The goal of this website is to shed light on socio economic mobility for Black Economic Empowerment in urban communities.  Most of this website is dedicated to increasing the scope of the visitor, to provide understanding based on urban spaces and the type of conversations that need to take place to increase camaraderie in urban communities.  Through increased camaraderie we build these communities for  sustainability and resiliency, in a system that has failed the majority of it’s urban citizens.  This website highlighted ownership, career choices, and annual salary because only through concentrated efforts to build this areas can we create some form of urban equilibrium.  Although all the answers are not included in this website, it was built to serve as a starting point for community engagement.  With that in mind I included some key interviews from Stephen Brier and Jack Hammond.  Both of this professors have lived through the developments of their perspective movements, their experiences can be inserted into the conversation as a measuring stick of what aligns with building true change.  My goal was to make realistic comparisons on how much time and education it will to take to build forward for urban community equality.  These men gave me the best of their knowledge about what it took build forward the CUNY School system and what methods are effective when creating change through social groups.  Each perspective provides years of experience socially and academically to give the listener a better understanding of the history of creating sustainability, as well as the practical bumps and bruises that come along with it.  I hope you enjoy the dialogue.

 

 

Dr. Stephen Brier

 

This interview with Professor Brier was conducted for The Advocate.  Although it was never published I believe that Steve perspective to change in the school system as well as longevity as a educator lent to the narrative of creating change in urban communities.  I hope you enjoy it. 

 

 

 

Dr. Jack Hammond

 

Here is another interview I conducted with Dr. Jack Hammond about the future of social movements, as well as how group participation can create change.  Hammond’s historical knowledge and awareness of todays social climate added to my vision of what the future looks like for urban communities.  

 

 

 

This is a playlist that put together a year or two ago, as the Black Lives Matter movement became one of the major voices as urban communities began to speak out about injustice and inequality.  Through this music I touch on topics that were inserted to inspire, as well as build awareness.  In this way, I believed that I could speak to the hearts of people through a musical soundtrack.  If we look at the major movements in history, music and art usually played a role in motivating the people of it’s time.  I hope that this play list will inspire people in our urban communities to have conversations about what’s next for socio economic growth in urban communities.

BLACK LIVES MATTER MIX

 

 

This trailer was constructed in 2017.  My objective here was to incorporate text, music, and data visualizations to provide a narrative that would encourage change in our urban communities.  The change I was aiming for was not only mental but also spiritual.  Although many of us see isolated issues on a daily basis, sometime it helps to bring everything to together in the form of a Public Service Announcement to get the attention of the people.  That’s what we continue to work for, the ability to create insight and awareness through multimedia outlets.

 

 

This song was added as the bottom line to this website.  I wrote it after a couple of cases of police brutality surfaced that really irritated me.  With production by the Beat Minerz it speaks to the heart and soul of the issues that continue to occur in our urban communities.  It was put together to let people know that once we build awareness through educating our communities, we build resiliency; when it comes to people coming into the community to harass it’s residents.  The time has come, we must stand to together, take back our communities, and create change.

 

 

CROSS THE LINE

 

 

Attention Attention
My Brother’s and Sistas
We have a serious epidemic goin on out here
Racism must stop
I’m down with Black Lives Matter on this one
Big shout out to the Beat Minerz, Let’s Go

 

I can’t believe how it’s all going down
Say I can’t breath in my home in my town
I’m living here too and I gotta eat
When I stand up, you tell me take a seat
What about me, what am I doing wrong?
I made some mistakes, but my passion is strong
America America give me a chance
Not just on paper or ideal romance

 

Bridge:
Please Please not another man down
Justice and Peace no where to be found
A change is gonna come, My forefathers said
Their taking our lives, 194 dead
Listen up people, here’s what we gone do
Put our heads together, next time it could be you
Don’t hesitate stay on your grind
and let them suckas know when they Cross The Line

 

Hook:
You Have Cross The Line To The Point of No Return
What You Do From Here On Out I am No Longer Concerned (2x)

 

Here’s the second point, that I wanna make
About living in fear, can’t get a fair shake
It’s like Garner, Bell, Brown and Sterling too
Worlds taken away, that’s only a few
I really wanna trust give the system a chance
I’m watching the news, can’t get a fair stands
PSA Alert, Call of action two
We soldiers at war, R.I.P. is true

 

Bridge

 

Hook