Wordless Wednesday: Underwater Sculpture in Grenada Remembers African Holocaust

SOURCE: - 'Alkebulan' Pinterest Board

OURstory: William DeHart Hubbard (1903-1976)

I wonder how many folks that live in the greater Cincinnati area know about William DeHart Hubbard? Hubbard was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 25, 1903. As a student at Douglass School, Stowe School, and Walnut Hills High School, Hubbard was known as the fastest kid in school. He also knew that academics were as important as athletics. As such he earned a four-year scholastic average of 90 (out of 100) in his high school years.

Hubbard left Ohio to attend the University of Michigan (1922-1927) where he won six straight AAU long jump titles, two AAU triple jump titles, and two NCAA long jump titles. He also tied the world records for the 60- and 100-yard dashes. In 1927, he set a new world record for the long jump with a leap of 25 feet 10.85 inches.

At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Hubbard became the first Black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event, when he won the long jump with a leap of 24 feet 5 inches. The actual gold medal that he won was on display at the America I AM: An African American Imprint exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center on June 19, 2010 thru January 2, 2011.

Hubbard represented the USA in other Olympic events. He participated in the triple jump, but did not win a medal in that event. Hubbard also participated in the long jump at the 1928 Olympic Games, but did not earn a medal.

In 1927, Hubbard was hired by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, for which he worked until 1941. In 1942, he moved to Cleveland, where he became the Racial Relations Advisor for the Federal Housing Authority. He retired from this position in 1969.

William DeHart Hubbard was voted into the National Track Hall of Fame in 1957. He died in Cleveland on June 23, 1976.

Most of us know about Carl Lewis or Flo-Jo. Perhaps we should take a moment to honor the first African American gold medalist ... William DeHart Hubbard ... next time we think about the Olympics!

Wordless Wednesday: Four More Years!

SOURCE: All Things Obama

Leadership Tip: Phone Call Etiquette

I spend a great deal of time on the phone as part of my business. One of my clients is a nonprofit organization that requires me to regularly seek out donations via the telephone.

How you project yourself over the phone or in a voice message says quite a bit about you. Avoid sounding unprofessional with these basic rules on phone call etiquette:

• Greetings: - Always begin or answer a call with a greeting such as hello, good morning or good afternoon. It gives the other person on the call a little time to get ready to listen, and avoids having to repeat yourself. And as my Mom would tell you, it's also just polite.
• Be Considerate: - Always ask, "Is this a good time?"
• Be Enthusiastic: - Your voice reflects your attitude and speaking with enthusiasm adds a smile to it. You can project confidence in your voice when you stand up during a phone conversation. Standing up also keeps conversation short.
• Closing: - End on a positive note that makes the person you're talking to feel good. Something as simple as, 'It was a pleasure talking with you.'
• Leave a Message - State your first name and last name, title and company, the time and date of the call, and the phone number where you can be reached. Briefly express the purpose of the call. If necessary, tell them the best time to reach you, repeat the phone number and end with a simple, 'Thank you.'.

Villagers, do you have any other phone call etiquette tips to share with us?

Wordless Wednesday: Keshia Thomas, A Strong Black Woman

SOURCE: OURstory: Civil Rights Era

Black Women in Europe: Power List 2012 - A List of Our Own

A few years ago I was active in an online community known as AfroSpear. It was a group of bloggers of African descent. One of the powerful voices in that AfroSpear community was Adrienne George. She operates a blog called, Black Women In Europe. Over the past three years she has published a list of powerful Black women in Europe to inspire others to reach their full potential.

The 2012 BWIE Power List names 11 women in the following categories: Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, Law, Media, Philanthropy, Politics & Activism and The Arts.



These women are:

1. Bola Agbaje (England) - The Arts
2. Fatou Bensouda (The Netherlands) - Law
3. Natalie Louise Brown (England) - Media
4. Baroness Cecile de Massy (Monaco) - Philanthropy
5. Doreen Lawrence (England) - Politics and Activism
6. Pauline Long (England) - Entertainment
7. Loreen (Sweden) - Entertainment
8. Mariam Osman Sherifay (Sweden) - Politics & Activism
9. Yvonne Thompson (United Kingdom) - Entrepreneurship
10. Mirel Wagner (Finland) - Entertainment
11. Zuzana Tvaruzkova (Czech Republic) - Media

I must admit that as an man of African descent here in America I have not heard of any of these 11 powerful Black women. I look forward to learning more about them through their full bios.

Feel free to check out the BWIE Power List for 2010 and 2011 as previously reported on this blog!

Family of Darrin Hanna Continues to Fight Those Who Taser-Killed Him

Darrin “Dagwood” Hanna was tasered multiple times during his arrest by six North Chicago police officers a year ago. Those shocks and other “tactics” police claimed they had to use to subdue Hanna, a big but gentle man according to his family, contributed to his death a week later, according to an official autopsy.

The incident sparked an outcry from Hanna’s large extended family, among them some of the area’s earliest Black residents.

In the months that followed, Hanna’s mother and son filed a federal wrongful death suit and supporters staged rallies, marches and weekly protests at city council meetings, demanding that the officers involved be removed from duty and charged with murder.

While the state’s attorney office declined to prosecute the arresting officers, an internal investigation ordered by North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham resulted in the firing of one officer who was found to have punched Hanna, 45, repeatedly in the face while he had him trapped in a headlock, the discipline of another for falsifying a report, and the forced retirement of Police Chief Michael Newsome. Last month, Newsome was arrested and charged with the theft of $140,000 in drug money.

Read the rest of the WLS 890AM article.

Racist California Girl Calls President Obama a N-Word ... and Loses Her Job

Some white folks truly have lost their mind because President Obama won re-election as the President of the United States. It is so difficult for some of them to accept the fact that we don't have an old white guy in the Oval Office that they have lost their ability to restrain their racist tendencies. For example, did you see where a 22-year old California woman was willing to lose her job over the re-election of President Obama?



I watched this young lady as she gave her insights in this video interview. I wonder if her parents, grandparents are proud about her 15-minutes of fame?

Hopefully, these folks will slow their roll as they come to grips with another four years with a Blackman in the White House. After we shake our heads in disbelief .... and laugh ... perhaps we should say a prayer for these sad, pathetic and racist folks.

History of Veterans Day

I never served in the military. There are many villagers like me who never wore a uniform nor faced the unknown terror of war fought on foreign soil. As such, I thought it would be helpful to share this brief history of Veterans Day.

Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day, originated after World War I. The fighting between the Allies and Germany ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. To honor that, President Wilson issued a proclamation in 1919 that the armistice would be commemorated November 11.

By 1926, 27 states had made Armistice Day a holiday. In 1938, Congress passed a bill making it a national holiday. After World War II and the Korean War, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans in 1954. In 1968, legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans and President Gerald Ford officially returned the observance to its traditional date effective in 1978.

When Nov. 11 falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed the next day.

Regardless of your thoughts on the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq ... today is a day that we can honor all of our brothers and sisters in the military.

Today, my thoughts go out to the families of Rear Admiral Benjamin Hacker and Captain Charles Hicks. These two naval officers, now deceased, are part of my family tree ... and I am very proud of both of them.

Villagers, share your village voice about anyone that you know in the military. Let's beat our drums in a positive manner about them today.

Obama's Weekly Address: Extending Middle Class Tax Cuts to Grow the Economy

In his weekly address, President Obama says that it's time for Congress to pass the middle class tax cuts for 98% of all Americans. Both parties agree that this will give 98% of families and 97% of small businesses the certainty that will lead to growth, and so there is no reason to wait. On Tuesday, the American people voted for compromise and action, and the President calls on Congress to come together in that spirit to help create jobs and strengthen our economy.



Elections have consequence. It is nice to see President Obama being assertive in his discussions with congressional leaders.

'Message to the Grassroots' by Malcolm X

American Rhetoric published a list of the Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century. Malcolm X delivered Top Speech #91 in Detroit MI on November 10, 1963.

Below is audio clip and text of the speech known as 'Message to the Grassroots'.

---

I would like to make a few comments concerning the difference between the Black revolution and the Negro revolution. There's a difference. Are they both the same? And if they're not, what is the difference? What is the difference between a Black revolution and a Negro revolution? First, what is a revolution? Sometimes I'm inclined to believe that many of our people are using this word "revolution" loosely, without taking careful consideration [of] what this word actually means, and what its historic characteristics are. When you study the historic nature of revolutions, the motive of a revolution, the objective of a revolution, and the result of a revolution, and the methods used in a revolution, you may change words. You may devise another program. You may change your goal and you may change your mind.

Look at the American Revolution in 1776. That revolution was for what? For land. Why did they want land? Independence. How was it carried out? Bloodshed. Number one, it was based on land, the basis of independence. And the only way they could get it was bloodshed. The French Revolution -- what was it based on? The land-less against the landlord. What was it for? Land. How did they get it? Bloodshed. Was no love lost; was no compromise; was no negotiation. I'm telling you, you don't know what a revolution is. 'Cause when you find out what it is, you'll get back in the alley; you'll get out of the way. The Russian Revolution -- what was it based on? Land. The land-less against the landlord. How did they bring it about?Bloodshed. You haven't got a revolution that doesn't involve bloodshed. And you're afraid to bleed. I said, you're afraid to bleed.

[As] long as the white man sent you to Korea, you bled. He sent you to Germany, you bled. He sent you to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese, you bled. You bleed for white people. But when it comes time to seeing your own churches being bombed and little Black girls be murdered, you haven't got no blood. You bleed when the white man says bleed; you bite when the white man says bite; and you bark when the white man says bark. I hate to say this about us, but it's true. How are you going to be nonviolent in Mississippi, as violent as you were in Korea? How can you justify being nonviolent in Mississippi and Alabama, when your churches are being bombed, and your little girls are being murdered, and at the same time you're going to violent with Hitler, and Tojo, and somebody else that you don't even know?

If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it's wrong to be violent defending Black women and Black children and Black babies and Black men, then it's wrong for America to draft us and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.

---

Amazing to hear words that were spoken 25 years ago by Malcolm X. What are your thoughts as you listen or read his words?

Village Tip: Business Cards

We will share occasional Village Tips in support of the Declaration of Financial Empowerment. Today's tip is for those of you thinking about starting your own business.

Business cards are not just little cardstock rectangles with your name and contact information. They are a representation of you and your business, and a reminder of who you are and what you do.

But when you settle for a second rate (or third, or fourth, or fifth) business card, you might as well kiss a lot of potential customers and clients goodbye. What happens when you give someone your business card, they slip it into their wallet, forget all about it, and then come across is three weeks later? Well, if you have a flimsy, poorly designed business card, they probably throw it in the trash. But if you have a classy, high quality card, they will save it and remember you every time they see it.

So before you go home and print your business cards on your home printer, think about how those business cards will represent you. You don't want to spoil the good impression you make with a bad business card.

Happy Birthday Minnie Riperton (1947-1979)

Minnie Riperton was born on this date in 1947. Her goal at a very young age was to become a famous singer. Riperton studied opera and spent months learning how to breathe and listening to and holding vowels.

She left school early to make $10 a song, singing backup at local studios. Some reports indicate that Minnie signed her first contract at 14, while others report her to be 16. [SOURCE]

In 1969, she recorded the album "Come To My Garden" which was released in 1971, then came "Perfect Angel" and "Adventures in Paradise" in 1974 and 1975.

The song that inspires me whenever I hear it is simply entitled, 'Loving You'. She sang it with gusto in 1974 on Soul Train:



In 1976, Riperton announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a modified mastectomy. Her "experience" (as she referred to her illness) would give her yet another reason for her life ... lending her celebrity and compassion for others to become a spokesperson for breast cancer awareness, the need for self-examination, and the benefit of early detection.

In addition to being a mother, wife, activist, fund raiser, lecturer, wife, and mother, she signed with Capitol Records, a contract that gave her the creative freedom and production quality that she desired. During the summer of 1978, creating what would be her last album, simply entitled "Minnie." She passed away in her husband’s arms on July 12, 1979, at 31 years of age.

Happy Birthday Minnie!

Wordless Wednesday: The 47% Have Spoken...

Village Tip: Getting an Appointment

I was talking with a colleague recently who was at the crossroads with his business. He told me that his wife was giving him pressure to give up his business and head back into the traditional job market for a W-2 position.

I suggested that he make one last all-out push for new business. Sometimes selling your product or service can be easier than getting the actual appointment. No matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to get the prospect to agree to meeting you face to face. Here is a Village Tip that may help.

At first, it is important to sell the appointment, not your service. Trying to get a contract over the phone is difficult. The appointment is when you will do the actual selling.

Ask questions where the answer must be "yes." "Would it be better for us to meet on Tuesday or Thursday?" The prospect probably will pick one or the other and--bingo--you have the appointment. You might make your dates even more specific, "I have Tuesday at 930am and Thursday at 2:30pm open. Which would work best for you?"

Asking for the prospect's help can be very effective. If the prospect says that she doesn't want to meet with you, ask him what you would have to say in order to convince her that your service can work. This way, the prospect will be telling you exactly how to overcome her objection.

Above all, don't push! After a few failed attempts to get an appointment, it is better to take a fall-back position. Tell him you understand he is not ready to make any decision. Ask for a follow-up appointment for a later time.

Declaration of Financial Empowerment encourages us 'to teach business and financial principles'. My hope is that these simple Village Tips will prove helpful to you over the coming days and weeks! What say u?

Leadership Tip: Never Give Employees Bad News on Friday

It is better to avoid giving employees bad news, such as a negative review on a Friday or before a vacation. This gives workers extra time to brood without giving them a chance to respond constructively. Weekend surprises may be easier for the manager who wants to avoid confrontation, but they are more likely to demoralize the staff than to improve performance.

Obama's Weekly Address: Recovering and Rebuilding After the Storm

In this week’s address, President Obama thanks the brave first responders and National Guardsmen for their tireless work following one of the worst storms in our nation’s history, and reassures the millions of Americans affected by Hurricane Sandy that their country will be there for them during the long road to recovery.



Our blog joins in the prayers for those families impacted by Sandy.

Celebrities for Obama: Mary J. Blige

Nice to see Mary J. Blige and other entertainers coming together to make a video called, 'Yes We Plan' in support of President Obama's re-election with a focus on the importance of Planned Parenthood.



Do you think that this is an effective video?

Charles G. Hicks (1962-2004)

My brother would have celebrated his 50th birthday today.  

 I was with him when he celebrated his 1st birthday back in 1963!

Charles was a remarkably talented musician. He played piano at church and at school. In fact, for many years his nickname was 'Schroeder'.

When I went off to college it was left to Charles to look after our two younger sisters, Kyra and Iyisa.

Charles was very close with our youngest sister Iyisa. They are both gone too soon.  This photo was taken in 1979 when Charles graduated from Los Angeles High School.

Here is Charles as a teenager back in 1982.

Charles went to community college for a year of so in Los Angeles before he listened to some sound advice from our maternal grandfather to take his education seriously. At that point he did some remarkable things to get admitted to Morehouse College. He was continuously on the Dean's List at Morehouse and he was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity (to the dismay of my father and grandfather who were both Kappas!). My mom and dad were very proud to attend the Morehouse College graduation in 1984 where Charles received his Marketing degree.

He received his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1987. He had his own practice in the 1987-1990 timeframe. This photo down below was taken during that period in his private practice office.

Later on in his career he served as a magistrate judge for DeKalb County Magistrate Court (making him one of the few African Americans to be a third generation judge).

He was an officer in U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corp reserves (Lieutenant Commander -- active duty 1987-1991). He was promoted in 2000 to the rank of full Commander (O-5) in the Navy.

Charles loved his daughters. You could hear the fatherly love and pride whenever he talked about them. He is shown in this photo with Victoria (oldest daughter) in 1999.

Here he is his with Sydney (his youngest daughter) in 2000.

Charles was my 'best man' when I got married in 1993.

He left us unexpectedly in 2004.  I think he is looking down from heaven today with a smile as he sees the growing intelligence and beauty of his two daughters.

I miss my brother.

May he rest in peace.

If you had a relationship, family or friend, with Charles during his life ... then I invite you to share your remembrance on his Legacy.com guest book for posterity.

Happy Birthday Charles!