VOIR LA TRADUCTION FRANCAISE

Laurence Berthier is from France and speaks French, thus this interview is posted in both French and English. She caught our attention by sharing beautiful images. We thought that she was a professional photographer, but not. She captures these captivating images with just a cell phone camera.

Laurence, your pictures are so beautiful and captivating. How is it that you are able to capture such beautiful images?

I love nature, its beauty, its light, its transparency color, the mood and atmosphere it gives off. Not only my eyes that see but all my being that feels this energy I feel beautiful and the imperative need to take the photos.

When they are old buildings or houses, I always think about those who built them. La Rochelle is a very old city and can be understood according to the architecture history of the city.

Have you ever had any professional training in photography?

I have no training in photography. I am a contemplative and let myself be lulled by instinct, the moment and feel.

What do you do for a living?

My job is secretary to an association of assistance to job seekers in their job search.

You are also a Mom. How many children do you have and what are their ages?

Yes I am mother of two children. My son is 9 years and my daughter 7 years 8 months.

Back to the photography, what kind of camera do you use?

I use a simple camera and not professional: Casio. My first pictures were taken with my mobile phone …

Why do you take pictures? What does it mean to you or do for you?

Because I am very curious about everything! Nature, animals, people or monuments — everything interests me and fascinates me. Every day, hour, season, weather gives a different aspect to the same landscape (for example).

Taking pictures outdoors makes me calm as I am completely taken by all the beauty around me. It excites me so much that I cannot wait to see the result of my shots on my computer …

What do you plan to do with your photos? You obviously have a gift. What do you want from it?

Nothing more than to enjoy myself watching them, share them with family and post them on some sites. A friend of a hospital volunteer who saw my photos on facebook asked me if I would participate in a photo exhibition organized by the hospital. For now I have not responded to his request …

EN FRANCAIS

Laurence Berthier est de la France et parle francais, donc cette interview est public en francais et en anglais. Elle a retenu notre attention par le partage de belles images. Nous avons pense qu’elle tait un photographe professionnel, mais non. Elle capture ces images captivantes avec juste un telephone portable.

Laurence, vos photos sont tellement belles et captivantes. Comment est-il que vous etes capable de capturer ces belles images?

J’aime la nature, sa beauté, sa lumiere, sa couleur de transparence, l’ambiance et l’atmosph¨re qu’elle degage. Non seulement mes yeux qui voient, mais tout mon etre qui se sent cette energie Je me sens belle et la necessite imperieuse de prendre des photos.

Quand ils sont de vieux bâtiments ou de maisons, je pense toujours ceux qui les ont construits. La Rochelle est une ville tres ancienne et peut etre compris en fonction de l’histoire de l’architecture de la ville.

Avez-vous jamais eu aucune formation professionnelle dans la photographie?

Je n’ai aucune formation en photographie. Je suis un contemplatif et me laisse bercer par l’instinct, le moment et la sensation.

Que fais-tu pour vivre?

Mon travail est secretaire d’une association d’aide aux demandeurs d’emploi dans leur recherche d’emploi.

Vous etes egalement une maman. Combien d’enfants avez-vous et quelles sont leurs ages?

Oui, je suis ma re de deux enfants. Mon fils a 9 ans et ma fille de 7 ans et 8 mois.

Retour la photographie - ce genre d’appareil que vous utilisez?

J’utilise un appareil photo simple et pas professionnel: Casio. Mes premières photos ont prises avec mon telephone portable …

Pourquoi pensez-vous de prendre des photos? Qu’est-ce que cela signifie pour vous ou pour vous?

Parce que je suis très curieux de tout! Nature, animaux, personnes ou de monuments - tout m’interesse et me fascine. Chaque jour, heure, saison, la m donne un aspect different de la meme paysage (par exemple). Prendre des photos en extrieur me fait calme que je suis complitement pris par toute la beauti autour de moi.

Elle m’excite tellement que je ne peux pas attendre pour voir le resultat de mes photos sur mon ordinateur …

Que comptez-vous faire avec vos photos? Vous avez avidemment un cadeau. Que voulez-vous de lui?

Rien de plus que moi de profiter de les regarder, les partager avec famille et les afficher sur certains sites. Un ami d’un benevole de l’hôpital qui ont vu mes photos sur facebook m’a demande si je voulais participer à une exposition de photos organise par l’hospital. Pour l’instant je n’ai pas respondu sa demande …

See a video of Laurence’s Photos

In her first book, “GOD SAID WHAT?” Mrs. Toler-Keel brings the word of God to today’s teens. Instead of using stories of the past, she talks about issues teens face today, such as rape, alcohol, drugs, cheating, relationships, and other important challenges. She doesn’t preach, but tells of God’s love and acceptance in a way teens can understand.

You began the writing process by writing stories about your grandfather for yourself as a way to cherish your memories of him. Tell us how that evolved into writing books for teens.

Through writing, I was able to express and deal with emotional issues that were locked deep inside of me  “ some I wasn’t even aware of. The stories about my grandfather get to the heart of the issues as well as tell a story that hopefully will be passed down throughout generations in our family. Teens always have a story. Sometimes they are great and happy ones, but often they are deeply disturbing. They go through so much and often adults fail to recognize that. Through stories and books, they can find comfort, help, guidance, and entertainment and know they aren’t alone. I didn’t wake up one day and say, I am going to write for teens.  It just evolved into that. In fact, my first novel is an adult thriller. I am still revising that, and although I love the story line, my heart belongs with my teen books so they get top priority.

How is it that you can connect with teen-aged minds so well?

Several reasons. 1. I am a parent of three teens. I have seen first hand their struggles and fears. My kids and I talk a lot and they trust me, so I know a great deal of their pain and difficulties. I feel very blessed my kids turn to me. Now, that doesn’t mean I know everything about teens, or about them. I am sure there is plenty I don’t know, and probably don’t want to know.

2. My kids have a lot of friends and they tend to migrate to our house. Often we are sitting around on the porch at two in the morning and they are telling me very personal things about their lives. I have heard about their family troubles, issues with self-harm and suicidal thoughts, molestation, rape, drug abuse, etc. Their stories range from the everyday drama that all teens seem to go through to the really horrid things life sometimes brings. They are very open with me. I have also had friends my kids have gotten to know from other states through Facebook who text me out of the blue asking me for advice on serious issues. Not long ago, a girl I barely talked to on Facebook wrote me asking for help to stop cutting. I think it helps I am willing to stay up all night talking to them if I need to. I don’t talk down to them, nor do I minimize their problems. For teens, something adults think is trivial and something not to worry about, such as a break up, is a huge deal to them and can hurt them to the core. It is important adults really listen to them, and above all, care for them.

3. I was a teen and I remember what it was like. I think this is the most important one. Although my life was relatively good, and even great in many ways, it wasn’t perfect. I remember feeling alone, unloved, lost, confused, scared, and even suicidal at times. I had family issues. I was raped at seventeen. After high school I dabbled in alcohol and drugs. I went through a spell where I was somewhat promiscuous. I’ve been there, and I remember it. I remember simple, unimportant things could drive me over the edge. I remember thinking there was no way I could have a good future and I remember feeling like a horrible person. I also remember during those times I had good friends and I had fun. One did not always exclude the other.

Working with the kids while getting her hair done

Were your children and other teens involved in the process at all? Did you ask them for feedback as you wrote, or did it evolve directly from your experiences from watching, talking and living with them?

My two oldest kids were definitely involved. They read each story, helped me format the order of the sections, etc. They were invaluable. Also, my three oldest and a few of their friends were the models for the pictures inside the book as well as the cover. It was a lot of fun working with them on such a big and important project.

The story ideas came from things my kids have gone through. They have definitely questioned their faith and God, and I used that as a guideline. I also watched other teens and used their questions and situations. Looking at their lives, I studied each thing and picked the most popular and most important issues to discuss. I also took stories from my own life as a teen as well as things my friends went through years ago. It is really a collaboration of stories.

I was raised believing if I did anything wrong I was going to hell. I lived in fear of that and could never relax or enjoy myself. I want kids to know that yes, they will mess up, but that doesn’t mean they are doomed. God is still there and He still cares. He isn’t going to turn His back on them because they don’t use good judgment occasionally.

My name is JV Harvey; I am a writer and aspiring filmmaker.  During certain stages of my life, I made some wrong decisions that landed me to doing some prison time.  During this transition, it was the beginning of my testament to become the driven man that I am today. This passion ignited while studying the art of film making and the desire to produce documentaries. I have presently completed 2 manuscripts, 3 screen plays and a host of short films.  The collaboration of my ideas and the power of my pen enhances my desires to successfully tell a story by the using a camera lens. It is my primary goal to meet these challenges and to look forward to inviting people to discover CART Entertainment presenting JV Harvey Films.

Keney Park is land that was donated to the City of Hartford in Connecticut by Henry Keney. Your goal is to make a documentary about Keney Park.  How did you come to decide to do that?  What is the purpose of it?

Keney Park was donated to the city of Hartford in the 19^th Century along with a tower monument in honor of the Keney brothers’ mother.

Keney Park is such a historical landmark for the City of Hartford.  There are so many important facts that are hidden within the park that the community is unaware of. It is part of the reason why I choose this particular subject and unlike a lot of city parks that get notoriety, Keney Park’s history along with its beauty needs to be kept in the forefront of the people.

You said this documentary is your way of giving back.  Why is giving back so important to you?

Giving back is important to me on many levels. Two reasons off the top of my head are:

1. I grew up in the city of Hartford and there are many people who forget their communities once they feel they have no use for it anymore.

2. Getting positive energy from the universe first means putting it out there.

How do you plan to get the documentary done?  Where will you get the equipment for filming and editing?

My first step in trying to obtain equipment for this project is to contact the local Hartford Access Channel.

I plan to market my idea to city officials, private and public agencies and any other organizations that are willing to help in executing this project.

After this documentary is done, what’s next for JV Harvey?

My next project after this stays on the same beaten path. It is sheds light on some of what occurs in some city parks such as Keney Park and other parks in the city. It is the homeless people who use the park as their homes. This unfortunate situation needs light as well. So stay tuned for “BUSH CITY.”

Born May 13, 1950, in Dayton, Ohio

Died April 1, 2011, in New York City, New York

Education: B.A., Earlham College, 1971; M.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1972; Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1976.

Memberships: National Black Political Assembly; Democratic Socialists of America; Committees of Correspondence; Organization of American Historians; Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History; National Council of Black Studies.

Dr. Manning, an influential historian.  His forthcoming biography of Malcolm X could revise perceptions of the slain civil rights leader.

Marable was born May 13, 1950, in Dayton, Ohio. He wrote in his 1996 book, “Speaking Truth to Power: Essays on Race, Resistance and Radicalism” that he was born into an era that witnessed the emergence of Rosa Parks and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as nonviolent movements in the South struggling to break the back of white supremacy.

Marable was the child of middle-class black Americans, he wrote, his father a teacher and businessman, his mother an educator and college professor. He watched from afar as blacks in the South rebelled against segregation and racial inequality.

He wrote that his mother encouraged him to attend King’s funeral in Atlanta in 1968 “to witness a significant event in our people’s history.” He served as the local black newspaper’s correspondent and marched along with thousands of others during the funeral procession.

“With Martin’s death, my childhood abruptly ended,” Marable wrote. “My understanding of political change began a trajectory from reform to radicalism.”

In the 1970s, Marable earned a bachelor’s degree from Earlham College in Indiana, a master’s from the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate from the University of Maryland.

He wrote hundreds of papers and nearly 20 books, including “How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America” and “The Great Wells of Democracy: The Meaning of Race in American Life.”

Marable was a professor of African American studies, history, political science and public affairs at Columbia University, where he also was director of the Center for Contemporary Black History and the founding director of African American Studies from 1993 to 2003.

“Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention” is scheduled to be released soon`.

The nearly 600-page biography is described as a reevaluation of Malcolm X’s life, bringing fresh insight to subjects including “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and his assassination at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan on Feb. 21, 1965.

The book is based on exhaustive research, including thousands of pages of FBI files and records from the Central Intelligence Agency and State Department. Marable also conducted interviews with the slain civil rights leader’s confidants and security team, as well as witnesses to his assassination.

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement that Marable’s “contributions to the struggle for freedom of African Americans will never be forgotten.”

Works

Writings

• How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America: Problems in Race, Political Economy, and Society, South End Press, 1983.
• Black American Politics: From the Washington Marches to Jesse Jackson, Verso, 1985.
• W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Radical Democrat, Twayne, 1986.
• African and Caribbean Politics: From Kwame Nkrumah to the Grenada Revolution, Verso, 1987.
• Race Reform and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction in Black America, 1945-1990, University Press of Mississippi, 1991.
• The Crisis of Color and Democracy: Essays on Race, Class, and Power, Common Courage Press, 1992.
• Black Water: Historical Essays, University Press of Colorado, 1993.

Further Reading

Sources

• Chronicle of Higher Education, October 20, 1993, pp. A15-17.
• Essence, November 1990, p. 130; May 1991, p. 42.
• Grapevine Weekly, August 6, 1981.
• Progressive, January 1987, pp. 18-23; December 1992, p. 42; February 1993, pp. 20-25.
• Race & Reason, Autumn 1994.
• U.S. News & World Report, July 18, 1994, p. 29.

Read more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manning_Marable

http://www.answers.com/topic/manning-marable#ixzz1IZskWZld

http://gothamist.com/2011/04/04/new_biography_accuses_newark_man_of.php

http://www.theroot.com/views/manning-marable-s-students-remember-him

I could not help but post this information on the internet. I found FuFu’s!!

Dean, owner of FUFU'S

I have been looking for an African or African American owned hair care products store for years and I finally found one!

Dean is an African man who owns not just one, but two beauty supply and variety stores in Springfield, Massachusetts. The stores are located at:

813 State Street, Springfield, MA  413.363.9982  and

605 Dickinson Street, Springfield, MA  413.306.3160

Dean’s cell phone number is 413.33-.4756.

his email address is: dine700@yahoo.com.

I appreciate being able to go to an African to buy my hair products.  After all, who knows our hair better than us?

With every visit to the store, I have been met with people who know my hair better than I do.  They have great advice and great service ladies AND gentlemen.  They also do braids.

Leigh Whipper as "Sparks" in the OxBow Incident, 1943

Born in (1876) Charleston, South Carolina, died (1975) New York City, New York.

The first Black member of the Actors’ Equity Association (1913).

Mr. Whipper’s first Broadway appearance was in Georgia Minstrels.

He appeared next in the classical Broadway productions of Stevedore, Of Mice and Men, Lysistrata and Porgy.

Mr. Whipper achieved national fame for his characterization of the Crabman of the Catfish Row in Porgy.

Leigh Whipper

He made his film debut as a bit player in Oscar Micheaux’s silent race films, Symbol of the Unconquered (1920) and Within Our Gates (1920).

He later starred in the Hollywood films Of Mice and Men (1939), and The Oxbow Incident (1943).

He maintained lifelong activity as a member of the Actors Equity Association (1913), American Federation of Radio Artists (1937) and the Screen Actors Guild (1933).

He was a founding member of the Negro Actors Guild of America (1937).

Mr. Whipper retired from the screen and stage in 1972 and settled in Harlem, New York, where he died in 1975 at the age of 98.

People of color who are accomplished receive very little, if any, recognition or media coverage in America. Artistic African American Voices will honor key innovators. Keep the Light Records is proud to feature this monthly series that highlights these artistic African Americans from theatre, music, poetry and other areas of art.
Dale Ricardo Shields, an accomplished Actor, Archivist, Director, Educator and Theatre Historian.

The vision of Dale Ricardo Shields is to document and preserve the history of artists of color on the Facebook page Black Theatre African American Voices for general public interest.

Leigh Whipper  

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Josayne Anderson-Tejera is determined to help women who are dealing with domestic violence on college campuses.

A Conversation with Josayne from Once For All Inc.
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Shelly Linton talks about how she helps women

Click the play button to hear the conversation.

Shelly Linton is a Christian faith-based counselor and devotes her free time to helping women overcome their internal obstacles. Their past traumatic experiences of varying levels controls them and keeps them from living fulfilled lives. She feels that all women are princesses and the highlight for her is to see the light come back into their eyes and the joy return to their soul.

A conversation with Billy Nichols

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Billy Nichols – AKA PoppaDollaBill – AKA BT Express -  he’s been there and done that. Worked for Motown, directed the band for Marvin Gaye, written hit songs for Millie Jackson, BT Express, Full Force, Doug E Fresh – toured, traveled, played, directed – for decades. He knows all the who’s who in the music industry. In his heart he is and always will be a songwriter.  Like any other artist, he has not choice.  The songs insist that he write them. Billy Nichols, with a lifetime of experience in the music industry, is an independent artist and records those songs that insist he write them.

It’s a wonderful conversation with someone who has a lot to offer.  Enjoy it. And, for those aspiring artists, learn from it!

http://BillyNicholsMusic.com