Jan 15, 2010
VOL. 2 Edition Number 36
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Black men being role models for black boys
“Young African-American males are in desperate need of guidance and it is up to Black men to provide that guidance: through fatherhood, ministry or mentorships. It is imperative that something happens fast for this generation.� -Patrick A. Sellers, CEO of Sellers Media Group
Page 1 The Populace Now
What’s Inside This Issue? Cover Page Photo: A young black male
Stepping up to the plate pg. 2 Woman With a Cause pg.3 Cancer Preventatives pg. 4 Hearing from Haiti pg.4
Patrick A. Sellers Publisher Bobbie Collins Editor-In-Chief Jeremi Baker Technology
Contributors Bobbie Collins, Jeff White Buffy Griffin, Patrick Sellers,
Immanuel Kant pg. 5 Gospel Legend Coming pg. 6
William Vann,
A Message from the Publisher pg. 6
Hosted by Miss Bobbie “B.J.” Collins Tune in Jan. 25 and every 4th Tuesday of the month to AM 1570 WFRL from 12:30—1:00pm or listen on the world-wide web
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Page 2 The Populace Now
Stepping Up to the Plate Black men being role models for black boys By: Patrick A. Sellers, an Illinois Correspondent Our streets are filled with young black males that are out of touch with society and lack respect for themselves and others. Much of the time, when you see one of our young black males or hear something about one of them, they are either in trouble, trying to get into trouble or on the run from the trouble that they have caused themselves. And it’s getting a bit redundant, don’t you think? The penal system is filled with our young black males and more are being incarcerated daily. I want to say to them all (and certainly to those who will listen): “Wake up young black men; you are an endangered species pushing yourselves to extinction!” It goes without saying that if these young men are the future of our race, our race is in trouble. Every race relies upon its youth to push itself forward with each generation. Young black males, are you helping drive society forward? Are you taking the correct steps to secure a future for yourself, your family, your race, your country? Think seriously about these next questions and answer them honestly: if you are not a productive member of your culture, how can you be a productive member of society? You can’t. Because the two go hand-in-hand. As each race improves itself from one generation to the next, the entire country improves as well. Our young black males are in desperate need of guidance and we all know this. But some of our older black men will not offer their advice to these young men for fear of their reaction. And though I totally understand, we have to swallow our fear as well as our pride and at least offer our knowledge gained by experience. If we do not do this, we fail them and ourselves. There are young men out there that
are extremely intelligent but lack the guidance and the discipline needed to harness that intelligence and bring it to the surface. Latent potential means nothing unless you put forth the effort to produce its manifestation. It is imperative that we encourage that manifestation in our younger black men. And that will mean taking time out of our own busy schedules in order to talk to these boys and young men and mentor them. A lot of the young men that I know are highly intelligent. But you would not be able to tell that just by looking at them. And though I’ve learned to never judge a book by its cover, much of society will never give our black sons and brothers that benefit of the doubt. In order to harness intelligence you need guidance and discipline. Both are missing in the lives of many young, black males. The Black race seems to be going backward. Let's recognize that we can’t put all the blame on our young black males. The older black males must take it seriously to shoulder the majority of this responsibility. Making such frank statements may upset some. But what needs saying must be said because too much time has already been wasted. Single parent, female-headed households seem to be the norm these days. Just because daddy is not man enough to be a father to his children does not give our boys the right to run wild. And if boys want to be treated as men, then I suggest they open their ears and learn how to be one first. Black males: It is time that we step up to the plate . We all know that many of our cities lack substance. How frequently we've heard it stated (and adopted the phrase ourselves), "There is nothing for the young people to do in many of our towns." The truth is, there aren't enough spots that are
positive for our youth to hang out . There are next to no opportunities for older youths to find employment. But here's where we must take ownership regarding this matter, especially middle-age to older black men. If you really think about it, the lack of virtually no prominent black male role models is a huge part of the problem. Now don’t get me wrong. There are some black men in town that have done quite well for themselves. But they seem reluctant to get involved in the lives of our troubled boys. Black men: we are falling increasingly short of our duties. It is up to us to show our younger brothers the way to act as strong black men and how to be better representatives of their race. If we don’t show them, who will? Black men, if we are running around creating more "babies mommas, " without benefit of marriage or setting poor examples by stealing, selling drugs, fighting, arguing, cheating on our wives or beating them up, then how do we expect the boys to act? These young men are watching us. Everything that we do, every word that comes out of our mouths is being mimicked and put into practice. All the blame on the misbehavior and ignorance of black boys and young men cannot be placed at the feet of older black men. But if we stand by and allow it to continue without making a positive effort, we may as well accept more of the blame. This is my focus right now because I am a black man. And I can no longer remain silent and continue to watch the damage that is being done and do nothing about it.
Page 3
Woman With A Cause Middle School Teacher Melanie Kozeliski By: Bobbie Collins, an Illinois Correspondent
Melanie Kozeliski believes in taking action. Know someone who takes on
Donated food, collected and stored and made available for students and families in need. man, a survivor, heads up a local
ing 20+ families.
causes? I do. She is middle school
team, Funding A Cure Together (FACT)
Congratulations to a woman who is
teacher, Melanie Kozeliski. I first noted
and has raised several thousand dollars.
a part of the unappreciated profession
her compassion for others in March
Koz' part in that is stitching purses and
of teaching. Ms. Kozeliski, you are one
2009. The death of a 14-year old fe-
selling tee shirts!
of Our Appreciated Favorite Teachers!
male student of hers, due to asthma
In 2010, Koz saw a need to feed.
complications, caused Koz (as she's
Knowing that the youth she works with
known), to appeal to co-workers and
sometimes go hungry on weekends, she
Readers: If you'd like to bring an unap-
others for monetary donations, when
asked for food and monetary donations.
preciated teacher to our attention, we
the family couldn't afford a headstone.
The whirlwind call Koz wields a shopping
will most certainly consider featuring
Within 3 months Koz was able to raise
cart through the school hallways, picking
them in The Populace Now publication.
$600 for a headstone.
up donations. Though raising three chil-
Having breast cancer deaths in each
dren on her own--one a foster son--her
generation of her family, Koz is part of
efforts combined with co-workers, have
Relay For Life. Her sister Nan Deter-
grown from feeding five families, to feed-
For all you do for others, Thank You!
Page 4 The Populace Now
Cancer Preventatives: Food & Drink to Limit or Cut out of Your Diet By Buffy Griffin, a North Carolina Correspondent Research (like the one found here on npr.org by Patti Neighmond titled -Red Meat, Fatty Foods May Up Cancer Recurrence) has shown that cutting out or even limiting fatty meat/food from your diet helps decrease one's cancer risk. Those studies also show that vegetarians are about 50% less likely to develop cancer than those who eat meat. Why is that? First, meat lacks fiber and other nutrients that produce cancer-protective agents/properties. Second, it’s filled with fat…in many cases high levels of saturated fat. By cutting down on your meat intake and choosing healthier meats (less red/fatty meats) you can greatly cut down on cancer risk. Try keeping your meat intake at 15% of the amount of
your total calorie intake. Reduce your red meat in proportion size and (eat it occasionally) Limit your intake of deepfried foods (not just meats). Be sure to choose meats low in fat (80% or more fat-free) Limit/Avoid eating procvary due to other health issues. So always consult your physician before making too drastic a change in your diet. It’s better to eat smarter now because we should, than to eat smarter later…because we have to!
essed meats such as deli meat, hotdogs and sausage Limit/Avoid hydrogenated oils (margarine, etc), butter, and foods that contain oils Whole milk Keep in mind each individual's diet may
Hearing from Haiti By Jeff White Reporting from Haiti, an Illinois Correspondent
Hi all: This morning, I have a little time before breakfast to send an update. I have internet all week this week, but none next week unless I go to a hotel or internet cafe. Got to Port au Prince (PaP) on Saturday morning and immediately flew to Cap Haitian (CAP). We spent the morning fixing up the new house in CAP. The rental home has 7 bedrooms & 4 baths, 2 living rooms, 3 porches, 17 beds, and they are fixing up the American-style kitchen now. Our water comes from a well and pumps up to holding tanks. The water is safe because the well is treated and we treat the holding tanks as well. There have been very few new cases of cholera in the cities. The Haitians are learning cleanliness habits. You see
hand-sanitizers everywhere. We walked in a restaurant and the hostess immediately had us all sanitize. Our cook is washing dishes in bleach water. The education is working and the cholera is decreasing. The only other concern is that the water will be dangerous for years and the expense of buying water all the time may overwhelm their nation. Yesterday we worked all day at the Delmas Church of Christ. This site lost many Christians and students one year ago today during the earthquake. Hundreds of Christians were injured. Today, they will hold a memorial service to remember the lost and pray for the future. We spent yesterday, and this morning installing a water purification system. It is solar-powered. It cleans the water in three stages and will purify a minimum of 1,000,000 gallons before any maintenance must be done. They will offer the water freely to all they can. Unfortunately, because of how
Haiti is, they must have 24-hour security to protect the system. Today we plan to finish the water system and return to the house by noon and then begin construction on the new house. We ran into a problem on the house yesterday. The ground doesn't hold enough dirt to build a dirt house. The men dug for hours and got nothing but rock out of the ground. It is not this way in all of Haiti, but here it is a problem. We have ordered two trucks of soil for today, and even with that expense, this system is still better than concrete construction. Hope everyone is well,
Page 5 The Populace Now
Immanuel Kant By William Vann, a Michigan Correspondent On television, the internet blogs, talk radio and in many other places there seems be an atmosphere of debating to see whose right or wrong. The power of perception is so great in these debates that most people choose to sit on the sidelines and watch or listen for amusement. One famous man who was an avid debater was Immanuel Kant. Immanuel Kant was born in the town of KĂśnigsberg, East Prussia, on April 22, 1724. His family was part of a Protestant religious group of Pietists which was part of a German religious movement whose members strongly believed in religious experience and biblical study. Kant notably commended the "praiseworthy conduct" of Pietists. In 1740 Kant entered the University of KĂśnigsberg. He became interested in philosophy, mathematics, and the natural sciences. While tutoring to make a living, Kant published several articles dealing with scientific questions. One such question dealt with truth and what it is or isn't. Immanuel Kant proposed that our ability to reason alone is not a basis for truth. Instead nature itself is not the sole basis for truth and one's own personal experiences are always subject to ridicule. However, when all phenomena are
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Kant's most original contribution to philosophy is his "Copernican Revolution". equally applied to formulate truth, the equation is well balanced. Like Immanuel Kant, those who have the ability to see through dogmatic practices of today in a host of places, must
disagree with being disagreeable or let others debate and we ourselves sit on the sidelines for amusement.
We want to know what you are thinking, please email us at : www.thepopulacenow@yahoo.com or comment on our website at: www.thepopulacenow.com and let us know what’s on your mind.
The Populace Now
Page 6
Gospel Legend Coming By: Bobbie Collins, an Illinois Correspondent
A Lady whose vocal ability I have long admired will sing in Rockford at the Coronado Theatre March 19, 2011. Gospel legend Tramaine Hawkins will be the special guest, along with other musical guests, during an evening that will revisit gospel tunes of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. This woman of song has been at it for a very long time, singing since the age of four. She recorded her first ablum at age 10. And in 1970, at age 19, she moved to Los Angeles to join Andre Crouch and The Disciples, singing lead on the group's Grammy-nominated single, "Christian People." For a while, Tramaine Hawkins was part of the Edwin Hawkins Singers--the group that enjoyed the success of the cross-over hit, in 1969, "O Happy Day" (from gospel to pop). She then became a star soloist in then husband Walter Hawkins' Love Alive
Choir. During this time, "Changed" and "Going Up Yonder" are just two songs that became popular due to Tramaine's powerful vocal presence. Her solo singing career began in the 80's. In the middle of the decade, record company A&M was pleased that her contemporary gospel album (Spirit of Love) produced a Billboard dance charts hit, "Fall Down."
Enduring the test of time and life's trials, this respected artist now refers to herself as "Lady Tramaine." Her musical resume includes having sung at the funerals of Sammy Davis, Jr., Rosa Parks, and gospel pioneer, James Cleveland. She currently resides in Sacramento, CA with husband Tommy Richardson.
A Message From The Publisher: Facing New Challenges By: Patrick A. Sellers, an Illinois Correspondent This New Year will bring forth new challenges for our company, and we look forward to meeting those challenges head on. Sellers Media Corporation with all of its subsidiaries from The Populace Now to Sellers Media Moments to Blue Torch Films, are poised for success. Throughout this year, Sellers Media Corp and subsidiaries will undergo a complete overhaul in its implementation and global positioning strategies, all the while remaining focused on customer needs. These changes will allow us to keep up with the ever-changing media world, as well as enhance our market
shares.
up to those responsibilities.
We do not believe in New Year resolutions; we are on a course that has been carefully mapped out with each calculated step. Every new reader, listener and viewer is part of our plan and with each new satisfied customer we move closer to our goals.
Sellers Media Corp and its subsidiaries pledge to provide our customers with the best products and services. You deserve the best and we will provide you with nothing less. Thank you for your continued support of our endeavors as we continue on our journey to greatness.
This year will represent our third year in business and we have made substantial growth in readership numbers, services provided, and new innovations. We remain mindful of the fact that we have a social responsibility that we must adhere to and are confident in our efforts to live
PRESENTS: Gospel legend Tramaine Hawkins performing live at the Coronado Saturday March 19, 2011 at 7:00 pm. Also performing will be A.C.M.E Baptist Church’s award winning choir along with the King’s Men Four Quartet. Tickets are on sale now!
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