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The Afro-American, February 21, 2015 - February 27, 2015
‘Reach’ and ‘Soar’ Books that Inspire By Herb Boyd New York Amsterdam News Now that my book tree has reached Redwood proportions, it’s time to do a little trimming before the stacks completely block the sunlight through my office window. It’s always a challenge as to which books to select, because many of them are very compelling and warrant further exposure. But two recent arrivals were chosen because of the urgency of now and the risks facing our young Black males in light of the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. “Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding” (Atria, 2015), edited by Ben Jealous and Trabian Shorters, is a primer of success stories from Black men, some of them prominent public figures such the Rev. Al Sharpton, John Legend, Bill T. Jones and Louis Gossett Jr. But it’s the uplifting, heart-warming accounts from the need-to-be-known that are equally inspiring. I was particularly gratified to learn that several of the young men are based in Detroit. Shaka Senghor is typical of the young men who have turned their lives around after serving half his life in prison. “I can survive prison,” Senghor relates in a book packed with hope and possibility. “That’s not the scary world to me ... I refuse to allow that to define me for the rest of my life. I just refuse to allow that to dictate what I can and cannot do.” And prison hasn’t and with the help of BMe Community, an organization that is cited throughout the book, Senghor has torn down a few of the barriers hampering his development, blocking his dreams. As Jealous states in the introduction, “This is a book of everyday heroes,” he wrote with the hope that the book will empower readers, and it should. “Reach” is also like a sequel or companion to “Soar: How Boys Learn, Succeed, and Develop Character” by David C. Banks with G.F. Lichtenberg (Atria, 2015), and it’s probably not coincidental that they are both published by Atria. “Soar” is basically the story of the Eagle
Academy and the amazing success it has had since its inception in 2004, putting young men at risk on the right path. At a recent Black History Month event sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women, Banks, the founding principal of Eagle Academy, disclosed some anecdotes from the book, none more revealing than those about the challenges his brother, Philip, had in school. “He had trouble seeing the purpose in the distant end results of education,” Banks wrote in the book, parts of which he discussed with the audience. Some of Philip’s problems stemmed from David’s accomplishments in the classroom. But Philip overcame these early obstacles and rose through the ranks of the NYPD to become a ranking officer before retiring. His story sets the stage for understanding the blueprint and teaching strategy at the Eagle Academy that is distilled by Banks in easy-to-read chunks. “There are seven areas in a young man’s life that will make the difference,” he wrote. They need safe passage; positive peer influence; security; high expectations; love; teachers ready to teach; mentors to guide the journey; discipline that is teaching, not punishment; and a head start on the future. All of these precepts are given clear elaboration and exemplary models of achievement. There is no better example of the program’s success than to read last year’s convocation speech delivered by one of the students, Tykenji Abernathy, who concluded by stating: “I am standing here with a senior tie on, getting ready to graduate on time in four years, with my class of 2014. It’s never too late to get on the right path. It’s only a matter of when you figure out that you are the only one that can hold you back. And the only person that can really do any damage to you is you.” The combined information and guidance contained in “Reach” and “Soar” is a sustained wallop, a one-two punch of inspiration and enlightenment.
The Business of Disease
In recognition of Black History Month, Baltimore invites visitors to discover the city’s deep-rooted African-American story on the Legends & Legacies Heritage Bus Tour. Visit the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, and the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum. Enjoy a personal tour guide, appearances by period actors, a special “shoe box lunch,” giveaways and more. To reserve your space on Baltimore’s Legends & Legacies Heritage Bus Tour call 410-244-8861 or visit baltimore.org.
FEBRUARY 21 & 28, 2015 | Tickets: $25/per person Reserve your space today, call 410-244-8861 or visit baltimore.org.
Alternative Medicine Documentary Extols the Virtues of Holistic Healing Film Review by Kam Williams The healthcare industrial complex spends billions of dollars on packaging and branding to brainwash us into believing that there are no viable alternatives to Western medicine’s approach to curing this or that illness. In fact, doctors and pharmaceuticals have been so successful in this endeavor that it is now mandatory that every citizen purchase insurance to cover conventional types of medical treatment. But it is the contention of advocates of holistic healing that we’re being manipulated to resort reflexively to drugs and/or surgery when a less drastic or invasive path to wellness might be readily available. As Dr. Bradley Nelson, author and chiropractor, asserts, “Most people have no idea how to be healthy, or what the underlying cause of a symptom is.” Nevertheless, like lemmings, most of us simply follow whatever regimen a physician prescribes for the condition we’re presenting. If you are concerned about your health and are at all inclined to question authority, you might want to check out The Business of Disease, a damning documentary written, directed, produced and narrated by Sonia Barrett. With the assistance of a number of New Age luminaries, Ms. Barrett makes the case for naturopathic medicine. Among the experts she interviewed for this project, is Dr. Jacob Liberman, who claims that the medical profession is based on a very limited model in terms of remedies. “The misperception that most people have is that there’s a drug that can help them,” he says. “And if a drug can’t help them, then maybe surgery can.” Also weighing in is Dr. John Virapen, a pharmaceutical executive-turned-whistleblower. He believes if there were truth in advertising, “Life Insurance” would be called “Death Insurance” and “Health Care” would be referred to as “Disease Care.” The Business of Disease doesn’t just criticize The Establishment, but suggests that such offbeat therapies as yoga, music, art and even light might be all you need to reverse a malady. Low production values aside, this iconoclastic expose’ has a wealth of information to offer the very open-minded. Excellent HHHH Unrated Running time: 88 minutes Distributor: Dreamspell Productions To see a trailer for The Business of Disease, visit: http:// www.thebusinessofdisease.com/index.php?option=com_k2&vie w=item&layout=item&id=51&Itemid=176