A War For Your Soul

This video was created to inspire young at-risk African-Americans not to fall prey to some of the problems they face in society.






Peace & Blessings

TORII HUNTER'S PERSONAL MIRACLE

By LEE HAWKINS
Two days before Christmas 2005, five years ago, Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Torii Hunter learned he had a half-brother. His father gathered him and his three brothers together to tell them they had a half brother. Theotis Hunter pulled out a high-school prom picture of Brandon Thurman, then 17, and told them that a DNA test had just confirmed his paternity. Adding to the shock: Their newly discovered sibling would be joining them for Christmas dinner at Torii's Dallas home.

"I felt like I was in a soap opera," Mr. Hunter recalls. "He looked just like my dad. Six-four. Had the same face. It was amazing." Recently, the blended family celebrated another major achievement: the graduation of Brandon Thurman from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. If there's ever been a near-perfect illustration of how natural-born talent can emerge even from the toughest of circumstances, it's the story of these two brothers—a superstar outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels and a young U.S. Army officer bound for a war zone.
The brothers, who have never talked publicly about their reunion, both grew up in Pine Bluff, Ark., a town about 45 miles outside of Little Rock with one of the highest crime rates of any metropolitan city in the U.S. Mr. Hunter admits to carrying a gun around Pine Bluff for safety as a youngster. He also remembers often playing cards by candlelight with his brothers because his father, then a crack addict who often squandered his paychecks on drug binges, left the family unable to pay its electric bill.

Mr. Hunter and Mr. Thurman both graduated from high school, but many of their peers did not. The state's high-school graduation rate for black males is 61%, but only 29% of black students who start high school in Pine Bluff are considered college-ready when they leave, according to Marcus Winters, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.Mr. Thurman's mother, Gloria Hampton, a nurse who recently retired after 20 years and also served in the National Guard, opted to not reveal who Mr. Thurman's father was, saying she didn't want to stir up too much small-town gossip in Pine Bluff. She and Theotis Hunter didn't see each other for years, so Mr. Hunter didn't know about Brandon.
Meanwhile, Brandon struggled with not knowing his biological father. "He was always bitter," Ms. Hampton says. "You know, children are bitter when they have a father that's not around them." In raising him, she kept him focused on academics, athletics and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, always with the goal of keeping him active and away from trouble. "The child was seeing people do drugs, going to jail, and down the street selling drugs. I would tell him not to get involved with that," she says.
Mr. Thurman set his sights on West Point during his freshman year in high school, inspired by a speech by a West Point grad who attended his same high school, and by Col. Stan Warrick—his JROTC adviser who also graduated from West Point. "I wanted to get away from Pine Bluff," he says. He credits his mother for pushing him. "Even when things are bad, she just keeps her head up, she keeps going. And I think that's how we got through difficult times when we were younger, too," he says.
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Before he graduated from high school, Mr. Thurman's mother decided to resolve lingering questions about the boy's father. "I took him to court" seeking a paternity test, Ms. Hampton says. "I didn't get anything out of it [monetarily], but I got a lot out of it, because Brandon was able to meet his father," Ms. Hampton says. Torii Hunter has a strong mother, too. Shirley Hunter, an elementary-school teacher, basically supported the family during tough times, all the while scrambling to attend each of her four sons' Little League games. Torii's success changed everything. Mr. Hunter started to use his earnings with the Minnesota Twins (he left the Twins as a free agent and signed with Los Angeles in 2008 and now earns $18 million a year) to catapult himself and his family into a new financial universe.

Some of that money went to helping his father get treatment. Now clean, Theotis has spent the past few years trying to correct his past mistakes, saying his relationship with his new-found son and his other children and grandchildren have helped keep him straight. "It's an ongoing process. You have to manage yourself every day. You have to kind of watch who you deal with and everything. My grandkids and my family, they're No. 1. They keep me out of trouble," he says.

Looking back, Torii Hunter is impressed that his brother chose to attend West Point even after the war in Iraq had begun. Mr. Thurman says he heard similar sentiments elsewhere. "Some of my friends told me, 'You shouldn't go into the Army. You could get killed,'?" he remembers. "But people get killed over here, too. I figured, 'When it's my time, it's my time. I'd rather go out serving my country."


Mr. Thurman is currently training at Ft. Sill in Lawton, Okla., and will be stationed at Ft. Lewis in Washington. He recently learned that he will likely be deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq next year as part of his five-year commitment to the military. Mr. Thurman was less aware of his brother's talent. He knew Mr. Hunter was a major leaguer, but didn't realize the caliber of player he was. Toward the end of his freshman year at West Point, however, he found out. Some buddies were looking at a photo of Mr. Hunter in Sports Illustrated in their dorm.

"I think it was when he knocked some guy out while he was sliding into home plate," he recalls. "They said, 'Torii Hunter,' and I said, 'Hey, that's my brother.' And they were, like, 'No way, that's not your brother! He's like one of the greatest center fielders ever!' And I was, like, 'Really?'?" As for Mr. Thurman, the discovery of Theotis and Torii has helped answer questions that lingering in his mind. Mr. Thurman always stood out in cross-country, track and basketball, but he never knew where his athletic ability came from. He was plagued by injuries for most of his career as a walk-on sprinter at West Point, but the Hunter genes surfaced during one of his final races, and he set a school record in the 500 meters.
Theotis, himself a star high-school football player in Arkansas in the 1960s, wasn't surprised.

Known as "Iron Man," Theotis played both offense and defense, rarely coming off the field. But his dream ended with high school. "I had 17 football scholarship offers, but Vietnam was going on, and I got drafted," he says. He marvels at how two kids growing up on the streets of Pine Bluff could be so extraordinary. "The odds are probably a million to one," he says. Right now, the family is focused on strengthening its ties. Shirley and Theotis Hunter divorced, but family members say they remain friends. Theotis flew to New York for Mr. Thurman's West Point graduation ceremony, and Mr. Thurman visited California this summer to see his brother Torii and attend some Angels games. After the military, the future is less clear.
"I will need to stay in the Army until 2014, but I don't know if I'll stay or leave after that. If I decide to get out, I'll do law," he said. "I've thought about sports casting. I think that would be a nice job, too, and Torii has a lot of contacts in that area." Meeting Mr. Thurman and seeing all of his sons excel in life has helped soften Theotis's past personal disappointments. "It was a load off of my chest," he said of finding out about Brandon. "I didn't want to go through life not knowing he was my son. That was something that had to be resolved, so I took the test, and it came out 99%. So it's all good."

President Barack Obama

Senator Ted Kennedy‏

From:	President Barack Obama (info@barackobama.com)
Sent:	Wed 8/26/09 10:30 PM
To:	Ronald White

Ronald -- Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives -- in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education's promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me. In the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. He battled passionately on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintained warm friendships across party lines. And that's one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. I personally valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've benefited as President from his encouragement and wisdom. His fight gave us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you and goodbye. The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives. For America, he was a defender of a dream. For his family, he was a guardian. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today -- to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family. Today, our country mourns. We say goodbye to a friend and a true leader who challenged us all to live out our noblest values. And we give thanks for his memory, which inspires us still. Sincerely, President Barack Obama

Dear BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

Alvah J. Lambert

Date: Monday, August 24, 2009, 9:32 PM

Ms. Janitra Patrcik: Dear BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

Dear Debra Lee,

I’m Janita Patrick, a 15-year-old African-American female from Cincinnati. Recently, I watched the 2009 BET Awards and felt the strongest urge to reach out to the program. My family is of the typical middle-class variety; both parents and four brothers. See, I’m a junior in high school (got skipped), so naturally EVERYBODY in my age group watches BET. I’m used to seeing the sagging pants, tattoos, lack of emphasis on reading and respecting women that makes up your videos. People in my class live this out everyday, while teachers tell us that we’re acting just like the people in your shows.

In your shows. That struck me as odd, because I would think that with your show being the primary outlet for black entertainers and musicians, and considering the context of blacks in this country, there’s a social responsibility factor to consider. I would never blame BET alone for the way a great deal of my classmates act and talk and dress. Everybody makes their own choices. However, if anybody is aware the power of television on impressionable minds, it’s the people running the television operations. If you are not aware, then perhaps you shouldn’t be running the operations.

Guess who watches your network the most? Not those who are intelligent enough to discern foolishness from substance, but those who are barely teenagers, impressionable and believing. It’s awfully cruel to plant seeds of ignorance in fertile minds. You know it’s really bad when the co-founder of BET, Sheila Johnson, said that she “really doesn’t watch it” anymore.

I am constantly fighting against the images and messages put forth on your program. What made you think that it’s okay to bring my classmates on stage to dance behind Lil Wayne and Drake to a song talking about boffing “every girl in the world”? Why does reality train wrecks have to be thrown in our faces? Are you aware of the achievement gap going in inner-city African-American communities? A report from America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit group started by Colin Powell, recently stated that 47 percent of high school students in the nation’s top 50 cities don’t graduate. (Fifty-four percent of males of color in Ingham County graduated from high school, compared to 74 percent of white males). This isn’t because of BET per se, but I don’t see any episodes on your show doing anything to counteract this disturbing trend. In fact, your show is a part of this cycle of media depicting us at our worst.

My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for every business. I’m not sure I understand what that means, but I do know that your shows have to be entertaining enough to generate viewers, which is how you make your money. But surely our culture is rich enough to entertain without anything extra to “boost” ratings; why the over-the-top foolery? I listen to classmates talk about Baldwin Hills like it’s the Manhattan Project. It doesn’t take much effort to produce a throng of degenerative reality shows, nor does it take much to eliminate socially conscious shows off the air. MTV isn’t much better, but since when does two wrongs ever make a right? It’s one thing for white television shows to depict us in a particular way, but for black television shows to do it is baffling.

Why do you hate us?

All of the values that my parents seek to instill in me and my brothers seems to be contradicted by a more powerful force from the media, and your show is at the forefront. Your network is the only network that features rap videos and shows exclusively to children of my color. I know that you have no control over the music that the artists put out, but you do have influence as to how you air these videos. I’m sure if a stand was taken to use the talent in your organization to actually crank out thought-provoking entertaining shows and videos, then artists will follow suit. Being that they need you as much as you need them.

There was one awkward segment in the BET Awards when Jamie Foxx singled out three black doctors-turned-authors, but the introduction was so powerless that many of the viewers had no idea who they were. Had they been introduced as Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, three brothers who overcame major obstacles to become a success without the use of lyrics that berate women, the sell of substance that destroy communities or through raps about loose gunplay, then maybe my classmates would have come to school talking about more than Beyonce, T-Pain’s BIG ASS CHAIN and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s hopping out the bed.

But they weren’t introduced like that. It seemed like a throwaway obligatory tribute to appease some irritated fans. It missed the mark. Big time. Ask Michelle Obama if she watches BET or encourages Sasha and Malia to do so. Ask President Obama. It’s a reason he is the leader of the free world, and it isn’t because of Buffoonery Exists Today.

You’d be surprised how smart young black children can be with the absence of Blacks Embarrassing Themselves. If your goal is to deter engaged, forward-thinking articulate black minds, then consider your goal fulfilled. It’s hard-pressed to think that your shows are working to promote cultural betterment. However, it’s quite easy to conclude that the destruction of black children through the glorification of immoral behavior and rushed production is by design. Poison is being swallowed by every viewer who adores your network, and the worse thing is, these viewers - my classmates - are not even aware what they’re swallowing.

There is nothing edifying for black women on your show. I don’t judge people who do throng to your programs though; I mean if a jet crashes right in front of me, I’d atch it too. That’s why I don’t flip by your channel…I don’t even want to be sucked in.

I have aspirations of acquiring a law degree and possibly entering the public sphere, so I can counteract conditions in my community perpetuated by the images on your channel. So I should thank you, because in a weird sense, your shoddy programming is the wind behind my back. And it is my hope that I can accomplish my dreams despite BET’s pictorial messages, because Lord knows it won’t be because of them.

Sincerely,

Janita Patrick

GREEN FOR ALL

The dirty-energy economy has brought pollution and poverty to too many. But a clean-energy economy can bring opportunity, health, and wealth to struggling communities. Clean-energy jobs such as weatherizing homes, installing solar panels, and manufacturing wind turbines will put people to work in their own communities.

A new green economy will provide opportunity to people who have been left out of the old economy. That is the promise of Green For All. Watch the video. Take Action. Share A New Sound with your friends and family.

This old lady was in the parking lot of Walmart in Whitehall, Ohio

The elderly woman with a knife was taken down by police with excessive force .