Hunger in America

I have recently seen this lens, Hungry in America.

One in six Americans are at risk for hunger. There has been a dramatic rise - 50% - in the number of children at risk for hunger in America. Click here to read more.

I suspect that the percentage is higher for African Americans.

Obviously, in other countries, the figure is much higher.

In Haiti, in 2008 - before the earthquake - mud pies had become the staple diet for many people. Click here to read more.

When I say we can turn this around, the message is actually much more urgent than this. We need globsl prosperity, and it is achievable. We MUST turn this around.

To read more, see We Can Turn This Around.

See also: How Affirmations Work.

We need to turn this around - for everyone.

Students to March Again Today

Students will be marching again today in London and other cities around Britain, in protest against the proposed rise in tuition fees. School children may be joining the protests.

It seems at last the youth of the majority population are becoming politicised.

The coalition government plans to remove the current cap on tuition fees of £3,000 per year.

This is something that affects everyone. It affects the entire future of this country. It could put the cost of education out of reach of most people.

Many commentators have predicted there will be a lot more protests and a lot more violence, similar to what has been seen in France, as the coalition government's plans kick in over the next few months.

I don't disagree, as people are angry, anxious and worried about the future. But it doesn't have to be this way. See also: We Can Turn This Around

The Maya Angelou Collection

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's Director, Howard Dodson, and New York Public Library President Paul LeClerc announced on October 29, 2010 the acquisition of the personal and professional papers of Dr. Maya Angelou, who is regarded globally as one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature.

We congratulate them on acquiring this important collection.

For more events at the Schomburg, and to watch a video of Maya Angelou, see Black History International.

To watch a trailer of The Black Candle, a video about Kwanzaa narrated by Maya Angelou, see African American Holiday Shopping.

Don't Freak Out

Affirmations are positive statements which we can use to help us achieve our goals.

The problem with affirmations is that we don't get instant results. We can't just start doing affirmations and immediately see the kinds of results we want to see. So we get discouraged.

As soon as we start moving in a positive direction, we immediately become more aware of our negative thoughts, tendencies, habits and beliefs. They come up for us BIG TIME. But don't freak out. This is just part of the process.

You can use affirmations to improve your money situation, work and career, health, or in fact, any area of your life.

You are in charge. Your future is in your hands.

To read more, see How Affirmations Work.

Still not getting the results you need? Sometimes you have to go deeper. To read more, see Change Your Life with Core Conditioning.

Click here for a brilliant gift for Xmas and Kwanzaa.

Click here for Zhana's Amazon Author Page.

Here's to your success!

Your Future Is in Your Hands

Affirmations are positive statements which we can use to help us achieve our goals.

You are in charge. Your future is in your hands.

To read more, see How Affirmations Work.

Still not getting the results you need? Sometimes you have to go deeper. To read more, see Change Your Life with Core Conditioning.

Click here for a brilliant gift for Xmas and Kwanzaa.

Click here for my Amazon Author Page.

Here's to your success!

We Are Spending 1 Trillion Dollars

That's right, African Americans are on course to spend $1 Trillion next year (2011).

Where are we spending it? Not in our own communities. We are lining everybody else's pockets.

For more thoughts about this, listen to the recording of this month's What U Need to Know.

I recently met this lovely sister, Naomi, from Nubian Heights, which is a website that promotes Black-owned businesses for free. She was one of our guests on the show. Click here for her site.

Blacktastic News is another great site helping to promote Black businesses. The owner was also on the show. Click here for her site.

We regularly publish free advice for Black-owned businesses in More Black Success, so grab your copy now!

For more articles to support your success and help you achieve your unlimited possibilities, see: Black Success.

See also: Making a Quantum Leap Part 2.

Do Black Consumers Buy Black? Tomorrow (Saturday)

Ujamaa, or Co-Operative Economics, is one of the principles of Kwanzaa.

This month, as Kwanzaa and the holiday season approach, What U Need to Know asks, Do Black Consumers Buy Black?

Click here to listen or to join us in the chatroom. The show starts at 2 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. UK time:

I hope you will join us.

Plus click here to downlod the free Black Holiday Gifts Guide. With gifts that reflect African American history and culture - books, music and more - plus crafts, activities, and recipes for Kwanzaa and the holiday season

Why Do We Never Talk about This?

People from Africa often talk about the corruption in their countries, the corrupt governments. But they rarely mention the fact that it was European intervention that allowed corrupt governments to rise and flourish.

People from the Diaspora talk about slavery and the effects of Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome. But we are often unaware of what happened in Africa.

How many people know that the first German death camp was built in Namibia in 1905?

Or that the British in Kenya slaughtered thousands of people, stole their land, and relegated the remaining Kenyans to menial jobs? Or that Teddy Roosevelt said that the same people who did well in the old West would do well in Kenya?

How many people know that people in Nigeria were enslaved and forced to work for the British armed forces during the Second World War?

To read more, see Naij: A Film History of Nigeria

The Number One Fundraising Tool for Your Business

All of the contributors to More Black Success are experts.

What is the number one tool for you to raise funds for your business? Check out the article by Yvonne Witter in MBS 8.

Click here to order your free copy of More Black Success Volume 8 today. You'll be glad you did.

We Can Turn This Around

Many of us are experiencing fear and uncertainty to do with this economic climate.

Here in the UK, the government is bringing in measures that will lead to the loss of a milllion jobs in the private and public sectors. Our communities will be some of the hardest hit.

I am sure similar things are happening in the U.S.A. and other countries as well. People are losing their jobs and their homes.

You may already be experiencing some of the effects of this in your business or at your workplace.

But.

We can turn this around.

The more of us who know how to bring about positive change through working with our thoughts and emotions, the more we can change our lives.

And this will mean we can influence those around us in positive ways. We can influence our families, communities and loved ones. So everyone benefits.

To read more, see: 12 Ways to Be Successful.

Also, check out my book: Success Strategies for Black People.

In London, I am leading workshops in Finding Creative Solutions. I hope you will join us.

Here's to your success!

Do You Want to Have a Successful Career?

Do you want to have a successful career in
- business?
- the corporate world?
- the media?
- politics?
- healthcare?

Are you willing to learn from the experts?

In Black Success Stories Volume 1, I have interviewed experts in all of these fields, and they have given steps on how to achieve your goals.

If you are a parent, teacher, educator or mentor, you want this book.

Black Success Stories is a brilliant gift for Xmas and Kwanzaa. Click here to order your copies now.

Click here for my free report on 4 Steps to Finding the Job You Want.

Click here for lots more jobsearch resources.

Black History Film: 500 Years Later

I far preferred this film to Motherland.

500 Years Later explores the importance of history for us as people of African heritage.

Using a series of talking heads as well as powerful and disturbing images, music and sound recordings of Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X, this film examines the legacy of self-hatred and low self-esteem which we have inherited due to the slavery experience, and the need for self-love, self-determination and self-reliance among people of the African Diaspora.

I explore these themes further in Why We Need to Heal.

In my book, Black Success Stories, the late Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives, describes the steps we need to take in order to research our history. Click here to buy it.

A Call to Action: Obama Exhibit in Oslo

A current exhibition in Oslo, Norway, "President Barack Obama, A Call to Action", examines President Obama's record as a Nobel Laureate and how the President meets Alfred Nobel's three criteria for being a Nobel Laureate.

Check out this video on the Black Women in Europe blog.

See also: Celebrating Barack Obama.

Black People 26 Times More Likely to Be Stopped by Police

Saw comic Stephen K Amos on The Wright Stuff on Monday reveal the recent report that Black people are 26 times more likely to be stopped by the police than members of other groups.

26 times!!!!

TWENTY-SIX TIMES!!!

We’re not even one percent of the population!

I knew we were more likely to be stopped, but, say it with me:
TWENTY-SIX TIMES!!!

Is this really the best use of police resources????

Plus, I have recently seen Matthew Wright question why there has been so much coverage of the police’s shooting of barrister Mark Saunders when shootings of Black people are substantially more frequent, yet barely get a mention.

In fact, I’ve heard him say it twice!

Well done, Matthew. Right on. You have obviously learned something.

What a pity Henry Bonsu has disappeared from your shows after being a regular panelist for so long. To read more about this, see my interview with Henry in Black Success Stories.

Africans in Colonial New York: Educators' Workshop

This workshop is being held today at the Schomburg Center in New York.

Teachers are invited to join Schomburg scholars and park rangers from the New York African Burial Ground National Monument for this workshop about the history and cultural contributions of New York City's early African population.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world.

For details of this and other events at the Schomburg, including The Sacred in the Secular Classroom: A Panel Discussion for Educators, see Black History International.

Motherland Film Screenings

The documentary Motherland was described by The Sowetan as "The Best Documentary on Africa". Directed by the makers of 500 Years Later, Motherland will be screened in London tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. Click here for details of these and other BHM events.

Black History Show from Radio Nottingham

I've just been listening online to a very interesting show from Bea Udeh at Radio Nottingham. She asks, is Black History Month still relevant in the UK in 2010? What are the origins of BHM UK? She also has white guests expressing their disapproval of BHM.

Click here to listen.

Click here for lots more BHM UK events. I will keep adding to the list, so please keep coming back.

Positive Black Role Models

The More Black Success free ebooks celebrate the achievements and contributions of people of African heritage. Hot off the press: Volume 8 focuses on Black-owned businesses.

In MBS 8, Coach Kevin communicates a constant message of hope and inspiration, and talks about his book From Ghetto to Greatness.

Click here for your free copies of More Black Success.

Why Do We Need Positive Role Models?

In The Miseducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson argued in 1933 that Black children were being indoctrinated by the education system to view themselves as inferior. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, this is often still the case. In addition, powerful mass media reinforce negative stereotypes.

To read more, see: Do You Think Like a Success?

Wordpower Literature Festival 2010

Centerprise Bookshop is holding events throughout the month of October as part of the Wordpower International Black Literature Festival. We will be interviewing Emmanuel Amevor from Centerprise today on my radio show, What U Need to Know, at 7 p.m. UK time, 2 p.m. EDT. Click here to listen .

If you miss the live broadcast, click here to listen to the recording

We will be broadcasting live from the NAACP march on Washington for Jobs, Justice and Education.

Our other guest will be Jamaican writer Yvonne Archer, author of Life According to Maas Roy. I hope you will join us.

Click here for more BHM events.

Celebrating Black History

Happy Black History Month! I prefer to call it African Heritage Month.

Black History Month in the UK was originally set up to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of people of African heritage worldwide.

This month, the What U Need to Know radio show celebrates Black history. Actually, we talk about history, heritage and healing every month.

Click here to listen. The show goes out live at 2 p.m. UK time, 7 p.m. EDT, on Saturday 2nd October. If you miss the show, you can still listen to the recording here.

We will be broadcasting live from the NAACP March on Washington.

Our guests will include Yvonne Archer, author of Life Acccording to Maas Roy