We still can’t believe Don Cornelius is gone. Your favorite Praise 100.9 personalities and staff members are opening the airwaves for you to hear your favorite songs from this pioneering show.

It’s still fresh, it’s still unreal, but we are the voices that the people want to hear from most. Let the celebration of life & love continue every time you watch these videos, dance down a “Soul Train” line of your own or think of Cornelius & the impact he had on our community. Take a minute to tell us your favorite gospel artist to appear on Soul Train. Our jocks will compile a special playlist this weekend.

Fave Gospel Artist To Appear On Soul Train?

Don Cornelius – we love you & we miss you already! May you rest in love, peace & soul…eternally.

Please link back, share, retweet, like, comment on the message board/chat box.

The acceptance speech announcement comes as little surprise. Local news media has been speculating for weeks that the speech could be held at the stadium. The venue change allows the Democrats to sell more skyboxes to donors to the Sept. 6 event, Bloomberg reported recently. The Observer also reports that the new venue means the speech will be open to the public. In announcing the move to the 74,000-seat stadium, Kerrigan recalled the 2008 convention, when Obama accepted the nomination under a starry sky at Invesco Field in Denver.

Kerrigan didn’t release details about the Labor Day event, but he said “dedicating Monday, September 3rd to families and the community hosting the convention will help show the world what we can do when we out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world and build an economy that creates opportunity for all.”

The kids are out of school and you might be off work so spend the day celebrating the life of a legacy.

*Blacks In Wax, part of the UnitedHealthcare’s Black Classic Cinema Series, will feature students who will come to life from a pretend wax state to a live portrayal of a civil rights icon. 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, January 14, 2012

*Levine Museum of the New South Presents Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Days and the Final Days of COURAGE. Admission is free on Sunday from 12-4pm, and Monday from 10-4pm. Due to the expected number of visitors, tickets will be issued throughout each day on an hourly schedule.

On Sunday and Monday, January 15-16, Levine Museum hosts its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration.

* Hands On Charlotte will host its second annual MLK Service Forum on MLK Day: Monday, Jan. 16, at the Grady Cole Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is in conjunction with Hands on Charlotte’s MLK Week of Service.

* MLK Holiday Parade Celebration 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

*See Cash Crop Exhibition at Gantt Center. Admission is free on Monday.

Many of those people giving are African Americans, and they’re part of a growing network of African-American philanthropists helping local organizations. In the new coffee table book, “Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists,” by Charlotte’s Valaida Fullwood. The book features essays about and photographs of local African-American philanthropist who are helping local organizations.

On Wednesday, Fullwood, founding member of New Generation of African American Philanthropists giving circle, and Thomas, the book’s photographer, will lead a panel discussion on how inclusive and responsive philanthropy can have a positive impact on issues of racial justice at the YWCA. The multigenerational panel will include: Olivia Stinson, freshman at Winston-Salem State University and founder of PEN Pals Book Club; Rashad Davis, entrepreneur and founding member of the New Generation of African American Philanthropists giving circle; Rob Harrington, attorney with Robinson Bradshaw and civic leader; and Jeanne Brayboy, retired educator, arts patron and civic leader.

“The book is meant to introduce new images that lift up, celebrate the giving that happens in the African American community,” Fullwood said.

Fullwood said African Americans tend to primarily see themselves as the beneficiaries of philanthropy. However, African Americans have a rich history of giving. Since New Generation of African American Philanthropists started in 2006, the organization has connected with about a dozen other black giving circles throughout the country. To date Fullwood’s group has donated more than $40,000 to local organziations such as The Male’s Place, the Men’s Shelter and Jacob’s Ladder.

The book highlights the people who so willingly gave of their time and money to help the above organizations and more. The book is nearly 400 pages, half of which are black and white photos of everyday givers. The narratives explain how the philanthropists were inspired to give. Proceeds from book sales are donated to the giving circle’s grant-making fund.

It’s a contender to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award and has received critical acclaim.

]]> http://praisecharlotte.com/community/tonyajameson/book-spotlights-local-black-philanthropists//feed 0 http://praisecharlotte.com/national/tonyajameson/things-to-do-in-2012-see-the-mountaintop-2/ http://praisecharlotte.com/national/tonyajameson/things-to-do-in-2012-see-the-mountaintop-2/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:31:00 +0000 tonyajameson http://praisecharlotte.com/?p=507452 Our collective memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is that of the sanitized savior gun downed in his effort to make life better for black people. The critically-acclaimed "The Mountaintop," strips away some of King's shine... Read more..]]> Our collective memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is that of the sanitized savior gun downed in his effort to make life better for black people. The critically-acclaimed “The Mountaintop,” strips away some of King’s shine give us a fuller picture of this great leader and his journey.

The play stars Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. It’s set in room 304 of the Lorraine Motel on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn. The play takes place the night before King was assassinated. It shows King as a smoker, a womanizer and vulnerable. I had the opportunity to see it in New York this year, and the play deserves the accolades. For King worshippers, of which I am one, it’s unsettling to see him as a chain-smoking, drinking, flirt.
Yet, it also makes King seem human. Jackson and Bassett are electrifying. Once you get past King’s negative attributes, it’s easy to settle into the message of the play about King’s struggle to be the voice of people who didn’t know they needed a voice and who rarely spoke with one voice.

Bassett plays a temptress maid sent to deliver King coffee and a whole lot of sass. However, it’s a little hard to see her in the role of a young giggly maid. The role is so different from the characters she typically plays in movies so it take some getting used to. The play also feels a little long and starts to lose wind in the second half, but the finale is well worth the wait.

“The Mountaintop” closes Jan. 22. To read about Charlotte’s connection to the play read Mary Curtis’ article on QcityMetro.

]]> http://praisecharlotte.com/national/tonyajameson/things-to-do-in-2012-see-the-mountaintop-2//feed 0 http://praisecharlotte.com/charlotte/tonyajameson/things-to-do-in-2012-go-camping/ http://praisecharlotte.com/charlotte/tonyajameson/things-to-do-in-2012-go-camping/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:00:17 +0000 tonyajameson http://praisecharlotte.com/?p=509262 In 2010, Oprah and Gayle camped in Yosemite Park to highlight the dismal number of African Americans who camp. At the time, the Park estimated that blacks made up just one... Read more..]]> In 2010, Oprah and Gayle camped in Yosemite Park to highlight the dismal number of African Americans who camp. At the time, the Park estimated that blacks made up just one percent of its 280 million tourists. Sadly, I doubt Oprah’s highly-publicized escapade dramatically increased the number of black campers.

I have been camping at least once a year for the last few years after being exposed to it as a Girl Scout. I’ve camped at Carolina beaches, the Grand Canyon, the N.C. mountains and musical festivals. I love throwing up a tent and building a fire. I’ve done bougie camping (propane grills and electric outlets to power my gadgets). I’ve also done primitive camping like no showers or toilets. I love them all except for the lack of blacks that I meet on my adventures.

Camping is a great and inexpensive way to see beautiful places, especially Carolina beaches. Typically, nightly stays begin at $15 a night. Try it for yourself. Start slowly with the McDowell Nature Preserve in South Charlotte and Lake Norman State Park. Site amenities range from primitive tent sites to cabins. Get a group a friends, a portable grill and go for it. You may surprise yourself.

The world of fitness is so broad, but so often we get stuck in the rut of gyms and monotonous exercise machines. Last year, I took a break from years of weights and jogging to train with high school football players over the summer and to try the fitness DVDs “Insanity” (loved it) and “P90X (didn’t like it). I also challenged myself to participate in the “Warrior Dash” race.

This year, I’m returning to my weights and treadmill to kick-off the year. I’ll add boxing in February and I’m planning to mix in some swimming at some point. I’m also seriously considering tossing in Crossfit. I’m debating training for the Ragnar Relay. Whatever I decide to do, I’m planning to mix it up and keep my fitness regiment fresh. Try it, you might like it.

You can do it big with five-star hotels, reasonable with private vacation rentals or even more modest via hostels. Deals on Group On and Living Social make it even more affordable and easy to book a trip overseas. So, this year make a plan to go big!

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