DryerBuzz & Co LIVE: Organization Spotlight: Buzz on The Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR)

DryerBuzz & Company presents an Organizational Spotlight Podcast.  With an ongoing initiative to take back our keywords [black women, african american], we try to provide a vehicle to answer the age old question “where do we go from here.”  Too often we hear citizen asks questions about our civic lives as if organizations and associations didn’t exist.  Many orgs are historic and continue to address needs of African Americans every day.  Some are born out of special interest, but for the most part they do exist.

Within the last year or so, at DryerBuzz.com we added a feature section called “Seeing Is Believing.”  That is where we are and if we don’t see we don’t believe – even to our detriment sometimes.  So we’ve continued to run headlines to let the reader know about various organizations.  Occasionally we invite Orgs and Association on the podcast during the Great Debates.

This week we invite for a special inside look to The Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), an intergenerational civic engagement network of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP). At the forefront of championing just and equitable public policy on behalf of Black women, BWR promotes their health and wellness, economic security, education and global empowerment as key elements for success.

We recently ran a headline where the group responded to the President Obama’s announcement of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.  [Read More]

Join DryerBuzz & Company Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 7:30PM LIVE for special Organization Spotlight with The Black Woman’s Roundtable to hear more.  We’ll be joined by Melanie L. Campbell, NCBCP executive director and CEO and  Black Womens Roundtable convener and Felicia M. Davis, president, Just Environment and member NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable Atlanta.

Phone lines will be open at 646-652-2642 for comments or to listen via BlackBerry and iPhones.  Listen above with plug-in LIVE or podcast available immediately after taping.

Visit www.ncbcp.org to learn more during and after the show.  BWR comprises a diverse group of Black women civic leaders of international, national, regional and state-based organizations and institutions. Together, the BWR membership represents the issues and concerns of millions of Americans and families who live across the United States and around the world.

BWR has outlined specific policy priorities for 2009-2010 to ensure the educational advancement, economic security, health and wellness, education and global empowerment of women, with a special emphasis on Black women and girls. Learn more about these priorities, BWR initiatives and how you can get involved.

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Real Time Buzz: Why We Need to Take Back Our Keywords



Cops Killing Cops – NYPD police officer killed by cop

CNN.com – — A police officer was shot to death by another officer as he was chasing a man he saw breaking into his personal vehicle in New York’s East Harlem neighborhood, authorities said. Did plain clothes cops roll up and just start shooting?

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DryerBuzz & Company: Great HR 848 Debate Live and Podcast with Entertainment Attorney Leron E. Rogers

HR 848 has some seeing green and others seeing red, namely Black Radio.  Introduced by Rep Conyers, John, Jr, the bill is said to “provide parity in radio performance rights under title 17, United States Code, and for other purposes.”  So what does that mean.  You may have heard Cathy Hughes by now with what she thinks the bill would mean to black radio, but what does it mean for performing artists and the like.  Are they about to get PAID?

Join us TODAY Friday, 2:30PM ETfor the live taping of DryerBuzz & Company Great Debates with special guest prominent music and entertainment attorney Leron Rogers for the buzz behind the buzz on HR 848.

A partner in the law firm of Hewitt & Rogers based in Atlanta, Leron heads up the firm’s entertainment, technology and media law practice group and is known throughout the country for representing high profile entertainers and athletes in their professional and business ventures. Hewitt & Rogers legal expertise includes business transactions, entertainment law, and business litigation, among other services.

Leron E. Rogers represents renowned artists, producers,management companies, songwriters, record labels and publishing companies. Within the entertainment industry, Leron has represented clients including comedian/TV/radio/film star Steve Harvey, icon James Brown’s children, R&B group “Silk”, Lil Scrappy (Warner Bros.), “PSC” (Grand Hustle/Atlantic),”Big Kuntry” (Grand Hustle/Atlantic), Grammy Nominated writers/producers Jason Rome (Luther Vandross, Jagged Edge, Blu Cantrell, Cassidy, Patty Labelle), Nate Walker (Jamie Foxx); NexusMusic (J. Holiday); Natural Disaster (Soulja Boy); Jeffrey “Marvelous J” White (Dem Franchise Boys, Rocko, Lil’ Mama), Prentice Spry (Jamie Foxx), Cedric “Ced Keyz” Williams (Ciara, Young Joc, Young Buck, LLoyd); Jonathan “Baby Jay” Williams (50, Lloyd Banks, Tyrese); and Trools & Rask (Akon) and former V103 radio personality, Porsche Foxx.

Phone lines are open during taping so join us at 646-652-2642 or listen live or podcast at www.DryerBuzz.com. Where do you stand on HR 848?

HR 848 Summary: [Source]

Performance Rights Act – Amends federal copyright law to: (1) grant performers of sound recordings equal rights to compensation from terrestrial broadcasters; (2) establish a flat annual fee in lieu of payment of royalties for individual terrestrial broadcast stations with gross revenues of less than $1.25 million and for noncommercial, public broadcast stations; (3) grant an exemption from royalty payments for broadcasts of religious services and for incidental uses of musical sound recordings; and (4) grant terrestrial broadcast stations that make limited feature uses of sound recordings a per program license option. Read More

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Taste of Sandy Springs May 30 on the Sandy Springs Circle

Taste of Sandy Springs to Serve Up Food to Satisfy Every Taste

More then 30 restaurants will be serving up fare that ranges from fine and exotic dining to down home cooking sure to please and satisfy every appetite at the 3rd Annual Taste of Sandy Springs on Saturday, May 30th on Sandy Springs Circle.

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BookBuzz: Has the Shifting Subsided for Black Women?

Commentary by Y. Lattimore, DryerBuzz

Blame it on the planets, but I’m all over the place these days.  Pause, let me check the scopes before I complete this post.  Perhaps I’m suppose to just post the book and not do a commentary.  Hold on.

Whew did I avoid a big one.  I checked today’s and tomorrow’s scope since technically some of you won’t see this until Friday in your email digest. Just wanted to share a book found online while when looking for a magazine article.  There is a whole back story to how I came across it. But according to he scopes, I should digress. You know how I am about our “key words.”  I love how the book caught my attention as I Googled “black women.” After reading the description (below), asked myself is this where we are or where we used to be with regards to “Shifting?”

With this new medium, we may have settled a bit. As I review the content tonight, let’s hope the shifing has subsided where we can be ourselves. I’m so excited that we are taking back our keywords.  It means more black women are online, blogging, creating content, and using the medium to support ourselves cohesively.  Especially since being online places us in greater diversity. If w’ere not bringing us to the table, then diversity cannot benefit. Sure we’ve had the book clubs, the salons, etc., but we needed more online.

To figure out how to move forward with all that is happening today, I myself have started to take a look back.  The book you’ll find below came out in 2004.  I thought “wow that was five years ago.” Most of us had no idea where we would be today.  We don’t know how much we don’t know – about ourselves and others.  I’m going to spend the evening checking out the preview and may order a copy as well as do some more research on the topic.  Just wanted to spread the buzz so please check it out. I may invite someone to a podcast to see where we are now? In fact I have a great podcast coming up Sunday (May 31st) from a Black Woman’s Roundtable. Look for a post later.
Again, spread the Buzz.

On Google Book Search — Shifting By Charisse Jones, Kumea Shorter-Gooden
Click Link To Preview
Based on the African American Women’s Voices Project, Shifting reveals that a large number of African American women feel pressure to com-promise their true selves as they navigate America’s racial and gender bigotry. Black women “shift” by altering the expectations they have for themselves or their outer appearance. They modify their speech. They shift “White” as they head to work in the morning and “Black” as they come back home each night. They shift inward, internalizing the searing pain of the negative stereotypes that they encounter daily. And sometimes they shift by fighting back.

With deeply moving interviews, poignantly revealed on each page, Shifting is a much-needed, clear, and comprehensive portrait of the reality of African American women’s lives today.

On Amazon:

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To Save Young Black Men Do We Treat Them Like Animals – Yes

Commentary by Y. Lattimore, Editor DryerBuzz.com

Before you get mad, keep in mind we live in a country where an animal’s life is valued at twice that of a human. Now go ahead and get mad, get angry.  The step beyond anger is action.  In an issue oriented society, hopefully this has become an issue for the reader.  Unbeknown to man, there is a very simple solution to saving young black males.  At the rate we are going, we need to save young black women as well.  For the next fifty years, our prison systems are counting on failed implementation.  And that “Obama” factor of seeing someone of similar image in leadership will be slow to take effect.  Beside someone has to be there, within arms length, to drive the point home.  We say at “arms length” because you have to apply a hug at various points.

Seriously,  I’ve been screaming about an experiment which took place some time ago.  It resonated with me back in the day as what I saw on the screen during a documentary resembled something I saw taking place on the streets with humans.  To documentary disappeared for a minute and perhaps some re-writes have taken place, but even in its current form, the message is still there.

Now here this… To save young black men, do we treat them like animals? The answer is a resounding yes. Yes.  Which animal in particular?  Juvenile elephants.  The story of the juvenile elephants today, some references tell it a little different from what I remember.  We know how government experiments go.  So when you find references to the story, the solution is still there, plain and simple.  It appears simple at least to me. To implement, you’ll here that you need funding, years of study, a major movement,  a board, a march on Washington, a senate hearing  – all the red tape.

Or you can take it upon yourself and just be there for somebody.  Perhaps the one where one out of 11 African Americans are in the corrections system, either in prison, on probation or on parole, according to a comprehensive study where major accounting of African Americans is reported in various Pew Reports put out by the Pew Center on the States and other Pew this and Pew that.

I know you’re NOT keeping up with family these days, but one out of eleven means that somebody is not around right now.  With a larger family, 2 or 3 people might not be around.  But let’s flip the script.  That would mean ten (10) out of eleven is not in the system.  We could go back to the stats to find out who’s working, not working, how many kids, how much education, income, wealth, zip code etc.  However, we are seeing negative juvenile behavior coming across the board. Today working and being away from a child can have almost the same societal impact and influences on a child as a parent that does not have a clue and has never worked a day in their life. I’ve talked to inmates in federal prison and they tell me an idle mind gets the same amount of idle time – behind bars.

Back to elephants.  Let me share one of the references that’s still possible to find online.  Click here to read from Boys and girls learn differently: a guide for teachers and parents By Michael Gurian, Patricia Henley, Terry Trueman, but don’t read too much. Just read the first part about the elephants from the section “When In Doubt, Be An Alpha.” It gives a quick summation of what happened when the bull elephant was reintroduced to the juvenile elephants.  After that part it goes into a concept of middle school which is a whole other beast and this blog is getting a bit long.  Found source online with Google book search, because like I said earlier, references to the actual experiment are becoming difficult to find – probably because there in lies a solution.

We also found a few other sources making reference to juvenile elephants and their testosterone. Even basic reading about the elephant hierarchy and how elders are decided and leadership is formulated can give great insight to the drastic issues we have with our young males.  We definitely have some issues and we need to be ready to try what works. The animal kingdom has by far, done a better job than humans over the time.

Does it work?  YES.  How do I know?  Been there done that and made an impact. It works. It stops young men from going to prison.  It stops them from disrespecting women and themselves.  Young men who witness a positive bull or alpha male don’t walk around with their pants at their knees.  They don’t come upon some body’s property and decide they will take their stuff or their life.  Their brain and their conscience works when they have the right bull male to emulate, father or not.

Lastly and I’ll let you go.  Borrowing from the juvenile elephants, we’ve got to reintroduce the bull male, but in a concept of volunteering.  Oh goodness, I lost you.  Let me try a word we used back in the day.  Forget volunteering.  I forget that four million black men marched on Washington but disappeared when it came time to volunteer. We’ve got to become stakeholders for the future.  A stakeholder cultivates and doesn’t just drop seeds and walk away. The bull elephant demands respect, teaches, protects and keeps order with respect of the hierarchy.  You can’t just be up in his herd and not pull your weight and you will know your place.  If you step to him to challenge, you better win and be willing to do all that he does.  In the end, he then passes the torch. He doesn’t leave anyone to fend for themselves.

Statements from NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable on Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination

Following are statements from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’S (NCBCP)  Black Women’s Roundtable on President Obama’s announcement of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor:

From Melanie L. Campbell, NCBCP executive director and CEO and  Black Womens Roundtable convener:
 
“On behalf of the  National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Black Women’s Roundtable, I would like to congratulate President Obama on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to succeed Justice David Souter on the  U.S. Supreme Court.
 
“The National Coalition’s 2009 theme is “Celebrating Our Sisters,” and what better way to celebrate Sisterhood than to witness the appointment of a highly qualified Puerto Rican woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.  In addition to her impeccable credentials, her wide range of legal and judicial experience, and her reputation for being tough on the bench, Judge Sotomayor  epitomizes the American dream. Her successful journey from the projects in the South Bronx to the federal bench is a clear indication that she understands the struggles of people on main street.
 
“Today is a proud day in American history with the nomination of the first Latino to the highest court of the United States. We are advising our members, state affiliates, constituents, friends, family and neighbors to contact their Senators urging them to move forward quickly to confirm our distinguished sister, Judge Sotomayor, to the Supreme Court.”

From Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner,  president, Skinner Leadership Institute and member of NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable:

“As an African American woman, I am extremely proud of President Obama’s historic nomination of a phenomenal woman, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, as the first Latina woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.  Not only is she extraordinarily well qualified and experienced judicially, she also embodies the kind of level headed sensitivity to the pressing needs of ordinary citizens that is so critical for justices today.”
 
From Felicia M. Davis, president, Just Environment and member NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable Atlanta:
 
“As long as I can remember I have longed for the appointment of an African American woman to the United States Supreme Court as the most transformational act that I could imagine. Until today it did not occur to me how much I would identify with the appointment of a woman of color from the Latino community. Remarkably,  Sonia Sotomayor’s story resonates as deeply as any I could imagine.  I am proud to join in celebrating the nomination of such an exceptional woman and historic first.   It is my hope that the confirmation process will move expeditiously with strong bi-partisan support.   Women of color share in this nomination in a special way and we are confronted with a unique opportunity to rally all women in support of an eminently qualified candidate that will also bring much needed diversity to our highest court.”

About NCBCP: Founded in 1976, the NCBCP (www.ncbcp.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing African American participation in civil society.  The current programs and initiatives of the organization include Operation Big Vote!, Black Youth Vote!, Black Women’s Roundtable, Voices of the Electorate, and the Unity Civic Engagement and Voter Empowerment Campaign. The National Coalition has trained and engaged African American leaders and community activists in overcoming institutional barriers that have hindered the growth of Black communities politically, socially and economically.

The Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) is an intergenerational civic engagement network of the NCBCP. At the forefront of championing just and equitable public policy on behalf of Black women, BWR promotes their health and wellness, economic security, education and global empowerment as key elements for success.

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CNN Losing Authoritative Voice to Social Media

CNN has given voice to social media and in the process, like print, has given away its “authoritative voice.”  Why turn to CNN at all when you can get social media everywhere.  The 24 hour news network has become 15 minute of repetitive soundbites and the fame goes to whatever twitterer or facebook from whom they borrow the news. Even myspace has been given a crutch by the network.

Perhaps the network should borrow a page from our forefathers and not give all the power to the people.  They will turn on you or turn you off.  The New York Post has create quite a buzz about CNN’s rating coming up short, namely Anderson Cooper.  They throw in a few jabs at Roland Martin now filling in for Campbell Brown.

For the buzz behind the buzz, we turned to twitter where conversation about both anchors.  At post time, in a 30 minute time frame, there were only two (2) tweets about Anderson Cooper.

TheVirtue: stopped following Anderson Cooper. You’re hot,dude. But your tweets are kind of boring and there are too many of them.

tylerphillip: Had to stop getting device updates from anderson cooper, he overtweets.

Well if that doesn’t say it all.  We also checked tweets for Roland Martin.  Is this not what CNN would do? Going once, going twice.  We’ll take a shower and come back as the current tweets are four (4) hours old and from another news source’s twitterfeed.

We’re back.  Zip nada tweet yet.  But in some fairness to Martin, he’s most active on facebook where you can follow his nightly wardrobe selections with a topic or two.

Just as if we were watching CNN, we’re now bored with this topic. No wonder there is a CNN ratings dive.

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Update: Stop the Madness

Sunset: Exodus Tyson, Daughter of Mike Tyson

CNN.com — The 4-year-old daughter of boxing legend Mike Tyson died Tuesday, a day after she was injured in a treadmill accident at her home, police in Phoenix, Arizona, said. Read More

Fans were praying for the recovery of Tyson’s daughter.  The family had issued earlier thanking fans for their support.

At post time, a memorial guestbook had not been posted nor had information on memorial arrangements.  Information should be made available to Legacy.com | follow tweets

President Obama has chosen federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court

CNN.com –Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic and third female U.S. Supreme Court justice if confirmed. Obama plans to announce his nominee at 10:15 a.m. ET Tuesday, sources told CNN. The president chose Sotomayor over the weekend at Camp David, Maryland, according to two sources close to the selection process.  The nominee once confirmed will replace Justice David Souter. Read More at CNN

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