Rev. Medgar Reid

Baltimore, MD (BlackNews.com) — The Baltimore City Branch of The NAACP has named Rev. Medgar L. Reid Chairman of The Voter Education, Registration and Civic Engagement Committee 2012.

In his new role as Chairman of The Voter Education, Registration and Civic Engagement Committee 2012, Rev. Reid will coordinate with other organizations and oversee helping people to use the power of their voice by voting. With an aim to increase the young electorate turnout (18-29), the NAACP in conjunction with other organizations will continue to make voter education, registration, civic engagement and voter turnout a priority.

Baltimore City NAACP Branch President Tessa Hill-Aston, comments, “Medgar’s servant-leadership style regarding voting rights in Baltimore City will ensure that Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream stays alive for everybody. He comes to this position having been co-chair with The Late Congressman Parren J. Mitchell of The Seven Words to “Save our Cities” – Jobs with Peace Program in the early 90s which helped pave the way for the $100 million Empowerment Zone Grant during Mayor Kurt Schmoke’s administration.”

As a professional chaplain, disabled Marine Corps veteran and consultant, he has served on many boards, committees, commissions and held leadership positions in local, state and federal government and in the international, private and non-profit business sectors. Since 2001, he has made a positive impact in the $62 trillion global economy as liaison to The White House, The U.S. Congress and The United Nations for The Sandiford Group, an international consulting firm whose founder is closely allied with former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger.

Reid comments, “No amount of money or influence can beat the true power of an informed, educated electorate that is determined to exercise their right to vote for which many, including my name-sake Medgar Wiley Evers, died to secure.”

Reid is a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary International; Ronald E. McNair Scholar of Coppin State University; 2004 Graduate of (ABC) Associated Black Charities Leadership Program “Sankofa Leader”; 2006 Graduate of The (BLEWS) Black-Jewish Forum Leadership Program and brother of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. among other organizations.

He says, “Our plan is to help equip the residents of Baltimore City and other organizations with educational materials, technical assistance, training, online voter registration, new media tools, marketing messaging, mobile text messaging, web based “VAN” style voter contact systems, and constituency coalition building.”

While civic engagement efforts remain at the forefront of the NAACP’s agenda, ensuring Americans’ voting rights are equally important.

Chicago, IL – The Illinois Republican Party has selected the Tinley Park Convention Center for the location for the 2012 State Convention.

After much deliberation, the State Central Committee of the Illinois Republican Party chose Tinley Park based on the state-of-the-art facilities, convenient location for travel from across Illinois, and a consensus that the location would be the most conducive for a successful convention to showcase candidates and the 2012 campaign to all Republicans across this great state.

“I’m very excited about Tinley Park and 2012,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady. “This will be the perfect venue to kick-off the official campaign season as we head into what we think will be a very successful election year for Republicans in Illinois.”

The state GOP holds its convention every four years and in recent years has rotated its convention sites between Northern, Central and Southern Illinois. In 2008, the convention was held in Decatur in Central Illinois and in 2004 it was held in Collinsville in Southern Illinois.

The Tinley Park Convention Center is located at 18451 Convention Center Drive in Tinley Park, near the intersection of I-80 and I-57.

Team to study ways to cut bureaucracy, improve student opportunities

Chicago, IL – Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will lead a state commission charged with cutting school district administration costs and redirecting those tax dollars to students and classrooms, thanks to legislation signed today by Governor Quinn.

Simon’s Classrooms First Commission will study how districts can improve educational opportunities, reduce duplicative spending, and lower the tax burden through shared services, consolidation or other realignment options. HB 1216 calls for recommendations to be delivered to the Governor and General Assembly by July 1, 2012.

Illinois has almost 870 school districts, the third highest number in the country after California and Texas, and 220 districts operate a single school. More than 240 districts have spent consecutive years on the state’s academic improvement list.

“We want to do what’s best for students and produce administrative cost savings for the state,” said Simon, who serves as the state’s point person on education reform. “The best way to accomplish that is through collaboration and working together to find solutions that fit individual community needs and identities.”

Simon’s Classrooms First Commission is a 20-member team with participation from various stakeholder groups that represent teachers, school boards, principals, superintendents, parents and urban, suburban and rural areas. Community input will be a cornerstone of the commission, with public comments solicited at hearings across the state and online, Simon said.

To coordinate the commission’s research and report, Simon has tapped Dr. Lynne Haeffele, a research associate from the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University. Haeffele is a former award-winning science teacher at Bloomington High School, taught teacher preparation courses at ISU, served as a deputy chief for three state education superintendents and helped design the state’s learning standards.

“Research tells us that there are many paths to improving efficiency and effectiveness in our schools,” Haeffele said. “The commission will undertake a thoughtful process of fact-finding, deliberation, and collaboration, developing creative and practical options to improve classroom learning opportunities for our students.”

State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora) sponsored HB 1216, and said the commission will build on the collaborative education reform efforts that marked Springfield’s last session.

“We must continuously explore ways to improve academic performance and save taxpayer dollars,” Chapa LaVia said. “This team will take a thorough, thoughtful and transparent approach that is guided by improving learning opportunities for students and finding efficiencies for taxpayers.”

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) and Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), which both opposed a bill that would have forced district consolidation, welcome seats on Simon’s Classrooms First Commission.

“The IASB applauds Lt. Governor Simon for heading this commission to look for efficiencies in school district structure and organization, instead of pushing for school district consolidation without local community involvement. We look forward to working with the commission,” said IASB Executive Director Emeritus Michael Johnson.

“We are pleased to be part of the commission, and believe that careful study and collaboration is the best approach to an issue like school district reorganization,” said IASA Executive Director Brent Clark. “This issue directly affects children and entire communities. We believe, and national studies have shown, that local control is a fundamental and necessary part of successful school reorganization.”

To learn more about the Classrooms First Commission and provide input to the members, visit http://www2.illinois.gov/ltgov/Pages/ClassroomsFirstCommissionOverview.aspx.

Raye Mitchell Hosts G.U.R.L.S. Rock(TM) 2011 Leadership Summit for Girls 12 to18 – Celebrating the Global Importance of Girls of Color – Sept. 10, 2011 – Linen Life Gallery, San Leandro, CA

Change It Up! What Girls Say About Redefining Leadership (2008) – Girl Scouts of America:
* Being a leader is important to 70% of African American, 66% of Latina, and 56% of Asian American girls compared to 49% of Caucasian girls.

* Primarily, African American girls want to be the kind of leader who stands up for her beliefs and values (88%), brings people together to get things done (87%), and tries to change the world for the better (83%).

* Even though African American girls believe that being a leader will help them to help others, they also believe it will help them develop useful skills and qualities (37% vs. 26%) and to be successful in life (38% vs. 30%) more so than African American boys.

* Yet, African American girls relate that environments in which they can develop leadership skills are scarce and do not empower them to effect change.

* Fewer than one-quarter (22%) of African American girls feel empowered to effect change at school, followed by at home (20%), in their neighborhoods (15%), and in their peer groups (14%). After-school environments rated significantly lower at 6%.
Dr. Raye Mitchell, Founder/CEO, G.U.R.L.S. Rock Initiative

San Francisco Bay Area, CA (BlackNews.com) — Dr. Raye Mitchell has given serious consideration to the challenges and opportunities that young and teen-aged girls face in our time: the desire to be a leader, but a scarcity of resources, global engagement, new technology, new media, becoming global leaders, and more. She found the matter of such importance that she left her private law firm to dedicate herself to inspire and empower young girls (8-18) to live lives of purpose, passion and power as future global leaders. Thus, in 2007, Dr. Mitchell formed The Making a New Reality Foundation, a non-profit social entrepreneur organization.

“We need to change the conversation about how we define and engage girls as leaders. Their story is not all negative statistics,” said Mitchell when she launched The G.U.R.L.S. Rock Leadership Program in 2010. The program’s goal is to break down barriers to success by raising the bar of excellence for girls and girls of color – the new generation of game changers.

On Saturday, September 10, 2011 G.U.R.L.S. Rock will host its second annual San Francisco Bay Area Summit for girls 12 to 18+. Program topics will include Financial Literacy, Nutrition & Healthy Living, along with a Career and Education Forum. To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, the summit will host a special workshop on volunteerism and service. Among the expert workshop leaders are Tovi Scruggs, M.Ed., founder of ASA Educational Services, Inc.; Issa Rae, creator of The (Mis)Adventure of Awkward Black Girl TV Series; Dr. Bonnie Wheatley, Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women; Bernida Reagan, Director of Community & Client Relations at Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services; Lacy Asbill, CoFounder, Girls Moving Forward, Crystal Riggins, Attorney, Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel, Tiffany Bell, Resultz Health and Fitness Consultants, Julie Tarasi, Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, and numerous other professional and community leaders.

Special guests will include Aimee Allison, TV personality and publisher of OaklandSeen.com; Nikki Thomas, KBLX 102.9FM Radio personality and the Nikki Thomas Network; and Sheryl Grant, entrepreneur and the founder & CEO of Sheryl Grant Enterprises, LLC.

WHO: G.U.R.L.S. ROCK Founder & CEO Dr. Raye Mitchell hosts
WHAT: G.U.R.L.S. ROCK 2011 Summit (girls 12-18+)
WHEN: Saturday, September 10, 2011 | 8:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Linen Life Gallery, 771 East 14th St., San Leandro, CA
COST: $50 pp, Register online: www.register2011gurlsrock.eventbrite.com
CONTACT: LaNiece Jones | 510.568.5899 | LaNiece@LAJonesMedia.com

G.U.R.L.S. ROCK is grateful to its sponsors and supporters: State Senator Ellen Corbett, San Leandro Councilmember Ursula Reed, Kaiser Permanente, Region IX Office on Women’s Health, Genentech, myshadesmagazine.net, Girls Moving Forward, OaklandSeen.com, and corporate contributors of services and merchandise Colgate Palmolive, Walmart, Nestle and General Mills.
ABOUT G.U.R.L.S. ROCK
Founded by Dr. Raye Mitchell in 2010, G.U.R.L.S. Rock is a global leadership-training initiative of the The Making a New Reality Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. As a social entrepreneur program celebrating the importance of girls and girls of color as the next generation of global leaders, G.U.R.L.S. Rock has a different approach to supporting the growth and development of girls of color ages 8-18. “G.U.R.L.S.” stands for Growth, Unity, Respect, Leadership, Success. To learn more about G.U.R.L.S. Rock, please visit www.GurlsRock.org and www.fb.com/GurlsRockPower on FaceBook.
ABOUT DR. RAYE MITCHELL:
“Dr. Raye” is the social entrepreneur founder of The Making a New Reality Foundation. She is a recipient of a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congresswoman Barbara Lee and a Certificate of Recognition from California Legislature Assembly for “Demonstrating Leadership in the Support of the Development of Girls.” Dr. Raye Mitchell is a Harvard Law School graduate and recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service. For more info, visit www.rayemitchell.com.

(News from the Illinois GOP) 

Latest business to leave Illinois because of tax hike won’t be the last

Chicago, IL – Today’s announcement that Blue Island, Ill.-based Modern Drop Forge Company is moving an automotive parts manufacturing plant with 240 jobs to Merrillville, Indiana is the latest blow to the jobs outlook for Illinois, which has already lost 89,000 jobs since the enactment of a 66% tax hike by Democrats in the General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn in January.

The company’s CEO told CBS2 Chicago in March that “Illinois is becoming very, very unfriendly to manufacturers. We now have just about the highest state income tax in the United States, and the overall income taxes for corporations in Illinois are amongst the highest in the free world.”

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said, “Governor Quinn and the Democrats in Springfield continue to fail us. The only way we can bring jobs back to Illinois is by making Illinois an attractive place to do business.”  

Brady said, “Being the state with the fifth highest corporate income tax, over 7,000 units of local government to deal with, an overly burdensome regulatory environment and a haven for trial lawyers with a heavy dose of corruption does not attract jobs to Illinois.”

“Governor Quinn, time to wake up and realize that Illinois has real problems that require real leadership,” said Brady.

 Event takes place Sunday, August 28th, at the Historic Lakeside Inn, Lakeside, Michigan 

~part one~

“Discover the Artist Within”

a songwriters workshop 11am until 3pm, featuring VINX  

Retreat to the serene shores of Lake Michigan for a special day of artistry, music and song. Join singer, songwriter, educator Vinx as he leads participants through a number of creativity exercises designed to help songwriters, musicians, poets, artists tap into the essence of a story. Word choice, placement, rhythm and pace are all tools that a good songwriter can use to tell his/her story. Through group exercises and solo work, workshop participants will learn how to use these tools to enhance the special beauty that is their own voice, their own story to tell.  The workshop is open to all who wish to participate. You do not need to be a musician, songwriter or artist to attend. Everyone has s story to tell.   

This is Vinx’ exclusive Midwest appearance  

Workshop registration fee includes: a box lunch and the 4pm concert with Kevin Coval. Discount rooms available at the Lakeside Inn.

Special online offer! Mention this flyer and receive $15 off the workshop. Must register by this Wednesday August 24 midnight to qualify

  Workshop Registration: $100

Click Here to Register   

  ~part two~

Vinx and Kevin Coval in concert 4pm 

KEVIN COVAL is the author of ALA “Book of the Year” finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica and Everyday People. He is co-founder and Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival, subject of an award-winning documentary of the same name, airing on the OWN network in Fall 2011.  

“Coval’s greatest strength is his rhythmic, beautiful prose and his willingness to speak truth to power, no matter what the personal cost.”-  URB 

A regular contributor to Chicago Public Radio, and a four-time HBO Def Poet, Coval teaches at the School of the Art Institute and in high schools around Chicago. His forthcoming collection L-vis Lives will release from Haymarket Books in September of 2011 and be accompanied by a national tour of the L-vis Lives one-man show. For more information and free audio downloads, please visit: www.kevincoval.com  

Location and Directions

www.lakesideinns.com