The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter

July 1, 2015

Editor's Message

Another tragedy brings America together again: Myth or Reality?

Here we go again. After the murders of the nine Black church members at Charleston, South Carolina's Emanuel AME Church, the media made it seem as though White Americans, Black Americans, Indigenous people (Native Americans), Latino Americans, and Asian Americans magically came together again.

Oh really?

Not to downplay this horrendous tragedy. But we see the same repeating record that was played after the Oklahoma City bombing, the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington; and Hurricane Katrina. So what makes this tragedy so different from the other three? Sad to say, it's only a matter of time when the Charleston murders are forgotten and life will return to "normal."

Now, the rebel flag is being attacked again. Dylann Roof — the 21-year-old white male who murdered the nine church members including senior pastor and state Sen. Clementa C. Pinckney — was seen in a photo holding up a small rebel flag. There was even a Black woman, Bree Newsome, who recently climbed up the flag pole at the South Carolina State Capitol and removed the flag before being arrested.  Let's say the U.S. government and state governments pass legislation to take down the flag across America. What's next?

While America is focusing on taking down the rebel flag, eight Black churches in the South have been burned down in the last 10 days. Are the church burnings of the 1990s (during which as many as 45 Southern Black churches were damaged or destroyed) re-occurring in 2015? Law enforcement officials in these cases have stated that these fires were caused by electrical malfunctions, lighting strikes… and yes, arson. Well America, what are you going to do now? Black America, do we need to secure our churches? The overriding question is this: Will America finally tackle, address, and end racism in America? Eliminate poverty, homelessness, inadequate education, health, and distressed communities, crime, police brutality?

Our President, U.S. Congress and Senate, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, our state representatives and senators, our mayors and city councils, our county boards, school boards, educators, and our ministers/churches — need to do what Pope Buck I stated in his article "An Open Letter To The Guys Who Run The World" — submitted to Daily Kos (dailykos.com Jan. 27 and June 20, 2015):

"There are scientists and engineers out there full of ideas about how to clean up the mess. Ideas about how to protect our land masses from rising oceans and the other ravages of climate change. Ideas about how to move beyond poisonous fossil fuels and reinvent the energy industry.

"Ideas about new ways of agriculture, of food, of making fresh water, of reimagining a thousand fields. You and your class are the people who can make those ideas into reality, by spending some fraction of your accumulated capital."

America, especially BLACK AMERICA: This is what we must do to save ourselves. After the  hugging, the crying, the marching, the protesting,  all of the aforementioned will die off … and typical America will re-emerge.

Adults, our children will have to clean up the mess we've made after we leave this earth; mainly, because many of us will have wasted time in fruitness acts. Please, let's make life better for our children in the centuries to come!

Hotep people!
Abari Sankofa (aka Renarda A. Williams)

*This column is dedicated to the spirits of the nine Black people murdered at Emanuel AME Church. May you all rest  in peace with the ancestors.

  
Justice or else! Will Black America listen this time?
By Abari Sankofa

Note: This is the first of three articles promoting the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March.

October 10, 2015, will be the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March. I am still not the same after I attended the March on October 15, 1995.  I was there first, as a Black man coming to atone, restore himself and spirit; and second, covering that historic day for the Monroe Free Press, a Black weekly newspaper in Monroe, La, where I was a columnist/reporter. I also attended the Millions More Movement, the 10th anniversary commemoration of the march, on October 15, 2005 in Washington, DC. I relocated to Little Rock in Sept. of 2004, with my media-based business, The Umoja Network (TUN), that I founded three years after attending the first March. I also covered the March for one of my freelance writing clients in Lafayette, La, Faith and Soul News Magazine. Now I eagerly await the 20th anniversary observance.

On June 24, 2014, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan announced that the march, "Justice or Else," will take place on October 10, 2015 at the National Mall in Washington, DC, where the original march was held. The Minister made this announcement at at Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, DC, pastored by The Rev. Willie Wilson, who helped organize the 1995 March. Farrakhan emphasized that this march will focus on seeking justice that's "fair dealing" and which "distinguishes between right and wrong."

Wilson stated that this march "will not be just about Black men." This anniversary's march will  be "about women, children, Latinos, Asians, and Caucasians." Specifically, those included in the statistics mentioned on the event website, Justiceorelse.com: "45.3 million people in the USA are living in poverty, Black unemployment is twice that of whites, 60 percent of people in prison are Black and Latino, 32 percent of Native American youth under 18 live in poverty, and 28 hours from now, police will have murdered someone Black."

But besides seeking "Justice or Else" — confronting Congress and Senate to solve the problems of Blacks, Indigenous people (Native Americans), Asians, and Whites, Black America needs to do that which was suggested by Black Initiative and Government Responsibility (a report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 1987):

"To assume a new command of its problems and facilitate more rapid advancement, the black community must strengthen its institutions, help them adjust to new circumstances and new challenges, increase its financial and participatory support, and encourage more purposeful communication and collaboration."

Furthermore, those African Americans who criticized the first Million Man March for not accomplishing anything — and refusing to participate in the Millions More Movement after the march's 10th Anniversary — need to LISTEN this time to what this march wants to accomplish, and become a part of the process.

They should also note that Black America does have the ability to empower itself. According to a book by Michelle A. Gourdine, M.D.,  Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness (Yale University Press, 2011):

"Because of the sacrifices of many, African Americans have greater educational opportunities than ever before. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2006, 80 percent of African Americans were high school graduates, 2.3 were enrolled in college, and 1.3 held an advanced degree. (page 4)

"There are more African Americans in the middle class than ever before. The number of African Americans living in poverty has declined from 31 percent in 1986 to 25 percent in 2008. (page 4)

"The number of black-owned businesses has grown. In 2007, the Census Bureau counted 1.9 million black-owned firms employing more than 920,000 people and generating nearly $137 billion in business revenues. (page 4)

"The political power of African Americans has strengthened. The Congressional Black Caucus has grown from 13 in 1971 to 43 members in 2010. There are more black mayors than at any other time in our nation's history. What's more, our nation has elected the first African American president of the United States. (page 4).

"In the five decades since the civil rights movement began, all Americans have enjoyed better health and lower death rates from the leading causes of death. African Americans made great gains in life expectancy — between 1970 and 2004, black males' expectancy increased almost ten years compared with white males' increase of eight years. For Black females, the increase was eight years compared to white females' increase of five years." (page 5)

"Yet a gap between African American and white American health persist." (page 5)

These facts stated in Gourdine's book — which is one of the best empowering books about African American health —  proves that Black America can control its destiny. And the Million Man March made a difference because many of the men, including myself, who attended the march were a part of today's Black progress.


April Ryan talks about The Presidency in Black and White
By Abari Sankofa (aka Renarda A. Williams) and Nandi Sankofa

One of the most provocative, behind-the-scenes views of the current and recent occupants of the White House — and their handling of race relations in America — is presented in a book by White House Correspondent April Ryan.

In The Presidency in Black and White: My Up-Close View of Three Presidents and Race in America (Rowan & Littlefield, $24.95, hardback, 2015), Ryan leave no stones unturned in her mission to give readers an insight on the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and  Barack Hussien Obama, and their leadership on political and racial issues. 

Ryan, a 28-year journalism veteran, has for 17 years been the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN). Ryan was interviewed about the significance of focusing on these presidents from Black and white perspectives; the key strengths and weaknesses of each president; her overall assessment of President Barack Obama as a Black president in his last term; and her major accomplishment in life.  
   
Ryan said the biggest significance of this book is her revelation that race has been an issue for presidents dating back to George Washington. "Every president had to deal with it, but you don't necessarily hear about it until it's like a crescendo moment," she added.

"I give you a lot of issues of race that were on the table, specifically for these last three presidents — issues that you never really heard about, or things you didn't know ... . The biggest thing is that race is so important right now that you've had two presidents [Obama and Clinton] go on the record for the book specifically. First Lady Laura Bush, former secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condolezza Rice, and so many others [have gone] on the record for this book."

Which president had the best agenda on race? Economics? Education? Health care? Foreign policy? The environment?

Ryan said she couldn't make that blanket call.

"You have to look at each one [as far as] the time that they were in, and the conditions, the political expediency of the times — what they were allowed to do, and what they could do ... those all factor in," she said.

Ryan does, however, laud Clinton as the modern-day president with the best economic policy for African Americans. "The unemployment rate was lower; more African Americans were able to buy homes," she noted.

During the Bush years, Black people were preyed upon via predatory loans, she said. "We saw this great boom in home ownership, and I guess these loan companies wanted to take advantage of African Americans who wanted to buy homes," she said.

It's been the Democrat presidents who have dealt with the environment. "The Republicans don't necessary believe in climate change. We heard a lot about how the environment affects our children with asthma in the Obama and Clinton years," she stated.

Each president has tried to tackle education. "We're hearing now from education secretary Arne Duncan that the education gap is closing," Ryan said.

He has a point, she said. "You have .... a large number of African Americans now not dropping out of school. The numbers just came out recently." The graduation rates for minorities are better. "They are bridging the gap now."

Ryan also noted that Obama's Affordable Health Care Act has been beneficial to the Black community. "We have more African Americans who have a choice than we did before," and fewer uninsured Blacks, she said. 

Asked about each president's strengths, Ryan said Clinton's key strengths were that he had a heart for the [Black] community, he talked a lot about how the nation was "browning," racial-wise, and that reflected in his welfare reform efforts. "He tried to reform welfare. He wanted to mend it but not end it. And he wanted to show the nation that we still needed it but we [needed] to really help it. And he wanted to lead by example. He brought in a number of people to help move along that reform," she concluded.

"Not only that, he had the most confirmable position for African Americans," she said.

Clinton's weakness was that he could have done more for African Americans in the arena of criminal justice. She cites one issue in particular ... closing the disparity between punishment of  crack cocaine users and punishment of powder cocaine users. There was about a 100-to-1 ratio. "But that was ultimately brought down during the Obama years to 18-to-1," Ryan stated.

And although both Clinton and Bush wanted to help Black farmers — each tried to have a conversation about it — it did not happen until the Obama administration.

Bush's biggest strength? "He was the president that did the most for Africa, [more] than any other U.S. president," Ryan said. "His weakness was Katrina." He dropped the ball in the handling of the devastation of New Orleans by the August 2005 hurricane, Ryan concluded. Also his administration looked at the Black vote as a loss rather than making efforts to woo Black voters. "If he had put more equity in the community"— had a lot more interaction with and understanding of it — "it wouldn't have been so bad for [Blacks affected by] Katrina," she says. The book contains an extensive conversation Ryan had with actor Wendell Pierce, who is from New Orleans and has helped significantly in its recovery.

Ryan said one of Obama's biggest strengths was simply in being the first African American president. Also, "he helped pay off the Black farmers, and he is trying to work with the criminal justice system and bridge gaps in racial disparity," she said.

"That's the legacy he said he wants to leave. His efforts may not bear the significance that the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil Rights Act or the Voting Right Act did, but they're notable. He said this to me ... his is about bridging the gaps, closing the gaps now, of discrimination that is still there, that we see today."

Every president comes into the office wanting to do the best job they know how, or believing they do, Ryan said. During Obama's first term, "he was the president who happened to be Black — that seemed to be his mentality, so he avoided such matters as race, and racial gaps, during his first term. During his second term, however, he has proven to be a completely different person when it comes to urban and minority issues."

"He had to really strategically navigate how he operated" because he was a Black man who is president, Ryan explained. "There are groups and organizations that were formed because he was a Black man who was president. And they were going to jump at anything he did for the African American community, which is sad because Blacks, even in this day and time are still represented disproportionately, in a negative way, 'in almost every category.'"

But, "second term, fourth quarter, this president is on when it comes to race! He's moving in ways we didn't expect, especially [in light of what] we saw the first time. So he's a different president."

Clinton and Bush were similar in that "they're more gregarious, I think," she said. But Obama has had to walk a different line, she adds. "Although he's more analytical, he's the kind of guy one would want to hang out with ... funny, cool, and smart."

"Obama had to walk a different line than the other two presidents. And he understood that," Ryan points out. And although he's the president who killed Osama bin Laden, it's been on his watch that the economy was turned around and gas prices have come down, the sad thing is that people want to "harp on the negatives," she said. She blames social media for weighing down this presidency in that people's expressed opinions go so much farther and they expect the president to move so much faster than the previous presidents were expected to do.

In addition to her correspondent role, Ryan, who lives in Baltimore, is the Washington bureau chief for AURN and host of the daily feature, The White House Report, which is broadcast to AURN's nearly 475 affiliated stations nationwide.

She said it was never her goal to work at the White House.

"I just was hungry to be in the business," she said. "And I guess my constant hunger and my constant drive made people take a look at me. But I've never said that I wanted to be in the White House." And when she got to the White House, she did not like it at first."

Now? "It is a blessing to be able to go into those gates," she said. "Every day when I go in there, I still get goose bumps." She considers herself blessed and refuses to take it for granted. "It could be taken away at any moment."

One of the highlights of her career has been the fact that three different presidents have called her by name; that she's had the chance to laugh and talk with them. Also, she appreciates being called on by them as a journalist and answering her questions "for the world to hear." She shares anecdotes about each president.

But one of the highest points of her life, Ryan said, was being a part of the 100th anniversary of the White House Correspondent Association ... [especially] being a part of three African Americans journalists to be on the board. She cites a group photo the association took at its founding ... all white men with a white president. "A hundred years later, here I am a little Black girl from Baltimore standing next to Michelle Obama, the first Black first lady, standing next to Barack Obama, the first Black president, standing with all my other association board members, who are white males and white women. So things have changed. That was one of my proudest moments of my life!"

Although she's interacted with these men and gotten to fly on Air Force One, Ryan said her biggest accomplishment has been raising her two daughters, molding them and helping them become young women who are going to be a viable part of society. "They are my everything ... . They are my biggest accomplishments," Ryan said. "They are my daughters, my friends, and they are my legacies."

"All that other stuff really doesn't matter. It's about your family."


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THE UMOJA NETWORK
The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter, Writing Services, and  Consulting Services 
 Speaker’s Bureau

(501) 765-1873
renarda3@aol.com
Little Rock, AR

What we do

Do you talk a good game, but have trouble writing it down?

Do you have an idea for a book, speech, report or pamphlet, but need
someone to actually put it on paper for you?

Are you seeking someone to tell your story?

Do you need someone to “polish up” your writing for you?

Are you in need of freelance writers for your magazine, newspaper or
newsletter?

The Umoja Network can help.

We specialize in rendering freelance writing services for newspapers, magazines, journals, and online publications; proofing/editing services, ghostwriting for authors, long-term and short-term writing projects; and speech writing, public speaking, and public relations services.

We treat each project as if it were our own, giving meticulous attention to detail and doing everything we can to ensure client satisfaction. Do not let our rates scare you! We can work with you. Easy payment plans are available.


The Umoja Network (TUN)
Renarda A. Williams (aka Abari Sankofa), Founder/CEO

Mr. Renarda A. Williams (aka Abari Sankofa) has more than three decades of experience as a staff writer, columnist/reporter, contributing writer, and freelance writer for small newspapers and magazines throughout Louisiana and Arkansas.

His articles have appeared in the Alexandria News Weekly (contributing writer, May 1987-Dec. 28, 1989), The Voice of Alexandria News Newspaper, Alexandria, LA (staff writer, Feb. 1987-May 1987); Monroe Free Press Newspaper (columnist/reporter, Dec. 28, 1989-Apr. 13, 2001); Skraps Magazine (contributing writer, June-July 1999) in Monroe, LA; Final Call Newspaper (freelance writer August 1993) in Chicago, IL; Essence of Blackness Newspaper (contributing writer June 2012-Dec. 2012); and Power Play magazine (contributing writer Feb. 2005-Dec. 2005) in Little Rock, AR.

Renarda has interviewed some of the most celebrated figures in the world in the areas of arts, entertainment, journalism, politics, science, law, social justice and religion. Among them: former Louisiana state representative/senator and former U.S. Congressman Cleo Fields; former Essence Magazine editor-in-chief Susan L. Taylor; jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis; former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell; talk-show host and author Tavis Smiley; lead singer Philip Bailey of legendary R&B group Earth, Wind and Fire; economist Juilanne Malveaux; the late Nobel Peace Prize winner, environmentalist, and author Wangari Maathai; personal diarist to former President Bill Clinton, former newspaper publisher, and author Janis Kearney; Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, author, professor and founder of Afrocentricity; Tuskegee Airman Milton Crenshaw; NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, fashion designer Korto Momolu; religion professor Dr. Cornel West; Iyanla Vanzant, author and women's empowerment advocate; one of the Little Rock Nine and educator Minnijean Brown Trickey; author and social critic Michael Eric Dyson; the late historian Dr. John Hope Franklin and the late attorney Johnny Cochran.

In addition to his journalistic work, Renarda has more than two decades of experience aiding youth. He's worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Alexandria, Alexandria, LA; served as a caseworker for Adolescents At Risk, Inc. and Adolescents Diversion, — two juvenile-diversion programs under the Ouachita Parish District Attorney's Office in Monroe, LA — and has also worked as a substitute teacher for the Rapides Parish School District in Alexandria, LA.

Renarda is a volunteer children's and social-issues media advocate/lobbyist as well as a volunteer public relations/communications director, media advocate and lobbyist for various African and African-American nonprofit organizations. He is a dedicated. self-taught scholar of African and African-American studies.

Renarda is currently chief executive officer of The Umoja Network (TUN), a writing services and public-relations company he established it in Monroe, La, on July 8, 1998, three years after he returned from the Million Man March.

He is also the editor of  The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter (TEION) News Flash (a free online newsletter that email local and national news to readers across the country) and  The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter Blog  (renarda1961.blogspot.com), publications of TUN.

Renarda attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), where he studied history and political science. He is originally from Alexandria, Louisiana (Central La.). He also lived in other parts of the state (Monroe, Northeast La. and Lafayette, Southwest La.).

His wife, Helaine (Nandi Sankofa), is president of The Umoja Network (TUN). She is a features writer, columnist, and society photographer for Arkansas' only statewide daily newspaper. Helaine is also CEO/Scribe/Speaker of Make It Plain Ministries in Little Rock, a subsidiary of TUN.


CURRENT FREELANCE WRITING CLIENTS (publications)

• Faith and Soul News Magazine Lafayette Metro Area, Lafayette, LA (senior writer)
• Faith and Soul News Magazine Fayetteville/Atlanta Metro Area, Fayetteville and Atlanta, GA
   (contributing writer)
• The Village Celebration Online Magazine, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)
• Inclusion Magazine, based in Little Rock, AR and New York City, NY (contributing writer)
• Free Press of Central Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)


FORMER FREELANCE WRITING CLIENTS (publications)

• Arkansas Times Newspaper, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)
• Rock of Arkansas Newspaper, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)
• Arkansas Free Press Newspaper, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)
• Whole Magazine Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)
• Stand News Newspaper, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)
• Refreschen Louisiana Magazine, Baton Rouge, LA, (contributing writer)
• Vision Magazine, a publication of Ru-mel and Associates and Consultants, North Little Rock, AR,
   (associate editor and contributing writer)
• Little Rock Sun Newspaper, Little Rock, AR (contributing writer)

PAST/CURRENT PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PROOFING/EDITING CLIENTS

• Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, Little Rock, AR (public relations)
• Arkansas Black Independent Film Festival, Little Rock, AR (public relations)
• New Level Solutions Newsletter, Maumelle, AR (proofing/editing)
• Tiffany Robinson, North Little, AR (ghostwriting)
• John Salle, Boston, MA (ghostwriting/editing)

PAST/CURRENT PROOFING/EDITING AND GHOSTWRITING CLIENTS

• Martha Dixon, Arkadelphia, AR (public relations).
• Vesta Sithole, Washington, DC/Maryland Metro Area (proofing/editing)
• Detrick DeBurr, Dallas, TX (proofing/editing)
• Johnny Taylor, Little Rock, AR (proofing/editing)
• Ru-mel and Associates Consultants, Little Rock, AR (public relations and proofing/editing)

SERVICES AND FEE SCHEDULE
(Please note that we cannot offer free “tryouts.” We will gladly provide adequate samples of our work to help you to decide whether to use our services. However, any actual work we do for you must be under contract.)

WRITING SERVICES 

Short-term projects:
• Feature articles for magazines, newspapers, newsletters: $200-$500
• Pamphlets: $1,000
• Reports: $500
• Speeches: $300
• Book proposals: $200-$300

Long-term projects:
 • Book manuscripts — ghostwriting: $6,500 + another $100 for every 1,000 words exceeding 60,000 words; another $1,000 for every 10,000 words exceeding 60,000 words

EDITING SERVICES
• Book manuscripts — Single edits (We edit the book 2-3 chapters at a
time; e-mail you the work for your approval; you make minor revisions
and send chapters back to us to make immediately): $750+ ($50 per 1,000 words for manuscripts exceeding 50,000 words)
• Book manuscripts — Double edits (We edit the book through and through; give you the edited version back on a CD; you make revisions; we re-edit the manuscript with your revisions): $1,000 ($50 per 1,000 words for manuscripts exceeding 50,000 words)
• Pamphlets, short stories, speeches, reports: $50 per 1,000 words
• Obtaining permission to use quotes in your publication: $75 extra for a single source; bulk rates available for permission obtained from multiple sources

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICES
• Biographies: $75
• Single “prototype” press kits: $500
• Mass press kits/mailing services: $1,000 plus materials
• Publicity campaigns (mass-mailed press kits; contacting the media; arranging TV/radio/newspaper interviews): $2,000; Press releases: Personal $200; Sending out to publications, etc. $400

 CONSULTING/PROCUREMENT SERVICES
• Book project consultation (we look over your notes or drafts and give our opinion on its potential):
  $100
• Publisher/agent referrals: $100
• Black history program organization: $50/hour
• Agendas for nonprofit organizations: $50/hour
• PR consultation (How to do news releases; which publications and stations to approach; the
   particular people to approach; how to arrange interviews, etc.): $50/hour

SPEAKER
• Renarda A. Williams (aka Abari Sankofa), available to speak on such topics as Black history, with
   a specialty in ancient African history; empowerment; motivational topics; youth empowerment
• Out-of-state engagements: $3,000, plus airfare, lodging, transportation
• In-state: $500-$1,000, plus gas and lodging where appropriate

FEES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

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The Umoja Network — TESTIMONIALS

“Thank you very much for doing a great job in promoting my book, Triumph Beyond Measure: An Autobiography (AuthorHouse).”
 — Martha Dixon, Arkadelphia, AR

“[I’d] like to personally thank you for the wonderful job you did in
 editing the rough draft of my book, Growing Up in The South: Lessons Learned.
 Your assistance and hard work made my book into a beautiful read. Many
 readers have said to us [that] after [they] start reading the book, it
 is very hard to stop … and [they] find themselves very eager to get
 back to it. Your professional skills, commitment and dedication made a
 great impact upon the final read”
  — Johnny L Taylor, Zero To Ten Publishing Company, Little Rock, AR,  www.zerototen.net

"Without you [my] project would not have happened."
— Detrick DeBurr, Deal Us In: How Black America Can Play and Win in the
     Digital Economy (Anji Books), Dallas, TX