Looks Like Iconic Black Civil Rights Leader James Bevel Will Die In The Pokey For "Sexually Orientating" His Kids!

Sidebar --

Reverend and one time vice presidential candidate James L. Bevel, arrested last year in Alabama after being indicted on one count of unlawfully committing fornication, has been found guilty of having sex with his daughter 15 years ago. Let The Church Say Amen!

The daughter is one of 16 children Bevel, 71, said he has had with several different women.

"The hardest part is I love my father, and I wish he loved me as much as I love him," The daughter told jurors during the sentencing phase.

According to the grand jury indictment, the crime occurred in northern Virginia between Oct. 14, 1992, and Oct. 14, 1994, when the accuser was 13 to 17 years old. Virginia has no statue of limitations on this type of criminal offense.

A top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. who also helped organize the Million Man March, the brotha faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced. The jury recommended 15.

Bevel's daughter testified that she was repeatedly molested by Bevel beginning when she was just 6 years old, culminating in an act of sexual intercourse in 1993 or 1994 that formed the basis of the incest charge. Good Lord!!!!

Having worked with King and witnessed his assassination in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968, Bevel played a key role in some of the country's major civil rights protests.

At a time when African-Americans were suffering a battery of injustices, Bevel organized the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Ala., and was a leader of the Freedom Rides to desegregate public accommodations throughout the South.

And he was an architect of the March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma-to-Montgomery march in Alabama in 1965. He also helped organize the Million Man March in Washington in 1995.

The trial divided members of Bevel's large family, with relatives testifying for both the prosecutor and defense. Even the daughter expressed mixed emotions. As she waited Thursday for a verdict, she was occasionally joined by her father as the two smiled and cooed over the daughter's new baby girl — Bevel's granddaughter.

It took the jury only three hours to convict.

This ain't a Black thing family, it's about protecting our children.

COURT'S ADJOURNED! [Associated Press]

BLACK BLOGGER STEVE GILLIARD WAS DOIN' IT BEFORE WE EVEN KNEW WHAT A BLOG WAS

Steve Gilliard, Black Blogger, Dead at Age 42

Last month, the New York Times carried the obituary of Steve Gilliard, a liberal Black blogger based in New York City who published The News Blog, and was one of the few bloggers to make a living from the advertising revenue and reader donations generated by his blog.

Gilliard was the first guest blogger at Dailykos.com when it had a mere 4000 readers a day. Now, the site has over 500,000.

In what is a now-familiar story among Internet collaborators, many of the thousands who posted online reactions to Mr. Gilliard’s death wrote that they had known little about him, even the fact that he was black.

Others, though, mourned the loss of an African-American voice in the liberal blogging world. Those closest to him offline similarly knew next to nothing about his life as blogger.

“Most of the family didn’t know what he was doing on the Web site,” said his cousin, Ms. Smith, who said his parents did not own computers.

Although we just found out, hats off to The Mad Professah for bringing Steve Gilliard to our attention. He was clearly one of the Black pioneers in this medium and we applaud his vision!

TRING TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, BLACK MAYOR IN PHILLY STILL CAN'T WIN

Street Waits Like Everyone Else

Before Leaving IPhone Line

(AP) Mayor John F. Street abruptly ended his wait in line for an iPhone Friday after a passer-by asked him about the city's murder rate.

The brother -- whom some describe as "prickly" -- showed up outside an AT&T store at 3:30 a.m. like all the other tech nuts who are intent on claiming "first!"

No problem, right?

Well, suddenly it became a problem after a 22-year-old sporting a mohawk asked Street, "How can you sit here with 200 murders in the city already?"

Hizzoner told the man: "I'm doing my job!"

Listed in Time Magazine as one of the three worst big-city mayors in the United States in 2005, the 63 year-old politico had planned to stay in line for most of the day, waiting for Apple Inc.'s iPhone to go on sale at 6 p.m.

When he left at 11:30 a.m. with someone holding his spot, Mayor Street stated his intention to return later today.

Street said he wants the new device because he loves trying out the latest technology. Apple's new handheld would allow him to work some of the day outside the office, he said.

A good PR person would have advised this O.G. that, after all the recent scandals, his response was both stupid and unnecessary.

That's especially true in light of statistics showing Philly's murder rate climbing from last year with over 200 killed so far - the deadliest in nearly a decade.

"We don't have to be sitting in City Hall to be conducting city business," Street said.

Okay, Black man -- have it your way!

YOUNG BLACK PILOT COMPLETES HISTORIC TRIP AROUND THE WORLD AND MAKES US PROUD!

Audacious Brother Is Youngest, First Black To Go Solo Globally

(AP) A 23-year-old aerospace student who built his plane from more than $300,000 in donated parts took off hoping to become the youngest person and first black pilot to fly around the globe alone.

Barrington Irving planned to arrive back at Opa-locka Executive Airport on April 30 in his single-engine Lancair Columbia 400. He was set to fly last year, but a lack of funding delayed his $1 million project.

Today, Irving glided into Miami after a three-month journey he hopes will be an inspiration to inner-city kids.

A crowd of about 2000 people erupted in cheers as Barrington Irving landed at Miami's Opa Locka airport after flying a few low passes over the tarmac.

“I'm home,” a jubilant Mr Irving said.

“The flight was a long flight that challenged me mentally and physically,” he said. Mr Irving had initially hoped to complete his voyage in about one month, but took three times as long as he braved sandstorms, snowstorms and a tropical storm.

He flew a single-engine Columbia 400, which he built with more than $US300,000 ($355,260) in donated components. The Jamaican-born aerospace student hopes the trip will be an inspiration to children in poor, urban neighbourhoods.

“I want to show them they can do more with their lives than resort to violence,” said Irving.

Irving was born in Jamaica and grew up in Miami. He said he saw little chance for success until he met a Jamaican-American pilot at his parents' Christian bookstore. The pilot, Gary Robinson, took Irving to see a Boeing 777.

The 15-year-old was mesmerized. He turned down college football scholarships to become a pilot. Irving is now studying at Florida Memorial University; he has private and commercial pilot licenses.

He also founded Experience Aviation, a Miami-based organization that encourages minority youths to pursue aviation careers.

"Even with the challenges, everything is starting to fall in place, " Irving said prior to launching his historical journey. "It's just my time."

We agree. Do yo' thang Black Man - Welcome Home!

YEAH, I SAID IT: WHY CAN'T D.C. FOLKS FIND SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES MARION BARRY?

WASHINGTON -- D.C. City Councilman Marion Shepilov Barry Jr., 71, is scheduled to return to federal court today to argue why he shouldn't be put in prison for not filing his taxes on time.

Brothers and sisters, we have given this Black man chance after chance after chance...

Enough is enough! This brother was allegedly once an Eagle Scott has got to go! And at this point, I don't care who replaces him.

Even if it's someone who ain't Black. Yeah, that's right, I said "ain't."

Prosecutors said the former mayor and Alpha fraternity man (Kappa Alpha Psi would not stand for that!) violated his parole. He's on probation for a 2005 misdemeanor criminal-tax violation and faces up to a year in prison.

Just last week Barry was in a D.C. Superior Court where he was acquitted of driving under the influence charges.

Councilman Berry, I wish we knew how to quit you!

NBC

SEX PLOT AGAINST FIRST BLACK MEMPHIS MAYOR TAKES NEW TWIST

It Started With An Alleged Plot To Set Da Mayor Up Marion Barry Style.

Now the sistah in the middle of the controversy has been arrested.

Gwendolyn Smith, 29, was taken in Friday for smoking weed while on probation for an unrelated 2004 forgery conviction.

A former Memphis strip club waitress, Smith has told police she was recruited by political enemies of Mayor Willie Herenton, 67, to seduce him and videotape their sexual encounter.

VIDEO OF DRAG RACING TRAGEDY IN TENNESSEE THAT KILLS SIX YOUNG SPECTATORS, AND LEAVES THREE CRITICAL

Vowing to run for re-election to a fifth term this October, the city's first elected black mayor has easily won re-election since his initial victory in 1991 in the closest mayor's race in Memphis history.

The Tennessee mayor held a news conference last week thanking Smith for exposing the alleged plot, but refused to name the critics he believes were behind it. He described them as a group of wealthy businessmen.

Smith surrendered for arrest Friday afternoon in Nashville, in the custody of two Memphis police officers, on a warrant.

Her parole was violated when she tested positive for marijuana, said Don Aaron, a spokesman for Nashville police.

Smith contends she was offered $150,000 to take part in the sex-scandal plot by Richard Fields, a well-known Memphis lawyer long involved in civil rights causes.

Fields, who represented Smith in connection with the Nashville forgery charge, denied the allegation and described her as a drug abuser and scam artist "desperate for money."

With Herenton calling on the Justice Department and the governor to investigate the matter, Memphis police are currently looking into the claim.

"Obviously, the mayor has made some enemies over the years...," said Marcus Pohlmann, a political scientist at Rhodes College of Memphis.

"But if there are wealthy individuals willing to go to those lengths to defeat him, it could help him and energize his base," Pohlmann said.

FOLKS WHO GET IT: THE BOOK CLOSES ON BLACK SPORTS JOURNALIST LARRY WHITESIDE

A longtime baseball writer in Boston, Kansas City and Milwaukee who was a pioneer for blacks in journalism and a mentor for reporters has written his final chapter family.

The Boston Globe reported that Larry Whiteside, 69, died Friday after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Retired from the Globe since 2004, Whiteside was a member of the panel that selected baseball's all-century team and an expert on the Negro Leagues.

Get Some History On Black Baseball Here

Whiteside was born in Chicago in 1937 and graduated from Drake University in Iowa in 1959. He began his career that year with the Kansas City Kansan, then worked at the Milwaukee Journal from 1963 to 1973.

In 1971, he created "The Black List" to aid sports editors in helping to hire qualified black journalists. Only nine names were on the list when he started, but by 1983 it had grown to more than 90.

When the Globe hired him in 1973, he was the only black reporter in America covering major league baseball on a daily basis for a major newspaper.

You paved the way for writers of color Mr. Whiteside. Take that to print!

PARIS HILTON OR INTERNATIONAL NEWS ABOUT BLACK FOLKS - YOU CHOOSE!

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US Law Renews Hope for Haiti's Garment Industry

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Explosion Rocks Central Nairobi
Spain Now Jamaica's Top Investor

New Shot Might End Meningitis in Africa

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Slaves' Voyage of Despair Remembered Around the World

World Bank Nominee Praises New Generation of African Leaders

DR. DEATH RETURNS TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING

Free after eight years on lockdown, Jack Kevorkian found prison to be "one of the high points in life."

Dubbed "Dr. Death" for claims that he participated in at least 130 assisted suicides, Kevorkian, 79, challenged authorities to make his actions legal - burning orders against him and showing up at court in costume.

"You think I'm going to obey the law? You're crazy," the retired pathologist said in 1998 shortly before he was accused _ and then convicted of murder after injecting lethal drugs into Thomas Youk, 52, an Oakland County man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian had videotaped Youk's death and sent it to "60 Minutes."

Although conviction earned the good doctor a 10- to 25-year sentence for second degree murder, his sentence was reduced for good behavior.

While promising never to help in another assisted suicide, his views on the subject haven't changed. "I'll work to have it legalized. But I won't break any laws doing it," Kevorkian said.

The state has banned assisted suicide since 1998, the same year voters rejected a ballot proposal that would have made physician-assisted suicide legal for terminally ill patients. Oregon is the only state in the nation in which a terminally ill patient with six months or less to live can legally ask a doctor to prescribe a lethal amount of medication.

Kevorkian will be on parole for two years, and one of the conditions he must meet is that he can't help anyone else die. He is also prohibited from providing care for anyone who is older than 62 or is disabled. He can speak about assisted suicide, but can't show people how to make a machine like the one he invented to give lethal drugs to those who wanted to die.

SOURCE

BLACK NEW YORK ACTIVIST SONNY CARSON LOSES THIS STREET FIGHT

Looks like a four-block stretch in Downtown Brooklyn that was to be renamed after Sonny Carson will have to find someone else to honor.

The emotionally charged City Council vote, along racial lines, was 15 in favor and 25 against, with seven abstentions.

Brooklyn's Charles Barron clashed with Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum when he exceeded the allotted two minutes of floor time. Refusing to stop speaking, the brother pointed at Council Speaker Christine Quinn and blasted her as a hypocrite.

"You brought us to a place of divide that this City Council has never experienced. You have divided us more than Sonny Carson ever divided any people," he charged, pointing his finger at her.

"We're not voting on the civil- rights movement . . . we're voting on a person . . . who has been a representative of Black separatism," said Oliver Koppell, a white Democrat from the Bronx.

Carson, who died at age 66 in 2002, was a huge figure in New York's African American community. The controversy around the street naming focused on whether someone should be recognized for espousing what some argued were polarizing views on race and racism.

To get the full story, click here.

NCAA BLACK COACHES ARE GROWING ON TREES

Well, not exactly, but Kansas State's Ron Prince is definitely leading the way as he continues to bear fruit on the gridiron.

Elsewhere, the number of Black coaches in football and men’s basketball has increased by about 76 percent over the past decade, per new data released by the National College Athletic Association.

Men’s revenue sports had Black head coaches at 22.4 percent of the schools that responded, compared with 12.7 percent in 1995-96.

Rutgers Coach Vivian Stringer , post the Don Imus "Nappy Headed Ho'" drama, is one among several Black coaches in women’s basketball. Their numbers rose from 12.2 percent to 13.1 percent. The increase was even greater for Division I women’s basketball, which rose from 15.5 percent to 17.3 percent Black coaches.

For all men’s and women’s sports, Black head coaches increased from 4.2 percent to 5.3 percent.

Although 1,054 member schools in Divisions I, II and III were surveyed, only 782 of the schools (74.2 percent) responded. In 1995-96, the NCAA surveyed 985 colleges and 953 (96.8 percent) responded.

FOLKS WHO GET IT: CONGRESSIOANL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDER DIES

Champion of Civil Rights, The Honorable Parren J. Mitchell Dies From Complications With Pneumonia.

Mitchell, 85, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Baltimore in 1970 and was Maryland's first Black congressman.

The Democrat served eight terms before stepping down in 1986 to be the running mate to former attorney general Stephen Sach in his unsuccessful bid for governor.

Mitchell was a member of one of the country's prominent civil rights families. His brother Clarence Mitchell Jr. helped shepherd the major civil rights legislation of the late 1950s and 1960s as the NAACP's principal lobbyist, and was known as the 101st Senator. Parren Mitchell's sister-in-law, Juanita Jackson Mitchell, was the long-time head and legal counsel of the Maryland NAACP.

He gained notoriety during the Wedtech scandal in the 1980s, initiating the congressional investigation that eventually ensnared state Sens. Clarence Mitchell III and Michael Mitchell. While Parren Mitchell was never accused of wrongdoing in the case, his two nephews were sentenced to federal prison for their part in the scandal, which involved bribes to obtain no-bid military contracts.

Born in Baltimore in 1922, Parren Mitchell was a graduate of Morgan State College and earned a Master's degree from the University of Maryland. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army during World War II, and received the Purple Heart.

As a congressman, he fought for legislation requiring local governments to set aside 10 percent of federal grants to hire minority contractors.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Democrat who now holds the 7th District seat, said that Mitchell, "Was a true servant leader, never concerning himself about fame or fortune but, rather, devoting himself entirely to uplifting the people he represented."

Job well done congressman - Bravo!

FOLKS WHO GET IT: WE ARE SO NOT WORTHY NELSON MANDELA, SIR

How About Tea With The Former President Of South Africa?

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Until May 25, bidders from around the globe can bid for the chance to spend time with Nobel Prize winners, business leaders, sporting champions and other celebrities through eBay, the Internet auction site.

Get The 411 Here

MORAL MAJORITY FOUNDER JERRY FALWELL DEAD AT 73

Liberty University has announced that its founder, Reverend Jerry Falwell, has died.

Reverend Falwell was found unconscious earlier today in his office at Liberty when someone discovered that he had missed an appointment.

A prominent leader in religious and conservative political circles for more than three decades, he also had his share of controversy. In 1999, an article in Falwell's National Liberty Journal suggested that Tinky Winky, a character on the children's tv show ``Teletubbies'' , was a symbol for homosexuality. It cited Tinky Winky's purple color, triangle symbol on his head and handbag.

Falwell was also widely criticized after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for suggesting that God allowed them to take place because of the work of civil liberties groups, abortion-rights supporters and other groups. Falwell would later apologize for his comments.

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATES.

ATTENTION ALL SINGERS: TYLER "MADEA" PERRY WANTS YOU!

If you're a SINGER and you have what it takes to be in one of my shows here is what you need to do:

1. Send a video of you singing one song.
2. The song must be sung a cappella--no music, no tracks, no band--just your voice.
3. Before you start to sing the song you must say your full name, phone number and age.
4. You must be 18 years or older by May 18, 2007.
5. The song that you sing has to be either from one of my plays or movies (no exceptions).
6. You are the only one that can be on the video.
7. The video must be in either VHS tape format or DVD
8. Mail the video via regular US Mail ONLY to:

TYLER PERRY STUDIOS - 541 10th St. PMB 122, ATLANTA GA 30318

Contest deadline is May 18, 2007. No exceptions.

The top ten will be invited to Atlanta for the final competition. People will also get a chance to vote online at TylerPerry.com in the upcoming weeks. This is going to be FUN!!!

Tyler

FOLKS WHO GET IT: ED BOYD MADE BLACKS THE PEPSI GENERATION

Avoiding Aunt Jemima Images, Boyd Showed Us As Fun-loving Middle-Class Folks Living The American Dream.

Parlaying marketing Pepsi-Cola into a war against white racism and black stereotypes, Edward F. Boyd died on April 30 in Los Angeles. He was 92.

What made Mr. Boyd innovative was that he used blacks like diplomat Ralph Bunche and celebrities like Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton to give “shout-outs” for Pepsi.

In one ad, the small boy shopping for Pepsi with his mom in the foreground was the late Ron Brown, who would become U.S. Secretary of Commerce. (Bio)

Boyd hired some of the first black advertising models, flooding black papers and adding new prominence to the ads published in magazines like Ebony. He also had a squad of black salesmen visiting bottlers, grocery stores, and teachers’ and doctors’ conferences.

Blacks were then being lynched in the South, and even in the North, and many hotels did not welcome the brothers better qualified, but less paid than their white counterparts.

Mr. Boyd had them use Pullman sleeping cars on trains so they could avoid segregated dining areas. One proud Harvard graduate resigned after being sent to the back of a bus.

Marketing specifically to African-Americans, Mr. Boyd pioneered what Madison Avenue now calls “niche marketing.” (For that, click here)

And sometimes he used race as a selling point. Disseminating a Time magazine report that Coke’s chairman, Robert W. Woodruff, had toasted the re-election campaign of staunchly segregationist Georgia governor Herman Talmadge, Boyd attacked Coke’s widely perceived reluctance to hire blacks.

His efforts bolstered Pepsi sales in every area they hit. After his team visited Chicago, Pepsi overtook Coke for the first time.

“Long before most companies came to see the potential of the black consumer, Ed put doors where previously only walls had existed,” Donald M. Kendall, PepsiCo's retired Chair and CEO, said.

Edward Francis Boyd, a barber’s son, was born on June 27, 1914, and raised in Riverside, California. He graduated from the UCLA, and used his singing and dancing training in minor movie roles, generally playing stereotypical black roles he despised. He worked for the Screen Actors Guild and government housing before National Urban League in New York.

Pepsi’s president, Walter S. Mack, who saw the potential of the black market, hired Mr. Boyd in 1947. His arrival meant a larger initiative, and many black newspapers wrote about him. Still, his sales force did not expand to the promised twelve until 1951.

The cola wars required delicacy, with Pepsi not wanting to appear too solicitous of blacks, for fear of losing white. Once a rumor circulated, which Mr. Boyd’s salesmen attributed to a Coke bottler, that a black worker had fallen into a Pepsi syrup tank and died. In 1949, Mr. Mack told 500 bottlers at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel that he no longer wanted Pepsi to be known as a "n***** drink.

Mr. Boyd jolted upright and trudged out in what he called “the longest walk...” “The thing in my life I’ve had most to fight is bitterness,” he later said in an interview. “I always realized that once I became embittered, I’d lose my objectivity and become nonfunctional and ineffective.”

Survived by his wife of over 60 years, four children and a granddaughter, this man is a testament to tenacity. commitment to one's race, and vision.

Cheers Mr. Boyd. This rounds on us!

Get Douglas Martin's full, unedited story here

FOLKS WHO GET IT: ATTORNEY JOHNNIE COCHRAN HONORED

Renowed Cedars-Sinai neurosurgeon Keith Black has counseled thousands of patients with brain tumors and performs hundreds of surgeries each year.

But few things have been more wrenching, he says, than watching his friend, attorney Johnnie Cochran, succumb to one of the deadliest types of brain tumors two years ago.

This past week, the preeminent African-American doctor cut the ribbon for the Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Brain Tumor Center, a facility dedicated to promoting promising cancer treatments.

Johnny Cochran, a hero, mentor, fellow Kappa fraternity brother, became the nation's most recognizable attorney when he won an acquittal for O.J. Simpson in 1995. (Bio)

The new center named after him aims to become a clearinghouse for research advancements, to shepherd new discoveries through patient trials, and increase access worldwide.

The dedication drew an assortment of entertainment industry glitterati to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, as well as an evening gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Check Out All The Details Here.

AL SHARPTON - YOUR LEADER, NOT MINE!

Reverend Al Sharpton took to the streets of Manhattan today to protest sexism, racism and homophobia in music, however, the soapboxer has a history of firing off blatantly offensive slurs himself -- for which he's reportedly never apologized.

Hypocritical? According to published accounts, Sharpton publicly bashed former NYC Mayor David Dinkins as "a n----r whore," and once referred to his political opponents as "recycled white trash."

Sharpton has also never publicly renounced his 1991 inflammatory public remarks against "diamond merchants" -- after which a Harlem mob singled out a random 29-year-old Jewish rabbinical student -- and stabbed him to death.

During a recent debate at the National Action Network Convention, Sean Hannity resurrected the bigoted soundbites from Sharpton's past ... which begs the question: If Imus had been armed with the same research during his face-to-face with the influential Rev, would he still have his job? Too little, too late.

ROBERT FRANKLIN: THE BLACK MAN'S NEW COMMANDER AND CHIEF

BEACON FOR LEADERS SELECTS NEW BROTHER TO HELM THE SHIP

ATLANTA (AP) -- Morehouse College, the only all male, historically black college in the country has selected Robert Franklin as the school's tenth president.

A Morehouse man himself, Franklin is a 1975 graduate with a master of divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate from the University of Chicago.

Clearly coming correct, Franklin has been director of black church studies at Emory University's Candler School of Theology and is Emory's Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics. He is also former president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in the same Atlanta University Center that includes the Morehouse campus.

He will succeed Walter E. Massey, a physicist and 1958 alumnus who became president of Morehouse in 1995.

Founded in 1867 and with an enrollment of about 2800 students, Morehouse has produced the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Director Spike Lee, Olympian Edwin Moses, Former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, Historian Lerone Bennett Jr., Congressman Sanford Bishop NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond, former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Congressman Major R. Owens, Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan, actor Samuel L Jackson, and two of the brothers from this blog.

Source

FOLKS WHO GET IT: COMPTON BROTHER AND HIS MESSAGE OF HOPE

John Bryant is on a mission. And I'm not saying that because he's been a good friend for well over a decade. I'm saying that because I have seen first-hand this Black man's commitment to financial literacy, eradicating world poverty, and overcoming this continued sense of victimhood plaguing the African-American community.

In recognizing the upcoming 15 year anniversary of the civil unrest in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdicts, Bryant and his staff at Operation Hope had an incredible turnout in South Los Angeles Monday.

With local politicians, bankers and power players hanging on his every word, Bryant led hundreds on detailed bus tours around several neighborhoods to encourage those who can to "do good" by investing "in the hood."

Recognized by presidents, foreign dignitaries, and even Oprah, learn more about the brother from Compton, California and his Silver Rights movement here.