CHICAGO – In the off-season, after the Super Bowl loss, Cam Newton – loving son, new father, star quarterback of the Carolina Panthers and lightning rod for critics – finally takes off his cape. In the EBONY exclusive, Trust and Believe by Charles F. Coleman, Jr, he openly addresses his regrets and rewards, and what all the controversy was really about.  In his first in-depth interview since the Super Bowl, Newton answers the questions that America wants to know – Does he regret making those pre-game comments? How does he feel about the loss? And what are his true feelings on the controversial post-game interview? 

The story also explores the media coverage of Newton and ponders the racial lens through which he is often peered going back to his early career, including threatening accusations in college. Those challenges at the start of his public life led some to doubt Newton’s ability to have a successful NFL career at all. He speaks to EBONY about those hurdles now as defining moments. “It made me think, ‘Let me get my shit together, dawg.’ That same story gives me the discipline [to make better decisions] when I’m out now,” says Newton.

Despite critics, the genuine source of Cam’s strength and resolve becomes evident after Coleman’s intimate time with the family. He reports that unlike what is often seen in both fictionalized and real depictions of Black sports stars, the Newtons are not the stereotypical clan who made it out of the ghetto thanks to the athletic prowess of their son. Rather they are a working class family from Atlanta’s College Park suburb, deeply rooted in the church. “When I see family,” Newton says, “I see the supporting cast that has helped propel me.”

Editor-in-Chief, Kierna Mayo’s takeaway from time with The Newtons, was the power of his mother’s influence on her son’s life.  In the story “Jackie ‘My-Love’ Advice from Cam’s mom on keeping kids close”, Mayo spoke with the NFL mom about the art of staying connected to your children over time.

In celebration of Black mothers, the April/May issue features: “Mama’s Boy", an interview with CNN Anchor Don Lemon where he opens up about the expansive love and sacrifice of his mother, Katherine Clark, and how it shaped his world; “Mother Nature”, insights from one woman’s holistic pregnancy journey, along with natural and organic editors’ picks beauty buys; “Sex, Dating & the Single Mom” by Entertainment Director, S. Tia Brown which urges mothers to get their mingle on and offers how-to tips; and Senior Editor Jamilah Lemieux’s column Honey Child,  “Always Be My Baby”, where she explores the complex and evolving relationship between mothers and daughters through her experiences.

The EBONY Spring Double issue also boasts an essential Spring film and TV guide, a special men’s sneaker roundup and “World Passport”, the new international style section.

GREENSBORO, NC — The spring 2016 HBCUgrow LEAD Conference, on the campus of Bennett College, featured North Carolina Senator Gladys Robinson, who spoke about the many faces of Jim Crow and how HBCUs can thrive in the 2016 political landscape. “Jim Crow has many faces, not only police brutality but injustice at the levels that denies food stamps for the hungry, housing for the homeless and access to higher education for our young people,” said Robinson.  The senator also highlighted several ways that HBCUs can sustain their momentum.  She encouraged HBCU leaders to focus on fundraising, sustainable endowments and achieving strong alumni giving.  She ended her address by issuing a challenge to the audience. “I encourage you to remember how you felt when you got that baccalaureate degree from an HBCU, and then I want you to go out and lift your hands and voices so that students that attend HBCUs can feel the same way,” she said.

The conference was designed to provide HBCUs with best practices in attracting prospective students, talented faculty, and donors.  Also, the conference recognized excellence at HBCUs. The HBCUgrow  2016 Gold Award winners were:  Shaw University for LEAD website,” Florida A&M University for LEAD marketing and the President of Shaw University, Tashni-Ann Dubroy for the “Best Leadership.”

Bennett College President Rosalind Fuse-Hall delivered the keynote address for the luncheon dispelling the notion that higher education is no longer the key to opportunity. “Americans are being constantly told that we are weighing students down with excessive debt, they can’t graduate timely, and we don’t really need that many people that are well educated -- we just need a few people with a few certifications to do certain things.  We know that this is not the case,” said Fuse-Hall.”  She also discussed the importance of student enrollment, fiscal stability, fundraising, budgeting, leveraging facilities, and having a better understanding of the dynamics of governing boards.

HBCUgrow is a consortium dedicated to helping HBCUs grow enrollment and alumni giving, and tackle the changing landscape of marketing challenges. HBCUgrow helps by offering a community of like-minded professionals sharing knowledge and inspiring HBCUs to grow. The group organizes conferences and events on topics such as enrollment management, alumni engagement, and marketing. To learn more, visit www.hbcugrow.com or join the HBCUgrow group on LinkedIn.

College leaders attending the HBCUgrow LEAD Conference were (left to right): and President of Shaw University Tashni-Ann Dubroy; Bennett College President Rosalind Fuse-Hall; Dr. Debra Saunders-White, chancellor at North Carolina Central University; and Dr. Larry Czarda, president at Greensboro College.

From left to right are: Jeanne Frazer, president of Vitalink, one of the Founding Partners of HBCUgrow; Anthony Brooks, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Shaw University; N.C. Senator Gladys Robinson; Bennett College Senior Cymone Baker; David Hoard, president of DHT & Associates and an HBCUgrow Advisory Board member; Audrey Franklin, executive director of Alumnae Relations at Bennett College; and Dr. Kim Long, associate provost for Administration at Wiley College.

Join the Cosmopolitan Baptist Church of Miami Gardens at their first Flea Market Extravaganza, Saturday, April 16, 2016, 7AM-5PM, 3303 NW 207 Street, Miami Gardens, FL 33056. The event benefits the church’s youth department. 

Voter registration services will also be offered onsite from 9AM-3PM. Register to vote or update your voter information. Every election is important. Don't let other people make important decisions for you and your family. Petitions will also be collected to restore voting rights to almost 2 million Floridians.

#MiamiDadeCounty #Florida #Miami #MiamiGardens #Election2016 #RegisterANDVote #GOTV #LetMyPeopleVote #NoVoteNoVoice

BOSTON, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a bold move towards expansion of its online presence and usage of cutting edge technology, OneUnited Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in America, is reconfiguring its branch network including closing two (2) Los Angeles branches, Ladera and Pasadena and seeking a Boston headquarters location. This next strategic journey will generate significant growth and place OneUnited Bank at the forefront of community banking by building what is being heralded by bank executives as the "Bank For The Future" or #BFF.

The #BFF technology strategy is being coupled with a vibrant outreach strategy that uses a variety of ways to engage the community and customers including popular events, vigorous social media, financial literacy workshops for the whole family and community activities with the many community partnerships formed over the past 20 years. The bank is also launching remote deposit capture, a Visa business debit card, online chat and a conversion of its online platform to provide better services to loan and deposit customers and increase efficiency.

Historically, banks have been measured by the size of their buildings and their number of branches. Most people grew up in an environment where banks with more branches were perceived to be more successful. Times have changed and a new paradigm has emerged.  Today, a fifth of Bank of America branches (or 1,400 branches), have recently been closed. The reality is that as the population ages and technology expands, fewer customers are visiting bank branches for transactions while emerging customers, the millennials, rely on technology to access their banking needs.

"Bank For The Future" is part of a visionary strategy that began twenty years ago when OneUnited started investing in technology. As the first Black internet bank, OneUnited was recently rated one of the top 25 community banks in the country for its social media presence. OneUnited Bank President & COO Teri Williams comments, "Banking is experiencing a new frontier; we need to be where our customers are……in local communities and online! To support our #BFF strategy, we are reconfiguring our branches, committing resources to new technology platforms, better tailoring our loan and deposit products to meet our customers' needs, launching new products such as our UNITY Visa secured credit card, expanding our social media presence and improving our web design to complement our strategy."  "In summary, we are taking the mantle as the largest Black-owned bank in the country and moving forward," she continued.

For more information about OneUnited Bank go to www.oneunited.com

 McDonald's "My Community" Video Competition 

McDonald's ABFF and Barbershop: The Next Cut film director, Malcolm D. Lee are excited to return with this national video competition for rising filmmakers for the second year! McDonald's challenges you to create a 90-second film that illustrates McDonald's 365Black mantra, "Deeply Rooted in Your Community." Submissions will be critiqued on creativity, implementation of concept and quality.

Three finalists will be selected to attend the festival, screen their story before the festival audience, where one winner will be selected. In addition, finalists will have an exclusive opportunity to experience a mentor session with critically-acclaimed film director Malcolm D. Lee (Barbershop: The Next Cut, The Best Man Holiday and The Best Man).

The following provides general submission information for the McDonald's Lovin' Video Competition:

• Video must not exceed 90 seconds in length.
• Video must not contain material that violates or infringes another's rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or constitute copyright infringement.
• Video content must be family friendly in line with the image of McDonald's.
• Video must not contain third-party brand names, trademarks, photos, artwork or music.
• Video must not be exhibited publicly at any time prior to the close of the 2016 American Black Film Festival/ June 19, 2016 and will be disqualified if in breach.
• Video must be submitted via a private online URL link (for example an unlisted YouTube video, a password protected Vimeo, etc.), along with password if applicable and your completed submission form, to be emailed to: [email protected] by no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, April 15, 2016. Email subject to read: McDonald's Video Entry. Deadline: April 15, 2016

CLICK HERE TO APPLY!   For more information on the 2016 ABFF visit abff.com.

L.E.A.D. Nation, Inc. celebrates 10 years of service to youth and families with the "Blue Jeans & Blazers" kick-off event for the 4th Annual South Florida Youth Summit, April 21-24. Photo: Gregory F. Reed

MIAMI, FL  –  On Saturday, April 2, 2016, Leaders by Empowerment-Activists by Development (L.E.A.D. Nation) and the South Florida Youth Summit hosted its 2nd Annual “Blue Jeans and Blazers” fundraiser at 1st Klass Café in Pembroke Pines to help raise funds and awareness for the organization's upcoming South Florida Youth Summit. 

Guests showed up in their chic blazers and designer blue jeans as WHQT Hot 105's DJ DP kept the crowd on their feet. The members of Black Greek letter organizations were definitely in the building and made their presence known as the Omegas stepped to "Atomic Dog" and the AKAs "Set It Off." 

"We are really excited about where we are going," said Florida State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. "L.E.A.D. Nation is changing the narrative for the next generation. To date, we have over 500 middle and high school students registered for the 4th Annual South Florida Youth Summit."

Notable guests in attendance at the event included Mayor of Miramar Wayne Messam; Pembroke Pines City Commissioner Jay Schwartz; City of West Park Commissioner Brian Johnson; and Miami Gardens Assistant City Manager Vernita Alexander Nelson. For more information and to register for this year’s South Florida Youth Summit, visit www.sfyouthsummit.com.

Rep. Shevrin Jones & Commissioner Jay Schwartz Photo: Gregory F. Reed

Adrian Freeman, Executive Director, L.E.A.D. Nation & Kerline Jules, Chairwoman South Florida Youth Summit Photo: Gregory F. Reed

Miami-Dade County Commission Chair Jean Monestime is hosting a free day-long community conference to bring together black Miamians of all backgrounds and nationalities to discuss issues affecting the African diaspora and to develop a collective action oriented agenda. County Commissioners Barbara Jordan, Audrey Edmonson and Dennis Moss, and Miami City Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon are co-hosting the conference.

The “ONE HERITAGE: State of Black Miami” community forum conference will take place on Thursday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Florida Memorial University, Smith Conference Center, 15800 NW 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens, FL 33054. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

This activity is long overdue. If applied and executed with genuine concern for the potential of the collective rather than other individualized agendas, this could be the tipping point for realizing advancement of blacks throughout this community. Hopefully, assignments with deadlines and follow-up will result from this conference. There have been far too many forums in this community that have largely only been opportunities for residents to vent frustrations.  

Please make every effort to participate in “ONE HERITAGE: State of Black Miami” if you are concerned about the current and future of blacks in Miami. 

For more information or to RSVP, call 305-694-2779, email [email protected], or visit www.stateofblackmiami.org #SOBM2016

 @vbyers

Greg Hylick, ASU alumnus and president of the ASU Foundation, (right) receives an original painting by artist Leroy Campbell (left) after bidding $4,000 during a live auction at Saturday’s “Party with a Purpose” benefit in Atlanta. Photo: Reginald Christian

ALBANY, Ga. – A lively and energetic atmosphere proved to be the best setting for raising funds for student scholarships. Albany State University alumni and supporters raised $30,600 for need-based scholarships at Saturday’s “Party with a Purpose” benefit held at the prestigious Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta. 

“This is a proud day for ASU,” President Art Dunning said to a group of nearly 160 alumni and supporters. “The future of the university depends on the people in this room.”

The event, held in collaboration with the Tom Joyner Foundation, was the first of many university initiatives for the Tom Joyner School of the Month campaign. As the November School of the Month, the TJF will promote raising funds for the university and highlight its programs for the entire year. ASU will be featured daily during the month of November. 

During the live auction, Greg Hylick, president of the ASU Foundation, made a successful bid of $4,000 on an exclusive Leroy Campbell original painting. Dunning and first-lady Karen Baynes-Dunning were so inspired, they committed another $4,000 to support need-based scholarships. A silent auction that featured original artwork by ASU students was also a great success, with many of the pieces earning more than $100 bids. 

“Much like the band’s performance in Pasadena, the student artwork was just another shining example of how talented ASU students are,” said Chanta Haywood, ASU vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the ASU Foundation. “They need our support to nurture that talent so that they may graduate and inspire future generations.”

Co-hosts, television actress JoMarie Payton and the Honorable Glenda Hatchett, Atlanta attorney and star of the former “Judge Hatchett” television show, helped to reinforce the importance of giving by making donations of their own.

After hearing about the upcoming groundbreaking for the ASU Fine Arts Center, Payton wrote a check for $500 toward fine arts scholarships.

“The young people that we support with our donations are the biggest investment we can make in our lives,” said Payton, a native Albanian.

“We don’t want to look back and say we wish we would have done a little more,” said Hatchett, who served as the 2014 Spring Commencement speaker at Albany State. “We are claiming extraordinary things for ASU. We have work to do, and it’s on our collective shoulders to get it done.”

Fitting the occasion, a $2,500 scholarship was presented to social work major, Debra Rucks. The inaugural scholarship is part of the $25,000 endowment by Virginia Harris and family, in honor of her husband, Keith Harris.

“Ms. Rucks will likely graduate on time and begin helping her community as a result of this generous donation,” Haywood said. “All donations matter, no matter the size. Collectively, small amounts add up to make large differences and that's something to celebrate.”

“Party with a Purpose” was the first event in ASU’s “Week of Giving” initiative, which began Saturday, March 26 and will culminate on Founder’s Day, Friday, April 1. The “Week of Giving” is an invitation to students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and friends to give back through donations and personal involvement. To make a donation, visit giveto.asurams.edu. 

Photo caption: Greg Hylick, ASU alumnus and president of the ASU Foundation, (right) receives an original painting by artist Leroy Campbell  (left) after bidding $4,000 during a live auction at Saturday’s “Party with a Purpose” benefit in Atlanta. Photo credit: Reginald Christian

Arlington, VA —Diversity is the hallmark of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2016 Family History Conference, which will take place at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center from 4-7 May. For those with African American ancestry who are interested in researching their family history, the conference offers lectures on a wide-range of topics with titles such as “Duty, Honor, Service: Freemen of Color at the Battle of New Orleans, War 1812” and “Why Tampico? The Exodus of Pensacola’s Creoles of Color.”

The conference also features lectures on how census slave schedules, Freedmen’s Bureau records, African American cemeteries, and Black college newspapers can advance your genealogical research. Other presentations include “Behind Closed Doors: An Introduction to Plaçage,” “Colored Confederate Pension Applications,” “Recovering Identities of Slaves of Roseland Plantation, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: A Case Study,” and “Finding Freedmen Marriage Records.”

In all, the conference will have 180 lectures on a variety of subjects such as Jewish, European, Gulf Coast, and Caribbean genealogy, research into women ancestors, and much more.  Luncheons will feature guest speakers who will cover fascinating topics such as "Lost Eyes, Whipping Posts, and Wife Swapping: Lessons from Yesteryear” and “Leaving a Lasting Footprint: Collaborate, Advocate, and Promote.”

For more conference information and to register, go to the 2016 NGS Family History Conference.  Though individuals may register at the door, registration for all meals and social events closes on 22 April 2016.