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Archive for the ‘Empowerment’ Category

January 9, 2010 marks the day that the book, Sugar, by Bernice L. McFadden celebrates its 10th anniversary.  The author is commemorating the anniversary by campaining to sell 10,ooo copies of the masterpiece by January 9.  Don’t get it twisted, she’s not doing this to line her pockets.  This push is designed to serve as a wake-up call to publishers who have marginalized the African-American experience into categories of gangs, violence and drug sales.  Sales of this book will help to convince publishers that there’s more than one type audience for African-American literature and that art should be appreciated for what it is.  Visit the author’s blog for more information on Sugar’s 10th anniversary [Author's blog].

Actress Kimberly Elise supports the campaign

From Amazon.com:

Bernice L. McFadden’s first novel begins with the brief, poetic description of a crime so startling that the reader is helplessly drawn in, as if a bright red door stood ajar on a bleak and forbidding house. Pearl Taylor’s daughter, Jude, has been found murdered and mutilated near a field at the edge of town. “The murder had white man written all over it,” writes McFadden. “But no one would say it above a whisper. It was 1940. It was Bigelow, Arkansas. It was a black child. Need any more be said?” In the years that follow, Pearl catches sight of Jude in so many strangers that when Sugar Lacey comes to town and sets up her unwholesome “business” in the house next door, she doesn’t know whether to believe what she sees in Sugar’s face: a striking similarity to Jude, dead 15 years. In her sedate but supple prose–rising at times to a light, unforced lyricism in the description of landscape or character–the author perfectly renders the closed and protective society of a small Southern town, the superstitions, gossip, and prying. Although the men of Bigelow are happy enough to have Sugar around, the women do their best to drive her off. Only Pearl is drawn to Sugar, managing to look beyond the rumors surrounding her new neighbor, whose dismal life, she tells Pearl, “had no crossroads.” Eventually Pearl shows Sugar the ballerina-topped jewelry box in which she keeps snapshots of her dead daughter.

Sugar lifted the lid and saw herself staring back at her. She jerked as if struck. Her hands were shaking as she lifted the first of many pictures from the box. Jude rolling in the grass, Jude swimming in the lake, Jude sleeping, Jude laughing. Sugar’s head was swimming. If someone had brought these pictures to her and said, ‘Here you are in the life you can’t recall,’ she would have believed every word of it and ignored the slight differences that remained between Jude and herself. Jude’s smaller nose and thinner lips, her rounder eyes and fuller brow. But the smile was the same; sure and solid. Sugar knew that smile, it was her own.

Slowly, the secret connections between Jude and Sugar unfold against a backdrop of suspense and the return of violence. This is an ambitious and feeling debut from a promising writer.

Dometi The Prophecy performs as a solo artist as well as in the rap group, S.G. also known as Straight Gutta.  S.G.’s music speaks to a “Struggling Generation” and caters to the 18-20 something crowd.  The music offers joints for the club as well as thought-provoking lyrics detailing the every day struggles of minorities in America.   Dometi has been writing, recording, performing, and distributing original music since 2003.  S.G. has independently produced and distributed 3 projects that have collectively sold thousands of copies.  The beats are produced by S.G. affiliates Terrell “Oothey” Jones and Santana “Sincere Musik” Nelson.

Download “Get It Jukin” for free

The CDs are currently available at various local spots throughout Chicago-area malls and their single, “Get It Jukin’” has received radio play and interest from a movie project that will star Cedric The Entertainer and Kel Mitchell )Kenan and Kel). Their local success caught the attention of the Calumet City, IL newspaper (THE TIMES) and the group was featured on the front page on Sunday, March 12, 2006 and in another article on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008.

The group has a growing fan base at Southern Illinoisth University Edwardsville as well.  Dometi is an honor student that has made quite an impression on campus at the universityperforming at SIUE several times at events hosted by various fraternities, sororities, and other campus groups.

Aside from Dometi’s own endeavors, he currently leads a team of aspiring artists; five rappers, two R &B singers, and two producers.

Listen closely to the lyrics!

[View with PicLens]

Links:

www.myspace.com/straightguttasg

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-Gutta/57985923299?ref=ts

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/03/12/community/family_focus/2ce8c652929f5d618625712b00216136.txt

http://nwi.com/articles/2008/01/13/news/illiana/docd5c54a6989b95eb6862573cd005d8800.txt

As most of you know, Jay-z is planning on doing a benefit concert at MSG on Sept. 11 for the NYC firefighters and law enforcement heroes of 9-11. It also is conveniently the drop date for his heavily anticipated and grossly leaked album, BP3.  Beyonce was with her husband early this morning at the “Answer The Call” charity concert press conference in New York.  The Carters are doing Big Thangs!

Beyonce and the fire commissioner of NY

Jay-Z and NY governer David Patterson

Here’s a short video of Jay at a press conference giving the details on how the idea came together and what can be expected at the concert.

contributed by Senyo

Lately, We’ve been inundated with celebrity hook-ups, break-ups and make-ups.  Kanye and Amber Rose, T.I. and Tiny, Nas and Kelis, Usher and Tameka the list goes on and on.  The latest celeb breakup news is that Tyrese is telling his ex-wife that she needs to get a job.  Tyrese claimed, in court papers that were filed last Thursday, that he has paid $75,000 worth of his former wife’s professional fees even though they had a prenup.  The prenup was supposed to resolve everything between the couple besides expenses for their small child.  Tyrese is now tired of taking care of his ex-boo and he wants her to take care of her damn self.  Here’s the kicker, although Tyrese and his girl were together for 5 years, they were only married for ten months.  They met in London where she was an unemployed college student and she dropped out of school to move to the US with “Baby Boy.”  Now she’s left with their daughter, no education and no job. 

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