Imani Hakim

UPN’s ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ star is all grown up!

Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris, The Gabby Douglas Story, Sharknado 4) have been cast to star in the Netflix original filmBurning Sands, directed by Gerard McMurray, from a screenplay by McMurray and Christine Berg.

Hakim will play Rochon, the love interest to Zurich (Trevor Jackson). The film is centered around a particularly brutal hazing process at an all-black university. A favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.

Hakim joins castmates Jackson, Alfre Woodard (“Luke Cage”), Steve Harris (“Legends”), Tosin Cole (“Hollyoaks”), DeRon Horton, Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Christian Robinson, Rotimi (“Power”), Octavius Johnson, Malik Bazille, Mitchell Edwards, Serayah (“Empire”), and Nafessa Williams (Brotherly Love).

Academy Award winning artist and actor Common will take the role of Executive Producer through his Freedom Road Productions. He will also bring his musical prowess to the project, performing the closing credits original song “The Cross” featuring Lianne La Havas.

Hakim’s other credits include UPN’s Everybody Hates Chris, Lifetime’s The Gabby Douglas Story, and Syfy’s Sharknado 4. The actress is represented by Alexander’s Talent Management and Don Buchwald & Associates.

Burning Sands will make its premiere on Netflix on March 10, 2017. Will you be tuning in?

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Saturday January 21, 2017 over 140 young men converged on Wilmer Amina Carter High School campus for their first inaugural “Young Men’s Leadership Conference.” The theme was adopted as “Manhood is not a Game, Manhood is about my A – Game.”  The African American Advisory Council (AAPAC) enlisted collaboration from community-based organizations including: State Senator Connie Leyva; Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes; PAL Center; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.; Young Visionaries; and the Youth Action Project.  AAPAC mission is “To empower young men to realize their potential and leadership abilities, through positive interaction with other young men and male leadership within the community.”

The PAL Charter Academy High School accepted the invitation from Carter High School along with Kolb, Rialto, and Kucera Middle Schools in bringing students to this event. The students were very engaged with great speakers and presenters on various topics such as You Inc.- Finance my Future, Code Switching, Being the Real Boss- Entrepreneurship, and Social Activism which  left strong impressions on the young men. 

When asked what he gained from the experience student Edward Orrego replied “I already started teaching my little brother some of the things I learned about being a man. I tell him you have to look the part and do your best.” 

Student Jeremiah Cook said he learned that he is an “Anomaly – the exception” and to never give up.  One of the highlights of the day was the male involvement group the FELLAS – who “MAN MOB” on campuses across the I.E. providing encouragement, love, and support for all students. There is an old saying “iron sharpens iron and a man is sharpened by the countenance of his brother.” The Young Men’s Leadership Conference exemplifies real men stepping up to make a difference in the lives of our young men.  PAL Center Community Coordinator, Edward Brantley said “This is the first of many events to come.” 

RIVERSIDE, CA- The Eta Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. traded their customary Pink and Green for the day in support of the American Heart Association.  “Pink Goes Red” is a national focus of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., America’s oldest sorority for African American college educated women.  The “Pink Goes Red” campaign seeks to educate women about the risks of Heart Disease.  Eta Nu Omega Chapter President Nancy Ross, herself a survivor of heart disease reminded the chapter that heart disease and stroke are the number one killers of women, affecting 1 in 3 women, more than all cancers combined.  She issued a challenge last year to members to eat better, move more, and reduce sodium intake.  Chapter members met this challenge and raised funds to donate to the American Heart Association.  Eta Nu Omega is actively involved in the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside, participating in various projects to promote family strengthening, youth education and health promotion.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- PAL Center staff met with with Chief Paulino and Assistant Chief Donahue of SBCUSD Police Department to discuss collaboration on Explorers and Cadet Program for the upcoming year!  This is an exciting venture that will benefit students and parents, and create awareness of law enforcement career opportunities and services.  

PAL Center CEO, Dwaine Radden exclaims, “We’re excited to expand our partnership with the SB School Police by developing a Cadet program for our students and the community.” 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- To celebrate Black History Month, San Bernardino Valley College is launching an impressive lineup of concerts, lectures, film screenings, and dance performances over the month of February.

Organized by the college’s Arts, Lectures & Diversity (ALD) Committee, these events have traditionally brought hundreds of community members to campus, with many visitors becoming regulars.

“This is a time-honored tradition on our campus,” said President Diana Rodriguez. “I am proud that our campus and community continue to come together to celebrate the achievements of some of the greatest men and women in our country’s history.”

The month’s events kicked off with a screening of Light Girls on February 1, a documentary film that chronicles the lives of light-skinned African-American women and the prejudices they face.

The rest of the month’s events include:

• February 8: Film Screening, Bleaching Black Culture (11:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. in the Library Viewing Room)
• February 15: Film Screening, 13th (11:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. in the Library Viewing Room)
• February 17: Music/Poetry/Dance Performance, Project 21 (6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium)
• February 22: Guest Speaker, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson: Race, Racism, and Race Relations in the United States (6:00 p.m. in the Auditorium)
• February 23: Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast (7:30 a.m. in Campus Center)
• February 24: Black History Month Concert & Civil Rights Celebration (7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium)

All events are free and open to the public, with free parking available on campus.

DUB DOLLA

By Lue Dowdy

DINO CITY – WHAT IT DO! From the streets of the Dino this rap artist PRADA aka DUB DOLLA made sure to keep it 100 with his in yo’ face lyrics.

The ladies love him and the dudes respect him! Spittin’ fire for a cool minute, Prada is now signed to GF Cash Records, an independent record company ran by “G” based out of the Inland Empire. The record company is happy and ready for the world to hear their talented artist.   Dropping his mixtape titled, “H.H.M.$. HAVE HEART & MAKE MONEY” is now available. Off the project, fans can hear hits such as, “ALL WE KNOW” featuring Peanut, “Dinoville”, “Bloodline”, “Rider”, and “I’m Wavey.” The entire team will be celebrating Prada’s upcoming album release party.

In the words of PRADA, “Hip Hop and community play a major role when it comes to influencing my lyrics.”

He continues, “I plan to do with my influence or this music is pretty much tell the world my story, our story, and shed light on my city in every way possible.”

To checkout music by Prada go to GF Cash Records soundcloud under https://m.soundcloud.com/user-194144347.

Until next week L’z!

LOS ANGELES, CA- SAG Award winner Dulé Hill may star in the upcoming CBS series Doubt, but there isn’t any doubt about his passion for children’s literacy. In the latest Storyline Online (storylineonline.net) video, released today by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in celebration of Black History Month, the former star of The West Wing and Psych reads the award-winning children’s book As Fast As Words Could Fly, written by Pamela M. Tuck, illustrated by Eric Velasquez and published by Lee and Low Books, the largest publisher of children’s literature specializing in diversity and multiculturalism.

The newest addition to the Storyline Online video library, As Fast As Words Could Fly tells the story of Mason Steele, a young African-American boy living in the south during the civil rights movement, who supports his activist father with the help of a typewriter in the fight for racial equality and ending segregation. The story is inspired by the real life experiences of the author’s father who lived in North Carolina in the 1960’s. A winner of the “New Voices Award,” As Fast As Words Could Fly speaks to the power of hard work, determination and resiliency in the face of injustice and prejudice.

Hill concludes his reading with a personal note to his viewers, “Words do matter, but actions matter that much more…. So no matter what people think about you, what they say about you, you don’t always need to respond. Just do you.”

“Dulé is not only a gifted actor and storyteller. He also serves as a Board Member of our Foundation, and has a history of giving back to his fellow actors and our children’s literacy programs through his volunteer service,” said Cyd Wilson, Executive Director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. “He was a natural choice to read for Storyline Online, and he chose to read a very powerful book that is a free educational tool for teachers and parents to share during Black History Month.”

The video comes with supplemental activity guides for both home and school, aimed at students in 3rd-5th grades, that strengthen verbal, written and comprehension skills while engaging the themes from the book: civil rights/discrimination, overcoming obstacles, heroism, and conflict resolution. Activities encourage students to walk in Mason’s shoes as well as identify injustices that exist today.

Hill is the latest actor to join the ranks of Storyline Online readers which includes recent SAG Awards Life Achievement Recipient Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Kevin Costner, James Earle Jones, Christian Slater, Allison Janney and more, reading beloved children’s books out loud alongside inventively animated, original illustrations. Storyline Online is sponsored by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, available 24 hours a day at no cost to children, parents, and educators worldwide, and receives over 12 million views every month.

To view As Fast As Words Could Fly and all of the Storyline Online videos, visit storylineonline.net, and subscribe to youtube.com/storylineonline. Keep up with new videos to be released in 2017 by following @StorylineOnline on Twitter and StorylineOnline on Facebook.

LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s that time of year again when high school seniors start narrowing down their college choices. On Saturday, February 11, the National College Resources will be hosting the 18^th Annual Black College Expo.

The Black College Expo is where students who are interested in attending a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) can receive more information on different campuses, as well as to apply and get accepted on the spot. The application fees will be waived. For those that can’t afford to go to a four year university, there will be scholarships on the spot for high school seniors.

There will also be internships and career opportunities for recent college graduates that are in need of employment. Other programs and workshops that will be held throughout the day include:  Students Think S.T.E.A.M.; The Movement Enrichment Program; Intervention, Mentoring, College & Career Planning; and Student Athlete Recruiting & Education Program.

The Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center located at 1201 South Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. For tickets and more information, please visit thecollegeexpo.org.

LOS ANGELES, CA- For the past decade, Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Awards have paid homage to modern image-makers—both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Since its inception in 2008, the awards have honored some of the most cherished figures in the industry, including Oprah Winfrey, Lupita Nyong’o, Ava DuVernay, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and many more. This year’s event will shift from a daytime luncheon to an evening gala for the first time and will be held at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, CA, on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

The Power of Our Presence exhibit will be open at the Paley Center’s Beverly Hills location (465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210) from Wednesday, February 8 to Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

For more information about this exhibit, please visit Essence.com or paley.me/bwih, and follow Essence on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @essence, as well as the Paley Center on Facebook and Twitter @PaleyCenter for more updates.

The Essence Power of our Presence exhibit is presented by AT&T and the Minority Business Development Agency.

Photo credit/manolojolinsky.com

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire (BCCIE) had their 2nd annual Black History Super Expo this past Saturday, February 4 in Downtown San Bernardino at Court Street. Tammy Martin-Ryles and the BCCIE members did an outstanding job on bringing together the community.