Mandrake Society Radio posts an audio interview with Venton Jones of Abounding Prosperity, Inc., an organization that addresses the health, social, and economic disparities among African-American men and their families.
To hear the interview in it's entirety, please click here . Thanks to Pegasus News for the heads up.
Speaking of NPR, Talk of the Nation will have a discussion Monday around what's next of the Jena 6 and African-American Bloggers. They will also discuss why it took so long for the national media to pick up on the story.
I am scheduled to participate on the program as is Francis L. Holland. Talk of the Nation is no longer aired in Dallas, but they tell me the interview will take place some time between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. Central. I will post the interview sometime tomorrow after the show.
Eric Weiner of NPR interviewed me last week for NPR's Morning Edition(Bloggers a force behind Jena protests). Ironically enough, I was standing on the grounds of Jena High School as Mr. Weiner did the interview.
Please click here to see the full interview. A few quotes:
"I think a lot of people ignored the story but the African-American blogosphere has been on it from early on, and it has really caught steam recently," said Shawn Williams, who writes the popular Dallas South Blog.
Williams says the Afro-sphere is "akin to the underground railroad. A lot of people are faceless and nameless. So just like the underground railroad, you know where to go but you don't know who might be there once you arrive."
Williams is attending the rally in Jena. His attempts to blog from there have been scuttled by the fact that he can't find an Internet connection. 
Please check out the NPR interview in its entirety.
Realize that if you are reading this message, you are part of blog power. If you are reading this post, you are part of a new movement to seek out more about what's really going on in this country.
We cannot solely rely on traditional media sources to get the full picture. For years black periodicals and newspapers have fought to present an opposing voice with varying levels of success.
This new civil rights movement is not only about people who blast out info regarding the latest wrongs that needs to be righted. It's also about the readers who e-mail links, who comment, who give feedback. So for that, I would like to say thank you.
Here's an article from the website Counterpunch, which highlights the progression of black blogs as an alternative media source. Some quotes from the article:
"the mainstream media has felt absolutely no obligation to cover the (Jena) story with appropriate depth. The New York Times has not covered it at all. Neither has the Washington Post, whose vast website carry a single AP article on the subject…
This suggests that protest marches ain't dead yet, but have just been heavily augmented as part of a multi-pronged strategy toward achieving justice. A collaboration between new school blogging and old-school marching will allow thousands to "get on the bus" and get over to Jena, Louisiana this Thursday.
While such a suggestion may only be a pipe dream, BLOG POWER is not quietly hoping for Senators, governors, and other elected officials to do their job, nor is it patiently waiting for Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, or Joe Scarbarough to determine what is newsworthy. BLOG POWER is a place that demands an end to mainstream media's insidious practice of "racism-by-omission."
Click here to read the article in its entirety.
Thanks to Bronze Trinity for the heads up.
Howard Witt continues to give us the latest on the happenings in Jena.
Some excerpts from Witt include:
Defense attorneys and Bell's family members all declined to speak on the record about the case, citing strict confidentiality rules governing juvenile proceedings in Louisiana.
Walters declined to lodge serious criminal charges against white youths who attacked blacks in two incidents.
The local district attorney prosecuting the case, Reed Walters, has vowed to appeal that ruling and to press ahead with his cases against the other five youths, who are free on bond.
Here's an interview that appeared in Saturday's Dallas Morning News. You can find the link by clicking here , but I'm posting it in its entirety.
Like many public events these days, this week's Jena rally came together largely through the efforts of bloggers. One of them was Dallas resident Shawn Williams, 33, who helped spread the word through his Dallas South Blog (www.dallassouthblog.com). In an e-mail interview with The Dallas Morning News Friday, the pharmaceutical salesman and member of Friendship-West Baptist Church reflected on his blog and the Jena rally: The News: Give us the background on the Dallas South Blog. Did you create it? What is its aim? Mr. Williams: I started Dallas South Blog 15 months ago as a way of expressing myself, but as the site has evolved, the goal is to promote positive images of African-Americans to contrast the negative images put forth daily in the popular press. The News: Have you been involved in other civil rights movements or protests before? Mr. Williams: I think the movement is ongoing. Since college I have been aligned with these types of issues in some form or fashion, but most recently I worked to rid our neighborhood of a sexually oriented business that was being built in walking distance of a charter school. The News: What was your role in this week's trip to Louisiana? Mr. Williams: Besides helping to get 1,000 folks that left from our church on the right bus, I was just a participant. I marched, I listened, I shouted, but mostly, I was there in support of the young men who stand accused. The News: Did you network with other bloggers? Mr. Williams: I am a member of the Afrosphere Bloggers Association. … We had a 'Day of Blogging for Justice' on August 30th, where many of us blogged about Jena at the same time. The News: How will Thursday's event advance the civil rights movement? Mr. Williams: No one can answer that. I am hopeful that the African-American community will commit to seeking justice and equality for the long haul. Cases like this happen all over the United States. We must use this energy to highlight injustice and to take responsibility for our own community and our own future. Thanks to Linda Leavell and Mike Drago ONLINE MOVEMENT
Dallas blogger helped spread word about Jena
Electronic Village highlights additional incidents involving nooses that have occurred recently (Playing With Nooses Ain't No Game). They include a recent copycat event where nooses were hung from a tree at Andrews High School in High Point N.C. The Village also reports of a truck that was rolling around Alexandria, La. -about an hour from Jena- with nooses hung from the back (shown here).
America seems to be rediscovering it's not so distant love affair with this lynching tool. On Monday I will post on what thoughts the sight of nooses evokes in my mind.
As if to show the marches in Jena who still holds the power, a judge in Louisiana has apparently denied Mychal Bell bond or bail. Bell has been in jail for almost 10 months, and many of those who rallied were under the impression that he would be released on Friday.
Because Bell is now being tried as a juvenile, information is harder to come by. CNN.com does have a story regarding the most recent turn of events.
Howard Witt of the Chicago Tribune recaps the Jena 6 rally in Friday's edition of the Chicago Tribune. Click here for Mr. Witt's take on the historic day.
Check out some interesting Jena 6 coverage at Where is the Outrage . Thanks Errington for reaching out.
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