All Articles Tagged "national action network"
M.O.M.’s Day: Group Teams With BET To Rally Against Gun Violence During Month Of May
A scene from Hadiya Pendleton’s funeral in February. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The month of May is when we celebrate Mother’s Day but a group of mothers has taken the opportunity to shed light on gun violence. Mothers On A Mission Against Urban Gun Violence has teamed up with BET Networks and The National Action Network to host a month-long campaign during the month of May. The campaign’s purpose is to educate and empower mothers and women to unite against urban gun violence with a special 5-point call to action.
At the launch of the campaign, Cleopatra Pendleton, mother of slain 15-year-old Chicago student Hadiya Pendleton, delivered a passionate call to action.
“The day Hadiya was born my life began and the day she died I thought it was the end of mine, until I realized it was the beginning of my new life – as an activist,” she said. Pendleton pointed out that while Hadiya was the “. . . 42nd child killed at the hands of gun violence in 2013,” there have been countless others after and the numbers continue to rise.
Cleopatra Pendleton. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
M.O.M.’s “5 Point Call to Action” for mothers during the month of May:
1. Find a local anti-violence program in your area and donate time and/or money.
2. Work with other mothers to petition your local community center or church to stay open to provide conflict resolution and anti-violence programming for youth especially during summer months.
3. Contact elected officials and make your voice heard about gun violence.
4. Work with local organizations like National Action Network on programs like “Occupy the Corners.”
5. Mentor youth in your community.
BET and The National Action Network will leverage all of their platforms including on-air programming and social media and grassroots community mobilization to encourage women to speak out against urban gun violence around the country throughout the month.
12-Year-Old Girl Leads March Against Violence in Harlem
Victoria Pannell is the focus of the latest episode of NewOne’s original video series, “On The Corner.” The 12-year-old is the National Action Network’s (NAN) Northeast Regional Director of the Youth, and on Friday she led a march and rally at Wright Brothers Playground in Harlem to discuss taking back the neighborhood which has been overrun by illegal activity.
In the video clip, Pannell talks about not being allowed to go to the small park where gang violence and drug activity have run rampant. The handful of New Yorkers who attended the rally denounced the activities that take place there and the National Action Network also announced two new initiatives to help improve the neighborhood: the national Shake-Off the Violence tour and coast-to-coast cease fire, coordinated by NAN’s Youth Movement and the Youth in Action group.
Some cynics have been quick to point out that marching does little to actually provoke change, but I think it’s admirable that Victoria is active in her community at such a young age, and it speaks volumes about the influence she’ll have on the youth as she grows older. Earlier this year, she was was named the first national leader for Youth Move, a branch of Rev. Al Sharpton’s civil rights group for kids.
Check out the footage of Victoria at the rally here and tell us what you think about the young social advocate.
Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.
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Tyler Perry Addresses the Haters Again… This Time with Al Sharpton
There are more Tyler Perry haters than a little bit. Tyler had a few words for them when he accepted his award from Al Sharpton and the National Action Network. This time Sharpton came to his defense as well.
*Hint* the word “uppity” was thrown out there.
Check out what both men had to say at NecoleBitchie.com.
Activist Al Sharpton Takes on New Role as Administration Ally
(WashingtonPost.com) — The Rev. Al Sharpton’s brightly colored track suits and gold medallions are a distant memory, long ago replaced by tailored business suits and silk ties. That more-polished image — a strategy known around his headquarters here as “from-the-streets-to-the-suites” — has been completed in the past year with Sharpton’s new role in Washington: partner to the Obama White House.
O’Reilly Asks Al Sharpton To Explain Why He Was Booed At Sharpton Event
(Mediaite.com) — Bill O’Reilly was a guest speaker at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network Seminar earlier this week, and, in a shocking turn of events, the people who attended a Sharpton-sponsored seminar booed O’Reilly, specifically on his point that all racism ended on 9/11. O’Reilly didn’t understand what he had done wrong, so he asked Sharpton to come on the Factor and explain.
RNC Chairman: GOP Wants to Help Black Community
(Yahoo/AP) — Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee’s first black chairman, told an audience that his party wants to help the black community but they need to do a better job of depending on themselves and not the government to create opportunities.
Steele received a warm welcome from hundreds of black activists at the annual meeting of the National Action Network, an organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, a noted civil rights activist and former Democratic presidential candidate.
Steele has come under fire from some Republicans after saying he is held to a different standard because he is black. He is also battling accusations that he has allowed RNC money to be misspent.
