Allstate Invites America to Put Its “Good Hands®” to Use on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Beyond February

Allstate Partners with The King Center and Other Non-Profits to Mobilize Volunteers in Atlanta and Across the Nation to Serve on January 19, 2009 and Beyond

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Dec. 3, 2008 – Allstate Insurance Company announced it is designating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2009 as Allstate Beyond February Give Back Day, to be observed in Atlanta and cities across the country on January 19, 2009.

As part of the company’s commitment to the African-American community and continued commitment to volunteerism, this special initiative will further the ideals and vision of Dr. King in his hometown and nationally by inspiring people to donate their time to worthy causes in their own communities on January 19th and throughout  the entire year.

“Beyond February Give Back Day reinforces the importance of giving back to your community in the spirit of my father and everything he fought for,” said Bernice King, Dr. King’s youngest daughter.  “But an even greater tribute to my father’s legacy is evidenced by the people who demonstrate the passion and the commitment to serve their communities throughout the year, not just on MLK Day or during Black History Month.”

Click here for more or visit the Events Page on the main Black Men In America.com web site.

The 10 Best Black Books of 2008 (Non-Fiction)

Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S. and Canada. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

Kam has compiled his list of the best books for 2008 (Non-Fiction).  Click here to read his list of the best books, the honorable mentions and the worst book of 2008.  25 Things That Really Matter In Life by Gary A. Johnson received an honorable mention.  Congratulations Gary!

According to Kam, the worst book (non-fiction) of 2008 was written by __________.  Click here for more.

Black Men In America.com TV Is A Hit

In less than a week thousands of viewers have watched our collection of classic music videos.  We have over 100 artists and cultural figures featured on the site.  You can watch classic and rare performances of Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Carmen McRae, Lena Horne, Nat “King” Cole, Gil Scott Heron, James Brown, Bobby Womack, Minnie Riperton, Marlena Shaw, Count Basie, The Jackson 5, Billy Griffin, Malcolm X, Barack Obama, Sly & The Family Stone, Graham Central Station and more.

Check out this 1963 video of Jackie Wilson aka “Mr. Excitement” singing his hit song “Baby Workout.”

You can also watch a tap dancing duel at the famed Apollo Theater featuring dancing legends such as Bunny Briggs, Sammy Davis, Jr., Sandman Sims, Chuck Green, Gregg Burge, Ludie Jones, Jimmy Slyde and The Nicholas Brothers.

Don’t forget to forward the site address to your friends and family.

What Advice Would You Give To Young Boys of Color?

A hearty thank you to all the people who came out to participate in the casting call for this documentary at the Bluford Drew Jemison Academy in Baltimore on December 20th, 2008, especially the people who heard about this event through Black Men In America.com.

The producers of the award winning documentary “What Black Men Think”  (www.whatblackmenthink.com) and award winning educator and co-Founder of the PRAISE Academy for Boys, LaMarr Darnell Shields wanted “REAL Men with REAL stories” and that’s exactly what you gave them.

As grown men we recognize that boy and young men need and want advice on all kinds of issues, for all kinds of problems, questions, and concerns.  Often, they don’t know who or how to ask, and it seems to them that most self-help books are written for girls–until now.

A book titled “101 Things Every Boy of Color Needs to Know,” will be published soon. Stay tuned to this site for more information.

To see the trailer for the film, search “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Gdlzeahgw“ on YouTube.com and visit the web site www.boystomen.com.

For more information visit the Men To Boys web site/blog.

Black News Agency Wire

Black News Agency Wire Launches as the Largest African American News Aggregator on the Internet

As a veteran columnist and writer, attorney A. Renée West, President of IEBB Media recently announced the launch of Black News Agency Wire, (www.BNAW.com) the largest African American news aggregator on the web.  More than the average news site, BNAW.com presents under one banner, the voices, thoughts and perspectives of hundreds of African American newspapers, editors, columnists, pundits, writers, bloggers and commentators.

“Politics, business, sports, entertainment, technology, lifestyle, reviews, hip hop, and more, Black News Agency Wire is unlike anything else on the web for Black folks at this time,” explains West.  “As an aggregator, we don’t compete with the other sites, we drive traffic to them.  At BNAW.com you quickly find and source all your news, mainstream and African American, in one compact location; then click and read at the originator’s location.  Imagine waking up every morning to the USA Today, New York Times, or Wall Street Journal, and it’s expanded to include YOUR Black news, in a depth Google, Yahoo and Topix don’t, under one concise banner!”

Click here for more.

Nationwide Prostate Cancer Study Being Conducted

Volunteers needed to participate in clinical research study.

Researchers are currently conducting a study to compare the effectiveness of two procedures in treating low-risk, localized prostate cancer.

One of the procedures being tested is cryotherapy (freeze therapy), a commonly used minimally invasive treatment for localized prostate cancer that already is approved for treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the study, cryotherapy will be compared with an investigational procedure that uses high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This procedure is not approved by the FDA. This comparison will help researchers and the FDA understand if HIFU is as safe and effective as cryotherapy.

Previous studies of this form of HIFU treatment conducted among men with low-risk prostate cancer in Europe have shown negative biopsy rates ranging from 82[1] to 93 percent.[2] Approximately 13,000 men have been treated to-date with HIFU worldwide.

A number of treatment options are available to men with low-risk prostate cancer, including prostatectomy, radiotherapy, and cryotherapy. Each comes with its own side effects that must be weighed carefully by men and their spouses and families when making treatment decisions.

In the last several years, minimally invasive treatment options, of which cryotherapy is one, have been examined more closely to determine what benefits they may offer over other standard therapies. The goal of minimally invasive options is to reduce the impact of the treatment on the patient, resulting in quicker recovery and fewer side effects, while maintaining the effectiveness of standard treatments.

To be eligible to participate in the study, volunteers must meet specific criteria, including having a diagnosis of localized prostate cancer and being a male, aged 60 or older. To learn more about the study, call toll-free at 1-800-288-0031 or visit www.PCaResearch.com.

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[1] Chaussy et al Curr Urol Rep. 2003;4(3):248-52;

[2] Blana et alUrology. 2004;63(2):297-300;