Jamil & Michael'sSame Gender Loving (SGL) WeddingPics From Sunday, Septmeber 13th, 2009

Hey Black Family,

A friend sent me these pics from an email that appears to be floating around and being forwarded.

Since, at least I haven't seen any Black same gender loving (SGL) weddings with two Black males I figured I'd share these pics. I personally don't know the two bruthaz who got married and not associated with them. Just sharing the pics I got.

This is quite beautiful...

CONGRATS
Jamil & Michael

Coney Island Generation Gap Stop Da Violence Go-Cart Race Saturday, September 5th, 2009Coney Island (South Brooklyn), NYC

One Of The Finest Moments I Captured!
YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS!

This has to be one of the greatest moments in my life as a photographer. I mean, just look at the photo above with these two adorable looking boyz with theri go-cart medals!! This picture truly conveys beyond a thousand words the excitement of this event photographed. Coney Island which is at the edge of south Brooklyn (by the water) where I live had our 1st Annual Coney Island Generation Gap - Stop Da Violence Go-Cart Race. Man on Saturday, September 5th, 2009 at Kaiser Park. I tell you, it was so great to see all these young Black children and parents out there and doing something positive, affirming and FUN!

FLASHBACK: This event totally took me back and reminded me of the late 1970s/early 1980s (yeah, I know... I'm "dating" myself) when I remember me and my friend Charles (I think it was him) found this long slender and very thick wood board. while we were playing after school or on the weekend. We came up with the idea to use the wood to build a make-shift go-cart out of it.

Because Coney Island back then had a lot of empty, abandoned and desolate lots with weeds in them (ah, the old freaky deaky days in the make-shift clubs houses... ummm, that's another coming of age story which is rated "R" or "NC-17", LOL! ), it was easy to find some old broken down folding shopping carts. that were all medal including the spoke in the wheels. We needed two shopping carts so we could strip the metal axles with wheels from them. Man, just thinking about it, I remember that it was a FUCKING BITCH to pry the metals rods holding the shopping cart together from the axles with our hands hurting and all. We prevailed though and got two sets of axles/wheels for the front and for the back of the cart.

Next we either found some old nails laying around, or we may have gotten a hammer and nails from my Mom's toolbox or from Charles' house and nailed the axles to one side of the wood slab. I can't quite remember if we used one method where we may have used long nails to hammer them in halfway into the wood and then we'd bang and curve the other half of the nails to secure the axles in place; or if we used "U" nails as a second method to hold the axles in place. I think it was the first method which is not as robust as the "U" nails (pictured). Or maybe the "U" nails didn't work out because they weren't wide enough to fit around the circumference of the axle rod. The front axle needed special attention and we did something special where we had less nails because we needed to be able to steer the go-cart. We found some twine and attached each end to the left and right ends of the front axle. GOSH! This is FUN remembering and blogging about this!! LOL!

Anyway, the next and last step was to paint this go-cart so that it looked really qool. It was my idea to paint the go-cart orange and blue. Why orange and blue? Well, because I was a huge, huge FAN of the Dukes of Hazard tv series back then (again "dating" myself, LOL!) and Charles and I agreed that would be some dope colors for our own General Lee! (Of course, with what I know now, I'd never sanction that choice because of the General Lee's confederate flag on the top of the car and it's abrasive history as it relates to African-Americans in the Unites States).

But now this is where my memory is a little sketchy. I wanna say it was just dumb luck or whatever because I believe we found an old can of orange spray paint in the bushes which was still good and had a little paint left in it. Doesn't get any better than that. I felt someone was watching over us so that we did complete our task at building this General Lee go-cart. But I think the dilemma was coming up with a couple of bucks to buy some blue spray paint. Back then my allowance was something like 50-cents or a ducket (buck) per week, so we had to dig deep in our already empty pockets and forgo any candy or comic books (Marvel Comics were 35 and 40-cents back then) for a week or two! LOL! And then the other challenge was if the store was going to sell us the spray paint. Charles and I were rather young (somewhere between 12 and 14 years old, I guess) and back then the law was stringent about selling minors spray paint because of the graffiti craze all over the place especially with New York City Transit trains being tagged like crazy and nothing like today. So, ultimately I think I may have (honestly I forgot) gotten questioned by the store, but we got the spray paint and we went to work and had our own General Lee. This whole process took place over some days I think so we had to hide our go-cart so that none of ht other kids in the neighborhood would find it and steal or just plain trash it to pieces. I would go out after school every day to check on it to see if it was safe.

In closing, I'll say that I did most of pushing while Charles did most of the riding. Though I was always tall for my age and skinny (see me pictured on the right here with my Mom in 1984), I weighed more than Charles, and so it made more sense to push him. (The go-cart didn't hold my weight too well if I remember correctly). And hey, I'm a nice person even to this day, so in retrospect I guess it's my natively nice and sunny disposition for the most part! LOL!

Also, the axles weren't particularly strong because they were meant to hold food or laundry in those folding shopping carts and NOT the weight of two heavier 12 to 14 year old skinny kids! And YES, the axles did cave in and bend and completely take out our go-carts. We'd either have to bend and straighten the axles back (which wasn't too so good because the integrity of the metal was compromised from the first bend) or we would find more shopping carts and strip the axel and wheel assemblies. Though I will say I did get to ride our General Lee Go-Cart with Charles pushing me a couple of times. Man, those were the FUN ol' days!!

As a side bar, we the kids in the neighborhood used to also open those johnny pumps (that's fire hydrants for you folks not in the know, LOL!) and use aluminum soda cans in which we scrapped the tops and bottom plates off against the concrete floor, and use the cans to propel the water like 25 feet in the air. But yo, YOU had to be real, real careful and hold the cans steady and securely because the pressure from the water would send the can flying and the jagged edges from scrapping off the plates could slice your hand or fingers. Not cute, but FUN nonetheless.

FLASH FORWARD TO THE PRESENT: I took a bunch of pics of this 1st Annual Coney Island Generation Gap Stop Da Violence Go-Cart Race. I selected a few pics to show here for this blog entry below. The go-carts I'm told are pre-fabricated (and not crude like ME/Charles' was, but we get a DAYUM "A" for effort all around, LOL!) and cost like $275 each and comes with the wheels, too. The money was raised through sponsorships such as NYPD, politicians and such. Check out the pics...

This Is One Of My Top Favorite Pics!
Kids Are Priceless, Man!

See much more of the Coney Island Go-Cart event with music by going here ---> Coney Island Generation Gap - Stop Da Violence Go-Cart Race Photo Album

Kevin Wade Britt, Jr. , A Black SGL Brutha From Hyattsville, Maryland Is MISSING!! HAVE YOU SEEN HIM???

Kevin Wade Britt, Jr. (left) Is Missing. HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?

Anyone with any information
about Britt's whereabouts
is asked to call Officer E. Lindeman of the
P.G. County Police at 301-772-4900.




Kevin Wade Britt, Jr. (left) Is Missing. HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?
Elias Fishburn, IV (right) is Kevin's Partner
Who Reported Kevin Missing To The Police

The Prince George's County Police Department is looking for Kevin Britt Jr., a 23-year-old resident of Hyattsville, Md., reported missing by his partner, Elias Fishburne.

Kevin Wade Britt, Jr. left the Hyattsville, Md. home he shared with his partner at about 11:00am on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 to go to his office to attend to some paper work.

Elias Fishburn, IV, Britt's partner, put notices out on his and Britt's Facebook pages when after 24 hours, Britt had not been heard from, and announcing that Britt had been missing since Sunday and a report had been filed with the police.

"Your help in finding him will put a lot of hearts at rest," Fishburne said on Britt's Facebook page. "Also, if anyone knows of his blood type and Social Security number, they should call District III/Seat Pleasant, Prince George County Police Department."

Kevin who is originally from Talbot County, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, works as a coordinating supervisor at Psychotherapeutic Services Inc. in Landover, Md., a mental-health services provider for Prince George County residents.

Posted on Fishburn's Facebook page are photos of Britt
and his four-door white Acura car which has Maryland license plates.

Anyone with any information
about Britt's whereabouts
is asked to call Officer E. Lindeman of the
P.G. County Police at 301-772-4900

SGL Film MISSISSIPPI DAMNED At The 13th Annual Urbanworld Film FestivalFri & Sat, Sept. 25th & 26th, 2009 ONLY in NYC!

Hey Black Family,

A goof friend emailed this to me TODAY and I need to get it out pronto as it is TIME SENSITIVE...

The MOST EXCELLENT film
Mississippi Damned
will be playing in New York City at the
13th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival

PLEASE SUPPORT AND CHECK OUT HIS FILM!
It's REALLY GOOD!
And a lot of social commentary!!

Date and Time:
Friday, September 25th at 12:30pm
Location:
34th Street AMC Loews
312 West 34th Street
(between 8th and 9th Avenues)
New York, NY 10001

Date and Time:
Saturday, September 26th at 5:45pm
Location:
34th Street AMC Loews
312 West 34th Street
(between 8th and 9th Avenues)
New York, NY 10001

Check out the Urbanworld Film Festival website
for ticket information and more details.

The Two SGL Sistahs Mississippi Damned




Actor Malcolm David Kelley

TINA MABRY & MORGAN STIFF TAKES HOME JURY AWARD
FOR BEST AMERICAN INDIE FILM AT PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL

Jossie Harris Thacker, born and raised in Harlem, New York, began her career as a dancer. She moved to Los Angeles after landing a starring role as one of the acclaimed Fly Girls in Fox's hit TV show, In Living Color, opposite Keenan and Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey, and Jennifer Lopez. It was there Jossie became enamored with the craft thus making a natural transition into her acting career. Film credits include the soon to be released film: Boppin' at the Glue Factory, by director Jeff Orgill; Sergio Arau's film A Day Without a Mexican; and The Halfway Diner, an independent short film written by John Sayles. Jossie's television credits include: Chris Gerolmo's Over There for FX, NBC's ER and The West Wing, CBS's Close to Home, and ABC's Notes from the Underbelly. Jossie recently graced the stage as Margo in Carlos LaCamara's, Havana Bourgeois, a role written for her, which earned her riveting reviews from the L.A. Times and L.A. Weekly. Other memorable stage credits include the role of Desdemona in Othello starring opposite Charles Dutton and the role of Julia in Becoming Cuban, also by Carlos LaCamara.

Jossie plays Charlene "Charlie" Stone in Mississippi Damned. This is her second project with director, Tina Mabry. She starred as Brooklyn in Brooklyn's Bridge to Jordan, the multi-award winning short film that aired on Showtime, BETJ, and Logo.

Jossie will be in attendance at both screenings at Urbanworld. At the Saturday show she will be joined by Exectuive Producer and Producer, Lee V. Stiff.


Q: What was your experience like working on Mississippi Damned?
A: In a word, my experience working on Mississippi Damned was priceless. For most African-American and Latino actors, such as myself, roles like "Charlie Stone" are rarely written for us. So naturally when I was presented with the opportunity to play this delicious, complex character I was both excited and scared all at once. As if Tina had not created enough drama, while I prepared to shoot my first Charlie scene's, which was also our first day of shooting, the crew and I found ourselves in the middle of a tornado. But something about half the crew huddled together in that small bathroom bonded us. From that day forward it was like working with family. I think we all quickly got the sense that we were creating something special.

Q: Charlie experiences a lot through out the course of the movie, how did you develop her character?
A: Yes, Charlie does experience a lot throughout the movie. She basically goes through hell and back. In terms of the work I did in developing the character, I think I would need a few pages for that but I'll try to take you through the short version of my process. First off, I tackled Charlie as I do every role. I read the script as many times as I possibly could which at the time was not that many as I had to contend with my biggest challenge which was keeping my son, Elijah, then 18 months old, busy every second of the day while my lil Jonah, kicked around in my belly, ready to make his entrance at any given moment. Tina made it very easy for me though. I love a good writer and dissecting Charlie was a high for me. With every clue she gave me about the character I wrote it down or stored it in my head. Then I created a bio for Charlie and asked myself, "how am I like Charlie?" and "how am I different then Charlie?" and there I began to find her voice and ultimately her spirit. Next, I began thinking, breathing, walking, talking Charlie.

In addition, I had to tackle what was going on socially and politically for woman during the 80's and again in the 90's. I had to get into the mindset of woman during that era which looked very different than the opportunities, the rights and support that are available to me as a woman today. I don't drink nor smoke so I did a little research on the affect of chain smoking and alcoholism, and lastly, I had to work on the way Charlie spoke. I was born and raised in Harlem, Charlie was from the south, two very different dialects. Needless, to say there were a lot of traps in playing this role. I did a lot of work avoiding those traps the best I could.

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of creating your character?
A: Although the goal for every serious actor should be to disappear yourself in the role I know personally that that is actually a lot easier said than done. Because I knew this was a real and significant person in Tina's life, it was very important for me to loose "Jossie" and allow the audience to experience "Charlie". Initially, I think the most challenging aspect of creating Charlie was knowing she was a true, breathing human being and more over a living relative of Tina's, as oppose to a character she had penned in her mind. I had to let go of that pressure. Once I did, I found myself having to deal with having a little more in common with Charlie than I really cared to admit. I found myself saying, "if not for the grace of God, who knows where or who I would be today". It was scary to see that had I not made the choices I made growing up I could've easily been walking in her shoes. There wasn't one night that I didn't get back to that little room, in that cramped hotel in the middle of nowhere that I didn't thank God for my life and couldn't wait to get back to it. It was a very therapeutic journey.

Q: Which character, besides your own, do you relate to the most?
A: I relate to the role of Kari the most. I've seen MD maybe three or four times now and every time I watch it, it literally moves me to tears. It's as though I'm watching it for the first time because in a lot of ways, I'm that little girl, except my hood was Harlem, and despite what I've been through growing up I've always had a fierce determination to do and be more. Kari's story takes me through an emotional journey that reminds me of where I come from, where I've been, where I'm going and that insane single-mindedness needed to get there. Tina has done an incredible job in making all her characters relatable in some way, no matter where you're from.

Q: What projects are you currently working on?
A: I recently starred opposite Danny Pino, of CBS's, Cold Case, in the Miami stage production of, Carlos Lacamara's, Havana Bourgeois. I did the Los Angeles production of it last year and was the only cast member with the exception of Ugly Betty's, Tony Plana, invited back for the Miami run of the production. Again, it was an awesome role and it's exciting to hear the industry buzz about major investors interested in taking it to the next level, perhaps Broadway!

Next, I'm preparing for a role in a feature film that is currently in works with a highly acclaimed Oscar nominated actor, I'll keep you posted on that one. Plus I have several other projects that are currently in the pre-production stage. This continues to be a great year and I expect 2010 is going to be even better.

African Cultural Event Singing, Drumming and Dancing (Bembe)In Honor Of Elegba, Ogun & OchossiSunday, Septemebr 27th, 2009

Click The Pic To See Enlarged Version

Sunday, September 27, 2009

from 2 PM until 6 PM

Egbe JagunJagun

will sponsor an

African Cultural Event

Singing, Drumming and Dancing

(Bembe)

in honor of

Elegba, Ogun & Ochossi

at the

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building
163 West 125th Street
(Between Lenox Av/Malcolm X Blvd
and
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd
Art Gallery – 2nd Floor
Harlem, New York

(Photo I.D. Required To Enter The Building!)

For more information please call 212-283-4035
or send an e-mail to
egbejagunjagun@yahoo.com

Woodrow Wilson Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships

Dear BMI Colleagues:

Below you will find information about the Woodrow Wilson Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships. Please pass this information on to your students.

Announcement:

The Woodrow Wilson–Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color were created to help recruit and support individuals of color as K–12 public school teachers in the United States. Through this fellowship, we hope to prepare greater numbers of highly qualified teachers of color in public school classrooms around the country.

This Fellowship includes:
• a $30,000 stipend to apply toward the cost of a master’s degree
• preparation for teaching in a high–need public school
• support and mentoring throughout the three–year teaching commitment
• guidance toward teaching certification
• lifelong membership in a national network of Woodrow Wilson Fellows who are intellectual leaders

Only current seniors are eligible to apply for the WW–RBF.
Applications are accepted through October 26, 2009.

Details:
http://www.woodrow.org/fellowships/teaching/wwrbf/index.php

Interested U-M applicants should contact:
Dr. Henry O. Meares
Assistant Dean, School of Education
hmeares@umich.edu, 734 323-4237


Sincerely,

Jermaine Wright
Associate Director, CUNY Black Male Initiative
The City College of The City University of New York
160 Convent Avenue at 138th Street
North Academic Center (NAC) Building, Room 4/154
New York, New York 10031
(212) 650-5394 (telephone)
E-mail: jwright1@ccny.cuny.edu
Website: http://www.cuny.edu/bmi
or http://web.cuny.edu/academics/oaa/initiatives/bmi.html