web phenom that's sort of silly, yeah; but also harmless fun for a three-day weekend off of work.

2011-07-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

45 tips for a happy marriage - St. Petersburg Times

2011-06-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

45 tips for a happy marriage - St. Petersburg Times

Talib's rap rainbow set shines in Brooklyn

2011-06-22T03:43:00.000-07:00

Talib Kweli gave a chill entertaining - real hip-hop- concert in Brooklyn's Red Hook Park Tuesday evening at part of NYC's free summer Center Stage concert series.

More than 2,500 people, of all races and ages, came out on a blustery first day of summer evening to hear some good music and enjoy the good vibes. Kweli, whom I'd followed for several years but never seen live, upheld his part playing sounds from his BlackStar Project days where he teamed with Mos Def to his belting a great live versions of some of his most recent hits "Gutter Rainbow", "I Try", "Never Been in Love" http://youtu.be/jyqkw0z6Shs, "Listen," and "Get By" http://youtu.be/UVtpXvzzXiA.

Showing his versatility, the critically-acclaimed MC played riffs and improvisations of songs from the Beatles, Sugar Hill Gang, The Beastie Boys, Boogie Down Productions, Gil Scott Heron and Bob Marley. It seemed like at any minute Kanye, Common, Mike G or KRS-One was gonna bound onto the stage to join Talib's boundless energy.

An engaging rapping with stage presence and great linguistic dexterity, Talib, at more than a couple points in the show, had a brother falling back to some of my late 80s/early 90s New Jack arm Swings before regathering my pose and subtle subjectivity of informed observer ;)

A good time was had by all - Shelley was dancing and singing; I even saw some members of the NYPD and FDNY looking as if they were enjoying the show as well; that's what I'm talking 'bout! Son, if you're a fan of real hip hop music and understand and love its whole history, Kweli delivers it straight with no filler.

Tuesday night was pure hip hop, no need for drink, trees or bravado, as Talib says in one of his songs, " all you need is love to get by."

Jay Z was right right about Talib.

WANT A GOOD LAUGH? Read this

2011-06-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Want a belly laugh? Have you seen the original Friday video by Rebecca Black? Okay open this link and scroll down to the bottom and look at the picture and the question she asks? HILARIOUS.

reposted from Roc4Life

Rebecca Black's straight outta nowhere but suddenly everywhere "Friday" video is no longer available on YouTube. "Video no longer available due to a copyright claim by Rebecca Black. Sorry about that" is the gloomy message that now greets those seeking out the hugely popular video on YouTube.

"Friday" was temporarily available only as a $2.99 YouTube rental last week, and now, it's completely locked. The video garnered over 165 million views and catapulted Rebecca Black to stardom in a short amount of time.

A YouTube person offered the following explanation to Techcrunch:

"YouTube takes copyright infringement very seriously. When we receive a complaint alleging that a video infringes another person or company’s copyrights, we remove that video. Users who believe that a video was removed in error can appeal the copyright takedown."

What do you think, Roc4Lifers? Good riddance or bad move?

Either way, that was fun fun fun while it lasted.

2011-06-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Father’s Day: Father and Son in Film

Reposted from Harlem World June 16, 2011

Deadbeat. Immature. Absentee.

Unfortunately, those are the stereotypes given to many African American fathers, but it is not the reality for many who are doing “the right thing.“ The team at HW celebrates all of the dads who are teaching their sons responsibility, respect, commitment, and the value of education.

Here are our pick(s)–it was a tie– for our favorite videos that we believe best represent father/son relationships.

Boyz N The Hood (1991) The film is about the struggle of three young men growing up in South Central Los Angeles. The film shows the crime and senseless violence the plague many urban communities. But, to call it just that would be a poetic injustice–pun intended.

The secondary story about the strong and positive father/son relationship adds to what should be a cinema classic. Laurence Fishburne, who plays divorced father “Furious Styles,” is an active participant and has always had a strong hand in his son’s upbringing–and it shows. Cuba Gooding, Jr plays Tre, the teenage son moving in with him after spending his early childhood living with his mother.

Boyz N The Hood co-stars Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Ice Cube, Regina King and Nia Long.

John Singleton received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay and directing for this film. Only 24 at the time, he became the youngest person and first African-American to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director. See why.

Pursuit of Happyness (2006) The film is based on the real life story of entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author Chris Gardner who struggled with homelessness while raising his young son as a single dad. Gardner, who won a spot in the Dean Witter Reynolds Trading program, fell into deep financial troubles, after the program’s small salary left him unable to make ends meet.

Gardner’s, whose own childhood was marked by poverty, abuse and alcoholism, vowed he would never pass that onto his son. His amazing story inspired a New York Times best-selling book and a Hollywood film.

(And, if both were not enough to inspire and motivate, Gardner’s follow up book, Start Where You Are, speaks to anyone struggling to make ends meet–or just struggling to get through the day– to get where you want to be.)

Real life father and son Will and Jaden Smith co-star in this movie which garnered the elder Smith an Oscar nomination as Best Actor.

Tell us your pick for films that best celebrate Dad.

A Repost from Roc4Life - 11 Must Hear Albums

2011-06-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

11 ALBUMS YOU MUST HEAR THIS SUMMER

Summer is here and it comes with a batch of great new music. Whether your goal this summer is to party in the sun or get a tan from your computer light, these albums will surely soundtrack the days and months ahead.Trae - Street KingRelease Date: June 28, 2011Banned on the radio, adored in the streets, Houston's Trae tha Truth soldiers on with his third major LP, Street King. His last mixtape had lyrics so compelling and production so fetching that it's a surprise radio jocks have managed to resist so far. Co-conspirators include Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Game, Big Boi, Lupe Fiasco, Wyclef, Wale and Lloyd, as well member of Trae's ABN Gang. Production duties are handled by Vdon, Drumma Boy, Mr Rogers, Mr Inkredible, Cyfyre and Rockaway Productions.The Game: R.E.D. AlbumRelease Date: Late AugustR.E.D. has suffered more pushbacks than any album on this list. At this point, Game is neck to neck with his mentor Dr. Dre for the title of Least Likely to Drop an Album in 2011. But word on the street is that Game's fourth LP is finally ready for a summer release. The guest list is solid: Jay Electronica, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre, and Lupe Fiasco. Game also teamed up with Odd Future leader Tyler, The Creator on the aptly titled "Martians vs. Goblins"Wu-Tang Clan - Legendary WeaponsRelease Date: July 26, 2011Details are still sketchy, but this includes a heavy dose of Ghostface Killah, so it's worth keeping an eye on. With Ghost gracing eight of the eleven songs and RZA doing some boardwork, we're definitely checking for Legendary Weapons come July 26th.Curren$y - Weekend At BurniesRelease Date: June 28, 2011After dropping a bamillion mixtapes, Curren$y finally readies his major label debut, Weekend At Burnies. It's produced almost entirely by Monsta Beatz, with Rahki lacing the Twitter-inspired lead single "#JETSGO."

Jill Scott: The Light Of The SunRelease Date: June 28, 2011Believe it or not, that slim and sexy damsel on the album cover is Jilly from Philly. This marks Jill Scott's first release for Warner Bros and her first album since 2007's The Real Thing. The Light Of The Sun boasts collaborations with Eve and Doug E. Fresh. It's one of two albums the soul singer plans to release this summer.Big Sean - Almost FamousRelease Date: June 28, 2011Five years after freestyling for Kanye outside a local radio station, Big Sean will finally drop his GOOD Music debut, Almost Famous. Since wrapping up his album, the Detroit MC has kept busy. He dropped a mean 16 on Kelly Rowland's "Lay It on Me" and even stashed a few extra cuts with Nas and Common for his sophomore album.

Bon Iver - Bon IverRelease Date: June 21, 20112008's For Emma, Forever cut deep. It was also one of the best received albums of that year. In the three years that passed, Justin Vernon has lent his vocals to Kanye's "Monster" and found inspiration from unusual places, among them a house. "We got a house at Fall Creek a couple of miles from where I grew up and just recorded it all there," says Bon Iver's Vernon. "We moved in and made our own space. The process wasn't all that unlike the first album, we just decided to make it sound denser and a little less achy and empty. We wanted it to be full... full of blood and that kind of thing." Each song on Bon Iver’s self-titled sophomore LP is titled after a specific place, from "Minnesota, WI" to "Hinnom, TX."Kelly Rowland - Here I AmStreet Date: July 26, 2011It's been a long, trying process, but Kelly Rowland has figured this solo gig puzzle. The early verdict on Here I Am is that it may be the album that sets Miss Rowland apart as a star in her own right. If you doubt that prognosis, you clearly haven't heard the hypnotic chart topper "Motivation” or the instabanger "Lay It on Me." The album sports production from Red One, Jim Jonsin, Stargate, Salaam Remi, Ester Dean and more.Lil’ Wayne - Tha Carter IVRelease Date: August 2011It was originally scheduled for June, but Wayne pushed it back to August 29 to perfect the album. We're not mad at that at all. After all, Tha Carter III is a tough album to follow. It was the best selling album of 2008 and earned Weezy a bazillion awards. Since then, Wayne has served time for a weapons charge, dropped a successful EP, and toured the world. Expect him to draw from those experiences for Carter IV. The disc will include cuts from Jeezy, Drake, Kanye West, Jadakiss, and Rick Ross.

Beyonce - 4Release Date: June 28, 20114 is designed for young adults who pay their own bills, working mothers, empowered gals who are unafraid to be sexy, gentlemen who love their women. 4 is designed for the strong and sexy. Or as Bey puts it: "Buoy, you know you love how we're smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bear the children…then get back to bidness." Equally capable of working a power ballad and riding a disco beat, Bey powers the album with her unique vocal undulations. Musically, 4 keeps its eyes squarely focused on the rearview, drawing inspiration from afrobeat, ol' skool hip-hop, and even a wee bit of new jack swing. Weighing in at 12 songs and 46 minutes, 4 leaves no room for errors.Jay-Z/Kanye West - Watch the ThroneRelease Date: TBAHov and Yeezy joining forces is the equivalent of two planetary bodies colliding. Explosions are guaranteed. And as "H.A.M" proved, they're not interested in playing it safe, either. The Roc Boys recorded Watch the Throne with a variety of unexpected guests, including singing wolf Frank Ocean.

POPTalk - Joe Girardi

2011-06-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

"My kids don't care that

I'm the manager of the NY Yankees!"

Watch more of the Yankees skipper on Fatherhood here:
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10080017&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_10080017&v=3

PopTalk - Tom Brady

2011-06-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

It's Great to See Them Run Around

Tom Brady excerpts from EXTRA interview

When it comes to being a dad, it's no surprise NFL superstar Tom Brady plans to bond with his boys over football.

The New England Patriots quarterback says he is looking forward to the day he can play sports with his family off the NFL field.

"It's a great thing to see them run around at the football game or at least one of them run around," says Brady, referring to his eldest child, 3-year-old son John, with ex Bridget Moynahan.

He adds: "For a long time, I didn't know when I was going to be a father, and now I have two boys.""I like to spend time with my family and friends and get a little rest," he tells Extra of his downtime.

"Because, obviously, during the football season, there's not a whole lot of that!"

PopTalk -Albert Pujols

2011-06-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

MLB slugger Albert Pujols says it's something special when your children call you "Daddy"

Watch how fatherhood has changed one of baseball's biggest stars.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8853605&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_8853605&v=3

PopTalk - Tom Cruise

2011-06-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Tom Cruise Talks Fatherhood, his children make him better.......

Excerpts from an interview in Esquire and reposted on Just Mommies: http://www.justmommies.com/celebrity-baby-updates/new-interview-tom-cruise-talks-fatherhood

"I remember looking at my dad and wanting to understand him. I didn't want to just write the guy off. He was lost. I can't speak specifically in terms of why and how he got to where he was -- that was his journey. All I can tell you is, he was overwhelmed by life... My mother basically did all the work, and then they got separated and I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't try to help the family financially or spiritually, and I lived with the effects of the chaos."

He also talks about being a father himself to children Isabella, Suri and Connor. "I'll never forget the moment I became a dad. But it's hard to describe -- that level of responsibility, the desire to give such joy. The clarity: Nothing is more important than this. I remember that first night, just staring at Bella. I was checking her every second, just looking at her, feeling that immediate bond. I was probably looking at her so much that I was keeping her up. I made a promise to her: All I can do is the best I can. But I'm not going to say I'm gonna do something and then not do it."

Cruise says Suri makes him a better person:" It comes down to the same thing as when I was a kid. Can I create a character that will make her happy, that will make her laugh? And you know what? She makes me get better and better, because she's always asking me to do it again."

PopTalk - Snoop Dog

2011-06-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Five Tips for Fatherhood

PopTalk - Salt N Pepa

2011-06-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Give him a hand, a big hug and a loving heart!

Whatta a Man!

PopTalk- President Barack Obama

2011-06-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

President Obama Speaks on Fatherhood