Black Beautiful Brilliant Project Launches

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BLACK BEAUTIFUL BRILLIANT TV AND BOOK PROJECT LAUNCHES TO ERADICATE DIVISION, STEREOTYPES, AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Detroit, MI -- In discussing her departure from 60 Minutes, Oprah Winfrey said: "I was told I was too emotional in saying my name." Black women have carried the torch of strength and resilience for a very long time and are often viewed as too emotional, angry, and bitter.

The Black Beautiful Brilliant television show and book project discusses the issues that have plagued Black women for many years, as they continue 'in spite of' to forge through a myriad of stereotypes and over barriers seemingly insurmountable. Shattering glass ceilings at a record pace, Black women are changing the trajectory of the past.

"Black women are breaking the cycles that have once held them down, and are no longer accepting suppression, oppression, racism, gender inequality, and division," says Executive Producer, Tonya Shirelle.  Authors Kim Bettie, Terri Lee Chandler, Sylvia Crawford, Porsha Monique, and Tonya Shirelle, take you on a heartfelt literary journey, as they come together from various cultures and rally to help change the world.

See Why Highly Respected Human Rights Attorney Zulu Ali Expands His Practice to Africa

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ZULU ALI'S LAW FIRM EXPANDS ITS PRACTICE TO THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

Nationwide -- The Law Office of Zulu Ali (ZuluAliLaw.com), a Black-owned law firm based in Riverside, California, has announced that it has expanded its practice to Africa representing Persons before the African Court on Human and Peoples' Right' in Tanzania. The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights is a continental court established by African countries to ensure protection of human and peoples' rights in Africa.

The firm's expansion follows the admission of its Principal, Attorney Zulu Ali, to the registry of counsel to the African Court.  Attorney Ali also plans to establish a Pan African Legal Institute in Africa to focus on the unification of all African states under continental law and reparations for African Americans and other victims in the African diaspora under international law.

The law firm was founded by its owner and principal attorney, Zulu Ali, a Tennessee native, former police officer, and U.S. marine veteran, who was inspired by the work and legacy of civil rights attorneys Thurgood Marshall, Avon Williams, Jr., Charles Hamilton Houston; and other advocates and leaders of the civil rights movement. The mission and philosophy of the firm is to advocate for changes in the law when the law is unjust with a focus on representing persons accused of crimes and seeking criminal justice, immigrants, victims of discrimination, persons seeking civil justice in state and federal courts.

11-Year Old CEO Launches Aspirational Lifestyle Brand

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11-YEAR OLD ENTREPRENEUR, WILLIAM INLAW, TURNS PAIN INTO PASSION THROUGH FASHION WITH WALNI

New York, NY -- Turning pain into passion and making it happen is a life lesson that many will encounter throughout their lives. However, 11-year old William Inlaw, has cracked this code well before his time.

William Inlaw, founder of Walni has created an aspirational lifestyle brand that is designed to breed winners by daring individuals to pursue their dreams and win it!  Walni is an aspirational lifestyle brand that is a symbol of power and self-expression.

At a young age, Inlaw was introduced to bullying when both of his sisters were victims. He remembers vividly how that pain affected him and his family.

Discover Why Thousands of Displaced African Americans Will Journey Back To Africa

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Thousands of Displaced African Americans to Journey Back to Africa

NEW YORK, May 15, 2019 -- Key African American leaders will be joined by African ambassadors and elected officials to announce a mass journey back home to Africa in November 2019.

Citing the commemoration of 400 years of slavery, slaughter, struggle and success, the diverse group of entertainers, clergy, diplomats, business and government leaders and community organizers will hold a PRESS BRIEFING on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 1:30pm at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC in the Zenger Room.

This movement is a coordinated effort with an impressive network of Africa advocates in America, on the continent, and across the globe.

See Why Sodexo is Being Recognized as One of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women

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Sodexo Recognized by Working Mother as One of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women for 11 Consecutive Years

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 16, 2019 -- Sodexo, a food and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, announced today that it has been recognized for 11 consecutive years by Working Mother as one of the 2019 Best Companies for Multicultural Women-- an honor recognizing U.S. companies that create and use best practices in hiring, retaining and promoting women of color.

"We are honored to be recognized yet again by Working Mother, for our commitment to developing and advancing multicultural women at Sodexo," said Rohini Anand, PhD, SVP, Corporate Responsibility & Global Chief Diversity Officer, Sodexo. "Although there's still work to be done, we continue to see improvements in representation within leadership roles."

Currently, 36.5 percent of Sodexo executives are female with 9.6 percent of them being women of color. Thanks to Sodexo's global Women of Color Initiative, with the purpose of promoting the development, engagement and visibility of high-potential women of color, the percentage of women of color in executive positions at Sodexo is expected to grow.

Discover How This Special Dad And His Son On The Autism Spectrum Created Super Heroes To Learn By

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Led Bradshaw And His Son Jacob Create Super Hero Series To Help Educate Special Needs Kids 

Led Bradshaw and his son Jacob Co-creators of the Jet Jetpulse Comic Superhero Learning Series. Interview by Kamau Austin with Led Bradshaw.

Led Bradshaw is a quintessential father and then some.  His love for his son on the autism spectrum Jacob, and his commitment to help him succeed is also complimented by his concern for helping other children with similar challenges.

Bradshaw discovered a way to use his talent for art and drawing to connect on a profound level to help his son to learn using his love of superheroes.  I was able to get Led to take time from his busy parenting and professional schedule to answer some questions on the innovative and inspirational development of the Jake Jetpulse comic superhero educational series.

Interview with Led Bradshaw 

Kamau: Can you tell us a little about your background and your son's life growing up?

Led Bradshaw: I'm a Brooklyn born comic book artist/writer, graphic artist and Level 1 Teaching Assistant. Art is my life and it presents me with a ton of challenges yet none are more challenging or exciting than being a single father to an amazing 7 year old boy named Jacob.

Ever since I was I a kid, all I ever wanted was to draw comic books or saturday morning cartoons. It was always in my dreams. That's all I ever wanted.

Autism became a part of my life when Jake was diagnosed at the age of four. I created Jetpulse comics by embracing his special interests and pull him into learning.

Jake created the story for Jake Jetpulse through illustrations that he drew and hung on the refrigerator. After school, we'd sit and draw together for 30 minutes everyday.

Kamau: What inspired you to go into developing your comic book series with your son?

Led Bradshaw: before Jake was diagosed with autism, His mother and I noticed that he was having difficulties paying attention and learning in class. He was very self-directed and spent a great deal of time focusing on superheroes. Understanding this subject as his special interest, I incorporated 25 minute art activities into his daily routine.

At first, we focused on understanding emotions with colors. Then using those colors to communicate our mood in pictures. After several weeks of this, Jake started drawing himself as a caped superhero named "Ultra-Jake".

I encouraged him to draw more pictures of Jake and his superhero adventure. We worked together to flesh out the world that his character lives in, his strengths, weaknesses, as well as his allies and villains.

The "Ultra-Jake" character became such a big part of him; So much, that he'd dress up like his character to play. That's when I got the idea to draw the character myself and include his daily homework into the adventure.

Kamau: What is the name of your comic series and some of the leading characters?

Led Bradshaw: The name of our comic book series is "The New Adventures of Jake Jetpulse" with Jake as the main hero. he's joined by his best friends, Julia Santiago and Marrz the Troll. The characters were created to represent the three characteristics of autism.

Julia Santiago is the brains of the team. Her incredible intellect and knowledge of everything technical makes her an incredibly valuable member of the team. She's more into building fighting robots than hanging out at the mall with her friends.

Marrz is a member of a race of beings who dwell in the "Under-Boroughs" of New York City. they're a noble race of trolls who live to protect an ancient suit of armor that, if in the wrong hands, could spell doom for everyone on the planet. While lost and hungry on the surface, Marrz gets in trouble by stealing Julia's lunchbox. Jake helps Marrz return the stolen lunchbox and Julia forgives him for taking it and offers to help the giant troll. This is how they become friends.

Highly Decorated Veteran And HBCU Wellness Educator Awarded Atlanta VA Health Care System Research Volunteer of the Year

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Highly Decorated Veteran And HBCU Wellness Educator Charles Singleton Awarded Atlanta VA Health Care System Research Volunteer of the Year

The first annual Atlanta VA Health Care System Research Volunteer Of The Year Award was presented to Dr. Charles Singleton last week by Atlanta VAHCS Interim Director Dr. Ajay Dhawan. Dr. Singleton, a Vietnam Veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was nominated by the research team at the Atlanta VAHCS Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation (CVNR).

He is a passionate volunteer who participated in an extensive research study over the course of six months, and motivated his fellow research participants with his enthusiasm and dedication for the program in the process.  In addition to participating in the study, Dr. Singleton volunteers with research related activities including writing an article about his experience as a research participant for the Center newsletter and making a detailed journal about his experience to share with other Veterans and research participants.

Speaking at the event, Associate Chief of Staff for Research, Dr. C. Michael Hart, acknowledges that research participants “selflessly and altruistically give their time, energy, (and sometimes samples) to enable the process of biomedical research. Without volunteers for clinical research studies, the pace of progress and understanding in treating human disease would be significantly impaired. We are all thankful for and indebted to these volunteers.”

If you are interested in learning more about what research is taking place at the CVNR, visit http://varrd.emory.edu/active_studies/

If you would like to contact the Atlanta VAHCS Clinical Studies Center, please call 404-321-6111 ext 204934.

Black Pregnancy Expert to Lobby on Capitol Hill

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PREGNANCY EXPERT DR. LINDA BURKE WINS ACOG SCHOLARSHIP TO LOBBY ON CAPITOL HILL

Orlando, FL Dr. Linda Burke, board-certified OB-GYN physician, author and blogger, travels to Washington, D.C. in March of 2019 to lobby on Capitol Hill for women's health. Her passion, advocacy and exceptional clinical acumen earned her a full scholarship to attend the 37th Annual Congressional Leadership Conference, the President's Conference in Washington, DC from March 10th through 12th. Dr. Burke was recently reappointed to the District 12 Perinatal Morbidity Committee American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

During this annual conference, OB-GYN physicians from across the nation learn how to better lobby their U.S. Senators and Representatives on behalf of ACOG and their individual communities. Dr. Burke will use this opportunity to discuss strategies for reducing maternal mortality - especially as it relates to African-American women whose death rate is 3x greater than non-black women in the United States, according to the CDC.

Man Becomes First of 21 Children to Graduate College

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 WISCONSIN MAN BECOMES THE FIRST AND ONLY OF 21 CHILDREN IN HIS FAMILY TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE

Nationwide Paul Lamar Hunter was born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1970, the 19th of 21 natural children born to James and Louise Hunter. His childhood experiences included poverty, neglect, and tragedy. After the deaths of his father and brother Louise focused her energy on the homeless shelter she founded. Though the shelter was meant to be a stabilizing influence for her family and respite for the downtrodden, it was a breeding ground of dysfunction.

In 2012, Paul made history by becoming the first and only child in his family to graduate from college with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Upper Iowa University. He was able to do this even though he admits that he wasn't really a good student.

Urban Drama, "Nineteen Summers," in Post Production

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NINETEEN SUMMERS: A JOURNEY INTO THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF YEARS EVERYONE COULD EXPECT IF THEY DO NOT MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES PORTRAYED IN THIS POWERFUL URBAN FEATURE DRAMA POSTED ON MARCH 5, 2019

Nationwide Currently in post production filmed on location in South Los Angeles California Nineteen Summers EBK. The time taken by the planet to make its revolutions around the sun. A point of time as measured in hours and minutes, a paradoxical transition from boy to man, /nine·teen sum·mers/

Born in the generational Los Angeles street culture a 19-year old father seeks a better life in the midst of a turf war. Nineteen Summers is a powerful dramatic feature film. Film total running time is 1:54.

The movie stars veteran big screen actors Terri Abney of Triple 9, Loving and Elise Neal from the Academy Award winning film Hustle and Flow. Introducing newcomer Emonjay Brown an American 19-year-old actor. The film is written and directed by famed indie-director Rod S. Scott known for the Freeway Rick Ross story 100 Kilos.

Plans for Legacy of Blues Empress Bessie Smith Blossoming Exponentially

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PLANS FOR LEGACY OF BLUES EMPRESS BESSIE SMITH BLOSSOMING EXPONENTIALLY

New York, NY -- The profound and pioneering legacy of singer/songwriter/entertainer Bessie Smith, "The Empress," is being gloriously prepped for a richly deserved and long overdue turn in the spotlight. A rollout of career-defining projects will make Bessie's name, life and story as relevant and indelible today as when the artist dominated the recording and performing world's in the 1920's. Upon the induction of Smith's granddaughter, Beverly Ann Clarke, as an honorary member to the board of The Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee - by unanimous agreement - plans are underway for monumental memorials in Bessie Smith's honor.

These projects - already in development - include a full-scale musical play (i.e. Bessie on Broadway), a feature length theatrical motion picture (i.e. Bessie on the Big Screen), a prominently positioned star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a re-establishment of her U.S. postal stamp, first minted in 1994.

All of these works in progress follow the phenomenal success of the 2015 HBO made-for-television film Bessie (starring Queen Latifah) that garnered 24 prestigious industry awards including Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and NAACP Image Awards honors.