(Akiit.com) Getting to the top takes hard work and dedication. Trying to pass that commitment down to inner-city kids can be a challenge at times, but the What It Takes Foundation believes it has a social media forum that may get through to them.

Through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the What It Takes Foundation is running an “e-mentoring” program that connects inner-city boys with professional black men who will serve as role models on a secure platform powered by icouldbe.org. The program is under way with students in the Philadelphia public schools including Mastery Charter Schools; however, more black professional men are needed to participate. In this pilot program, each of the 200 boys will be paired with a mentor based on career interest. The schools will provide the technical assistance to ensure that the students are on task.

“We are looking for professional black men to engage with the boys and stay connected through technology,” said Anthony Martin, founder of the What It Takes Foundation and Urban Youth Racing School. “This will be the first mentoring program in the Philadelphia region to employ technology to conduct web-based training, communication and engagement, particularly with a focus on the young African-American male population.”

The e-mentoring program will support caring, structured relationships through vehicles like e-mail, chat rooms and computer conference systems, to connect mentors with their mentees across time and or distance. In addition, the mentors and mentees will have in-person meetings to help cement relationships.

The boys will meet their mentor for the first time in person on Dec. 20th for the next “What It Takes” Symposium, the seventh symposium since 2009. The event’s details are being finalized; however, James “JB” Brown, a three-time Emmy winner, and CBS and Showtime’s Inside the NFL anchor, will be the moderator. Panelists are being finalized but in attendance there will be high-profile athletes, successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, military officials and professionals.

What It Takes is a national e-mentoring initiative being piloted in Philadelphia and funded by the Knight Foundation through its Black Male Initiative. The $490,000 grant seeks to inspire the young men to become successful, civically engaged adults while also inspiring the men to continue their engagement in bettering their communities. United Way is partnering with the What It Takes Foundation in this project.

An expansion of the What It Takes program, the e-mentoring effort aims to span the social networking, geographic and generational divide between mentors and mentees, while encouraging meaningful relationships. In particular, the program will focus on improving the boys’ emotional well-being, career awareness and attitudes toward school while helping black professional men become more involved in bettering their communities.

“At Knight we are looking for ways to use technology to connect and engage citizens and we are also interested in lifting up Black men who are engaged in their communities. The What It Takes e-mentoring program is a convergence of those two interests,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Philadelphia program director for Knight Foundation. “We hope this program will also bridge generations and make it easier for highly successful and very busy men to share their knowledge and experience with young men who are trying to figure out how they too become successful.”

The mission of What It Takes is to keep inner-city boys interested in school so that they can earn good marks and be successful, while learning how to devise a strategic plan to move forward into their future.
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(Akiit.com) In addition to his ongoing career in TV news, Peter Thorne is taking on a new title: African-American Social Entrepreneur. The longtime NYC TV journalist announces the launch of Momma B Bakery (MBBE LLC), a black-family owned and operated gourmet bakery company that was conceived with a simple goal in mind: “Do Good By Eating Well”.

The start-up company backs the fight against hunger in urban America by producing gourmet foods delivered right to your door, with a percentage of the proceeds donated directly to organizations that fight black America’s growing hunger epidemic.

“At Momma B we dare to imagine an America without hunger,” Peter Thorne, founder of Momma B Bakery said. “We can alleviate hunger in more ways than one. Commerce should have a conscience, and we take our social responsibility very seriously at Momma B Bakery.”

During his 10 years as an Emmy Award-winning television anchor and reporter in New York City, Thorne frequently witnessed working-class families struggle to afford nourishing, healthy food. Moved to take action, Thorne founded Momma B Bakery, a company that delivers moderately priced gourmet products with a purpose, from delicious organic pancake and waffle dry mixes to irresistible all-natural muffin and brownie selections.

The specialty dry mixes sold by Momma B Bakery are all natural and USDA Certified 100 percent organic, with no preservatives, hormones, animal byproducts or artificial ingredients. A percentage of the proceeds from these high-end but not high-price products goes directly to organizations that fight our community’s growing hunger epidemic. In addition to being good for the body and good for the African-American community, Momma B Bakery mixes are made in the USA and shipped via USPS Priority Mail using eco-friendly packaging materials, preserving both the environment and American jobs.
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(Akiit.com) Disgraced former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick claims in an upcoming book that an unspoken alliance of political adversaries, Detroit business leaders and an aggressive media capitalized on a sex and perjury scandal to send him from leading one of America’s largest cities to a prison cell.

The former politician bills Surrendered! The Rise, Fall and Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick as the true tale of his saga. While he takes responsibility for an affair with an aide and lies told during a civil trial, he also blames plenty of others for his downfall.

“When I perjured myself, I gave my enemies a lane. And they turned that lane into a highway,” Kilpatrick writes, according to an advance copy obtained by The Associated Press. “My intent entering office was to empower Detroiters, and my actions heading into my second term suggested that we had the ability to do it. And that threatened too many people’s bottom line. Their bottom lines for me, then, became simple. Get rid of me. And they’re not finished.”

Kilpatrick, dubbed the “Hip-Hop Mayor” when he was elected at age 31, was charged with perjury after text messages on city-issued pagers contradicted testimony he gave during a 2007 police whistle-blowers’ trial. The sexually explicit text messages showed he lied when he denied under oath that he had a romantic relationship with the aide.

Throughout the book, he levels criticism at the aggressive Wayne County prosecutor, Kym Worthy, who charged him as well as two judges who heard the case as it went through the court system.

Kilpatrick is open, however, about the affair with one-time chief of staff Christine Beatty and falsehoods he told, even in front of the Wayne County Circuit Court judge who would decide his future and his freedom.

“I stood before Judge David Groner, who requested my plea. ‘I lied under oath,’ I said, ‘with the intent to mislead the court and jury and to impede and obstruct the fair administration of justice,’” Kilpatrick writes. “For the record, I lied when I made that statement. The real reason I lied under oath was because I didn’t want my wife to know I cheated. But be clear. There was absolutely no justice to obstruct in the whistle-blowers’ suit. The case was manufactured. I was just cornered.”
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(Akiit.com) Los Angeles, Calif. – Inspired by the true story of a falsely accused black college graduate forced to serve probation in an all-white seminary in the 1960s, The Least Among You debuts on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand August 24, 2010 from Lionsgate.

The emotionally charged film stars NAACP Theatre Award-winner Cedric Sanders (American Gangster), as he delivers a heartfelt performance in a role that examines the hard lines of race, perseverance, courage and determination. Rounding out the all-star cast is Louis Gossett, Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman), Lauren Holly (Any Given Sunday) and William Devane (TV’s “24”). The DVD debuts on August 24th and contains moving special features that include an interview with the “real” Richard Kelly, plus an interview with some of the filmmakers, deleted scenes and a “behind-the-scenes” featurette.

After his false arrest at the 1965 Watts Riots, Richard Kelly (Sanders) finds himself serving probation at an all-white seminary where he is faced with racism, daily abuse and lack of support. Just when he reaches his breaking point, Kelly finds an unlikely mentor who helps motivate and guide him. Richard soon undergoes a transformation that forces him to choose between his dreams and his destiny.
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(Akiit.com) New book uses Bible to trace origins of humankind and contributions of blacks in America.

The Legacy: Looking Back While Moving Forward by Laura Lee King examines the lineage of black Americans

PORTLAND, Ore. (MMD Newswire) May 18, 2010 — In The Legacy: Looking Back While Moving Forward, Laura Lee King explores the ways black people have shaped and impacted the United States.

Was the Bible written to favor one group of people over another? In The Legacy, King studies the origins and contributions of black people, using the Bible as source material. King feels there is only one race, the race of people, and that all differences are merely superficial ones. She believes that black people have not received sufficient recognition in American history because of prejudice, and she aims to set the record straight.

King has said that she wanted this book to showcase the many inventions and contributions that blacks have given to the country, including the discovery of blood plasma, and creation of peanut butter, traffic lights and more. The author’s message in The Legacy is also that all groups of people have originated from just two, Adam and Eve, and all have shared in discoveries and inventions.
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