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GONE GIRL! Music Festival PSA and Promotional Video

04/25/2011

Working with all-around entertainer and activist Madam CJ to secure sponsorships for the GONE GIRL! Music Festival. Check here www.gonegirlfest.com, www.applausepr.com or @ApplausePR for event updates, ticket information and guest line-up.

ATLANTA ATHLETES TO CELEBRATE TOM MOLINEAUX – AMERICA’S FIRST GREAT ATHLETE

12/06/2010

December 6, 2010 – Atlanta, GA – Former NBA player and African American historian Mike “Stinger” Glenn along-side fellow historians and celebrated athletes of yesterday and today will host a dinner and celebration on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Capital hotel to commemorate America’s first great athlete Tom Molineaux and the bicentennial of his world championship boxing match.

The Tom Molineaux Recognition and Commemoration Dinner intends not only to shed light on the athlete and his legacy which has been left out American History book pages, but will also honor continuing African American sports pioneers, with some taking the stage to share their stories in person. Glenn states, “Molineaux displayed athletic skills that gave credibility to American sports and left a legacy that should be honored.”

Born into slavery, Tom Molineaux fought his way to freedom with training from his father and twin brother, both fighters in their own right. Having won many bouts for his owner against other slaves, Molineaux earned his freedom and moved to New York where he defeated all worthy challengers. In 1908 Molineaux, coined the Champion of America, boarded a ship to England in pursuit of a World Heavyweight title. After defeating his first few contenders, Molineaux set the stage for one of the most anticipated fights in English history. On December 18, 1810, 10,000 English fans gathered to support their champion Tom Cribb, and despite a controversial outcome Molineaux became the first American to compete on the world stage for a title.

“He embodied the characteristics that would define American heroes of sports for centuries,” states Glenn who has celebrated the momentous match for years by placing newspaper clippings from his own collection of historic African American artifacts and publications on display for public viewing and education. In addition to highlighting this significant occasion in sports history, the Tom Molineaux Recognition and Commemoration Dinner will highlight the lives and careers of other African American trail blazers with first-hand accounts given by guest speakers George Taliaferro, the first African American football player to be drafted into the National Football League and All-American at Indiana University that led the Hoosiers to their only undefeated Big Ten Conference championship, and Sean Gibson who has dedicated his life to preserving the legacy of his great grand father, Hall of Fame legend Josh Gibson who baseball historians consider among the very best catchers and power hitters of any league, including the Major Leagues and who the Baseball Hall of Fame claims hit "almost 800" home runs in his 17-year career.

Nolan Richardson will also be in attendance with his account of his record-breaking career as a National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Famer who lead the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team to win the NCAA Division 1 National Championship, the University of Tulsa to win a National Invitation Tournament, and Western Texas Junior College to win the Junior College National Championship – the only coach to achieve all three titles in a single career.  NBA All-Star and Atlanta Hawks player Joe Johnson who played for Richardson at the end of his run at Arkansas will also be in attendance to present him with a special award.

Special invited guests include Isabelle Daniels Holston, legendary member of the Tennessee State University “Tigerbelles” who ran alongside Wilma Rudolph to win the Bronze at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, and four-time World Heavyweight Champion Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield who has recently announced his March 5, 2010 re-entry into the ring (Denmark, AP).

Other African American sports pioneers that will be celebrated as America’s connection to a proud heritage and heroic spirit that started with Tom Molineaux are James "Red" Moore, the 93 year old former All-Star first baseman for the Atlanta Black Crackers and graduate of Atlanta’s Booker T. Washington High School that was inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, and 1993 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Walt Bellamy named All American both his Junior and Senior years at Indiana University who went on to win a gold medal as part of the 1960 U.S. Olympic basketball team and named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1962; and

In addition to an evening of honors and legends, entertainment will be provided by seasoned Jazz drummer and grand nephew of Duke Ellington, Steve Ellington and his Jazz trio, and a boxing demonstration will be conducted by 16 year old “kitten” Carlos Monrow, a five-time Golden Glove Champion and a four-time Georgia Games Champion. Advanced tickets for the Tom Molineaux Recognition and Commemoration Dinner are available for $40.00 per person by contacting Sharon Terrell 770-358-1706 and Robin Williams 770-827-9741 or at the door the day of the event for $45.00 per person.

            Who:                Mike “Stinger” Glenn
   What:               Tom Molineaux Recognition and Commemoration
   Dinner

            When:              Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.
   Where:             Holiday Inn Atlanta Capitol
   450 Capitol Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30312
   Cost:                Advanced sales $40.00, door $45.00
   More:               For further information or tickets contact
   Sharon Terrell at 404-358-1706,
   Robin Williams 770-827-9741, or
   Greg White at 404-702-4117

About Mike “Stinger” Glenn and the Mike Glenn Collection

Having embraced his passion for knowledge as well as sports at a young age, Mike “Stinger” Glenn is an exceptional athlete, personality and humanitarian. An avid collector of rare and historic books, newspapers, magazines and artifacts by and about African Americans, Glenn shares his passion and knowledge through traveling exhibits and lectures – and as a writer, Glenn shares the inspirations and accomplishments of American heroes who faced obstacles of oppression, racism, bigotry, ignorance and hate. From his collection of more than thousands of artifacts came his first writing Lessons from My Library Volume 1. Currently, he has written eleven credible biographies on African American heroes of our past - not the most studied people of American history. Glenn’s objective is to present inspiration for research, literacy, history, and academic achievement by embracing the rich legacy and heritage of African American excellence and hopes to shine a positive light provided by great Americans. For more information on Mike Glenn and his collection visit www.mikeglenn.com.

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Photo Credit

08/17/2010

As much as I am a lover of the the published word, I am equally as enamored by visual art - specifically the work of photographers. While researching photo journalistic event photographers with an eye for using the entire space within a frame to create a picture worth so much more than a thousand words, I ran across Max Wagner's work. I literally sat and scrolled through every photo in each gallery and got caught up in each frame as if I were there. I found myself remeniscing, thinking, "I remember this same lighting this time of day during my [insert place/city] [insert season] of 199..."

Any good photog has the ability to at the least express what was going on in that moment of time - Wagner excavates further, creating an experience of escapism that is somehow timeless.
Check out his work at MaxWagner.com or his lifestyle and thoughts at the Max Wagner blog.

THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AFRICANS IN WINE (ISAW) HOST MEDIA-EXCLUSIVE WINE TASTING EVENTS IN TWELVE DRINK WELL DO GOOD MARKETS

03/05/2010

March 5, 2010 – Atlanta, GA – The International Society of Africans in Wine (ISAW), an Atlanta-based foundation working to reduce poverty in Africa through viticulture, is hosting as series of special wine tasting events for food, wine, and travel writers located in Drink Well, Do Good tour markets. The Drink Well Do Good tour – a 14-city celebration including African wine, food, art and music will raise funds to build training center in South Africa that will promote economic empowerment of local farmers and workers by educating them in all aspects of wine production. Wine flights and food pairings for the wine tasting events will be presented by ISAW partner and official Drink Well Do Good tour sponsor Heritage Link Brands, and will feature selections from M’hudi and Seven Sisters, two Black-owned wine estates in South Africa.

The event is an opportunity for the media to sample wines from empowered wine estates in South Africa while learning more about ISAW, Heritage Link Brands and the 2010 Drink Well, Do Goodglobal tour that is designed to raise awareness and funds for historically disadvantaged African farmers and wine workers. The tour will launch in New Orleans on April 3, 2010, will cross the U.S., and head into Canada before culminating in a finale celebration in Cape Town, South Africa just before the 2010 World Cup. Word about the tour is being spread by a rapidly growing network of social media fans and volunteers using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Yelp!. Yelp! is an official national media partner for the Drink Well, Do Goodtour.

The Drink Well, Do Good tour format features two component events over two days in each participating city, intended to inspire unique, local community-driven celebrations of modern African culture. Drink Well events will feature more formal receptions, culinary presentations and exhibitions highlighting African wines, foods and art. Do Good events will offer performance-based celebrations including an anchor benefit concert. The goal of the tour is to raise $150,000 with proceeds going to establish a training center for African grape farmers in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. More information can be found on the official tour website, www.toastafrica.com.

Contact Alexandra Stieber by March 13h at isawalexandra@gmail.com if you are or know of a beat reporter, editor, blogger or other member of the food, wine, travel or lifestyle media that would like to learn more about ISAW and its initiatives by attending one of our media-exclusive wine tasting events coming to your city.

Who:                The International Society of Africans in Wine
What:               Invitation-Only Wine Tasting Events to precede 2010 Drink Well Do Good Tour
When:   Contact for specific market dates
Where:             Atlanta (3/18), Austin (TBD), Cape Town (TBD),Chicago(3/31),Detroit (3/25), Eugene (TBD), Los Angeles (TBD),New Orleans(3/18), New York (3/9), Portland (3/9), San Francisco(TBD),Seattle (3/3)
Contact:           Alexandra Stieber - 404.545.3418 or isawalexandra@gmail.com

About ISAW
The International Society of Africans in Wine (ISAW) is an Atlanta based 501c3 charity with the mission of building sustainable communities through viticulture. ISAW partners with Black-owned and socially-progressive vineyards in Africa to create economic opportunities for local farmers and their communities. Through their efforts, ISAW seeks to reduce poverty in Africa through the training and development of historically disenfranchised wine workers. For more information on the ISAW Foundation, visit www.isawfoundation.org or contact Stephen Satterfield at isawstephen@gmail.com.

About Heritage Link Brands, LLC
Heritage Link Brands is the preeminent importer and distributor of wine from the African continent and its Diaspora. Heritage Link Brands’ portfolio of wines is available in more than 800 restaurants and retailers across the country, and online. The company is the recipient of the 2009 Black Enterprise Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of Year” award. Heritage Link Brands carefully selects its collection from a wide range of varietals. Such brands as Seven Sisters and M'hudi - the only two black family-owned wineries in South Africa, out of 4,000 wineries - will proudly be featured in the Drink Well, Do Good tour. For more information, to learn about upcoming events, and to purchase wines, visit www.heritagelinkbrands.com.

About Yelp!
Yelp (yelp.com) is a website that connects people with great local businesses. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004. Since then, Yelp communities have taken root in major metros across the US, Canada, UK and Ireland; Yelp drew an audience of more than 26 million unique visitors in December 2009. Yelpers have written more than 9 million local reviews, making Yelp the leading US local guide for real word of mouth on everything from boutiques and mechanics to restaurants and dentists. Yelp Mobile is available on WAP enabled phones at mobile.yelp.com and via the Yelp for iPhone application or Yelp for BlackBerry application.

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INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AFRICANS IN WINE LAUNCH 2010 DRINK WELL DO GOOD TOUR ISAW’s Global Initiative to Promote Socioeconomic Equality in Africa Through Viticulture

02/09/2010

February 9, 2010 – Atlanta, GA – In April 2010 the International Society of Africans in Wine (ISAW) will launch their Drink Well, Do Good Tour: a 13 city global initiative to celebrate African culture to include wine, food, music and art. The tour will raise funds and awareness for the Foundation and partnering charities.

The mission of the Drink Well, Do Good tour as envisioned by American Sommelier and ISAW Founder, Stephen Satterfield, is to raise funds to build a training center on the M'hudi vineyard in Stellenbosch, South Africa. While visiting the region to explore wines, Satterfield saw a need and the potential to close the socioeconomic gap in the industry that is the largest contributor to the Western Cape’s economy. Upon the alarming discovery that Blacks account for 90% of the population and workforce but own less than 1% of the local wine companies and wine producing land the vision for ISAW emerged.

With the M’hudi farm being the first and only one of two Black-owned vineyards in South Africa, Satterfield has partnered with the Rangaka family, owners and operators of M’hudi wines and vineyard, and designated their farm as the site for the pilot institute. Of the momentous partnership, Satterfield states, “The Institute will be a practical and symbolic center to develop and inspire a generation of workers and entrepreneurs in South Africa’s wine industry.”

The Drink Well Do Good tour begins on April 2, 2010 in New Orleans with plans to span across the United States, into Canada and will close with a benefit concert in Cape Town, South Africa just before the World Cup. Each two-day celebration will feature a formal reception and exhibition of African wine, food, music and art (Drink Well) followed by a benefit concert showcasing African musicians, local artists and special guests (Do Good). Other cities on the tour include Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Eugene and Portland, OR, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.

With the support of corporate and charitable partners and a global grassroots network of volunteers, Drink Well, Do Good is a unique initiative that will produce a remarkable outcome by supporting the socioeconomic development of African farmers and their communities. As a non-profit organization, ISAW’s initiatives rely heavily on partnerships with generous sponsors such as Heritage Link Brands, the world’s largest importer of and distributor of wine produced by indigenous African vintners worldwide.

The Drink Well, Do Good prologue began on December 1, 2009 with the ISAW Art Blackout – a web-based viral campaign utilizing the ISAW logo to promote awareness of the Foundation and its initiatives. To view ongoing ISAW Art and photo submissions, along with tour updates please visit www.toastafrica.com.

The International Society of Africans in Wine (ISAW) is an Atlanta based 501c3 charity with the mission of building sustainable communities through viticulture. ISAW partners with Black-owned and socially-progressive vineyards in Africa to create economic opportunities for local farmers and their communities. Through their efforts, ISAW seeks to reduce poverty in Africa through the training and development of historically disenfranchised wine workers. For more information on the ISAW Foundation, visit www.isawfoundation.org or contact Stephen Satterfield at isawstephen@gmail.com.

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ISAW Skate

02/06/2010

2 Comments

now THIS is a viral video! All guerilla [thanks Ronald Holden. He no see monkey :]
elements present: engaging, exciting, creates curiosity all to promote click through. Worked for me...

2 Comments

The Splendid Torch on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta

02/06/2010

Here is video of Mike Glenn of the Mike Glenn Foundation along with The Spirit of Frederick Douglass, Storyteller Sister Yomi as Harriet Tubman, and Calvin Sims portraying Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves as historical presenters for the Splendid Torch: an African American Read-In and Historic Literary Exhibit. Ms. Eboni Coward (in red) was supposed to read a passage but segment ran "short." View video at link.

CBS Better Mornings Atlanta Video - The Splendid Torch