As a media personality and cultural critic, she fought hard to get ABC Network to acknowledge the need for an African American woman to star on The Bachelorette. Her public outcry for more positive portrayals of women of color in media garnered press coverage on HLN’s Showbiz Tonight, The Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family show, TheGrio, TheRoot, SheKnows, Refinery29, Vibe Magazine, New York Post, The Miami Herald, MSNBC and countless other media outlets. 

Misee has been a regular contributor to The Guardian, HuffPost and other influential blogs, and she boasts a social media following of 600K+ between her Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook channels where many of her provocative posts about goings on in the news have gone viral; some posts gaining traction in the six figures.

Most importantly and timely, as a dentist and dental philanthropist, this native Tennessean beauty became the first African American woman to be accepted into the University of Kentucky Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program. In 2013, Dr. Misee Harris founded Project Smile, an organization which focuses on uplifting the self-esteem of young children in all aspects of their life.

Through her thriving dental practice in Los Angeles and Arkansas, she remains committed to performing $25,000.00 in pro bono dental work for children every month. Misee cites lack of access to quality dentistry in many rural areas of the United States, as well as financial inaccessibility. 

In addition to the large pro bono case work she performs on children in need each month, Misee also accepts pro bono cases for adults who are looking to get back on their feet and enter the workforce, and for women who have been victims of dental injury from domestic violence. 

This very special lady is now on a mission to explain the importance of athletic mouthguards for both pediatric dental health and for adult and professional athletes with her company, ProFit Mouthguards. Misee’s ProFit Mouthguards have been used by everyone from former NBA player Penny Hardaway (right inset) to boxing champ, Floyd Mayweather’s boxing club, to MMA fighters, as well as student athletes all over the country who recognize the need to keep their teeth and mouth safe during athletic contact sports. 

Misee’s ProFit Mouthguards:

• Custom fit with dental impression.
• Custom designed: color, multi-colored, team logos, trendy designs – any design imaginable can be placed on the mouthguard.
• Retail prices start at $49.99 and go up depending upon customization.

Why Misee’s ProFit Mouthguards:

• ProFit Mouthguards are manufactured in the U.S. by Misee Harris, DDM.
• Misee and her staff take custom dental impressions and manufacture mouthguards in her lab.
• Any color or design can be achieved through her customizing methods.
• Misee will travel for select clients or teams to get dental impressions.
• ProFit Mouthguards donates mouthguards to select recipients.

“Lots of athletes suffer from dental injuries and head trauma because of ill-fitting, uncomfortable mouthguards which they don’t like to wear. That’s why ProFit invented a unique technology for custom-made mouthguards.” – Misee Harris

Other Talking Points Misee Can Discuss:

• Children’s dental health: how to prevent tooth decay and the need for root canal’s in children.
• How intermittent breastfeeding can lead to tooth decay in babies and toddlers, and ways to prevent it.
• Oral hygiene tips
• Mouthguards and contact sports: hockey, football, basketball, baseball, etc.
• How mouthguards can prevent concussions in football players.

By Shalom Ysrayl

“For the encouragement and uplifting of my people”

Our little ones should be the primary focus of our lives, for they are the ones that will follow our traditions. Therefore, we must give our best attention toward them in the best of ways. The Word informs us of how we are to conduct ourselves while we are in the land of our exile. When we follow the plan for our lives given to us and our children, then we cannot go wrong, it’s when we follow our own ways and the ways of others being disobedient to the rules laid down for our success. We know that the way things have been going hasn’t been the best for us. We do not occupy any real estate; we have no seats in high places; we have nothing that we can say is ours. We lack our own defense system. How will we defend ourselves? How will we clothe ourselves? How will we educated our children? Unless we do these things for ourselves. We will never attain freedom; we will continue to be as Lazarus sitting at the rich man table begging for bread. Note: Whose table it is… So, if things haven’t been exactly as we would like them for ourselves, then we will change them. Now we no longer will look at life through other people’s eyeglasses, but our own! The life and character of those of our ancestors of ancient times. We today must emulate, we must learn the life, and “We have guides.” Once we adopt the faith, we will achieve the best for our little ones. The Word teaches the Best of Life, we follow the Word, it’s our Word—HEBREWS!!!

LOS ANGELES, CA- BET Weekend always reunites old and new talent; it’s like the family reunion of the entertainment industry. Old School R&B Group, TROOP, came together again for the 4^th Annual City of Angels Celebrity Red Carpet Experience 2017. The event took place at the UNION club in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 22 to kick off BET Weekend.

(Photo credit: Kristina Dixon/11:One Visuals).

By Lue Dowdy

Infuse Dance Studio, Tuesday Night Belly Dance Class with Zada is What It Do! Get started today on a better and healthier you. Learn the fundamentals of: Lifts and drops; basic shimmy; undulations; stance and posing; hip, chest, and hand circles; and shoulder drops.

Other perks include: fitness, core strengthening, toning, enhancing or getting your sexy back, and FUN!

Bell dance is a beautiful, expressive dance which empathizes complex movement of the torso. Come out and get ya’ shimmy on! Until next week, L’z!

For more information and class times, please contact the instructor at (909) 556-7637.

LONG BEACH, CA- I Am… hosted its first interactive workshop at The Reef in Long Beach, this past Saturday. The I Am… Woman Changing Seasons Workshop illustrated the importance of embracing change in business and personal growth and how resistance hinders the growth process.

The event kicked-off with meditation led by Holistic Spiritual Practitioner, Vionela Vaughn-Austin, which set the tone for the occasion. The Metaphysical Minister introduced the meditation with I Am’s theme song, “Higher than This” by Ledisi and concluded it with soothing sounds from her guided meditation CD “Cultivating a Loving Mind.”

Following meditation, Founders, Ricsyhelle Davis and Rhonda Brent graced the stage to tell their story of why they started the organization. “We care so much about ourselves that we care more about others. Everything that is in front of me reflects who I am,” Davis expressed. “We want to be an example to others [that] life is good, no matter what your situation is, conditions we go through, we all have life and we have to find the good and be grateful and thankful for everything we have,” Brent proclaimed.

Succeeding the founders’ thoughts, Davis introduced the speaker of the hour, Deborah Deras. The Latina Motivational Speaker and Author broke down why letting go of the ego (when “changing seasons”) is imperative to advancement. She explained that everyone has a “soul’s contract”; all people have a responsibility to live in God’s purpose. “I am here to allow you to reclaim the truth of who you are as human beings,” she exclaimed.

Deras had the attendees complete worksheets that allowed them to partner with other attendees and affirm strengths that will encourage them to see their stories in a positive light. Co-founder, Ricsyhelle Davis took the stage alongside Deras to retell her story as a mother, wife and entrepreneur. Deras affirmed that each attendee has the power of choice; the power to rewrite his/her story.

“At each and every moment we are deciding ‘Am I going to live from a place of victim’s consciousness, or am I going to surrender and let go of what I think things should look like…feel like and accept and allow what is’? Just like the seasons come and…go this situation will come and go,” Deras encouraged. Before closing, Deras blessed the attendees with prayer. She prayed that all attendees’ “soul’s contracts” will be fulfilled through fully accepting who they are and living in their true authentic selves.

Several vendors were in attendance and provided items to be raffled off to guests. These vendors included Go Be Alive, Rodan & Fields, Laura M. Gems, JaciFit, LLC.,Viva Energy Healing Massage and The Byrds Nest. In addition, Deras also provided each attendee with a copy of her book “Confessions of an Adrenaline Addict: How to Achieve More with Less Effort.”

About I Am… – I Am… is an organization for individuals to have the ability to help each other in business, as well as market themselves through empowerment workshops, allowing their services to be recognized in their communities. The name I Am… derives from empowering light within ourselves. Follow I Am… on Facebook at @iamthatiam1112 and visit its website at www.iamthatweb.com for upcoming events. Next event (Meditation, Mimosas & Margaritas) is scheduled for Aug. 5 in Venice Beach, Calif.

On June 22, YouthBuild Inland Empire had its seventh graduation. Twenty four youth achieved their high school diploma and took their first step towards a better life. We are committed at YouthBuild Inland Empire to the youth in this community and will continue to offer the resources needed to give them better opportunities to a better future. We have served this community since 2010 and we are located in the city of San Bernardino at 570 w. 4th St. 2^nd floor 92401. We are enrolling new members starting August 7, 2017. Any questions please give us a call at 909-890-9106 or 909-241-5558.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Yet you think you know everything [1 Corinthians 8:2]. YOU KNOW NOTHING! You better talk to some grown folks and be schooled [Proverbs 28:16]. You better talk to somebody who’s been there, done that! For life is not to be trampled on. Life is not to be wasted. [Ephesians, 5:15-17] says… “Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Don’t act thoughtlessly! God has given you a life to live for His glory and your good. Think it through, know what you’re here for, know your purpose, make the most of every opportunity, be wise and try to understand what God wants you to do.  I tell you humility is always the most desirable option, but I know you can’t tell that to a fool because a fool despises wisdom.  A fool despises instruction. A wise man will hear and will increase learning [Proverbs 12:15] but a fool takes no pleasure in understanding… [Proverbs 18:2]. Like I said, YOU KNOW NOTHING! Yeah talking to you is just like talking to a child. You can tell a child repeatedly that fire is hot, but they never really get it until they have been burned. [Proverbs 23:9]. When this happens, they can then relate to what hot means. It is a lesson they will never forget as long as they live, but it was a bitter lesson to have to learn. Unfortunately, we all seem to possess this same characteristic. We have to be burned before we can learn!

I want you to know that in reading the book of Ecclesiastes, I realized this was Solomon also: been there, done that, now what? Solomon wrote three books in the Bible: Song of Solomon — a romantic book, it’s filled with chemistry and love and great words that sizzle of his first love. Then he wrote Proverbs — a middle-aged man, successful. “Been there, done that.” Then he reveals his inner heart and soul —the book of Ecclesiastes. The end result is that he looks back and says, “I have lived a life under the sun. It was a life of emptiness, a life void of meaning.” Solomon — who was the wealthiest person who ever lived and evidently one of the most brilliant individuals who has ever lived — gets to the end of his life, after he’s accomplished all that he’d accomplished, and he says it’s all empty, it’s all futility, it’s all vanity. And he says, “Now what, now what? What is it all about, what did it mean?” He missed the meaning of life. [Ecclesiastes 2-3]. Don’t let that be said about you. Don’t be a fool, taking pride in what you perceive as your intelligence and wisdom. Such wisdom “is foolishness in God’s sight.”[Proverbs 15:9]. By contrast, trust the Lord, learn His wisdom from the Scriptures of the Bible, acknowledge Him and His ways, and you will be truly wise. If not, Jesus says, “He will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. [Leviticus 26:19]. Make no mistake about it!

I want you to know that the School of Hard Knocks is now taking enrollment. What is the School of Hard Knocks? It is a school for those who think they know everything. It is a school for those who say, “It’s my prerogative, I’ll do what I want to do!”  It is a school for those who leave God’s path and hate His rules. [Proverbs 15:10-20] The School of Hard Knocks…Location: Anywhere….Cost: Free – Initially. The faster you learn, the cheaper the course. WARNING: The costs could become high if the lessons need to be repeated several times. This course is ideal for those who meet the following criteria: [1.] Hearing impaired: i.e. you ignore advice and warnings. [2.] Egocentric: You believe that the world revolves around you. [3.] Perfect: The more perfect that you believe you are, the more you will benefit. [4.] Well educated: The smarter you think you are, the more you will learn what you don’t know. [5.] Stubborn: The more stubborn you are the more intense the training will be. Length of Courses: Anywhere from a moment to a lifetime -depending on how many repetitions of lessons you require. Curriculum: Curriculum is individually designed to suit each person’s areas of resistance. Instructors: None: The ‘hearing’ impaired don’t listen anyway. Graduation Date: Undetermined: When you discover that you aren’t nearly as perfect and smart as you thought. When the world no longer revolves around you. When you don’t need hard knocks to teach you. When you’re hearing ability is restored and you can listen to other people. On graduation: At the end you will be counted among the wise if you listen to advice and accept discipline” [Proverbs 19:20].

So what does this mean to you today? It means that if you desire to maximize your purpose and potential in life, before you die, you must maintain a teachable spirit.  If you ever get to the point where you refuse to learn you will not be fit for the Kingdom.  God’s rejects the proud, but He gives grace to the humble (1^st Peter 5).  So be thankful for what you know, but know that you don’t know it all!

“He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.” [Proverbs 13:18]

“If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” (Proverbs 15:32]

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- This Summer, your child can meet animals with superpowers, shake it up, dig up clues from the past, and investigate forensics-museum-style! Registration is now open for San Bernardino County Museum Summer Explorers day camps. Week-long sessions started Tuesday, June 20 and continue through July. Advance registration is required; campers must have completed first grade and be 7 to 10 years old. Each camp session is Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $155 per week of camp; children of Museum Association members may enroll for $135 per week. Limited scholarships are available by application.

The exact dates are June 20-23, June 27-30, July 11-14, July 18-21, and July 25-28. For more information or to register, please visit www.sbcounty.gov/museum or call (909) 798-8611.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The San Bernardino Public Library (SBPL) has joined in supporting a new countywide early literacy program called Footsteps2Brilliance which is part of the San Bernardino Countywide Vision2Read literacy campaign, a collective impact initiative involving multiple agencies working collaboratively to increase literacy rates among children and families in the county.

The library has posted a link to the program on its library website at www.sbpl.org. Parents interested in signing up for the app for their children can go to www.myf2b.com/register/sanbernardinocounty.

“On behalf of our Library Board of Trustees, we’re very pleased in promoting this wonderful effort to promote early childhood education and early literacy in our city” said SBPL Library Director Ed Erjavek.

The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, County Preschool Services, Children’s Fund and First 5 San Bernardino are partnering to deliver the new literacy program.

Footsteps2Brilliance is an innovative early learning mobile technology platform that provides free access to early literacy activities to all families with children, birth through Pre-K, who reside in San Bernardino County. The program provides a comprehensive curriculum of more than 1,000 English and Spanish books, songs and games that are fun for children and address the vocabulary gap, according to the following press release from the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.

“Literacy is a priority in our county. Early literacy skills lay the foundation for a child’s success from cradle to career,” County Superintendent Ted Alejandre said. “Children who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers.”

In January 2017, a cohort of 1,500 students in county preschool programs were selected to use Footsteps2Brilliance and measure their literacy growth. To date, participating preschoolers have read 22,240 books and more than 5.1 million words. As part of the launch, Alejandre and program partners are encouraging all families with birth through pre-K children in the county to join a challenge to read an additional 3 million words by Sept. 1, 2017.

“Footsteps2Brilliance enables us to cross the divide between children who have a seat in a preschool and those who do not,” said Diana Alexander, director of Preschool Services for the county. “We get to provide all birth through pre-K children with an amazing literacy software program that will bring several modes of learning right into their home. This is an exciting time for San Bernardino County!”

Among the benefits of Footsteps2Brilliance is that the platform’s educational resources can be accessed from any smartphone, tablet or computer with or without an Internet connection. Research shows that more than 80 percent of parents own smartphones or mobile devices.

“Through the Footsteps2Brilliance platform, families, schools and the community have access to high-quality educational tools to accelerate vocabulary and literacy skills using the devices they already own,” noted Karen Scott, executive director of First 5 San Bernardino.

According to Stacy Iverson – president and CEO of Children’s Fund – every dollar spent on quality early childhood interventions produces a $14-$17 return.

“No single strategy offers a greater return on investment than providing children with the tools they need to read proficiently by third grade,” she said.

Research shows the greatest disparity of knowledge among children is the vocabulary gap – the number of words a child knows from birth through third grade. Children from low-income families hear 30 million fewer words before the age of four than their more affluent peers. This is compounded by the fact that 61 percent of low-income children have no books in their homes.

Approximately 20 percent of families in San Bernardino County live in poverty and 34 percent speak Spanish in the home (according to census data). Based on data from the California Department of Education, nearly 19 percent of school-aged students are classified as English Learners and more than 72 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch.

The San Bernardino County literacy partnership is unique and will serve as a blueprint around the nation to achieve early literacy success in dual language communities on a countywide basis.

“We are honored to partner with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools to give all children equal access to high-quality bilingual English and Spanish literacy instruction. Already, we have seen this unique countywide collaboration bring the community together with a strong commitment and a plan to support all early learners. We believe this will be a powerful model for other districts across the nation to follow,” said Ilene Rosenthal, CEO of Footsteps2Brilliance.

By Naomi K. Bonman

Love. We all want it. We all crave for it. We all long for it. Some of the best songs revolve around ‘love’. Award winning songwriter Lanita Smith recently blew the audience away at the Beale Street Music Festival in Tennessee while performing her latest single, “Love Can Do.” She encourages us to love and to take leaps within love. 

Her latest single is encouraged by the various hardships that we face today and her video also reflects that. Shot at DreamMagic Studios in Canoga Park, the video centers around the importance of unmasking our insecurities and being the change that brings people together in love. Images of various cultures, races, and even our fellow military are displayed in the warm and energetic piece of work, that shows you why we should love our differences not judge them.

“Love Can Do” is a prelude to her upcoming album entitled Remember Me, set to release late summer 2017. I recently caught up with Ms. Smith in our “Purposely Awakened” radio show where she chatted on her latest single, working alongside Los Angeles choreographer Liezel Marie, and her upcoming projects.

Check out the interview below: 

https://cloudup.com/cuu2gGFpHxK