VLOGS

Interviews with Mahable CEO, Pete Cashmore, FourSquare Co-founder, Dennis Crowley, Actor, Ramony Malco and iStrategyLabs CEO, Peter Corbertt in Austin, Texas at SXSE Interactive

Four women in tech talk about the need for more diversity in the field of technology.

A Conversation with Tyrese and His Mission to Save Our Youth

Cimg0531
Just before Tyrese Darnell Gibson, also known simply as Tyrese, hit the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors, I caught up with him at a Georgetown Hoyas game to discuss a venture near and dear to his heart, “Community in Schools.”   

203051916
Tyrese, an R&B singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, model and former MTV VJ first came to my attention when he did his very first TV interview on BET’s Video Soul.  I was a young Senior Producer and he was a model looking to crossover into the music business.  Fast forward several years and we found ourselves in a sky box at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC reminiscing about old times and talking about the dire state our youth find themselves in. 

While the official announcement won’t be made until next month, Tyrese spoke to a few select DC bloggers and I about his upcoming appointment as the spokesperson for “Community In Schools” and his role as the voice of the youth and the mission of the program.

You may think of him as only a pretty face and a talent singer/actor, but to his friends and the children he represents, Tyrese is a beacon of hope.

 

At a time when dropout rates are an issue in all communities, The Alliance for Excellent Education, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., estimates that dropouts each year cost the nation more than $300 billion in lost income.  Community In Schools is making it their mission to beat those odds.  Tameka Green, CEO of Community In Schools in the Nation’s Capitol shared with me the program’s mission to combate the dropout rates in Washington, DC.   

Championing the connection of needed community resources with schools to help young people learn, Community In Schools goal is to help students stay in school, and prepare for life.

 

ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Llcolljay
It goes without saying, although I'll say it anyway, one of the highlights of being on the press junketfor the Essence Music Festival Presented by Coca-Cola is having access to the concerts.  But aside from being able to see Janet Jackson blow up the Louisiana Superdome, Mary J. Blige steal the show on the last night of the festival or LL Cool J "rock the bells" like we were back in the 80's, I also had the pleasure of being able to ask questions in the press room of some of my favorite artists who were performing during the music festival.


Over and over again, one theme seemed to ring true for everyone that was interviewed.  Each person talked about giving back to our community and reaching back for the younger generation of musicians.  In the clip below, Gladys Knight talks about the significance of this year's 40th Anniversary of Essence Magazine and her new business venture.

For the ladies... the coolness, actor, rapper and performer of LL Cool J on giving back and his new distribution deal...

Finally, writer, composer and crooner Raphael Saadiq talks about being a mentor and a good role model...

​