African American Office of Gay Concerns To Launch ‘Status Is Everything’ HIV Testing Campaign
October 28, 2009
Beginning January 2010 in Newark, African American men who have sex with men will be targeted by an HIV Testing social marketing campaign titled “Status Is Everything” organized by the African American Office of Gay Concerns (AAOGC) of Newark. “Status Is Everything” aims to encourage African American men, particularly young men who have sex with men, to get HIV tested and reduce risky behaviors. AAOGC will unveil the “Status Is Everything” brand and outreach components on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2009. Funding for “Status Is Everything” is provided by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services as part of the department’s HIV prevention efforts aimed at high-risk African American men. Read more
Movie Spotlight: Ten9Eight
October 27, 2009
Synopsis: This is the compelling question behind award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio’s newest project Ten9Eight, a thought provoking film which tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens (of differing race, religion, and ethnicity) from Harlem to Compton and all points in between, as they compete in an annual business plan competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). Read more
Massachusetts Governor Patrick and Industry Executives Recognized By National Energy Services Firm
October 27, 2009
Conservation Services Group (CSG) today announced awards for 15 outstanding environmental and energy advocates honored during a formal ceremony this month. Award winners and CSG executives were joined by more than 200 environmental and energy efficiency advocates, politicians and state officials at a Silver Anniversary reception at Boston’s Lenox Hotel.
CSG CEO Stephen Cowell kicked off the event by presenting an award to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for “Excellence in Environmental Advocacy.” Held during National Energy Awareness Month, the event thanked shareholders, clients, CSG staff and other constituents for their ongoing support of sound energy and environmental policies and “green” initiatives.
Foot Locker and Leaders in the Sports World Join Forces for a Cause
October 27, 2009
Foot Locker Foundation, Inc. joined together executives from the sports industry, professional athletes and celebrities on Tuesday, October 20, at New York City’s Gotham Hall, to celebrate the ninth annual “On Our Feet” fundraising gala. For the past six years, the event has benefited UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) through a scholarship program to provide deserving students the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
“It is rewarding to know that our efforts are directly impacting students by providing them with an opportunity to further their education,” said Ken C. Hicks, President and Chief Executive Officer, Foot Locker, Inc. “These young people truly appreciate the value of an education and we are proud to invest in them and their future.” Read more
FSBI Business Coaching Brands Honored For Their Minority Outreach
October 27, 2009
FranchisEsource Brands International (FSBI) has been selected as one of the Top 50 Franchisors by the National Minority Franchising Initiative (NMFI) for actively seeking minority participation and ownership through sophisticated minority recruitment programs. The FSBI business coaching brands included in this honor are The Entrepreneur’s Source, AdviCoach and Business Partner. FSBI’s inclusion was based on its overall minority recruitment program, the percentage of minority franchisees currently within their system and the percentage of minorities in key positions within the franchisor’s management.
“Owners of FSBI business coaching brands are made up of people from all backgrounds and cultures,” says Terry Powell, founder and CEO of FSBI, a multi-brand Business Coaching franchisor with high-performance brands dedicated to the advancement of the entrepreneur and those who aspire to be one. “Awarding franchises to a diverse group of franchisees has only added to the growth and success of our brands,” he added. Read more
Teenagers Difficult to ‘Capture’ for Vaccinations; Rates on Rise Overall, But Still Low
October 27, 2009
More teenagers are being vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal meningitis and pertussis (whooping cough), though the rates are still too low, according to recently released government data and a panel of experts convened by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Now, in addition to urging routine HPV vaccination for girls, providers can educate adolescent boys, young men – and their parents – about HPV and its potential consequences, and offer vaccination to boys as well. Last week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted for a ‘permissive’ HPV vaccination strategy for boys.
In taking the vote, the Advisory Committee considered research specific to the impact of genital warts in males and whether vaccination in males would be unnecessary if females were vaccinated at high rates. Presently, only about 40 percent of teenage girls receive the first dose of HPV vaccine with fewer than 20 percent receiving the complete three-dose series. Committee members could not consider research about HPV-related cancers in males in their deliberations, though that may leave the door open to revisit or even expand the recommendation to prevent cancer in the future. Read more
16 Year Old Executive Producer Set to Release Aids Awareness PSAs
October 27, 2009
Chantel “CHANI” Christie is just 16 years old, but has already made quite a contribution to society: a recording artist, Fashion model and inspirational author of the bestselling book, I Want to Live: A Teenagers Guide to Finding Self Love. She is also the United States Youth Ambassador on HIV/AIDS Education and Awareness.
Now donning a director’s hat, this 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. excellence in hip hop award winner has now executive produced and co-directed her 1st in a series of Knowledge is Power PSAs to educate and empower young people about HIV/AIDS. Read more
Beyonce, Maxwell and Keri Hilson Lead the Nominations for the 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW
October 27, 2009
CENTRIC announces a prestigious list of nominees to be recognized in the Network’s first special, CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW. Grammy Award-winner Beyonce, R&B diva Keri Hilson, and soulful crooner Maxwell lead the pack with four nominations each. Hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the return of the Soul Train Awards promises to be a soulful music event acknowledging R&B music’s finest. Taping at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, November 3, the show will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 PM*. Read more
Monica Makes Her Reality Television Debut With “MONICA: STILL STANDING”
October 27, 2009
After a brief hiatus from the music industry, Monica is back in the spotlight with an intimate, profound docu-drama that takes a look at her day-to-day world in the new original BET series MONICA: STILL STANDING. Beginning Tuesday, October 27 Monica will open her heart and life to viewers every week at 10:00 pm* and take them on her personal journey of survival and enlightenment. Viewers will have the chance to experience the many faces of Monica as she balances family, deals with trials, triumphs and health challenges, records her fifth album, “STILL STANDING” and tackles the hardest job of all – being a full-time mother of two young sons.
“It was very scary stepping into the type of situation that would expose me and my life,” said Monica. “But I think that there are so many kids now that are aspiring to do exactly what I’ve done and I felt like that was worth me putting myself on the line so they would really understand what it’s like to try and juggle both a music career and personal life.” Read more
Pepperdine University Set to Induct NBA Star Doug Christie Into Its 2009 Hall of Fame Class
October 27, 2009
NBA Star/Author and CEO of Christie Sports Management Athletes Training Firm Doug Christie will be inducted into Pepperdine University Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 25, 2009, at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, Calif. A reception will be held at 5 p.m., with dinner and the awards presentation at 6 p.m.
The Pepperdine University Department of Athletics has announced that seven of its all-time greats, Doug Christie, Geoffrey Clark, Bob Ctvrtlik, Katherine Hull, Kelly Jones, John Rettberg and Rod Wilde will all be honored at the ceremony.
“The Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame is enriched each year as they continue to add some of the most distinguished and accomplished student-athletes in the program’s history,” said Pepperdine Director of Athletics John Watson. “These are seven individuals that are very well deserving of this honor. We look forward to honoring them and recognizing their achievements, both what took place at Pepperdine and in their professional lives.” Read more
Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson Receives AARP Membership Card
October 27, 2009
Basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson today joined nearly 25,000 AARP members in Las Vegas to celebrate his 50th birthday. AARP CEO Barry Rand presented Johnson with his AARP membership card at Vegas@50+, a three-day event for AARP members, their friends and families with exhibits, experts and entertainment at the Sands Expo Center. Magic joined AARP in Las Vegas as part of a national health literacy tour sponsored by Aetna.
Pictured: (L to R), AARP CEO Barry Rand, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Floyd Green, head of community relations for Aetna. (PRNewsFoto/AARP)
Disney’s Newest Royalty, Princess Tiana, Makes Debut at Walt Disney World Resort
October 27, 2009
Starting Oct. 26, Walt Disney World guests will be treated to first-ever appearances by Princess Tiana, star of the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film “The Princess and the Frog.”
Besides meet-and-greets with guests, Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen and other characters from the motion picture will star in “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!,” a rousing, colorful procession with a jazz-filled Mardi Gras theme. The good times will roll as festively dressed, bead-tossing revelers lead Magic Kingdom guests to the Liberty Belle Riverboat dock.
The party moves onboard and the Liberty Belle paddlewheels her way along the river with singing and dancing to the sounds of a six-member jazz band. Nearly two dozen Disney dancers join 30 randomly chosen park guests to be part of each show. Original songs composed by Randy Newman for the film energize the production, which will be performed three times daily. Daytime pyrotechnics and whimsical puppetry round out the spirited, 15-minute spectacle. Read more
Isiah Thomas blasts Magic Johnson over criticisms in forthcoming book
October 27, 2009
When he heard the criticisms from his former friend Magic Johnson in a soon-to-be-released book, Isiah Thomas said he’d had enough. And so he began to fight back.
“I’m really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years,” said Thomas, the Hall of Fame point guard and former NBA coach and executive, most recently with the Knicks. “I’m totally blindsided by this. Every time that I’ve seen Magic, he has been friendly with me. Whenever he came to a Knick game, he was standing in the tunnel [to the locker room] with me. He and [Knicks assistant coach] Herb [Williams] and I, we would go out to dinner in New York. I didn’t know he felt this way.”
Pictured: Former NBA players and good friends, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas attend ‘A Tribute to Magic Johnson – The official tip-off to NBA All-Star 2004 Entertainment’ on February 12, 2004 at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Xavier’s President is one of America’s Best Leaders because he got his school through Hurricane Katrina
October 27, 2009
As New Orleans’s governmental services collapsed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Norman Francis, president of Xavier University of Louisiana—the “Black Notre Dame of the South”—organized an armada of boats and a convoy of buses to evacuate students and staffers stranded at the flooded campus.
Even more remarkable: Within weeks, Francis ordered up his own storm—of repairs, fundraising, and morale-boosting for the 4,000-student campus. By January 2006, the nation’s most successful training ground for African-American physicians, scientists, and pharmacists was back.
Target Market News to Host 2009 African American Internet Marketing Summit
October 27, 2009
Target Market News has announced it will host the 2009 African American Internet Marketing Summit on Thursday, Nov. 19th in Chicago at the Wyndham Hotel downtown. The all-day conference — the only such gathering of its kind in the nation — will feature some of the industry’s leading executives and companies in marketing, advertising, media, technology and research.
“Think of this as the 2.0 version of our 2008 Internet Summit,” said Ken Smikle, President of Target Market News. “We added marketing to the title because we’re putting an emphasis on how the Internet and digital platforms reach the $800 billion African American consumer market. With the boom in social media, there needs to be more dialogue on how marketers continue to explore and use the hundreds of targeted digital media platforms. The financial opportunities are too great to ignore — especially in this economic climate.” Read more
