THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK (TAAN)

by Laura Thompson There is a great parallel between felonies and open carry.  The system is changing.  There is a lot of blatant acts of violence that have risen I'd say over the past 4 to 5 years.  A system of unspoken slavery has lifted it's ugly face again in America...the prison system.  There have been countless excused murders of mostly African American men across the country and accountability is almost nonexistent. There is a rise of police brutality targeted towards young African American women.  There are examples of violence and murders across the country that is sending a message of fear in African Americans that many of us thought we had overcome.  This message of fear shakes the soul of many people, not just African Americans. The land of the free and the land of opportunity is going through a transitional, transformation and transferring of power like none of us have witnessed in this lifetime.  With the passing of the open carry law in Texas and the right

I had an opportunity to hang out with some Cameron Elementary School students this weekend to help them celebrate the completion of another year in the Read & Lead Program.  We had an ice cream and cake party and we presented them with books to help them with their summer reading. We had some ice cream and cake left so we visited the Carver Library on E.Commerce and provided some of the kids and their parents cake and ice cream. I met a particularly bright young man.  He knew what he wanted, he was confident and will probably become a great leader in his community one day.  He was a third grader, but had lots of energy and was not afraid to ask for help.  As he entered the room to get his ice cream and cake, he seemed very excited that we were there.  When asked what type cake he would like, he responded "I want chocolate and vanilla cake.  I want them on two different plates and I want my ice cream in a separate cup".  I thought to myself, here's a young man that

by Laura Thompson We often equate poverty with ignorance. We look at what people don't have and compare it to what we have, and assume that people are bad because they don't have material things like us.  We criticize people that struggle day in and day out to put food on their families tables and turn our noses up at them because they may be riding the bus or may not have the latest model car. But have you ever walked among the people that you dishonor because you view them as less than. You should get to know them better.  They are your people.  They are starving for knowledge and a way to succeed.  They are looking for a way out of poverty.  They are looking for a way to share their gifts and talents.  As they should. You know, once upon a time, we were slaves, in America...but we were not slaves in our native land. Once upon a time, we were warriors in our native land.  Our culture was different there.  Our lifestyle was different there.  We were first class citize

For a long time, I have been watching the way the world is changing right before my eyes.  But lately I have been seeing the results of some of the changes that were being implemented years ago.  I am also seeing the results of things going on in the world, as a result of no action being taken years ago, so there  is no harvest being produced to counteract some of the issues that we are facing today. I sometimes feel that I am in a foreign land.  I don't feel a true connection of people.  What I do see is a lot of reactive behavior, positioning and power struggling over opportunities that we are ill prepared to take advantage of because we had no vision for the future years ago. Thus no seeds were planted. Everyone is suddenly positioning themselves as the expert on paper, in their marketing materials, and in their messaging, but the wisdom, knowledge and the preparation is missing. We may say that some people are being lifted up that don't have the pedigree, a big name

I'm heading to an event hosted by my mother and sister.  They are Huston-Tillotson University Alumni and they organized a fundraising event for the San Antonio Chapter of Huston -Tillotson Alumni at Second Baptist Church.  The university's concert choir will be performing and the university's president will be retiring in May. But before I go I must get a few things off my chest.  Over the years, I have invested a lot of time into the community working with kids, women and causes related to education...some know about it some don't.  Nevertheless some of my time has been invested in those areas. I am proud of the work that I continue to create to serve the community and the city of San Antonio, which is my home town. I have invested a lot of time into my business, which some are familiar with and some are not.  For 15 years, I headed a media and public relations firm and created many opportunities for myself through the help of others in the city and community.  T