Denise Oliver-Velez has had a remarkable journey. Her father was a Tuskegee airman. She grew up speaking Yiddish in New York. She was a member of the Black Panther Party. She was part of the team that started first Black non-commerical radio station in the United States. She was Executive Director of the Black Filmmaker Foundation. She first Black program director of a public television station in the United States. At the present moment, Denise an editor and front page contributor at Black Kos
During our conversation, Denise shares about:
– The Black Kos and what the focus of the Black Kos is
– Some of her experience
– Her post “The Fear Of Young Black Men” and why she wrote it
– Some of the deeply embedded stereotypes of young Black men and some of the injustices that young Black men face
– Some of the fears of young Black men and those who love them – some of the challenges
– What can Black American on young Black men
– Her words for Black men and those who love them
What lessons did each of them learned in 2012?
What one moment happened in 2012 that you will not forget?
What did they learn about social media in 2012?
What did they learn about Black male female relationships in 2012?
What did they learn about Blacks in 2012?
Something positive that they want to happen in 2013.
Rufus and Jenny Triplett are “changing the game” in every way possible. Not only are they one of very few professional husband and wife teams who do just about everything together, they have survived twenty plus years of marriage being attached at the hip.
Rufus Triplett, Jr., originally from Flint, Michigan, is a talented singer, songwriter and producer. He co-wrote, produced and toured for the platinum group Ready for the World in the late 80’s. He chose to broaden his horizons in the Marine Corps where he went to school for Culinary Arts. After relocating to Atlanta in the early 90’s he found a love for computers and has become a technology geek. Not only can he build them from scratch but he has become the “go to” guy for all of his family members.
Jenny Triplett, originally from Saginaw, Michigan, always aspired for a career in media. Starting out as an intern at a radio station, she established a relationship with several entertainers and Ready for the World where she went on to head their marketing outreach team. Jenny also chose to explore the military where she gained a wealth of knowledge and experience during her time in the United States Navy. After marrying Rufus and relocating to Atlanta she headed her own entertainment company for over 14 years. Their flourishing company was halted during the time Jenny dealt with a legal issue and a brief period of incarceration. The Triplett’s do not consider that a dark period in their lives because their marriage grew stronger and they bonded to the point where their relationship became unshakeable.
The Triplett’s now own Dawah International, LLC, a multimedia company, which publishes Prisonworld Magazine and are co-hosts of their own weekly radio show, the Prisonworld Radio Hour which airs on Mondays @ 6pm EST on The Prisonworld Radio Network. They also have a successful blog and are requested speakers for corporate functions, wellness retreats, webinars/teleseminars, correctional facilities, non-profit organizations, schools, colleges and universities, radio shows and print magazines.
Being parents of three boys, Michael, 23, Mosi, 21 and Miles 19, they know the trial and tribulations of not only raising children, but African-American men who could end up as stereotypes. They are passionate about family and detouring young men and women from the criminal justice system. Some of the subjects they speak about are dysfunctional families, substance abuse, entrepreneurship, marriage & relationships, self-conscious addictions, incarceration, stereotypes, social media influence, domestic violence & toxic relationships and the list goes on.
Their appearances on Family Court with Judge Penny and Dr. Phil garnered rave reviews as to their parenting philosophies. 2013 started with requests to appear on Huff Post Live which was well received by the producers and viewers of the show and has earned them the label of “Marriage Experts.” Jenny’s appearance on The Mike & Juliet Morning show was phenomenal as she gave The Real Housewives of Atlanta a little wisdom. The Triplett’s were invited to the Ricki Lake Show as Social Media Influencers, have co-hosted Twitter chats for The Ricki Lake Show (#friendsofricki) and (#dadchat) and carry a KLOUT score of 64. The Triplett’s appeared in REDBOOK Magazine as “marriage tipsters” for those who married young and are still surviving. Jenny also contributes to the Daily National and Delux Magazine and has provided comments for CNN, NY Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Ebony Magazine, MSN.com, The Huffington Post, The LA Times, Reuters, The American Prospect Magazine, Google News, Loop21, Lagos Times (Nigeria), and a host of other magazine and radio shows.
Now adding self-published co-authors and Amazon Best Sellers to their long list of accomplishments, “Surviving Marriage In The 21st Century: 13 Easy Tips that Can Help You Get to 20 years and Beyond,” released February 2013, is sparking the much needed conversation about marriage and that tips needed to survive the foundation and institution of the family that it has always been.
Mr. & Mrs. Triplett have traveled extensively and seem to draw attention wherever they appear. With their young look and laid back personalities, they are never far from an intelligent conversation. Their creative talents have caused them to branch into television production via their YOUTUBE Channel. The combination of strong story writing and production skills of Jenny and equally as strong songwriting and production skills of Rufus could only be a match made in heaven. PrisonworldTV will offer humorous programs which is reflective of the Triplett’s personalities.
Anyone dealing with inmates has to have a tough demeanor. The Triplett’s like to take the non-judgmental and forgiveness approach with their work. Dealing with educating inmates and their families brings great satisfaction to the couple knowing they are a part of improving someone’s life. When asked the question what would make you start a magazine like this, the owners respond intelligently “We hope to bring new and different ideas to the multimedia game as well as enlighten views and perceptions of an uninformed and forgotten society.” Their constant drive and dedication to thwart mass incarceration was recognized by President Obama.
We are pleased to have the Tripletts live on our show tonight’s at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific.
During our live conversation, you have the opportunity to call in and share with us and ask questions via Skype. If you would like to do this, please call us at: doctorvibe42. If you get through, please be patient and we will get to your call as soon as possible.
All you need to do listen to the show live is to go The Dr. Vibe Show Homepage at http://thedrvibeshow.com/ tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific. You can also provide your comments and questions during the event via Twitter (@drvibeshow#DrVibe) and at our Facebook Fan Page at “The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook Fan Page
Please note that tonight’s scheduled interview at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific with Sudz Sutherland has been cancelled. Sorry for any inconvenience. We will post reschedule date and time when we have it confirmed.
Sudz Sutherland is an award-winning writer and director. His first feature film was a romantic comedy called Love, Sex and Eating The Bones. Premiering at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), the film won best first feature and was also nominated for three Genies (Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best Picture).
His next movie, Doomstown generated a lot of attention and accolades on CTV, going on to win 3 Gemini Awards including Best TV Movie and Best Direction. Sudz’ next big project was the dramatic 2-part miniseries Guns for CBC, starring Elisha Cuthbert and Colm Feore. It won five Gemini Awards including Best Direction, and Best Writing which he shared with Jennifer Holness. The next TV Movie that Sudz helmed was “The Phantoms” and it had its world premiere in the fall of 2012 on the CBC.
Sudz’ latest feature film project is a hard-hitting drama called Home Again. A searing drama in the vein of City of God, Home Again tells the story of three young people deported ‘home’ to Jamaica after being raised abroad since infancy. Home Again had a successful world premiere at TIFF 2012, won the BAFTA/PAFF Choice award for the best feature at the Los Angeles Pan African Film Film Festival and will be released in Canada on March 22nd, 2013.
He is currently developing two other feature films, Colour Blind and Operation Red Dog.
Sudz Sutherland will be with us live tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific.
During our live interview, you have the opportunity to call in and share with us and ask questions via Skype. If you would like to do this, please call us at: doctorvibe42. If you get through, please be patient and we will get to your call as soon as possible.
All you need to do listen to the show live is to go The Dr. Vibe Show Homepage at http://thedrvibeshow.com/ tonight at 8 p.m. Easterm/5 p.m. Pacofic. You can also provide your comments and questions during the event via Twitter (@drvibeshow#DrVibe) and at our Facebook Fan Page at “The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook Fan Page
Elden Hawkes is the Co-Founder/Contributor/Editor-in-Chief of Webster Style Magazine. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and has been interested in science from a young age.
During our conversation, Elden talks about:
– Where did his love of science start
– How much his mother and his grandparents helped him while he was growing up
– What was it like growing up as a young Black man loving science
– Where did the vision come for the magazine which has been in existence since the end of 2009
– How the name of the magazine came about – magazine has been around since the end of 2009
– Some simple things that the “urban man” can do to improve his style
– Some the articles on the site that have received the most feedback and why
– Is it expensive for a man to have a stylish wardrobe?
– How does the magazine create content?
– His thoughts on the clothing industry for the urban male
– Where can young men get information about urban style – what keeps him going?
– His thoughts on the state of Black men in North America
– Some of his favorite books
– How does he balance his life and his blog
Produced by choreographers Jasmyn Fyffe and Natasha Powell, “Gimme One Riddim” is a captivating dance-theatre production set to the music of Jamaica’s original voice of freedom. The story is told through the lives of five Black men.
Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with Natasha. During our conversation, she shared about:
– How dancing has always been her passion since she was very young
– Her dance journey from performing to producing to choreographing
– The moment when she knew that dancing was her life
– Why she left Toronto to go to Vancouver and why she came back to Toronto
– The importance of “giving back”
– Some reasons why her family is special to her
– Shares the story behind “Gimmie One Riddim”
– Why did they decide to go with an all male Black cast, the experience working with an all male cast and how they were selected
– How her and Jasmyne met
– What she has learned about herself during the production
– The process they went through to get funding from the TD Bank
– Why does she feel that the Black community does not support more than they do and what needs to be done to change this
– What message that they want the audience to receive
– What aspect of the arts does she enjoy the most
– Her message for Black men and those who love them
About “Gimmie One Riddim”:
Gimme One Riddim is presented by TD’s Then and Now 2013 Black History Month Series. It runs from March 13 – 15 at the Winchester Street Theatre, 8 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $25 ($15 before February 19) and can be purchased at http://gimmeoneriddim.eventbrite.ca/
“Gimme One Riddim” features an all Black cast, featuring five male Black dancers; Hollywood Jade, Shavar Blackwood, Roney Lewis, Brandon “Bizzy” Owosu and Irvin Washington.
The show is one hour in length, featuring music from Baba Brooks, Toots & The Maytals, Bob Marley and the Wailers, and top Ska band – The Skatalites. The show is a modern dance production that will also feature film and video elements.
It opens with visual images of the day Jamaica gained independence. It goes in peaks and valleys, from celebrating the joys of freedom, to revealing poverty and oppression, to love, to following dreams, to kick your heels up concert-style performances. While set to music of the 60’s, the movement of “Ska” dances of that time, is incorporated with hip hop and contemporary dance styles.
Check out the promo video for “Gimmie One Riddim”:
