MON: Black Male Empowerment Workshop

The Black Male Empowerment Workshops
A MONTHLY SERIES FOR MALES ONLY
(all ages of males are welcome)

MONDAY, March 2, 2009
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

featuring
RYAN MACK
CEO/Founder, Optimum Captial Management
CNN Commentator

at M.S. 113 Ronald Edmonds School
(formerly known as JHS 113)
300 Adelphi Street (between DeKalb and Lafayette)
Fort Greene, BROOKLYN, NY 11205

By Subway: "G" train to the Clinton/Washington or "C" train to Lafayette





For more information, please contact BAMIA
contact@blackandmaleinamerca.org
or call 718.390.3520. NO RSVP needed.
Seating will be on a first-come basis.

PLEASE BRING PENS AND NOTEBOOKS OR LAPTOP COMPUTERS
AND BE PREPARED TO TALK, LISTEN, LEARN, AND TAKE NOTES

PLEASE NOTE THAT each month there will be a workshop dealing
with some aspect of development and empowerment for Black males, be it
financial literacy and responsibility, taking care of our physical, mental, and
spiritual health, stopping the violence in our communities, how to become a
mentor to Black boys and young Black men, understanding the history
and state of hip-hop, nurturing fatherhood skills, and so on.

BROWNSTONE BOOKS will be present to sell copies of
The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life
at EVERY MONTHLY WORKSHOP, or you can purchase it
at www.amazon.com, or at any bookstore.

Visit us on the web at www.blackandmaleinamerica.org

NEW INFO: See LaChanze in a NEW Play. Get POB! Discount

Special To Put On BLAST! Subscribers...

See Tony Award® Winner
LaCHANZE
(The Color Purple)
in the World Premiere of a New Play!

Order now and save 30% on tickets

ORDER TODAY AND TICKETS ARE JUST $35 (reg. $50)*


LIMITED ENGAGEMENT: MARCH 5 - APRIL 5 ONLY
Click HERE to Order with Code KBAW!



INKED BABY
A new play by Christina Anderson

Featuring

Che Ayende · Michael Genet · Damon Gupton
LaChanze · Angela Lewis
Nana Mensah · Nikkole Salter

Directed by Kate Whoriskey

"Man, is it hard love or tough love I'm tryin' to do?" Stuck for money and unable to conceive, Gloria (Tony Award®-winner LaChanze, Celie in The Color Purple) enlists the aid of her sister to make the child that she and her husband can't. As they uneasily await the baby's arrival, a mysterious contamination spreads in their neighborhood. But consumed by their struggles, is anyone paying attention? In this imaginative, other-worldly new drama, one family fights to find its place in a neglected neighborhood.

One of American Theater magazine's 15 up-and-coming artists "whose work will be transforming America's stages for decades to come," Christina Anderson makes her off-Broadway debut with Inked Baby.

Kate Whoriskey previously directed Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons. Other recent NYC directing work includes The Piano Teacher, Oroonoko, and Ruined.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!

MARCH 5 - APRIL 5, 2009 ONLY
Tues - Fri at 7:30, Sat at 2:00 & 7:30, Sun at 2:00 & 7:00

HOW TO ORDER YOUR DISCOUNT TICKETS (with code KBAW):

* Click HERE to purchase online at www.TicketCentral.com
* Call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 (Noon - 8:00 pm daily)
* Visit the TICKET CENTRAL box office window at 416 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues (Noon - 8:00 pm daily).

Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater
416 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
(between 9th & 10th Aves)

* Conditions: $35 tickets valid for performances 3/5/09 - 4/5/09 only. Limit 4 tickets per order. Regular service charges apply to all orders. Offer not valid in combination with any other offer. This offer is subject to change and may be revoked at any time. Regular ticket price $50. All sales are final; no refunds or exchanges. Order by March 23.

SUN: Tulani Kinard Makes Official Announcement

Join
TULANI KINARD
Candidate for New York City Council
Brooklyn's 41st District

She will Announce Her
Official Campaign
Launch Announcement

Sunday, March 1, 2009
at 2:00 pm
Steps of New York City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Directions to City Hall
City Hall is located in City Hall Park
(lower Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge).
You can enter the plaza from either
the west side of the park at Broadway
and Murray Street or the east side at Park Row.

By Subway:
#4, #5, #6 trains to City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge
#2, #3 trains to Park Place
W, R trains to City Hall
C, A trains to Chambers Street

By Bus:
M15 to City Hall/Park Row

By Car:
From the East Side: take the FDR Drive to the Manhattan Civic Center Exit
From the West Side: take the West Side Highway to Chambers Street Exit
Please note: No Parking is available at City Hall.

Celebration and Fundraiser
to follow immediately at
Sistas' Place
Sunday, March 1, 2009
4:00 pm

Sistas' Place is located at
456 Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
(Enter on Jefferson Ave.)

Questions? Please contact us at
TulaniforCityCouncil@gmail.com or 1.888.363.8980

www.TulaniKinard.com

Camille Yarbrough is On Facebook

NOW:
Nana Camille Yarbrough
of Ancestor House
is on Facebook!


THIS THURS (Feb. 26):
Check Nana Camille on "Night Talk"
with Dr. Ron Daniels
(President, Institute of the Black World)
on WBAI 99.5 FM Radio
12:00 - 12:30 am
(early Thursday morning)

www.wbai.org


THIS FRIDAY!
(a FREE family event)

Special guests to be announced this week.
A book signing will take place after the program
(managed by by Brownstone Books)

www.ancestorhouse.net
www.akilaworksongs.com
www.mec.cuny.edu










Contact Us
718.270.6976 or frontdesk@akilaworksongs.com

CLSJ Presents Voter Education & Training Workshops

February 2009

Dear Friend:

We write to invite your organization's participation in the 2009 Voter Education Initiative, "Don't Lose Your Vote," sponsored by the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. This current year brings the NYC mayoral election and other primary and general elections for the important public offices of Public Advocate, Borough President, and City Council Member. This project seeks to prevent a repeat of the large scale disenfranchisement that occurred in last year's historic elections. During the 2008 elections, over 100,000 New Yorkers were unable to effectively exercise their right to vote because of their lack of voter education training. Many of these citizens believed that they were registered to vote, or enrolled in a political party for the primary election, but they were not! In the November 2008 general election, for example, nearly 40,000 votes were actually cast in Brooklyn, mostly by Black and Latino voters that may not have been counted. Why? Because either their voter registration cards had not been processed in time, their registration may have been invalidated, or there was administrative failure by the Board of Elections in New York City (BOE). Thousands of formerly incarcerated persons did not vote because they were unaware of their right to register and vote like every other citizen, or because their registration applications had been improperly rejected.

During 2009, the Center for Law and Social Justice will conduct free voter education and training workshops for Brooklyn residents, particularly new voters, young people, and formerly incarcerated persons. This effort will include "Don't Lose Your Vote" training workshops. We would like to present this voter protection training at one of your organizational meetings or at community meetings, public schools, community organization, faith-based institutions, or senior citizen centers in your neighborhood. Through a participatory and multi-media format, these workshops will inform participants about voter registration and election procedures, dispel misconceptions about how felony convictions affect one's right to vote, and provide orientation on the new electronic voting machines scheduled to be employed in New York City beginning in 2009 and the Ballot Marking Device that the BOE started using in 2008. Participants will be given the opportunity to register to vote, and will leave prepared to help others to register or check their registration.

Please contact us if your organization is interested in our bringing a "Don't Lose Your Vote" workshop to your organization's meeting or neighborhood. Project staff member, Lateefah Carter and attorney Joan Gibbs, can be reached at 718 270 6293/97 or at lcarter@mec.cuny.edu or jgibbs@mec.cuny.edu.

We look forward to partnering with your organization in this crucial initiative. With your help, we can ensure that Brooklynites are equipped with the knowledge to effectively exercise their voting rights.

Yours truly,

Esmeralda Simmons, Esq.
Executive Director



About Attorney Simmons
ESMERALDA SIMMONS is the founder and executive director of the Center for Law and Social Justice in Brooklyn, New York. The Center is a small but very effective community-based legal advocacy and research institution that is a unit of Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. Prior to founding the Center, Esmeralda had already had an accomplished career as the First Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights for New York State, and as a Civil Rights Attorney for the US Department of Education, a New York State Assistant Attorney General, and a New York City Assistant Corporation Counsel. She had also served as a law clerk to a federal judge.

An activist and a leader, she has been involved in the community empowerment movement in Central Brooklyn and in progressive political causes for over thirty-five years. As an attorney, she specializes in racial justice issues, such as quality public education for students of color, voting rights, and cultural rights. She chooses to work locally with community organizations using advocacy, community education, coalition–building, and organizing methods, as well as civil rights and human rights legal tools. Esmeralda is a deeply spiritual woman who is grounded in African culture. She finds constant inspiration in the vision of her ancestors, her belief in peace, and her respect for life and cultural diversity.

Memorial Celebration for Odetta

Memorial Celebration
for Odetta

February 24, 2009
7:00 pm

free and open to the public

Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
Harlem, NY 10027
at 121st Street)


Confirmed artists and speakers include

Harry Belafonte
Maya Angelou
Pete Seeger
Ruby Dee
Sonia Sanchez
Josh White, Jr.
Peter Yarrow
Sweet Honey in the Rock
Bernice Reagon
Holmes Bros
Maria Muldaur
Marie Knight
Guy Davis
Steve Earle
David Amram
Tom Chapin
Wavy Gravy
Emory Joseph
Geoffrey Holder
and Oscar Brand
in addition to Odetta's accompanying musicians.

For more information, call 212.491.9118
or send an email to developingdreams@aol.com

"Be a Father" at Howard University (Feb 19)

Thursday, February 19, 2009
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Howard Univerity Bookstore
2225 Georgia Ave., NW
Washington, DC 200599

if you can't make that date, check us at
B. Dalton's Bookseller
Friday, February 20, 2009
B. Dalton's at Union Square
50 Massachusetts, NE (WDC)

for more info, call 718.756.8501
or send an email to
info@beafathertoyourchild.com

Tulani Kinard Dance Party

Sounds of New York

presents a

PRE-VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE
at Jelani's Lounge
507 Waverly Avenue · Brooklyn, NY

Friday, February 13, 2009
6:00 pm - 1:00 am

free buffet/door prizes

With Special Guest


TULANI KINARD
Candidate for NYC Council
(41st District)

for more info., call:
Sara at 718.782.1029
Patrick at 917.209.9478
Sherri 718.452.2920

12 Weeks with Julia Cameron (of "The Artist Way")

A decade ago, Julia Cameron published her groundbreaking book The Artist's Way, a course in discovering and recovering your creative self. Now in use by nearly two million people worldwide, the course is credited with having helped millions find and express their authentic creativity in their lives and in their work in the world. Join us for a twelve-week course with Julia Cameron herself. Stop telling yourself "it's too late," stop waiting until you make enough money to do some­thing you love. Stop telling yourself "it's just my ego" whenever you yearn for a more creative life. Stop telling yourself that dreams don't matter, that they are only dreams and you should be more sensible. Stop fearing that your family and friends would think you're crazy. Stop telling yourself that creativity is a luxury and you should be grateful for what you've got. As you learn to recognize, nurture and protect your inner artist, you will be able to move beyond pain and creative constriction.

You will learn ways to recognize and resolve fear, remove emotional scar tissue, and strengthen your confidence. Damaging, old ideas about creativity will be explored and discarded. Working with a combination of experiential exercises, lecture, Q&A and readings, you will experience an intensive, guided encounter with your own creativity, your private villains, champions, wishes, fears, dreams, hopes and triumphs. The experience will make you excited, depressed, angry, afraid, joyous, hopeful, and ultimately, more free.

Note: There is no prerequisite. Class has limited enroll­ment, so pre-registration is highly recommended. Please bring a notebook and a pen.


A WEEKLY COURSE (12 sessions) WEDNESDAYS
February 18 - May 13, 2009
7:30 - 9:30 pm
No class on April 8.

09WA35T Approved for CEUs
$600 (No Member Discount)


To register for this class,
call 212.219.2527 x2
or visit www.opencenter.org


New York Open Center
83 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012


Julia Cameron is the author of twenty-five books of fic­tion and nonfiction, including The Artist's Way, Walking in this World, The Vein of Gold, The Right to Write, The Sound of Paper and, most recently, Finding Water. Cam­eron is also a novelist, playwright, songwriter and poet with distinguished credits in theater, film and television.

This Saturday Join RUBY DEE and Her Family

Ruby Dee Invites You
to a Family First Event!

Join Legendary Oscar nominee Ruby Dee in a warm and wonderful evening
of poetry, monologues, blues, and jazz featuring her family: Bluesman Guy Davis, Poet Hasna Muhammad, Guitarist Wali Muhammad



Family First
THIS SATURDAY!
February 7, 2009
at 8:00 pm

Tickets: $40 Reserved · $25 General Admission · $20 Seniors/Students

An Evening with Ruby Dee and Her Family

at The Westchester Arts Council
31 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
914.428.4220 x223
Support the Ossie Davis Endowment

Walk Web Banner


In 1935, at 17 years of age, Ossie's passion for education led him to walk from Georgia to Washington to attend Howard University...with only $10 in his pocket. Today (Feb 4), we mark the passing of Mr. Davis and invite you to support the Endowment established by friends in his name.
Give $10 as a symbolic donation
in honor of the Ossie Davis Walk for Education.

He walked with $10 in his pocket from Georgia to Washington, DC.
To learn about other ways to give and how your dollars
will help keep Ossie's legacy strong and relevant, Click Here



About OSSIE DAVIS
Ossie Davis was a writer, actor, activist, director and producer. He was a well-read thinker, communicator, humorist and humanist who influenced and cared deeply about the world, the people and his family. For more info on Ossie, visit www.ossiedavisendowment.com/aboutossie

About the OSSIE DAVIS ENDOWMENT (ODE)
The Ossie Davis Endowment is championed by friends of Mr. Davis, who understood his passion for education and his commitment to the young people who will shape our future. Selected donors and supporters include Alan Alda, Mayor Dinkins, Dustin Hoffman, Sidney Poitier, Lou Gossett, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Donald Trump, Sonia Sanchez, Tavis Smiley, Pauletta Washington, and Dr. Cornel West, to name a few. ODE was established to support African American students who demonstrate a commitment to use their careers as vehicles of activism to assure equal justice and opportunity, as Mr. Davis did. We anticipate awarding scholarships in Dec. 2009

THIS WED: Black History at City Opera: A Tribute to Camilla Williams!

BAMIA This Friday!

KEVIN POWELL and Black and Male in America (BAMIA)

present

The Black Male Empowerment Workshops
A MONTHLY SERIES FOR MALES ONLY
(all ages of males are welcome)

FRIDAY, February 6, 2009
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Topic: Let's Get Serious: Creating Change with Economic Empowerment

Workshop Leader:
President of Optimum Capital Management, LLC
Ryan Mack & Special Guest

Admission is FREE

at M.S. 113 Ronald Edmonds School (formerly known as JHS 113)
300 Adelphi Street (between DeKalb and Lafayette)
The Fort Greene section of BROOKLYN, NY 11205

By Subway: "G" train to the Clinton/Washington or "C" train to Lafayette

For more information, please contact BAMIA at bamia.bk@gmail.com
or call 718.390.3520 or 347.741.9121. NO RSVP needed.
Seating will be on a first-come basis.

PLEASE BRING PENS AND NOTEBOOKS OR LAPTOP COMPUTERS
AND BE PREPARED TO TALK, LISTEN, LEARN, AND TAKE NOTES

PLEASE NOTE THAT each month there will be a workshop dealing with some aspect of development and empowerment for Black males, be it financial literacy and responsibility, taking care of our physical, mental, and spiritual health, stopping the violence in our communities, how to become a mentor to Black boys and young Black men, understanding the history and state of hip-hop, nurturing fatherhood skills, and so on.

BROWNSTONE BOOKS will be present to sell copies of
The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life at EVERY MONTHLY WORKSHOP,
or you can purchase it at www.amazon.com, or at any bookstore.

Visit us on the web at www.blackandmaleinamerica.org

Save On Tony Winner LaCHANZE in a New Play!

Save 30% on Tony Award® Winner
LaCHANZE
(The Color Purple)
in the World Premiere of a New Play!





















ORDER BY MARCH 23 AND TICKETS ARE JUST $35 (reg. $50)
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT: MARCH 5 - APRIL 5 ONLY
Click HERE to Order with Code KBAW!

INKED BABY
A new play by Christina Anderson

Featuring
Michael Genet · Damon Gupton
LaChanze · Angela Lewis · Nana Mensah
Nikkole Salter · Tobias Truvillion

Directed by Kate Whoriskey

"Man, is it hard love or tough love I'm tryin' to do?" Stuck for money and unable to conceive, Gloria (Tony Award®-winner LaChanze, Celie in The Color Purple) enlists the aid of her sister to make the child that she and her husband can't. As they uneasily await the baby's arrival, a mysterious contamination spreads in their neighborhood. But consumed by their struggles, is anyone paying attention? In this imaginative, other-worldly new drama, one family fights to find its place in a neglected neighborhood.

One of American Theater magazine's 15 up-and-coming artists "whose work will be transforming America's stages for decades to come," Christina Anderson makes her off-Broadway debut with Inked Baby.

Kate Whoriskey previously directed Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons. Other recent NYC directing work includes The Piano Teacher, Oroonoko, and Ruined.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!

MARCH 5 - APRIL 5, 2009 ONLY
Tues - Fri at 7:30, Sat at 2:00 & 7:30, Sun at 2:00 & 7:00
Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater
416 West 42nd Street · New York, NY 10036
(between 9th & 10th Aves)

HOW TO ORDER YOUR DISCOUNT TICKETS (with code KBAW):

* Click HERE to purchase online at www.TicketCentral.com
* Call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 (Noon - 8:00 pm daily)
* Visit the TICKET CENTRAL box office window at 416 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues (Noon - 8:00 pm daily).

Conditions: $35 tickets valid for performances 3/5/09 - 4/5/09 only. Limit 4 tickets per order. Regular service charges apply to all orders. Offer not valid in combination with any other offer. This offer is subject to change and may be revoked at any time. Regular ticket price $50. All sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL FREE EVENT

Inked Baby author Christina Anderson joins playwrights Charles Fuller (Zooman and the Sign) and Lynn Nottage (Ruined) and director Liesl Tommy (The Good Negro) in discussion with actor Sabrina LeBeauf (Three Sisters). Monday, February 23 at 7:00. Harlem Stage, 150 Convent Ave at West 135th St. Reservations required: (212) 281-9240 ext. 19/20 or boxoffice@harlemstage.org (limit 2 per reservation).