Saturday, August 19, 2017

The Art of Abdul Badi

 
Abdul Badi was born in Washington, DC, but spent his formative years in Brooklyn, New York. As a young boy, he had an obsession for working with his hands, particularly drawing. In elementary school he won an art contest which netted him free art classes at the Brooklyn Museum. He went on to attend Manhattans’ High School of Art and Design. Subsequently, he worked as a draftsman and illustrator in the United States Marine Corps.


Upon completion of his military service, he returned to school and completed an art program at Mercy college in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

 Abdul Badi


During the course of his career, he worked in the commercial art field and also taught art. He has also won prizes and recognition in many juried art shows and sold numerous works. He has become known for his vibrant oversized portrayals of Third World people, particularly Africans.


He spent years working as a pastel painter. Currently, he works almost exclusively in oils and has expanded his subject matter to include social commentary.
 
He uses his brush to make strong thought-provoking statements about the life struggles of African-American people and the human condition in general. 

Click here for additional information and to view Mr. Badi's gallery. 

Source: www.artofabdulbadi.com 

It Took Charlottesville for Silicon Valley to Stand Up to Hate



The following commentary was submitted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 

Silicon Valley has a reputation as a liberal place, but it was a critical partner in the deadly "Unite the Right" rally that cost a counter-protestor her life.

Hate groups of all stripes used their websites to advertise their participation in the rally. They turned to social media to urge their followers to join them. And they used services like PayPal and Patreon to fund their invasion of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Such partnerships may soon be a thing of the past. By Monday morning, service providers had begun to pull the plug on hate groups and individual extremists alike.

"I woke up this morning in a bad mood and decided to kick them off the internet," Cloudflare Chief Executive Matthew Prince wrote in an email to employees announcing his suspension of the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer.

The Daily Stormer became the top hate site in America last year, but it struggled to stay online this week after its longtime host, GoDaddy, delisted its domain on Monday. Over the course of the week, The Daily Stormer transferred its registration to Google and even to the Russian Network Information Center, only to be kicked off each provider.

"Charlottesville has definitely lit a fire under some people," SPLC Intelligence Project Director Heidi Beirich told USA Today. "I wonder if the violence marks a sea change."

Beirich is right that tech companies have been stubbornly hands-off in the past. Despite policies that are ostensibly "anti-hate," they have rarely taken action to remove hateful content or users from their platforms.

But as the nation grapples with the violent coordination of hate groups across the far-right spectrum in Charlottesville, Facebook has shut down at least nine pages connected to the rally; Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn have suspended several extremist accounts; Reddit has eliminated one discussion community that supported "Unite the Right," and even OKCupid has kicked white nationalist Christopher Cantwell off the dating site.

By far, the biggest sweep came from PayPal, which agreed to block at least 34 organizations from using its services after an SPLC report highlighted how extremists used the platform to fund the rally in Charlottesville.

"For the longest time, PayPal has essentially been the banking system for white nationalism," the SPLC's Keegan Hankes told The Washington Post. "It's a shame it took Charlottesville for them to take it seriously."

It is good news that PayPal, Patreon and other tech companies are finally taking steps to curb the hate on their platforms. But to truly make a dent in the hate and bigotry online, tech companies must be more cognizant of the role their services play in spreading hate.

"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention," Heather Heyer, 32, posted on Facebook before she was killed by an alleged Nazi sympathizer in Charlottesville.

It's wise advice for tech firms in Silicon Valley and beyond.

The Power of the Pen: Bills Signed into Law


President Donald J. Trump poses with Vice President Mike Pence, Cabinet members, and Senior White House Advisors, Friday, Aug. 18, in Laurel Lodge at Camp David near Thurmont, MD., as he signed the Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act. (Click on the photo to increase its size.)


On Friday, August 18, 2017, the President signed into law:

H.R. 374, which makes permanent the authority of Washington, Oregon, and California to adopt and enforce State laws governing fishing and processing in their State in any Dungeness crab fishery for which there is no fishery management plan in effect;

H.R. 510, the "Rapid DNA Act of 2017," which authorizes criminal justice agencies to use Rapid DNA instruments approved by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct certain DNA analysis outside of a laboratory;

H.R. 873, the "Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act," which authorizes the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation to establish a Global War on Terrorism Memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia; and

H.R. 2430, the "FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017," which reauthorizes Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilars; and to amend FDA authorities and activities related to medical products, including pediatric drugs and devices, generic drugs, device inspections, drug exclusivity, and user fee reporting requirements. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Official White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

State Tells City to Dig Deeper to Unearth Possible Slave Remains in Gowanus


GOWANUS — The state recommended Thursday that the city dig deeper into the soil of a proposed Gowanus pre-kindergarten site that may hold the remains of slaves and Revolutionary War soldiers.

On Thursday, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation sent the city's School Construction Authority a letter revealing it had discovered traces of a 19th century cistern and well during a recent survey. It now recommends the agency excavate further at the Ninth Street lot, a Department of Education official said Friday. 

It is now up to the city to decide if it will follow the the state's recommendation.

"We cannot desecrate this burial ground," state Sen. Jesse Hamilton said at a Thursday press conference held on the matter before the public learned of the state's new stance. "I know we need to build a school to alleviate overcrowding, but we can’t build a school on a foundation of ignorance."

Click here for the full article.

Source: dnainfo.com

Friday, August 18, 2017

"Art of the Deal" Writer Says Trump Will Resign Before Year’s End

Briefing by Secretary David Shulkin on H.R. 3218


This video was published on YouTube on August 16. 

H.R. 3218: Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017

GOP Sen. Corker: White House Needs 'Radical Changes'


Source: CBS News

Secretaries Tillerson and Mattis Hold Joint Press Conference with Japanese Counterparts


Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis hosted a bilateral security meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and Foreign Minister Taro Kono at the State Department. Following their meeting, they held a joint news conference covering a range of issues including North Korea, U.S.-Japan relations, and China’s role in putting pressure on North Korea. At the top of this event, Secretary Tillerson gave brief remarks on the terrorist attack in Spain.  

The event was originally broadcast on August 17.

Source: C-SPAN

Trailblazers in Black History: Ayanna Howard


One of the World's Leaders in Robot Creation

Ayanna Howard is an electrical engineer who has made major advances and contributions to the field of robotics.  She was born in Providence, Rhode Island and graduated from John Muir High School in Pasadena, California.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Brown University and her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in engineering from the University of Southern California.  She also holds an MBA from Claremont Graduate University.
Her graduate dissertation was entitled, “Recursive Learning for Deformable Object Manipulation,” which drew on her work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and focused on humanized intelligence, which allows human cognitive capability to be embedded into the control path of autonomous systems.  During her time at the laboratory, she helped develop the next generation Mars Rover, which uses artificial intelligence to be capable of exploring Mars’ terrain through independent thought rather than programming.
After her work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Howard was offered a position at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  While there, she has started her own laboratory, the Human-Automation Systems (HumAnS) Lab, which focuses on how to enhance the autonomy of robot functionality. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Black Home School

'Flashback Friday': Our Time in Hell (The Korean War)


This video was published on YouTube on April 24, 2017. 

Source: Blood & Iron

Minister Louis Farrakhan's Uncensored Message to London & UK


This video was published on YouTube on August 16, 2017. 

Source: The Nation of Islam London Study Group

Karl Rove: Bannon Interview is an Affront to Trump's Leadership


Source: Fox News

Huckabee: President Trump Takes American Security Seriously


Source: Fox News

Trump Hasn’t Tweeted When a U.S. Soldier Died in Six Months

                            Sgt. Roshain E. Brooks                Sgt. Allen L. Stigler Jr.


No tweets or speeches for the last 22 servicemembers who died fighting the wars he promised to easily win. Instead, the president creates a new crisis every day. 

By Justin Glawe

ARLINGTON, Texas—Allen Stigler’s doorbell keeps ringing. Women are walking in with bags full of food and party supplies and passing him as he sits at a glass-top table in the living room of his spotless, suburban home. He hugs them before they disappear into the kitchen, joining the others. But when Stigler’s doorbell rang on Sunday, he was terrified when he opened the door.

“Just tell me, where is my son?” Stigler remembers. “Is he hurt?”

Two men from United States Army were on his bright, white concrete front step with dark news: Allen Jr., A.J. among his friends and family, was dead. He had been killed that very same day in what the military described as an “artillery mishap” on an undisclosed base in Iraq.

Stigler can’t remember the name of the base, somewhere near Mosul, maybe. Recently, though, they had set up “showers and shitters,” the father of three daughters and one dead son remembers. A.J. texted him this update, adding, “lol.” The father and son who never had a disagreement, never had a fight, spoke as often as possible. Now they can never talk again.

A.J. was 22 years old and 22nd American to die in Iraq and Afghanistan so far this year. He died alongside his friend, Roshain Brooks, 30, of Brooklyn, New York. All but one of those dead soldiers have not been mentioned publicly by President Trump; he addressed the widow of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens at the State of the Union address. (Owens’s father was so upset about the apparently ill-conceived raid that took his son's life that he refused to meet the president when the soldier's body arrived at Dover Air Force Base.) 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Daily Beast 

Statement by President Trump on the Elevation of Cyber Command


I have directed that United States Cyber Command be elevated to the status of a Unified Combatant Command focused on cyberspace operations. 

This new Unified Combatant Command will strengthen our cyberspace operations and create more opportunities to improve our Nation’s defense.  The elevation of United States Cyber Command demonstrates our increased resolve against cyberspace threats and will help reassure our allies and partners and deter our adversaries.  

United States Cyber Command’s elevation will also help streamline command and control of time-sensitive cyberspace operations by consolidating them under a single commander with authorities commensurate with the importance of such operations.  Elevation will also ensure that critical cyberspace operations are adequately funded. 

In connection with this elevation, the Secretary of Defense is examining the possibility of separating United States Cyber Command from the National Security Agency.  He will announce recommendations on this matter at a later date. 

Through United States Cyber Command, we will tackle our cyberspace challenges in coordination with like-minded allies and partners as we strive to respond rapidly to evolving cyberspace security threats and opportunities globally.  
 
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Dr. Cornel West: The Difference Between Justice and Revenge


This video was published on YouTube on June 15, 2017.  

Institutions—governmental, religious, financial, even revolution itself—have a way of turning stale and sour. "Thank God for the history of the heretics and the blasphemers. That's my crowd," says Dr. Cornell West. Quoting from some of history and literature's greatest thinkers and doers, West presents a poetic lecture on the role of hope in America's past and its future, and how to make your voice matter. This video was filmed at the Los Angeles Hope Festival, a collaboration between Big Think and Hope & Optimism, a three-year initiative which supported interdisciplinary academic research into significant questions that remain under-explored.

Source: Big Think

Are Steve Bannon’s Days Numbered?


Source: The New York Times

Thousands Expected to Attend Boston Protests to Right-Wing Rally

Interest in two major protests opposed to Saturday’s right-wing “free speech” assembly in a Boston park has swelled in the aftermath of the deadly white nationalist rally in Virginia last weekend.

The “Boston Free Speech Rally” — organized by a coalition of groups calling themselves "libertarian" and "conservative" — has been on the books since late July and the protests were organized not long after by ANSWER Coalition Boston and the local chapter of Black Lives Matter (BLM).

But since a group of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and Ku Klux Klan members took to the streets in Charlottesville, Virginia — ostensibly to protest of the removal of a Confederate statue — the expected attendance by protesters has grown substantially. 

Click here for the full article.

‘This is War Against the Entire Republican Senate’: Morning Joe Rips Trump


This video was published on YouTube on August 17.

Is the GOP Worried About President Trump?


Source: CBS News

Senator Sanders to Host Day of Healing / Vigil at Brookville Park

Click on the flyer to increase its size. 


The following statement was provided by Senator James Sanders, Jr. 

"Community leaders and residents are coming together to show support for the families who have suffered loss. We will stand together to denounce all senseless acts of violence and offer encouragement to families and loved ones who are affected. We invite the community-at-large to come out and participate at this Night of Healing as we continue to engage in the larger conversation of how to move forward with addressing the issue of violence and safety in our neighborhoods. We will gather on Sunday, August 20, at 7:00 p.m. in Brookville Park. Please join us and share this event." 

Contact Tanagra Bledman at (718) 327-7017 for additional information.

Assembly Member Michael Blake on the Attacks in Barcelona

This statement was submitted on August 17. 

"In the wake of the horrific terrorist attack that occurred today in Barcelona, it is with a heavy heart that I offer my thoughts and prayers to the victims of this cruel, tragic, and senseless act of violence. May God heal the wounds of all affected families and bring you healing. We send our appreciation to law enforcement and courageous persons who aided the injured in the wake of this tragedy.  To the great people of Spain, we are with you. In these trying times, it is imperative to remember that we have strength in our unity, and we must not let this act of cowardice divide us.  Barcelona, you are in all our hearts tonight. 

Source: The Office of Assemblyman Michael Blake

US - Donald Trump Reacts to Spain Terror Attacks with Offensive Tweet Quoting False Pershing Story


Source: FRANCE 24 English

Spain Attacks: Catalan Police Shares Details on Investigation


Source: FRANCE 24 English

Death Toll Following Attacks in Catalonia Rises to 14 - Emergency Services


Source: euronews (in English)

US and Japan Agree to Cooperate on Matter of North Korea


Source: euronews (in English)

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Cuomo and Schneiderman: New York State is Suing the EPA

 Click on the graphic to increase its size.


Lawsuit Filed by New York State Cites Ocean Dumping Act and Coastal Zone Management Act Violations and EPA's Failure to Address Environmental Impacts on the Long Island Sound.

You can view the lawsuit here.
 
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced that New York State has filed a lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging EPA's decision to designate a permanent open water disposal site in eastern Long Island Sound for tens of millions of cubic yards of dredged sediments. The EPA's site designation violates the Ocean Dumping Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act.
 
"We will continue to do everything in our power to protect New York's environment, and with the EPA's unfathomable and destructive decision to turn the eastern Long Island Sound into a dumping ground - now is the time for action," Governor Cuomo said. "We will establish that this designation not only poses a major threat to a significant commercial and recreational resource, but that it also undermines New York's long-standing efforts to end dumping in our treasured waters."

"Our waters are not dumping grounds. EPA's first job is to protect our natural resources - yet by designating this unneeded disposal site, EPA is allowing huge amounts of dredged waste to be poured into yet another area of the Long Island Sound. That's unacceptable," said Attorney General Schneiderman. "We won't hesitate to act when the federal government fails to uphold its obligation to protect New Yorkers' health and environment."
 
In August 2016, the Governor announced New York's intention to fight the EPA's designation of the eastern Long Island Sound disposal site because of its adverse effects to the waterway. Subsequently, the New York Department of State objected the EPA's proposed site designation as being inconsistent with the Long Island Sound Coastal Management Program policies. In December 2016, New York State filed a Notice of Intent to Sue immediately after the EPA finalized its designation.
 
"New York's waters remain one of our State's most valuable and cherished assets," said New York Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. "This action directed by Governor Cuomo to protect Long Island Sound sends a clear message that he will utilize any and all legal means to prevent any use of the Eastern Site as we continue efforts to safeguard this and other natural resources throughout the state."
 
"The Long Island Sound is a vital economic and ecological treasure that needs to be protected - not undermined by the U.S. EPA's outdated dredging management decisions," said Basil Seggos, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. "Governor Cuomo has made it clear that New York State will not tolerate the federal government gutting its commitment and denying its responsibility for reducing or eliminating the disposal of dredge spoils in the open waters of this irreplaceable ecosystem."
 
In 2005, the states of New York and Connecticut called for, and EPA subsequently established by regulation, the important and long necessary goal of reducing or eliminating dredged material disposal in the estuarine waters of Long Island Sound. In contravention of the intent of that regulation, in 2016, EPA increased the number of permanent open water dump sites in Long Island Sound by designating a third one in eastern Long Island Sound.
 
The lawsuit charges that, in designating the dump site, EPA failed: to identify the navigational conflicts that will be caused by the dump site location, to examine the environmental impacts of dumping dredged materials under differing testing regimes, to designate historically used or ocean disposal sites and to properly quantify the existing capacity at already designated sites. Further, the EPA has been unresponsive to New York's stated concerns about the reliability of sediment testing and has made insufficient assurances that the dredged material will not have a negative impact on the environment, as it has in the past.
 
New York also maintains that increasing the volume of open-water disposal of dredged materials, and the number and availability of open water disposal sites, is inconsistent with public investment and policies that are already in place aimed at restoring the Long Island Sound. This lawsuit underscores New York's continuing commitment to pursue upland alternatives for beneficial reuse of the material to preserve and protect the integrity of Long Island Sound for future generations.

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo 

An Act of Solidarity: One World Trade Center to Display Colors of Barcelona Flag


Governor Andrew Cuomo directed that the lights of One World Trade Center's 408-foot spire be lit in red and yellow this evening, August 17, in solidarity with the people of Spain following the apparent terrorist attack in Barcelona.

Earlier today, Governor Cuomo released following statement:

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, my heart goes out to the victims of the apparent terrorist attack in Barcelona and their loved ones. This cowardly and senseless attack is sickening and goes against everything we believe. Those who seek to reap fear and hate will never succeed. New York stands in solidarity with the people of Spain - as they have done for us.

"The safety and security of New Yorkers is our top priority. We are in close contact with federal and local officials, and we will remain vigilant. I have directed state law enforcement officials to step up security and patrols at high-profile locations across New York, including our airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems."

Sources: France 24 (English) and the Press Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Saving Our Youth: From Gangster to Youth Worker


The Story of Walz Brown

This video was published on YouTube on December 1, 2015. 

Can you help me? This question remains as a recurring theme across Walz life from gangster to youth worker. Once he asked it - now others ask it of him. 

Source: TEDx Talks

The African Burial Ground: A Trip Every New Yorker Should Take

Click on the photos to increase their size. 


The following was submitted by the Ethical Action Committee (EAC). 

The Ethical Action Committee is one of the three Standing Committees of the Brooklyn Society for EthicalCulture (BSEC). The EAC is the overarching committee to two additional operations, Lucy’s Children and Enhanced Discussion. All are study and information groupings devoted to a keener understanding and knowledge of Black people and their economic, social and political issues particularly in the United States. How and why did this happen? All three groups, EAC, Lucy’s Children(*) and Enhanced Discussion meet regularly for updates and plot out their ongoing courses action. We are proud of the work of these volunteer bodies that are now respectively approaching their second and third year of existence. 

Overwhelmingly an organizational group of non-Blacks, the Brooklyn Society has taken increasingly stronger steps to learn about Black people and to know and face what it did not know. Hence, there are presentations, discussions, reading groups, etc., as we share and learn together this forgotten and often obscured information. For whites, it is a requirement for them to reconcile, ignore and reduce issues of suspicion and ignorance, to gain more fully their humanity. For Blacks, it is to help them gain an increased sense of pride and self-value, to re-affirm and grow in a positive sense of self. Both efforts are for a single plant to grow from two different seeds, if you will.  


This brings us to the tour to the African Burial Ground. Surprisingly or not, a number of people had not gone to see it or had even heard about it. Thus, the EAC scheduled a tour. The African Burial Ground is under the aegis of the Department of the Interior’s National Park Services Administration. It is open 5 days a week; it is closed on Sunday and Monday. EAC conceived of the trip and Muriel Tillinghast, EAC’s Chair, made an application for the group. Subsequently, she also made contact with the general body of BSEC and with local organizations. Twenty-one people signed up, some from as far away as Queens, and on Saturday, August 5th, the group gathered at a local Brooklyn location and then proceeded to the African Burial Ground by subway.  


At the burial ground, the group was first treated to an excellent short movie on the history of burial ground itself. The film was followed by a continuous walking lecture by an outstanding Afrocentric historian, T. Rasul Murray, a volunteer guide at the burial ground and a credentialed professional tour guide.  


We walked throughout the burial ground inside and out. The visuals and lecture re-enforcement was enlightening and an incredibly moving experience. Mr. Murray’s knowledge of Black American and African history is enormous. We walked from the burial ground along a route that took us to Fraunces Tavern, a place where George Washington was known to have eaten and which has a place of its own in the American Revolution. At the Tavern we had a great food after which we proceeded to the National Museum of the American Indian. Because Saturday is a shortened day for museums, we missed the guided tour there. Nevertheless, we took the opportunity to look around and see the well-developed exhibits of the various Indians groups/nations, some of which are completely gone, remembered now only by the words of places like the names of streets and states. We will go back to the National Museum of the American Indian as a future starting point.

The tour was so successful we are considering mounting several others. People who are interested in receiving information on them can write eac.bsec@gmail.com

Thank you for your interest and support.

(*) Named for the ancestral primate discovered in 1974 by paleontologist Donald Johanson and his team in the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia.  She has been referred to as the mother of humankind.  She is 3.2 million years old. 

Photo credit: EAC/BSEC via P. Hodge 

Trailblazers in Black History: Daryl Davis (Challenging the Ku Klux Klan)


THE G-MAN INTERVIEWS: DARYL DAVIS

Legendary Musician Risking His Life to Reform KKK Members


By Gary "G-Man" Toms

To the disbelief of many in the country, Daryl Davis has obtained unprecedented access to members of the Ku Klux Klan for more than two decades. He continues to meet with high-ranking leaders and members from all over the country, making him one of the most unique race relations experts and activists in America.

Originally from Chicago, but currently residing in Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC, Davis is a musician, actor, author and lecturer.  He earned his Bachelor of Music Degree from Howard University and is an accomplished Blues, Rock'n'Roll, Country, and Jazz musician. He performs and tours regularly with his own group, the Daryl Davis Band, and has worked extensively with the Legendary Blues Band and Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley's Jordanaires, Percy Sledge, and Sam Moore, among others.

After a performance in a country music bar, an audience member told Davis that he'd never seen a Black man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis. Davis explained that he and Lewis learned from Black Blues and Boogie Woogie pianists. The man refused to believe that the origin of the music was rooted in Black culture, but he became a regular fan of Davis'.  Unbeknownst to the musician, the man was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The experience had such a profound impact on Davis that he decided to write a book, Klan-Destine Relationships. It was the first publication written by a Black author featuring interviews with KKK members.

Over the last twenty-five years, and in between gigs, Davis has walked perilously close to the edge when addressing the issue of race.

"My stories of attending KKK rallies and setting up surprise meetings with Klan leaders, all of whom were unaware of my skin color, have the suspense of a Hitchcock film. They keep audiences riveted to their seats in disbelief or complete shock. Basically, I'm taking on the oldest and most racist organization in the United States, by myself, and have been successful to a large extent," said Davis.

The Chicago native eventually became the recipient of robes and hoods of Klansmen who rescinded their beliefs after developing a close relationship with the musician. However, his methods have made him a subject of controversy, ridicule and scorn. To some whites, he has been deemed "politically incorrect", and some Blacks view him as nothing more than an "Uncle Tom," or "Oreo." Davis often refutes and silences his critics with the following response: "I have Klan robes and hoods hanging in my closet, given to me voluntarily by members who have quit the Klan since coming to know me. That's what I've done to improve race relations. How many robes and hoods have you received as a result of your methods?"

Davis has received acclaim for his book and his work in race relations from a number of respected media sources, such as CNN, CNBC, Good Morning America, The Learning Channel, National Public Radio, and The Washington Post, to name a few.

As an actor, he has appeared in the critically acclaimed television show The Wire and a number of stage plays and movie roles. In 2016, he was the subject of the documentary film An Accidental Courtesy, which received numerous awards and critical acclaim. 

This interview was conducted via Skype on January 17, 2013.