RezaRitesRi.com

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originally sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Greetings friend,
Before the month comes to an end, I had to launch an official tribute to girls and women here, there, and everywhere. March is Women’s History Month and we all know there’s a lot to celebrate, condemn, appreciate, and question. I know I had a chance to do all this lately, taking in the intellectually and politically fierce women who took over National Urban League’s Legislative Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., and examining public, private, and media reactions to the power and identity of Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, reports on sexual activity in teenage girls, and new data revealing structural inequalities facing Black women seeking housing.

Have you celebrated, condemned, appreciated, or questioned what you see happening to the women around you lately? Are you surrounded by the successfully and satisfactorily employed, safely insured, and comfortably housed? Or are your neighbors the ones who attended under-funded, low achieving schools; lost employer-based or government-sponsored health insurance; or were consistently, unequivocally, and exclusively directed toward adjustable rate mortgages and high interest loans rather than credit counseling and fixed-rate mortgages.

From posting podcasts and article reprints to producing radio shows and exploring new projects, as always there will be more updates coming soon to RezaRitesRi.com. Still, below, I’ve provided you with a sample of some of the postings you’ll currently find on the front page. Maybe it will be immediate or maybe it will be delayed, but know that when you check into the site, it will be to a place that celebrates, supports, and highlights women every month and every year, and it’s a place where people visit and take the time to splash cold, clean positive vibez atop our faces and across our screens.

Sunshine and Laughter,
Reza Rites
_______

A Visual Tribute to Women’s History Month, PART 1

A Visual Tribute to Women’s History Month, PART 2

MEN WHO COOK, WOMEN WHO JUDGE

Demand Environmental Justice in RI - Wednesday March 26

Reza Rites and RIYP: National Urban Influencers

RI’s COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA

Peep the Podcasts Page: Soul Searching with Daphne S. Valerius

Reza Corinne Clifton
Online Publisher and Freelance Journalist

www.RezaRitesRi.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FROM
ANNE EDMONDS CLANTON
401-258-1910

PROVIDECE, RI - Join this opportunity to discuss the disparities between Black America and White America based on the New York Times bestseller “The Covenant” edited by Tavis Smiley - HERE IN RI. This is a series of ten public forums which will begin on Wednesday April 2nd at Roger Williams School of Law with the Covenant on Criminal Justice.

The Covenant is a collection of essays that plot a course for African Americans, explaining how individuals and households can make changes that will immediately improve their circumstances in areas ranging from health and education to crime reduction and financial well-being. Each essay outlines one key issue and provides a list of resources and suggestions for action. Though the African American community faces devastating social disparities, this celebration of possibility, hope and strength will help leaders and citizens keep Black America moving forward.

Below are the dates and locations for the RI series. The forums will be lead by leaders and moderators who are proficient in the subject matter. This is an opportunity to talk about what is on your mind and what you would like see happen in the future for you, your family and especially, the children.

Wednesday, April 2: CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Roger Williams University Law School, Bristol

Monday, April 28: VOTING, Johnson & Wales University Multicultural Center, 60 Broad Street

Wednesday, May 14: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, Center for Environmental Studies, Brown University, 135 Angell Street

Wednesday, June 11: POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY, Providence Public Safety Complex Auditorium, 325 Washington Street

Tuesday, June 17: HEALTH AND WELL BEING, University of Rhode Island, Providence Campus, 80 Washington Street

Thursday, July 31: AFFORDABLE NEIGHBORHOODS, Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street

Thursday, September 18: ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, Rochambeau Branch Library, 708 Hope Street

Wednesday, September 23: EDUCATION, Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street

Wednesday, October 8: DIGITAL DIVIDE, Bryant University, Smithfield

Tuesday, October 21: RURAL DEVELOPMENT, Congdon Street Baptist Church, 17 Congdon Street

November: ACTION FORUM: to be announced

All forums are from 6:30-8:30 p.m. with the exception of Affordable Neighborhoods which is 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Covenant with Black America is funded by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and presented by Anne Edmonds Clanton. For information call 401-258-1910

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By Alex Moore
Contributor at RIFuture.org:
An Insider’s Guide to Politics and Future in RI

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to give you a quick reminder about the hearing that has been scheduled for bi-partisan bill H-7577 to stop building schools on contaminated land in our state (see attached fact sheet for details).

The hearing will take place approximately between 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm tomorrow - Wednesday, March 26th in room 135 of the State House.

Please try to come and testify or show up as a sign of support!

I know most of you cannot attend the hearing at this time due to other obligations. If you haven’t done so yet, please take one minute to send an e-mail or make a phone call asking decision makers to support it. Call 222-2296 and tell the clerk you want the House, Education, and Welfare Committee members to support H-7577, the bi-partisan bill to stop building schools on contaminated land or use the address provided below to link to directions for sending an e-mail:

http://stage.citizenspeak.org/node/1229

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To read more on the topic written by Moore, visit RIFuture.org to read his blog post called “Honor Dr. King: Demand Environmental Justice,” or go there directly by visiting http://www.rifuture.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=1738. Below is an excerpt.

Honor Dr. King: Demand Environmental Justice
by: Alex
Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 10:00:49 AM EST

Recently, Yale and Carnegie Mellon universities honored Dr. Martin Luther King by highlighting his often overlooked legacy of fighting for environmental justice.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. strove to raise awareness about urban environmental issues and public health concerns that disproportionately affect communities of color. While these issues by no means have disappeared in the last three decades, great strides have been made in many communities to bring such inequalities to light and to improve living and working conditions. Dr. King was a pioneer in these efforts.

[…]

Did you know?

** Minority and low-income neighborhoods are more likely than more affluent, predominately white communities to have environmental health hazards in their midst, including landfills, petrochemical plants, waste incinerators, and contaminated sites.

** Minority and low-income communities often lack the political clout and necessary resources to ensure that environmental laws are meaningfully implemented and enforced in their communities or to avoid the siting of undesirable facilities (e.g., incinerators, landfills) near their homes.

** Minority and low-income populations are doubly vulnerable to health hazards associated with environmental exposures, because these groups are more likely to lack both access to health care as well as information on the hazards associated with the pollutants they are exposed to in their communities.

Click here to keep reading.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FROM:
Anne Edmonds Clanton, aec productions
401-258-1910

(RezaRitesRi.com archive photo. Pictured is artist and Broad Street Studio Visual Coordinator, Angel Quinonez, standing by artwork he created then displayed at a November 2006 exhibit at As220. Click here to see more photos from the show. Ethnic specialties are part of the dishes that will be contributed by contestants; slots are still open. For (paying) attendees, it is an All You Can Eat event.)

PROVIDENCE, RI - A MEN WHO COOK/WOMEN WHO JUDGE cooking contest is being held on Sunday, March 30th at Pat Conley’s Wharf, 200 Allens Avenue in Providence. The event is sponsored by aec productions a group of individuals who strive to celebrate and preserve African American art and culture. Proceeds from this event will result in a scholarship for a Culinary Arts student at Johnson & Wales University.

In past years, hundreds of men have participated in this event. The contestants create their favorite dishes and ethnic specialties which are judged on the basis of taste, quality and presentation. Cooking categories are appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Come out and join us for an afternoon of good food, good music and lots of fun. Invite your family and friends to come out and support a good cause and have good time in the process. Tickets are $25.00 available at the Wharf, 200 Allens Avenue, LJ’s Barbecue, 727 East Avenue in Pawtucket or by calling 401-258-1910 for tickets and additional information.

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(From left to right, former RI State Representative, Melvoid Benson; and Nuala Pell, wife of former RI Senator Claiborne Pell. Both were attendees at the February 20 visit to RI, by first lady-in-waiting, Michelle Obama.)

PROVIDENCE, RI - It is March 24, 2008 and it almost the end of Women’s History Month. A glance at the number of new posts made this month, and it might look as though we don’t celebrate that here at RezaRitesRi.com.

But that is just not right.

We celebrate women here regularly, it is definitively not confined to a month, and you will find evidence of that all over the site. For example, I encourage you to check out the photos page by using the link above or clicking here to view long over-due new additions that tell the visual stories and updates about RezaRitesRi.com. You will find that photos come from a variety of sources and people, including Deborah L. Perry, Publisher of She Shines magazine; Corey Taylor, aka Blade Mon from WRIU’s Bladeconnex Radio; and me, Reza Rites, Online Publisher and Freelance Journalist.

Below, I have presented an online exhibit sampling some of the new images, and, more importantly, highlighting powerful women I and others have met, spoken to, listened to, and admired. Enjoy the photos and check back soon. New photos, podcasts, and articles are on their way!!

*** From the February 20, 2008 visit to RI by Michelle Obama. Photos by Deborah L. Perry, publisher of She Shines. ***

*** From the March 4 through 6 National Urban League Legislative Policy Conference and State of Black America 2008 (SOBA) press release and panel discussion. SOBA 2008 [is] “In the Black Woman’s Voice,” and it includes a foward by Dorothy I. Height, the Chair and President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), an organization founded in 1935 to lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities. ***

*** From the February 24, 2008 Providence Premiere of Daphne S. Valerius’s documentary, The Souls of Black Girls. ***

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PROVIDENCE, RI - Check out the photos page by using the link above or clicking here to view long over-due new additions that tell the visual stories and updates about RezaRitesRi.com. Below I have presented another online exhibit sampling new and archived images of artistic, political, enlightened, and inspiring women that I and others have met, spoken to, listened to, and admired. Enjoy the photos and check back soon. New photos, podcasts, and articles are on their way!!