Sophisticated Sunday: BlackStartup.com New Crowdfunding Platform for Black Businesses
- Details
- Parent Category: Onstage
By Natasha T. Brown
This week, BlackStartup.com, a new crowdfunding platform for ideas and projects benefitting the African American community will launch. Created by a group of six professionals who met as Omega Psi Phi Fraternity brothers at Morehouse College, BlackStartup.com looks to attract more minorities to crowdfunding. Similar sites such as Kickstarter.com and Indiegogo.com raised more than $2.7 billion for members of the public in 2012.
“One of the biggest challenges in the African American business and non-profit community is finding the resources to fund projects. We don’t participate on crowdfunding web sites at high levels, and access to capital is a larger problem in minority than non-minority communities, “said BlackStartup.com CEO Nathan Bennett Fleming. The Black Startup team is a group of professionals that have complementary skills in business, law, entrepreneurship and technology. There are three lawyers, PR/communication professionals, and more who comprise its leadership.
“We hope to use the collective knowledge of our team. And we plan to establish partnerships with on-ground resources to connect with entrepreneurs,” Fleming said. “We will have a library of webinars, online videos and articles that will help with the startup and design of a company.”
Thoughtful Thursday - How Much Do You Love You?
- Details
- Parent Category: Onstage
byLynda Spirit Baptiste
(K) WOMEN, LADIES, GIRLS, MOMS, DAUGHTERS, GRANDMOM’S; HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE YOU? Listen to our Lovationship Guru’s tell us how important you loving you is for them. Then kindly leave us your feedback in the comment box below. If you want another lens on the topic of how important it is to love you including my learning keys, check out my article The Greatest Love of All Is To Be True To You. You will find more reasons to feel empowered to love you more.
LOVATIONSHIP GURU
Is it important to you for your woman to love herself?
YES! Well…it’s the thing about me…that I know. In order for you to love me, I have to love myself First. So…it’s the same for her…in order for me to love her, she has to know how to love herself First!
On a scale of 1-10, how important is it? (10 being the highest)
10! It’s Very Important
#SAVESEIZE
- Details
- Parent Category: Onstage
Seize the Dance Performing Arts Gym to Close in One Week without Your Support
Seize the Dance Performing Arts Gym in Capital Heights, Maryland is a place where dreams soar. This community gym for young dancers and artists, founded by LaTonya Swann, first winner of BET's "Born to Dance," provides practice and performance space as well as industry training from some of the world's top choreographers.
Unfortunately, this important space for young artists is in danger of closing – unless we all help. Would you be able to join the efforts to #SaveSeize and save dreams? Full details are below. Thank you for sharing and joining this movement!
Arts Symposium Friday:
On Friday, you're invited to #SAVESEIZE ARTS SYMPOSIUM, a night of art, dancing, music performances, discussion, modeling showcase and dance battle, with music by DJ MIM.
RSVP at https://saveseize.eventbrite.com/. The event is free before 8 and $10 after.
Donations are being accepted online: http://www.seizethedance.com/#!donations/c1jnc or texting (SAVESEIZE) to 41411 allows you to donate $5.
Please take a moment to watch the #SaveSeize PSA.
Sophisticated Sunday: “In Her Words” Spotlights the Activism of Legendary Artists Horne, Hurston, Holiday and Simone
- Details
- Parent Category: Onstage
Catch the final production on May 9th at 7pm
By Natasha T. Brown
“I find value in seeing artists use their platform to create change and be about something more than just entertainment. I want people to understand that art and activism have historically been intertwined.” – Khadijah Ali-Coleman, Writer/Director of “In Her Words”
Actress, Singer and Civil Rights Activist Lena Horne was a politically and socially-conscience artist/activist who used her platform to speak about the role of blacks in society. In 2011, area Journalist, Playwright and College Instructor Khadijah Ali-Coleman, founder of Liberated Muse Arts Group heard a 1966 interview with an outspoken Ms. Lena Horne. Ali-Coleman, who is no stranger to research, explains that she was “floored by the interview,” in which “Lena Horne was talking about race [and working for] ‘the man’,” she said.
Ali-Coleman began to research Horne and other great entertainers and writers like Nina Simone, Zora Neale Hurston, Billie Holiday and Lucille Clifton. She wanted to honor these great women, hence came “In Her Words,” – a short 40 minute theatrical piece with music (not quite a full-length play) that is told from the perspective of a college student who is learning about some of her favorite female creative artists.
According to Ali-Coleman, as the student does her research, with the help of her adviser, the ghostly angel and poetic goddess Lucille Clifton, she learns some backstory on Billie Holiday, Zora Neale Hurston, Lena Horne and Nina Simone.
This Thursday, May 9, is the final show of “In Her Words,” 7pm at Charles E. Beatley Central Library in Alexandria, VA. The show is free and donations are welcome. (Click to watch the trailer.)
Below Ali-Coleman shares more about “In Her Words.” This theatrical production is an important opportunity to be inspired by the historical social responsibility legendary black artists possessed.
Thanks Mom!
- Details
- Parent Category: Onstage
By Lynda Spirit Baptiste
LOVATIONSHIP GURU’S speak straight from their hearts this Mothers Day to their Mom’s and Caregiver’s with the words of love they do not put in Hallmark Cards.
To NATALIE,
MOM…I want to say to you this Mother’s Day!
Mom I am who I am today because of the way I always saw you had an open minded attitude toward all kinds of different people and different things. And I saw the way that you helped anybody in need without ever worrying about getting paid back or having it reciprocated back to you and because of that I am exactly like you.
To BRENDA,
MOM…I want to say to you this Mother’s Day!
I LOVE YOU Mom FOR SHOWING ME HOW TO BE A FATHER TO MY KIDS AND FOR INSTILLING RESPONSIBILITY IN ME. Now I am responsible to my family. As you know, I am in my kid’s lives 110%. Mom I thank you for always taking care of me even though my Father was not there. You raised me to be a strong, loving Black man BECAUSE OF THE MOTHER YOU ARE.
To MARGARET,
MOM…I want to say to you this Mother’s Day!
I love you Mom, for giving me strength and although my father was not there, I still have the ability to be the Best Man that I can be for my children. And, in spite of any circumstances that I may have gone through, it was a learning tool for what not to do when it comes to my children. So…I thank you Mom and I love you for that.
