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LOS ANGELES, CA- Essence, the preeminent brand for African-American women, will host its highly anticipated 8th annual “Black Women in Music”—an official GRAMMY^® Week event—on Thursday, February 9, in Los Angeles. The invitation-only soiree will salute the year’s extraordinary GRAMMY nominees and fête four-time GRAMMY winner Erykah Badu on the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album, “Baduizm.” The evening will also feature a performance by Roc Nation management artist Tiwa Savage, an award-winning Nigerian singer songwriter making an indelible impact in the U.S.

“From the time that she first hit the scene with her album ‘Baduizm,’ we all fell in love with the genius that is Erykah Badu. It is only fitting that we honor the accomplishments of our neo-soul queen, whose remarkable artistry still moves us 20 years later,” said Essence Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca. “We congratulate Erykah on her incredible career, as well as all of this year’s GRAMMY nominees, who share their amazing gifts with the world.”

“Our collaboration with The Recording Academy^® underscores the mission of our ‘Black Women in Music’ platform,” said Essence President Michelle Ebanks. “Essence, like the GRAMMYs, has always been at the forefront of recognizing the genius of so many artists and influencers—from iconic legends to the next generation’s rising stars, like Tiwa Savage. We also applaud our event sponsor, Lincoln, for returning once again to support the vision of this event.”

“We’re closely aligned with the inspiration behind the ‘Black Women in Music’ event that helps bring a highly talented group of artists together through the power of music,” said Evan Greene, chief marketing officer of The Recording Academy. “The Recording Academy has always strived to recognize and celebrate diversity within the music industry.”

Established in 2010, ESSENCE ‘Black Women in Music’ has heralded the accomplishments of both emerging and established artists and influencers during GRAMMY week. Previous celebrants include GRAMMY Award winners Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Rowland and Janelle Monáe, GRAMMY Award nominees Solange and Andra Day, as well as music industry veteran Sylvia Rhone and singer/songwriters Lianne La Havas and Emeli Sandé.

The 2017 ESSENCE ‘Black Women in Music’ event is sponsored by Lincoln. Stay tuned to Essence.com for highlights and behind-the-scenes access. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @essence #BlackWomeninMusic. Join in the discussion on Facebook.

The PAL Charter Academy is excited to announce the launch of their new school app.  This is a first for the Academy and CEO Dwaine Radden, Sr. says “this app symbolizes bridging the past with our future.”  

The app is user-friendly, and provides parents, students, and the public access to all school events and activities.  Just visit the Apple app store or Google play for Android to download the app.  

Neo-R&B singer Andra Day, who earned two Grammy Award nominations last year, is nominated for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year (for “Cheers to the Fall”).

Online voting runs from Jan. 16 through Feb. 26 at sandiegomusicawards.com. The public can vote in every category except the eight best album categories, which is voted on by members of the San Diego Music Academy. Tickets for the March 21 awards fete go on sale Monday through the event’s website.

By Lue Dowdy

ALL THAT JAZZ is WHAT IT DO, in honor of a GREAT MAN! A celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place Saturday, January 14 in the Inland Empire at the Fontana Steelworkers Auditorium.

Deeveatva Foy was on location conducting interviews with Jazz pianist J. Michael O’ Neal and Friends. There were several hundred in attendance that came out to enjoy an evening filled with beautiful music and a loving atmosphere.

The affair was hosted by Bishop Emory B. James of the Ephesians New Testament Church of Fontana with performances from Actor/Singer Darius McCrary, best known as Eddie Winslow from Family Matters and now on the hit show STAR; Songstress and vocal coach Aretha Scruggs; Saxophonist Jeannette Harris and Band; and Mr. Kirk Whalum.

Special thanks to Melinor Moore and to AEOM PR for reaching out to us on behalf of her client’s J. Michael O’Neal and Darius McCrary.

Remember folks GOOD music makes the WORLD GO ROUND! Until next week L’z!

Eddie Long

On Sunday, January 15, many received the news on the passing of megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie Long. He was 63-years-old.

Long died after a battle with an aggressive form of cancer, according to a statement by the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. He was a preacher who led an infamous march against same-sex marriage and denounced homosexuality, but he also settled a lawsuit by four young men who said he pressured them into sexual relationships.

“When he spoke, black people all over the country listened to him,” said Shayne Lee, a sociologist who studies the black Pentecostal church. “He was part of the repackaging of Christianity for post-civil rights African-Americans.”

Long’s wife, who stood by him through his rise and fall from national fame, released a statement.

“Although his transition leaves a void for those of us who loved him dearly, we can celebrate and be happy for him, knowing he’s at peace,” Vanessa Long said.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Monday, January 16 the Inland Empire of Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC) held its 37^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast at California State University, San Bernardino. Political, city, and state dignitaries came out to honor Dr. King. After the breakfast, the group went downtown to the statue to continue to honor and celebration. Mayor Carey Davis spoke during the statue acknowledgment.

Photo credit: Reginald Young

Edited and Re-written by Naomi K. Bonman

LOS ANGELES, CA- This year marked the 32^nd annual Kingdom Day Parade which was held on Monday, January 16 in South Los Angeles. Each year the parade brings our dignitaries to help honor the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr.

Groups that participated in the 2017 Kingdom Day Parade included a New Orleans-style brass band with dancers from the Los Angeles Korean Dance Academy. The 200,000 people crowd loved the band. The band also brought in more diversity to the celebration, something that King would be pleased to see and fought for.

One thing that was different and brought to light during this year’s parade was the impending inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, which had the focus of some officials’ attention on how they would push back against the new administration’s policies and decisions. Others referenced the parade’s theme: “Now more than ever, we all must work together.”

“We are confronting a dichotomy of democracy — something that is unique in our history,” state Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said at a breakfast before the parade. “More than ever, California must remain a beacon of hope and opportunity in an uncertain world.”

He continued, “California will never appease anyone who seeks to undermine our economic prosperity and fundamental human rights.”

Los Angeles County health workers, including nurses and technicians, marched in protest of a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation. And L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas marched with them, holding a sign that read, “Obamacare Works.” 

Other groups celebrating at the parade Monday included representatives from local labor unions and law enforcement agencies, as well as high school marching bands and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity — the first predominately black fraternity to be founded at a historically black university. Another float, sponsored by Denny’s and adorned in gold and green tinsel, displayed a large photo of the slain civil rights leader. 

“We stand with him, and with the community, in trying to support all the things that he stood for,” Ronald Smothers, who owns a Denny’s restaurant on Crenshaw Boulevard, said in an interview with ABC 7. 

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

[Teddy Pendergrass] said, “It takes a fool to lose twice…Think I’d better LET IT GO…” What great advice… See, you can’t fight God and win! [Acts 12].   Instead of opposing God, His Word, and His Law, you need to LET IT GO… I want you to know that many men throughout history have tried to oppose God and it was disaster for them. Remember Pharaoh. Scripture says, “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ But Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:1-2). Well, because of his disobedience to God, Pharaoh ended up losing his power, his throne, first-born son, his army, and his life. Another man who tried to fight God was– Saul of Tarsus. In an almost insane, demon-possessed way, Saul went about ravaging the church, seeking to destroy this new sect who followed Jesus Christ.  Until Jesus Himself appeared to Saul, blinded him, pinned him to the ground and said, “Saul, it is hard for you to kick against the goads.” I tell you the Folly of Fighting God!

Ahab tried to fight God. Remember him? The dogs licked up his blood. In the Southern kingdom as well as the Northern kingdom most of the kings fought God. Rehoboam, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, right down to Zedekiah, who eyes were burned out, chained and taken off to Babylon. King Arad the Canaanite, fought God and God destroyed his people and destroyed his armies. Sihon King of the Ammorites, Og, and Bashan all tried to fight God. They were all slaughtered and their land was taken over by Israel. Balak, King of Moab tried to fight God, but it was another “Love TKO.” And then there was that king of Ayae, who decided to fight against God and was hanged. All the kings in [Joshua 9] fought God, they plotted all kinds of clever little devices against God and all five of them were taken and hanged on five trees in a row. The Stupidity of Fighting God! Nobody wins who fights against God. Nobody! God wins!

So make no mistake about it, if you continue to fight God, [be disobedient] God will bring you to a place where you will hear Him as He did others, “Moses and the burning bush [Exodus 3:1-15]. Israelites 40 years in the desert [Joshua 5:6]. Samson when capture by the Philistines [Judges 16:21-30]. David when he lost his kingdom [2 Samuel 12]. Jonah when swallowed by the whale [Jonah 2]. King Herod, the Jewish leaders, and the nation of Israel, Pilate, Rome, and all who rejected Him and His truth, they all condemn themselves to an early grave [John 18: 28-38]. Not to mention the thief on the cross who had to be crucified before he would listen [Luke 23: 32-43]. I wonder where you will have to be before you listen. Will God have to allow some tragedy in your life to get you too straight up and fly right? Jesus said in [Rev. 3:20] “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Are you listening? Disobedience ALWAYS brings consequences. For [Deuteronomy 28:15-20] says, “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.” You Cannot Fight God and Win!

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…” [Deuteronomy 30:19].

The National Institute Of Justice Grant To Train Principals About Bullying Mizzou Researchers To Study Bullying

By Susan E. Sagarra, Urban News Service

With a $4.1 million grant to research bullying, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) may be better equipped to help principals battle the age-old scourge of schools.

The grant is controversial because some scholars believe that some anti-bullying programs actually can go too far.

“Bullying was undeniably a problem that needed to be brought out of obscurity, but the issue has arguably now gotten too much attention,” Christopher Ferguson, an associate professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida, wrote.

“Such hype can lead to other problems such as the use of bullying accusations themselves as weapons in peer conflicts and overly harsh ‘zero tolerance’ policies that over punish minor infractions and may exacerbate the isolation that can lead to bullying in the first place.”

The National Institute of Justice, a federal agency, awarded the grant so the Mizzou researchers can study  Safe and Civil Schools. a widely used anti-bullying program. The program was created more than 15 years ago, and currently is in use in schools in Dallas and Houston, Texas, Jacksonville, Fla., and other cities. The grant will allow the program to be implemented and analyzed in 60 middle and high schools in the Puget Sound region of Washington state over the next four years. 

Keith Herman, co-director of the Missouri Prevention Center and a professor in the Mizzou department of educational, school and counseling psychology, will lead a team of five researchers.

If proven successful, the program could be recommended to the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and individual state education departments as a standard model of anti-bullying training for principals across the country.

“Training for principals and educators varies across the country,” Herman said. “Some receive a three-hour class while others have ongoing training. There are a lot of training programs for principals, but as far as I know, they have never been evaluated beyond people’s perception of how well the programs work.”

More than 22 percent of children from ages 12-18 say they have been bullied in school within the last month, while 17 percent of high school students say they have seriously considered attempting suicide within the last year, according to a Nov. 14 University of Missouri press release.

“The education system hasn’t done a great job of training principals to manage all aspects of school safety,” Herman said. “Our goal is to identify a program that improves school safety. By applying scientific methods, we can determine if this program is effective and worth implementing in schools across the country.”

The researchers will conduct an efficacy study of Safe and Civil School Leadership plus START, a professional development program designed to equip school principals with the actual skills for fostering positive school climate and safety.

Sixty principals from secondary schools in the Puget Sound (Washington) Educational Service District with high rates of disruptive behaviors will be recruited to participate. The PSESD includes 35 school districts in King and Pierce counties, with 397,000 students from rural, suburban, and urban settings with a wide range of socio-demographic characteristics.

The team will collect school records and principal, teacher, and student ratings of school safety, climate, student compliance, and leadership behavior. The researchers will gather baseline data about each school’s safety climate, such as physical safety, emotional safety, the rate of bully victimization, and other factors.

Herman said he does not anticipate getting the program mandated via federal and state education laws. Rather, he said he hopes the program can be presented to educators as a best practices model.

“I want to make the information from the study widely available for others to make decisions in terms of education policy, whether it proves to be good or bad,” Herman said. “I don’t think we would ever try to legislate it and say that all public schools have to use this program. But I would love to be able to show that it works and why it does and show how to get it implemented. If it makes a positive impact on students, and we give adults and students the skills and tools to make good decisions, it’s a win-win for society.”

An email and four voicemail messages to the National Association of Secondary School Principals were not returned.

Still, even critics acknowledge the harms that bullying can do, and credit the intentions of anti-bullying efforts.

One such, the St. Louis-based Megan Meier Foundation, was founded in 2007 by Tina Meier, whose daughter took her own life after being cyber-bullied by classmates. Meier and the foundation have spent the last decade trying to create positive change around the country to end bullying, cyber-bullying and suicide among students.

The foundation also works to tighten state laws addressing bullying and cyber-bullying in the educational setting. There is no federal law, but all 50 states have some kind of anti-bullying law. Some of the commonalities include procedures for administrators, teachers, parents and students to follow in identifying, reporting and punishing bullying.

Alex King, program manager for the foundation, said she could not comment specifically about the Mizzou study. However, she said anti-bullying programs need to take a comprehensive approach to the problem.

“Any prevention program needs to take a comprehensive approach,” King said. “It needs to involve the youths, parents, educators, counselors, school nurses, the janitor and cafeteria monitors. It’s a community approach. A janitor or cafeteria monitor might see more than others so they need to be trained. Whether it’s cyber or physical, bully prevention requires a comprehensive effort.”

Christopher Kirkpatrick

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Christopher Kirkpatrick, a local San Bernardino poet and English teacher at the PAL Charter Academy, recently published his 5th collection of poetry, In Case You Were Wondering. This new book includes selections from his other previously published works written over the past decade: Learning To See From The Blind, Mixed Metaphors, and I Don’t Know What To Tell You. His work has also previously appeared in various other magazines and literary journals such as Aleola, Chaff, Nourishment Notes, Clever Copywriting, and Time of Singing. His books are available on Amazon.com and from America Star Books.