Pastor Brooks believes his new $35 million Center will help deal with CPS’ failure to teach students to read at grade level, especially for blacks, of which only 15% of 11th graders can read at grade level.  You can watch our Pastor Corey Brooks show, Part 2, 24/7 by clicking here.

When Pastor Brooks sees such statistics as only 15% of black CPS 11th graders read at grade level, he “Wants to cry.” He wants to say to Dem and GOP politicians” “Do you not see this.”   

Part 2 of our interview with Pastor Brooks airs on cable in Chicago:

Tonight, 8:30 pm and midnight, Ch. 21Tomorrow night, 9:02 pm Ch  21 (CAN TV), as the lead segment  of a 2 hour IL Channel package. The package airs around the state this week on various other outlets at various other times.Saturday morning, 9:02 am, Ch 21 (as the lead segment of the package)Sunday morning, 8:32 am, Ch 19 (as the lead segment of the package)

When kids can’t read at grade level, Brooks says they are more likely to drop out of school and turn to gangs, the streets, guns and violent behavior as a “Path to affirmation.”

Brooks says the new Center will be one of the few safe places for kids and adults to go to in Woodlawn, Chatham and Englewood in order to relax and to get help with academics, learn a trade, see how to become an entrepreneur or learn basic life skills. Ultimately, the Center will help transform the residents and South side communities so that adults can take care of themselves and their families.

The Center’s location will be just across the street from Brooks’ New Beginnings Church, where he has been preaching for the last twenty years and which also serves as the home for Project H.O.O.D. 

Although Democrats have super-majorities in the State House and State Senate and control the Mayor’s office and City Council, as well as most of the levers of State Government, Berkowitz and Brooks say that Republicans are also guilty of not trying to use their bully pulpits to address the educational and violence existential issues on the South Side of Chicago.

Show host Berkowitz and Pastor Brooks ask why so few of those politicians, such as Gov. Pritzker and Speaker Welch will join the CEOs and come sit for lunch or dinner with Brooks on his temporary residence- a make shift roof top at 66th and King Drive across the street from his Church to (1) hear and obtain a better feel for the sounds and sights of violence and horror that the kids and adults must deal with every day and (2) strategize how to raise the additional $ 24 million needed to construct the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center so needed by those kids and adults.

Brooks, Part 2 also airs this week on cable in:

Aurora: Wed. & Saturday, 6 pm, Ch 10 andRockford: & nearby suburbs, Thursday, 8:30 pm, Ch. 17

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Black Music Honors is back with a live audience for their 7th annual award show honoring artist and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music.

Karyn White, Dru Hill

This two-hour event produced by Chicago based Central City Productions will be recorded live to tape at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, May 19th hosted by two-time Grammy Winner LeToya Luckett and comedian DeRay Davis.

Preview in new tab

Central City Productions’ Executive Producer Don Jackson.

This year’s honorees are the singing R&B group Dru Hill who will receive the Urban Music Icon Award; Tevin Campbell with the R&B Icon Award, Mary Mary with the Gospel Icon Award, Karyn White with the Soul Music Award; Keri Hilson with the Music and Songwriter Icon Award and the Legendary R&B Group The Whispers with the Legends Award .

Central City Productions (CCP) founder and Executive Producer Don Jackson says they are honored once again, to celebrate and commemorate music trailblazers to a live studio audience.

Tevin Campbell, The Whsipers

“The pandemic had an unprecedented impact on the music industry” says Jackson, ” and we are more than excited to return to in-person taping for the first time in nearly three years.”

The 7th Annual Black Music Honors is set to air on Bounce TV on June 25th and via national broadcast syndication June 4th thru July 3rd. The program is produced by Chicago-based production company Central City Productions, Inc (CCP) a national broadcast television producer and syndicator of its exclusively owned African-American programming.

VIDEO: The Production Crew Film Documentary featuring The Stellar Awards

CCP’s award winning television programs include the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Stellar Tribute To The Holidays, Black College Quiz Show Series, America’s Black Forum and many others.

Back Music Honors is Executive Produced by Don Jackson with Jennifer J. Jackson serving as Producer and Michael A. Johnson as Producer and Director. Tickets for the live-taping event are available at blackmusichonors.com and ticketmaster.com.

#BlackMusicHonors, www.instagram.com/BlackMusicHonors, www.facebook.com/BlackMusicHonors/, www.twitter.com/blackmusichonor 

About the Author:  Don Howze is an Emmy Award Winning Film/Tape Editor and Associate Professor of Journalism and Television Production.  Don is the producer and director of the upcoming film documentaries The Production Crew and Toni Shelton’s Queen Of House Music. 

Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In Celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander
Heritage Month, Run Tings Footwear a luxury shoes brand shares about their diversity initiative when it comes to representation of beauty, sexiness and luxury in fashion.
Run Tings Footwear is based in Los Angeles. The luxurious shoe line is progressive, contemporary and comfortable. The shoes are designed for city dwellers who value quality, sustainability and style. Handcrafted in Italy, all custom shoes are handmade by master Italian craftsman from pristine Italian leather. Each designer pair is a one-of-a-kind, combining handcrafting tradition, quality and modern style for a product that’s perfectly Italian.

As they celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they wanted to share with their community:

The fashion industry is notorious for its lack of diversity when it comes to Asian male models and we want to change the status quo.

Run Tings was launched May 2021 during the pandemic era when life and the world was changing. Diversity and Inclusion became the narrative in every conversation and RunTings wanted to make sure they joined in on the discussion using their platform. With the hate crimes against the Asian community, they felt the urgency to start the conversation through fashion. One of their main male spokesmodel, is an Asian American actor, writer and producer, Xaypani Baccam who’ve worked in the entertainment industry on many different facets and have also dealt with his own share
of discrimination. Xaypani leads the brand with style and stunning poise.

On the Run Tings website, the company asked the question, “What footprints will you leave?” And the answer “It’s for the person who wants to step into the new era of business, leadership and make a difference in the world.”

The color combos are designed specifically to give homage to Jamaica, the highest-rated country in the world that has women in leadership and managerial positions. Run Tings is also a great advocate for women in the market place.

Their designs are also intentional when it comes to uniqueness and variety. From retro 80’s tennis style to aerodynamic luxury and who can forget a pair of seductive classic pumps. Run Tings has it covered.

I absolutely love my Run Tings shoes. They are so special. From the packaging to the design and fit, you can tell they are made with high quality materials and craftsmanship. They are my go-to sneakers and go with everything , from a sundress to a pair of jeans.

Run Tings taste in some of their men’s shoes is simple, elegant and with a British touch, these shoes seem to come from David Beckam’s wardrobe.

As a Black female owned company with roots in the Caribbean, Run Tings intends to make a statement and create a conscious movement of how important it is to be diligent with your steps in life and look amazing doing it. In addition, Run Tings continues to make incredible shoes but most importantly they look forward to make a statement by spotlighting diverse faces and gender from around the world that will help break down the barriers of discrimination and exclusion when it comes to beauty and sex appeal.

For more further information, visit the RUN TINGS website at
www.runtingsfootwear.com and follow them on Instagram @runtingsfootwear

Run Tings is the newest and one of the most exciting brand out there. It’s the best step you will ever take.

Cam Sanders (photo by Rikk Carlson)

AAA

Iowa 10, St. Paul 3

Game Recap

A rare offensive explosion from the Iowa lineup. The effort was led by the two guys who have provided the most consistent production for the team throughout the first month. P.J. Higgins doesn’t provide much power but he’s been above .300 all season, and his 5-for-5 effort yesterday pushed his average to .377 on the year. Jared Young has been a bit on the opposite end of the spectrum. He hasn’t hit for much of an average, but he’s brought the power. His home run brought his total to 8 on the season, second best in the system behind new teammate Nelson Velazquez. Young also doubled, his third over his last two games.

Jared Young’s comeback the past two seasons has been amazing. It is like 2019 never existed pic.twitter.com/3KtBQIY5ug

May 8, 2022

Iowa also got an impressive outing from their most consistent starter. Caleb Kilian has had to work around traffic in several of his starts, but he’s mostly kept the opposition off the board, thanks in large part to the ability to miss bats at an above average level while keeping a lot of the contact he does allow on the ground. The righty has given up just one home run over 24.2 innings. He mixes speeds well, the new curveball has given him another viable weapon, and he just seems like he always has a plan of attack available to him. But his command hasn’t been as sharp as last year, and I’m sure the Cubs are hoping that will come around as the season progresses.

I’m not sure if he could come in and dominant MLB hitters right out of the gate but I don’t see him struggling any worse than the current staff either. I know fans are anxious to see him in Chicago, especially given the big club’s recent results, but I would expect the Cubs to slow play it with Kilian a bit. He’s still being limited to 4-5 innings and 75-85 pitches per start. He threw just 100.1 innings last year (plus a handful of starts in the AFL). I would expect them to slowly stretch him out in Iowa while controlling his innings load over the 1st half, while they let Wade Miley and Alec Mills work their way back into game shape and continue to showcase Drew Smyly. Once trade interest picks up in those veterans Kilian should be a ready replacement.

Top Performers

Jared Young: 3-4, HR (8), R, RBI, 2 BB (.283)P.J. Higgins: 5-5, 2B, 3 R, RBI, SB (1) (.377)Tyler Payne: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB (.241)Ildemaro Vargas: 3-6, 2B, R, 2 RBI (.279)Robel García: 1-4, R, RBI, BB (.250)Greg Deichmann: 1-4, RBI, BB (.172)Caleb Kilian: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K (W, 1-0, 1.46)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Andrelton Simmons (shoulder) started at DH in his second rehab outing. He was once again removed after getting four at bats. Cubs are clearly not pushing him too hard. My guess is he will require a couple of more rehab appearances this week, maybe trying to get him back-to-back starts in the field before heading to Chicago next weekend.

Stephen Gonsalves was forced to leave with one out to go in the 9th because of an injury. Ben Leeper came on to finish the game.

Brendon Little made his 2022 debut with a scoreless inning. The 94-95 and good slider that put him in line (before injury) for 40-man consideration last September appears to be back.

AA

Tennessee 9, Birmingham 4

Game Recap

His final line doesn’t leap out at you, but Cam Sanders picked up right where he left off in his last start. He was unhittable in his previous outing and through his first four innings yesterday allowed only a pair of weak singles. His control wasn’t as sharp this time around though. He did issue a couple of early walks and thren uncorked his second wild pitch with a runner on in the 5th. He’d eventually give up a two-run homer before being lifted because of pitch count later in the inning.

Barons’ anncr: scout told me if Cam comes anywhere close today to what he did Tuesday, I’m putting him down as a major league pitcher.

Sanders seems to have a lot of confidence in his SL right now, shaking off other pitches in 2-strike counts. A prime example from today: pic.twitter.com/9fFlv06Uba

May 8, 2022

Consistency remains the one thing holding him back. The stuff is good. And in many innings he can put it where he needs to. But not often enough where I can easily see him projecting as a SP in the Majors. It’s not out of the question, but his best role may end up as the multi-inning reliever the Cubs have found successful with Keegan Thompson, Justin Steele, and Adbert Alzolay in recent seasons.

Anncr: “Wow. His stuff is just dirty.” pic.twitter.com/NZqsam79C2

May 9, 2022

The Cubs were saved from potentially losing Sanders in the cancelled Rule 5 Draft last offseason. They won’t be so lucky again. Sanders will need to be added to the 40-man this fall, which means the Cubs could jump the gun and add him in the 2nd half of the season and potentially utilize him in Chicago as a replacement for a traded starter or reliever. In the more immediate future, my guess is he heads to Iowa in the next round of promotions.

Sanders wasn’t the only story yesterday. Christopher Morel continues to break out offensively, and could very well being joining Sanders with a move to Iowa soon. And we already know he can field:

Christopher Morel with a nice play in CF in the 1st inning. pic.twitter.com/iyUPJi9Evn

May 8, 2022

Yonathan Perlaza has also taken advantage of the playing time opened up by the recent promotions of Nelson Velazquez and Nelson Maldonado. He recorded the team’s only extra base hit yesterday and has now reached base multiple times in each of his last four games (5-for-10, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, 4 BB, HBP, SB).

Top Performers

Yonathan Perlaza: 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, HBP, SB (1) (.174)Christopher Morel: 3-4, R, RBI (.313)Andy Weber: 3-5, 2 R, RBI (.311)Bryce Ball: 2-5, R (.297)Bryce Windham: 2-4, R, RBI (.213)Levi Jordan: 1-3, R, RBI, SF (.313)Luis Vazquez: 1-5, R, 3 RBI (.175)Chase Strumpf: 0-3, R, 2 BB (.195)Cam Sanders: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K (3.38)Kyle Johnson: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (2.61)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

trends

High-A

South Bend 2, Peoria 0

Game Recap

D.J. Herz only threw 50 pitches yesterday, but made them count. His control had been off in his previous couple of outings, but he righted himself in this one. He breezed through 2.1 shutout innings, setting the tone for the South Bend bullpen as the team recorded their second straight shutout. Bailey Reid, Eduarniel Nunez, Nicholas Padilla, and Jeremiah Estrada each made quick work of Peoria batters. Other than Estrada providing a scare by walking the bases loaded in the 9th, Peoria never really threatened in any other inning.

DJ Herz day! Ends the 2nd inning with his 2nd K of the game. pic.twitter.com/JT4vl2JAdW

May 8, 2022

HIGHLIGHTS
Make it back-to-back shutouts and 3 games in a row without allowing an earned run… Cubs win all 6 this week, just wow!

Here’s how it all went down in the series finale. pic.twitter.com/1NFA4wjYX4

May 8, 2022

How about this web gem from Luis Verdugo!?
This was our @LavenInsurance Defensive Play of the Game. pic.twitter.com/srFpN5CyAX

May 8, 2022

Top Performers

D.J. Herz: 2.1 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 2 K (0.93)Bailey Reid: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 0 K (5.79)Eduarniel Nunez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (W, 4-1, 5.40)Nicholas Padilla: 2 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 3 K (1.80)Jeremiah Estrada: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, K (S, 3, 0.96)Pablo Aliendo: 2-3, 2B, R, RBI (.175)

Low-A

Myrtle Beach 8, Salem 3

Salem 5, Myrtle Beach 3

Game Recap

Take away one rough outing on April 19th (7 runs, 4 earned in 0.2 IP) and Luis Devers has been as solid as any pitcher in the system so far this year. Since that game Devers has struck out 16, walked just 2, and allowed just 4 earned runs over 14 innings. He was the ACL club’s most consistent starter last season, and he’s shown average or better stuff in the little bit I’ve seen of him this year. I’ll be sure to give him a closer look once Myrtle Beach returns home and I get a better camera view.

In Game 1, the Pelicans offense once again came up with a big inning to pull away from the opposition. This time it was a five-run 3rd featuring a sac fly by Cole Roederer, then back-to-back-to-back hits by Kevin Alcántara, Malcolm Quintero, and Juan Mora. The final run of the inning scored on a wild pitch. Myrtle Beach added two more the next inning on an RBI double by James Triantos (his second double and third hit of the game). He would eventually score on a throwing error as Alcántara stole second base.

Cole Roederer just misses a HR and will have to settle with an RBI single pic.twitter.com/zUWzHlSIvh

May 8, 2022

Triantos is having himself a day so far. In game one of a doubleheader he is three for three pic.twitter.com/JDpUKs3GhF

May 8, 2022

Game two was a little rougher on the pitchers. Tyler Schlaffer entered the year as a starter with some buzz, but it’s been a rough go thus far for him. He gave up two runs in 2.1 innings to raise his ERA to 6.30. Jose Gonzalez followed and didn’t fare any better, giving up three runs over 2.2 innings. An Ezequiel Pagan homer and Kevin Alcántara RBI double weren’t enough.

Ezequiel Pagan connects for his 1st HR as a Pelican. pic.twitter.com/rWn7uKmzJ1

May 9, 2022

Speaking of Alcántara though, like Triantos, his bat seems to be heating up. These are two young guys with little experience tasked with performing in a pitcher’s league, so bumps in the road should be expected, but we are already seeing each make quick adjustments, which is a great sign.

Top Performers

James Triantos: 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R (.260)Cole Roederer: 1-1, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB (2)Ezequiel Pagan: 1-3, HR (1), R, RBI (.167)Malcolm Quintero: 2-4, R, RBI (.310)Liam Spence: 2-3, 2 R (.169)Kevin Alcántara: 2-7, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (4) (.250)Pete Crow-Armstrong: 2-7, 2 R, BB (.400)Juan Mora: 1-3, 2B, RBI (.250)B.J. Murray: 1-3, RBI (.308)Luis Devers: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, BB, 7 K (W, 2-2, 4.05)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

In Game 1 Adam Laskey and Sheldon Reed extended their scoreless innings streaks to open the year to 10.2 and 8.2 respectively.