I’m in, are you? I just signed up for the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, GA July 25-27, 2008. According to the website, the most important purpose of the conference is to share knowledge. The conference will promote intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together. Blogging While Brown is an opportunity to meet other bloggers and blog readers of color for the first time, discuss current issues of interest to bloggers of color, network with individuals and organizations interested in leveraging online activity with offline results, and learn about the latest technology that will assist bloggers with publishing their work and improving their readers experience by fully engaging in the newest media technology.

I’m excited because I’ll finally get the chance to meet some of the bloggers I read on a regular basis. In a way, you sort of connect with the author after reading their blog for a while, so it’ll be nice to meet them face-to-face. I also hope to learn more about blogging and ways we can all work together to benefit our communities. Since I’m not sure all who’s attending, I thought I’d call out just a few of the bloggers I want to see. If you’re registered, let me know. If not then register here. Hope to see you there.

• Angela & Markus
• Benin
• blackgivesback
• JD
• JW
• Kanute
• Marty
• Paula
• Shawn
• Vanessa
• Wayne
• Yobachi

Marty over at MartyBLOGs has written a passionate post about Why Is the Black Establishment Afraid to Grasp History? It talks about Barack Obama and how he’s not getting the support of the black leadership. If you’ve listened to my podacast, you’ll know I try not to vote on the basis of color because not all black people have my interests at heart. I figured from the beginning that something like this would happen and even said he should wait until the next election. But since he’s in, he’s got my vote. He hasn’t had enought time in politics to become an official politician like Hillary, so I’m hoping that will help him in his decision making.

No matter what happens, history will be made and this country will be different because of it. After reading the post I’d like to know how you feel. Are the black leaders overlooking the few chances to get an African-American in office? We’ve been fighting for representation for a while. Is this our time or will Hillary best represent the issues in the black community? Check out my comments on Marty’s blog.

Venessa at vanessabyers.net posted a good article for college students titled “Money Saving Tips for College” by By Lisa Rogers-Cherry. This is something that I can relate to because I fell into some of those campus credit card traps when I was in school. Financial literacy is an important part of life and your mistakes early on can hurt you in the future. Especially when it comes to the African-American community, we tend to make light of the fact that our credit is bad. We shrug it off, but in reality it means we pay so much more money for the things than those with good credit.

I was watching an episode of Black Enterprises Business Report and they were talking about how African-Americans are more likely to recieve the subprime home loans than any other race. Most of the loans were based on the fact that our credit score was lower or we didn’t have as much for the down payment. Because of lower credit scores, we pay more for anything that needs to be financed. We get tricked into thinking that the companies offering “No Money Down” and “Credit Issues Not A Problem” are looking to help us out. All they want is the money from our higher interest rate!

I guess I’ll get off my soapbox, but check out the article because it has some great advice to keep students out of financial trouble. You don’t have to be a tightwad, but you can make wiser decisions when it comes to your finances. If you are a college student run the other way when they offer you the free t-shirt for signing up for a credit card. Take the steps now to learn how to manage your money now before you get out in the “real world”.

Now I’m not trying to take any listeners from my podcast, but I did want to let you know of a new show at BlackWeb 2.0. It’s their first episode where they interview Rocky Williform, CEO of StreetCred Media Group. They talk with Rocky about his new social networking group which targets the hip hop culture in an effort to bring about dialouge between the real fans of hip hop. They also talk about the future of StreetCred and how he came up with the idea behind the website.

The best thing about this interview is you don’t have to be a tech enthusiasts to enjoy it. They also talked with Rocky about how he was able to fund the project, his business philosophy and how he developed a business model around his idea. If you are an entrprenuer (or wanting to be one), there’s definitely some good information in it for you. If you check out Rocky’s bio, you’ll see this brotha is definitely about business. I like his mindset and you can tell in the interview that he is well-versed in what it takes to run a successful business. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Interview with Rocky Williform, CEO of StreetCred.com

I have to admit most of of the black blogger posts I highlight are probably from the Villager and this is no exception. Here’s another story we need to be watching which involves the assault/arrest of a 16 year-old African-American girl by a school security guard in Palmdale, CA. The incident was over her dropping a piece of cake on the floor during an event and not picking it all up. The guard confronted her, handcuffed and slammed her on the table breaking her wrist in the process. Due to some quick thinking by one of the students (who was later arrested) the ordeal was recorded on a cell phone and given to the local news station. There’s more to the story and I ask that you check it out because this is just an inkling of what’s happening in our society.

I try to keep from throwing the race card without knowing all the facts. But even if I kept it in my pocket, you still have to admit the guard was in the wrong. No matter how much you dress it up BS still stinks and this young girl is now expelled from school over some cake crumbs on the floor. Something isn’t right and I hope the community and the school are making the necessary moves to get this issue resolved. Villager, thanks for making us aware of this story.

Palmdale Teen Beat by Security Guard Over Cake Crumbs
Parents Protest Beatdown of Black Teen in Palmdale
Audio: Mother Of Girl Assaulted & Arrested For Dropping Cake

Who needs the media when you have live coverage from the blogosphere. Shawn, author of the Dallas South Blog will be making is way to Jena and will be posting live from the rally. He’s put together some good content and below I’ve listed some additional links to posts that he’s done on the Jena Six movement. It makes me proud to see black people coming together for a common cause. If this were not to happen, those six young men would just be another statistic in the criminal justice system.

All I’m asking is for a fair trial. In a radio interview with Mychal Bell’s father, he said there are a lot of issues regarding race in Jena. As long as Bell was running the ball on the football field, everyone loved and supported him. It was until this situation that his support dwindled and the town has turned on him. I hope things turn out well and the media covers the real reason behind the rally. This is a movement to make right some of the wrongs in the world.

Dallas Prepares for Travel to Jena
Judge vacates conviction of Mychal Bell

All I have to say is, it’s about time. The media is finally starting to put the spotlight on the Jena Six trials. While Anderson Cooper and CNN get the attention on a national level, I credit the blogging community for leading the charge. The first time I heard about it was from the Villager at the Electronic Village, Afrospear and Vanessa at vanessabyers.net. If you don’t know what’s going on, I’ve provided some links for you to check out. The Villager and Vanessa have put out some good information on the Jena Six and I don’t believe in re-inventing the wheel when it’s already well-designed.

Racism is still an issue and it only leads to trouble. While the young men were wrong in what they did, the problem I have is with the charges brought up against them. If the situation was reversed, would the same charges apply? The National Bar Association is looking to open their own investigation to make sure each of the young men are properly represented.

97.9 the Beat, a local Dallas radio show is getting ready to travel to Jena on Sept 20th to attend the rally. For those who can’t make it, they are asking you to donate to the Jena Six Defense Fund at www.colorofchange.org. Send what you can, no matter how small of an amount it is. Details for the rally are still being gathered and I will post them when I get them.

Please sign the online petition and read the following links for more information.

Going To Jena
Jena 6: Racism in America
Jena Cuts Down Noose Tree
The Jena Six: An American Tragedy and a Shameful Reality
Jena 6: An American Tragedy

Update: I also ask that you check out Jena Six Activism Getting Results. Black bloggers making a difference. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.

With so many people bashing hip hop artists, it’s good to hear some good news every now and then. The Kanye West Foundation is working with Ariel Capital Management and Strong American Schools to improve the high school drop out rate among African American and Latino students. Kanye will be working to get the presidential candidates to make education a top priority on their list of campaign promises. I feel it’s the least they could do. Our government has shown where their priorities lie and it’s not with our students. We talk a good game about being competitive with other countries when it comes to education, but we’ve fallen short of the mark.

The blackgivesback blog has a really good post about the benefit concert and the other events that took place. Check it out.

Hip Hop Superstar Kanye West Combats School Drop Out Rate Through Hip Hop Music

Jimmy, a good friend of mine (and frat brother) has started a new blog with his first topic called “The New 2007 Jim Crow is subtle and rarely overt”. A friend of his was discriminated at a local restaurant here in Dallas because her toddler was “too loud” during a time when everyone else was talking equally as loud. She ended up sending a letter to the mayor and other high ranking officials at the restaurant in Dallas detailing what transpired.

Being the father of a toddler, I know there are times when they can get loud (especially when they’re tired). My son is active and loves to talk, but this is what kids do. There are certain places I know not to take him, but if you have booster seats for kids I consider him welcome. I’m sure people have mixed feelings on this, so we’ll see what comes out of this situation.

I’m the kind of person who likes to know where I’m welcome, so I wouldn’t be offended if businesses put up signs with restrictions on age limits. What happened to her was wrong and she has a right to be upset. There is more to the story and if I can post the letter, I will at a later date. Check out the post and let me know what you think.

Benin at www.beninmwangi.com has a very good article on which form of money better benefits the countries in Sub Saharan Africa. I’ve been interested in learning how to do business in Africa and I’ve heard this same question come up on shows like Inside Africa on CNN. While I think it’s great that Bono, Oprah and all these celebrities are working to get aid for Africa, is the money helping or hindering the overall growth? Would it be better to invest in African businesses by encouraging more trade in the U.S?

It’s a tough question to answer that’s worth looking in to. I try to always encourage people to think global. There are a lot of opportunities in these emerging countries and I don’t want to miss out. I hope to do a podcast on this topic one day because it’s an issue worth discussing.

Trade Versus Aid in Africa, Who Wins?