Hugs Kisses & Laughs Brings you another great night of stand-up comedy with the “Under Construction” Comedy Show with some great up and coming funny people.

Molly Austin
(Emerging NYC Comic)

Alex Barnett
(1st Place, 12th Annual Gilda’s Club Laugh Off;
CNN.com; Wall Street Journal; NY Daily News)

Mike Brown
(MTV)

Craig Hillelson
(NYC Comedy)

Kevin J Williams
(CNBC; Fox; MSNBC’s TheGrio.com;
Semi-Finalist, Midwest Comedy Competition)

Gregg Walker
(Harlem Comedy Showcase)

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Date: Monday, November 7
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Place: Cafe Addis, 435 W 125th Street
(Near Amsterdam)

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No Cover Charge

For more info and to RSVP visit them
on Facebook by clicking here.

Email from Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President:

Please join me at Think Outside the Cell: A New Day, A New Way – a national symposium and call to action on issues affecting the incarcerated, the formerly incarcerated and their families. This national symposium is being co-sponsored by my office, the Fortune Society, Think Outside the Cell Foundation, College and Community Fellowship and Riverside Church Prison Ministry.

The symposium will be held from 7:30am– 5:30pm on Saturday, September 24th at the Riverside Church, (West 120th Street and Riverside Drive). To register and review the symposium agenda, please visit www.thinkoutsidethecell.org.

This conference aims to spark a thoughtful dialogue about the challenges experienced by the incarcerated and their loved ones — and to explore ideas and initiatives that address the needs of this population. The symposium will be a day-long event and will be divided into three segments — one will focus on families and the human cost of mass incarceration, another will explore reintegration/recidivism issues and a third will examine policy initiatives and ideas.

I will be making remarks along with the following esteemed panelists and speakers: Rev. Al Sharpton; Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, NJ; Randall Robinson, author and activist; Jeremy Travis, President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Soledad O’Brien, CNN journalist; Byron Pitts, CBS 60 Minutes correspondent; Rossana Rosado, CEO and Publisher of El Diario La Prensa; Dr. Khalil Muhammad, noted historian and Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Michelle Alexander, author of the book, The New Jim Crow; Terrie Williams, youth advocate and author of the book, Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting; Chef Jeff Henderson, formerly incarcerated motivational speaker, author and star of the Food Network; Julio Medina, Executive Director, Exodus Transitional Community, Inc.; Marc Lamont Hill, Columbia University professor and host on Black Enterprise TV; Alan Rosenthal, Center for Community Alternatives.

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For more info, click here.

The mission of the First Annual International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival is to recognize the Puerto Rican community’s place in the history of the City of New York. Puerto Ricans were the first, and largest Spanish-speaking group to migrate and settle in New York City. The festival also seeks to display the richness of Puerto Rican cultural traditions, creative expressions, and contributions to the welfare and growth of the United States.

It is founded by Veronica Caicedo of Caicedo Productions. She is a writer, director and producer who has overseen more than 25 successful theatrical productions. Currently, she is part time Managing Theater Director for Teatro LATEA at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center.

While theatre has been the mainstay of her career, Ms. Caicedo also has extensive film experience. In addition to producing, writing and directing her first independent feature, Circle of Time, Ms. Caicedo also produced and directed an independent feature, Shut Up and Do It; an educational short film, “Loss Of Innocence In Loisaida,” and a 2 short films, “Little Courage” and “9/12.”

To find out more information about the festival and to submit a film, click here.

]]> http://blog-aroundharlem.com/2011/09/12/film-the-durban-400-a-documentary-of-the-world-conference-against-racism/feed/ 0 http://blog-aroundharlem.com/2011/07/22/harlem-book-fair-author-tanya-wright-discusses-self-publishing-with-amazons-createspace/ http://blog-aroundharlem.com/2011/07/22/harlem-book-fair-author-tanya-wright-discusses-self-publishing-with-amazons-createspace/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:20:54 +0000 Jennifer Baker-Henry http://blog-aroundharlem.com/?p=10278

Self publishing isn’t new. It’s been around since the dawn of man. Self-publication was created and utilized to spread the word, be it good or bad. Some of our classics and many texts of the religious order are self-publications that have grown over time to become part of the literary canon. Nowadays, self-publication may be considered the alternate route rather than the rule when it comes to publication. Self-publication is a means for authors whose work may not be properly marketed or “understood” by publishers and allows the author to take back control of their work.

“Control” was something author and actress Tanya Wright, debuting her book Butterfly Rising, cited when I spoke with her about publishing with CreateSpace at the 2011 Book Expo of America in New York City in May. For Ms. Wright, a native New Yorker and actress currently featured on HBO’s True Blood, “independent” rang true of her aspirations for Butterfly Rising. Self-publishing was the best way for her to “take control over my life as an artist.”

Ms. Wright wrote the first draft of her book then put it away for a year. When she knew she wanted to make Butterfly Rising available to the public she revisited it, asked friends she trusted to be diligent in their critiques, and upon receiving the seal of approval searched for a self-publisher that would aid in a collaborative process but allow for her to remain at the helm of producing her tome. “CreateSpace afforded a lot of flexibility. They have great programs, they have awesome designers,” Ms. Wright noted of the ease of working with CreateSpace staff and having a “personalized relationship” with copyeditors, designers, and marketing.

CreateSpace is affiliated with Amazon as the self-publishing sect of the conglomerate. It offers a variety of services to choose from in each aspect of the book production & manufacturing process including editing (copyediting and editorial evaluation), layout & design (custom cover creation, printer-ready PDF, interior layout), marketing (press releases, review services, book paraphernalia such as cards, book marks, video trailer, etc.), and an overall publishing plan that includes aspects of each of the above areas in your books creation.

For CreateSpace the connection to Amazon is a big draw to authors. This provides CreateSpace with an already popular platform as a springboard for customers. At Book Expo they had a very visible booth among other publishers near the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) section of the book industry’s largest annual convention. CreateSpace added to their presence by having their authors on-hand for interviews.

Tanya Wright believes in elevating self-publishing and that CreateSpace is helping to do this, especially in terms of the look of books. She credits the design team with being talented in illustrating her vision perfectly and creating an “ethereal” look better than she had imagined. In terms of publicizing her book Ms. Wright has already made appearances at Hue-Man bookstore in Harlem and premiered Butterfly Rising the movie at an African-American film festival in Seattle in May.

Her publicity plans include being included in a televised program that Marva Allen (Hue-Man owner) is creating where she and twenty or so other authors and actors such as Victoria Rowell and Blair Underwood will tour the U.S. to talk about their books. She also seeks to get a “Butterfly” bus and tour with film co-star McGhee Monteith to screen Butterfly Rising, sell the book, and perform small concerts since Ms. Monteith has a band: McGhee and Me and the Star Landing Band.

Tanya Wright’s Butterfly Rising is currently available on Amazon.com. The movie of the same title based on the book is in previews on the festival circuit. You can get more information on Butterfly Rising the film at www.butterflyrisingthemovie.com.

Ms. Wright will be at the Harlem Book Fair on Saturday, July 23rd signing Butterfly Rising. She is also offering a workshop titled Business of the Unique Artist that will be held at the Countee Cullen Library during the fair. For details, click here.

Source: Flickr

This year’s Harlem Book Fair looks like it’s going to be bigger than ever with lots of great panels and the opportunity to purchase some great books.

 Some of the panel discussions are listed below:

• The State of African American Literacy and Education
• Manning Marable’s Malcolm X: Living Black History in the 21st Century
• Black Wealth Past and Present: The Politics of Black Wealth
• On the Real Side: An Uncensored History of African American Humor
• Conversations on the Future of Black Fiction
• Kola Boof discusses her latest book, The Sexy Part of the Bible

For a full listing of the day’s events, click here.

Hey Everyone,

We’ve been on hiatus and will be back soon but wanted to share some timely information with our readers.

First, we applaud the State Senate for passing historic legislation to give lesbian and gay couples the freedom to marry in New York State. This information comes right in the middle of the annual Harlem Pride Celebration. The celebration consists of several events around Harlem.

For more info, click here.

There is Power in Unity: Let’s address the issues of Community Empowerment Job & Business Development, Empowering Our Youth

Guest Speakers:

• Lamar Thornton Founder & Chairman – New Breed Life Arts.
• Chet Whye Executive Director, HARLEM4 Center for CHANGE.
• Dedric Hammond aka Beloved Youth Advocate & Violence Reduction Specialist

When: Wednesday, December 8th, 6 pm – 9pm

Where: P.S. 175 – Cafeteria, 175 West 134th Street, (btw Malcolm X and Adam C. Powell Jr Blvds)

Sponsors: Co-sponsored by Circle of Brothers & Street Corner Resources

More Info: Call (212) 479-7999

NOTE: The full video for this event can be found by clicking here.

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The Harlem Children’s Zone, American Values Institute, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement host a community town hall discussion to kick off Black Male: Re-Imagined—a national summit to address the negative perceptions and associations of black men and boys in American society.

The town hall conversation will feature an intergenerational group of artists who live at the intersection of culture and social change, who will explore questions such as:

• What role does art and culture play in advancing social justice?
• Does the desire for social change drive what we see in culture or do cultural shifts bring about social change?
• How does media impact the way we see each other and ourselves?
• What role can media influencers like Sean “Diddy” Combs and Kanye West play in transforming and challenging the misperceptions of black youth and our own self-image?

Our hope is that this rich dialogue will empower black youth to use art and culture to transform self-images and empower communities to create change.

Speakers

• Sean “Diddy” Combs, CEO, Bad Boy Entertainment
• John O’Neal,  Founder and Artistic Director, Junebug Productions
• Nick Cannon, Actor, Comedian, Musician, Writer and Producer
• Anna Deavere Smith, Playwright and  Founder, Anna Deavere Smith Works (invited)
• Janelle Monae, Artist (invited)
• Reverend “Run” Simmons, Artist (invited)
• Diggy Simmons, Artist (invited)
• Ann Beeson, Executive Director, U.S. Programs, Open Society Foundations (moderator)

Event Date: December 6, 2010

Event Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Speakers: Sean “Diddy” Combs, John O’Neal, Nick Cannon, Ann Beeson, and more

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NOTE: The full video for this event can be found by clicking here.

The New York Public Library (NYPL) announced today that Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a scholar of African-American history from Indiana University, has been selected as the next Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, effective July 2011.

Dr. Muhammad will succeed Howard Dodson Jr., who last year announced his plan to retire after more than 25 years of leadership, having cemented the Schomburg as the world’s leading repository on the global Black experience. The appointment was made by Library President Dr. Paul LeClerc after the unanimous recommendation of a nine-member search committee.

“The entire committee enthusiastically supports and is delighted with the choice of Khalil Muhammad,” Search Committee Co-Chairmen and Library Trustees Gordon J. Davis and Henry Louis Gates Jr. said in a joint statement. “We are confident that the extensive search process, involving many strong candidates out of a pool of more than 200, has brought to the Schomburg a leader of unique vision and inspiration who will bridge the many communities and generations served by the Center.”

Dr. Muhammad, a native of Chicago’s South Side, has served as Assistant Professor of History at Indiana University for five years, where he completed a major interpretive book in African-American studies, The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America, published recently by Harvard University Press. A great-grandson of Elijah Muhammad, he has deep roots in Black history and in Harlem. His father is the noted Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photographer Ozier Muhammad.

“This appointment is a tremendous honor and for me one of life’s special moments,” said Dr. Muhammad. “I look forward to continuing the Schomburg’s remarkable legacy as a world-class institution that simply has no peer, to extending its reach to those who may not yet be part of the Schomburg community, and to the Center’s playing a crucial role in moving Black history from the margins to the center of American public discourse.”

“There has never been a more exciting time in the history of the Schomburg Center,” said Aysha Schomburg, great-granddaughter of Schomburg Center founder Arturo Schomburg, President of the Schomburg Corporation, and Search Committee member. “Without any doubt, Khalil has the skills and the passion to build on the legacy. This is a great day for New York and especially for Harlem. We welcome him.”

As an academic, Dr. Muhammad is at the forefront of scholarship on the enduring link between race and crime, that has shaped and limited opportunities for African Americans.

“The Condemnation of Blackness renders an incalculable service to civil rights scholarship by disrupting one of the nation’s most insidious, convenient, and resilient explanatory loops: whites commit crimes, but black males are criminals. Khalil’s cutting-edge civil rights scholarship, dynamic university teaching, administrative experience, grasp of information technology, and understanding of the Schomburg’s uniqueness will sustain and advance the scholarly mission of this historic institution,” said NYU Professor of History and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David Levering Lewis.

Of joining the Schomburg Center, Dr. Muhammad says, “I treasure this opportunity to wed my passion for African-American history with my commitment to scholarship. I am committed to promoting the voice of Black people as they have engaged in the most significant issues of our times. What matters to me is that they and people of the African Diaspora are able to articulate why their humanity matters, to show and showcase their contributions to the world, and to have in a sense a history that is validated and respected and made meaningful to humanity at large.”

Dr. Muhammad, currently nominated for tenure at Indiana University, is now working on a book-length history of the racial politics surrounding the creation and swift dissolution of Prohibition-era “tough-on-crime” laws, specifically New York’s four-strikes law of 1926. He is also an Associate Editor of The Journal of American History.

“My hope for the Schomburg Center,” he stated, “is to develop it as the premier brand for historical expertise on the great race debates of our time; privileging documents, material culture, visual historical media, living artists, and widely disseminated scholarship to raise public consciousness and historical literacy in the United States and around the globe.” Dr. Muhammad plans to build upon the Schomburg’s strong beginnings in online studies under Howard Dodson, “encouraging staff and users to embrace digital technologies as we reach out to youth, especially by creatively opening up the Center’s resources and exhibitions so that they can come to know us on their own terms.”

“I am most pleased to extend my congratulations to Khalil Muhammad,” said Dodson. “I am both confident and excited about his ability to continue the Schomburg’s critical mission and legacy. I have felt strongly that the next Center leader must come from the next generation, and I intend to help ensure that he is well prepared to hit the ground running.”

“After spending time with Dr. Muhammad, it was easy for me to see why he was the unanimous choice of the Search Committee. He is a brilliant scholar doing pathbreaking work in African-American studies, is eloquent and charismatic, is deeply committed to the Harlem community, embraces the Schomburg’s function of acquiring and preserving the cultural record of peoples of African descent, and knows how to exploit the Internet to bring young people into the Schomburg to discover its extraordinary treasures,” said Dr. LeClerc. “I know that his career at the Schomburg Center will be one of excellence and innovation, and that the Center will flourish under his creative guidance.”

Dr. Muhammad graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics in 1993. After working at Deloitte & Touche LLP, he received his Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University in 2004, specializing in 20th-century U.S. and African-American history. He spent two years as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit criminal justice reform agency in New York City, before joining the faculty of Indiana University.

Dr. Muhammad is married to Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, a network operations manager at Verizon Wireless. They have three children, Gibran Mikkel (10), Jordan Grace (8), and Justice Marie (4).

The public will have an opportunity to meet Dr. Muhammad at various future events including a community forum.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement today on Chairman Charles B. Rangel:

“Congressman Rangel was not found guilty of corruption or enriching himself. He was found guilty of poor record keeping, and improperly using his office stationery. Long ago he admitted these lapses and has worked to correct them.

“It is important to remember that Congressman Rangel was the person that initiated the ethics process, by asking the committee to look into allegations against him. He also hired a forensic accountant to clear up his tax matters and he’s already settled with the IRS.

“It is still too premature to speculate on how this will be finally resolved, but I do know that when Congressman Rangel was charged with breaking House rules, he worked to correct the violations.

“Congressman Rangel has a distinguished, demonstrated 50-year history of service to his constituents who again returned him to office in November. When his record and actions are compared with other members, reason would seem to indicate that any decision on punishment should be in line with previous findings of the ethics committee.”

A House ethics subcommittee found Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-New York, guilty Monday on multiple violations of House rules.

via BREAKING: Ethics committee finds Rangel guilty – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs.

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A House ethics panel has found Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York guilty on 11 counts of breaking House rules.

The full ethics committee will next conduct a hearing on the appropriate punishment for the former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. The committee will then make a recommendation to the House.

Possible punishments include a House vote deploring Rangel’s conduct, a fine and denial of privileges.

The eight-member ethics panel had sat as a jury to judge Rangel’s conduct. The 80-year-old congressman from Harlem was charged with 13 counts of financial and fundraising wrongdoing.

via AP News: House ethics panel: Rep. Rangel violated rules.

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A House ethics panel has convicted Representative Charles B. Rangel of 12 of the 13 ethics violations he faced, ranging from accepting rent-stabilized apartments from a Manhattan developer to failing to pay taxes on rental income from his Dominican villa to raising charitable donations from companies and corporate executives who had business before the committee he led.

The convictions cast a cloud over the half-century political career of Mr. Rangel, an 80-year-old Democrat who was re-elected this month to a 21st term representing Harlem and who was the longtime head of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, chairwoman of the adjudicatory subcommittee of the House ethics committee, announced the subcommittee’s verdicts Tuesday morning just before noon. The matter now goes to the full House committee for action.

Ethics experts say the committee is likely to issue Mr. Rangel only a letter of reprimand or a formal censure. While the committee has the power to expel, that has happened only rarely and is considered highly unlikely.

via Charles B. Rangel Convicted of 12 Ethics Violations – NYTimes.com.

An eight-member House ethics panel has resumed closed-door deliberations in the ethics trial of Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, accused in 13 counts of engaging in financial and fundraising misconduct.

The jury of Rangel’s congressional peers met behind closed doors Tuesday. They’re deciding whether the former Ways and Means Committee chairman violated House rules.

If the panel determines that even one count has been proved, the full ethics committee would consider an appropriate punishment.

The 20-term New York Democrat walked out of the trial on Monday, pleading unsuccessfully for time to hire new lawyers. He said his former lawyers abandoned him after he paid them some $2 million, but that he could no longer afford them.

—Copyright 2010 Associated Press

via House ethics panel resumes deliberations on Rangel – WSJ.com.

Please join the 99ers, other members of the unemployed, their friends, family and supporters, in recreating a 1930′s “breadline” on Saturday, November 20th. We need to bring home the fact that the unemployed have been jobless and without benefits for far too long – and are starving.

Saturday, November 20th!

Thanksgiving 2010:

No Feast for the Unemployed

We will be lining up in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, at 33 Liberty Street, in Manhattan, beginning at 11:30am. Please wear black or dark clothes. Hats, flat caps, scarves and shawls are fine, but no white or bright colors. This is to be a somber event and we want to do our best to recreate the image from the Great Depression – because we believe this is the Great Depression II, not the Great Recession! Congress and the country have ignored us for too long. On the Saturday before the Thanksgiving holiday we will be invisible no more!

More Info —> FlashMobs4Jobs: Stand with us Saturday, Nov 20.

In an ominous sign for Representative Charles B. Rangel, the House ethics committee on Monday said the facts presented by a prosecutor accusing Mr. Rangel of violating Congressional rules were not in dispute and that the congressman himself had not refuted the charges.

The committee’s finding came after an unusual public hearing that was abbreviated by the longtime congressman’s dramatic exit from the proceedings. Mr. Rangel, who appeared at the inquiry alone, stunned the packed hearing room by walking out after complaining that he had no lawyer because he could not afford the millions of dollars in legal fees he had racked up during the two-year investigation.

After declaring that “I respectfully withdraw from these proceedings,” Mr. Rangel shook hands with the lawyers for the ethics committee who were preparing to lay out the case against him and strode steadily out of the room. But after meeting privately, committee members resumed the proceedings without Mr. Rangel, a Democrat who has represented Harlem for four decades.

via Rangel Ethics Panel in House Finds No Disputed Facts – NYTimes.com.

Two smiling women stand outdoors and hold signs reading
“Vote Baby Vote” and “Voting is People Power,” c. 1970.
(Photo: Gabriel Hackett /Getty Images)

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So Twitter is buzzing right now about the fact that only 4.7% of African Americans voted yesterday. However, CBS News reports that the number is approximately 10%.  Better, but still a problem. In real numbers, that is about 4 million Black voters out of 40 million+ Black Americans.

Why didn’t you vote? Answer anonymously and leave your location.

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NOTE: To answer anonymously just use a fake name/email address if you are asked for one.

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UPDATE: Someone mentioned in the responses that my stats were off. I agreed  the info and link below provides more details.

“African Americans” is a trending topic on Twitter right now, thanks in large part to tweets repeating the claim that only 4.7% (or, in some tweets, 4% or 5% or 10%) of blacks bothered to vote yesterday.

But it’s not true. None of it is anywhere close to true.

The real number is about 34%.

Official stats on voting by race aren’t kept, but from exit polls, vote totals, and census information, you can estimate this stuff pretty well. About 38% of the voting age population of the United States turned out to vote in yesterday’s election. There are about 26.5 million African Americans of voting age in the United States. According to exit poll data, blacks made up about 10% of the total electorate this year. About 90 million people voted in this election, and if 10% of them were black, that makes 9 million. Nine million is 34% of 26.5 million.

In other words, about a third of black adults voted this year, a percentage that’s only slightly lower than the population as a whole.

So where did the 4.7% thing come from? A tweet posted yesterday evening seems to be the source. That tweet, as you can see, is only about Wisconsin, and the guy who tweeted it later clarified that he was only referring to Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District. Source

For more info, click here.

It’s almost the spookiest time of year: Halloween is almost here. If you’re a family in the NYC area then check out fun place to trick and treating or just have fun in the city this weekend.

Around Harlem

Where: Booker T. Washington Beacon 54 School, 103 W. 107 Street
When: October 30
What: Family “Happyween” Day 11am-3pm; costume contest, free refreshments

What: Morning of the Gargoyles: A Children’s Halloween Workshop Join this Halloween for a morning of spooky fun! The morning begins with a reading of Eve Buntings Night of the Gargoyles, then down to the workshop to assemble gargling, grimacing clay gargoyles, skeleton creatures, and paper gargoyle masks. Reservations are required. Tickets are $8 per child, with accompanying adult

When: October 30, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Line-up for Costume Parade starts at
10:45)
Where: Harlem Center PAL, 441 Manhattan Avenue

What: Teach your little ones to do the Bump, the Twist, or even Teach them how to Dougie! (Some of them might be teaching us!) Costumes are the appropriate attire , and everyone is invited to join the costume parade to kick off the event! Suggested Donation: $10 per family

The Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association has a weekend of old-fashioned Halloween Fun planned for the neighborhood kids — and the young at heart!

Saturday, October 30

1 PM: The Halloween Parade will begin in Marcus Garvey Park across the street from the Handmaids of Mary Convent and will follow the lead of the Grand Marshall,William Castro, Manhattan Parks Commissioner. The spooky group will make its way in and around Marcus Garvey Park to the judging table for the Costume Contest on Mount Morris Park West and W122-W123 Streets.

2-5 PM: Dance & Costume Contest! Categories include Children, Teenagers, Adults—and Dogs! There will be lots of fun prizes awarded to the winners

Halloween Fun Stations* will be set up on the closed portion of Mount Morris Park West between W122/W123 Streets. These stations will include Mummy Wrap, Balloon Sculpting, Face Painting–and more!

4-7 PM: Spooky Haunted House will open at The Jericho Project, 2013 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd and W121 Street.

Sunday, October 31

4-6 PM: Trick-or-Treating Around the Mount Morris Park Neighborhood!** The kids will enjoy climbing up and down the stoops to fill those loot bags! A list of Trick-or-Treat Friendly Homes will be available on Saturday at the Parade.

6 PM: Best Dressed House Contest! New this year! People aren’t the only ones who can get decked out for Halloween! This year your house can have fun, too! Judges will pick a winner in each of three categories: The Scariest, The Most Creative and The Most All-Around Halloween Fun. So–let your house have at it. Click here to register your house.

Around New York City

Bryant Park Carousel Free Kids’ Halloween Bash

Date: October 30, 2010
Time: 12-2pm
Price: FREE; $2 per carousel ride
Where: Le Carrousel, 40th Street Side of Bryant Park

What: Le Carrousel at Bryant Park will hold a “Tricks and Treats” Halloween party for children ages 3-8. Kids are encouraged to wear their scariest costumes and come listen to spooky stories read by the carousel’s mascot, Flaubert Frog. Activities also include Halloween crafts, pumpkin painting, and tricks by a magician.

Date: October 30, 2010
Time: 2-4pm
Price: FREE
Where: Chambers and Greenwich Streets

What: Rock out with Princess Katie & Racer Steve and the band during a holiday parade and concert. There will also be pony rides, games, and arts and crafts for kids. Costumes are encouraged.

Date: Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010
Where: W 69 St will be closed from CPW to B’way
Time: 2 – 8 pm , Treat Distribution: 5-7 pm

What: Every year the neighborhood on West 69th Street from Broadway to Central Park West is transformed in to a big Halloween Trick or Treat Party. The neighbors decorate their domiciles, don full costume regalia, and some turn their living rooms into haunted houses for the little ghosts and goblins to traipse through. It is a great place to take your kids on on Halloween.

Date: October 30, 2010
Price: $10 museum admission
Where: 182 Lafayette Street

What: Join CMA for a full day of spooky surprises, ghostly projects, and tricks and treats for all ages. Dress up in your most creative costume; Trick or Treat Parade starts at 3pm.

Date: October 30, 2010
Time: 12-4pm
Price: Receive 50% off admission if dressed in costume
Where: W. 46th Street and 12th Avenue

What: Kids of all ages are invited to pick out pumpkins at the Intrepid Pumpkin Patch and decorate their jack-o’-lanterns. There will also be face painting and other seasonal craft projects.

Date: October 30, 2010
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m
Where: Central Park, the Bandshell Area(enter at 72nd Street)

What: Pumpkin Festival takes the very best traditions of the autumn season and offers them all for FREE! Activities will include: Circus Berzerkus Haunted House, Dunkin Donuts Scarecrow Competition, Arts & Crafts – including pumpkin decorating and much more

Delta Cabaret to Benefit Scholarships
The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
New York Alumnae Chapter

invite you to join us as we party for a cause!

The Delta Cabaret will feature good music,
good camaraderie and lots of dancing.

We invite you to bring your favorite spirits and play
mixologist for your table. Donation: $30.00
(includes one set-up, each additional is $5).

Saturday, October 23 at 9:00pm – 1:00am

Dunlevy Milbank Center

14-32 West 118th Street (Between Malcolm X Blvd. & Fifth Avenue)

For more information, visit www.dstnyac.org or call (212) 969-0434.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for ticket information.

You can also purchase tickets from NYAC members.

Help NYAC reach its goal of awarding scholarships to
outstanding students. We appreciate your support!

New York Alumnae Chapter

*Celebrating 90 years of community service*

First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) is one of Harlem’s fastest growing churches with Pastor Michael A. Walrond, Jr. as one of its current leaders. Pastor Walrond has created Visionaries & Dreamers Weekend, a three day experience, to kick off a new long term project of the church which will allow members and people from Harlem to share their “God given gifts” with others.

On Friday Night, beginning at 7pm,  there will be “an interactive journey through music, drama and dance to personally explore identifying your dreams and visions, acknowledge your issues, and release barriers preventing you from turning your dreams into reality”.

According to their website, the purpose of Visionaries & Dreamers weekend is to empower the FCBC family and church visitors to identify and cultivate individual visions, dreams and gifts so that they can enhance the livelihood of FCBC and impact the Harlem community.

I’ve had a couple of conversations with Jonnell, one of the Church’s members, and we discussed the ultimate goal of the Visionaries and Dreamers project. The Pastor and members of the Church believe that everyone has a special gift. Some people already know what their gift is and use it regularly in their daily lives and others are on a journey to discover their gifts.

According to Jonnell, as a church that believes it’s members are servants to the community, the ultimate goal of the project is to have members connect with each other as well as members of the Harlem community through it’s various outreach ministries to help everyone achieve their dreams.

On Saturday afternoon, members of the Church will go out in to the community and set up Adopt-A-Block Prayer Stations to talk to and pray with members of the Harlem community. They will talk to people to find out what issues they feel needs to be addressed in the community and the Church will develop programs to address the issues as a part of their community outreach programs in the future.

On Saturday evening there will be a “Gathering of the Gifts” kick-off with Pastor Walrond initiating a call to action. Their website says that “after receiving the charge, those in attendance will break out into smaller groups, based on their gifts, to meet new people and collectively brainstorm ways in which their gifts, dreams, talents, and skills can enhance the livelihood of FCBC. Each group will come together to establish a commitment as to what they will do in 2011 to serve the FCBC Family and the Harlem Community.”

Finally, on Sunday, there will be two worship services (as there is every Sunday) to celebrate the visions of the weekend’s participants with a guest preacher, Pastor A. Byron Coleman of the Fifth Street Baptist Church in  Oklahoma.

For more info on the Visionaries & Dreamers weekend, click here. There is a video with members discussing the project and a podcast that discusses the Adopt-A-Block program.

To see and hear past sermons from the Church, click here and to learn more about the Church, visit it’s main site by clicking here.

“Part news show, part one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions, Weekly With Ed Gordon goes beyond the front page of news headlines and digs deep into the issues and stories that matter most to African Americans“, says the BET press release.

Gordon’s new show is a welcomed addition to the channel who news production quality has declined and become non-existent in recent years. Yes, they’ve had great news specials, but they were still missing a show with the journalistic caliber that Gordon brings with this show.

First introduced to audiences on BET in 1988, Gordon’s past interviews include Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Halle Berry, Louis Farrakhan and Michael Jackson for BET News. He has also been a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes II, The Today Show and Dateline and hosted News and Notes with Ed Gordon on NPR and the weekly news show Our World for Black Enterprise.

In the premiere episode, which airs Sunday, October 3rd, Gordon interviews Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel in an one-on-one interview and has a roundtable discussion with television personality and radio host Montel Williams, CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield and Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church’s Reverend Calvin Butts on topics from Bishop Eddie Long to ethics and politics.

Weekly With Ed Gordon promises to engage the most prolific thinkers, news makers and lawmakers on a weekly basis and also serve as a forum to focus on local and national solutions to issues affecting African American communities.

The Studio Museum in Harlem is having a reading and performance by Thomas Sayers Ellis, author of Skin, Inc. Identity Repair Poems. Skin, Inc. is Ellis’s big, ambitious argument in sound and image for an America whose identity is in need of repair.

In lyric sequences and with his own photographs, Ellis traverses the African American and American literary landscapes – along the way adding race fearlessness to past and present literary styles and themes, and perform-a-forming tributes for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown; the King of Pop, Michael Jackson; and the election of President Barack Obama. Part manifesto, part identity repair kit, part plea for poetic wholeness, this collection worries and self-defends, eulogizes and casts a vote, raises a fist and, often, an intimidating song.

To learn more about the event, click here.

For a book review, click here.

Earlier this week, 1,500 senior citizens from Harlem and around NYC (residents of buildings owned by the The New York City Housing Authority [NYCHA]), got hands-on experience with The Internet, Google, Facebook, and Twitter and learned how new devices like iPods, Wii and digital cameras can improve the quality of their lives. They attended NYCHA’s 6th Annual Senior Benefit & Entitlement Fair at Riverbank State Park in Harlem. Participants also received guides on how to shop for and use common tech devices.

The annual event was created to facilitate enrollment in entitlement programs and to help seniors stay informed about the benefits and services available to them. As the internet continues to play a vital part in obtaining information and services, this event provides a great opportunity for the elderly to connect with tech organizations who’s goal is to get more people engaged in technology and the internet and to bridge the digital divide.

Columbia University’s Office of Government and Community Affairs, and the Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE), part of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, in partnership with Per Scholas and Digital Divide Partnership were the tech organizations that participated this year.

Columbia University created the first public wi-fi hot spot in the park’s history and Per Scholas provided laptops and volunteer instructors who led the hands-on workshops. Unfortunately, at the request of park officials, the hot spot was not made permanent.

According to Bruce Lincoln, Entrepreneur-in-Resident at CTICE (and the person who arranged for wi-fi in the park from Digital Divide Partnership), Home Networking Services (a local African-American owned company) is continuing to provide safe, secure, family-friendly wi-fi at Riverbank State Park as a public service.

According to Kenneth L. Walker, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Per Scholas, “There are a number of stories that I can share with you about my interaction with seniors but one sticks out in my mind. One 85 year old senior citizen came up to John Rhea, Chairman at NYCHA and talked to him about a number of things, one of which was getting signed up for an email account. John asked for my assistance in getting her setup. Upon getting her free Gmail email address she immediately sent both John and I an email, letting us know that she was now connected. The theme of the fair, “Expand Your World” could not have been more effectively demonstrated than by this wonderful story of getting a senior connected to the world of the internet.”

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Photo: Peter Mikoleski

In Prohibition-era Harlem, bootleggers sold cheap and sometimes toxic liquor and moonshine at rent parties and speakeasies for as little as 25 cents a pop.

Rotgut whiskey was sold in basement barrooms, drugstores and delicatessens on Lenox Avenue. Mom-and-pop operations doled out home brews from bathtubs and backyard stills.

Some semblance of those days are back in Harlem, where potent sweet liquor drinks are being mixed at home and sold illegally off stoops, in apartment hallways and in bodegas and barbershops.

The drinks, a blend of various hard liquors and fruit juices, are called nutcracker, and they are being sold in sealed plastic bottles or Styrofoam cups for $5 throughout Harlem.

Sales of the drink have been part of the underground economy for years, but with this summer’s heat and the economic slump they have become more visible. Visitors to any block party or outdoor event in Harlem this summer could not have missed the chant of “Nutcrackers! Nutcrackers!”

People in the neighborhood said selling nutcrackers had become more prevalent in the dismal economy, a means some have used to supplement their incomes with quick and easy money. Some who remember the crack boom of the mid-1980s and early 1990s, and the destruction it heaped upon the community, justify the sales, seeing them as akin to marijuana dealing or numbers gambling.

But others in Harlem, including parents and pastors, say they are worried, particularly because of the drink’s potency, popularity with teenagers and easy availability.

“I think adults and young adults are being very selfish and using greed to raise money,” said the Rev. Vernon Williams, an antiviolence activist who sees a correlation between nutcracker sales and youth violence. “And they are taking this toxic combination of multiple high-level alcohols and selling it indiscriminately to anyone who has the $5.”

Police officials said they were aware of the nutcracker sales and had done what they could to address the issue. They said the department had used both plainclothes and uniformed officers to issue summonses to stores and individuals caught selling it. People found buying the drinks were issued summonses for having an open container of alcohol, the police said.

Sellers include young and older women, blue-collar workers, street hustlers and the underemployed. To give themselves an edge, some sellers even make home deliveries.

To read the full article, click here —> In Harlem, Nutcracker Drink Is Popular but Risky – NYTimes.com.

For more info, click here.

Tonight is the final night of the UrbanWorld Film Festival. The five day festival closes with the premiere of Ava DuVernay’s (Director of My Mic Sounds Nice) feature film I Will Follow, starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Omari Hardwick (For Colored Girls) and Dijon Talton (Glee).

Film screenings began Thursday night at the AMC 34th St Theater with festival ambassador Kerry Washington and actor Jamie Hector, stars of the opening night film Night Catches Us. “This is a great night for black film,” said Washington. “I will always support independent film because that’s the community I came out of,” stated Hector.”

The opening night festivities attracted other celebrities including tv/radio personality FREE, actress Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show) and model Liris Crosse.

Last night, a sold-out success, was the premiere of Mooz-lum, directed by Qasim Basir and starring Nia Long, Danny Glover, Evan Ross, Roger Guenveur Smith, Dorian Missick and newcomer Maryam Basir.

Other premieres included Bouncing Cats (narrated by Common and starring the Rock Steady Crew’s Crazy Legs), Kid Capri Presents: The Lionz Den and Hear Me, directed by Kenn Michael.

The Urbanworld Film Festival is the largest internationally competitive festival of its kind. It includes features, documentaries, short films, as well as panel discussions, live staged screenplay readings, the celebrated Actor’s Spotlight, Actor’s Boot Camps, and Urbanworld Digital, a 1-day Conference focused on Digital and Social media.

For more info and to purchase tickets for tonight’s films, click here.

Emerging Artists Theatre presents the Off-Broadway premiere of The Sensational Josephine Baker, a rich, comedic, moving musical portrait of the unique iconic Jazz Age legend, Josephine Baker.

Performances will run through Sunday, October 3rd at TADA Theatre, 15 West 28th Street, 2nd floor, between Broadway and 5th Avenue. Show times are: Tuesday and Friday at 7pm; Wednesday and Sunday at 2pm; and Saturday at 5pm and 9pm. Tickets are $49 and can be purchased by calling 800-838-3006 or online at emergingartiststheatre.org.

Written and performed by Cheryl Howard and directed by Ian Streicher, the unforgettable story of the one and only Josephine Baker springs to life in this tightly woven play featuring several of Baker’s signature songs. The story follows Josephine on her journey from conservative St. Louis, Missouri to the risqué cabarets of the Rue Pigalle, France, from little girl to showgirl.

Howard gives voice to this uncensored and emotional tale through an array of fascinating female characters: Josephine’s domineering mother, Carrie McDonald; fellow chorus girl Lydia Jones; Ada “Bricktop” Smith, owner of the infamous nightclub “Bricktop’s in Montmarte…” And finally a raw, fearless portrayal of Ms. Baker herself in a series of defining moments: from the hilarious antics which rescued her from the obscurity of the chorus, to the humiliation of being shunned by a narrow-minded American public, to her life-long search for unconditional love… compelled throughout it all by an enduring passion to live life to the fullest.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Nolcha Fashion Week is an award winning fashion week event held simultaneously with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week consisting of four days of runway shows, an eco-accessory exhibition, fashion business seminars, and networking events. The invite-only four day event connects media, retailers, trendsetters, fashion professionals, executives, industry celebrities and investors with designers.

We were invited to attend to view accessories by Adha Zelma.

According to their blog, “Adha Zelma is the creative collaboration of long time friends Sheanan Bond and Cherise Trahan Miller who share the fetish for bold statements as self-expression. Adha Zelma’s jewelry line is for the individual who loves adornment. Inspired by world culture, the designs are daring, sexy and are dripping with color. Adha Zelma experiments with traditional adornment concepts and reinterprets through a modern eye. Each piece is handcrafted and, therefore, each is one of a kind.” (To read an interview with the ladies, click here.)

Adha Zelma Jewelry Fan New Jersey Housewife
Teresa Giudice and daughter stopped by Nolcha Fashion
Week to preview the designers new “5” Collection.

Adha Zelma specializes in working with precious metals, gemstones, Czech beads and exotic materials like tusks, python ribs and stingray.  Celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Williams, Keri Hilson, Arlenis Sosa, Aisha Hinds, Ananda Lewis, and Rosie Perez.

To purchase one of their pieces, click here.

Tomorrow, at the close of New York’s famed Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the Studio Museum in Harlem will be locale of the the Third Annual Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) showcase. The fashion exhibition and presentation highlights emerging designers of color. This year, HFR has selected Niiamar, Telfar, Sammy B. and Viscera NY to be a part of the showcase.

The HFR showcase was created to bring awareness and visibility to an existing community of talented minority designers, who otherwise may not have the opportunity to showcase their collections during Fashion Week. They introduce the designers to an audience of top editors, buyers and industry influencers. Also, as a part of it’s greater mission to develop lasting partnerships and mentorships with editors, buyers and showrooms, this year’s HFR event is designed to prioritize bottom line sales and will include an on-site center for post show market appointments for interested buyers and attendees.

“The topic of diversity in fashion continues to become more and more relevant,” said Brandice Henderson, founder of Harlem’s Fashion Row. “From the recent conversations about diversity hiring practices in fashion publishing, to panel discussions on the lack of black models on the runways during Fashion Week, to the all Black issue of Italian Vogue and the development of Black Vogue.it, it is clear that there is an ongoing discussion about limited opportunities for minorities in fashion. HFR is a response to these limited opportunities from a designer’s perspective and is focused specifically on addressing their needs.”

According to HFR research, African-American and Latino designers represent less than one percent of non “urban” brands found in department stores; yet, minorities spend over $22 billion dollars on apparel or clothing each year.

“There is undoubtedly an existing void in the market where minority designers are severely underrepresented,” added Henderson. “These minority designers certainly exist, and they are just as — if not more — talented than the top designers and brands in the market. HFR seeks to provide the visibility, resources and a business infrastructure that will allow these designers to succeed in the mainstream.”

Established in 2007 as a one time fashion show, Harlem Fashion Row has evolved into a 35 member organization of volunteers and professionals in the fashion industry. The team ranges from recent college graduates looking to gain entry and experience in the fashion industry, to experienced marketers, fashion show producers, artists, photographers, graphic designers, entrepreneurs, PR practitioners, sourcing specialists, stylists, showroom managers and buyers. Most HFR team members work in the industry for major fashion or apparel brands, manufacturers and showrooms. Many, but not all, HFR team members are residents of Harlem.

HFR is supported by a 2010 Advisory Board consisting of a diverse range of established and new members of the fashion and art communities, including: Julee Wilson, Zandile Blay, Audrey Smaltz, Terrie Williams, Dinna Soliman, Najwa Moses, Kiki Kitty, Rene Garza, Valentina Izaguirre, Xavier Artis, Bill Hodges and Michael Henry Adams.

The 14th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET Networks, comes to the AMC Loews 34th Street Theater starting today. Founding sponsor HBO continues its support of the nation’s largest competitive multicultural film festival. The festival will screen 71 films including 22 world premieres.

The festival is open to the public and individual
tickets to films can be purchased online.

Actress Kerry Washington is the festival ambassador and stars in the opening night film Night Catches Us. The film, set in 1976 Philadelphia and takes a look at the Black Panther movement, is directed by Tanya Hamilton. Stars also include Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Jamie Hector (The Wire), Wendell Pierce (Treme), and Tariq Trotter (Black Thought from The Roots).

The world premiere of the family drama I Will Follow — written and directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Antwone Fisher), Omari Hardwick (For Colored Girls) and Beverly Todd (Crash) — is the festival’s Closing Night selection.

For a detailed synopsis of all films and to purchase tickets, click here.