"BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY" - Benefit Performance on April 14, 2012 at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, San Francisco

Your presence is requested for a special benefit
performance on April 14 in support of a
community collaboration between San Francisco’s
Black Coalition on AIDS, Westside Community
Services and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre.

Please support the grassroots efforts of these
community-based organizations by purchasing
your tickets with us. Proceeds will benefit
wellness services in Black and marginalized
communities in San Francisco.


Advance Benefit Tickets on Sale Now
Special Discounted Price
$40 - Performance only
$55 - Performance and Post-Performance


“Meet the Stars” Reception
Tickets purchased after April 9, 2012, will be $50 (performance
only) and $75 (performance and reception).


For more information, or to order tickets:

April 14 by phone, please call
Adrian Tyler at 415.615.9945, ext. 107

www.bcoa.org

www.lhtsf.org

Meeting The Challenge: Teaching Fluency

A film short by Eleanore Terrell-Stovall, Reading Specialist

Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Session

A part of the OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
David Roach, Director
510-776-4178




www.oiff.org

Trayvon Martin Is My Neighbor*

I saw Trayvon Martin walking down my street tonight as I was pulling into my driveway on my way home from work. Obviously, it wasn't the Miami Gardens teenager whose sad story we are hearing on the nightly news. The real Trayvon Martin will never walk the streets again.

But, Trayvon Martin is every young black male who dares to think he is free in America. Free to walk into a 7-11 and purchase a pack of Skittles(TM) and a can of iced tea. Trayvon probably thought that since we had an African American president, a black male, ought to be able to go to the convenience store without his mere presence being perceived as a threat. Wrong.

Take my neighbor, for example. He was walking at dusk, pants slung a little low, braids and a 'swag.' He wasn't threatening to me because pretty much every young black man in my neighborhood looks this way. However, if he were walking in a gated community, where black men look "out of place," the outcome may have been different when he said "Hey, can you call your dog?"

You see, he was afraid of these two large dogs who were roaming the streets. Oh, the dogs weren't looking for trouble either. They belong to another neighbor and they're mischievous. They're always breaking through the fence and on the prowl.

I simply said to the young man, 'they're not my dogs, but they're friendly. Just walk slowly and don't act afraid and they won't hurt you.' I then coerced the dogs to literally get over on their side of the street. The young man smiled at me from under his hoodie and said "Thanks!"

Totally a non-event. Which is what should have been the case when George Zimmerman, 28, and a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, saw Trayvon Martin.

George Zimmerman must stand trial for his actions - cold blooded murder.

If there ever was a case for an 'eye for an eye,' I'd say the eye is on Mr. Zimmerman.





(Trayvon Martin - Rest In Peace)



*The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI will step in to investigate the killing of Miami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin, the U.S. Department of Justice announced late today.

The announcement coincided with a statement from Florida Gov. Rick Scott asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to offer “appropriate resources” in the case.

New Edition Coming to Oakland's Oracle Arena - Saturday JUNE 23, 2012

http://www.ticketmaster.com/New-Edition-tickets/artist/735743?tm_link=edp_Artist_Image

"VOICES IN CLOTH"

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release:

Voices in Cloth, the biennial showcase of East Bay Heritage Quilters’ recent work will take place on March 17-18, 2012 at the Craneway Pavilion. More than 200 quilts and items of wearable art will be displayed, plus demonstrations of quilting skills, dozens of vendors, door prizes and a silent auction of quilts. The special exhibit for 2012 will be quilts by members of the African American Quilt Guild. Two day admission: adult $12, children (5-12) $ 3 and under 5 years FREE.
WHEN: Saturday March 17, 10 – 5; Sunday March 18, 10 – 4
WHAT: East Bay Heritage Quilters
WHERE: Craneway Pavilion, 1414 Harbour Way South, (on the Richmond Waterfront), Richmond, CA
PUBLIC INFORMATION: 510-233-6771, www.ebhq.org

Tyler Perry's Good Deeds

I confess that I didn't go to the theater the first weekend that "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds" was released. To be honest, I really wasn't feeling the movie.

However, guilt got the best of me and I felt it was my obligation to support his work. Tyler Perry is no Spike Lee. In fact, I would consider Tyler Perry more of a businessman than a filmmaker. But he does make films. And his films do afford work to a lot of African American actors (male and female) who are highly under-rated and under-represented by mainstream Hollywood. You almost have to wonder if the title he chose for this latest film isn't a double-entendre of sorts - "good deeds." Get it?

"Tyler Perry Good Deeds" won't win any Oscars. Although, it should garner him at least one or more NAACP Image Awards. There are no pimps or prostitutes. It offers a few teachable moments along with an experienced cast, including Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union, Brian White and Phylicia Rashād.

I enjoyed the movie and am happy that I went to see it.

A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiancée, Natalie (Gabrielle Union). But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey (Thandie Newton), a down-on-her-luck single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building. When he offers to help her get back on her feet, the chance encounter with someone so far outside his usual circle ignites something in Wesley. This one good deed may finally spark his courage to exchange the life that's expected of him for the life he's always really wanted. -- (C) Lionsgate

CONTACT Toni Beckham PR, et Cetera, Inc.
209-832-8020 / 408-499-3664c
Toni@PRetCetera.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 2012

AUTHOR SHARES STORY OF WITNESSING HIS FATHER'S RACIALLY-MOTIVATED MURDER IN CAPTIVATING NEW BOOK

"Cured – The Power of Forgiveness"
Carl Ray tells the incredible story of how his father, one of the most successful African Americans in Choctaw County, Alabama, was murdered after Carl refused to say "Sir" to a white man. In 1984 Carl came to forgive his father’s murderer. He attributes the act of forgiving to have been his own lifesaver. Forgiveness released Carl Ray from his self-imposed prison. His story has been told in The New York Times and on PBS and in countless public forums where Ray has performed his captivating one-man play.
Nationwide—Author and San Jose, California resident, Carl Ray has long been sharing his riveting account of witnessing his father's murder and the circus of a trial that followed. Lawyers for the defendant appealed to the Alabama courts to banish young Carl from the state until he had learned how to talk to white people. Life was not to be the same for Carl Ray; that is until he learned "The Power of Forgiveness." Ray shares his riveting life story in his new autobiography Cured - The Power of Forgiveness. Not only does he impart a detailed account of this horrific experience, but also shares tales of his divergent life as a Black boy growing up in the segregated South of the 1950’s, and as a Tuskegee University student, an electrical engineer, a stand-up comic, an educator, and activist.
Cured - The Power of Forgiveness gives us a peek into the soul of an individual who overcame several challenges during his life. Born two months premature into a segregated society and contracting Polio at the age of four is the backdrop from which this book begins. "Cured is healing through forgiveness," said Carl. "Unfortunately, millions of people suffer from depression, anger, self-hatred and other mental issues, not knowing that the cure lies within the power of forgiveness." He continued, "The greatest day of my life was the day I forgave the man who killed my father. The assumption that forgiveness is relegated to the religious community couldn’t be farther from the truth. An atheist must forgive those who harmed him before he can be free from his past pain."
"Forgiveness is often taught but seldom practiced. If people understood the benefits of forgiveness there would be less need for psychiatrists, therapists, and medication," says Carl Ray.

Mr. Ray is currently a motivational/inspirational speaker residing in San Jose, California with his wife Brenda.

To learn more about Carl Ray and his new book, visit www.curedforgiveness.com. Ray may be reached directly at dellap44@aol.com | 408-206-1768.