All Articles Tagged "advocacy"
Tia Mowry Shows Us Her Vegan Goodies In New Peta Ad And Talks Being Bullied For Her Food Choices
Source: PETA
From EurWeb
Tia Mowry recently flaunted her goodies during a photo shoot for PETA‘s new ad campaign that reads, “Let Veganism Grow on You.”
Wearing only an apron made of fresh lettuce leaves, the “Tia and Tamera” star is now part of a long list of celebrities who have posed practically nude for the racy organization.
And to kick off the new campaign, Tia and her family dropped by PETA’s Bob Barker Building on Monday to unveil the ad in person. The new ad was shot by top celebrity photographer Robert Sebree, with the costume made by Mia Gyzander.
“I wanted to become a voice for my community. … I wanted to educate my culture about the benefits of becoming vegan,” Mowry explained in an exclusive PETA interview. “The more you learn about the benefits of being vegan, the more you become alive and the more you become aware of why it’s a really great decision. Not only am I helping myself, I’m helping the animals out there, I’m helping the environment—going vegan, I feel great.”
Read more at EurWeb.com
Behind The Click: Erin Horne Montgomery Advocates for People of Color in the Digital Arena
Ready for another one of my “Behind The Click” profiles? I’m particularly interested to bring you this column on someone who’s making a contribution to the tech arena in a way which I don’t normally cover. Erin Horne Montgomery serves as the president and executive director of the National Association of Multicultural Digital Entrepreneurs. NAMDE advocates for, unites and promotes the interests of diverse companies, organizations, individuals and entities within the technology and broadband market industries.
Given the imbalance oftentimes in the tech arena, an organization such as NAMDE is important to have at your fingertips. But Erin, like many women, easily multitasks. She is also a graduate researcher at Howard University studying the participation of women and minority entrepreneurs in the innovation economy.
In the words of Slick Rick, “Here we go…”
Current Occupation:
Executive Director, National Association of Multicultural Digital Entrepreneurs (NAMDE)
Favorite website:
Favorite read:
The Information Society and the Black Community by John T. Barber and Alice A. Tait
Recent read:
2012′s ultimate goal:
To launch NAMDE’s app to better connect women and minority digital entrepreneurs.
Quote Governing Your Mission or a Quote that Inspires You:
Twitter handle: @namdedotorg
LdC: So, Erin, you are a graduate researcher at Howard, but you also did undegrad work there. How did you select Howard and how did you like it?
EHM: One of my favorite teachers in high school recommended Howard to me. I later found out that a lot of my family members attended HU as well. After that, I wasn’t interested in going to any other school.
EMH: My initial interest in tech came in the late 90s when one of my long-time mentors in entrepreneurship co-founded a start-up in Northern Virginia. He encouraged me to get active in this space.
EMH: Working with National Telecommunications and Information Administration was a phenomenal experience. I had a wonderful mentor in my supervisor, and I was able to learn a great deal first-hand how to impact policy.
EMH: My day usually starts with the reviewing of news stories online and tweeting topics of interest to our followers. Then I’m usually headed to a conference or meeting related to our issues. I also try to squeeze in some calls or emails to plan future NAMDE projects and events.
EHM: My biggest concern is that our community is being left behind in the innovation economy, from ownership to participation. I’m truly concerned about the long-term negative impacts on our community’s generational wealth potential.
EMH: Two of the biggest challenges black tech entrepreneurs face today are access to capital and access to the startup ecosystem. We’re almost completely excluded from both. How can one create a company, grow, and compete against other companies in this space when the resources available are limited and not equitable?
Advocates: Back to School Push Missing Key Piece
(Chicago News Cooperative) — Chicago Public Schools officials are in the midst of an ambitious campaign to marshal city agencies, retailers and faith-based community organizations in the pursuit of one cause: Getting students back to school. “It all starts on day one,” Jean-Claude Brizard, the district’s chief executive officer, stressed at a press conference announcing the two-week back-to-school blitz, which includes door-to-door outreach, phone banking, robo calls and a Groupon deal intended to equip needy CPS students with school supply kits. Yet a leading homeless advocacy group insists the initiative is missing a critical element: Free first-day rides.
Al Sharpton Defends MSNBC Deal
(The Root) — Pointing out that he and MSNBC have not yet consummated a deal, the Rev. Al Sharpton responded to black journalists questioning his credentials for an MSNBC hosting gig in an exclusive interview withThe Root. Sharpton emphatically stated that he is an advocate, not a journalist. If he accepts the offer, he said, it would be in that role. The format under consideration at MSNBC is not for news but for opinions and advocacy, he said.
Color Of Change: Pursuing an “Unapologetically Black” Agenda
By Eric L. Hinton
They are ghastly images seared into the public consciousness. Much like the horror of witnessing innocent victims leaping to their deaths before the towers fell on September 11th, the images of countless blacks wading through floodwaters and clinging to rooftops with hand-scrawled “Help Me” signs, shook the nation to its core. The disaster that killed nearly 1,900 people, mostly poor black residents of New Orleans, and caused over $81 billion in property damage, prompted many across the nation to shake their heads in disbelief. Could this really be happening here? In the United States? In 2005?
At the time James Rucker was serving as a director of grassroots mobilization for MoveOn.org. The organization, which serves a largely white base, develops and executes fundraising, technology, and campaign strategies for progressive causes. Prior to Katrina he and Color of Change co-founder, Van Jones, had been kicking around ideas for something like MoveOn for black people. As Rucker sat in his living room watching alarming footage from Katrina stream across his television, he felt compelled to act.
“When Katrina happened it became this very clear moment around the country when you saw black people effectively had no political power. The level of disservice and neglect that happened in the aftermath was unacceptable. And it wasn’t as if the White House was reacting ‘Oh my goodness Black America is going to have our heads for this.’ It spoke to a political impotence on the part of Black America,” said Rucker.
A few days later Color of Change was born. It started out focusing on Katrina, fighting for everything from housing rights, to FEMA payments, to the protection of displaced survivors’ voting rights. In the six years since the web-based, African-American political advocacy group launched, 800,000 members have contributed to or taken part in various lobbying and public education campaigns.
Today the work is focused on an eclectic mix of targets ranging from the obvious — Glenn Beck and Fox News — to the unexpected, such as the Congressional Black Caucus. The fledgling organization has morphed and grown into a force that investigates claims of police brutality, insists on criminal justice reform, examines media misrepresentation of blacks and demands accountability from elected officials.
Among its victories Color of Change counts raising public awareness and money for the legal defense of the Jena Six, six black boys who initially were charged with attempted murder in the 2005 beating of a white student in Louisiana.
From Hope to Impact: Black Organizations Making a Difference in Education
by KaShawn Archer
Over the last decade problems in education have increased despite plans put in place to reverse the decline. Government efforts like “No Child Left Behind” fall short leaving many schools without the resources to provide quality education. With a lack of citizens pursuing degrees in education and school budgets shrinking, future generations are at tremendous risk. However there are a number of educational organizations working to bring change. Like civil rights groups of yesteryear they’re not waiting on Washington for solutions, but crafting them in their own communities.
One of the most unique programs addressing the achievement gap today is Call Me MISTER. (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models). Started at Clemson University but now active across the country, MISTER prepares college students, mostly African-American males from underserved and educationally at-risk communities, for teaching careers. Student teachers work in after school programs in inner city neighborhoods, providing academic and leadership instruction. Expanding upon daily impact in the classroom, participants come together each year to express ideas and discuss new ways to help their communities. The program’s proactive approach and immediate integration of creative ideas into the curriculum has earned it much attention; even Oprah has touted their efforts.
Another esteemed organization is the Black Alliance For Education Options (BAEO). Their mission is to increase access to high-quality educational options for black children through programs that empower low-income and working class families. A consistent voice on the needs of African-American students, BAEO has organized to stop educational budget cuts as well as advocated for school vouchers as the number of charter schools have grown. One of BAEO’s largest events is an annual symposium hosting more than 500 youth advocates, educators and religious leaders. Each year a different set of issues within education is addressed. The most recent meeting focused on the urgent need for education reform.
Activists Ask Star Jones, Lil Jon to Dump Trump
(Hollywood Reporter) – An African-American political advocacy group is targeting “Celebrity Apprentice” star Donald Trump in the aftermath of what many feel are racially tinged political comments made about President Obama. On Thursday, the organization ColorOfChange launched a Twitter-based campaign to persuade black “Celebrity Apprentice” cast members Star Jones and Lil Jon to denounce Trump for what the group terms “race-baiting.” Trump has made headlines in recent weeks by repeatedly questioning whether Obama was born in the U.S. Obama released his longform birth certificate April 27 with the hope of settling the matter, but the issue has been kept alive by a segment of the “birther” movement.
