FORWARDEVER MEDIA CENTER
Writer Alex
Haley writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Brother Malcolm.
"The
media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make
the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.
Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
Mission
The Forwardever Media Center is 100% committed to providing unconventional writing workshops and media literacy training to "at-risk" Black youth, particularly males, ages 14 through 24. Working in partnership with The Mentoring Center in Oakland, CA., the Center's writing workshops, website internship, and film forums, help students develop critical thinking skills and discover their creative talents. We recruit youth for our programs from the California Youth Authority (the state's largest prison for youth) as well as from universities and high schools. This cross-pollination of young minds creates dynamic shared experiences.
Programs
Whatchusay Cinema–A monthly film forum hosted at schools or community centers in Northern California that explores issues such as race, class, gender, and society. Students are joined by a panel of activists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. to rate the films and convene roundtable discussions about corresponding relevant issues in society. For info about film screenings and schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Writing Workshops–We offer intensive seminars in journalism, creative writing, cultural criticism, new media, film production, etc. These seminars are taught at the center, located at 1224 Preservation Park, Oakland, CA, 94612. They are also available on location, at schools, community and detention centers, churches, etc. For info about class schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Internships–Whatchusay.com offers competitive internships to young writers who have clearly demonstrated a passion for the craft of writing or media production. The 3-month internship covers news writing and reporting, feature writing, creative writing, media literacy and new media. Working in partnership with community based organizations, universities and international and national media outlets, we produce a pipeline of informed journalists of color who will go on to create their own independent media organizations or work for major media organizations.
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Memo to Civil Rights Generation: Change or Retire
by Maya Pope-Chappell
In January, my generation of voters took a break from the distractive amenities of camera phones, myspace, and YouTube, to cast their vote during the primary elections here in California.
As a 24 year-old who has only been able to vote in one other presidential election, I walked into the polling place near my home in Oakland on Super Tuesday eager to cast my vote for Barack Obama. Not because he's a Black man, although that is an added plus both personally and historically, but because he brings hope and commitment to change that is needed in America.
My cousin Josephine* on the other hand, a 65 year old woman who grew up in the South and witnessed racism first hand, voted for Hillary Clinton.
"What's up with that?," I wondered.
"I voted for her strictly based on her experience," said Josephine. "I feel that the country has a lot of problems and she is better equipped to tackle some of the problems that the country has. And her husband was a good president in the past, especially what he did for Blacks."
"Is she her husband?" I thouhght to myself.
"Is her husband running for President? No. Hmmm."
My cousin and I represent a generational divide between the two democratic frontrunners; the split among younger voters who support Obama, and older voters who back Clinton. According to primary exit polls, Obama is leading among voters under 30, whereas Clinton is gaining more support from voters over 50.
As my cousin pointed out, many older people are voting for Clinton because they want to see the Clintons back in the White House. It is this mentality of settling and comfort that annoys me as a young voter. My main point here is simple: "Why go backwards?"
I don't want Bill back. It's time to move forward. Despite Obama's "inexperience," I believe he can change the direction of America. In fact, I believe his inexperience will allow him to question current policies and go against the status quo.
Obama's appeal to youth is couched in his charisma, intelligence, cool factor, and promise to bring a difference to the nation. Often compared to Kennedy and King, Obama brings a message of hope that inspires.
At the end of the day, I believe its not about race. It's about CHANGE. Are you ready for change?
Posted on March 3, 2008 11:47 AM
