THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK (TAAN)

Instead of mega retailer Target tagging on to Beyonce's digital underground release, which sold over 1,000,000 downloads in five days, they have opted out despite the momentum that has already been built from the iTunes promotion. Seems they would rather lose money...than not be first...sad :(  It seems that Beyonce has just changed the game and those players who refuse to change their mindset and approach to reaching the masses...may be out of the game soon. I like her disruptive marketing approach...it's a huge GAME CHANGER!!! Both aMazon and tArget...were not able to capitalize on Beyonce's big splash...so they've opted out completely. sOunds like a case of SOUR GRAPES to me.  Beyonce didn't lose though and both Beyonce and Columbia profited big time...Maybe when it comes to selling music...you should go digital as well...Don't they know that's where all their consumers are going.   Why drive to Target or order from Amazon to have a physical CD ship

Tyrone Darden speaks to Cassandra Littlejohn about why she chose to run for a county wide seat and why she is proud to represent the Democratic Party.  At the Ballot Drawing on Tuesday night, December 17th at the Angry Elephant...Cassandra spoke about the need for diversity in the political arena in Bexar County...she explained what the County Clerk's responsibilities are and about her experience, her call to public service and her obligation to the citizens of Bexar County.   Cassandra Littlejohn is seeking the office of County Clerk and is reaching out to the African American Network (TAAN) viewers asking for your support.  Election Day for the 2014 Primary is March 4th.   Listen to Cassandra's position!

Do You Have a Teen Driving Melinda "Mindy" Jackson Delivers the Allstate Promise

The Allstate Foundation Grants $1000 to Sistas in Business Inc. and Jack And Jill of America Foundation Inc. Allstate agency owner Melinda Jackson received Agency Hands in the Community Awards for her commitment to helping others. With these awards came $1000 grants from The Allstate Foundation for both Sistas in Business Inc. and Jack And Jill of America Foundation Inc., where Jackson volunteers. Allstate agents and employees have a proud history of putting their good hands to work in supporting Texas communities, promoting volunteerism and providing financial resources to enable local organizations to help others. The Allstate Foundation awards more than $1 million every year to nonprofit organizations across the country in honor of dedicated Allstate agency owners who give back. To be eligible for nomination, Allstate agency owners must with volunteer, mentor or lead a nonprofit of their choice. About The Allstate Foundation Established in 1952, The Allstate F

Wax Museum in San Antonio

Join awaits guest to arrive at Nippy Betz book launch

Miss Neka caught up with KeKe Wyatt at PHX Lounge for a quick interview before her performance, but you will have to tilt your head a little to the left to see it...The interview was a great one though!  Also get a quick peek at KeKe Wyatt's performance, also, sideways...Just continue to tilt your head to the left...

If you could learn how to search for thousands dollars in scholarships for your child to attend college would you put in the work to help and teach your child how to get all of their college expenses covered?  Nippy Betz just released a new book entitled, "What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn't Fail?" and what school would you attend if you knew you had access to all the money you needed?

A brand new author with a brand new book will talk about how he's helping high school students cash in on college.. later today

Do You Have a Teen Driving Melinda "Mindy" Jackson Delivers the Allstate Promise

Siclovia is a San Antonio event that focuses on health, wellness, fitness, family, biking, skateboarding, playing games, and meeting new people and learning ways to improve health and happiness...there was a Zumba demonstration stage sponsored by the YMCA and more...if you missed it this year...look for the Spring 2014 event...you'll have a blast!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9-x_-bIS1k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Taj Matthews talks to Nettie Hinton about historic perspective of East Side San Antonio

Melissa says that people are suffering and could be arresting their blessings...she believes that people should not be abused are discriminated against because of their beliefs.  She's an entrepreneur, author, life coach, former bank vice president, real estate/mortgage broker, motivational speaker, financial literacy advocate and currently working towards her doctorate degree.

Taj Matthews and Gloria Estefan

Tyrone Darden, Host Community Conversations@taan Community Conversations@taan (The African American Network) has interviewed over fifty individuals from our community in San Antonio to discuss the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin case, education, image, profiling, words we use and names others call us. We've heard varying perspectives from a wide range of people from all areas of the community and invite you to view some of the interviews to see if you agree. I believe that these interviews are a great spring board for future conversations on a larger scale in the city.  I believe that it is an excellent forum to bring groups of people together to start rebuilding a community that is segmented, divided and simply does not communicate with each other. The interesting thing about what we are finding is that people from all walks of life and in communities all across the city want some of the same things, like better education for our children, a closer knit citywide communit

Video and article courtesy of KENS 5 News If you have seen these girls, contact San Antonio Police immediately 

Do You Have a Teen Driving Melinda "Mindy" Jackson Delivers the Allstate Promise

Melinda "Mindy" Jackson Delivers the Allstate Promise

CPS Energy of San Antonio, Texas is the United States' largest municipally owned utility company, with combined natural gas and electric service. CPS Energy has a huge responsibility to the citizens in San Antonio. The top energy company in the country has an obligation to ensure that every morning  you wake up...you will be able to flip your light switch and your lights come on, that you are cool in the summer and warm in the winter; that you can brew your morning coffee; and prepare food for your families; and as you ride down the roads at night that you are able to travel down well lit streets...and let's not forget watching our favorite shows on TV. The service that CPS Energy provides is vital to our existence, so our infrastructure has to remain in tact in order to continue to provide impeccable service to our city.  Doyle Beneby, Chief Executive Officer of CPS Energy spoke to DayTime@taan about how a 4.75% rate increase is a small price to pay to keep our city runn

Today's guests make it their business to serve the community..

Miss Neka, the host, founder, general manager...well let's put it like this...she wears a lot of hats; and she has taken on one more great task.  She is now the host of TAAN@night, the all new show that will focus on  Arts, Culture and Entertainment in the city.  Mondrea the Urban Grio will host a new poetry event called Back Yard Poetry..Listen in and he'll tell you about it...and his journey!

Tyrone Darden, host for - Community Conversations @taan Interviewed a group of men that had various perspectives on what type education would be the most effective for our children in order to ensure their future success.

Ya'Ke Smith a graduate from Sam Houston High School and a University Instructor, along with Derrick Williams, owner of a BaySeas Franchcise and Brother Edward, a member of the New Black Panther Party gave various perspectives on how media is playing a significant role in depicting unhealthy images of our culture and taking away our children's identity and power.

Miss Neka...long time broadcast industry leader stepped out on faith and launched her very own radio station...Tha1 Radio Station, from scratch and just celebrated two years.  Media Mogul, Kathy Hughes, had a similar start, CEO of RadioOne....now look at her.  It doth not yet appear what Miss Neka and Tha1 Radio Station will become.

Over the past couple of weekends we have been taping "Community Conversations @taan" hosted by Tyrone Darden and have had an opportunity to talk to and get various perspectives from different people throughout our community.  We've had community activists, entrepreneurs; authors; public speakers; educators; writers; pastors; and more to come out and participate in our community conversations. Oh...I didn't tell you what TAAN is...TAAN is a blog that we have been testing over the past couple of years to bring you local news, but soon realized that we have a global reach...so our tagline is "A Local Feel...with a Global Reach".  TAAN is the acronym for The African American Network and the web address is theafricanamericannetwork.blogspot.com.   TAAN will be broadcasting videos of interviews of local San Antonians that address issues that directly affect our community.  "Community Conversations @taan" is the title of our community show wher

Mimi Hudspeth, Former Educator; KC Towns, Financial Planner & Retired Military; and Karen Cardoza, Youth Coordinator and Account Manager joined Tyrone Darden, Community Conversations @taan host to discuss basic needs in our community.

Pastor Fritz Williams, Dr. Carey Latimore and Pastor Shawanda Robinson gave interesting perspectives on how to improve our communities in the aftermath of the Zimmerman verdict, in light of the ongoing rhetoric surrounding the outcome of the case.

Joc Arch dropped by the TAAN studio to talk to our host, Tyrone Darden, about coming back to the San Antonio community and to talk about his road to success.  He also gives advise to small business owners about taking their businesses to the next level.

While people around the country are protesting and rallying around the city and the country, TAAN host Tyrone Darden started community conversations with many people from the San Antonio Community to talk about where we go from here.

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK (TAAN): Coming Soon...Community Conversations w/TAAN : Saturday, July 20...a group of San Antonio's community joined together to bring different perspectives to the forefront and home we can...

Community Conversations...community dialogue about community issues.

video platform video management video solutions video player Courtesy of KSAT News San Antonio

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Courtesy of ABC International News | Entertainment | Politics

Trayvon Martin's father says his son was screaming on the 911 Tape Courtesy of CNN/YouTube

This is not worn to be fashionable....it was worn as a disguise...

Courtesy of CNN/YouTube

Courtesty of Democracy Now

Courtesy of ABC News

We all have a point of view and a perspective based on our experiences, realities, opinions, influences and culture.  From some African American's perspective, we believe that racial profiling of our young black men is alive and well.  That modern day racism is protected by a legal system that was designed by the perpetrators that are profiling our young black men.  But how do you prove this underlying behavior and belief and what is it based on. On the other hand, the powers at be and individuals that believe that black people are angry, paranoid...a system that is accustomed to viewing young black males in a negative light have a different point of view and deny their accused racism. Then there's the human perspective on both sides that just see two young men whose altercation ended in the death of a young teenage boy (not necessarily a black boy) just a young teenager.  This group sees the incident not as an accident, but unfortunate and heart wrenching. I believe al

by Laura Thompson The world goes round and round...thoughts and beliefs are passed generation after generation...we continuously debate over racial issues, women's rights, who's smarter, who's prettier, and who has the right to do certain things...who's more important...and the differences of opinion goes on and on. We have experts on everything under the sun and we have groups of people that fight to keep other groups from gaining a voice, visibility, and freedom. The constitution is picked a part to meet the needs of those in power.  Although the world is changing...has changed... and will continue to change...we still attempt to function based on rules that were established long ago. Women have been fighting for their rights for many years and those issues are resurfacing now. Women should have a right to make decisions about what they want to do with their bodies, although there may be some merit to what men believe is best for women...but those personal de

Melissa Weathersby, a San Antonio girl, whose passion is to train horses and to speak the word of God to inspire those who are oppressed.  Author of "Are You Arresting Your Blessing?" has been on the path to great success, in the midst of years of struggle. Every since I have known her, she has dreamed of the finer things in life and has always maintained and held on to her dreams despite her struggles.  Her life has changed and she has become what she has dreamed and spoke about for many years. She is probably the most courageous person I know.  She's very down to earth, she speaks the prophetic word, she's fun, witty and very committed to her purpose.  Now as she debuts the big stage at an event that attracts over 85,000 people, she has the opportunity to move into the place where she has lived in her heart for years. But Melissa is also well educated with a bachelor's, master's, a real estate broker and agent and may even be finished with her doctor

Group of children on the Scholastic bus...being creative...and learning at the same time

Ex-Negro League Baseball Player...John "Mule" Miles passed away at 90 years old in his home. In failing health over the past few months, gregarious former  Negro Leagues  baseball player  John “Mule” Miles  died at his home in San Antonio on Friday morning.   He was 90. “I wanted to inform you that my father, John Miles, Jr., passed away quietly at home this morning of heart complications,” his son, Ralph Miles, wrote in an email. “We will miss (the) stories of the game he loved, baseball.” A 1940s-era ball player with the  Chicago American Giants , Miles didn't get any recognition for his career until decades later, when some of the league's former athletes started receiving invitations to major league games and other public functions. Miles relished the opportunity to renew acquaintances and tell stories. “He got energy from that,” Ralph Miles said in a telephone interview. “It lifted him. I'd travel with him to some of those things. I'd see h

Maybe it's just me, but I am not pleased with the reward given to Charles Ramsey, the man that rescued the three women that had been held hostage for over a decade.  The story names him a hero and mentions that he stopped eating his Big Mac to do his heroic work. Where the restaurant may have good intentions by making a burger and naming it in his honor...I believe the Cleveland Police Department and the City of Cleveland are indebted to him for his heroic and police work. As I watched the police department accept their accolades for capturing the young women...I felt in my heart that Ramsey did the police work that had not been done all those years, when  report after report and call after call was directed to the police and they never went inside to investigate...why are they receiving accolades and Ramsey is receiving burgers? I just had to say something...because I keep seeing this trending story about Ramsey receiving burgers for life from numerous restaurants....and

When we agree with someone...whatever they say is music to our ears...even if they misstep.  But when we disagree with someone...whatever they say, we can't seem to get behind them, because our minds are set on one perspective. The most dangerous thing we can do, as a community, a people, a city or as a family, is to veer so far to the left or right that we miss opportunities to view the world or issue from more than one perspective. I grew up listening and learning from everyone I encountered and still do to this day.  Is that good or bad...well that just depends on your perspective.  I love to learn about what people are doing and what they think about the world.  I learn a lot from listening. Although, I have my own set of views and opinions about what I believe is right or wrong...I value what others bring to the table and their perspective.  I did not always have that flexibility in my thinking, but time has a way of liberating our thoughts and the way we view and hand

I had an opportunity to speak with Pastor Keely Petty today and she is very well versed on the silent killer among African American women....HIV/AIDS.  What she means by silent killer is that there is very little information available and made public that speaks to the deadly disease. Pastor Keely says that more education and awareness needs to be made available to African American women about AIDS.  HIV/AIDS can happen to anyone...says Pastor Keely, "the disease is caused by behavioral sexual activity" and African American women are not getting tested until it is too late to do anything about it. She travels across the country and speaks very candidly about the disease.  Pastor Keely says she lost a brother to HIV/AIDS back in the 80's, so she's on a personal mission to educate anyone who will listen about the danger of the disease and works more towards helping African Americans change their behavior. The African American Network believes it is our responsib

Sam Houston High School's  Academic Decathlon Team Wins 2nd Place in Texas

Photos from the scene: Photos Courtesy of Ben Olivo MySA.com