Does The Church Empower or Imprison Its Congregants?

Does the Church Empower or Imprison...? What do you think? We address that issue this weekend, (6/10/07). The persons that will be on the program this weekend will take a definite position on the topic. No responses along the line of it depends. Why haven't we been able to achieve more in our personal and corporate lives? Why aren't we able to heal? Why are so many of our people obese? Why do we suffer more from all of the maladies of life and attend church more regularly? What is the role of the church in the lives of the people? This should be a lively discussion.

Juneteenth Is On The Way

A Few Comments on Juneteenth ----- June 3, 2007 Radio Program --- with guest Organizer Kimberly Dumpson, Esq.

clipped from www.juneteenth.com Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society. © 1996-2007 Juneteenth.com.

Juneteeth Celebrations Throughout Our Nation

Attorney Kimberly Dumpson will be in the studio this week (6/3/07) to talk about Juneteeth, What is It? Why Do We Celebrate it? What is it's historical significance? Why is this event of signigicant importance to African Americans? Sunday night at 8:00pm on Clear Channel's Magic 98.9.

Thanks to Our Veterans

Tom Kimball, the Maryland State Commander of the of the Veterans of Foreign War, gave me an opportunity to representatively say thank you to all those who have served our country so well over the many years of our American history. Tom joined me on Memorial Day weekend. One of the questions I directed at Tom was, why do we have Black VFW's and White VFW's? Tom dispelled the notion by saying, essentially, that veterans all work together to support each other. He also cited a few examples. Thanks Commander Kimball.

"Fight The Power...Company"?

John Allen, Vice President of Delmarva Power - the premier Power Company in the Del Mar Va area, joined me this week on Called2Action. I wanted to talk to John to have him address the high rate of our electric bills. Though John explained the difference roles at play -- the distributors and suppliers --- the bottom line is the same --- our electric bills are higher. Within the last year our electric bills have increased by 70% or better. John shared with us that electric rates have been frozen for a while, and the higher rates are now enabling Delmarva Power to function in a manner that's consistent with existing expenses. He also share that there have been six companies approved in Maryland by the Public Service Commission to provide power in this area. Interested persons should contact the Public Service Commission to find out more about how they can go about signing up for another power sources.

Upcoming Called2Action Program

Tonight's Program ----- A Tribute to Mothers with Councilwoman Shanie Shields and Alethia Nichols (joining us from Detroit Michigan)
Next Week ---- Delmarva's Power Company's Vice President --- John
Allen (scheduled)
Memorial Day Week End---- A Tribute to Our Soldiers - Tom Kimball Maryland State Commander of the Veteran's of Foreign Wars (Previously Taped)
First Sunday In June ------ The Historical and Contemporary Implications of Juneteeth with Kimberly Dumpson, Esq.
Second Sunday in June ---- Have We Allowed the Church to Emprison or Empower Us As We Work towards Justice in the Social, Political and Economic Order of Things? This will not be a philosophical middle of the road discussion. It will however be thought provoking.

Strenthening Our Community: A Charter School Approach

Ordinarily I take these pixs with my high priced Canon camera, after before or during each radio program. However, on this program that dealt with Strenthening our Community: A Charter School approach, I used by cell phone to take pixs. In looking at the pix's quality I was pleasantly surprised. Anybody want to buy a high priced camera?

Now for the subject at hand. My guests this week were Rev. Julius Thompson, and Dr. Bess McAllister. These folks are spearheading starting a charter school in Somerset County Maryland. They are in the process of appealing a rejection to a request to start a charter school. The intent of this school is to offer an alternative to the public school system. A system in which our young children are behind in every educational aspect. Currently there are 23 charter schools in Maryland, with 10 additional prospective schools, (source of this information is the State Board of Education's Website). None on Maryland's Eastern Shore. On the program we defined what a charter school is, the process for becoming a charter school, and the challenges from Boards of Education and "our people" in trying to get it going. An interesting program. Stay tuned.

Securing the Right To HealthCare and Well Being

I initially met Peter Stanford, MPH, PA-C at a State of the Black Union conference in Easton Maryland in September of 2006. He spoke on the topic , "Securing the Right to Health Care and Well Being", the topic he addressed on this week's Called2Action radio program.

We cited a number of statistics that shows Af-Am suffer from all kinds of illnesses more than their counterparts.

On this week's Called2Action program we discussed a few solutions --- exercising daily, eating fruits daily, stop smoking, encourage health agencies to capture statistics locally that shows racial and gender differences. For additional information read the chapter by the same name in the book, The Covenant, or email my brother at pmstanford@umes.edu.

Blacks Working In Predominantly White Work Environments

Jason Newton, formerly of CBS affiliate Channel 16 was my guest on April 22, 2007 Called2Action program. We had a good discussion on the subject matter. Jason was the news anchor on Channel 16. He did a super job in this capacity, but after a short stint he is no longer there. We talked about the challenges African American encounter while working in a White environment, in light of the fact that our cultures are different.

Jason was a gentleman in his approach to the subject matter, essentially he said, --- in my own words, --- money makes the world go 'round. We must be exceptional in what we do.

Towards a Better Understanding of Our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

Messrs. Habaki Payte, Fritz Jeudy, and Antoine LaGuerre, brothers that grew up in Haiti and now live in Salisbury, Maryland were my guest on Called2Action this week. We discussed Haiti's historical leadership role in liberating the oppressed. Haiti served as a model for the world. Today she pays a price for that. She is in economic distress; arguably the most improvished county in the Western Hemisphere. One caller felt that America is behind it. I asked the question of the role of self centered dictators of its past in this dismal economic straits.
Coming into this land of the free and the brave has brought with it many challenges and an integral part is the language barrier. We will continue the discussion in a few weeks. I am particularly interested in hearing more about this.

The Little Rock 9, Their Efforts and the Contemporary Impact

David Miller Sr., a member of the 101st Airborne Unit that was deployed by President Eisenhower to bring peace to a turbulent situation as 9 Black Student attempted to enter Central High School, was my guest this weekend (April 8, 2007). ARTICLE TO BE COMPLETED.

Are Coaches Exploiting Our Kids?

Adhim Deaveaux joined me from Mount Vernon, New York on our April 1, 2007 program. Below is a summary of our discussion.

Many coaches are more concerned with money than the welfare of our children. The attitude is to win at all cost. Coaches are more concerned with winning records than they are concerned about the welfare of their players. The stories of several functionally illiterate professional football players were discussed, i.e. Dexter Manley. A discussion pursued on how Dexter Manley and other players achieved their social status, while not being able to read. Our community cherishes the high scorer, though he/she may not be able to read. The dropout rate of several colleges was shared, i.e. Ohio State University has one of the highest dropout rates of any university in the nation. University of Maryland also has a high dropout rate. Solutions: We must “called out” coaches that are not tracking kids grades, and school behavior. Playing sports must be a means to an end. The end is to be properly educated. So what if you make 40 million dollars, but you cannot read nor write. Because this mis-educating begins at an early point in kids lives, parents must be involved in holding the schools (coaches accountable).

Continuing The Discussion on Building Wealth

We continue to tackle wealth building. Mark Townsend, a young brother that resides in Salisbury, Maryland joined me. We focused on 1) repairing credit and 2) homeownership. Many of our people still continue to struggle financially by limiting themselves financially. We stressed the importance of credit repair and talked about how to go about addressing this malady. Knowing your credit score is important. We also discussed steps to homeowership.

Upcoming Called2Action On Air Educational Seminars

Called2Action programs are generally scheduled every three months. Depending on the availability of guest some changes are made. Below is a list of topics we'll be discussing during this quarter. All guest have not confirmed nor have been identified through today.

• Credit and Homeownership March 25th 2007

• The 24 Million Dollar Slave April 1, 2007
• The Little Rock 9 and It's Contemporary Affects on Education April 8, 2007
• Aides In the Black Community April 15, 2007
• 40 Development Assests of Youth April 22, 2007
• The State of Health In Shore's Black Comm. April 29, 2007
• Building a Community ... Alice Coles May 6, 2007
• Mother's Day Celebration May 13, 2007
• Does the Church Empower or Emprison May 20, 2007
• Substance Abuse in Our Community May 27, 2007
• Closing the Digital Divide June 3, 2007
  

Return Visit With Drew Brown

After receiving several positive comments about Drew's Brown's last appearance on Called2Action, I invited Drew to a return appearance; besides our last discussion was unfinished. This time we talked about a number of different issues, --- Bill Cosby's controversial comments about our youth --- the solutions to our educational challenges. Solution according to Drew --- in my our words ---- put your money where your mouth is. Drew is a motivational speaker. If you would like to have more information on Drew, visit his website.

Highest Ranking Education Policy Makers In Region Visits Called2Action

The three men in the set are the three highest ranking policy makers in our Education system on Maryland's Eastern Shore. They were my guest this past weekend on the Called2Action radio program. Their policy making decisions affect (directly and indirectly) several hundred thousand people in our region. Here's who they are, in the lower right hand corner is Mr. Gary Mumford, President of the Worcester County Board of Education; in the lower left hand is Mr. Mark Thompson, Vice President of the Wicomico County Board of Education, and in the upper right hand corner is Rev. William Miles, Vice President of Somerset County Board of Education. We reviewed the data that showed African Americans are on the bottom of all educational endeavors in each of the county's. Dropout rates highest of any group. We discussed the 10 reasons we students are sent to the office, and here again ----- we're on the bottom of the totem pole.We discussed how the school budget is discussed, and community input. Solutions: Currently there is mentoring programs in place, and an Ombudsman. We will continue the discussion this week.

The Crisis Between African American Men & Women

The author of the book "24 Reasons Why African Americans Suffer" was my guest on February 25, 2007. Our discussion was centered around reason number 10. A summary of the program: African American men have been targetted for destruction, and the most important part of the plan involves the Black woman. Are African American females willing pawns in the conspiracy to destroy the family. Will they stay with African American men? Is it all a conspiracy? Whether it is or not we still hold the key to overcoming resulting odds. A few questions and thoughts that we discussed on the program. You may visit Jimmy's website at http://African AmericanImages.com. Thanks Brother Dumas.

Sunday February 25 2007 Called2Action Radio Program

On tonight's Called2Action radio program ------ The Crisis That Exist Between African American Men and African American Women. Join in the discussion. My brother, and author, Jimmy Dumas addresses this dilemma. Check us out on the internet. See my favorite links to the right of this page.

Isaac Mills and The Covenant In Action

Words cannot express the joy that comes to my heart when I see young African American men working in their community. Isaac Mills, picture in set, is one of those persons. Isaac spent the evening on Called2Action discussing information in the Book, The Covenant In Action. He also shared with us somethings that he's involved with in our community to help our youth. One thing in particular that struck me was his reference to his mentor, Mr. Lorenzo Hughes. Mr. Hughes encouraged him to take the ride down to Hampton to be a guest with the Covenant with Black America crew. That's awesome, isn't it. Thanks to Mr. Hughes and Mr Mills. Keep Up the tremendous work men.

The Covenant In Action ,Throughout the Nation

This Sunday (2/18/07), we will have a round table discussion on The Covenant In Action. Isaac Mills my guest, will participate in the discussion. Isaac attended the State of the Black Union held last weekend in Hampton, Virginia, so did my co-host David Miller. We'll talk about projects/stories that people across the nation have undertaken, as a result of The Covenant. We'll also talk about motivational essays from young community activitists that's making a difference in their community, and we will outline steps you can take to organize agitate, connect and act. I'll solicite calls from communities around the country (who are listening via the internet) to share their stories. Look, we have got to make our communities and our world better places for us all. This will be pleasing to God. See you on Sunday. If you want to join us on the internet look on the left hand side of my web page. You will see a link to listening to the Called2Action program. Click on that. It will take you to another page. In the upper right hand corner of that page you will see listen live, click on that and you've got it, mon.