For the past four decades the Bob Hayes Invitational Track meet has been a focal point for young track and field participants from the southeastern United States. For those too young to remember, Bob Hayes was the Florida A&M sprinter that was dubbed “Bullet Bob” for his dominance of the sprints from 60 to 100 yards.

Hayes, who came to the world’s attention in 1964, was the first person to run 100 yards in 9.1 seconds and also held the world record for sixty yards at 5.9 seconds. He was awarded two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics. A muscular 5 feet eleven inches and 190 pounds, Hayes also excelled in football and is a member of the NFL Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.

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Bob Hayes, WR from Florida A&M, was a World Class sprinter and won the gold medal in the 100 meter dash and the 4×100 meter relay at the 1964 Summer Olympic games held in Tokyo, Japan. Bullet Bob was then chosen by the Dallas Cowboys at the 1964 draft in the 7th round. Bob was a future pick, 1 year of college eligibility left, and not eligible to play until 1965. When he was eligible to play he changed the game. Defenses could not cover Bullet Bob man to man so zone defenses were designed to try and stop the world class speedster. Bullet Bob averaged over 20 yards per catch his 1st 6 seasons and recorded double digit TDs in 5 of those 6 years! Bob is still the only person in history who has a Super Bowl Ring and a Olympic Gold medal. Bob played in the NFL for 11 seasons, 10 with the Cowboy and his final season in 1975 with the 49ers. Bob finished his career with 371 catches, 7414 yards and 71 TDs. Bob Hayes was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in September 2001 just 1 year before his death on September 18, 2002. Bob Hayes’ Family and fans are still awaiting induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an honor well overdue!

VISIT WEBSITE > http://www.bhitm.org

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The inventor of the Gamma-Electrical Cell (not the Cellular phone) is Henry Sampson, Jr. Sampson is an African-American from Jackson, Mississippi. He attended Morehouse College and transferred to Purdue. He received an MS in Engineering from the University Of California. He was awarded an MS in Nuclear Engineering from Illinois and his Ph.D from Illinois. Sampson is the first African-American to receive a Ph.D in Nuclear Engineering.

In 1971 Sampson was awarded a patent for the “gamma-electric cell.” This technology was used in the cellular phone. Hopefully Dr. Sampson was well rewarded for his efforts.

All right, now that you have this information join the “Tell a Brother Club” by passing this information on to more individuals who are uninformed.

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Thanks to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month has been celebrated in the month of February for more 36 years. Woodson, born to parents who were former slaves, worked in the Kentucky coal mines as a child and enrolled in high school at age 20.

He graduated within two years and later earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University. As a student, he was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the African American population. So Woodson decided to take on the challenge of ensuring African Americans were accurately included in the nation’s history.

He established the “Association for the Study of Negro Life and History” in 1915; later re-named the “Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.” In 1916, Woodson founded the widely respected “Journal of Negro History.” In 1926, he launched Negro History Week.

Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it corresponded to the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who greatly impacted the Black American population. In 1976, the Association succeeded in expanding the observance, which then became Black History Month.

BCN – Mobile Global Media

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Mentoring USA, an affiliate of HELP USA, was founded in 1995 by New York State former first lady Matilda Raffa Cuomo. As a structured site-based mentoring organization, we provide comprehensive mentoring services and activities for youth, ages 7-21, through partnerships with schools, corporations, faith-based institutions, foster care agencies, community centers, and housing facilities nationwide. Once mentors are screened and trained, they play a vital role in teaching essential life skills such as: financial and media literacy; cultural awareness and respect; anti-bullying; self-esteem improvement; and living healthy lifestyles to the mentees in our program for a minimum of four hours per month. Essentially, our mentors are ‘positive opportunity brokers’ who serve selflessly to provide access to information, education, and opportunity to our mentees, and in some cases, the mentee’s family.

In the role as a mentoring executive, I am required to wear multiple hats in order to fulfill the goal of inspiring individuals—youth and adults, corporations, community partners, etc. to become agents of change. Some days I feel like I am a faith coach developing spiritual athletes and teaching youth and adults to: press on when life throws a curve ball, lift up in prayer challenging circumstances, and hurdle the temptation to engage in activities that will hurt their families and communities. Other days, I feel like a banker, investing in our communities and youth by using asset-driven language that deposits hope without withdrawing faith. My thought is that things can improve if we exercise an all ‘hands on deck’ approach in our respective communities.

I view mentoring as my ministry, as I recognize that much community healing is required to provide opportunities where children in under served communities can be inspired to learn and compete academically across the global landscape.

While our corporate partners have provided our organization with wonderful opportunities to expand and serve new communities throughout the country, I have purposefully focused on building the capacity of Black men and the faith community to address the shortage of adult male engagement in mentoring. Through support from the Open Society Foundation Campaign for Black Male Achievement, Mentoring USA was able to launch our MEN-TOUR: Recruit. Reclaim.Restore. effort to reclaim men and fathers who have already served as mentors in some capacity. The goal is to utilize and build their capacity to recruit more male mentors via the faith community, demonstrating how communities and schools will undergo a gradual restoration to safety and academic success for young Black men.

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Proud mother: Oprah Winfrey joins her ‘daughters’ at their graduation ceremony in South African on Saturday

She complemented the design by wearing striking eyeshadow and teased her hair into soft waves along with a pair of avocado coloured drop earrings.

Oprah, 57, described herself as a proud mother during the momentous occasion which involved classes of singing and dancing young ladies celebrating their success dressed in demure white frocks.



People in high places: The philanthropist did her best to hold back tears as the Nelson Mandela’s wife Graca Machel embraced her

She said: ‘I have never been more proud to know, to grow, and to call myself Mam Oprah to you girls.’

Listing the blows they have experienced: ‘Divorce. Violence. Molestation. The loss of one parent. The loss of another parent. Sorrow. Sadness. Grief,’ Winfrey also praised the teachers, administrators, social workers, psychologists and family members she said had ensured the students succeeded by starting early and staying late.


Fighting back tears through the applause, one of her 72 students graduating out of 75 who started, took to the podium to speak which prompted more reaction from the star who has been dubbed the richest African American of the 20th Century.

Mashadi Kekana said: “Mam Oprah, thank you for showing us that we’re not just girls, but girls with greater purpose in this world.”

Founded in 2007 with $40 million from Oprah, the school has faced criticism for focusing on a select few in a country that struggles to meet basic education needs.

Momentous day: The star was joined by Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, for the ceremony in Henley-on-Klep

Looking gorgeous: The 57-year-old wore a Grecian green gown to celebrate

The American television personality added: ‘When you invest in the leadership of girls, you invest in the leadership of a nation.


‘Because every one of these girls will serve herself, her family, her community and this country, in ways that are yet to amaze you. Just wait to be amazed by these girls.’

Today Oprah also welcomed a special guest in the form of Graca Machel, wife of former South Africa president, Nelson Mandela.

The pair hugged and beamed at each other as families and the world’s media observed their union.

Winfrey told reporters after the ceremony that her girls would continue to be able to rely on her support. A counseling unit had been set up to help all the graduates budget time, money and priorities while in university.

The Class of 2011: Her girls were decked out in angelic white uniforms

Friday was more of a light-hearted day on the educational premises.

She was seen laughing, joking and dancing with the young women, whom she apparently teaches in classes via satellite.

Her graduating students are all headed to universities across South Africa and the United States, undergoing courses in various subjects including medicine, law, engineering and economics.

Oprah says she is cut out for the job because she hasn’t forgotten her roots.

So proud: The world’s media watched on as the TV personality spoke about all 72 girls’ achievements

Across South Africa, more than half a million members of the class of 2011 disappeared before the 496,000 remaining took their final exams, and only a quarter of those who graduated did well enough to qualify for university study, according to government figures.


She said: ‘I know what it’s like to be a poor girl with your heart’s desire to do well in the world. I chose to use my philanthropy to do what I know.’

While the venture has proved rewarding and fruitful, it has not always been an easy ride for founder Oprah.

Shortly after the school was opened, a dormitory matron was accused of abusing teenagers.

The former chat show host, who has spoken out about being abused as a child, said she was ‘profoundly’ disappointed when the woman was acquitted in 2010.

Happy days: Yesterday was less emotional as she sang and danced with her students

Five years ago, 11-and 12-year-old girls arrived who had never used a computer before. They went  to primary schools that lacked enough desks and chairs and were raised by grandmothers or older siblings after losing parents to AIDS or cancer. 

Winfrey notes the graduates were born in 1994, the year apartheid ended…she stated “You are free. You are free to rise. You are free to soar.” Later, Oprah Winfrey was in tears as she is joined by Nelson Mandela’s wife at her South African girls’ school graduation.

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CEO and founder of MOBO Kanya King MBE is an internationally recognized entrepreneur and innovator in the British music industry. She is the dynamic force behind the MOBO Awards and has played an instrumental role in elevating black music and culture to mainstream popular status in the U.K. 

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Raised in Kilburn, North West London, by her Ghanaian father and Irish mother, Kanya is the youngest daughter of nine children and grew up listening to and being inspired by black music. Whilst studying English Literature at Goldsmiths College in London, Kanya decided to organise her own live music events to highlight both the importance of and public demand for music of black origin.

Dedicated to following her passion, in 1996, while working as a TV researcher, Kanya decided to take this one step further. Kanya took the brave step to set-up an awards ceremony with mass-market appeal, which would celebrate these specific genres and music influenced & inspired by MOBO music.

Having formulated a proposal and business plan for the MOBO Awards, Kanya King embarked on a tireless campaign to attract sponsors and interest from TV networks.

Kanya’s overwhelming desire to succeed eventually led her to re-mortgage her house to raise the necessary finances to launch the first MOBO Awards. As well as funding the TV broadcast, Kanya organised the whole event in just 6 weeks. This involved assembling a production crew and securing sponsors, not to mention a star-studded line up and an audience to watch it! The hard work paid off and the show was a spectacular success attended by the likes of Tony and Cherie Blair, Lionel Richie and Gabrielle.

Now in its 14th year, the MOBO Awards Show is firmly established as one of the most prestigious events in the entertainment calendar and boasts a past guest list that includes an array of ‘A-list’ celebrities, legendary performers and top executives.

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Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine is a published author, computer scientist, lecturer, mathematician, historian,  columnist, preservationist, film consultant, and “The Art-ivist.”  She is the founder of the premiere advocacy organization for the continuation of Gullah/Geechee culture, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition.   Queen Quet has not only provided “histo-musical presentations” throughout the world, but was also the first Gullah/Geechee person to speak on behalf of her people before the United Nations in Genevé, Switzerland.

Queen Quet was one of the first of seven inductees to the Gullah/Geechee Nation Hall of Fame.  She received the “Anointed Spirit Award” for her leadership and for being a visionary.   In 2008, she was recorded at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France at a United Nations Conference in order to have the human rights story of the Gullah/Geechee people archived for the United Nations.  In 2009, she was invited by the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations to come and present before the newly founded “Minority Forum” as a representative of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and the International Human Rights Association for American Minorities (IHRAAM) which is an NGO in consultative status with the United Nations.  Queen Quet is a directorate member for IHRAAM and for the International Commission on Human Rights.  She represented these bodies and the Gullah/Geechee Nation at the “United Nations Forum on Minority Rights.”

Queen Quet has appeared in and consulted for over a dozen films that range from full length action films to historic documentaries.  She has been interviewed by national and international media for television, radio, and print.   She has been seen and heard on programs in Australia, China, Germany, Mexico, the Bahamas, Canada, England, and different countries in Africa.  She also has become the host of “Gullah/Geechee Gwine On Nayshun Nyews” which is broadcast by “Gullah/Geechee TV.”  In September 2010, she spoke before a full house and received a standing ovation at the United States National Press Club in Washington, DC as she educated the crowd on the language and continuing traditions of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.

Read more > http://web.me.com/gullahgeecheenation/Queen_Quet/Chieftess_and_%22The_Art-ivist%22_Bio.html

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Among myriad accomplishments under Johnathan’s leadership, $40 million of risk capital was formed, sparking creation of a $250 million network of early-stage investment funds to spur high-growth entrepreneurship. He worked to build an inclusive regional technology and innovation movement, providing the vision and leadership that brought together an urban school district and corporate partner to create the state’s first information technology-based high school, which is now a model of successful turnaround urban education that has attracted national media.

Johnathan partnered with universities, businesses and nonprofits to obtain over $40 million in grant funding, cash investments and in-kind support for research and commercialization and to nurture a high-growth entrepreneurship ecosystem, including a business accelerator and training program. And he received Ohio gubernatorial appointments to the Midwest Governors’ Association Investments for the Knowledge-based Economy project, serving as co-chairman of the Increasing Research Capacity and Accelerating Commercialization team, and to the Ohio House and Senate Joint Legislative Commission on High-Tech Business.

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BICI MISSION STATEMENT

The Black Innovation and Competitiveness Initiative is an open, collaborative and innovative platform that fosters solutions-based approaches to 21st century community economic development.

Supported by three essential pillars of innovation:

• STEM Education and Workforce Development
• Access to Capital and Capital Formation
• High-Growth Entrepreneurship

The BICI strategy seeks to leverage existing assets within Black American communities to create new opportunities and ensure competitiveness in the global Innovation Economy.

BICI – Black Innovation and Competitiveness Initiative

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by Raynard Jackson, May 12, 2011

Last night Michelle Obama hosted an “Evening of Poetry” at the White House.  She invited an eclectic group of poets to recite their poetry.  But, Fox News and right wing radio has singled out one performer—the Grammy award winning rapper Common—to be on the receiving end of their ire.

I don’t listen to his music, but from talking with friends who know him, he seems to be a nice enough guy and is very talented!  But, he has one song about shooting a policeman, therefore conservative media objected to him being invited to the White House.

These conservatives are now making the argument, that since Common was invited to the White House, President and Ms. Obama, must agree with his lyrics.  Anyone with a brain knows this is idiotic, but welcome to the world of right wing media.

The Obama’s have a right to invite whomever they choose to the White House.

You can’t take a single or few events in a person’s life and let that be the definitive narrative of his life.  For example, Michael Vick should not have his whole life defined by his run it with the law if he continues to exemplify the level of maturity he has in the past year.  We all make mistakes.

Common, born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., hails from Chicago, IL.  He had a middle class upbringing and attended Florida A & M University where he studied business.  He has earned two Grammys (best R & B song in 2003 for “Love of My Life and best rap performance by a duo or group in 2007 for “Southside”).

Though an unabashed liberal, he has dedicated himself to trying to make a positive difference in the lives of the youth.  For this, he should be commended!

What I find amazing about right wing media is they seem to be for free speech—as long as they agree with what you are saying.

If they were consistent with their feigned outrage over Common, then I could accept their views.  But, I find their outrage very inconsistent and very selective.  They make it seem as though Obama is the only president to associate with an entertainer who have expressed some controversial things.

Where was their outrage over former president Ronald Reagan’s tribute to Bruce Springsteen?

On September 19, 1984, Reagan was at a campaign stop in Hammonton, New Jersey and he said, “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts…it rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire…New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.”  Springsteen is best known for his monster hit song “Born in the U.S.A.”  But, on this same album is a song titled “Working On The Highway.”  The song is about a man who has sex with an underage girl and is subsequently arrested by the police and convicted in a court of law.  Here are a few of the words:

“I saved up my money and I put it all away
I went to see her daddy but we didn’t have much to say
“Son can’t you see that she’s just a little girl
She don’t know nothing about this cruel cruel world”

We lit out down to Florida we got along all right
One day her brothers came and got her and they took me in a black and white (police car)
The prosecutor kept the promise that he made on that day
And the judge got mad and he put me straight away
I wake up every morning to the work bell clang (jail)
Me and the warden go swinging on the Charlotte County road gang

Working on the highway…

President Nixon invited racist Elvis Presley to the White House.  Presley spent a lifetime letting people know how he felt about Blacks!

President Carter invited the legendary group, Crosby, Stills, & Nash to visit him in the White House.  According to their own biography, “One of us, and I will not say who, lit a joint in the Oval Office just to be able to say he’d done it, you know?”

The other irony is that a lot of these same conservatives claim very publically their friendship to entertainers whose lyrics are no different than those they criticize Common for.

Sarah Palin is a huge fan of rocker, Ted Nugent.  Here are the words to one of his songs, “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang.”

That Nadine, what a teenage queen…She lookin’ so clean, especi’lly down in between…She’s so sweet when she yanks on my meat.”  Is this the type of “family values” Palin has in mind?

Last year Elton John was reportedly paid $1 million to perform at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding reception.  John is the same person who referred to Christians as “Jesus Freaks” in his hit song “Tiny Dancer.”

When right wing media begin to show their moral outrage evenly, then and only then, can I support their feigned righteous indignation.  But, until then, they should remain quiet and focus on the more pressing issues facing our country.

They should also show some respect for the office of the president.  This should be a common courtesy!

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm.  He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com) & U.S. Africa Magazine (www.usafricaonline.com).

Read more on Common > http://www.hiphopreport.net/news/2008/11/08/barack-inspires-common/

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In the super-competitive domains of national and international communications, public relations and broadcast media, Tony Regusters, wears a coat of many colors. This award-winning executive is a leader in domestic and global communications with an extensive background that includes major production projects in Europe, Brazil and emerging media markets in Africa. A native of Philadelphia, PA, Tony’s entre into the communications industry was made in the advertising department of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Tony went on to sell advertising for Philadelphia-based radio stations WHAT-AM, WWDB-FM and WMMR-FM; he then became publisher of his own newspaper: The Third World Journal.

With these experiences under his belt, Tony was tapped to join the ad sales staff of the newly-created Essence magazine, where he became one of the magazine’s top-producing advertising sales account executives.   Five years later, Tony transitioned from advertising to the broadcast/editorial side of media, which led to an award-winning 25-year long career producing TV news, including producer positions at CNN & CNN International and similar positions at Fox 5 News/Washington and CBS affiliates WUSA-TV 9 News/Washington and WBAL-TV 11/Baltimore.   Tony also served as a press secretary for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) – and is the originating producer of BET’s award-winning Teen Summit program.

His latest project:
Obama in Ghana: The Untold Story – is a feature-length documentary that will air on BET during Black History Month, 2011.  Obama in Ghana was inducted into the permanent collection of the Library of Congress and is an award winner in the documentary category at the 33rd Philadelphia International Film Festival.

VIEW FILM TRAILER BELOW:

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