Sylvester: Mighty Real And Still Giving Back

A few weeks after being featured on the TV One series Unsung, Sylvester continues to impact people’s lives.
A story in the Bay Area Reporter revealed that Sylvester’s estate is donating nearly $140,000 to Project Open Hand and the AIDS Emergency Fund in San Francisco.
When Sylvester died in 1988, he bequeathed his royalties to [...]

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At what point does complaining become a distraction from dealing with the issue at hand?
It is a valid question to ask after observing a couple of events this past weekend.
With much of the nation’s political energy focused on health care reform, I was not surprised to see Iowa Representative Steve King Davis [...]

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The social condition of black males has been an ongoing concern for decades. Statistics highlighting the disparities in levels of incarceration, educational achievement, life expectancy, relationship stability, financial security and employment has generated an industry of publications, conferences, and initiatives devoted to “saving” black males.
In many cases, these are half-hearted attempts more [...]

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For the past few months I have been writing about the horrendous proposal to criminalize LGBTs in Uganda.
President Obama and Hilary Clinton both spoke against the bill at the National Prayer Breakfast, but a gay Ugandan offered his opinion at a competing event, the American Prayer Hour. View the clip below.

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As part of the many outreach efforts for the victims of the Haitian earthquake, many of the music industry’s most popular performers recorded a charity single on February 1.
Over 100 artists united across genre lines – country (Keith Urban), rap (Lil Wayne, Kanye West), pop (Celine Dion, Tony Bennett), jazz (Harry Connick, [...]

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I’m not a major fan of Facebook or Chase, but I applaud their partnership in creating Chase Community Giving, a program that will give $5 million to charities as determined by Facebook users.
The top vote-getter will receive $1 million, and five runners-up will get $100,000 each.
Among the charities eligible for this contest are the [...]

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Aside from South Africa writing support for gay marriage into its constitution, you don’t often hear positive LGBT news about Africa.
So it’s great to discover people who are standing up for themselves in the face of circumstances much more challenging than those faced by people in the United States.
Despite homosexuality being illegal in Malawi, Tiwonge [...]

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The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund has a great statement of resolve regarding LGBT rights that I encourage everyone to sign.
Acknowledging the need for positivity in spite of continued discrimination, the Action Into Anger Declaration states:
“I am angry. Angry that discrimination has been written into the California, Arizona, and Florida [...]

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I may not be a fan of his films, but I give Tyler Perry much respect for his million dollar donation to the NAACP.
His gift is the largest ever from an individual artist and comes as the organization celebrates its 100 year anniversary.
This is significant on two levels. As seen by the [...]

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There is an update to the heinous situation for LGBTs in Uganda.
Thanks in part to pressure, including condemnation from a leader of the Ugandan Anglican Church and Canada and Britain, and the bill has been revised to remove the death penalty and imprisonment for LGBTs.
While the White House never made a formal statement, [...]

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