Chatham/Avalon Park Community Council: The Huff Post Make 10 / Mahalia Jackson's Movie / Mayor Freeman atEssence Fest

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C. Dwayne West / MG Media

PUBLISHER'S PEACEThe Power of Imagination!

Last Friday night while most people were watching the Bulls play the Cavaliers at the United Center, I was home watching Bloomberg News. There was this interview I wanted to watch with Twitter's current CEO Dick Costolo. As I'm listening to him talk about the troubles Twitter encountered in the early years; it's obvious from his passionate chat with the interviewer, Emily Chang, that what elevated the communication product has always been imagination.

Not just Costolo's imagination, but Twitter's early founder, Jack Dorsey's vivid imagination. Dorsey is the original creator, but two other close allies actually founded the company together. And all three of them rose up from the now infamous PayPal Mafia crew. It has been written that the six men who joined forces to launched PayPal, did it with teamwork, imagination and innovation. And the proof was in the end result when Google purchased PayPal for billions. Those men including Yelp's founder, Jeremy Stoppleman became very, very wealthy; and each also went on to start companies like Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and a hosts of other very noticeable and profitable tech companies.

But what really impressed me most during the interview was the fact that each dude who launched new start ups after the sell of PayPal, remains a constant support system for each of the original members of the online payment center. Each man sits on the others Board of Directors. They stay connected. And when either of their companies are faced with challenges, the others step in to assist by becoming the CEO or some high level executive to help stabilize the troubled brand.

This can only be done through the power of imagination, and the ability to put aside egos and jealousy. I was recently expressing to a friend how I'm really disappointed in my peers. Especially the guys. I remember asking one of my buddies to join me over another dude's house to watch the Mayweather fight, and the first thing outta my guy's mouth was, 'any ladies gonna be there?' I said 'ladies are everywhere, we just gonna chill.' I stated that it was gonna be five to six men just keeping it simple. He said he couldn't come if there were no women.

My point to my female friend about why I'm disappointed in my peers, is because brothers can't seem to get together and do simple and progressive things. At least not the men I know. Why can't we just assemble to chat about the future of our families and communities? Why can't we just get together and do things like think tank camp outings, taking an imaginative road trip or plan a weekly dinner/breakfast/lunch to figure life out?

Twitter's CEO Mr. Costolo talked about how he and the founder of LinkedIn meet every Tuesday for dinner - just to catch up and stay on top of what they're doing in their respective spaces, and how they can assist the other. He went on to say that he and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Paige, founder of Google, also meet regularly for chats to analyze the tech market and to see if there are new trends to look out for, or great new start ups to purchase. These men understand the power of imagination, productivity, and partnership. While my peers understand the so-called power of the (p)!

I would love to vibe with brothers for real power moves. I know some who are open like George Powell - he has a tech company and has been waiting to break bread to plan a takeover. There are dudes like Emile Cambry, Stewart Scott and several others who are in business, and who deal in real time. Our objective should be to stay close so we can create and support each other collectively. This doesn't take much imagination.

During the interview, Dick mentioned that Twitter was a simple 'imagined' project that turned into the broadcast platform of the world. And it's important that they get together regularly, not to discuss how much (p) they're getting, like brothers I know, but how they're going to change the world. They meet to discuss building the next big tech mechanism and how to also make money to fund projects of their peer groups, and to help establish communities of intellectuals and innovators. This is where my peers are missing the boat.

I'm going to lead the charge for progress though. I would love for my peers to connect with each other for real advancement. We need to focus on building innovative businesses. I'm gonna break the cycle of ignorance and small thinking. Because we must create alliances that will help propel each person's attempt to build wealth, power and influence. This can only happen through innovation and the power of imagination - and cooperation! Peace and One Love.

I Write to Differ...

NOTE: The time has arrived - WVON Radio introduces The Commentators! This daily analysis of world issues from four of Chicago's most exciting individuals will leave listeners wanting more; presenting snippets of relevant and important commentary. On Monday, Maze Jackson speaks. On Tuesday, Amara Enyia delivers her wisdom. On Wednesday, Carl West tells his TRUTH. And Thursday, Dr. Tiffany Sanders gives her diagnosis. - MG Media

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Crawford Broadcasting radio personality and female Dj, Sundance and iHeart Media VP of Communication, Angela Ingram

Radio personality and former hip hop artist Sundance speaks after recieving her award during the Women in Media celebration

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Arianna Huffington

TECH SAVVYThe Huff Post Mark 10 Years

The Huffington Post (sometimes abbreviated Huff Post or HuffPo) is an online news aggregator and blog founded by Arianna Huffington. The site offers news, blogs, and original content and covers politics, business, entertainment, environment, technology, popular media, lifestyle, culture, comedy, healthy living, women's interests, and local news.

The Huffington Post was launched on May 10, 2005, as a liberal/left commentary outlet and alternative to news aggregators such as the Drudge Report. The Huff Post is the grandmother of online content. It has inspired many global and local online content providers like TBTNewsservice.com, TheRoots.com, Brietbart.com, to name a few.

In August 2006, The Huffington Post announced that SoftBank Capital invested $5 million in the site, which had grown in popularity in only a year, to help expand it. Plans included hiring more staff to update the site 24 hours a day, hiring in-house reporters and a multimedia team to make video reports. Alan Patricof's Greycroft Partners also invested. In November 2008, The Huffington Post completed $15 million fundraising from investors to finance expansion, including more journalism and the provision of local news across the United States.

Prior to The Huffington Post, Arianna hosted a website called Ariannaonline.com. Her first foray into the Internet was a website called Resignation.com which called for the resignation of President Bill Clinton and was a rallying place for conservatives opposing Clinton.

In 2008, The Huff Post launched its first local version, HuffPost Chicago. In June 2009 HuffPost New York was launched, followed shortly by HuffPost Denver and HuffPost Los Angeles. launched in December 2009 - 2011, saw three new regional editions: HuffPost San Francisco, HuffPost Detroit, and HuffPost Miami. The most recent addition is HuffPost Hawaii. On January 23, 2012, Huffington, in partnership with Le Monde and Les Nouvelles Editions Indépendantes, launched Le Huffington Post, and the launch of French-language edition is the first in a non-English speaking country.

In 2011, AOL acquired the mass market Huffington Post for $315 million, making Arianna editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group. In 2012, The Huffington Post became the first commercially run United States digital media enterprise to win a Pulitzer Prize. In July 2012, The Huffington Post was ranked #1 on the 15 Most Popular Political Sites list by eBizMBA Rank.

In late 2011, after its purchase by AOL, The Huffington Post subsumed many of AOL's Voices properties (including AOL Black Voices, which had originally independently established in 1995 as Blackvoices.com, and AOL Latino). The Voices brand was expanded in September 2011 with the launch of Gay Voices, a vertical dedicated to LGBT-relevant articles. By late 2013, however, The Huffington Post was taking steps to operate as more of a "stand-alone business" within AOL, taking control of more of its own business and advertising operations, and focusing efforts on "premium advertising".

The Huffington Post has many bloggers—from politicians and celebrities to academics and policy experts—who contribute on a wide range of topics. Celebrities are allowed to post blogs on the site. The site has now invested in video blogging, with many of the site contributors contributing via video, capturing clips in the media and posting them on the site.

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Bill Duke

TBTNEWS HEADLINEBill Duke to Direct the Mahalia Jackson Musical Movie

Special Correspondent: Mike Morgan / REEL Chicago

Actor / director Bill Duke has signed to direct and executive produce “The Mahalia Jackson Story,” a music biopic of the woman who rose from her scrubwoman’s knees to become the world’s greatest gospel singer.

“Getting her story to the screen has been a passion project of mine for many years,” said Duke, who has more than 60 features, TV shows and TV movies to his credit. The Mahalia Jackson Story was written by Ruth L Ratny, based on Jackson’s seminal biography and augmented by personal stories revealed for the first time by her former accompanists, friends, relatives and pastors.

Twenty of Mahalia’s classic songs are included in the story. They include Move on Up, the best-selling gospel song of all times; I’m on my Way, the song she sang at Carnegie Hall where, at age 38, she became “an overnight success,” and Thomas Dorsey’s Precious Lord, which Mahalia, as Dorsey’s song-plugger introduced in Detroit in 1940.

“When she sings How I Got Over, it helps us all to believe that we can get over, too,” says Duke. The Mahalia Jackson Story will be filmed in Chicago, Jackson’s home of 45 years since the wintery day she arrived at age 16 on the segregated “Chickenbone Express” railroad car from New Orleans, to live with an aunt.

Mahalia Jackson sings

“Mahalia Jackson was a very active citizen of Chicago who helped make the city the Gospel Capital of the World,” said Rahm Emanuel in a letter of support for the film. Chicago is considered the birthplace of gospel and its annual Gospel Festival is the largest in the world.

The movie also has the expressed support of legislators, business, civic and clerical leaders, and the Chicago film industry. It will be filmed at Cinespace Studios where Fox’ top-rated “Empire” and NBC Universal’s “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD” are shot.

“Mahalia” also has been a longtime passion project for Ratny, named the Chicago Legend by the Hugo Awards for her lifetime Chicago film career and contributions to the local film industry. She is the editor/ publisher of trade publication ReelChicago.com.

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Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson

TBTNEWS UPDATEGary Mayor to Serve as Panelist at Essence Fest

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson has been invited to serve as a panelist at the upcoming 2015 Essence Festival in New Orleans. The ESSENCE Festival, which hosted more than 500,000 attendees in 2014, has earned the distinction of being one of the country's most prominent community and cultural Festivals. This year’s celebration will mark ESSENCE Magazine's 45th year and the 10th Anniversary of Katrina. Freeman-Wilson will join other mayors from across the country for a special moderated conversation on the Essence Festival Empowerment Experience Stage on Saturday, July 4.

The ESSENCE Empowerment Experience Stage, a free forum and exchange of ideas, is the core of the ESSENCE Festival, which provides a platform for innovative thinkers and dynamic leaders such as Mayor Freeman-Wilson, who are focusing on ways to move communities and people forward.

“I am both excited and humbled to be selected to serve on the mayoral panel at the Essence Festival,” said Freeman-Wilson. “Essence Magazine has been sharing the voices of Black women for more than 4 decades. It is my honor to add to these voices through my participation in this awesome event.” For more information about the Essence Festival, visit essence.com/festival.