Black Issues Forum: 2014-2015

Non-profit leaders in Greensboro talk about an exciting upcoming public event Art Plus Dialogue: Responding to Racial Tension in America that will use art, dance, music, and more to start conversations about race. Organizers Laura Way of the Greenhill Center; Dr. Dara Nix-Stevenson with the Center for Visual Artists, and Ivan Canada of the National Conference for Community and Justice discuss.

Non-profit leaders in Greensboro talk about an exciting upcoming public event Art Plus Dialogue: Responding to Racial Tension in America that will use art, dance, music, and more to start conversations about race. Organizers Laura Way of the Greenhill Center; Dr. Dara Nix-Stevenson with the Center for Visual Artists, and Ivan Canada of the National Conference for Community and Justice discuss.

Robin Emmons left her job in corporate America to plant seeds and dig in the dirt. Now she's discovered her passion for growing fresh produce in sustainable ways to feed, educate, and advocate for marginalized communities. Her work has also earned her recognition as a William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations. She talks about her non-profit, Sow Much Good.

Young CEO Atrayus Goode shares how the intervention of a mentor through 100 Black Men of Charlotte helped him choose the right roads growing up to later attend college and found a mentoring organization of his own. While attending UNC Chapel Hill, Atrayus founded "Movement of Youth" which has grown into a successful, multiple county network of college students who mentor high school students.

Award-winners in children's books publishing, author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Vanessa Brantly Newton discuss the importance of diverse characters and subject matter, how to use books to talk with children about difficult social issues, and the real gatekeeping and institutional challenges African Americans face in publishing

At the 2015 National Health Equity Research Webcast, presenters will talk about ways to empower communities in violence prevention. Join presenters Nia Wilson of SpiritHouse in Durham, Leon Andrews with Race, Equity And Leadership (REAL) out of Washington, DC, and Dr. Stephanie Baker White of the UNC Greensboro Department of Public Health Education and webcast planning committee.

Visitors in North Carolina spend over $55 million a day in the hospitality industry, and nationwide tourism supports the jobs of more than 7 million workers. In this discussion, one of only 32 African American B&B owners and a milleniel who's achieved managerial status in the hotel industry share their thoughts about African Americans as consumers, workers, and business owners in hospitality.

Studies show less than 50% of Americans have a will in place. Find out why this documentation is so important and how to get started with expert advice from Clemonte Mills, President of Mills Funeral Home in Kinston, and the Money Coach Ed Fulbright of Fulbright and Fulbright CPA-PA, host of the weekly radio show "Mastering Your Money", which airs Sunday evenings at 6 on 90.7 FM WNCU Radio.

LeVelle Moton is the championship coach of NCCU's men's basketball team and a North Carolina success story. In his book "The Worst Times are the Best Times" he shares his most vulnerable moments and emotions as a boy growing up without a father in the projects of Boston then Raleigh and builds these touchstones into a tower of lessons on how to overcome obstacles and achieve success in life.

In 1944 American soldiers were engaged abroad in World War Two, but in North Carolina, blacks and whites moved to the rhythm of a complex dance called Jim Crow. Still, a courageous act involving blacks and whites occurred right in Durham, kept secret, until now. Hear details about the game as author Scott Ellsworth shares insights from his book "The Secret Game".

Find out about a public school in Winston Salem that's helping students boost academic achievement against all odds as we continue our look at the North Carolina Public School Forum's roadmap of need and overcoming economic challenges.

Roadmap to Youth Success Pt. 1 - Why are these conversations happening on Black Issues Forum? For certain, interest in improving outcomes for North Carolina's young people is not exclusive to African Americans. However, this specific population’s children as a group is overrepresented in many negative outcomes.

In 1964, Jimmy Raye left Fayetteville to enroll at Michigan State University. Little did he know that while he was there, he would become a trailblazer helping to change the game of college football forever. His story is captured in the book, "Raye of Light" by Tom Shanahan, and includes insight into the integration of college football and the role of the Michigan State Spartans in it.

Dudley High School, established in 1929, had rich involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, and today is continuing to impact the world, but through a very unique engineering program. Instructor Ricky Lewis and Former Le Mans Race Car Driver Jim Smith discuss the importance of STEM learning and their preparation of Dudley students for in the Shell Eco Marathon that will be held in Detroit.

Dudley High School, established in 1929, had rich involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, and today is continuing to impact the world, but through a very unique engineering program. Instructor Ricky Lewis and Former Le Mans Race Car Driver Jim Smith discuss the importance of STEM learning and their preparation of Dudley students for in the Shell Eco Marathon that will be held in Detroit.

The supreme voice of Yolanda Rabun, jazz rhythms of John Brown and the Little Big Band, elegance of the Durham Symphony orchestra conducted by Maestro Henry Curry come together for the first time for a unique concert experience at Duke University to celebrate the annual MLK Holiday and 100th birthday of renowned historian Dr. John Hope Franklin. Dr. Ben Reese and John Brown discuss the events.

Recent cases of police killing unarmed blacks Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and the young boy Tamir Rice raised public furor over equal justice. Rocky Mount's Police Chief James Moore and Chris Herring Executive Director of the Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development at NCCU share what both law enforcement agencies and the public can do to build trust and safety for everyone.

As the public debates whether or not NFL star Adrian Peterson should face child abuse charges for beating his four-year-old with a switch, the question about how to effectively discipline today's children remains. Experts discuss research around physical disciplinary measures, punishment and reward, abuse, and how to parent with good results.

Each Sunday at Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh, congregants worship to hymns and music instrumentalized in the jazz style. The church quartet A Moment's Notice performs holiday and religious music in their unique style, and lead musician Bobby Moody talks about the group's music career and long standing tradition at Saint Ambrose.

The 2014 midterm election is over, and Republicans won big. What does this mean for African Americans, most who identify as Democrats, and their concerns around health care and immigration reform, education and more? Dr. Ada M. Fisher, the only African American woman on the North Carolina GOP,answers from her book "Common Sense Conservative Prescriptions Solutions for What Ails U.,"

Raleigh-based nonprofit StepUp Ministry celebrates 25 successful years of changing lives through job placement, financial literacy, and more. Executive Director Linda Nunnallee, recent program graduate Bobby Atkinston, and volunteer Brandon Lowery talk about StepUp's programs and services including GG's Closet and an entrepreneurship program that's helped both men start their own businesses.

Mike Rae Anderson says "Every Diamond in the Rough is a Soul that deserves to be Polished," and he's working to be part of the fire that helps shape the souls of today's young people. Learn about how this ex-offender who once faced the death penalty turned from an abusive childhood and life of crime to the CEO of a foundation with future plans for a charter school.

The growth in Charter schools is increasing parental choice in North Carolina, but how is this move impacting students attending traditional public schools? Darrell Allison, President of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, and Joe Ableidinger of the Public School Forum of North Carolina discuss innovations, accountability, challenges and opportunities around growth.

School Reform: A major figure in North Carolina's Black Power and anti-poverty movements, Howard Fuller is today a strong advocate for education and parental choice. He shares stories about his journey and life lessons as recounted in his new book "No Struggle No Progress: A Warrior's Life from Black Power to Education Reform".

A new voter id law, originated in April 2013 as House Bill 589 the Voter Information Verification Act and signed into law August 12, 2103, will impact when in North Carolinians vote and what the identification requirements will be. Find out what voters need to know now, and why this law has been so hotly contested.

New York Times Bestseller and Wilmington native, Jason Mott talks about his new novel "The Wonder of All Things" which has already been optioned for screen rights by Lionsgate Entertainment Studios. Mott's first novel "The Returned" is now the hit TV show "Resurrection" on ABC. He shares the plot of his new release which like "The Returned" explores the supernatural and unexplained.