The Trayvon Martin case truly galvanized the world,  and has brought to the front line AGAIN, the whole stereotypical image of the African-American male.  The African American male sterotype is of a bunch of hoodie wearing, pants hanging, gold tooth wearing, men that walk around all day in search of the closest liquor store we can find.  Even if it is to buy skittles and not Colt 45!

Yet, there are many men that are working professionals, that dress very nicely everyday of the week, and work extremely hard to advance in their fields and achieve a certain level of success.

But when I do a random sampling of the image above to the young men on the streets, the feedback I get is..I don’t want to look like that..that man is a SELL OUT!

or..I don’t know anyone that looks like that in my community!

Wow…that really bothers me.

On one hand you have an African-American percentage that does not want to change their look, and you have another African-American percentage that would not be caught dead looking any other way.

Then you have the biased media that only reports on the percentage that does not want to change their look…and here you have the African-American stereotype that is ripe for viewing. A media that can not wait to see the next episode on the violent black man station.

Here is a great story on the Trayvon Marin story: http://mije.org/trayvon-martin-and-media-depiction-african-american-males

In this story the writer starts with:

“He’s got his hand in his waistband, and he’s a black male.”

— George Zimmerman to a 911 operator shortly before he fatally shot Trayvon Martin

Here you have George Zimmerman getting fed a steady diet of “What the African Male looks like”…

Again, Is this what the African-American Male looks like?

If the answer is yes…then why????

If the answer is no…then why is the Media portraying that we do?

Now, I am not saying that everyone should be forced to dress a certain way, or that because you dress a certain way you should be deemed suspicious looking and then get harassed or in the worst case shot!

What I am saying is, media needs to report on both sides of the story.

You can not feed the majority ( Let’s face it we are only 15%), a true image to start from.  So that there can not be one conclusion to what you are seeing.

Now.. far right you have Barack Obama..the most powerful man on the planet that is always seen in a Suit…dressing for the job he has obtained.

Now on the far left you have the average joe..on the street dressing for the job he has obtained.

Where is the middle.. Is it he is either the President of the USA, or he is not?

Is this the only main course the media is feeding?

The link came over on Facebook about Chicago Urban Prep:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-30/news/ct-edit-uprep-20120330_1_college-readiness-high-school-graduation-college-entrance-exam-scores

where is the press on this story??

The Chicago Tribune carried the story..with very little National Attention..

Every college aspiring child of color should have heard of or read that story!

Now this should be news!!

We need accountability in the Media to tell the positive stories that change the

face of the African-American Male!

As we read these success stories, lets put the pressure on the editorial staff at

the local papers and TV stations to do the right thing!

Until we change the perception of what an African-American male looks like….

Any black male..not dressed in a suit..could be the next Trayvon Martin!!

Continued Success,

Now..Go Get it!!

Derrick Butler is Founder/CEO of Mydreamalive Inc which has a mission of changing the negative images of African-Americans to positive images that better reflect the makeup of the African-American Community

Follow Me on Twitter: @DerrickButler

Follow My Blog: My Dream Alive

Is it me..or does this feel like 2008 all over again!

Here you had the ” I have a Dream,” bold and bright Barack Obama as the eager President ready to right the wrong of the last 8 years, under the oppressive rule of the establishment.

I still remember the sight of the helicopter with President Bush taking off as not a single person in the crowd waved or shed a tear.

Everyone had such relief that the nightmare was finally over, and we had a qualified, intelligent, capable President that had a plan to turn things around and get America headed back to glory!

I remember seeing President and First lady Obama at the inauguration:

Mydreamalive.com shows one of the iconic pictures of 2009. The Inauguration Day Oath of our 44th President

To this day, I get goose bumps thinking about what this moment meant for the entire African-American race, and for America!

Now…

It has been 4 years, and I believed in my heart that more would be done to rectify the gross racist and unequal laws that remain on the books in the judicial system. I also truly believed that the corrupt and broken public educational system would finally be overhauled. I believed, that America would right the ludicrous tax code, and the top 2% would be required to pay their fair share. Finally, I believed that immigration reform would take a higher precedence and President Obama would get a chance to put pen to paper and usher in a revived policy on Immigration.

There is still much work to be done!

How in the world is Mitt Romney, Santorum, or Gingrich going to compete against the lasting legacy of President Barack Obama.

They would have to compete with the same earth shattering, America altering campaign that elected President Obama in 2008.

Perhaps it’s me, but I just don’t see it.

I don’t think that:

1. The Economy – Which is picking up steam
2. Contraceptive – Rush Limbaugh, need I say more
3. War on Iran – Did someone say War??? Again????

Will America elect a Mormon to be President of the USA? It is a question yet to be answered?

Now, Mr. Santorum and Mr. Gingrich profess that they are both Roman Catholic.

This is very interesting on so many levels! But I will not get into that right now.

Even though, Mitt Romney is leading in delegates, I think that out of the (3) three GOP candidates, Mitt Romney will have the hardest time competing against an entrenched Christian President.

I know President Obama is looking forward to debating with Mr. Romney on so many levels.

I am again taking back to 2008, when Senator McCain won the GOP and went head to head with President Obama.

I didn’t think the Republican’s had a chance then, and I don’t think either candidate will offer an America shifting ideology that will make President Obama supporters change course now!

So..Again I say, where is the real challenger?

Derrick Butler is President and CEO of Mydreamalive.com, a company dedicated to changing the negative stereotypical images if African-Americans in media, to positive more reflective images of the entire African-American community.

Reblogged from mattneric:

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She’s a Lady By Eric Webb

She’s as cool as they come, that Estelle.

She of “American Boy,” 2008′s greatest song about romance requiring frequent flyer miles, has returned with her third studio album, “All Of Me,” and brother, it is a confident album. Estelle knows herself very well, and her music sounds so thoroughly like her that she has completely earned the right to use a singular moniker.

Read more… 587 more words

Estelle - "All of Me", brings back the classic soul sound and enables music lover's all over the world to experience "life" music. We need more artists to embrace the music AND the lyrics...we need both!

Mydreamalive.com presents the Iconic Leontyne Price

What does it take to change the face of African-American culture?

A person that believes in what they believe and does not care what anyone else thinks!

One of her favorite quotes:

Accomplishment has no color

                                                         Leontyne Price

What an amazing person, performer, and voice like no nother.

Born in Laurel, Mississippi on February 10, 1927, Leontyne price grew up with  the love of music stirring inside of her veins. Like most African-American children, Leontyne got her music chops and internship in church, growing up listening to the type of music that could stir a soul. She new right then and there that she was going to make music, and affecting people’s lives, her  profession.

Now here is where the story gets interesting.

She chose to pursue a career in Classical/Operatic music and not jazz or gospel music!

huh??

This is where the disconnect happened for many of good ole down home black folks.

She went to Central State College in Wilberforce, Ohio and got encouragement and inspiration to further her love for the genre.  Leontyne went to college to become a music teacher. While hearing her sing one day in a Hall, the President of the College, Dr. Charles H. Wesley encouraged her to change her major from education to voice.

Leontyne Price earned her B.A. in June 1948, and headed to New York to study at the Julliard School of Music where she had won a full tuition scholarship. At Julliard, she received voice training from Florence Ward Kimball, a distinguished teacher, and, in her last year, she gave a strong performance as Mistress Ford in the student production of the opera, Falstaff. Upon seeing her in this production, Virgil Thompson immediately invited her to star in a revival of his opera, Four Saints in Three Acts, which ran on Broadway for three weeks in April 1952. Less than two months later, Price made her debut in Dallas, in a role that would carve her name in the minds of audiences everywhere; she appeared as Bess in a revival of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Leontyne Price achieved one of the greatest artistic victories of her career on January 27, 1961, when she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. This performance ignited a 42-minute ovation, one of the longest in the Met’s history. Critic Harold Schoenberg wrote: “Her voice was dusky and rich in its lower tones, perfectly even in its transitions from one register to another, and flawlessly pure and velvety at the top.”

Over the years, Leontyne Price has won 15 Grammy Awards for vocal recordings she has made, and she has been on the cover of Time and 27 other magazines. In addition, she was the only opera singer to be represented in the list of “Remarkable American Women: 1776-1976″ in Life Magazine‘s Bicentennial issue in 1976. She now lives quietly in a cozy house in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Even with her amazing popularity in Europe, her status as an African-American Icon has yet to be truly celebrated!

There is more than enough evidence, rewards, reasons, and accolades to make this happen today!

Derrick Butler is CEO and Founder of Mydreamalive.com which has a mission of changing the negative images that media portrays as African-American heroes, to positive images that are true African-American Icons.

See, today I sold my first “William Alexander Leidesdorff” T- shirt and when I saw my report I had to check it twice just to be sure I was reading the report correctly.

A little history….

I started Mydreamalive.com 3 years ago..( wow..yes made it through the dreaded 2 years)….and I have never sold a William Alexander Leidesdorff  T-Shirt.

In fact, there maybe a bunch of you…the 6,000+ people who have read my blog,that are fans of African-American History, but don’t know who William Alexander Leidesdorff is.

Let’s say this…. William Alexander Leidesdorff is the FIRST…repeat the FIRST African-American Millionaire.

It is indeed a shame that a bunch of people don’t know the name and another shame that he does not have a day, or stamp in his honor.

Here is a picture:

First Black Millionaire

Just some highlights of his illustrious career:

“..a prominent civic leader and pioneer in the successful quest for California to become the 31^st state in the United States.  He was elected Treasurer of the City of San Francisco, owned the largest home in the city, constructed the first City Hotel, built the first commercial shipping warehouse, and donated the land to build the first public school in California.”  

So why is he such a big secret? Why does he not get credit? If anyone can answer that, please do post a comment.

He here is more info on him: Click here

and if you would like to own your own T Shirt: Click here

There are so many successful African-American stories that are yet to be told.

We need to get these stories out of the books, and onto the movie screens.

I applaud “Red Tails” for sharing the incredible story of the Tuskegee Airman.

Although there were some parts missing, and a little fiction.. at least it was an

epic African-American story…that was more than ready to be told.

Thanks for your time…

Derrick

Derrick Butler is founder of Mydreamalive.com a company founded in 2009 to  change the negative images displayed in media to positive images, and allow all African-Americans to see all sides of the American opportunity.

Have you seen this new show on the Style Network, The Glam Fairy? In fairness, I only made it through about ten minutes of the show, but it appears to be about a boutique beauty salon owner whose mission in life is to convert “ugly ducklings” to sex kittens, one smoky eye at a time. In the ten minutes I made it through, the salon owner managed to insult a group of four stay at home moms and break up a fight between two of her employees. That is a lot to fit in ten minutes, right? I’m all for empowering women, and I can even get behind teaching women how to properly apply makeup to play up their assets. But the idea that it’s necessary to wear eyeliner an inch thick in order to be beautiful is not one I can endorse. And teaching people that it’s ok to act like the cast of the movie Mean Girls in the workplace is just another thing I can’t agree with. While the quality of reality television leaves much to be desired as it is, this show takes thing to a whole new level of terrible. Don’t take my word for it; check the show out on direct tv.

Washington (CNN) – Republican presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum sought to clarify their support of a pledge that contained a controversial preamble suggesting black children born into slavery had better family structures than black children now. The excerpt has been removed from "The Marriage Vow — A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family," a pledge issued by the conservative Christian organization The Family … Read More

via CNN Political Ticker

The Terrible Duo

 What in the world are the Republicans drinking? You can not tell me that their line in the sand is the continued manipulation of the tax dollars by Billionaire corporations and the richest 1%. How in the world can you have a talk about deficit without revenue. Did Newt and Mitch go into a deep slumber during the President Bill Clinton years. Where their panties up their butts so tight that they missed one of the most ( If not the best!) deficit reducing years in American History. The Tax increases that Bill Clinton initiated not only reduced the deficit, and brought in 241 Billion in five years. It took both cutting of wasteful spending and revenues to turn the country around.

Now President Obama comes to the table with the Revenue and the Republicans come to the table with the Reductions, and now we have what we need to turn the country around.

I for one feel that the Holy Grail of the Democratic party – The Incredible FDR New Deal initiatives after the Great Depression should not be touched! Economists around the nation agree that Social Security is not a problem and only needs to be funded to last to the next couple generations. So I strongly disagree on putting it up as an offering to the republicans!

Do not cave in on this one.. we need the revenue and the cost cutting measures to turn the country around. For once, let both parties work together for the good of the country and not the good of their and their constituents pocket books!

Derrick Butler is Founder of My Dream Alive find out more at www.mydreamalive.com

Follow me on Twitter @DerrickButler

Shop and Save at www.become.com

         You all probably don’t know, but I have worked in the Advertising industry for over 14 years now providing Small to Medium sized businesses ways to increases their revenue by attracting new customers to their businesses.

I fell in love with the publishing industry young, and as a third generation publisher (Grandad, Mom, Me ), I have really enjoyed leaving a legacy of helping businesses reach new levels of sales, and provide income for their families. As I watched my Mom sell ads to businesses as a young child, I realized that if you can help (1) one business, then they will tell 10 friends about you, and you would have the opportunity to help them a well.

One of the tactics I always talk about is Couponing, and providing a way for customers to try your product. The (3) three most powerful offers are: (1) Free (2) Buy 1 get 1 Free, and (3) 50% Off.  It is important to start with the most powerful coupon of all FREE and let people try your product. You can always set a limit to how many FREE coupons you give out, but imagine if you were to give out 25 – 50 FREE products that worked. The word of mouth would be amazing and you would get your money back 10 fold. If you were to do a Buy 1 get 1 Free offer, then you will get two customers at a time coming in to try your product. This is still a very powerful way of building your business.

The old saying, ” You have to spend money to make money” is indeed true and has been proven time and time again. In my 14 years of  Advertising experience, I have seen businesses that down right refuse to coupon, and have watched an enormous amount of businesses fail. I have watched them come and go, and each time I meet with a new customer I say, “Do you plan on being in business in 3 years?” Knowing that 50% of businesses fail in the first year, and a staggering 85% fail in the first 5 years! The number one cause of failure is Revenue!

Saving money is huge these days and http://www.become.com is an awesome site for saving money. You get a change to save money on big-ticket items, and to do comparison shopping on one site. Small Businesses and Consumers use http://www.become.com to shop from everything from Office Supplies to Baby Items. If you are in business or a consumer looking for ways to save money then you have got to go to http://www.become.com and see what they have!

I have always said that SALES is the most important department in ANY business, because if you have no revenue then you have no company.

But, I do believe that a penny saved is a penny earned!

So….Get to Selling…. Let’s GO!!

Derrick Butler is Founder of My Dream Alive the largest Black History Clothing line on the Web. Find out more at www.mydreamalive.com and Follow Derrick Butler on Twitter @DerrickButler

I’ve never been one that wears a whole lot of makeup. Instead, I like to concentrate on making my hair look perfect. You could say that it’s become kind of obsession of mine since I was about in middle school. So a few years ago I started my own hair and beauty blog, well mainly just about hair. But I think that now it’s about time to actually move my blog over onto my own website.

I searched around for a while to find a good place to buy a URL and found the site www.Domainnames.com. I signed up for a URL that’s identical to the name of my regular old blog and have been working on moving over all my stuff and setting it up

I think that having my own site will make it so much easier on me in setting everything up. Plus, I think that it will be easier to organize things into pages that I want, rather than just following the format of the blogging platform like I have been up until now. The better to show off my hair how-tos!