Even before you notice the smooth, powerful swing that has helped propel her to the brink of stardom at only 17, you see something else that defines Ginger Howard and her precocious golf game…the smile. It lights up her face, as she talks about her life and dreams. Ginger has become a member of the LPGA at the right age of 17, the youngest ever. There’s a good chance you haven’t heard much if anything about Howard yet, but all that could change very soon. If things go they way they’ve been heading, we may soon become well-acquainted with the million-dollar smile and formidable style that has been lighting up the ranks. And the story could ultimately entwine a Williams Sisters tennis twist, because waiting in the wings is 16-year-old sister Robbi, a prodigy in her own right. Ginger follows other notable black golfers such as, tennis great Althea Gibson was the first black female to play on tour. Gibson broke through in 1963 and played in 171 tournaments until 1971. From 1967-80, Renee Powell also held an LPGA Tour card. More recently, LaRee Pearl Sugg played full-time in 1995, ’96, 2000 and ’01. Also, Andia Winslow missed the cut in her one event in 2006. (NFL Hall of Famer, Kellen Winslow, Sr., is her uncle.) article via naturallymoi.com
Author and daycare practitioner P.B. Jeffrey recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to publish a children’s book, “The Flyers and The Crawlers,” as part of an anti-bullying education initiative for kids. Once her goal is met, Jeffrey intends to donate 200 copies of the book to daycare facilities, school libraries, and anti-bullying conventions across the country. P.B. Jeffrey, husband Lennox and daughters Bullying is an issue that affects the African-American community, and is fast becoming a multi-cultural epidemic, both in person and online. Since bullying may begin as early as preschool, and because young children best learn from stories, books, and other educational media, a children’s book series about bullying is an effective tool for preventing the onset of bullying in the next generation. Jeffrey is trying to raise $4,000 by May 24. Donations of even $5 make a difference. To donate or learn more about the campaign, please go to http://kck.st/ZWYR8K. article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOQ3v2AR6Wc&w=560&h=315]
African-Americans have little-to-no representation in the technology sector, especially when it comes to dot-com businesses. Fortunately, William Michael Cunningham has created a platform specifically for African-Americans and women of all races.BlackCrowdFunding.net allows is a new crowdfunding platform that allows people to contribute to ventures created by African-Americans and/or women of all races. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Cunningham discussed the nature of his business. “Most people start a business by taking out loans on their houses or going to friends and family and raising money that way,” Cunningham said. “If you’re in a demographic where your housing wealth has been impacted significantly negatively, then that’s less of an option with respect to raising capital.” Crowdfunding has been known to launch very successful projects, including the YouTube series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.” Cunningham said that crowdfunding presents a more promising option. Incase you’re unfamiliar with the term crowdfunding, it’s a method by which an entrepreneur can raise money for his or her start-up online by collecting small investments or donations from a large number of people. “The idea is that crowdfunding is a tool that can be used to get resources to low to moderate income communities in way that we haven’t seen before,” Cunningham said. The site already has a number of ventures seeking funding, including an education on identity theft, a boutique, a garden, and a pride t-shirt, and more. article by Maria Lloyd via techyville.com
“It’s a great feeling that someone thinks that you are the best at doing something that you love to do,” said Leonard Fournette, who also was ranked No. 1 by Scout and No. 3 nationally by Rivals. “It’s a big surprise to me. “It’s exciting, but at the same time I know that I have a lot more work to do in myself to get better, faster, stronger. I have a lot of other things that I feel like I have to get better.” Founette, 6 feet 1 and 222 pounds, has long been one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits. Yet the bruising back, who is considering LSU, Alabama, Florida State, USC and Texas, among others, is, for the moment, putting the breaks on recruiting visits to concentrate on spring football. “To me, Louisiana has the best talent.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6eY7WpOmoE&w=420&h=315] The Soul of the South Network, targeting African-American viewers, announced Thursday it will launch in 30 markets on May 27 after closing an initial round of funding for $10 million raised from the state of Arkansas and private investors, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new network will be distributed initially by over-the-air stations and on digital channels on the broadcast spectrum but also plans to air on cable and expects its stations to qualify under FCC must-carry rules (which mandate nearby cable systems must carry it) because it is local and offers unique news programming. “Our distribution footprint covers at least 70 percent of all African-American households in the south and in Chicago and Philadelphia, which we call sister regions,” says Doug McHenry, the Hollywood-based producer of films including “New Jack City” and “House Party” and TV shows including “Malcolm & Eddie,” who is the new network’s president of entertainment. By the end of this summer, Soul of the South expects to be in 50-60 markets with a high concentration of African-Americans, reaching 30-40 million households. At launch over Memorial Day weekend, the network will not have any original programming outside of an active news presence in its local markets. McHenry says execs are in active negotiations with three Hollywood studios about licensing appropriate programming, including past situation comedies, dramas, documentaries and movies.
President Barack Obama Speaks at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston
As our hearts here at GBN continue to go out to all those affected by the recent Boston Marathon bombing, we find comfort and inspiration in President Barack Obama’s speech today at a church service titled “Healing Our City” at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston memorializing and honoring its victims and survivors. Here is the link to it at nytimes.com. article by Lesa Lakin and Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Women of color – particularly black women – are bombarded with mixed-messages about our hair. A divide between natural and relaxed coifs have recently emerged. Natural and relaxed women use different beauticians, peruse different websites, and adhere to different hair regimens. Madame You, a new social networking site for women of color to “connect with hair gurus and each other” aims to bridge the divide by providing a platform for all women to tackle hair issues and bond over hair successes. Madame You spoke with Clutch about the inspiration for the social network and offered advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Q: What inspired the creation of a social networking site for black women’s hair? A: MadameYou.com is powered by Techturized; a hair technology company that was birthed from a combination of frustrations with inadequate hair care solutions on the web. All of the co-founders have experienced issues that most women face! These issues vary from inability to find and purchase the right products for their hair type, to not knowing how to find a stylist in their area that caters to her hair type. Although some of this information is currently available on line, we wanted to have a space where women can find everything they need in one place. We are using our backgrounds in computer science and chemical engineering to revolutionize the way women interact with their hair! Q: How did you bring the idea from concept through fruition? A: By really understanding our consumer’s pains we were able to create a product that our consumers truly needed. We have interacted with thousands of women at hair shows and meetups across the country and the common denominator of all our interactions was wanting styles and products that worked for their unique hair properties. Now our concept has evolved into a real solution for Black women, which is MadameYou.com. Madame You is the only social network for hair and beauty that combines science and technology to provide recommendations for women to make better hair decisions. Read the rest of this story on Clutch Magazine.
Kathryn Finney of Budget Fashionista launched DigitalUndivided with the intent to increase participation of black women in tech (Image: Source) Attention tech entrepreneurs: If you’ve never heard of Kathryn Finney before, then pay attention; she is someone you should know. In fact, more importantly, if she knows you, she can be the best friend you’ve never had. Known across the blogosphere as The Budget Fashionista, Finney is famous for teaching the fashion-conscious, but financially-challenged among us, how to look runway-ready for a fifth of the cost. The Yale epidemiology graduate started the blog in 2003, before the invention of WordPress, and after her husband, a web-developer at Victoria’s Secret, pointed out that her shopping was putting a crimp in their pocketbooks. “When I started doing the Budget Fashionista I was newly married, living in Philadelphia. Knew no one, but my husband [who] worked a lot. I was shopping. I was bored. I was spending a lot of money,” says Finney, who previously worked as a research scientist, specializing in HIV/AIDS in women. “I’ve always been the flyest scientist. I went to India and didn’t bring any clothes in my suitcase so I could bring back fabrics.” Budget Fashionista’s popularity grew tremendously. Finney scored a position as editor-at-large for BlogHer, was tapped as a regular fashion contributor for NBC’s Today show; became the first fashion blogger to receive a book deal from Random House, penning How To Be A Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less; and even moved to Los Angeles to begin working on a television show. Right now, you might be wondering what fashion blogging has to do with the innovation economy. Well, the television show never came to fruition. After everything had been negotiated, the title cards were complete, and only the word Action! was left, Finney’s decided not to pursue a career in entertainment. She felt a deeper calling was still ahead for her in technology.
They spend almost 80 hours per week outside of their regular jobs to help bring attention to the plight of missing persons of color who often get less media attention than their White counterparts. They’ve partnered with NewsOne to help produce the weekly “Black and Missing” column as well as TV One’s“Find Our Missing,” which is hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson. Now, Natalie and Derrica Wilson (pictured from left), co-founders of theBlack and Missing Foundation, need your help. In an effort to continue raising money to continue their important work, the Black and Missing Foundation is hosting its first 5k run/walk fund-raiser on May 25th in Ft. Washington, Md. The Hope Without Boundaries 5k, presented by the National Child Identification Program, will allow Natalie and Derrica to continue to help African Americans find their missing loved ones safe and sound. And even in cases where the news is not good, they still are able to provide families with some sense of closure so they aren’t left forever wondering what happened to their loved one. The work they do is invaluable to those whose loved one has just gone missing, especially since the statistics are discouraging. While Blacks only make up 13 percent of the country’s population, they make up more than 33 percent of those reported missing in the FBI’s database. According to the National Crime Information Center, there were almost 30,000 active missing persons cases in the country. Blacks make up almost 12,000 of those cases or about 40 percent. Of the 173 Amber alerts in 2010, 30 percent were for African-American children. After seeing the lack of attention that some missing African Americans receive in the media, Natalie and Derrica have set out to make change. Using Derrica’s law enforcement background and Natalie’s public relations and marketing background, the two women, along with countless volunteers, have been able to put African-American missing cases front and center. “Through our personal funding and donations we maintain an online clearinghouse. In addition, we provide support to the families of the missing with flyer distribution, financial support, victim recovery, and burial service assistance,” said Natalie Wilson. Since launching in 2008, the Black and Missing Foundation has helped locate 113 missing people of color. Seventy-one of those who have been located were found alive. They’ve also been able to bring attention to the cases of missing African Americans by serving as spokespeople on news programs such as CNN. But they need our support to keep on going. “Black and Missing Foundation Inc. is hosting its first annual ‘Hope Without Boundaries’ 5K Run to bring awareness to missing persons of color and honor National Missing Children’s Day. We believe that awareness is vital in finding our missing or providing much needed closure for their families.,” said Derrica Wilson. Testimonials, like this one from Goldia Coldon,whose daughter, Phoenix, went missing in 2011, show the important work the Black and Missing Foundation is accomplishing:
When my daughter, Phoenix Coldon, did not come home and had not called on Monday, December 19, 2011, after leaving our driveway on the previous afternoon (Sunday, December 18, 2011), I called several local television stations to get her face and missing situation before the local population. I had absolutely no success. I then designed my own flyer with pictures of Phoenix as well as her physical description and description of her vehicle that she was driving. I put that flyer on my personal Facebook page and sent it to everyone on my e-mail list. Someone down the line gave Phoenix’s information to the Black and Missing Foundation that I had never heard about. Derrica Wilson called me, offered her assistance, and changed the entire process. She and Natalie designed a more professional flyer, listed Phoenix on their website, contacted not only local television stations but national stations and newspapers, and talked with me for hours while I talked about my beautiful Phoenix. They even just held the phone while I cried, sobbed, blew my nose, and cried some more. I love both of them and am grateful beyond words for their help. I hope to meet them one day and give them a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. We have not found Phoenix yet, but I am more confident that we will find her soon as a result of the exposure that was afforded to Phoenix by the Black and Missing Foundation.
This Saturday, April 13th, the Zimmer Museum Honors Jackie Robinson with Family Friendly Events & Activities in conjunction with the Sports Museum of LA.
Sixty-six years ago on April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base, making him the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. This weekend, in addition to the national release of the Warner Bros. “42,” a feature film about his life, Robinson will be honored by a rare display of his, as well as Negro League memorabilia, at the Sports Museum of Los Angeles. This exhibit, hosted by the Zimmer Children’s Museum, coincides with Jackie Robinson Triple Play Day, which also includes family-friendly events, food, prizes and a historical scavenger hunt for kids. Proceeds from Triple Play Day go to support the Zimmer Children’s Museum’s youth services program, youTHink, which empowers youth to find their voice around social issues that matter to them and make a difference in their communities. For more information on this special event or to purchase tickets, go to: http://sports.zimmermuseum.org article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson Related Posts:
Author and daycare practitioner P.B. Jeffrey recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to publish a children’s book, “The Flyers and The Crawlers,” as part of an anti-bullying education initiative for kids. Once her goal is met, Jeffrey intends to donate 200 copies of the book to daycare facilities, school libraries, and anti-bullying conventions across the country.
