Urban Trendsetters June 2011 Edition

EDUCATE INFORM CELEBRATE Dayton’s 13th Annual

JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL Friday June 17, 2011 Juneteenth Freedom (Continental) Breakfast Sinclair Community College—The Great Hall 8:00a – 8:30a Prayer & Continental Breakfast 8:30a.m. – 9:30a.m. Program Begins Tickets: $15.00 Park in Bldg 12 Garage (lower level) (937)263-3556 Saturday June 18, 2011 Dayton Juneteenth Festival W.S. McIntosh Park BRING YOUR LAWN CHAIR 8:00a- 10a 10:00a.m.

Vendor Setup Parade lines up at Paul L. Dunbar House

10:30a.m.

11:00a.m.

Vendors Open Parade Begins

12:30p.m.

Festival Begins Mayor Gary Leitzell Poetry in the Park Live Entertainment & Bands Author & Book Pavilion

7:00p.m.

Festival Concludes

Saturday, June 18, 2011 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

W.S. McIntosh Memorial Park (formerly Riverview Park) Riverview at Edwin C. Moses Boulevard

FREE FREE COMMUNITY EVENT Sunday June 19, 2011 3:00p.m. – 6:00p.m.

Juneteenth Father’s Day Celebration and

Gospel Music Showcase FREE ADMISSION Rev. Jerome McCorry – Leading Man of the Day Special Guest: All Men in Dayton Ohio!

W.S. McIntosh Park (formerly Riverview Park) Bring your lawn chair, a snack basket and your family!!

Dayton Church Choirs and other Artists will be featured.

This day will be dedicated to all men in the Dayton Community.

Join us for a fun, entertaining and relaxing afternoon to celebrate Father’s Day (which is everyday) and Juneteenth.

THE MISSION OF THE DAYTON JUNETEENTH PLANNING COMMITTEE IS TO INFORM, EDUCATE, & CELEBRATE THE HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF JUNETEENTH, AND UNITE WITH ALL CULTURES IN THE DAYTON COMMUNITY.

Event Sponsored by the Wesley Community Center and Montgomery County Cultural Works FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: MS. TAMMY L. COOPER, Event Director AT DAYTONSJUNETEENTH@YAHOO.COM OR MRS. ANGELA BYRDSONG, Assistant Event Director AT Wesley Community Center (937) 263-3556 ext.32

Ramada Columbus North 6767 Schrock Hill Ct , I-270 Exit 27, 614-890-8111

Monday ,June.27,2011 Class times: 12:30 pm and 4:30pm

Contact: Mario Stephens Sr. 614-356-0401 ( Natural Crown Distributors,LLC)

Urban Trendsetters Your Certified Clear Dealer 866-970-4887

Juneteenth -2011

Page 6: Community-WIlliam Pablo Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund Page 12: Black Music Page 14: Juneteenth Festival Page 19: Health & Wellness- 6 ways to cut cost while getting cut Page 25: Universal Circus

887 East Long Street, Columbus, OH 43203 ph: 614.252.4552 | James@TheBookSuite.com

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Happy Father’s Day

TEAM UTS Publisher/CEO Sharon S. Gordon

Contributing Writers Delois R. Wright Pierrette “Petee” Talley Dr. Erika Pryor A. Christina Dunlap Mykayla Bryant Tamara Fournier

Distribution

W. Cobre’ Gordon

Photography

Ron Cash W. Cobre” Gordon

Creative Director Sharktooth IMD, LLC Ron Cash

Promotions Tracy Taylor

Sales Inside Sales Assistants Keshia Peterson

Columbus

Brenda Spencer Reggie Crews Leonette Robinson

Dayton/Cincinnati Tamiko Troutman Juanita Michelle Sanae Camela Douglas

Office Manager Annie Prysock

From The Publisher

It has often been said that in general Fathers get cheated out of their “Father’s Day Props” when compared to that of Mom on Mother’s Day. So, I want to start off with a grand “shout out” to all of the fathers out there for all that you do. I have been blessed to have two fathers in my life, my biological father, the late, great Earl Gordon and my wonderful stepfather, Clyde E. Wright. I am equally blessed to still have my grandfather with me, Mr. Norman Rhodes of Bolivar, TN. “Grand-daddy” will turn 101 years young this coming August and, yes, he is still kicking up dust! (SMILE)

UTS Publisher Sharon S. Gordon and GraandFather, Norman Rhodes 100 years young

June is also our annual ‘Black Music Month’ edition. This year we designed a timeline of Black music moments for you and your family to enjoy. There is no denying the critical impact and contribution that African-American musicians, composers and artists have made to this nation through our music. If you are looking for the definition of an Urban Trendsetter, you can begin looking into the history of not just our music but American MUSIC. The titles, categories or genres of “our” music, Black music, have changed over the decades. From the cotton fields we gave the country Negro spirituals and from the urban and inner streets we gave you Hip-Hop and all that is in between.

The “Urban Trendsetters” of music changed the game and music has built more bridges than our ancestors could have ever imagined. From Soul Music, R & B, New Jack Swing, GO-GO and Gospel, Black music has continued to give us the ability to re-create ourselves over and over again. I get excited just thinking about how “Bad” we are! ‘RIP Michael Jackson’.

So, take a day this month to kick back and pull out some of your favorite “ole skool “music and just relax and let it take you back in time. You have to do this every once in awhile because they don’t make music like that anymore. “Timeless” best describe those songs, which is why the best have been remixed and sampled and is still relevant today. When I was growing up old school music days in my house was every Saturday. I called it ‘cleaning music’ because that is what my mother would play when it was cleaning time. It actually seemed as though it made the chore list shorter and time go by faster. Those were the days that I discovered the music of Etta James, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Motown and many other great artists of our time. And even though I may not have known all the words and what they were singing about, I knew that I was hearing some “goooood SANGIN”! We salute Black Music Month this month and every month of the year.

Last but not least I know that many of you will be joining your families at graduations, weddings and many other family get-togethers this month. One of the annual events that we here at Urban Trendsetters have proudly been a media sponsor of is the Juneteenth Festival. As a media print sponsor of Juneteenth Ohio we have provided you with the entire event schedule as well as the history of this celebration. This one weekend of the month will give you the opportunity to enjoy a combo-platter of all the celebrations in one. So, bring your father and family out to Franklin Park on Father’s Day Weekend, sit back and listen to some great Black folk music, eat some good old soul food and celebrate Juneteenth, the day the last of us got the message that we were FREE. By the way, if you know of some people that are still acting as though they are in bondage - bring them with you.

I hope you enjoy this month’s special edition and look forward to our July Summer Sizzler edition that will showcase all of the upcoming festivals, concerts and cultural events scheduled throughout Ohio.

Until that time have a blessed and safe summer.

Dream BIG & OFTEN,

Sharon S. Gordon sharon@urbantrendsetters.com

Copyright Urban Trendsetters News Magazine is published and distibuted monthly by Urban Trendsetters Media and Communications, LLC. Our offices are located at 5773 Emporium Square, Columbus, OH 43219. Publisher reserves the right to edit, reject or cancel any advertisement or editorial at any time. Publisher will not be responsible for checking accuracy of items submitted for publication or for more than one wrong insertion of advertising copy. All contents of this publication are copy written 2010 by Urban Trendsetters Media and Communications.

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

June 2011

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Community News IN RECOGNITION OF BLACK MUSIC MONTH – THE LAUNCH OF THE WILLIAM PABLO DAVIS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP RECEPTION of music. Other members of the team included Mark Abrams, Charles Franklin, Leon Burnett and Gloria Larsen, friends until his departure from earth. The team would easily manage concerts with over 20,000 people in attendance in locations all over the nation. The Co-Jams concert series in the 80’s attracted over 12,000 people at the Franklin County Stadium with a lineup including Roy Ayers, War, Undisputed Truth, Enchantment, The Commodores, Taste of Honey, and The Brothers Johnson.

Pablo never met a stranger. In his travels, he developed genuine relationships with

Columbus, Ohio. June 6, 2011 The first annual William Pablo Davis Memorial Scholarship Reception will be held Father’s Day, June 19, 2011, at the magnificent Zydeco on High, 515 S. High St., Columbus, Ohio from 4-8pm.

This event will memorialize the life and legacy of Pablo; the music icon, the entrepreneur, the mentor, the father and grandfather, the man, the friend, by creating scholarships at Ohio University for Black business students.

Pablo departed this earth on November 30, 2010 but his spirit of love, peace and happiness is felt in every hit song of the 70’s and 80’s. His 20 year music career as a producer, promoter, and artist manager allowed him to develop the “old school funk” sound of the era, cultivate new talent, and lead scores of R&B artists to the top of the charts.

He began as a promoter of college concerts at his beloved Ohio University, where he created a business bringing concerts to college campuses under the name of “Pablo and Associates.” Pablo embraced this exciting enterprise, along with his new partner, Maurice Alfred. Over the next 40 years, the two would become as close as brothers as they explored the challenging yet captivating world

6 June 2011

other notables in the industry. Don Cornelius, Dick Griffey, Quincy Jones, Tom Joyner, Berry Gordy and Cedric Walker ( Universoul Circus) were all colleagues of Pablo and Associates, as it promoted recording artists in national and international tours. Some of the artists that received the “Pablo touch” are: The Deale, Babyface, Cameo, the Commodores, After 7, The Commodores, RJ’s Latest Arrival, Reggie Griffin and Team Dream.

His work with Team Dream lead to a recording on the soundtrack of the movie “Lean on Me”.

As a producer, Pablo is best known for his work with Midnight Star, and the triple platinum hit, “No Parking on the Dance Floor”, which catapulted them to international prominence, with

appearances in South African, Europe and Japan.

As a promoter, Pablo invested in unknown artists with potential for stardom. A rooming house and recording studio was available for new artists to perfect their skills, without worry for money, food or transportation. Pablo made unlimited commitments to those he believed in and treated them like family.

Glow Management Company was the enterprise used to develop and promote talent, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Although business offices were kept in New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, Pablo believed that Columbus, Ohio could and should be the center of the music world and deliberately negotiated all contracts from offices on Hamilton Ave in Columbus.

Pablo was a visionary with the ability to see opportunity in any arena. He was the first African-American to produce a live production on Black Entertainment

Television (BET), and the first to manage entertainment for the Ohio State Fair. His company also provided entertainment for the Ameriflora Project in the Franklin Park area of Columbus, when he was a leader of the Near East Area Commission.

The Indiana Black Expo had music for the first time with Pablo and Associates

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managing the artists.

When he retired from the music world in the 90’s, he started a new career as counselor for small business owners, while operating real estate and retail businesses.

His entrepreneurial skills touched countless minority business owners in his work at the Small Business Administration, (SBA) where he remained until his passing. He believed selfemployment through entrepreneurship would be essential to the success of Black people, and never missed an opportunity to share what he had learned with others.

While at the SBA, he single handedly created the Small Business Development Series, a series of annual business literacy seminars for minority entrepreneurs at the Columbus and Dayton Urban Leagues.

This annual scholarship reception is intended to provide scholarships for African-American business students at his beloved alma mater Ohio University, and to recognize the amazing accomplishments and contributions from a Black man named Pablo in the music industry and the world of business.

For information about the reception, or to make a donation to the scholarship fund, please visit www.pablodavisscholarship. net or call 614-554-9208.

State News OHFA Advances Affordable Housing Options During National Homeownership Month Columbus, Ohio – Homeownership is a rewarding and worthwhile investment. With reduced home prices and competitive mortgage rates, this is an excellent time to celebrate the affordable housing options available to Ohioans.

Governor John Kasich proclaimed June as Homeownership Month, highlighting the impact of homeownership on Ohio’s economy and communities.

“Homeownership opportunities strengthens families, stabilizes communities, encourages savings and investment and improves our region’s economy,” the proclamation notes. “I encourage all residents to join me in honoring the national, state and local partnerships that come together to create opportunities for hard working individuals and families to make the dream of owning their home a reality.”

Since the Agency’s inception in 1983, more than 140,000 Ohioans have achieved the dream of homeownership

with the assistance of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s (OHFA) resources and expert guidance. OHFA serves low-to moderate-income Ohioans who seek affordable homeownership opportunities and are prepared to assume the responsibility of owning their first home.

“As we celebrate Governor Kasich’s proclamation of June as Homeownership Month, OHFA continues to proudly provide tools, resources and education to help Ohioans become successful homeowners,” said Doug Garver, Executive Director for the Agency.

“Buying a home not only provides stability and privacy, it also builds wealth and equity. OHFA takes pride in providing reasonable financing options and mortgages for borrowers in the great state of Ohio.”

OHFA offers competitive interest rates

on several types of government-insured 30-year fixed-rate loans. The Agency also offers a down payment assistance grant for up to two and a half percent of the home’s purchase price. This grant can be used for assistance with down payment costs, closing costs, and other prepaid expenses incurred prior to closing.

In addition to competitive interest rates and down payment options, OHFA also offers homebuyer education to prepare homebuyers for successful, sustainable homeownership. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit www.ohiohome. org and click on the News and Events section, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Contact the state’s housing authority toll-free at 888-362-6432 to learn more about OHFA’s Homeownership programs.

Ohioans Encouraged to Get the Facts on Flood Insurance

Columbus, Ohio – Heavy rains during Ohio’s late winter and early spring have prompted questions across the state about flood insurance eligibility and strategies for protecting personal property.

Federal flood insurance is available for any structure, owned or rented, in participating communities of the

National Flood Insurance Program according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Soil & Water Resources.

“There’s a misunderstanding out there that some structures are not eligible for flood insurance, and that’s just not the case,” said Christopher Thoms, the

ODNR’s Floodplain Management Program manager. “The best thing a property owner can do is contact their insurance agent and ask about national flood insurance.”

Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 1968 to help provide a means for property owners across the United State to financially protect themselves from the impacts of flooding. In Ohio there are currently over 740 participating communities in the NFIP. Participating communities agree to adopt and enforce regulations that meet or exceed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) requirements to reduce the risk of flooding.

One common misconception regarding flood insurance is that it’s covered within a standard homeowner’s insurance policy.

The fact is that the owner must have a separate policy. According to FEMA, the average cost of a flood insurance

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

policy in Ohio is $483.00 per year.

“Floods cause more loss of life and damage to property than all other natural hazards combined,” said Thoms. “We want to help people protect their lives and property, and the best way that can be done is by making available ready resources so that everyone can be informed about the risks associated with flood events.”

Thoms said ODNR’s Floodplain Management Program aims to reduce the impact of flooding in Ohio by providing advice and technical information to citizens and government entities. He recommended that property owners and renters review the flood-related fact sheets on the Division of Soil & Water Resources Web page. Learn more about flood insurance and reducing the risks associated with flooding, at www. fema.gov/business/nfip/ and www. ohiodnr.com/tabid/21817/Default.aspx.

June 2011

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Trendsetter Speaks Between the Lines: 25 Years of The O(prah) Effect: Will Oprah-mania Turn To Oprah-ssion

by Anthony Asadullah Samad

Even men (more on this in a minute)

Dr. Anthony Asadullah Samad *The end of a staple in American pop culture culminated last week with the Oprah Winfrey show calling it a day.

After 25 years, pop culture icon Oprah Winfrey decided to end her daily talk show and concentrate on her cable channel, the OWN (Oprah Winfrey) network.

It wasn’t just the end of a talk show. It was the end of an era. People want to talk about Oprah just being a talk show hostess…in fact, they called her the “Queen of Daytime Television.” But was it as simple as that? What made the Oprah phenomenon an “effect” on society in and of itself? The Oprah Effect made people instant stars, bestsellers, box office hits and her last miracle, a President of the United States. Oprah Winfrey’s “favorite things” made product fly off the shelf.

Her generosity changed lives. Her candor challenged our sensibilities beyond what we were often prepared to venture.

Oprah Winfrey wasn’t just entertainment.

Why was America so emotional last week about saying good-bye to a talk show hostess? And why are experts now saying our mania about Oprah will turn to depression (a deep “O”-pression around 3 pm)? Is it that serious? Obviously, it is. The O effect has a grab on us all.

8 June 2011

No other television personality, with the possible exception of Walter Cronkite, who was called “the most trusted man in America” during his 19 years as the news anchor of the CBS 6 o’clock News, had (has) the American trust like Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey is to our generation what Walter Cronkite was to our grandparents and parents generations. Cronkite made the dinner news the prized reporting job in America. When Cronkite teared up on the air in announcing President Kennedy’s death, the national mourning period began.

When Oprah teared up over the years, no matter whether the tragedy was public or personal, America cried with her. Oprah reinvented daytime television. So much so, daytime soap operas didn’t stand a chance. She outlasted them and her talk show competition. Popular Culture scholars as well as sociologist, psychologists and historians are analyzing this in serious context. While Oprah’s following is largely women, even men are part of this mania that makes all stop and pay attention.

Many a man have gotten into an argument (or intense discussion) with his woman, or women-PERIOD, over what “Oprah Winfrey said.” So many of us had to start watching Oprah for ourselves. Largely to defend ourselves…What made this woman such a powerful social (and political) force?

Popular culture in our society reflects social norms that are adapted by most in our society. From language to music to behavior, pop culture sets the tone for Madison Ave. and Wall St. In America, we are free “to be.” Oprah Winfrey was us. From the start, she made it popular to just be yourself. Or just “to be.” Oprah challenged our views about marriage and relationships. Oprah challenged our views about sexuality. And starting with her own relationships (Stedman and Gail), Oprah left you wonder whatever you chose to wonder. Her relationships were what they were, and what others thought were left “to be.” The pop culture

buzz for “just being oneself” is being “authentic.” Oprah presented authenticity on her show everyday, giving authentic people the opportunity to be themselves, and challenged anything that appeared to be inauthentic. Oprah embraced the sick, the poor, the abused, the abased, the aggrieved and rationalized with the arrogant, the decadent, the disturbed and the disgraced.

Whether it was majesty or misery, Oprah found the silver lining that made us all feel better by the end of the show. Even her dissatisfaction with herself became a study in self-acceptance. Oprah even challenged Rap, and kept it real as real could get. In fact, Oprah was “keepin’ it real” before it became a pop culture term. She defined it.

People make jokes about Oprah’s money, but rarely is one of her wealth so commonly accepted. Another phenomenon hard to explain. She is of the people, but not of the

people. She built schools, sent over 64,000 students to college and found creative ways to share her wealth. A constant demonstration that she was of the people…

And when the people was looking for a leader of the nation, so was she. Oprah Winfrey had never peddled her influence for political gain in the past, but she did not resist weighing in on the future of the country at a critical juncture, at the risk of alienating her audience. Some thought they would “boycott” Oprah. Guess what…like Teflon, Oprah walked away, not a scratch.

It was then we understood the power of O. While she’s not going far, America is going to miss answering that daily question everyday. What question is that?

“What was Oprah talkin’ about today?”

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO… Has lost their job?…

The Benefit Bank can help individuals check eligibility for more than 20 work supports and public benefits

Needs help with medical care?…

Programs such as Healthy Start and Healthy Families can often provide free medical assistance

The Ohio Benefit Bank Can Help The Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB), a Web-based, counselor assisted program, is a free service that can help you or your friends and family apply for public benefits and work supports, such as health care coverage, home energy assistance and food assistance.

Needs help with groceries?…

Ohio’s network of foodbanks is ready to help

Call The Ohio Benefit Bank toll-free at 1.800.648.1176 or visit www.obb.ohio.gov.

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

Family Trends 2011 Fatherhood Summit

The 2011 Fatherhood Summit being held September 10th, 2011 at Columbus State Community College. This year’s theme will be ‘Where/Here are the Fathers!’

Purpose: The summit will bring fathers from all walks of life and family-service professionals together to participate in workshops and presentations designed to support and strengthen the critical role men play in the community, and the lives of their children and families.

10 June 2011

A local Fatherhood movement in partnership with The Ohio Commission on Fatherhood, Ohio Practitioners Network of Fathers and Families (OPNFF), Franklin County Child Support, Franklin County Children Services, Action for Children, COSI, D.A.D.D.S., NCUS, Three-Leaf Productions, Vineyard Church of Columbus, and New Salem Missionary Baptist Church with the goal of providing

a community culture that develops the attitudes and skills needed for responsible fatherhood and helping men discover and cultivate their nurturing potential.

The Summit will assist Men to not only to meet their essential daily needs, but to work toward a brighter future with programs in male nurturance, job training, education, coaching, and housing.

Companies and Organizations are encouraged to sponsor this event, and support the change of Fatherhood in our community. To request a sponsorship package please contact The Columbus Urban League with any questions in

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

regards to the event, or your sponsorship.

The youth in our community go without proper positive male guidance and nurturance every day due to a variety of factors including wed-lock births, joblessness, intergenerational learning, domestic violence, or divorce. While all of us are susceptible to hard times, it is the responsibility of our Men to become the instinctive, responsible, & nurturing Fathers they desire to be. For many, the 2011 Fatherhood Summit will be their first steps in this direction.

Young and Trendy

Are Healthy School Lunches Too Expensive For The American Economy?

- House Republicans are pushing back against Obama administration efforts to promote healthier lunches, saying the Agriculture Department should rewrite rules it issued in January meant to make school meals healthier.

They say the new rules are too costly.

meals in 15 years. Under the guidelines, schools would have to cut sodium in subsidized meals by more than half, use more whole grains and serve low-fat milk.

They also would limit kids to only one cup of starchy vegetables a week, so schools couldn’t offer french fries every day.

The bill, approved by the House Appropriations Committee late Tuesday, also questions a government proposal to curb marketing of unhealthy foods to children and urges the Food and Drug Administration to limit rules requiring calorie counts be posted on menus.

The starchy vegetable proposal has been criticized by conservatives who think it goes too far and members of Congress who represent potato-growers.

They say potatoes are a low-cost food that provides fiber and other nutrients.

The overall spending bill would cut billions from USDA and FDA budgets, including for domestic feeding programs and international food aid. The panel also cut some farm subsidies to cut spending.

Republicans are concerned about the cost of many of the Obama administration proposals, which they regard as overregulation, said Chris Crawford, a spokesman for the chairman of the Appropriations Committee’s agriculture subcommittee, Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga. Crawford said the marketing guidelines, released last month, are “classic nannystate overreach.” Though the guidelines, which would restrict which foods could be marketed to children, are voluntary, many companies are concerned that they will be penalized if they don’t follow them. The bill questions whether the Agriculture Department should spend money to be part of the marketing effort.

“Our concern is those voluntary guidelines are back-door regulation,” he said, deploring the fact that kids can watch shows that depict sex and drugs on MTV, but “you cannot see an advertisement for Tony the Tiger during the commercial break.”

The school lunch guidelines are the first major nutritional overhaul of students’

The Republican spending bill also encourages the FDA to limit new guidelines that require calories to be posted on menus to restaurants, asking that grocery stores, convenience stores and other places whose primary purpose is not to sell food be excluded from the rules.

SUMMER ACTIVITY PROGRAM

@NEW BIRTH CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

Educational Tour & Scavenger Hunt

FIELD TRIP

Students will take a tour of The Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, learning about what makes Ohio, Ohio.

Lunch will commence mid-tour at about noon.

The effort would dial back many of first lady Michelle Obama’s priorities in her “Let’s Move” campaign to curb childhood obesity and hunger.

“This shows a very clear trend in trying to undermine some of the important gains in nutrition policy,” said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The overall spending bill would cut billions from USDA and FDA budgets, including for domestic feeding programs and international food aid. Even after some of the money was restored Tuesday, the bill would still cut about $650 million – or 10 percent – from the Women, Infants and Children program that feeds and educates mothers and their children.

It would cut almost 12 percent of the Food and Drug Administration’s $2.5 billion budget, straining the agency’s efforts to implement a new food safety law signed by the president early this year.

OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY Where: The Ohio Historical Society 1982 Velma Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43211 (off I-71) Who: Boys ages 8-16 Date: June 25, 2011 Time: Bus leaves New Birth at 9am and returns at 3pm (approx.)

Cost: $10 per student Contact Brother Steve Miller 614.545.8552

Don’t miss out! www.josiahmentoring.com

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

June 2011

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Black Music Month

URBAN TRENDSETTERS SALUTES Black Music Month and the Urban Trendsetters that Created the MUSIC & Movement Black Music Month takes place in June.

President Jimmy Carter, who on June 7, 1979, decreed that June would be the month of black music. For the past 28 years, presidents have announced to Americans that we should celebrate Black Music Month.

19th century

in 1876.

By the end of the 19th century, AfricanAmerican music was an integral part of mainstream American culture.

Early 20th century (1900s–1930s) The Slayton Jubilee Singers perform in Nebraska about 1910.

–Bert Williams The influence of African Americans on mainstream American music began in the 19th century, with the advent of blackface minstrelsy. The banjo, of African origin, became a popular instrument, and its African-derived rhythms were incorporated into popular songs by Stephen Foster and other songwriters.

In the 1830s, the Second Great Awakening led to a rise in Christian revivals and pietism, especially among African Americans. Drawing on traditional work songs, enslaved African Americans originated and began performing a wide variety of Spirituals and other Christian music. Many of these songs were coded messages of subversion against slaveholders, or that signaled escape.

During the period after the Civil War, the spread of African-American music continued. The Fisk University Jubilee Singers toured first in 1871. Artists including Morris Hill and Jack Delaney helped revolutionize post-war AfricanAmerican music in the central-east of the United States. In the following years, the Hampton Students and professional “jubilee” troops formed and toured. The first black musical-comedy troupe, Hyers Sisters Comic Opera Co., was organized

12 June 2011

In early 20th-century American theater, the first musicals written and produced by African Americans debuted on Broadway in 1898 with A Trip to Coontown by Bob Cole and Billy Johnson. In 1901, the first known recording of black musicians was that of Bert Williams and George Walker; this set featured music from Broadway musicals. Theodore Drury played a very

–Paul Robeson significant role helping blacks emerge in the opera field. He founded the Drury Opera Company in 1900 and, although he used a white orchestra, featured black singers in leading roles and choruses.

Although this company was only active from 1900 to 1908, black singers’ opportunities with Drury marked the first black participation in opera companies.

Also significant is Scott Joplin’s opera, Treemonisha, which is unique as a black jazz-folk opera; it was first performed in 1911.

The early part of the 20th century saw a constant rise in popularity of African-American blues and jazz. Also,

developments in the fields of visual arts and the Harlem Renaissance led to developments in music. Ragtime performers such as Scott Joplin became popular and some became associated with the Harlem Renaissance and early civil rights activists.

In addition, white and Latino performers of African-American music were visible, rooted in the history of cross-cultural communication between the United States’ races. African-American music was often simplified for White audiences, who would not have as readily accepted black performers, leading to genres like swing music, a pop-based outgrowth of jazz. In addition, African Americans were making dramatic strides in the realm of concert music at the turn of the 20th century.

While originally excluded from major symphony orchestras, black musicians could study in music conservatories that had been founded in the 1860s; some include the Oberlin School of Music, National Conservatory of Music, and the New England Conservatory. Blacks also formed their own symphony orchestras at the turn of the 20th century in major cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, and Philadelphia; various black orchestras began to perform regularly in the late 1890s-early 20th century. In 1906, the first incorporated black orchestra in the nation was established in Philadelphia. A few years later in the early 1910s, some all-black music schools, such as the Music School Settlement forColored and the Martin-Smith School of Music, were founded in New York.

The Music School Settlement for Colored became a strong sponsor of the famous Clef Club orchestra in New York. The Clef Club Symphony Orchestra attracted both black and white audiences to concerts at Carnegie Hall from 1912–15.

Conducted by James Reese Europe and William H. Tyers, the orchestra uniquely included banjos, mandolins, and baritone horns. Concerts featured music written by black composers, notably Harry T. Burleigh, Will Marion Cook, and Europe,

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

the conductor. Other annual black concert series include the William Hackney “All-Colored Composers” concerts in Chicago and the Atlanta Colored Music Festivals.

The return of the black musical to Broadway occurred in 1921 with Sissle and Blake’s Shuffle Along. In 1927, a concert survey of black music was performed at Carnegie Hall including jazz, spirituals and the symphonic music of W. C. Handy’s Orchestra and Jubilee Singers. The first major film musical with a black cast was King Vidor’s Hallelujah of 1929.

African-American performers were featured in the musical Show Boat (which had a part written for Paul Robeson and a chorus of Jubilee Singers), and especially all-black operas such as Porgy and Bess and Virgil Thompson’s Four Saints in Three Acts of 1934.

The first Symphony by a black composer to be performed by a major orchestra was William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony (19xx) by the New York Philharmonic. Also in 1934 William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony was

Black Music Month the second work by an African-American composer to be performed by a major orchestra - the Philadelphia Orchestra.

African Americans were the pioneers of jazz music, through masters such as Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, and Duke Ellington.

Mid-20th century (1940s–1960s) By the 1940s, cover versions of African American songs were commonplace, and frequently topped the charts, while the original musicians found success among their African American audience, but not in mainstream. In 1955, Thurman Ruth persuaded a gospel group to sing in a secular setting, the Apollo Theater, with such success that he subsequently arranged gospel caravans that traveled around the country, playing the same venues that rhythm and blues singers had popularized. Meanwhile, jazz performers began to push jazz away from a danceable popular music towards more intricate arrangements, improvisation, and technically challenging forms, culminating in the bebop of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, the cool sounds and modal jazz of Miles Davis, and the free jazz of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.

African Americans in the 1940s and 1950s were developing an outgrowth of rhythm and blues into a genre called rock and roll, which featured a very strong backbeat and whose prominent exponents included Louis Jordan and Wynonie Harris. However, it was with white

musicians such as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, playing a guitar-based fusion of black rock and roll with country music called rockabilly, that rock music became commercially appealing. Rock music thereafter became more associated with white people, though it did give some black people, such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, a high level of commercial success.

The late 1950s also saw vastly increased popularity of hard blues from the earliest part of the century, both in the United States and United Kingdom. The ‘50s also saw doo-wop become popular. A secularized form of American gospel music called soul also developed, with pioneers like Ray Charles and Sam Cooke leading the wave. Soul and R&B became a major influence on surf, as well as the chart- topping girl groups like The Angels and The Shangri-Las, only some of whom were white. In 1959, Berry Gordy founded Motown Records, the first record label to primarily feature African-American artists aimed at achieving crossover success. The label developed an innovative—and commercially successful—style of soul music with distinctive pop elements. Its early roster included The Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations, The Supremes, and others.

Black divas such as Aretha Franklin became ‘60s crossover stars. In the UK, British blues became a gradually mainstream phenomenon, returning to the USA in the form of the British Invasion, a group of bands led by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones who performed blues and R&B inspired pop, with both traditional and modernized aspects.

The British Invasion knocked many black bands off the charts, with only a handful of groups, including The Mamas & the Papas and some Motown artists, maintaining a pop career. Soul music, however, remained popular among blacks through highly-evolved forms such as Funk developed through the innovations of James Brown.

By the end of the decade, Blacks were part of the psychedelia and early heavy metal trends, particularly Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was himself the primary innovator on the electric guitar, and was the first guitarists to use effects pedals such as the wah wah pedal. Psychedelic soul began to flourish with the 1960s culture. Even more popular among blacks and with more crossover appeal, was album-oriented soul in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which revolutionized African American music with intelligent and introspective -lyrics, often with a socially aware tone. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is perhaps the best remembered of this field.

The 1970s The 1970s saw one of the greatest decades of black bands concerning melodic music. Album-oriented soul continued its popularity, while musicians such as Smokey Robinson helped turn it into Quiet Storm music. Funk evolved into two strands, one a pop-soul-jazz-bass fusion pioneered by Sly & the Family Stone, and the other a more experimental psychedelic and metal fusion epitomized

by George Clintonand his P-Funk ensemble.

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Black musicians achieved generally little mainstream success, though some African American artists including Roberta Flack, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, The O’Jays, Gladys Knight & the Pips found crossover audiences. White listeners preferred country rock, singersongwriters, stadium rock, soft rock, glam rock, and, in some subcultures, heavy metal and punk rock. The disco era was popularized by Barry White and Donna Summer, among others. However, this music was integrated into popular music in a way it had never been before.

The dozens, an urban African-American tradition of using playful rhyming ridicule, developed into street jive in the early ‘70s, which in turn inspired a new form of music by the late 1970s: hip-hop.

Black nationalism-inspired spoken word poets such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron are also cited as the major innovators in early hip-hop. Beginning at block parties in The Bronx, hip-hop music arose as one facet of a large subculture with rebellious and progressive elements. DJs spun records, most typically funk, while MCs introduced tracks to the dancing audience. Over time, DJs, particularly Jamaican immigrant DJ Kool Herc for instance, began isolating and repeating the percussion breaks, producing a constant, eminently danceable beat, which they or MCs began rapping over, through rhymes and eventually sustained lyrics. In the South Bronx, the half-speaking, halfsinging rhythmic street talk of ‘rapping’ grew into a cultural force known as Hip hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement in young black America, led by artists such as –Continued on page 20

June 2011

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Juneteenth Ohio

Celebration What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865.

Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday in 39 states of the United States.

The state of Texas is widely considered the first U.S. state to begin Juneteenth celebrations with informal observances taking place for over a century, it has been an official state holiday since 1980. It is considered a “partial staffing holiday”, meaning that state offices do not close, but some employees will be using a floating holiday to take the day off. Its observance has spread to many other states, with a few celebrations even taking place in other countries.

As of June 2011, 39 states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or state holiday observance; these are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in the Confederate States of America. Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation, and though slavery was very prevalent in East Texas, it was not as common in the Western areas of Texas, particularly the Hill Country, where most German-Americans were opposed to the practice.

Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865.

June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston,

14 June 2011

Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.

The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words “June” and “nineteenth”.

Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations.

Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year. Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities’ increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.

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Emancipation Day celebration in Richmond, Virginia in 1905

3

Juneteenth Ohio Celebration

DAYS OF MUSIC, FOOD AND FAMILY FUN!

The 21st Annual JuneteenthOhio Festival is the longest-running, fastest growing event in the Central Ohio African American Community. Juneteenth commemorates President Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, an act that began to free African Americans and Black indigenous natives of the northern continent. The last state in the union to receive news of this historic event was Galveston Texas on June 19, 1865. Almost two and a half years later, General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston Texas and read order number three freeing the remaining blacks of the union. This is the date recognized by 35 million African Americans throughout the nation as their Independence Day. “We are grateful and honored to produce the 21st Annual JuneteenthOhio Festival, June 17th – 19th in Columbus Ohio at the beautiful and historical Franklin Park. Activities begin at 12 Noon to 9:00 pm each day”.

States Mustafaa Shabazz JuneteenthOhio, Chairman.

“The main goal this year is to adding a College & Career Job Fair. We are initiating a call to action for all local colleges, career centers and employers of big and small businesses to join us for a weekend of community building! We also strive to increase awareness of the great contributions

African Americans made to this great nation, while improving the quality of activities and attractions for all festival goers. The free three day event will offer free health screenings, a job fair, City Wide talent show, Free College & Career Job Fair, a Chess tournament, Jazz and gospel. The taste of Columbus is at the Soul food pavilion.

Sponsorship and vending opportunities are still available. In addition, business, Individual donors and others are encouraged to contribute as Friends of the festival offering donations between $5 and $999. Donor’s names will be listed in the JuneteenthOhio Program Booklet.” In-kind products and services are still vitally needed,” Shabazz states, Minority and female owned businesses are urged to participate as vendors or sponsors.

According to Shabazz nearly 150,000 people attended last year’s JuneteenthOhio festival.

The 21st Annual JuneteenthOhio festival has something for everybody! Bring a loved one to the health and book fair, featuring local and national authors, or visit the Soul Food and Children’s Pavilion, register for the City-Wide Talent Show, or just come out and enjoy jazz in the park Friday,Gospel Saturday, and Old School Sunday.

Juneteenth Wellness Walk

Join the Juneteenth Festival for the third annual Wellness Unity Walk Saturday 9:00 am June 18th at Franklin Park. Bring your best sneakers, towel, headband, water flask, and oxygen. This is a 3 mile walk in solidarity around Franklin Park to shape up the mind body and spirit!

This is an exciting weekend of health, nutrition, education and screenings. Make your health priority #1 in your families’ life! The choices you make regarding exercise, diet, smoking, drinking may

have a lot to do with how long you may live! Not much can be done about the triggers of stress in our lives, but what we can be responsible for is how we choose to cope with it! The unity walk is for everyone needing a reason to get in shape, get your blood flowing regularly, and to produce a healthy heart muscle. The unity walk is an initiative to mobilize our community to take action in maintaining a healthy life style! What better time and event to begin or maintain a healthy life style for you and the entire family! Simply e-mail Damen mentor at minterdmsr1@sbcglobal.net and you will receive a registration and a disclaimer form. Complete the form and return, It’s as easy as shaping up!

The 3rd Annual Unity walk is sponsored by Black-love candles, a business owned by Damen & Nancy Mentor.

Please support this event by purchasing your Black-Love candles today!

Juneteenth Calendar June 17th - June 19th

Freedom Day Friday, June 17th, 2011 Take Off Work Friday 12:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

• College Career & Job Fair!

• Health Pavillion • Children’s “Under Ground Rail Road Journey” • Adventure Center Guest Speaker - Merriwa Kwesi ---Cultural destruction of African Fashion---6:30 p.m.

• Cultural Marketplace • Soul Food CookOff & Pavilion • City-Wide Talent Show - 6:00 p.m.

• The Cultural Destruction of Afrikan Fashion • Comedy Show! - 8:00 p.m.

Family Reunion Saturday, June 18th, 2011 Gospel & Regae Concerts 12 noon - 9:00pm (Franklin Park) • 3 mile Unity walk - 9:00 am (Sponsored by ADAMH Board of Franklin County & Ohio Commission on Minority Health) • City-Wide Drum Call - 12 Noon (Honoring community elder! Spoken Word by Elder Is Said & Tony West) • College Career & Job Fair - Noon to 6:00 p.m.

• 6:30 p.m. - Merri Kwesi Symbols & Origins of Fashion • Children’s pavilion (underground rail road journey), ..............Hosted by Ohio Independent Child Care Providers..............

• Soul Food & Cultural Market • Gospel Concert Series (TBA) • Dance Hall Reggae Series (TBA) Father’s Day Sunday June 19th, 2011 JuneteenthOhio Father’s Day Tribute!

12 noon to 9:00 pm • Championship Chess Match • Children’s Pavilion Underground Rail Road Journey • Soul Food & Cultural Market Place • Father’s Day Tribute (Honda & MFM) • Health Pavillion • Old School Concert (TBA)

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June 2011

15

Trendsetters Speak

Blacks Souled Out, Part 1

By Darryl James

James Brown was affectionately referred to as “Soul Brother Number One,” not just because he was one of the leaders of Soul Music, but because he was the physical embodiment of all things representative of the Soul of Black folks.

Brown had the rhythm, the rhymes, the cool walk, the cool talk, the cool clothing, and oh yeah, baby, the Soul Curl that only stayed in style for Cool Ass Brother James.

And he didn’t just represent Soul--he lived it. At a time when he was at the top of his career and even white people loved him, he made a record urging people to “Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud.”

He was stone cold and had Soul to the bone.

Soul was never truly pursued by Black folks, because most of us were just born with it. Soul was as innate as our ability to absorb the rays of the sun without destruction to our skin.

But in a nation at the end of its run, where everything has been commoditized, even the Soul of Black folks as well as their literal souls are for sale on the open market, which means that our Soul is no longer natural and endemic to us.

Soul is now for sale and we are not even the purveyors of the Soul that once came from us.

In previous times, Soul came from the Black community organically and only then was it marketed and sold to the world. Brother James Brown was ours and THEN the world claimed him.

16 June 2011

assistance to the hopeless has become cool.

People cheered Bill Cosby when he said that the “lower economic people” were not holding up their end of the bargain, but the likes of Cosby were the first to throw the rules out of the window.

Cosby neglected his children (his daughter will tell anyone who listens), drugged women to feel on them and then released a movie (Fat Albert) rife with all of the stereotypes he claimed poor people were suffering from.

He was being cool by blaming the poor for things he was pursuing, but in this environment, he gets praise because he has money.

He sold his soul.

Eventually this nation will reveal itself for what it has truly been-a marketplace in every sense of the word.

With music and all other things cool, we created it and then the world took hold of it because we said it was cool.

Now, a watered-down, backwards version of Soul is manufactured and purveyed to us as though it is our very own.

But it is not.

The Soul that we see today on the open market has been stolen and twisted.

The stealing of our Soul should come as no surprise to anyone aware, because we were already selling it in a nation that has never treasured having a soul.

In America, both the economic and political systems are purely consumer oriented. No one does anything without a profit motive, including philanthropy.

There is no spiritual or moral component to Western democracy and there hasn’t been for a long time.

There is no longer a pure intrinsic spiritual or moral element to religion, which is why we see contrary religious zealots wanting everyone to believe as they do, instead of focusing on the doing of good works.

There has been an injection of spiritual and moral rhetoric surrounding the marketing

of souls-God wants this or that--but that has taken all of the substance out of spirituality and the real thinkers realize it.

The American people are no different, with many supporting the war effort wherever it goes, because they want to make certain that their gas continues to flow freely.

These selfish a**holes claim that such pursuits are part of the “American way of life,” as though being in this nation gives anyone a God-given right to a way of life that children of God in other nations don’t deserve.

And, really, most Americans aren’t even getting that so-called “American way of life” anymore.

Too many of the nation’s citizens are on the bottom with no way to reach the strata where freedom, justice and economic fluidity reign supreme.

Now, to get what used to be considered middle class trappings, you have to be upper class.

And the middle class is lying to itself while racking up debt that it cannot manage.

Taxes and blame are heaped upon the lower class in healthy portions.

Even the blaming of the poor while feigning

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The rest of the world already sees it, but the citizens of America refuse to look closely for fear that their “Godgiven lifestyle” will be in jeopardy.

Where America was once the great hope of all the world, it is now the great international scourge, serving as the bully on the world block while pretending to provide aid to needy nations. Instead of aid, America strips foreign nations of their natural resources, leaving the people with less than before the invasion.

But since American media has also souled out, reports of America’s foreign dealings portray the nation as philanthropic and as the world’s police. If there really were world police, they would have arrested America long ago for crimes against humanity.

And, anyone who understands America’s history realizes that this nation has long been in the business of being souled out and cajoling its citizens into selling or completely giving away their own souls.

Business & Finance Trends 5 ways to avoid debt collectors on Facebook and Twitter

By Lynnette Khalfani-Cox

Is the latest person following you on Twitter or friending you on Facebook actually a debt collector in disguise?

That could very well be the case if you’re behind on your bills.

As debt collectors step up their efforts to collect money, the social media landscape is becoming the latest battleground in the war between cash-strapped consumers and persistent creditors.

At issue are several murky legal questions, such as: When is it acceptable for debt collectors to track someone down or contact him or her through social networking sites, including Facebook or MySpace? And how much information, if any, can a debt collector reveal about a debtor to that person’s online friends and social networking acquaintances?

Some debt collectors have reportedly harassed people on Facebook, trying to get them to pay debts that were supposedly owed. Other creditors and third-party debt collectors have allegedly contacted consumers’ friends and family members online in an attempt to embarrass the debtors. All these actions are illegal and prohibited by the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. “They’re using Facebook because it adds that extra shock value. The more shocking, the more harassing, the more outrageous, the more these debt collectors get paid,” Florida attorney Bill Howard recently told MSNBC.com.

“What makes it so dangerous is you can contact somebody’s family and friends very quickly and very easily, and you can set off a domino effect of panic that can be devastating,” says Howard, who is head of the consumer protection division at the law firm of Morgan & Morgan.

What is legal, however, is for a debt collector to use information gleaned from social networking sites in order to reach you for the purposes of collecting a debt. This doesn’t mean the debt collector can misrepresent himself or pose as a friend in order to connect with you online at Facebook or other sites. That’s in violation of federal law.

But it is perfectly acceptable, legal experts say, for debt collectors to use social media platforms to locate you, as long as they adhere to the FDCPA. What about writing on someone’s Facebook wall -- where others could see the message? Experts say that would be deemed inappropriate and illegal. But how about sending you a direct message on Facebook or Twitter? That may be within the law.

Because these issues aren’t always so cutand-dried, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in late April 2011 held a panel on the topic. The FTC panel, called “Debt Collection 2.0: Protecting Consumers as Technologies Change,” was designed to examine the practices of debt collectors in a modern era of social networking.

FTC officials haven’t yet issued any definitive guidance on the matter, beyond asserting that debt collectors are required to adhere to the FDCPA both online and offline.

Still, at the very least, debt collectors’ stepped up use of social media is raising new questions about what’s legal and what’s not. It’s also becoming a thorny area for consumers to navigate, especially since 61percent of all Americans over the age of 12 -- including a huge percentage of Blacks in the U.S - use social networking sites. African-Americans represent more than 25% of all users on Twitter alone.

Ultimately, it will be up to federal and state authorities to determine when debt collectors go too far using social media.

Until then, here are five steps you can take to protect yourself from overzealous debt collectors - including those who contact you or your friends and family online.

1.

Don’t ‘Bling, Bling’ If You Claim to Be Broke So you just posted Internet photos of your recent trip to Aruba, or pictures of yourself looking sharp in a nice new suit, huh? Such information suggests to debt collectors that you’re living large, and it makes it far less likely that they’ll believe your claims of being broke.

Even worse, the information you

share publicly online may be used as ammunition against you, if things really get nasty and you wind up in court over a debt. (If you do get a notice to appear in court, read these tips on how to handle debt collectors, including why you should always answer a court summons).

2.

Stop Revealing TMI -About You and Family We’ve all been guilty of sharing too much information from time to time.

But when you do it online, and debt collectors are trying to find you, it’s like you’ve left them a trail of breadcrumbs leading right to your door.

While ducking your creditors isn’t a solution to your financial mess, if you’re not ready to pay what you owe or negotiate a payment plan, it’s sometimes best to lay low. You can’t do that, though, if you’re constantly broadcasting your whereabouts on Foursquare or telling the world (via your online posts) about the date, time and exact hotel location of your upcoming family reunion in Virginia Beach.

3.

Know Your Rights Bill collectors are not permitted to harass,

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threaten, intimidate or try to embarrass you into paying a debt. If they do any of these things, they are violating the FDCPA. Read up on your consumer rights and the 10 areas of protection :http://creditcarddebt2010.com/2010/02/ day-9-educate-yourself-about-yourlegal-rights-part-2/ you have under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. 4. Complain About Abusive Practices If a debt collector harasses you, threatens you or otherwise breaks the FDCPA or your state laws, don’t hesitate to report them to authorities immediately.

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and with the FTC. 5. Get Help With Debt Relief Finally, if you find yourself constantly struggling with bills, make a plan to become debt free so you can be rid of aggressive debt collectors once and for all. Follow these tips to get out of debt, or seek guidance from the Better Business Bureau’s free online program.

June 2011

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Business Resource Directory

PUT YOUR LOGO ON VIRTUALLY ANYTHING! Is Your Business Image Important to you?

Peggy’s Monogramming wants to enhance that image.

Ask About Our Family Reunion Banners For More Information Visit Our Website At www.peggys-monogramming.com or call 614-297-0935

18 June 2011

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Health & Wellness

6 Ways to Cut Costs While Getting Cut

By Denis Faye

True or false?

Six-pack abs require a six-figure salary.

Of course, that statement isn’t even remotely true, but look around at our consumer society, and you’ll be hard pressed not to believe it. Everywhere you turn, you’re told you need this membership or that gadget or this exotic, Brazilian fruit to look and feel good.

Fortunately, the reality is that fitness doesn’t require loads of cash; it just requires a little savvy and a lot of hard work. Here are a few ways to go about getting ripped without getting ripped off.

1.

Ditch the gym membership. Odds are, if you belong to a gym, it’s costing you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year. Is it worth it? Do you go all that often? And if you do, what are you doing there that you couldn’t do at home for less?

For you cardio freaks out there, here’s an excellent replacement for that treadmill.

It’s called “pavement.” As in running, outside, on the pavement. It’s free.

StairMasters? Try the stairs! And for all you spinning fans, they actually make bikes now with these crazy things called “wheels.” You can ride them outside!

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association estimates that the average annual club membership is $775 a year. In the same time frame, you can do four rounds of P90X® at a fraction of that cost—and it comes with a nutrition guide. I challenge you to find a gym that lays out a complete meal plan for you.

2.

Don’t drink bottled water.

With prices 1,900 times higher than tap water, the $35 billion bottled water industry is one of the greatest scams of the 21st century. It’s just water. A few select brands might be trucked in from some exotic mountain spring, but for the most part, bottled water comes from municipal sources—and oftentimes, it doesn’t meet the same standards that tap water needs to meet. In October 2008, the Environmental Working Group sent 10 popular brands of bottled water to the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory for testing. They found traces of 38 lowlevel contaminants, including Tylenol®, arsenic, industrial chemicals, and our favorite, bromodichloromethane, which was found in levels exceeding safety standards for cancer-causing chemicals under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. And where’d they find that particular pollutant?

Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Choice brand. Yum! So drink from the tap. It’s cheaper and the Environmental Protection Agency holds it to higher standards.

3.

Eat seasonal fruits and veggies.

If you buy strawberries from New Zealand in the middle of winter, who do you think is going to absorb the cost of shipping that fruit halfway around the world? The farmers? The supermarket?

No, it’s you who pays extra for produce purchased out of season, so avoid it if you can. Eat peaches, tomatoes, and cherries in summer. In winter, go for cauliflower

and citrus. Not only will you save a few bucks, it’ll taste better. It’s probably riper and hasn’t been sitting in a refrigerated cargo hold for a few weeks, where it loses valuable nutrients, according to a study out of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. In the study, researchers learned that spinach, even stored at a chilly 39 degrees, still loses significant folate and carotenoid content after just 8 days.

If you really want to save even more cash, cut out the four or five middlemen, and get your produce at your local farmers’ market.

4.

Avoid fancy body fat scales. It is possible to accurately measure body fat, but not without thousands of dollars of hydrostatic testing equipment and a ton of certification. A $60 body fat scale just isn’t going to give you much accuracy. In fact, it isn’t going to give you any accuracy at all. What these scales do is called bioelectrical impedance analysis, which includes measuring your body density and doing a series of calculations to predict what your body fat might be. In other words, it’s guesswork.

It’s a safe bet to assume that guess will be +/-5 percent off. This is still useful because the guesses will probably be consistent, so while you won’t be certain of what your body fat is, you’ll know if it’s dropping or going up. But you’ll get roughly the same information using a $15 pair of calipers, so save yourself some cash and just buy one of those instead.

5.

Ride your bike for transport.

Fitness aside, the math here is obvious.

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Let’s say you buy yourself a splashy urban bike, like a Trek Allant, for $539.99.

First off, you’ll be able to use this thing for years. I have about 13 years on my old Diamondback Response SE, and it still gets me where I need to go in style.

Now let’s say you’ll be biking to work instead of driving, and it’s a 10-mile commute. That’s a total of 20 miles a day, and we’ll assume your car gets 20 miles per gallon, or a gallon a day, which is currently about $2.30. That’s $11.50 a week or approximately $598 a year.

Wait a minute! You just paid for your fancy bike and actually pulled a profit!

Or let’s say you’ll be forgoing public transportation. In San Francisco, a monthly public transportation pass is $45, so $540 annually. Again with the profit.

So I’ve already put up an incredibly compelling argument, and we haven’t even discussed the fact that you’d be getting a ton of great cardio 5 days a week.

6.

Skip Starbucks®. If you frequent this type of joint, it means you drink one of two things. Coffee or something else.

If you order a Coffee of the Week or Pike Place Roast, you’re indeed ordering coffee, but it’s costing you a couple bucks per cup, whereas it would cost you pennies to make at home. And if you’re dead set on that Starbucks “quality,” they sell the beans in handy take-home bags.

Drink anything else on the menu, such as a Vanilla Rooibos Tazo Tea Latte or a Coffee Frappuccino Blended Coffee, and you’re not really drinking coffee, no matter how many times they cram the word into the title.

True, there’s coffee in there, but you’re drinking coffee in much the same way wolfing down a banana split is considered eating a piece of fruit.

For the record, a Grande Coffee Frappuccino Blended Coffee is 240 empty calories. A Grande Vanilla Rooibos Tazo Tea Latte with 2 percent milk would be 200 empty calories.

Both are more than a can of Coke.

June 2011

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Black Music Month Continued – Continued from page 13 Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC.

The 1980s

In the 1980s, Michael Jackson had record-breaking success with his albums Off the Wall, Bad, and Thriller - the latter remaining the best-selling album of all time - transforming popular music and uniting all races, ages and genders, and would eventually lead a revolution helmed by successful crossover black solo artists, including Prince, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson. Pop and dance-soul of this era inspired New Jack Swing by the end of the decade.

Hip hop spread across the country and diversified. Techno, Dance, Miami bass, Chicago house, Los Angeles hardcore and Washington, D.C. Go Go developed during this period, with only Miami bass achieving mainstream success. But, before long, Miami bass was relegated primarily to the Southeastern US, while Chicago house had made strong headways on college campuses and dance arenas (i.e. the warehouse sound, the rave). The DC go-go sound like Miami bass became essentially a regional sound that didn’t muster much mass appeal. Chicago house sound had expanded into the Detroit music environment and mutated into more electronic and industrial sounds creating Detroit techno, acid, jungle.

20 June 2011

Mating these experimental, usually DJoriented, sounds with the prevalence of the multi- ethnic New York City disco sound from the 1970s and 1980s created a brand of music that was most appreciated in the huge discothèques that are located in cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Boston, etc. Eventually, European audiences embraced this kind of electronic dance music with more enthusiasm than their North American counterparts. These variable sounds let the listeners prioritize their exposure to new music and rhythms while enjoying a gigantic dancing experience.

In the later half of the decade, from about 1986, rap took off into the mainstream with Run-D.M.C.’s Raising Hell, and the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill, the latter becoming the first rap album to enter No.1 Spot on the Billboard 200. Both of these groups mixed rap and rock together, which appealed to rock and rap audiences. Hiphop took off from its roots and the golden age hip hop flourished, with artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, and SaltN-Pepa. Hip Hop became popular in America until the 1990s when it became worldwide. The golden age scene would die out in the by the early 1990s when gangsta rap and g-funk took over with west-coast artists N.W.A, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube, east-coast artists Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and Mobb Deep, and the sounds of urban black male bravado, compassion, and social awareness best represented by the rapper Tupac.

In 1988, all-black heavy metal band Living Colour achieved mainstream success with their début album Vivid, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 200, thanks to their Top 20 single “Cult of Personality”. The band’s music contained lyrics that attack the Eurocentrism and racism of America.

A decade later, more black artists like Lenny Kravitz, Body Count, Ben Harper, and countless others would start playing rock again.

The 1990s and 2000s Hip Hop, Rap, and R&B are the most popular genres of music for African

Americans in this period.

African-American rapper 2Pac had huge success in 1995 with his album Me Against The World, which was released while he was imprisoned for rape. He had further success after being released from prison, with his albums All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, and after his fatal shooting and death in Las Vegas in 1996, his politicallycharged lyrics influenced many hip-hop artists and a big part of the AfricanAmerican community.

Contemporary R&B, as the post-disco version of soul music came to be known as, remained popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Male vocal groups in the style of soul groups such as The Temptations and The O’Jays were particularly popular, including New Edition, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Dru Hill, Blackstreet, and Jagged Edge. Girl groups, including TLC, Destiny’s Child, and SWV, were also highly successful.

TLC would go on to hold the title of the highest girl group with the highest selling female group album ever, with their 1994 album CrazySexyCool influencing creativity in many young women around the world.

Singer-songwriters such as R. Kelly, Mariah Carey, Montell Jordan, D’Angelo, and Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! were also significantly popular during the 1990s, and artists such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and BLACKstreet popularized a fusion blend known as hip-hop soul. The neo soul movement of the 1990s looked back on more classical soul influences and was popularized in the late 1990s/early 2000s by artists such as D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, India.Arie, Alicia Keys,

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

Jill Scott, Bilal and Musiq Soulchild.

According to one music writer, D’Angelo’s critically acclaimed album Voodoo (2000) “represents African American music at a crossroads [...] To simply call [it] neo-classical soul [...] would be [to] ignore the elements of vaudeville jazz, Memphis horns, ragtime blues, funk and bass grooves, not to mention hip-hop, that slip out of every pore of these haunted songs.”

By the first decade of the 21st century, R&B had shifted towards an emphasis on solo artists with pop appeal, with Usher and Beyoncé being the most prominent examples. The line between hip-hop and R&B and pop became significantly blurred by producers such as Timbaland and Lil Jon and artists such as Missy Elliott and OutKast.

“Urban music” and “urban radio” are largely race-neutral today,[citation needed] terms which are synonymous with hip hop and R&B and the associated hip hop culture which originated in New York City.[citation needed] The term also reflects the fact that they are popular in urban areas, both within black population centers and among the general population (especially younger audiences).

The hip-hop movement has become increasingly mainstream as the music industry has taken control of it.

Essentially, “from the moment ‘Rapper’s Delight’ went platinum, hiphop the folk culture became hiphop the American entertainment-industry sideshow.” As a result, the music that is popularized by the music industry is becoming increasingly different from what hip hop was meant to be, and in the process makes people wonder who is responsible for this unappreciated shift.

Plans for a Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of African-American music to be built in Newark, New Jersey and an R&B museum/hall of fame have been discussed within the last several years.

Diversity on Purpose

For more info contact Christa Payne (614) 778-1958

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

June 2011

21

Trendy Palette

Just in Time for the 4th of July

Patriotic Berry Trifle Prep Time: 35 min Inactive Prep Time: Serves: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract • 1 premade angel food cake, cut into 1-inch slices • 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature • 2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature • 2 pints blueberries • 2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions

Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

Brush both sides of each slice of cake

Pepper-Jack Chicken With Succotash Ingredients

• 4 ounces pepper-jack cheese, shredded • 2 cups baby arugula, roughly chopped • 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (12 ounces each) • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing • Kosher salt • 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Cajun spice blend • Vegetable oil, for the grill • 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed • 1 medium yellow summer squash, diced • 2 cups corn kernels • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved • Juice of 1 lime

Directions

blackened and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 155 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the lima beans, squash and corn, season with salt and cook until the squash is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Slice the chicken and serve with the succotash.

Per serving: Calories 462; Fat 16 g (Saturated 6 g); Cholesterol 120 mg; Sodium 1,018 mg; Carbohydrate 30 g; Fiber 7 g; Protein 48 g

Combine the cheese and arugula in a bowl. Cut a deep 2-inch-wide pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast with a paring knife. Stuff with the arugula mixture. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and the Cajun spice blend.

Preheat a grill to high and brush the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken until

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Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.

Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.

Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries.

Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

For the ride that wants to be seen, VISIT Sammy’s Auto Clean

Hours of Operation 9am-6pm

Monday-Saturday HAND WASH/DETAIL PACKAGES AVAILABLE Weekly Specials Monday-Ladies Day $3.00 off Platinum Wash Tuesday-Senior Citizen Day (55 and Older) $3.00 Platinum Wash Thursday-Saturday

“Choice” Vehicle Weekend Specials

Friday-College Day $3.00 Platinum Wash 3541 Cleveland Avenue,Columbus, OH 4322

Phone: 614-263-2728 • Fax: 614-263-9505

Kenley Konnection Summer Trips www.kenleykonnection.com 614-898-9505

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

June 2011

23

Calendar of Events R. Kelly Travels Down Memory Lane on Love Letter Tour

By Latifah Muhammad

The road to rebuilding his sex symbol persona has been an interesting journey for R. Kelly, and during his Love Letter tour stop in Los Angeles Saturday (June 11) night, the singer thanked his fans for their continued support.

Almost three years to the day since he beat the massive child molestation charges brought against him by an alleged taped rendezvous with a teenage girl, the Chicago native appeared rejuvenated and unmoved by the salacious headlines that have plagued him in recent years. Bringing Marsha Ambrosious and Keyshia Cole along as opening acts, Kellz set out to remind his fans why he wears the crown as “the king of R&B,” and rightfully so.

Ambrosious kicked things off with tracks from her ‘Late Nights and Early Mornings’ debut and the song ‘Say Yes,’ from her Floetry days, before passing the baton to Cole, who hit the stage performing singles from all four of her albums. Yet it wasn’t until Kelly hit the stage that the entire crowd rose to their feet -- and stayed there for most of his nearly two hour set.

Beginning with a ‘40s-style black-andwhite movie montage, Kelly emerged from the darkness in a black suit and red scarf, soaking up the audience’s

24 June 2011

adoration for a full minute before launching into his first song of the night: ‘Step in the Name of Love.’

From there, the 44-year-old set out to cover over two decades of success in the realm of a couple of hours, doing his best to run through hits like ‘Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Strip for You,’ and ‘Hotel,’ before breaking into the classics that made him famous. “I’m 22 years in this business, I’m not really worried about the criticism,” he declared in a separate video clip that found him in the midst of reporters before taking fans back in time singing everything from ‘Seems Like Your Ready’ to ‘Bump and Grind’ to ‘Down Low.’ He received a roaring response from the audience as a result. “I’m glad ya’ll appreciate the sexual songs,” he said. “They told me not to put the sexual songs in there.”

Things took a decidedly sentimental turn when Kelly showcased a “love letter” from his mother, Joanne, who died in 1993. He then ended the show with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way.’ The Love Letter tour hits Chicago June 16 before ending July 3 at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia.

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

Calendar of Events

HEADING TO COLUMBUS JUNE 25-26 UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS TRANSFORMS THE HEART AND SOUL OF AMERICA WITH A SHOW THAT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD!

“THE AWESOMEST SHOW EVER” RETURNS TO COLUMBUS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST 10 YEARS

on a

We’re Mission to be the Most Liked Circus in the World!

“The Awesomest Show Ever” to take place under the big top returns to Columbus, OH for the first time in nine years as UniverSoul Circus brings the most electrifying and interactive single ring extravaganza to the Ohio Expo Center parking lot, June 25-26.

There’s no doubt about it – the 243 year history of the modern circus has finally been reborn in the form of UniverSoul Circus, nationally recognized for its unique brand of high energy audience interaction and thrilling circus artistry. Whether you’re dancing in the aisles with the Ringmaster; rapping to The Sugarhill Gang; volunteering for the “Soul Train Line;” singing 2,200-part harmony with the kids to Sponge Bob Square Pants, or enjoying a musical finale with the entire cast line-dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” – there’s something for everyone to interact with at UniverSoul Circus, recently proclaimed by a youthful online fan as “The Awesomest Show Ever.”

UniverSoul Circus is on a mission to be the most liked circus in the world by acquiring 1 million “Likes” on Facebook by December 2011, the end of its 2011 tour season. It’s as simple as going to www.facebook.com/universoulcircus and pressing the “Like” button. You’re going to love our show, but you can “Like” us now on Facebook.

The UniverSoul Circus line up for 2011 will flat out blow you away. New acts include the beautiful and enchanting Rahel of Ethiopia will twist and turn her way into our hearts with a cutting edge presentation of contortion we like to call Pretty Girl Rocks.

If that’s not enough we traveled all the way to Dalian, China to unearth Modern Biker Girls, a group of amazing young ladies who will put any extreme biker to shame with their amazing two-wheel, non-motorized, dexterity. And we’ve brought new meaning to the Russian Swing Act, armed with an acrobatic attitude and a whole lotta rhythm as they swing themselves into the upper echelons of our big top.

“We are a circus with a rhythm and beat all our own,” said UniverSoul Circus Founder and CEO Cedric Walker. “We will always produce a show filled with soul and hip hop music, and we will always feature only the most dynamic performers from around the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re an urbanite or a suburbanite, old school or new school, generation X or Y, pre-school, high school or grad school – I strongly believe everyone will find something to enjoy at our show.”

WHEN: WHERE:

TICKETS:

June 25-26, 2011 Ohio Expo Center 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus OH 43211

Tickets prices $17.50 to $26 Children under 1 are FREE

All tickets available by Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com and 1-800-745-3000.

SHOWTIMES:

Saturday, June 25 @ 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm Sunday, June 26 @ 12:30 pm, 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm

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June 2011

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26 June 2011

Urban Trendsetters | More Than A Magazine. It’s A Lifestyle

Free ScreeningS

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g o o d H e a lt H

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c o m m u n i t y d ay 2 0 1 1

the path to good health begins with you.

Let us help you get started! more than 30 community organizations will be on hand to share information on diabetes treatments, epilepsy, good nutrition and detecting and preventing cancer. Kids can participate in a variety of fun activities and the entire family can enjoy free cooking demonstrations and entertainment.

Though screenings are free, registration is required. Registration ends at 2:00 p.m. a successful community relies on the health of its people. this year, give yourself the gift of good health.

COMMUNITY DAY Saturday, June 25 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

NEW LOCATION: CarePoint east 543 taylor ave. uHeS20110024-09

community day provides you and your family access to the following Free screenings: • breast • blood sugar • body mass • blood pressure • cholesterol • lung function • prostate screenings • sports physicals for students For more information call (614) 293-5123 or visit http://medicalcenter.osu.edu./go/east