RezaRitesRi.com

Originally posted on www.IsisStorm.com

Click here to purchase tickets online or keep reading IsisStorm.com to learn about opportunities to pick yours up in the community.

PROVIDENCE, RI - It has been too long. FAR TOO LONG. It is past time for women in hip hop to take the recognition they deserve, and Rhode Island is ready to bring its fiercest women organizers and emcees to the table to do it!

Isis Storm has partnered with SlyShuga to present “WE RUN THIS: Women and Mother’s in Hip Hop” – an event that will happen during May to stress how much we believe that women in hip hop have been mothers both literally and metaphorically to their friends, family, and community. Taking the title from Rah Digga’s track- like the lady herself we are not holding anything back and are not afraid to tell you that we know WE RUN THIS!

In addition, because women spend so much time supporting others that they do not take care of themselves we have added a VIP segment full of self care that will be given to the first 60 women who purchase their tickets at the full price.

Yes Yall…It has been too long. FAR TOO LONG. It is past time for women in hip hop and the community to take the recognition they deserve, and Rhode Island is ready to bring its fiercest women organizers and emcees to the table to do it! CAUSE WE GON RUN THIS!

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Isis Storm and SlyShuga Present:

We Run This!
Women and Mothers in Hip Hop

With a Headlining Performance by
Queen Yonasda

Sunday, May 16, 2010
8 PM – 1 AM
Jerkys Bar and Grill
71 Richmond Street
Providence, RI

18 plus
$12.00 Advanced
$17.00 Day of the Show
Click here to purchase tickets online

Sponsorships are available to businesses, organizations and individuals who want to support the event, and there is a special VIP party for sponsors and the first 60 who purchase their tickets and register for the event. For more information visit www.IsisStorm.com or join “I Support We Run This…” on Facebook. To register for the VIP party or for sponsorships, email beginthestorm@gmail.com or call 401-497-5246.

UrbanHealthWatch.net is a blog managed by the Urban League of RI and funded by a Preventive Health and Health Services partnership between the RI Department of Health and the CDC. For more information, email urbanhealthri@gmail.com.

PROVIDENCE, RI - As part of the month-long health-related activities and events held annually in April, producers of the health blog, UrbanHealthWatch.net, will hold a community film event and discussion group as well as host short movies on their website. Also being proposed and implemented on the blog is the use of “Health Equity Awareness Month” to describe the month’s activities – in the place of the traditionally used “Minority Health Awareness” title.

Urban Health Watch is a blog cofounded in the summer of 2009 by Michelle Wilson, Director of Community Services of the Urban League of Rhode Island and the site’s editor, Reza C. Clifton. The purpose of the project is to address several objectives, including to bring health education into the community, deliver culturally appropriate messages on how to prevent and manage chronic diseases, and to translate medical research about health promotion and disease prevention into actionable steps people can use everyday in life. The blog is funded through a Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant offered through the RI Department of Health (HEALTH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The idea to show and post films in April is based, in part, on recognition of those in the community, even those with regular health providers, who may prefer or better retain information through visual learning. It is also in response to a successful campaign by HEALTH in 2009 to get members of the community viewing and discussing the health documentary, “Unnatural Causes.” The film sparked dialogue and a better understanding among viewers of important topics like cultural competence, social determinants of health, and why health disparities matter. One of the action steps many took away from the film was the need for more action to advance health equity, a phrase that denotes the types of practices and policy-changes required to truly address “minority health.”

The community-based movie event will happen on Saturday, April 10, at “Live Empowered! Diabetes Awareness Day,” an event scheduled from 10 am – 3 pm at the Urban League of RI. Community members who come for the film will be encouraged to pursue screenings and consultations on-site from the experts who are part of the Diabetes Awareness Event. Those who attend for diabetes tests and information are encouraged to use the movie to learn additional strategies about staying healthy and to hear from another network of experts and providers.

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For more information about the April 10 movie event and Urban Health Watch, visit www.UrbanHealthWatch.net, email urbanheatlthri@gmail.com, or call 401-497-5246. For more on the Live Empowered Diabetes Awareness event, contact Albert Whitaker, Associate Director Community Initiatives, American Diabetes Association, 617-482-4580 ext. 3469 or by email at awhitaker@diabetes.org.

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PROVIDENCE, RI - For months in many corners of the country, individuals, groups, and power-breakers have been sitting around televisions, newspapers, computers, and cameras waiting to hear about reforms to the country’s system and delivery of health care. True to the complexities of the U.S. government, however, steps remain before full enactment, and the debates have continued loudly with political sport played comparably to an athletic one.

In other corners of the nation, however, it is the very existence of such exaggerated and personality-laden sparring and the nonstop adjusting of procedures and provisions that have caused, at it’s most innocent, a tuning out of the debate and, at it’s worst, a disinterest, distrust, and general apathy towards a system and process that can serve as a place where solutions are nestled. But with everyone being effected by pending health reforms, at Urban Health Watch we’re wondering if you are ready for changes that WILL touch your life?

More importantly, we’re wondering, “How Can We Help You with Health Reform?” Please let us know by taking our short, online survey by clicking here or on the picture above.

Join Urban Health Watch on Facebook. Share your ideas for discussion, post your own events, and be part of the solution

Originally posted on UrbanHealthWatch.net. The annual Minority Health issue of She Shines magazine comes out soon, but there is still room for your voice to be heard. To submit a calendar listing or print ad, email info@sheshines.org. To submit an article, fact sheet or press release for consideration, email rezaclif@gmail.com. To receive the print magazine at home or in the office, email your mailing address to info@sheshines.org.

KINGSTON, RI - Here at Urban Health Watch, collaborations and partnerships are key. That’s why it’s so exciting to be partnering with She Shines, a magazine published by YWCA Northern Rhode Island. For the third year in a row, She Shines will be releasing a special, Minority Health edition of the magazine, and you might be familiar with the Guest Editor they worked with this year and in previous ones.

The cry for competition could have been loud, but with partnerships front and center in our work, it made sense for Urban Health Editor, Reza Clifton, to return to her post as Guest/Health Editor for She Shines Magazine. This year, the theme is Minority Health: Our Stories, Our Bodies, Our Lives, and the writers and topics that are in so far are sure to inform, and inspire you.

But is there still room for your story to be told or voice to heard?

EDITORIAL
Press releases, fact sheets, articles, and editorials will be received until 7:00 PM on Monday, March 8. There is no guarantee that your work will be included, but it will be reviewed and considered. Submissions can be made by emailing rezaclif@gmail.com.

CALENDAR
Events listed in the calendar section are a free opportunity as space allows. Priority is placed on events that are related to health. The upcoming edition is themed - our stories, our bodies, our lives. The deadline to submit calendar content is Friday, March 12.

ADVERTISING
She Shines is a mailed publication distributed to 8,000+. An online version is also posted at www.sheshines.org. All print advertisers are included in the online business directory as a free service. The deadline to reserve advertising space is Friday, March 12 with advertising copy due by Tuesday, March 16. As a reference, a quarter page ad is $129 (5″w x 4.5″h). To see the other rates and to download a copy of the media kit click here.

Hope to include you in She Shines. Share it. Trust it. Smile.

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Isis Storm Presents…

Finding the Gray:
A Black History Month Film & Discussion On the Diaspora & Identity

Thursday, February 25, 2010
Brooklyn Coffee Tea House
209 Douglas Avenue
Providence, RI 02908

Doors open at 6:30 PM; $5 donations collected at the door.

Can Blacks tell the story of Whites and can Whites tell the story of Blacks? Can men properly reflect women in art, and can women reflect men?

What about everyone in between?

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Join members of Isis Storm and RI’s film community for this special viewing of “Mix,” courtesy of the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Mix is a film directed by South African filmmaker, Rudzani Dzuguda, about “freedom in South Africa after 1994.” Following Tumelo and Dominique, two female, hip-hop disc jockeys (dj’s) – one Black and one White – Dzuguda explores the issues of personal freedom “in ways that genuinely baffle their parents.”

Part of NBPC’s critically acclaimed AfroPop Series, Dzuguda through his filmmaking and Tumelo and Dominique through their everyday lives, “are forging new social realities – between black and white, between males and females, across vast stretches of land – which seem to leave the generation gap as wide as ever.”

For more information about Isis Storm and the February 25 event, visit www.IsisStorm.com or email beginthestorm@gmail.com or call 401-497-5246. For more about NBPC’s AfroPoP series, visit www.afropop.tv. To learn more about Brooklyn Coffee Tea House, visit www.brooklyncoffeeteahouse.com.

Before she passed away on December 27, 2009, Dana Wright was spreading the word about a children’s book she had written called Rolling with Nia. Click on the image of the book cover or here to watch a video to see and learn more about Wright and her book. I, Reza Rites, produced the film for “Black Perspectives Now,” an online initiative of the public media organization, WGBH, and the program “Basic Black.”

by Reza Corinne Clifton

PROVIDENCE, RI - On Sunday, December 27, 2009, a friend, mentor, and colleague of mine passed away, leaving me shocked and saddened. From her activism in the community and online, to her work as a storyteller and published author, Dana Wright inspired me professionally and personally, and for these reasons and more, I will never forget her.

Before her untimely death I had a chance to talk to Wright, about a project she had recently completed, and about the impact she was on having on youth and families. And I wasn’t the only one interested in her story.

Up in Boston, Massachusetts, series producer Valerie Linson had just launched a new online initiative, which was to be tied to “Basic Black,” a television show she runs out of WGBH. Basic Black was created in 1968 - “during the turmoil of the civil rights movement as a response to the demand for public television programs reflecting the concerns of African Americans.” But Linson saw a more contemporary need for “Black Perspectives Now,” and for “stories, events, people and voices of black New England.” Dana Wright’s was one of them.

Learn more about my interview with Wright and see other stories from Black Perspectives Now by clicking here. To learn more about Basic Black, visit www.wgbh.org/basicblack.

And Rest in Peace, Dana.

by Reza Corinne Clifton

WASHINGTON, DC - On Thursday, January 28, 2010, Families USA, a national organization, began Health Action 2010 - its conference for consumer health advocates. The three day conference ended on Saturday afternoon, January 30 after being held at The Hyatt Regency Washington, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC.

According to Families USA, which is a Washington, DC-based nationally-serving nonprofit organization, the 2009 conference drew approximately 800 participants from more than 40 states.

This year’s conference featured a powerful group of leaders, informants, and advocates who talked about health reform legislation, field strategies for advancing the message about health equity, and strategies to keep constituents engaged. On Friday, January 29, yours truly, Reza Rites - in part representing UrbanHealthWatch.net - co-presented on the topic of “Getting Your Message Out: Strategies for Advancing Health Equity.”

It was day two of Health Action 2010 and after a 10:45 AM start and a preceding talk on engaging the traditional media, your RezaRitesRi.com/Urban Health Watch editor, delivered “Spread the Word in 2010: Health Equity Today, Tomorrow and Right Now,” a presentation which included statistics about diversity in the media to illustrate why advocates need to take matters into their own hands and tips on starting, maintaining and sharing new media projects and social networking accounts.

Photos and additional coverage of the conference are available at UrbanHealthWatch.net, but to catch a glimpse at what I shared, click here to download the presentation.

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Isis Storm is back in 2010; you didn’t think we were going somewhere, did you?

TONIGHT Sunday, January 24, 5:30 PM:

Isis Storm Presents…2010: The Year of the Woman
A New Year’s Celebration Honoring Women

Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Mediator Fellowship Center
50 Rounds Ave., in Providence, RI

$5 dollar donations (more optional)

Are you needing your soul and spirit to be moved, awakened, altered for the new year? Then come to the Mediator Fellowship Center, 50 Rounds Ave, Providence RI. Doors open at 5:30 PM with music by Isis Storm Co-founder “DJ Reza Wreckage.” A potluck dinner starts at 6pm, followed by an open mic and feature performances by Monsurat Ottun, Natasha Clay, Michelle Cruz and other members of the Isis Storm collective. $5 dollar donations (more optional) will be collected at the door. To sign up for the open mic, or to coordinate bringing a dish, email beginthestorm@gmail.com or call 401-497-5246.

Venus Sings at Funda Fest
Catch me, Reza Rites aka Venus Sings On Friday, January 22 at Spoken Word and Love Stories, a Funda Fest 12 event.

PROVIDENCE, RI - In case you missed it, the 12th year of Funda Fest began this week with its workshops, story swaps, school shows, and special performances. The annual cultural festival is organized by the RI Black Storytellers, a non-profit organization “dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black Storytelling in Rhode Island through performance, educational, and cultural experiences.”

Well the event continues tomorrow, on Friday January 22, with “Spoken Word and Love Stories.” The event will be hosted by spoken word poet, Christopher Johnson and dj’d by ME, Venus Sings/DJ Reza Wreckage. The event starts at 10pm, admission is $5, and it will take place at Brooklyn Coffee & Tea House, 209 Douglas Avenue in Providence, RI.

Join Johnson, me, and a host of other performers including a special preview performance by the Funda Fest 12 headlining performer, Grammy-nominated Christon Bacon, aka Christylez (pronounced Chris- styles) a progressive hip-hop artist out of Washington, DC. He performs for the Funda Fest Storytelling Concert and Market Place on Saturday, January 23, at 8 PM at the Michael P Metcalf Auditorium at Rhode Island School of Design, 20 North Main St in Providence, RI. For more information about the show visit www.ribsfest.com. For more about Funda Fest, click here.

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Venus Sings Radio

You know the deal: women, music, community.

Venus Sings Radio
Saturday, January 23, 2010
9 - 11 AM (est)

Hear it: 90.3 FM or www.wriu.org
Contact: www.VenusSings.com;
studio lines: 401-792-9030 or 1-888-303-9748