Here are the biographies for this year’s Blogging While Brown workshop presenters, panelists, and moderators.
SPEAKER BIOS
Monroe Anderson
Monroe Anderson is a cyber columnist who is a veteran, award-winning Chicago journalist. His columns appear on his political blog, Monroe Anderson (http://monroeanderson.typepad.com/), as well as on the Ebonyjet.com, Huffingtonpost.com, Newsvine.com, UK/EU Progressive and AgoraVox websites.
As a career journalist for more than three decades, Anderson has worked for some of America’s best-known media corporations—Dow Jones, Johnson Publishing Company, the Tribune Company, Post-Newsweek and Viacom. In 1988-89, he had a stint in municipal government, serving as Press Secretary for Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer.Anderson has executive produced and hosted his own local CBS TV show, Common Ground, written signed op-ed page columns for both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, and was the editor of Savoy Magazine.Anderson was a reporter on the Obama press bus covering the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. He was also an accredited blogger at the Democratic National Convention.
Cheryl Contee
Cheryl Contee is a partner and co-founder of the social media consultancy Fission Strategy where she specializes in online advocacy, engagement, and communications. Prior to launching Fission Strategy, Cheryl was Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard San Francisco where she acted as lead digital strategist for the West Coast, helping clients manage their brands and online campaigns. Before Fleishman-Hillard, Cheryl led the interactive team as Vice President at Washington , DC public affairs firm Issue Dynamics Inc. where she launched and led the group blog BloggerRelations.com. Previously, she was the Web Director for Oceana, an international marine conservation organization. Before Oceana, Ms. Contee launched 40 multi-lingual Web sites for Discovery Communications as Senior Producer for International Networks for television brands Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Health, Discovery Kids and more.
Cheryl serves on the board of Netroots Nation, the preeminent organization and conference for technology and progressive politics and also chairs the board for CommonGoods.net. She writes as Jill Tubman for the award-winning & top-ranked black political blog JackAndJillPolitics.com which she founded in 2006. Cheryl has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, San Francisco Magazine, BBC and CNN among other media appearances. Cheryl’s work in the interactive sphere has been recognized with over 20 awards. Cheryl was appointed Fellow for the Edge Program founded by tech legend John Seely Brown at the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine in 2008. Cheryl is regularly invited to speak at conferences and events. She received her B.A. from Yale University with a major in ethics, politics and economics and has an international executive M.B.A. from Georgetown University . In her spare time, Ms. Contee enjoys hiking, yoga, movies and tai chi sword.
Carmen Dixon Rosenzweig
Carmen Dixon Rosenzweig guides truth seekers who have a strong conscience and a desire to make the world a better place by showing them how to engage in honest and authentic conversations about race armed with understanding but without shame or overwhelming fear.
Those who work with Carmen can expect to emerge with renewed feelings of optimism and a re-energized connection to humanity and sense of possibility.
Prior to creating All About Race, Carmen spent more than a decade on the front lines of broadcast journalism, corporate public relations and crisis management honing her skills as an expert communicator. As an ABC News producer, Carmen won three Emmy Awards. She is a graduate of Yale University.
Now Carmen writes for AOL BlackVoices, hosts “All About Race on BlogTalkRadio’ and conducts seminars and motivational presentations from the place on the racial frontier where the quest for understanding and tolerance faces down anger, reluctance and fear.
Eric Easter
Eric Easter is Chief of Digital Strategy for Johnson Publishing, Inc. He writes about politics, culture and technology for ebonyjet.com.
Hajj E. Flemings
Hajj is the founder of Brand Camp University the premier personal branding conference and author of ‘The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are Through Personal Brand Management’. He has been featured on ESPN.com, BusinessWeek.com, BlackEnterprise.com, various blogs and travels nationally speaking as a branding expert enabling personal and business brands to remain relevant. His branded clients include NFL athletes, Ford Motor Company, Skechers Footwear, U.S. Department of Defense (Telecom Division) and numerous colleges and universities to name a few. His book was selected as one of Fast Company Magazine 2008 Readers Choice Business Books of the year.
He is a former collegiate athlete turned adjunct lecturer at his alma mater, Michigan Technological University, where he wrote the personal branding curriculum. He received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and his MBA from Lawrence Technological University.
He is married to his lovely wife, Kasandra.
Milt Haynes, PMP
Milt is a sought after motivational speaker, coach and mentor and has helped thousands advance their careers in IT. Milt founded Blacks Gone Geek a social networking initiative dedicated to promoting Blacks in Technology. Milt uses blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds, Facebook, LinkedIn, CollectiveX, Yahoogroups, Twitter and his web site, (www.blacksgonegeek.org), to stay connected with an online community of IT professionals.
Milt has been a BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) member for over 18 years and has served as BDPA Chicago Chapter President and National BDPA President. Milt currently serves the Chair of the BDPA Chicago (www.bdpa-chicago.org) Corporate Advisory Council (CAC). Milt has received over 20 awards and honors at the local chapter and National level including the most prestigious National BDPA Outstanding Chapter President Award, Outstanding Contributor Award, Member of the Year Award, Presidents Award, Service Award and the Spirit Award. Milt holds a Bachelor of Science in Computing Science from Columbia University, New York, New York. Milt spends his spare time enjoying family activities with his wife and beautiful 12-year-old twin daughters, volunteering for BDPA initiatives.
Angel Laws
Angel Laws is the 24 year-old creator & editor of popular online entertainment blog, Concreteloop.com. Now coming up on its 4th year since conception, the blog has been featured in TIME, Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe and countless other magazines and media outlets. Angel is also a part-time photographer (photosolitude.com) traveling nationally with various celebs covering exclusive events and photo shoots.
Fredric Mitchell
Fredric Mitchell is a professional web developer specializing in Drupal development over at brightplum.com. Although his affinity for all things interweb borderlines on unhealthy, his wife assures him that his son will grow up just as much of a tech nerd as he is. You can also find him giving back and blogging over at ybpguide.com, a site meant to engage the young innovative tech evangelists of color.
Bruce Montgomery- To be added
Jonnice Slaughter
Jonnice Slaughter runs a successful Public Relations and Branding boutique named ChatterBox Publicity, LLC, headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The firm’s client roster includes music conferences, film festivals, faith-based events, models, actors, media personalities, charity events, consumer and lifestyle products, restaurants and fashion and beauty experts. Their clients have been seen on BET’s 106 and Park, BET’s Hip Hop Awards, BET’s Lift Every Voice, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, VH-1, MTV, The Insider, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, CNN, Essence Magazine, NY Times, Detroit Free Press, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rolling Out, Clutch Magazine, Billboard, Ebony, Jet, People, US Weekly, and more.
In 2008, ChatterBox Publicity made the transition from traditional publicity and Public Relations to focus on strategies that incorporated digital and social media. Jonnice Slaughter shares tips and explains the emergence, fascination as well as the need to utilize these tools on a weekly basis on the popular blog, FlackMe.com, where she is one of the PR industry featured experts.
Pam Spaulding
Pam Spaulding is the editor and publisher of PamsHouseBlend.com, honored as Best LGBT Blog in the 2005 and 2006 Weblog Awards. A regular contributor to the progressive blogs Pandagon and The Bilerico Project, Spaulding has also guest blogged on Firedoglake, Glenn Greenwald’s Unclaimed Territory on Salon, and Americablog. She received the 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award from The Monette-Horwitz Trust for making significant contributions toward the eradication of homophobia.
Spaulding has provided commentary on CNN during the 2008 presidential election cycle; Pam’s House Blend was also credentialed as part of the general press pool to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. A Durham native, Pam lives in the Bull City with her wife Kate; they legally married in Canada in 2004.
Megan Tady
Megan Tady is a blogger, grassroots organizer and online outreach specialist for Free Press, the national, non-profit media reform organization. She blogs for Free Press Web sites, including SavetheInternet.com and StopBigMedia.com, and has a column at In These Times where she writes about media access and ownership, quality journalism and an open Internet. Other media-related articles have been published by AlterNet.org, ColorLines, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting’s Extra, and the Women’s International Perspective (Wip.net). Megan also produced two documentary series about the digital divide in the U.S. called Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road and Wired Less: Disconnected in Urban America. Prior to joining Free Press, Megan was a national political reporter for In These Times magazine, a staff reporter and editor for The New Standard, and worked extensively as a freelance journalist.
We have a couple of items of FRIDAY FOOLISHNESS courtesy of your fellow WAOD readers. To combat all of this foolishness, I’m encouraging you to put up a link in the comments of your favorite blog post, including your own.:
Desmond Hatchett
Please don’t send me anymore emails about 29-year-old Desmond Hatchett and his 21 children. He’s not even worth my time. Neither are his 11 baby mamas. There isn’t anything I could write on this blog that would convince these ig’nant people to stop engaging in child abuse. Hopefully authorities will deem any woman who continues to get pregnant by a man that can only pay her $1.98 in child support per se negligent.
For all of you trumpeting forced sterilization, you are clearly rusty on your world history. TRUST ME, you don’t want the government anywhere near anyone’s reproductive organs. Once they get through with the Desmond Hatchetts of the world, they will be coming for you.
They Gave this woman White House Press Credentials?
The White House issued press credentials to Brenda Lee of the Georgia Informer. Brenda says she is a Catholic Priestess… um I didn’t know that Vatican City allowed women into the priesthood.
Well anywhoo, she wanted to give a letter to President Obama asking him to make a statement about gay marriage. She ended up being dragged from the tarmac.
No, we haven’t forgotten about Part III of Why You Should Burn the June Issue of ESSENCE magazine, we were hit by a wave of “multimedia creativity” At least, I know my Mama will have a good laugh about it.
Here is an audio message from moi about what you can do while you wait on part III of Why You Should Burn the June 2009 Issue of ESSENCE magazine. Kadijah over at Muslim Bushido has been having some very interesting discussions that have picked up where I left off earlier this year about a need for a creative movement… a different kind of creative movement. Don’t be left back at the station, there is something everyone can do. This should hold you over until I have time to post. Also, keep commenting. There were some comments left today that crystallized some of the thoughts I have been mulling over for the past week.
I saw this over at Halima’s blog and thought this comment was so. on. point!
Black women should consider composing an impossible dream / why not list. It must include everything they’ve been told they cannot do. They may be surprised at its length. It should cause them to look at their environment, their associates and friends, wonder what they’re doing wrong and why.
Simply paying the bills, and existing, isn’t sufficient.
They need to then ask themselves: do they fear the impossible dream / why not list? And who, and what, is influencing, or hindering their thoughts, and progression in life[*cough* ESSENCE magazine *cough*]?
The issue, usually, is not with the list, but lack of a viable and workable road map. Not having a realistic way of reaching those goals may be what is frustrating a lot of women. Goldenah on “Holding Up Traffic”
We pause in our series about ESSENCE magazines psychological warfare on Black women in their June 209 issue to share this since this is tangentially related to the work we do here. , I am rescuing this from the Publicist-email-direct-to-Delete folder. As always, do your own research:
Hi Gina ,
A revolution is taking place among girls and women who are working together to tear down stereotypes and pursue their dreams, no matter the obstacle. The brainchild behind this movement is Gretchen Cawthon, creator of “Girls Can’t What?” (www.girlscantwhat.com), a community website that motivates girls to succeed at doing anything they set their minds to, including raising a million dollars to benefit women charities.
From being one of the only girls to make it on the 6th grade boys basketball team to learning to walk again at 14 after being hit by a drunk driver, Cawthon is used to achieving goals and overcoming obstacles she was told couldn’t be done. She created “Girls Can’t What?” to share these personal experiences along with amazing stories and interviews from truly inspirational women.
Now Cawthon is on a mission to raise $1 million to benefit nonprofit organizations that help women. She’s created fun and hip t-shirts that feature her trademarked girl character breaking down stereotypes – everything from taking on the role as a football player to working as a construction worker. 20% of proceeds from the sales of the online store will be donated until $1 million is raised to support women’s nonprofit organizations.
I’d love to provide you with more information or a sample.
In the June 2009 Issue of ESSENCE magazine (page 82) they feature an essay by a coward who goes by “Anonymous.” His “story”, and by story I mean complete work of FICTION, is told by Anslem Samuel. Anonymous admits to being diagnosed with Herpes ten years ago, but goes on to have unprotected sex with 20 women, 18 of which he never disclosed his Herpes status,. The title of the article is “Gambling With Herpes,” but I want to point out the way the story is packaged for readers. First, the description:
An attractive, successful businessman reveals why he had unprotected sex even though he knew he could infect the women in his life. [oooh ladies did y'all hear that? He's a biddnez man. He might have ben-eee-fiiitz and 'surance- Catch him while you can!!]
There is nothing “attractive” about this psychopath. Then the quotes ESSENCE chose to put in bold:
I feared being rejected by someone I cared about. [so you chose to infect them instead?]
I thought about confessing, but I never had the courage.[so you infected them instead?]
Oh poor “Anonymous”. Poor baby, he poked his pox-filled penile region all over yonder because he was skurd. I find it laughable that he fears LATEX, but doesn’t have any problem with VALTREX! But he’s not done because in addition to intentionally infecting “the women in his life,” he defames them and basically says that they ASKED literally BEGGED to be infected by him:
Sometimes a woman would ask me not to wear a condom and I obliged her request. No one ever asked me to get tested for herpes…[oh so your penile region is subject to requests? If I requested that you tattoo "HERPES INFECTED" on your penile region would you OBLIGE?]
The he claims the only woman to TELL him that he infected her was the mother of his children [you do realize that you very well may have transmitted this to your children, right Mr. Fraidy Cat!] and then offers this piece of revisionist history:
I made sure she knew it was possible to catch it even when I had an outbreak. She doesn’t like to use condoms and took the risk [she didn't TAKE anything. You GAVE her Herpes!!]
I find his assertions about Black women wrestling him to the ground and impaling themselves on his pox-filled penile region dubious because of his earlier admission that he took elaborate steps to conceal the disease. Which was it? They volunteered for a raging case of herpes, or were they conscripted?
I did outlandish things to hide the truth …like keeping Valtrex in a different prescription bottle. Sometimes my girlfriend would want sex when I was having an outbreak. I couldn’t arouse any suspicion by saying no, so I would wear my boxers to conceal the blisters. [You couldn't AROUSE suspicion, but didn't have any trouble arousing your penile region]
He isn’t done blaming Black women for exercising dominion over his penile region:
When I told the other woman who knows my status, she was surprisingly okay with it, which made me wonder, “What do you have”
This man might as well have a small pox filled syringe going around poking random Black women in his sleep. Not once. Not twice. Not thrice, but FOUR times in a single essay, this man blames Black women for HIS decision to impale them with his pox-filled penile region. How nice and convenient not to have to take any responsibility for the choices and decisions you made. Every single paragraph in this essay involves blame shifting.
When Black women are 23 times more likely to be infected with the AIDS virus than our White counterparts, what do you call a man who knows he has a sexually transmitted disease yet fails to disclose it, and takes affirmative steps to conceal it while having “unprotected sex.”(BTW I don’t believe there is such thing as “protected sex” That’s like having a “protected” heart transplant. ). But what do you call a man who intentionally infects women with an STD? You call that man (or woman) a BIO-TERRORIST.
I am appalled that his blame shifting went unchallenged in this “cautionary tale.” I find it interesting that they chose to highlight quotes about his “fear ” and “lack of courage,” but buried the quotes indicating his coldblooded cunning and deception.
Ultimately the MESSAGE we are supposed to get form this “cautionary tale” is that Black women are responsible for where men place their penile region. The message is clear, if they decide to intentionally expose us to disease, then WE DESERVE IT!
This man wasn’t “Gambling” with herpes. He was committing a violent crime. He was intentionally causing permanent harm to the physical structure of the body. He took their choice away.
He can hide behind his cowardice and his “fear of being rejected,” but the truth is that this BIO-TERRORIST did what he did because he doesn’t give a DAYUM about Black women. Even if they volunteered for the honor of breaking out in blisters for the rest of their lives, what was wrong with this man’s character that he would allow himself to cause this kind of permanent damage to another human being? The “they asked to be infected” BS is a cop out. You didn’t gamble with Herpes, you gambled with other people’s lives and still aren’t prepared to accept responsibility for what you did.
This isn’t a public health issue , its a national security and law enforcement issue and men who KNOW their status who go on to have sex with over 20 women, and only tell 2, don’t need to be giving Black women advice. They need need to be in JAIL.
Just this week in Dallas, a trial began in a case similar to the circumstances describes in this essay. In that case, the man was charged with ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON:
A 52-year-old woman testified Wednesday that she contracted HIV by having unprotected sex with Philippe Padieu, who prosecutors allege knew he had the infection and did not tell his lovers.
Padieu, 53, of Frisco is being tried in Collin County on six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The deadly weapon, said assistant district attorney Lisa King, was Padieu’s “bodily fluids.” Dallas Morning News
Do you really think he would have behaved differently if he had HIV instead of Herpes? Of course he wouldn’t. He doesn’t have a “condom” problem, he has a character problem and for them to try to portray him as anything other than an extremely ANGRY man who out to harm women is a disservice. Where were the questions? Where was the “expert advice” challenging this fool. In the financial section they have an expert response to people’s testimonials, why wasn’t there a little insert from a psychologist or even a victim of predators like this? I would love to hear from one of the women he exposed!!
If you are so inclined, you can share your thoughts about this fictional account at onhismind@essence.com. I want to hear from “the women in his life!”
We conclude this series of Why You Should Burn the July 2009 issue of ESSENCE Magazine with our analysis of “The Body Shop” by Demetria L. Lucas the article begins on page 110. Its supposed to be about making him scream your name… because HIS pleasure is what’s MOST important, but it ends up being a chronicle about emotional and psychological abuse that leads to self mutilation and humiliation. Have a great weekend!
Kids, I’ve been on the road this week. Busy. busy. busy, but I have drafted part II to our series WHy You Should Burn the June 2009 Issue of ESSENCE. Part I was about their suggestion that Black women troll strip clubs looking for men to purchase drinks for. I asked whether the writers, Charrea Jackson and Neima Jordan had been sniffing glue when they penned that pearl of wisdom. Charrea has responded. She wants y’all to know that YES, she has a man. NO, she didn’t meet him at a strip club and NO, she does not huff glue. I think the fact she doesn’t sniff glue makes it worse Here is her response:
I respect her stance (though no, I don’t sniff glue . . .and yes, I do have a man, that I didn’t meet in the strip club). . .
No, every woman won’t meet the man of her dreams at Magic City, but you may meet someone who you can have a nice date with, and for a lot of sisters that’s a lot more action than they’ve had in a while. Queen to Be
WOW. just WOW. “That’s a lot more action than they’ve had in a while.” Well folks that about answers my questions. DO y’all have anything else to add?
I’m going to offer you a preview of tomorrow’s post ( If I get the time to post it) Its about a town in rural Mississippi where the Black women are DYING of AIDS because of this type of mentality right here.
Settle for whatever crumbs you can get, because that’s all you can hope for. WOW. She said that out loud! We thank her for her candor. WOW. Just. WOW. Just. just. Just. WOW. She said that OUT LOUD!
I don’t actually read ESSENCE magazine other than the one “investigative” story they have at the back of each issue on page 567. This month they did an excellent piece on domestic violence Called Our Secret Pain. It was written by Robin D. Stone. It included first hand accounts from Black women from every educational, geographic, and generational background about how they escaped abusive relationships. One of the women was a social worker. The other was 14 when she caught the eye of an 18 year old lunatic who later shot her int he foot and dragged her and their baby all over town.
Peppered through out a couple of the stories were anecdotes about the increasing cycle of violence notably, the way the abuser begins the cycle with verbal abuse and isolation. Insults, debasing words etc. it was a good article and normally I would have thrown the whole magazine in a pile in the corner. I must have needed a mind break so I thumbed through the rest of the magazine. Its the first time I’ve read something on pages 1-120 in a minute. Why? because the first 100 pages are full of advice I would never take.
Now the cover promises to reveal hot spots to meet men. On page 76 in the “dating guide” section Charrea Jackson and Neima Jordan wrote an article called “10 Places to Meet Black Men: There’s Nothing Wrong With Hunting For Happiness” Here are their suggestions:
1. Home Improvement Class
2. Community Service
3. A Little League baseball Game . Readers are instructed to “check out the coach or the single dads between innings”
4. The Gym
5. Go to a Strip Club
6. Join a political campaign
****screech**** let’s head back to #5 did they suggest that Black women go to strip clubs to meet men? No, they couldn’t have said that. Uh uh not ESSENCE. Not the folks who lead the “Take Back the Music” campaign. Not Susan Taylor’s “In the Spirit” ESSENCE. Nah that must be a typo. They didn’t just list the SKRIP club as a place to meet Black men.
Not only do they list the SKRIP club as a place to meet Black men, but they try to chide those of us who find the suggestion ri dayum diculous.
“Just hear us out: Some city strip clubs have evolved into sexy social scenes. “I’ve encountered plenty of attractive, straight, and single men at strip clubs.” Says Zenitra Perry, 26 a sales executive in New York City. With seminude women walking around everyone’s guard is down. Go ahead and send a drink to the Idris Elba look-alike at the bar” Charreah Jackson and Niema Jordan, Essence magazine June 2009, page 76
I mean this with all seriousness Charreah and Niema… Have y’all been huffing glue? I’m serious. Did you have a skiing accident a few months ago and suffer blunt force trauma to the cerebral cortex, because a deprivation of oxygen to the brain could be the only explanation for why and sane Black woman would direct another Black woman torun around buying drinks for Black men in the skrip club. How many men have y’all picked up in the strip club and how did that work out for y’all?
First of all, strip clubs don’t EVOLVE! The whole concept of skrip clubs is DE-Evolution. Its a place where human beings, women, are treated like animals. No brain, no heart, no emotions, just objects dancing around.
Second of all, aren’t you inviting Black women to PIMP out other Black women. “With semi-nude women walking around, everyone’s guard is down.” -Its not that woman’s job to get my guard down so that I will have the courage to send some man a drank. If you can’t have a conversation without another Black woman having to skrip to “relax” your “prey”, then you have bigger issues than “man hunting”.
Third, if you meet this man in a strip club, explain to me how exactly you are going to have any boundaries in this relationship? You met him at a strip club! You prepared to go to the strip club for Valentine’s Day? What about your anniversary? Birthday? Why not? That’s where you met him. Imagine the wedding reception when you talk about the first date “I met my wife while I was getting a lap dance at Sugas” Oh How freaking romantic.”Daddy, how did you meet mommy?”
Fourth, I would suspect, and Black men PLEASE correct me if I am wrong, that a Black men still engage in compartmentalization where they place women in relationship categories. I’m going to take a leap of faith that they aren’t going to place the woman sending them drinks at the strip club in the “long term relationship” compartment.
Fifth, they didn’t got to the strip club to see YOU! At least not the sane ones.
WHy doesn’t ESSENCE just stop playing around. If the only standard for a great place to meet a Black man is a place where men gather, then why not just suggest that your readers hang right outside the entrance to the county lockup on Friday nights. Instead of buying men drinks, why not bring some bail money with you. I can guarantee he’ll call you back or you can just show up for his court date.
Later in the week, I hope to make the case for why ESSENCE should have replaced Jennifer Hudson on the cover of the June issue with the “Anonymous” Author of “Gambling With Herpes” on page 82.
“Sometimes my girlfriend would want sex when I was having an outbreak. I couldn’t arouse any suspicion by saying no so I would have sex with my boxers on to conceal where the blisters were located.” Anonymous, Page 82 June 2009 Issue of ESSENCE
ESSENCE would be doing Black women a great service by plastering this parasite’s photo on the cover so that every Black woman in America would know to avoid this selfish $)(&@(&$ like the plague… LITERALLY!
My final post in this series will cover The Body Shop on page 110, its definitive proof that they have lost their natural minds.
I would think Black men should be marching on ESSENCE headquarters right now because as gullible and stupid as they portray women in the June issue, they make y’all look a WHOLE LOT WORSE… to sane women anyway.”Where Black Women Come First..NOT”
Caseworkers described Bedwell as a great mother. She had returned to school and was working to turn around her life, one marred by abuse she had suffered and years in foster care SOURCE
I have had an occasion to meet some of the people we talk about on this blog so I understand that on the other side of every blog post and comment where we mention someone by name, there is a human being with a family that loves and cares about them.
Two weeks ago we posted about Emanuel Wesley Murray He was three months old when his mother’s violent ex-boyfriend brutally murdered him by throwing him out of the driver’s side window of a moving vehicle.
Many of you, like me, had a very strong reaction to the death of yet another child brutally killed by an adult introduced into a child’s orbit by the child’s mother. I was perplexed as to how a 17 year old who is three month’s pregnant can end up in a relationship with someone with a well documented history of violence. Here is the latest, the State of Florida did an abuse investigation on little Emanuel when his mother was sent to the hospital, but found the 17 year old mother fit to retain custody:
In a state report released Thursday, the narrative of a child safety investigation conducted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office describes Jasmine Bedwell’s ex-boyfriend as a violent man bent on hurting the 17-year-old foster child who was the new mother of an infant son.
The sheriff’s office has a contract with the Department of Children & Families to investigate child-welfare cases.
“Last week, the paramour beat the mother up causing her to go to the hospital,” child protection investigator Michelle Money-Richardson wrote in the report, which was opened April 8. “The paramour has twice kicked in the mother’s door and threatened to come back with a gun.”
Nearly three weeks later, the report was closed, and Bedwell kept her son after investigators and child welfare officials determined she was doing everything she could to protect him.
“The child appeared to be free of any obvious signs that would suggest abuse or neglect,” the report states.
I have reviewed all of your comments on the original post and compared to some of the comments left on the local newspaper sites in Florida, I don’t think the comments in their totality were unduly harsh on Emanuel Wesley’s 17-year old mother, Jasmine Bedwell.
HOWEVER… someone purporting to be the aunt of Emanuel Wesley Murray has responded to some of your/my comments so I’ve bumped this up to post level for those who read the blog via RSS feed. Here is what she said:
i do understand that some of you really don’t understand the situtation with jasmine bedwell∧ how the relationship began .Well I DON’T EITHER I’m her aunt and i do know for a fact she did everything to protect her son.What about the state,they had a say as well.No she wasn’t raised by wolves.And we may never know what happened in this situtation but please give her credit for tring to seek help & tring to get out of the relationship. Mary Rush
First let me pause for a word of prayer and contemplation. You should pause too. If you are not prayed, meditated, chanted up, then do not click “Read More”I have drafted a letter to Aunt Mary below the fold. Continue reading →
Today is the last day of regular registration for Blogging While Brown. You can find out more information about the conference, including how to register by going to www.bloggingwhilebrown.com.
Housing Going Fast
Probably more important is the fact that we reserved a LIMITED number of rooms at the conference center dorm. The room rate includes one meal each day in the conference center dining facility. A good deal for downtown Chicago.
Scholarships for Chicago Residents
There are conference scholarships set aside for Chicago residents so if you have family and friends in the Chicago area that might benefit from learning how to publish blogs, vlogs, podcasts etc. encourage them to apply. We have a pre-conference boot camp for non bloggers on Friday morning and afternoon. The conference festivities kick off Friday night with the meet and greet.
At least, I know my Mama will have a good laugh about it.
