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“Born Vanda Bernadeau in Hinche, Haiti to a Haitian mother and Haitian-Dominican father, Dutch ReBelle is known for “mixing introspective, punch-lined filled lyrics with heart pounding production”. ReBelle earned national attention early on with electrifying performances at SXSW, A3C and the Brooklyn Hip-Hop festival. Publications like XXL noted ReBelle “spearheading her way into blogs because of her poetic style…lyrical bravado…and fiery talent.” Having earned the title “Queen of the Bean,” ReBelle solidified her local reputation as a “ReBelle with a Cause” (The Boston Globe) with her 2012 “Married to the Music” EP. Soon after her “Sunday Morning” music video was featured on MTV’s Rap Fix Live, ReBelle was named “Best Hip-Hop Artist” by the Boston Music Awards and featured on the cover of The Improper Bostonian. Ms. “kiss kiss, BANG BANG” has found success defying expectations and is now cultivating a global audience. With last year’s release of “NO STEMS”, reintroducing ReBelle reintroduced her rap roots with sounds inspired by her Haitian-Dominican upbringing and recent festival performance in Africa.
RHYME ANTICS IS A HILARIOUS RHYMING VOCABULARY GAME INSPIRED BY HIP HOP FOR AGES 12+. THINK TO THE BEAT WHILE YOU FREESTYLE RAP IN PROPER ENGLISH ONLY! ENGAGE IN A BATTLE OF WORD WITS THAT WILL TEST YOU AND YOUR TEAM'S VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE AT A RAPID SPEED! FUN FOR ALL KIDS, GROWN UPS, GRANDPARENTS, TEACHERS, GEEKS AND GANGSTERS.
DeShuna Elisa Spencer is the Founder & CEO of kweliTV, which celebrates global black culture through curated, undiscovered and award-winning indie films, documentaries, web series, children’s programming and events. She’s a former radio host and producer of emPower Hour, a show that examined social justice issues affecting people of color, on Washington, DC’s 89.3 FM WPFW.
Blue Hub capital members speak on their experiences of https://lnkd.in/erarpB2 BlueHub Loan Fund provides financing for affordable housing, education, healthcare, and economic and environmental vitality – key elements to creating healthy communities. As a national, certified Community Development Financial Institution, we partner with other nonprofits, governments and developers to connect low-income communities with capital that generates economic opportunity and stability.
Love Your Menses- to be in tune with your menstrual cycle, to advocate for equitable resources & safe spaces to menstruate, to support other people who menstruate, and most importantly, to flow through life unapologetically. We are committed to ending period stigma in Black and Brown communities through community conversations, health education, resource connection, and mentorship.
Inner fitness work strengthens your ability to move beyond limiting thoughts and behavior, resolve unresolved issues from the past, and stretch into a better relationship with your Self. Think fitness for the inner you. Begin your journey.
• Acquired vertically integrated adult-use cannabis organization. As CEO of Verdant Medical, I am responsible for vision, management, business planning, execution, and government relations in a complex, highly-regulated local and state environments. • Filed all necessary paperwork for local community agreements in four cities and towns (Boston, Somerville, Provincetown, and Rowley); as of 4/10/20 have secured local host community agreements in two communities (Provincetown and Rowley) by working closely with local elected officials, abutters, and other interested parties
Prior to seeking elected office, District Attorney Rollins served as a field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board in Boston, safeguarding employees’ rights; as an attorney with the law firm of Bingham McCutchen, handling first amendment, labor and employment, complex civil litigation, and criminal defense matters; and participated in an assistant district attorney rotation in Brockton District Court. Beginning in 2007, District Attorney Rollins served as an assistant United States attorney with the US Attorney’s office in Boston, handling cases that included fraud, employment discrimination, sexual violence, child abuse, gun trafficking, narcotics, and public integrity matters. In 2011, she was selected by Governor Deval Patrick’s administration as the first person of color to serve as the General Counsel of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and was soon named the first female general counsel of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. In 2013, she was recruited to become the Chief Legal Counsel of the Massachusetts Port Authority. An attorney for 20 years with degrees from Northeastern University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center, District Attorney Rollins is also a former Governor Deval Patrick appointee to the Judicial Nominating Commission, a past president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and was elected and served a three year term on the Boston Bar Association Council. She is a recipient of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association’s Trailblazer of the Year Award, was selected as Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly Attorney of the Year in 2018, and received the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Award from the Boston Branch of the NAACP.
I am a phenomenal voter, and you can be one too. Today is National Voter Registration Day. Here are 2 actions you can take today to help preserve our democracy: ✅ Register to vote or check your voter registration status at iwillvote.com ✅ Check on your squad and make sure they are registered too. Our work doesn’t end in November, but it starts with your vote.
Angel Rich wants to revolutionize financial literacy education and level the playing field between those who have money and those who don’t. But she’s playing on an uneven field. While in college, Rich won a Goldman Sachs Portfolio Challenge because the algorithm she developed resulted in a net portfolio gain of 2% when the market tanked in 2008. She also won Prudential’s National Case competition for her marketing plan for reaching millennials. As a result of that win, she was offered any job she wanted at Prudential. She chooses to be a global market research analyst. Rich began conceptualizing Credit Stacker in 2009 but didn’t leave her job until 2012. She had generated $6 billion in revenue for Prudential and received an underwhelming $30,000 bonus and an offer to pay for an MBA at Wharton so Rich said bye-bye. In 2013, she launched The Wealth Factory Inc., a D.C.-based firm that designs financial literacy and workforce development education technology games. She literally wrote the book on why there is a financial gap between black and white America — History of the Black Dollar.
Interview with NikNuYork – On-air personality, JAMZ 95.7, Birmingham, AL Brooklyn-born, Queens-raised and southern-certified radio personality Nuyork knows how to win the hearts, minds and ears of a loyal audience. Using instinctive drive, determination, authenticity and passion for music, not to mention natural beauty, the award-winning radio talent has earned the love and respect of listeners in multiple radio markets, and is a rising radio star true to the community she represents.
Tayla Andre's first published book Finally, Home.
FirstLight is About People Home Care is Not a Career, It’s a Calling We know your first priority when choosing a home care provider is finding someone you can trust and rely on… someone who will care for your loved one as you would, and as we would our own. We’ve been where you are, and this is one of the main reasons we chose to be in this business. Please take a moment to read our many outstanding reviews from Google, Facebook, and AgingCare.com and you’ll understand why FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston is recognized for the highest quality of care and service as a home care and senior care agency.
Finally, Home pt 2 unedited audiobook by Tayla Andre
Interview with Representative Chyna Tyler by Tayla Andre
THINX definitely eliminates the need for panty liners, and will make a great back up to your tampon or menstrual cup. Some do choose to wear THINX on its own, but no one knows your flow better than you, so you’ll be the best judge of what works! Well, every pair of THINX has a top layer that wicks all liquid into the über thin absorption layer right beneath it, so that you feel super dry. This way, you can wear 'em all day long (i.e., no, you don't have to change them during the day, no, they don't feel like diapers, and no, it's not like sitting in your own blood). Boom.
Tayla Andre - Daddy Daughter Dilemma Women With Daddy Issues With @SheIsFila by Tayla Andre
Tayla Andre - Rob Hill Sr Heart Healing With Love by Tayla Andre
Tayla Andre - #Justiceorelse Little Girls With Big Names by Tayla Andre
Tayla Andre - Spiritual, Physical, Emotional Spring Cleaning by Tayla Andre
Tayla Andre - Truth About @BostonSchools by Tayla Andre
Tayla Andre - Until Education Reform Parents Deserve The Charter Option by Tayla Andre
No Kissing/Sex before marriage with @HeatherLLove @thisiscornelius by Tayla Andre
Tayla's Rant about deadbeat baby mommas by Tayla Andre
Understanding how the Safety can become a slippery slope by Tayla Andre
Ayanna Pressley poetically addresses why the Democratic party needs to act with urgency against the current administration by Tayla Andre
Asia talks about what it is like as a beauty queen entering winning and even losing pageants.
Among her first and most impactful initiatives, District Attorney Rollins implemented a policy of presumptively dismissing and/or diverting certain low-level misdemeanor charges. These offenses are often symptomatic not of criminal intent but of mental illness, substance use disorder, and poverty. Instead of using her limited resources to prosecute and incarcerate these offenders, District Attorney Rollins seeks to hold them accountable while providing access to services and treatment to address the underlying issues that likely led the individual to offend. This progressive approach is designed to reduce the likelihood that an individual will reoffend and improve the safety and wellbeing of impacted communities. Upon taking office, District Attorney Rollins recognized that immigrant victims, witnesses, and offenders were often afraid to appear in court due to federal authorities’ use of state courts to conduct civil immigration arrests. As a result, prosecutors have been unable to prove criminal cases where witnesses and victims did not appear for trial and vulnerable immigrants lacked access to the vital protections of the court, such as restraining orders, and services of the probate and housing courts. Additionally, violent offenders charged but not yet prosecuted in Suffolk County were being removed by ICE. This was done with no communication with the District Attorney’s Office or the victims of the crime. In response, District Attorney Rollins helped lead the charge in filing an injunction in federal court to end civil arrests in state courthouses and ensure that all community members have equal access to justice through the courts. District Attorney Rollins has also undertaken a long term project to ensure that each of Suffolk County’s more than 1,000 unsolved homicides receives a comprehensive administrative and legal review. This represents one of the most ambitious efforts thus far in her commitment to better serve homicide survivors as well as victims of all crime in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop.
Driven by a lifelong pursuit of justice and equity, Julia Mejia has created countless opportunities for others to step into their power and advocate for positive change. That is why she believes It’s time that those entrusted to lead our City’s government include new faces from different walks of life…striving for a voice in our institutions of power. Like many residents in the City of Boston, immigration is part of her story. Born in the Dominican Republic, Julia arrived in the neighborhood of Dorchester when she was five years old. Raised by a single mother who was undocumented for most of her childhood, she began advocating at a young age on behalf of her mother and others who felt ignored and underserved by the very institutions that were suppose to serve them. A proud graduate of the Boston Public schools, Julia was the first in her family to graduate high school and college, and first to purchase her own home in Boston, who became an entrepreneur and a voice for social justice, as well as a parent and head of household. She created and led a civic engagement group focused on voter registration, is founder of a nonprofit education network, and worked on national social justice campaigns as a producer for MTV. Through her work, Julia has become enriched by the experiences of bringing people together from all walks of life. Julia is a graduate of Dorchester High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Ida College. She lives in Dorchester with her daughter, Annalise, and their little Shih-Tzu, Toby.
In New York state between 2013 and 2015, 54 black women died for every 100,000 births compared to 15 white women. There are three levels of racism influence individual health: institutional racism, personally mediated racism, and internalized racism. Contributing factors include societal indifference to racism and discrimination; unequal access to employment, housing, education, and pay; and perceptions that African-American women have not achieved success because they are not up to the task. Hospital quality can account for nearly 50 percent of the racial disparity in maternal illness. https://www.statnews.com/2018/01/11/r...
Make Boston Affordable! See You June 12th! On Tuesday June 12th, MAHA members will rally in support of six great ideas that will help create more affordable homeownership opportunities for Boston residents. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the meeting, starting at 6pm, at the Boston Teachers Union hall, 180 Mt. Vernon Street in Dorchester. Are you tired of talking about the housing affordability crisis and want to be part of the solution?
Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and survivor. Her election to the Boston City Council in 2009 marked the first time a woman of color was elected to the Council in its 100-year history. This laid the foundation for Ayanna’s groundbreaking work, with which she has consistently strived to improve the lives of people that have too often been left behind. Ayanna is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District. Raised in Chicago as the only child of an activist mother who instilled in her the value of civic participation, Ayanna understands the role that government should play in helping to lift up communities that are in need of the most help. After her election to the Council in 2009, she successfully pursued the establishment of the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. The Committee addresses causes that Ayanna has always been most devoted to: stabilizing families and communities, reducing and preventing violence and trauma, combating poverty, and addressing issues that disproportionately impact women and girls. Ayanna is intentional about engaging community voices in leading and informing policy by making sure they have a seat at the table. In her eight-year tenure on the Council, she has: Revised and mandated enforcement of a pregnant and parenting teen policy for Boston Public Schools to strengthen pathways to graduation and to reduce the dropout rate Developed a comprehensive sexual education and health curriculum that is culturally competent, medically accurate, and age appropriate, which was successfully adopted as a permanent part of the Boston Public Schools’ wellness policy Convened the first listening-only hearing in the Boston City Council’s history, where 300 families impacted by homicide testified, which strengthened her resolve to continue her advocacy for trauma supports Partnered with Dr. Monique Morris, Founder of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, to convene focus groups in evidence based research to reform school disciplinary policies that contribute to the school to prison pipeline for black and latina girls Successfully pushed for the creation of 75 new liquor licenses, 80 percent dedicated to disenfranchised neighborhoods, resulting in the creation of dozens of new restaurants and hundreds of jobs Ayanna’s legislative achievements resulted in her being the top vote-getter in three consecutive elections, making her the first woman in 30 years to achieve this distinction and the first person of color to top the ticket. Prior to being elected to the Boston City Council, Ayanna worked as a Senior Aide for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and later Senator John Kerry. In 2016, Ayanna was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. In 2014, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and the Victim Rights Law Center presented her with their Leadership Award. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012. Ayanna lives in the Ashmont/Adams neighborhood of Dorchester with her husband Conan Harris, nine-year-old stepdaughter Cora, and cat Sojourner Truth.
The District Attorney is charged with ensuring the safety of the residents of Suffolk County and obtaining justice for victims. The District Attorney also serves as the moral backbone of the criminal justice system and is instrumental in assuring equity and fairness in the process for everyone. We deserve a criminal justice system in which addiction, poverty and mental illness are not criminalized; where socio-economic status and race don’t increase the likelihood that someone is incarcerated; and where the District Attorney, prosecutors and members of law enforcement are a true reflection of the rich diversity of the communities that they are sworn to protect and serve. Now is the time for a new lens to look at these complicated problems and to work hard and collaboratively with the community at proposing innovative solutions. We need a new voice in the role of the District Attorney. A voice that is committed to decreasing incarceration rates, racial disparities and the overall reliance on the criminal justice system to deal with issues in our society. Someone who is committed to restorative justice and measuring outcomes. Someone who has worked closely with law enforcement agencies on ensuring the safety of communities. A new voice that speaks to the reform our criminal justice system so desperately needs. We need a District Attorney with the courage to lead with the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability.
102.9 FM @WBCARadio #WakeUpwTaylaAndre is on-air with #MAPoli @NewtonMAMayor #Democratic #gubernatorial #candidates2018 @settiwarren @settiwarren discussing #HealthCare #economicjustice #racism #Education #gunlaws We covered almost everything #Bospoli
Jayne Kennedy Overton (née Harrison; October 27, 1951) is an American television personality, actress, model, a corporate spokeswoman, producer, writer, public speaker, philanthropist, beauty pageant titleholder and sports broadcaster. Kennedy won a 1982 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture award for her performance as Julie Winters in the 1981 film Body and Soul co-starring alongside her then–husband Leon Isaac Kennedy. Kennedy won the NAACP Theater Award for Best Producer along with her current husband Bill Overton for their production of the highly acclaimed staged musical, The Journey of the African American. Kennedy is also an Emmy Award winner for her coverage of the Rose Parade and was nominated for an Emmy for her coverage of the news feature on soldiers on the DMZ in South Korea for NBC’s Speak Up America in 1980. Ebony Magazine announced as “One of the 20 Greatest Sex Symbols of the 20th Century,” and in the 1980s, Coca Cola USA named Jayne Kennedy “The Most Admired Black Woman in America”.
Millie Jackson is much more than an entertainment legend. The shapely, charismatic and multi-talented entertainer is without a doubt, a music industry icon whose oft criticized career paved the way for many of today’s forward female recording artists and entertainers. Not only has her lengthy career attracted fans from all walks of life along the way; it’s rumored that Bette Midler and Roseanne took pages from Millie’s high voltage explicit approach to sex, to enrich their respective careers. In spite of being stamped bawdy, brash and bad, Millie is the epitome of performance perfection on stage. She has no peer in this department!!! Several years ago, she added a new dimension to her established legendary career by creating, financing, directing and starring in a ‘hit’ musical stage play that was based on one of her previous recordings, “Young Man, Older Woman”. During the play’s touring years, audiences (old and new) discovered that Millie Jackson was equally at home as an actress, as she was singing songs in a musical mesmerizing manner.
Khleo Thomas, is an actor, rapper, singer, and entertainer best known for his role as Zero in Holes and Mixed Mike in Roll Bounce. Khleo also starred in other films like Walking Tall (2004) and Remember the Daze (2007). Currently, Khleo is working on his debut album Just A Sample.
@_DrBryant President of NAACP Featured in EBONY Life Coach by Tayla Andre
Dr. S. Atyia Martin was appointed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh as the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Boston as part of the 100 Resilient Cities pioneered by the Rockefeller foundation. She has also been adjunct faculty at Northeastern University in the Master of Homeland Security program. Previously, Dr. Martin was the Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC). In this role, she was responsible for coordinating public health, healthcare, and community health preparedness; emergency management coordination among the public health and healthcare system via the Stephen M. Lawlor Medical Intelligence Center; psychological trauma response coordination, and education and training through the DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness.
By definition, an “icon” is usually a symbol or an image that stands for or represents something other than itself. As an artist, SHA'CONDRIA "iCON" SIBLEY stands for and represents for those who are oftentimes marginalized and whose voices are silenced in today’s society. iCon is a nationally-acclaimed championship poet/spoken word artist/actress/teaching artist. As a founding member of Team SNO (Slam New Orleans), she has helped the team win multiple regional and national titles, solidifying them as a “dynasty” in the world of slam poetry.
Boyd started his broadcasting career at National Educational Television in New York, NY in 1961, beginning as a mail clerk, then production assistant, associate producer and eventually producer for News In Perspective a bi-weekly news analysis and background program produced in association with The New York Times and hosted by Lester Markel and Clifton Daniel. The program was generally produced in New York City and Washington, DC, but often was produced around the world including Osaka, Japan; Saigon, South Vietnam; Cairo, Egypt; Bonn, Germany; or Paris, France. Boyd's on-air career began in Boston, Mass. the 1970s as a general assignment reporter when WCVB-TV went on the air in 1972. He co-anchored weekend newscasts from 1976 to 1984*,[5] early mornings from 1984 to 2000 and noontime newscasts from 1984 to 2006 when he was named special correspondent and field reporter for both WCVB's broadcast news operation and its website TheBostonChannel.com (now WCVB.Com). He retired at the end of 2008. In 2009 Boyd enrolled as an undergraduate at University of Massachusetts Boston, transferred to Tufts University in Medford, Mass. and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 2013.*[6]*[7] Throughout his television career Boyd had been a member of AFTRA (The American federation of Television and Radio Artists) that merged with the Screen Actors Guild in 2012 to become SAG-AFTRA In 2013 after graduating from Tufts, Boyd began acting in television series and motion pictures as an extra or background performer. Projects to date include:American Hustle, The Equalizer (film), The Judge (2014 film), The Forger (2014 film), Olive Kitteridge, Unfinished Business (2015 film), Black Mass (film), Ted 2, and Spotlight (film).
LYDIA EDWARDS Deputy Director for Housing Stability As a Deputy Director within the Department of Neighborhood Development, Lydia is responsible for programs to assist Boston residents facing displacement - whether due to eviction, landlord-tenant disputes, rent escalations, unplanned loss of housing. In addition, the office is responsible for collecting eviction data, evaluating for trends, responding accordingly and advocating for policies at the City and state level. She works closely with landlords, management companies, housing authorities, and tenants to negotiate housing solutions, help residents stay housed, and find new affordable opportunities. Lydia is also setting up and maintaining an inventory of services available to Bostonians in housing crisis at external partner agencies and non-profits. Currently an attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, Lydia has also served as a leading advocate for domestic workers and immigrants and also as a mediator for landlord-tenant housing disputes Lydia comes to the City from Greater Boston Legal Services, where she served as the Equal Justice Works Fellow. She represented domestic workers who survived labor trafficking, helping secure back wages and immigration relief. She also helped draft, implement and enforce the recently enacted Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights and coordinate state wide implementation of the new law. An East Boston resident, she has also served as a clerk for Massachusetts Appeals Court Justice R. Marc Kantrowitz, and as Law Clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. She has a Masters of Law from Boston University's School of Law, holds a JD from American University Washington College of Law, and is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Marymount College of Fordham University.
“Mr. I'M POSSIBLE Speaker | Author | Motivator & Chief Messenger of Education Empowerment “not impossible– I’M POSSIBLE!” The messenger is here. The time has come!! Early in life, “Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient”- Keith L. Brown, “Mr. I’M POSSIBLE,” was identified as a “Special Ed” and “At Risk” student, primarily because he was very talkative, hyper, and wanted to give “all the answers;” ironically, these are a few of the same traits that made him a hit on the legendary “Showtime at the Apollo,” and Popular Game Shows, “Family Feud,” and “Celebrity Name Game,” and make him one of the most sought after Professional Speakers, Consultants, Change Agents and Award Winning Authors on the planet. Named a “World Class Speaker” and one of the top speakers and consultants in Education by “Insight Publishing,” and International Speakers Network, Keith empowers hundreds of thousands of people annually, many of whom are in Colleges, School systems, Supplemental education agencies, Family advocacy agencies, Foundations, Government agencies, Faith Based Institutions, Corporate America and the “I’M POSSIBLE Institute,” where he coaches and trains Speakers, Entrepreneurs and Individuals who seek to improve and expand their Communication Skills. He has served as a “Client Referral Consultant,” on A&E’s hit television series,” Beyond Scared Straight,” and is a frequent guest on I-Heart and Sirius XM Radio, often serving as an expert on Youth and Family Enhancement, Educational and Social Justice and Improving the Quality of Life for all Human beings, especially the underserved. He has presented and established partnerships in England, Canada, the Virgin Islands, Barbados, and the Dutch Caribbean, to name a few. As a Legislative Speech Writer and an Award Winning Author and Co-Author, his Curriculum, “not impossible-I’M POSSIBLE: A Relevant Guide on Leadership and Life Skills for Students and Families,” is being read and studied nationally and globally. Keith has been featured in the LA Times, Chicago Sun Times, NY Newsday and hundreds of other locals nationwide. His community service and philanthropic work includes but is not limited to the following: The Sickle Cell Foundation, National Lighthouse Foundation, Omega Mentoring Program and the South Fulton Arrow Youth Council. He and his lovely wife Wakea, an Elementary School Principal and Child and Family Advocate, are the proud parents of one sensational son, Keon. From “Special Ed” to “Specialty Speaker.” From “At Risk” to “Taking Risks,” the time has come for the world to grasp the life changing, “I’M POSSIBLE” message and its Chief messenger, 20/20 Enterprises own: Keith L. Brown, “Mr. I’M POSSIBLE.”
ennifer Berkshire. I spent six years editing a newspaper for the American Federation of Teachers in Massachusetts and now (almost) make my living writing, editing and causing trouble. I started a blog called EduShyster about education and matters related 2012 after my frequent early morning tirades against the state of media coverage of education issues threatened to upend my marriage. What began as a comic skewering of the excesses of the education reform movement has morphed into something more serious—but always with a focus on the unintended consequences of the shift towards a market-based education system. In 2016, I launched a podcast, Have You Heard, a monthly series that hands the mic to voices and perspectives that have largely been missing from the debate over the future of our public schools. Have You Heard recently wrapped up its inaugural season and has kicked off season 2.0: a talk-show on hot-button education issues with education scholar and all around smarty Jack Schneider. I recently changed the name of my blog from EduShyster to Have You Heard for reasons that you can read about here. My writing and interviews regularly gain national attention and has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Baffler, Salon, Alternet, Jacobin, the Progressive, Bloomberg EDU and some other places I’m almost certainly forgetting. For more information or to invite me to come for a visit, contact jenniferberkshire@gmail.com.
S.E.L.L.A’s Kitchen, is a coming of age family drama based on a screenplay written by Ralph Anthony (Boston2Philly). The family friendly film stars (casting) as Marley aka S.E.L.L.A, a 16 year-old Hip Hop junkie and food prodigy living in the famous Hip Hop mecca, the boogie down Bronx, discovers he has a talent for cooking that far exceeds the droves of fans in his neighborhood. Soon he finds himself enthralled in a vicious competition and under the tutelage of a mysterious teacher with a heavy accent, volatile personality and a culture far different than anything Sella's ever known. Through their differences, shared hardships and mutual love for food, a bond is formed by this unlikely pair and a young city slick unaware of his intense talent and a retired world renown chef far removed from his hay day, find themselves in the same kitchen, at the same time and unclear weather it's coincidence or destiny. Story-lines deal with the culture clash between the world of which Sella' lives in with his family and the shallow, materialistic, and closed-minded community in which the restaurant and food community reside. The film itself includes elements of core family values, extensive history regarding hip hop music, post modern day racism and functions as a mixture of melodrama, artistic cinema and comedy. " Food is an expression of art and different cultures. The kitchen is the studio, the pots and pans the instruments, the hands the lyrics and the outcome- Hip Hop." -Ralph Anthony Celestin
MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN CHILD is an autobiographical book centered around trauma. The synopsis of MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN CHILD encapsulates my upbringing in a Haitian single mother household, and yearning for an idealistic family that never came to fruition. I existed but didn't live. As a Forgotten Child, I survived a childhood full of hidden sadness, buried pain, and silenced hurt caused by trauma and abuse. The more vulnerable I was with my story, the more I realized the commonalities between me and many survivors. Our common thread motivated me to share my story in this series so it can help others confront their past and tellTHEIR story. Trauma may be the dirty little secret in Pandora's box, but I'm the seeker of PEACE with the KEY OF HEALING.
Hidden Colors is a documentary about the real and untold history of people of color around the globe. This interview includes questions asked by Tayla's inquisitive mind as well as listeners that have seen the movie. To purchase the series please visit http://hiddencolorsfilm.com/
In a society where racial prejudice thrives in politics, communities, institutions and popular culture, it’s difficult for racial minorities to avoid absorbing the racist messages that constantly bombard them. Thus, even people of color sometimes adopt a white supremacist mindset that results in self-hatred and hatred of their respective racial group. Minorities suffering from internalized racism, for example, may loathe the physical characteristics that make them racially distinct such as skin color, hair texture or eye shape. Others may stereotype those from their racial group and refuse to associate with them. And some may outright identify as white. Overall, minorities suffering from internalized racism buy into the notion that whites are superior to people of color. Think of it as Stockholm Syndrome in the racial sphere.