Gap Productions

By Gina Hobbs

Posted July 21st 2010

Cleveland Indians, Kid Cudi, NFL Player Lee Evans and Greater Cleveland Community Come Together  to Support 4-Day Event to Include “Happy 214^th Birthday Cleveland” Celebration

Cleveland, Ohio – Since “you know who” has left Cleveland, it looks like a lot of people think it’s time to move on and celebrate all of the other great things about Cleveland.  “This year, Cleveland will be 214 years old and we’re going to have a big birthday party”, said Alonzo Mitchell, Bedford High School graduate and Founder of the new “Ohio Homecoming” movement.  “Enough of Cleveland and other cities in Ohio suffering from low self esteem due to comments from people or organizations who have not appreciated or personally experienced the rich culture, history, diversity and beauty that our city has to offer. It’s time to celebrate.”

Ohio Homecoming will launch a four-day event, July 22 through July 25, 2010, and promises to celebrate many of the opportunities that the City and state have to offer.  Festivities will include:  an Opportunity Fair, Health Fair and the “Happy 214^th Birthday Cleveland” Party and Variety Show on Thursday; The Ohio Homecoming/WEWS-TV Focus on Ohio Town Hall Forum featuring Cuyahoga County Executive Candidates, and the Step Up to Step Out –College and Alumni Greek Step Show on Friday; The Lee Evans Celebrity Flag Football Game and High School Battle of the Bands on Saturday; The March on Ohio Wellness and Unity Walk and “Ohio Homecoming Day at the Park” with the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.

“The events will be a lot of fun,” said Mitchell.  On July 22 at 5:00 p.m., Kid Cudi (a native of Shaker Heights) and Chip Tha Ripper, who, when teamed together, will become Almighty GloryUS, will be headlining Cleveland’s 214th Birthday party and Variety show, rocking a stage that will be built at Mall C (next to City Hall). What many say is the top High School band in Cleveland, having played for the last Olympics, Shaw High School will go up against the top High School band in Chicago, King College Prep, who performed for President Obama.  The winner will receive $5,000.  “We will also have several NFL Players playing in our Flag Football Game, including Lee Evans (Buffalo Bills), Dante Whitner (Buffalo Bills), Sendric Steptoe (Cleveland Browns), Terrence Whitner (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Steve Sanders (former Cleveland Browns player).  Gerald “Hurricane” Harris, “ultimate fighter” and former Cleveland State star wrestler, will also play,” he said.

According to Mitchell, the March on Ohio will be a 3.5 mile “wellness walk”, designed to bridge the well-known, but unfortunate social divide that exists between Cleveland East-siders and West-siders.  The March will begin at the West Side Market and end at Progressive Field, where participants will be encouraged to join the Ohio Homecoming marchers for “Kid’s Fun Day” at the Cleveland Indians vs. Tampa Bay Rays game at 1:05 p.m.  Also, Cleveland Indians Mascot, “Slider”, will celebrate his 20^th birthday on July 25^th as part of the Kid’s Fun Day.  Free Birthday party activities include cupcakes for all kids on the Gateway Plaza, pregame Kids birthday party games hosted by Radio Disney, and a visit from all of Slider’s Mascot Friends.  All kids in attendance will be invited to run the bases postgame on Progressive Field. “We are very proud and excited to be involved in the Ohio Homecoming event, said Curtis Danburg, Director of Communications and Creative Services, The Cleveland Indians. “We will not only be celebrating Ohio Homecoming Day, but also Kid’s Day, so we encourage everyone to come out for this big celebration”.

Mitchell, who splits his residency between Cleveland and the Nation’s capitol, said there were a couple of key factors that contributed to him starting this movement.  “When I got to D.C., I was hearing all kinds of negative things about Cleveland.  So it made me want to figure out what I needed to do to change the mindset, because Cleveland is a great city.  Then the Forbes “Misery” study came out ranking Cleveland the “Most Miserable City.  So, that gave me even more determination to do this.  In view of what has transpired over the last several weeks in the sports arena, it is time for Cleveland to stand proud now, more than ever.”

“Look at what we have to offer:  We’ve got the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Browns; we are a cultural arts mecca with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Science Museum, University Circle, the Cleveland Orchestra and Playhouse Square; we’re a top foodie destination; we are surrounded by Lake Erie; we are a melting pot of so many unique cultures; we house one of the top health centers in the world; we are home to several fortune 500 companies; we have many notable educational institutions, and our beautiful Cleveland Metroparks system – ‘the emerald necklace’, is the envy of many states and considered one of the best park
systems in the U.S.  And we’re down on Cleveland…why?” Mitchell asks.  “So I want to encourage everyone to come out and show appreciation for your city, and Ohio, in general.  But we need everyone involved.  Ohio Homecoming is the ‘comeback’ movement.  It’s time for the people to come back and give back to their communities.”

A variety of sponsors and partners of Ohio Homecoming are involved in the event, including the Cleveland Indians,  Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen, LLC, WEWS-TV/Newschannel 5, Clear Channel Radio, Radio One Cleveland, The Gund Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, RPM, Hot Cards, The Hispanic Alliance, Forest City Enterprises, The Goldstein Caldwell Group, Positively Cleveland, The Crowne Plaza, Tenable Security, GAP Communications Group, Consortium of African American Organizations, Hughies Audio Video, Aris Rentals, Crowne Plaza  C.O.B Foundation, Lee Evans (Evans, Inc.) and Ultimate Fighter Gerald “Hurricane” Harris.

For more information on “Ohio Homecoming Week” festivities, visit www.ohiohomecoming.com.

By David Runk, Associated Press Writer

Posted July 18th 2010

DETROIT – States have the authority to enforce immigration laws and protect their borders, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Wednesday in a legal brief on behalf of nine states supporting Arizona’s immigration law.

Cox, one of five Republicans running for Michigan governor, said Michigan is the lead state backing Arizona in federal court and is joined by Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia, as well as the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Arizona law, set to take effect July 29, directs officers to question people about their immigration status during the enforcement of other laws such as traffic stops and if there’s a reasonable suspicion they’re in the U.S. illegally.

President Barack Obama’s administration recently filed suit in federal court to block it, arguing immigration is a federal issue. The law’s backers say Congress isn’t doing anything meaningful about illegal immigration, so it’s the state’s duty to step up.

“Arizona, Michigan and every other state have the authority to enforce immigration laws, and it is appalling to see President Obama use taxpayer dollars to stop a state’s efforts to protect its own borders,” Cox said in a statement.

Arizona’s Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, in a statement released by Cox’s office, said she was thankful for the support.

In a telephone interview, Cox said the nine states supporting Arizona represents “a lot of states,” considering it was only Monday that he asked other state attorneys general to join him. The brief was filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona on the same day as the deadline for such filings.

“By lawsuit, rather than by legislation, the federal government seeks to negate this preexisting power of the states to verify a person’s immigration status and similarly seeks to reject the assistance that the states can lawfully provide to the Federal government,” the brief states.

The brief doesn’t represent the first time Cox has clashed with the Obama administration. Earlier this year, he joined with more than a dozen other attorneys general to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of federal health care changes signed into law by the Democratic president.

Like with his stance on health care, the immigration brief again puts Cox at odds with Democratic Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Granholm, who can’t seek re-election because of term limits, disagrees with the Arizona law, her press secretary Liz Boyd said. The Michigan primary is less than three weeks away on Aug. 3.

“It’s a patently political ploy in his quest for the Republican nomination for governor,” Boyd said.

Posted July 16th 2010

DES MOINES, Iowa — A billboard created by an Iowa tea party group comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin has been removed.

Kent Beatty, the general manager of the company that owns the billboard, says a North Iowa Tea Party representative called Tuesday night and asked that the sign in downtown Mason City be removed.

Beatty says his company replaced the sign Wednesday morning with a public service announcement.

The original sign showed photographs of Obama, Nazi leader Hitler and communist leader Lenin beneath the labels “Democrat Socialism,” “National Socialism,” and “Marxist Socialism.”

Some tea party members criticized the sign, and North Iowa Tea Party co-founder Bob Johnson acknowledged the pictures overwhelmed the intended message of anti-socialism.

By Heather Hollingsworth

Posted July 15th 2010

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leaders of the country’s largest civil rights organization accused tea party activists on Tuesday of tolerating bigotry and approved a resolution condemning racism within the political movement.

The resolution was adopted during the annual convention in Kansas City of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spokesman Chris Fleming said. Local tea party organizers disputed claims of racism and called on the NAACP to withdraw the resolution.

It was not immediately clear how the resolution was amended during the debate, which was mostly closed to the public.

The original called for the NAACP to “educate its membership and the community that this movement is not just about higher taxes and limited government.” It suggested that something could evolve “and become more dangerous for that small percentage of people that really think our country has been taken away from them.”

“We felt the time had come to stand up and say, ‘It’s time for the tea party to be responsible members of this democracy and make sure they don’t tolerate bigots or bigotry among their members,’” NAACP President Ben Jealous said ahead of the debate. “We don’t have a problem with the tea party’s existence. We have an issue with their acceptance and welcoming of white supremacists into their organizations.”

Tea party activist Alex Poulter, who co-founded a Kansas City-area group called Political Chips, disputed the allegations. He said the movement is made up of a “diverse group of folks who are upset with what is going on with this country.”

Poulter said he has seen no evidence of racism within the movement.

“It’s unfounded but people are running with these accusations like they are true,” he said.

A group called the St. Louis Tea Party issued its own resolution Tuesday calling on the NAACP to withdraw the proposal, which won’t become official until the NAACP’s national board of directors approves it during its meeting in October in Baltimore. Jealous also urged people to attend an Oct. 2 rally in Washington to remind Congress and President Barack Obama about the challenges facing minority neighborhoods.

Though not affiliated with either major political party, tea party activists espouse a political philosophy of less government, a free market, lower taxes, individual rights and political activism.

The group has faced occasional claims of racism, most notably in March near the end of the bitter health care debate. U.S. Reps. John Lewis, Andre Carson and Emanuel Cleaver said some demonstrators, many of them tea party activists, yelled a racial epithet as the black congressmen walked from House office buildings to the Capitol.

Cleaver, D-Mo., also said he was spit on.

A white lawmaker said he also heard the epithets, but conservative activists said the lawmakers were lying.

“They are pulling people together and focusing on the negative, and then it’s hard to make anything positive out of that,” said Anita L. Russell, president of the Kansas City, Mo., branch of the NAACP, which introduced the resolution. “And then these groups, these extremist groups, are looking for something, and they are latching on to this. The thing is going to grow and grow out of control.”

Posed July 12th 2010

CHICAGO (AP)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson criticized Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert on Sunday, saying Gilbert sees LeBron James as a “runaway slave” and that the owner’s comments after the free-agent forward decided to join the Miami Heat put the player in danger.

Shortly after James announced his decision last week, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland’s fans, ripping the 25-year-old and promising to deliver a title before James wins one. He called James’ decision “cowardly” and later told The Associated Press he believes James quit during a handful of Cavaliers playoff games.

“He has gotten a free pass,” Gilbert told the AP in a phone interview late Thursday night. “People have covered up for (James) for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is.”

Jackson said, “These accusations endanger LeBron. His jersey is being burned in effigy, and he is being projected as a betrayer by the owner.” Overall Jackson said Gilbert’s comments were “mean, arrogant and presumptuous.”

“He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers,”Jackson said in a release from his Chicago-based civil rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. “His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship — between business partners — and LeBron honored his contract.”

Messages were left Sunday night seeking comment from Gilbert, the Cavaliers and James.

Jackson also called Gilbert’s comments an attack on all NBA players and said the owner should face a “challenge” from the league and the players’ association.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank declined comment.

Among the comments Jackson made in the statement:

• “If (Gilbert) believes that LeBron quit in games 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, then … why did he pursue him and offer him and additional $120 million to stay in Cleveland?”

• “When players or coaches speak disrespectfully to or about referees, they are fined. If Mr. Gilbert cannot prove that LeBron changed games by quitting, he defames his character. He should have to face a challenge by the NBA and the players association. LeBron has every right to an apology.”

• “LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned. He has been a model citizen and has inspired the children of Akron, Cleveland, the State of Ohio and the United States.”

Read Jackson’s complete statement.

Posted July 11th 2010

Call­ing all girls, call­ing all girls! The Lit­tle Miss African Amer­i­can Schol­ar­ship Pageant is now except­ing nation­wide sub­mis­sions as it read­ies for its 17^th year as one of the longest run­ning com­pe­ti­tions for intel­li­gent young women aged 6–12. The orig­i­nal cre­ation of actress/ chore­o­g­ra­pher Lisa Ruf­fin, The Lit­tle Miss African Amer­i­can Schol­ar­ship pageant has con­sis­tently empha­sized brains over beauty, pos­i­tively impact­ing the lives of hun­dreds of impres­sion­able young girls over the years.

This year’s event will be held Sat­ur­day, August 21, 2010at the Uni­ver­sal Sher­a­ton Hotel at 4:00 p.m. with Red Car­pet to take place at 3:00 p.m.  The Uni­ver­sal Sher­a­ton Hotel is located at 333 Uni­ver­sal Hol­ly­wood Drive in Uni­ver­sal City, CA. The dead­line for appli­ca­tions is July 16.  For fur­ther infor­ma­tion email LittleMissAA@gmail.com. Please include a pic­ture of the con­tes­tant with her name, brief infor­ma­tion and any available links.

Past celebrity par­tic­i­pants have included Emmy nom­i­nated actress, Chan­dra Wil­son (ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy), World Box­ing Cham­pion Laila Ali and James Pick­ens Jr. (ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy). Rap­per LL Cool J made a sur­prise appear­ance at the 2008 celebration.  For more infor­ma­tion go to: http://www.littlemissafricanamerican.com

By Ms. Osupa Nia

Posted July 10th 2010

Retired Marine Corps Major General Charles F. Bolden addressed The City Club Friday, July 9^th to a full capacity attendance that stretched into both banquet suites. As the Administrator at  NASA Headquarters, General Bolden discussed the future of NASA.

General Bolden confessed that NASA does some ‘risky stuff everyday and do it incredibly well which is what makes this nation great!’

With President Obama’s position of global collaboration, General Bolden believes that the Presidents national space policy advocates technical innovations that aerospace needs.

Technological   challenges are being developed to get the United States into space exploration in the areas of affordable engine heavy lift launch vehicles, precision landing, green aviation only to name a few. The Flag Ship and Game Ship missions that are scheduled to launch in 2014 are demonstrations designed to address these challenges.

Multiple destination points including Mars, The Moon, and Asteroid Mars are geographical targets for future space exploration demonstrations.

NASA Glenn ‘is a unique space station that is positioned well for future national space exploration programs. NASA Glenn is the lead on the Radioisotope Power System Program and will have over $1.8 billion over five years for program management.

NASA has a key role in technology development. Collaborations with academia, industry, government and small business are being secured thereby enhancing the scope of research and funding necessary for space exploration. This collaborative investment in technology also helps to create jobs in the private sector.

Propelling studies in the science of space exploration NASA will award (500) fellowships to students across the country to participate in the advance study of Earth Science and Aeronautics.

Posted July 2nd 2010

CLEVELAND — An arbitrator’s ruling means more than 600 Cleveland public school teachers won’t have to reapply for their jobs.

Thursday’s decision is final. School district CEO Eugene Sanders says in a statement that officials are disappointed with the ruling but remain committed to transforming the school system.

The district wanted to remove teachers at 14 elementary schools and eight high schools and force them to reapply for their positions.

The schools had been identified as weak, primarily because of low test schools, and Sanders wanted more leeway to shake up staffing.

Union leaders filed a lawsuit, arguing that the district needed to follow procedures spelled out in the teachers’ contract.

By Ms. Osupa Nia

Posted June 26th 2010

Award winning journalist, social activist and commentator Jeff Johnson addressed The City Club of Cleveland on Friday, June 25^th to a full capacity diverse audience. The forum topic was: ‘Raggedy or Racism: An Unjust Justice System.’

At the onset of his address he recognized and asked a group of high school journalist students to come and sit front row center. Mentoring the youth is a major initiative of Mr. Johnson for he is currently Senior Advisor for Media and Youth Outreach for People for the American Way, National Director of the Youth & College division of the NAACP, and has been appointment by Russell Simmons as the Vice President of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN).

‘I normally address a predominately African American audience’ Johnson stated as he began his address and it was full speed ahead from that moment on as the topic of Racism or Raggedy: An Unjust Justice System was discussed from a social, historically, legislative, and economic perspective.

Socially the barriers of racism have to be torn down. As a country we are ‘raggedy’ in our efforts to dismantle this institution.  Johnson believes that ‘we must have conversations to tear down those barriers! Encourage ethnic values for it those very differences that makes our individual stories!’ In general people are afraid to come out of their comfort zones to communicate and discuss racism for fear of offending someone they don’t know. We should ‘reach out to other groups and be ambassadors of reason and justice.’

The institution of racism has persecuted multiple groups of people based upon sex, religion and race. ‘Racism in American is as old as America!’ In America Johnson believes that no other group has had to deal with the historical impact that African American slavery has had upon this group of people. ‘There is no parallel to the displacement of a race of people!’ In addition African Americans still have to hold government accountable of basic rights that other groups are innately afforded.

‘Racism is an institutional that still exists and is maintained for economic and political power. Racism is a by product of slavery. America became a world leader during and after the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade because slavery afforded it the economic opportunity of free labor. To maintain this free labor racism in America has employed legislation and economic disenfranchisement systems.

As African Americans we must address these issues and we are raggedy in responsibilities to that affect. ‘Many of the problems within our communities we cause ourselves.’ When asked if President Obama has a Black agenda Johnson sited how the majority of civil rights legislation occurred during the Johnson administration. Roy Wilkins, SCLC, MLK and many of the Black civil rights groups in the 60’s had a Black agenda and pressured the government to enact this legislation. In the final analysis ‘It is the Black communities’ job to have a Black agenda…not President Obama!

By Ms. Osupa Nia

Posted June 22nd 2010

Award winning journalist, social activist and political commentator Jeff Johnson will address the City Club of Cleveland on Friday, June 25^th 2010 at 12noon.  The forum subject ‘Racism or Raggedy: An Unjust Justice System!’

Johnson’s commitment to advocating universal communication about issues related to race, politics, popular culture and socioeconomics has prompted his international speaking engagements to record audiences. To date Johnson has addressed over one hundred engagements touting his ‘Truth to Power” vision.

Johnson’s race, political and social commentaries are on broadcast, print and electronic media including:  MSNBC’s Dayside and Hardball with Chris Matthews, CNN Headline News, CNN International, Larry King Live, Fox News Channel, Huffington Post, CNN.com, The Root.com, EbonyJet.com, Upscale, J’Adore, N’Digo, Monarch magazine and more. He has is a regular commentator on ‘The Tom Joyner Morning Show.’

Johnson is currently the managing editor of ‘The Truth with Jeff Johnson’ a talk show currently airing on the BET Network.  ‘The Truth with Jeff Johnson’ is aired with a live studio audience. Thought provoking topics aspire to engage the BET viewers.

‘Racism or Raggedy: An Unjust Justice System’ I quite sure will engage the audience at the City Club this Friday.  This is one forum you don’t want to miss!

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!