Help Minister Farrakhan help you!!

As-Salaam Alaikum
(Peace be unto you!)
Why did I entitle this latest blog entry "Help Minister Farrakhan help you"?  Everything we give Minister Farrakhan, he turns right back around and gives it back to us (this means you too!).


Dear Supporter,
Every year members of the Nation of Islam and our friends and supporters give an expression of love to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as a show of gratitude and personal appreciation for his many years of dedicated service to the uplift of our community. This upcoming year marks his 58th year of service. Please join us in making this contribution to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan that will help him continue his great work.
Feel free to select from the donation levels listed or contribute an amount that is comfortable for you. Thank you in advance for your support and may Allah (God) continue to bless you. Please copy and paste the link you see into your browser and it will take you directly to the donation page. Thank you in advance for you support.
https://tnp.noi.org/sddonations?id=2517&name=Starla

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What a way.......

What a way to start off the New Year!! As you can see by this picture, I had the pleasure once again to be in the presence of a truly divine and awe-inspiring human being, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. I had the honor of participating in a news roundtable discussion on Jan. 1, 2013 with Final Call staffers, Richard Muhammad, editor in chief and Ashahed Muhammad, assistant editor. Minister Farrakhan graciously answered several questions posed to him on a variety of subjects including the controversial movie Django Unchained, international events, politics, single moms and more. And no, Minister Farrakhan did not see any of the questions in advance! If you missed the original airing, do not fear! Visit www.noi.org for a replay and visit store.finalcall.com to order the DVD or CD.

Year of strides, strains for Black women - Pt. 3

As 2012 ended, I had the pleasure of interviewing some powerhouse Sisters for The Final Call in the article “Year of strides, strains for Black women,” in Vol. 32 No. 14. 

I asked each of them to reflect on 2012 and what they felt it symbolized for the Black community as a whole and specifically, Black women.  I’ll be posting excerpts from additional thoughts each woman shared that were not included in the article. If you missed the first installment with dream hampton, never fear….just scroll down a little.

Next up…….

Perri Small

Perri Small

Perri is  host of the mid day show on Chicago’s 1690 WVON an historical Black-owned radio station celebrating its 50 year anniversary in 2013. Perri is a self-described political junkie and anyone that tunes in to her show knows the long-time journalist is not one to mince words. Perri shared so much that her analysis is featured in two articles in the new 2013 issue of The Final Call. You can also check out her insight in the article, "Victory in D.C., cries of murder in Florida," also part of 2012 year end coverage!

Black leadership and President Obama

One of the biggest issues that they probably brought to the president is this industrial prison complex and the criminalization of African American men. I think those are at the top of the list because first of all you limit people from earning a living if they have a criminal background if there is no forgiveness with expungements for non-violent crimes.

I think they’re going to talk about being locked out of jobs. There are few African American men who are in leadership roles where they can say, ‘You know what, I’d like to hire Black contractors or I’d like to see Blacks on this work site'".

I mean it is insulting and I look at Ed Gardner (founder of Soft Sheen), this 80-something year old man who is out there fighting the fight that our own Black elected officials here in Illinois seem to ignore.

Black women and reality television

Now I’m going to tell you, I am a reality TV fan. I think they’re disgusting and I sit there and I go, ‘Ew!’, and I wince and I do all of that but it’s so entertaining! What’s so interesting about it is that I see this type of behavior being emulated in the streets. Black women think it’s okay to be loud, to be obnoxious to not be a lady.

I never saw these kind of women growing up and now it’s the norm, to be loud, obnoxious and boisterous, to fight in public. I’ve never seen anything like it and that’s not my idea of what a lady is. My idea of what a lady is are those young women that volunteer at WVON from the Nation of Islam when we have events. Those were real ladies. The ladies that work in our station who do so much work like the late Sharon McGee who dedicated her last years of her life to telling women take care of their reproductive health. These are what I call real women.

Black women and family

I love the fact that Black women are not afraid to be who they are. But I just would like to say, one of the other issues is that I do hear all the time, ‘I don’t need a man, I got my baby’. I think it’s selfish. I think in order to raise healthy children that there has to be two parents. You don’t have to be together necessarily, but you need two parents to raise your children. I don’t understand why, with all  of the contraceptives around today that were not around when we were coming up, why are these women still having babies by men who have multiple babies that they’re not even taking care of them either?

Make sure you stay tuned for my next installment. Next up, Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women.

Year of strides, strains for Black women, Pt. 2

As 2012 ended, I had the pleasure of interviewing some powerhouse Sisters for The Final Call newspaper, Vol. 32 No. 14 for the article, “Year of strides, strains for Black women.”  

*dream hampton, author, filmmaker,  
*Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, National Council of Negro Women 
*Terrie Williams, mental health advocate, author  
*Perri Small, radio host at Chicago's 1690AM WVON

I asked each of them to reflect on 2012 and what they felt it symbolized for the Black community as a whole and specifically  Black women.

I couldn't include everything in the article. So, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting excerpts from the additional gems and jewels these women dropped. You don’t want to miss!! First up…….

dream hampton

dream hampton

dream was  not only the first female editor of The Source, one of hip-hops premier magazines, but she was a friend of the late Notorious B.I.G., having chronicled the late rappers life in documentaries plus she co-wrote Decoded with Jay-Z. Here is more of what dream had to say:

On the re-election of President Obama

I think that it was wonderful that the president was re-elected.  I think that the alternative was quite frightening. But I think that it’s time that he get a clear mandate from what is possibly his most powerful voting bloc, which are Black folks.

Imani Perry wrote beautifully about this in the Washington Post about things that he could focus on. He understood that by winning the Latino vote, the so-called Latino vote, he understood that it was important to win this vote. To win the vote of people who identify as Latino.

But, he also understood that their vote came with the mandate to address the issue of immigration reform and before him they placed a piece of legislation, the Dream Act upon which he could act.

So on one hand it’s our responsibility to get something on his desk in the next four years that specifically addresses issues that are singular or particular to us. We’ve been affected by low unemployment in ways that far outnumber any other demographic.

We expect some to be doing worse when the economy is doing bad, but that’s a low expectation. If we can have a president elected twice in this country, a Black man, then we can raise our expectations and we can expect to have this particular issue addressed.

On domestic abuse and violence

We continue to be murdered by our partners and we need men to speak to each other about this problem the same way that women are front and center with issues that concern men. Whether we're talking about prostate cancer or police violence and terrorism, we are on the front lines of those struggles. Because we understand that they are ours and we are theirs and we’re family. But when it comes to issues that affect us and particularly ones that I understand that it’s a hard conversation to have because we’re not looking at an outside enemy. I’m willing to divest my energy in other issue that effect the Black community until Black men step on issues that are particular to Black women. 

This is just a tidbit of what dream shared. Make sure you stay tuned for my next installment. Next up, the always passionate, Perri Small of 1690AM WVON in Chicago. 

Peace!

I know I've been gone for awhile but now I promise to focus more on making this the best blog in the world! Or at the very least, a blog that's informative, fun, engaging and thought-provoking. That is all.

I am Starla, and I approve this message.

@simplystarla23 Facebook.com/StarlaMuhammad

Thousands attend Pres. Obama's first commencement address

By Starla Muhammad

Over 70,000 people braved the intense sweltering heat and packed Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU) on May 13, to attend the 2009 spring commencement. While there to observe and celebrate the conferring of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to over 9,000 students receiving diplomas, those in attendance also witnessed a first. It was the first commencement address given by Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Mr. Obama was well received by the enthusiastic crowd, many whom had been sitting in 100 plus degree temperatures for hours, and delivered a speech that was both inspirational and motivating as he urged the graduates to face challenges head-on, not to “rest on your laurels” and to rethink an ideology of materialism over substance. “Let me suggest that such an approach won’t get you where you want to go; that in fact, the elevation of appearance over substance, celebrity over character, short-term gain over lasting achievement is precisely what your generation needs to help end”, he told the students to thunderous applause.

Both with humor and class, Mr. Obama also addressed the controversy regarding ASU’s decision to not bestow upon him an honorary degree from university representatives that alleged, “his body of work has yet to come” and that what he had accomplished did not “fit within the criteria for an achievement of eminence”. Honorary degrees are often a customary practice bestowed upon many commencement speakers at colleges and universities.

According to media reports, “recipients of past ASU honorary degrees included an aloe-vera magnate, the director of “Victor Victoria”, a Chinese official, a Canadian politician, and lots of donors and fundraisers.” Mr. Obama, a law school graduate, best selling author, community organizer, US Senator and the country’s first Black president of the United States felt the issue was “much ado about nothing”. The President used the occasion to issue a challenge to all to continue individual growth and development. “In all seriousness, I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven’t yet achieved enough in my life. I come to embrace it; to heartily concur; to affirm that one’s title, even a title like President, says very little about how well one’s life has been led – and that no matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve,” he said.

Mr. Obama’s speech was the first commencement address delivered by a sitting U.S. president at an Arizona school.

(photo by Starla Muhammad)

Prince of soul, visits valley

By Starla Muhammad

Love, commitment, relationships and romance, these are just a few of the topics Neo-soul, R & B artist and self-described “prince of soul” Calvin Richardson addresses through his music. The Grammy nominated national recording artist recently brought his smooth lyrics to Phoenix as the featured performer at the Black Tie Ball and Fundraiser for the 2009
“Stop the Violence” Peace Fest at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Phoenix on March 21st. When asked what inspired his interest in supporting the Peace Fest, Mr. Richardson explained, “Just the objective of trying to help kids and giving them positive things to get into, and to get out of certain environments.”
He recounted his own brush with violence and the temptation to go down the wrong path as one motivating factor in striving to keep his lyrics more positive. At the age of 17, Calvin Richardson was stabbed in the arm during a fight. Although the incident left a profound impact, it was his mother’s supportive and nurturing influence that helped encourage him to make a change. He also credits his background of singing in church as a youngster and shares that he is “just a southern boy who was taught to respect a woman” as reasons he has not succumbed to pressure to change or alter his lyrical content. “I can’t change who I am, I could but then it wouldn’t be me” he says.
Perhaps best known for the 2001 hit duet with Angie Stone, “More Than a Woman”, Mr. Richardson has released three CD’s including When Love Comes, released in 2008. He has worked with Raphael Saadiq, Slum Village and K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci. His musical influences Sam Cook, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Charlie Wilson as well as various gospel artists.
Mr. Richardson says he doesn’t shy away from being a role model, in fact, it’s a role he says he happily tries to embrace. It’s his goal to try and influence young people to see the value in themselves through his music and happily supports the objectives of the Peace Fest and finds his position as an artist, very humbling. “Knowing I have kids that look to me and I’m their role model….I have to be careful about certain things that I do, certain choices that I make, knowing that it can effect them, positively or negatively.”
The benefit ball was a fundraiser to bring awareness to the 9th Annual “Stop the Violence” Peace Fest presented by the Black Entrepreneur Association Inc., (B.E.A), Sophisticated Gents and F5 Graphix. Awards honoring Phoenix City Councilmember Michael Johnson and Arizona recording artist CeCe Peniston were presented. The 2009 Peace fest will take place on April 19th at the South Mountain Activity Center. For more information please visit www.myspace.com/peacefest. To find out more about Calvin Richardson, visit www.myspace.com/calvinrichardson.