Africa? Yes, Africa!

February 19, 2013.
A director from American University of Nigeria sent me an email to invite me to speak on the business side of art and entertainment - all expenses paid plus an honorarium. He said I had come strongly recommended by a mutual friend, Kevin Powell. He also said that if I was interested and available, we'd have to move rather quickly to get things in place.

March 7, 2013.
Almost two weeks later, I'm aboard a plane headed to Abuja, capital city of Nigeria. From there I go to Yola, where I'll give my speech. I started yesterday and have been en route for about 14 hours, including a layover in Germany. But I'm almost there now. We'll land in an hour and 45 minutes.

There's a little turbulence in the air as I type this and the ride is getting a little bumpy. Quite telling. I am still in a mild state of shock and have run out of places to pinch. This is really happening.

Thank you, Kevin. You have helped clear the path for something bigger than you know.

The Schomburg Welcomes April R. Silver, 4/9/13

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Please Forward The Schomburg Center and AKILA WORKSONGS present ELEVATING: 20 YEARS OF ARTS AND ACTIVISM A Conversation with APRIL R. SILVER Moderated by Curtis Stephen More Updates to Come! Find and Share This Event on Facebook!  www.facebook.com/events/360416330732233/ ABOUT APRIL R. SILVER April R. Silver is a social entrepreneur, activist, and writer/editor based in New York City. She is also founder of AKILA WORKSONGS, a communications agency that publicizes and promotes a diverse clientele, from  award-winning journalists, actors, filmmakers, dancers, and choreographers; national best-selling writers and poets; and GRAMMY® award-winning musicians to unrecognized artists and many others.   The former talk show host of My Two Cents (formerly on BETJ, now known as Centric) is also public relations and event management consultant to both local, on-the-ground organizations and international philanthropic foundations alike. The former middle school Language Arts teacher has been featured, profiled, or quoted in Ms., Essence, Ebony, Jet, Newsweek, The Washington Post, as well as on CNN, BET, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and countless other outlets, nationally and internationally. As a public speaker, Ms. Silver has moderated, served as a panelist, or keynoted at hundreds of libraries, community centers, and universities nationwide and thoroughly enjoys engaging with open minds. As a writer, her essays and writings have been published in the New York Daily News, Word.Beats.Life (The Global Journal of Hip Hop Culture), Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority by Tom Burell, Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your Entertainment Business by Thembisa Mshaka, and throughout the blogosphere. In 2010, Silver served as Managing Editor of A New Way Forward, a manual on mentor recruitment by Susan L. Taylor. Be A Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men on Fatherhood, Family, and Love (2008, Counterpoint Press) was Silver's entry into the traditional publishing world. Of the critically acclaimed anthology,  Foreword Magazine says "Editor April R. Silver has turned her first book into a must-read for anyone involved in the black community." April is currently finishing her arts and activism memoir on her life as part of a death-defying, groundbreaking student movement at Howard University to present day. It is due summer 2013.  A native New Yorker who spent her adolescent years in Los Angeles, April is a proud Brooklynite. Her most treasured worldly possession is her Jacksons vinyl collection. -- Personal Twitter: @aprilRsilver Business: @akilaworksongs Learn more at www.aprilRsilver.com Bring April R. Silver to your campus, conference, or small group workshop. Contact Drake R. Holliday Photo credits (top to bottom): Bruce Stansbury, Curtis Stephen, April R. Siver, Ed Marshall Put On BLAST! c/o AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc. | PO Box 250553 | Brooklyn, NY 11225 | United States Manage preferences | Forward to a friend

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What's Not Being Said about Haiti (Ezili Danto)

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Forward Dear POB! Family, My heartfelt prayers are with the people of Haïti on this, the third anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010. I have never been to Haïti and don't know that anyone on either side of my family is from there. But our collective ancestors are African and we are, as a result, spiritually and historical tied forever. I'm honored by that fact. So while I celebrate the humanity and the beauty of my Haïtian extended family, I remain heartbroken that the United States has played such a disastrous role in the under-development of that powerful island nation. I'm committed to telling the truth as it is revealed to me and for that reason, I'm sharing an audio link to a media interview that was conducted yesterday on WBAI Radio. Listen to artist, activist, and lawyer Ezili Danto  (Marguerite Laurent)  as she is being interview by Felipe Luciano on "Wake Up Call (Friday Edition)." What's NOT being discussed about Haïti is being discussed here. I met Ezili three years ago during my "Help Haïti" organizing work. She remains one of Haïti's most staunch defenders and lie-slayers. Please listen and explore for yourself. And if informed and inspired, please support the work of the Haïtian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN). And please support independent media such as WBAI (www.wbai.org) and other outlets. Our intellectual well-being depends on their survial. Love the love of Haïti, ars. April R. Silver Put On BLAST! c/o AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc. | PO Box 250553 | Brooklyn, NY 11225 | United States Manage preferences | Forward to a friend

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