Awesome Men, Where Are They?

My expectations of black men were developed at a young age. My father was the first man I'd ever known. As a child I thought my father was the most powerful and respected man in the world.  He was tall and walked with self assurance and purpose. When he talked-people listened.  At times living under his roof was difficult, sometimes downright unbearable, but unlike many black men, my father was there.  When 8 in 10 black kids grow up without a father that says something about black men. It also says something about black women, but most importantly that statistic says a lot about black future. The August issue of Ebony Magazine features eight different covers; each with a well known black man representing the title of "Black Cool." Inside, are what Ebony refers to as the 25 coolest brothers of all time.  I don't normally read Ebony nor am I particularly interested in what seems to be a pretty popular edition featuring cool black men.   I read where the Magazine said it was difficult to come to a consensus of who was in fact cool because of the subjective nature of the term.  The word cool by definition means moderately cold, not warm nor hot. The slang cool means highly skilled, but I don't want my definition of a highly skilled man to be subjective.  I want my definition of a highly skilled man to be without a doubt Awesome.   By definition Awesome means to inspire awe or characterize by awe.  Featured on one of Ebony's August covers is presidential nominee Barack Obama. He is Awesome.  He is awesome because never has a black man made it as far as he in the political arena. Obama is awesome because he inspires awe in people who have waited too long without hope.  Obama represents a future for many in this country who never felt like they belonged to this country or could ever be proud of this country until now. Obama is an Awesome man and I believe there are many more black awesome men.  My up coming series called Awesome Men profiles black men who are doing wonders not only for themselves but affecting others in an awesome way. If you know an awesome man that by definition inspires awe or is characterized by awe, please send me some information on this person so that he may be highlighted in my series. It doesn't matter if he's a celebrity or your church pastor, if he is awesome let me know.  Stay tuned for this weekend's first edition of Awesome Men right here on reynalinares. 

Celebrity Journalists at Unity Conference

ReynaLinares and CBS Correspondent Byron Pitts at NABJ Luncheon.

ReynaLinares at NABJ party with CNN anchor Don Lemon.


ReynaLinares with the "Haaardest working man in radio" Tom Joyner.

Jimi Izrael, Writer and Blogger, The Root.com

Rowland Martin, political pundit and ReynaLinares at NABJ party.


Maria Hinojosa, Senior Correspondent, "NOW" on PBS, Jose Antonio Vargas, Reporter, The Washington Post.

Michelle Norris, PBS All Things Considered.


Tom Joyner, Radio Host, The Tom Joyner Morning Show.

Tom Joyner, Radio Host, Eric Deeggans, St. Petersburg Times, Michel Martin, NPR "Tell Me More"

Darkness Everybody Darkness!

Did everyone watch yesterday's CNN special, Black in America? I didn't because I'm on travel at the Unity Journalism conference in Chicago! I'm blogging for the first time from my blackberry so please excuse typos until I have a chance to clean it up later. I'm in my first workshop about activism and blogging. I'm hoping to learn something. I wonder if they will mention the CNN special? Anyway, a lot of you guys called me or texted me about the show last night.Many of you were upset by the content and brought up a lot of questions. The most important one being who is Black in America? I mean who is really Black? Soledad O'Brien, the host of the show is bi-racial. Who was included in the statistics about black people? Is the one drop rule still in effect? I have so much to say. I'm going to try to tune in tonight for part two but right now I'm wondering why I'm over hearing the panelist for this session say they don't know what they are going to talk about and they could wing it if they have to! Oh, you know I'm going to get my registration money's worth. I'm going to ask tons of qustions so if they are winging they are going to have to wing it hard. My thumbs are cramping up so I need a break from the
blackberry. Please send me your comments, let's get the conversation rolling. Stay tuned!

Soledad O'Brien is the Joint.

I watched CNN’s Soledad O’Brien host last night’s panel discussion Black in America: Reclaiming the Dream. The discussion focused on topics of concern in the Black community, such as HIV/AIDS, self-responsibility, education, etc. I must say, Soledad is doing the damn thing. She always has, in my opinion, despite being booted off American Morning, CNN’s morning show (John Roberts and Kiran Chetry are now the hosts). I remember when she was an anchor for NBC’s Weekend Today show back in 1999. I was a senior in high school then. I decided she would be my unofficial mentor as I began my broadcast journalism trek. My freshman year at the University of Missouri I emailed Soledad. (I found her contact number on some unofficial website-back then she wasn't the celebrity she is today) not thinking it was really her address I forgot about it. One day, I was just laying around in my dorm room, my roommate, Kim, was on the phone talking to her mother. I remember her telling her mother to hold on because she had another call. I knew the call was for me the way, Kim was talking. “Yes, she is here…who is this?” “Soledad?” I immediately jumped up shouting in a whisper…you know how that goes…mouthing the words SOLEDAD O’BRIEN??!!! Kim, realizing it was indeed THE Soledad O’Brien from NBC’s Weekend Today, clicked over and screamed, “Mom, some famous person is calling Reyna!" "I’ll have to call you back!!!" She hands me the phone and of course I was all calm, like yeah, Soledad is calling me. She really wasn’t at all what I had expected. A little rough around the edges, cursing in nearly every sentence she spoke. I kind of thought maybe she was trying to act young so I just laughed at everything she said and pretended I was a cool young student. I told her I was a freshman at the University of Missouri majoring in broadcast journalism. She told me how hard it was for her starting off as a reporter and how her news director told her she sucked and would never make it. She said people were obsessed with her hair and the fact that she wore a lot of black but she didn’t give a f*Ck (not sure I want to be cursing on my blog yet!). She invited me to come visit her in New York and she would give a tour of the NBC studio. I remember saying in disbelief, “People can just go tour the studio?” “Only people I know,” she said. I was thrilled! I couldn’t believe it, Soledad O’Brien was inviting me to New York and she said she knew me! After that phone call we stayed in touch through my freshman year. I never made it to New York that summer because I had to take summer courses. I remember sending Soledad an email telling her I wouldn't be able to make it that summer, like my being able to make it or not had a huge affect on her life. She emailed me back and said good luck with Pre-Calculus and that I was probably a lot better in math then she was. We didn’t talk again until 2005 when she was in Atlanta for the NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) conference. Of course she didn’t remember me when I told her the story about how she called me back in 1999, but she laughed and said it was nice to finally meet me. She was exactly how I imagined her from the phone and had that same fiery personality. Although, petite in size, Soledad O’Brien, is one of the most self assured women I’ve ever met. I’m looking forward to seeing her again at the Unity Journalists Conference in Chicago this week.

Be sure to catch CNN’s 4-hour documentary entitled Black in America, also hosted by Soledad O’Brien later this week (July 23rd and 24th)

It's hard being a blogger...

It's hard being a blogger and holding a real job that is.  I've tried to sneak a few moments at work(my 9-5) to come up with topics for new posts or to read comments but it's always tricky because after 10 minutes my guilty conscience forces me back to my real work.  After all I am getting paid to fight terrorism (that's what I do in my real job).  I'll blog on my terrorism fighting job later. I'm still trying to figure out how to go about it without having George Bush and his administration down my back.  Ooops, I think just mentioning terrorism, Bush and fighting may have red flagged by blog...oh well not that the Patriot Act doesn't allow "them" to do what "they" want anyway.  It's late and I'm really just posting to say that I'm serious about this blog and even if it doesn't look like it now my blog is going to be something great...I'm getting there...please continue to support.  Remember you don't have to agree with me just please be aware of what's going on in your world!  

Watch Venus Williams Tonight on Larry King Live

Venus Williams gives her first primetime interview since winning her 5th Wimbledon Championship on tonight's Larry King Live!

Lest We Forgot, David Horsey.

Here’s a satirical cartoon from David Horsey, cartoonist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in response to The New Yorker cartoon where Barack and Michelle Obama were depicted as terrorists. This image depicts a wheelchair-bound McCain, slurring “Bomb bomb bomb—bomb bomb Iran,” as his wife Cindy pours pills into her hand saying “Take some of my meds to get through the inaugural parade!)

Horsey, states his purpose for drawing the cartoon clearly, “For all you irony challenged literalists who were upset by The New Yorkers Obama as a Muslim cover, here’s one for you.”

I don’t know about you but I’m no “irony challenged literalist” in fact, Horsey understands my uproar over The New Yorker cartoon quite well. See, back in March Horsey apologized for offending the Jewish community when he originally drew a cartoon depicting two prodigal sons. The first prodigal son’s father accepts his long lost son back while the yarmulke skullcap wearing Jewish father says “Tough luck kid, life is unfair.”

Alan Gardner of the Daily Cartoonist writes:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial cartoonist David Horsey found himself in an uncomfortable situation when one of his cartoons unintentionally offended many of the Jewish faith. The cartoon which ran last Thursday depicts two prodigal sons. The first, representing investment firms returning to a receptive father willing to bail him out and a second an individual home owner who lost his house with a “risky loan” and receives a cold shoulder. The point of contention was that the father was originally drawn wearing a yarmulke - “is a thin, slightly-rounded skullcap traditionally worn at all times by Orthodox Jewish men.” Many felt that identifying the father as Jewish continued the stereotype that Jews are money handlers.

Horsey responds to Jewish community with this:

“I am mortified to learn that a number of people in the Jewish community around the United States read into a recent cartoon a meaning I never intended. While there have been times that folks with an axe to grind have purposely misread my work, in this case I can fully appreciate the cause of concern. It was a complete failure on my part to comprehend how the mix of symbols in my cartoon could summon up historical libels against Jews This seemed to help clarify my intent, but I also realized that one little detail in my cartoon — the yarmulke — had clearly identified the characters as Jews, not as mere ancient residents of the Middle East. It was a dumb, thoughtless, unnecessary addition that was easily remedied.”

Ummm, flip flopper or anti-semimtist? Take your pick. Read entire article here. David Horsey apologizes for misinterpretation of his cartoon