EVERY YOUNG, BLACK MALE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

Martinsville, Virginia—Hey Luv Project announces the release of Young, Black Males: America’s Most Wanted (April 1, 2014, ISBN: 978-0-578-13580-9, Hey Luv Project) by Wendy Kellam.  

Every Black teenager should read Young, Black Males: America’s Most Wanted, so they can feel Kellam’s passion, her true love—not just for her sons and her immediate family—for her entire community and the entire Black race. Most importantly, she wants all young, Black males to recognize and understand their worth!

“Pull your pants up!” is one of many solutions Kellam offers in her powerful, thought-provoking book that comes straight from the heart and written with so much passion and sincerity. Kellam emphasizes the importance of good parenting, the foundation and stepping stone to raising good, productive children. As a single mom, raising three, Black males, she knows the importance of being a good parent, putting your children first, and providing good homes and good morals.

“The stats speak loud and clear,” Kellam states in her book, when she points out that 60% of Black males either drop out of school or go to jail. She also stated that 1 and 3 Black men will have a record in his lifetime. Black males are six times more likely to go to jail than white males. Black male achievement begins to decline as early as the fourth grade, and by the fourth grade, only 12% of Black male students read at or above grade level. By eighth grade, the numbers fall to 9% for Black males. An epidemic that needs to cease, Young, Black Males: America’s Most Wanted should be the handbook for parents, teachers, and mentors and for those who have an immediate impact on the lives of our young, Black males.

Author Wendy Kellam is a native of Martinsville, Virginia. She is employed with Technique Solutions, an IT company. She is the Director of Trudie Reads, a reading program designed to help kids learn to read, as well as instill a love for reading. She is a mentor of the Pretty Girls Rock’s Martinsville Chapter. She is the founder of Hey Luv Project, a group of community partners telling stories to inform, empower and educate. She is a community advocate for her race, an advocate for women, a huge advocate for the youth and an advocate for human rights. She is a daughter, sister and cousin. She is a mother, a grandmother and Messiah has made being a grandmother, oh so grand. She is a friend to few, but cool with many. She rocks to her own beat. I am she and she is me.
Wendy Kellam is available for book signings and speaking engagements. To schedule Wendy for your next event, please email heyluvproject@gmail.com.

Young, Black Males: America’s Most Wanted by Wendy Kellam will be available in Trade paperback on April 1, 2014 everywhere. Currently available for download on Amazon Kindle. For more information contact Sadie-Katie at 276-224-4696.

Dr. Fredrick Clark Introduces $50.00 A Year Dental Plan

Dr. Fredrick Clark is making it possible for anyone to have access to high quality dental care at an affordable price.  Who is Dr. Clark?  Dr. Fredrick Clark is a Washington, DC area (Oxon Hill, MD) dentist who has dedicated his professional life providing affordable dental care to patients who cannot afford dental insurance and to patients who suffer from an array of dental diseases.

Don’t have dental insurance?  Do you have poor coverage with your current dental plan?  Dr. Clark is going to make you an offer that you can’t refuse.  Sign up for Dr. Fredrick Clark’s $50.00 a YEAR Dental Plan! 

Say What?  You read that correctly.  A $50.00 a YEAR Dental Plan.

What’s the catch?  There is no catch!  This is the Real Deal!

How about a $50.00 cleaning or a $50.00 filling or even a $50.00 extraction?

Well it’s true.  Tell your friends.  The days of “OVERPRICED” dental care are over!  Now you can afford to see a dentist in your community.  If you live in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, call the office of Dr. Fredrick Clark at 301-686-1070 to sign up for the $50.00 a YEAR Dental Plan!  Se Habla Espanol.

About Fredrick Clark, DDS

Dr. Fredrick Clark, DDS is a graduate of Howard University Dental School.  Dr. Clark has been a dentist for over 28 years.  He prides himself in providing dental care for children and adults who suffer from physical and mental challenges that prevent them from being treated in a normal dental setting.  Dr. Clark has received numerous awards and commendations from State and Federal officials for his work with children.  Long considered one of the best and brightest dentists in the region, Dr. Clark is often called to assist legislators shape dental public policy.

The Life and Times of Kibrom “Bags” Endirias

The African Rapper Shares a Personal Story on Pain, Passion and the Pursuit of Happiness

Being a true African American man raised in Decatur to East African parents, I’ve had quite a unique life experience. I was the only child out of my 5 siblings to be born in the US after my family fled Eritrea during a time of civil unrest. My parents risked all of our lives in order for us to live our lives. In addition to those complexities, my dad was a missionary who began the first Eritrean church in Atlanta. As a result, I spent the majority of my formative childhood and early teenage years in church: church meetings, Bible study, prayer groups, revivals, spring break and summer break. Even when I wasn’t physically at the house of worship, I still lived in a house of worship. We weren’t allowed to listen to secular music at home, but as we got older I’d sneak in my brother’s car to listen to Eminem or Jay Z or Bob Marley.

Being at school became my only outlet for a taste of real life because I was around kids who lived differently than I did and with that came curiosity on both ends. I wanted to know what it was like to act up, while my classmates put me to the challenge. They would dare me, the preacher’s kid, to curse or behave in ways contrary to what I was taught. For a long time I resisted the negative pull but over time that struggle between good and evil wore me down. I started indulging in my passion for music, especially rap, although I’d always been a lover of music. My mother has a beautiful singing voice, my older brother plays the piano and I sang in the church choir, a gift that continues to serve me well in my career. My new lifestyle created a different kind of war my family couldn’t escape from. I started getting into a little bit of trouble, which pushed me to write more and really pour my soul into my music. The whole time this was happening, I was fighting my own personal battle of having the support of my homeboys who came to every show I did, yet my family didn’t believe in me. I understood and respected my parent’s sacrifice to give my siblings and I a chance at a quality life. I know they didn’t go through all that strife just to have their child be a rapper. They didn’t understand the promises placed inside of me. They wanted me to go to college, get a good job, get married, raise a nice family but I had my own vision. It’s been hard to put your all into something you love and not have the encouragement of the people you love. As the years pass, they’re coming to terms with my decision to rap because they realize that music is all I want to do.

I got the name Bags because I can rhyme at any pace, speak on any subject you can think of, which is like my secret weapon, my bag of tricks. You never know what you’ll get when I drop a track. I think because I did so much of the initial groundwork in the early stage of my career like shooting my own videos, creating my own beats, singing my own hooks that I subsequently became an even doper artist. To make a point to this article, I want to encourage other young guys to be steadfast in their dreams, respect your family but also respect the talents that God placed inside of you that other people may not fully recognize just yet. Be your own team and fan club because at the end of the day you have to believe in yourself before anyone else will join you on your journey. And no matter what, keep your integrity. My faith is still strong inside of me, which is why there’s no check big enough to make me not put out music that doesn’t matter or have the ability to touch a soul.

This article courtesy of Tamiko Hope.  Miko got her start in the world of entertainment as a college intern at LaFace Records in Atlanta, Georgia.  She went on to work for Usher and Goodie Mob before launching her own PR and editorial firm Word Ink.  Hope has been an integral part of the growing success of southern artists, spearheading national PR campaigns for Grammy award winning artists, producers and DJs.  Her clientele has included OutKast, Rocko, Shawty Lo, DJ Toomp, Zaytoven, Sonny Digital, Metroboomin, DJ Spinz, Que, DJ Scream and DJ Princess Cut, whom she also manages.  Hope was born in Atlanta, GA and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from the State University of West Georgia.  She is the author of the e-book The Industry Insider: 10 Key Facts from Music Industry Insiders.  In addition to PR and writing, Hope is also a public speaker in the realms of entertainment and youth empowerment, particularly young women.

Click here to learn more about Tamiko Hope.

Book Review — Black and White: The Way I See It by Richard Williams

By Gary A. Johnson

Tennis coach Richard Williams is a controversial figure in women’s tennis.  I read his new book, “Black and White:  The Way I See It,” on a plane ride to Vermont.  I could not put the book down.  I don’t play tennis and typically don’t follow it with the exception of Venus and Serena Williams.  Raised in Compton, California, Venus and Serena Williams with the coaching of their father have dominated women’s tennis for over a decade.  Between them, they have won 15 Wimbledon titles, won more Olympic gold medals than any other women in tennis, each been repeatedly named the No. 1 female player in the world and earned almost every major award in the sport.  Behind their success stands Richard Williams, their father and tennis coach.

Through unorthodox methods and amid constant criticism, Richard Williams had a grand plan for his daughters.  In this inspiring memoir, “Black and White: The Way I See It,” Williams, for the first time ever, shares stories about the poverty and violence of his early life in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the 1940s.  Richard Williams used a unique parenting style as a coach and as a parent.  He taught his girls how to think and he was not a super coach who acted like a tyrant.  He would pull his girls from tournaments when he thought it was more important that they enjoy the childhood.At the end of the day, Richard Williams overcame major obstacles as a child, raised a loving family as an adult, and along the way, developed two of the greatest tennis players who ever lived.

 

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (May 6, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476704201
• ISBN-13: 978-1476704203

 

The John Lewis Music Experience

By Gary A. Johnson

The foundation of the J. Lewis musical experience starts with guitarist and vocalist John G. Lewis.  John has developed a unique and innovative sound and style of guitar playing which integrates guitar and synthesizer; allowing him to create unbelievably rich musical orchestrations. Combining his silky smooth voice and his linguistic prowess, he has assembled an intriguing repertoire of Jazz, R&B, and Brazilian grooves, which he performs in English, French, and Portuguese.For as much as John is passionate about the performance, John is a perfectionist about the fidelity of the sound and acoustic impact of the music.  John recently played at a function for our family and friends and won a new group of fans who had never experienced his unique style of music.  Click here to visit John’s official website and sample the J. Lewis music experience from his latest CD.

Uncle Earl

By William Reed

The legend of “Uncle Earl” is a lesson in Black urban politics. Businessman Jeffrey Earl Thompson is one of Washington D.C.’s “most influential Blacks.” The 58-year-old Thompson was proven to be “Uncle Earl” in court proceedings that revealed secret dealings that broke a whole host of campaign finance laws, including funneling more than $2 million to various candidates through third parties and off-the-record activities.

Thompson is the most prolific political rainmaker in the nation. Thompson allegedly gave more than $600,000 to make Vincent Gray’s campaign to unseat Adrian Fenty in the 2010 D.C. mayoral election successful. Thompson funneled more than $3.3 million in unreported donations to at least 28 local and national candidates and their campaigns beginning in 2006. The recent “guilty” plea that Thompson entered to federal conspiracy charges marks a defining moment for the self-made, immigrant businessman, who built an accounting and health care empire that gained fame and fortune.

Few Black Americans can claim credit for designing, developing and propagating a $633,000 urban shadow electoral campaign. The federal court proved that Thompson was a kingmaker who delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal “straw donor” campaign contributions to sway elections in the city and beyond. Election after election, the Jamaican-born Thompson huddled behind closed doors with candidates, political operatives, and businessmen, to devise schemes to funnel millions of dollars of corporate money into local and federal elections.

Thompson’s reach extended to Maryland’s governments and officials. A mover and shaker without peer, Thompson was schooled well in the art of politics. He solicited relatives, friends, employees and others to make donations to designated candidates and reimbursed their “conduit contributions” with personal money and money from his companies. On his company’s books, the payments were listed as “advances” and “bonuses.” Thompson’s company also paid for in-kind gifts to candidates that included $653,000 in money for the 2010 Mayoral Campaign in D.C. and $608,750 to the 2008 Hillary Clinton candidacy for president.

Many immigrants from the West Indies and African countries often far outperform American-born Blacks in business and politics. Jeffrey Earl Thompson was born in 1955 into a working-class home in Jamaica’s St. Elizabeth Parish, the youngest of 11 children. He came to Washington in 1975, earning a high school equivalency degree and putting himself through the University of the District of Columbia by working as a bookkeeper. Not long after graduating from college and interning at top accounting firms, in 1983 he founded his own company, which would become Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates. Thompson built the firm into a $300 million enterprise. Over the next two decades, he would build it into a national powerhouse among minority-owned firms, because of its ability to win local and federal government contracts. He would go on to own D.C. Chartered Health Plan, a health care firm that managed services for 100,000 residents.

By most measures Thompson would be labeled “an American success story.” So, while a number of his political cohorts are serving prison time, most Washingtonians expect that Thompson’s sentence will be reduced to six months of home confinement. Thompson moved among the highest levels of Blacks and politics in D.C. He paid $608, 750 through former White House aide Minyon Moore to hire “street teams” in four states to help boost Clinton’s campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination.

Thompson is an important man of the times. The “shout out” he received from President Bill Clinton at the podium of a 1997 Democratic National Committee dinner at the Sheraton-Carlton Hotel attests to the reach Thompson attained as he moved between City Hall and the White House. As he became “a donor of note” to D.C. and national political campaigns, Thompson cultivated close relationships with national figures, including Civil Rights icon Dorothy I. Height and former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman. Height gave Thompson instant status. Thompson met Herman through Height when the two paid an ill Height a visit. Thompson offered Herman a ride, which turned into dinner and eventually romance. Thompson escorted Herman to the 1994 state dinner for Nelson Mandela.

William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org