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Former Radio Personality Creates Social Media App for African Americans

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “This app is bigger than just a way for people to have freedom of speech, or monetize their content,” 30-year radio personality, Marcel told NNPA Newswire of his Nu Media Tech app. “Those are truly important things, but bigger than that, we need to look at this app as a country. Our own country, in digital form,” he stated. Expected to rival Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook the Nu Media Tech app is in the final stages of readiness, and those interested will be able to get it soon from the Apple Store or Google.

Published

4 years ago

April 30, 2020

Oakland Post

Chuck D told NNPA Newswire that he’s excited about Marcel’s invention. (Photo: Courtesy Chuck D)

‘Marcel’ to Debut his New App on Chuck D’s RapStation

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

On Friday, May 1, legendary Public Enemy front man Chuck D will host a “Hip-Hop Earthizen Town Hall,” with Dr. Khan, one of today’s most relevant rappers.

The Town Hall will take place via livestream at Chuck D’s Rapstation.com and on the station’s new app, built by the 30-year radio personality, Marcel.

“This app is bigger than just a way for people to have freedom of speech, or monetize their content,” Marcel told NNPA Newswire of his Nu Media Tech app.

“Those are truly important things, but bigger than that, we need to look at this app as a country. Our own country, in digital form,” he stated.

Expected to rival Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook the Nu Media Tech app is in the final stages of readiness, and those interested will be able to get it soon from the Apple Store or Google.

“It’s an app that will rival the majors that we deal with,” Marcel stated. “I told Chuck that I’m on Mars, and everybody else is on planet Earth because I keep hearing that we need this. I wanted to have an app where I can control it. You saw Teddy Riley and Babyface do their thing, but they’re not getting paid, Facebook got paid. My app is about freedom of speech, and it does what these others do and more. And, we won’t curb anyone’s free speech, and you should be paid when you use it.”

The app will provide a personal social media platform for users who can determine themselves what content they’d like to monetize and get paid instantly, Marcel said.

He added that he’d invested much to make the app a reality.

“It’s about putting forth an effort to be a part of the solution to our problem as a people. People always say, ‘we need to come together and support one another,’” Marcel explained.

One of the benefits of the app is that it provides a place where everyone in the black community can all come together, Marcel said.

“Never before in the history of the world have we been able to come together in real-time, instantly. Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power. We need to share information in real-time,” he stated.

If an African American is unlawfully and wrongfully “shot in the back by the police or a Zimmerman type, we need to know this when it happens, and for those who organize, we can organize immediately,” Marcel noted.

His app will then allow African Americans to “use our collective voice and say ‘This is wrong and we aren’t allowing it.’”

“And then take it out to social media and blow it up with this kind of atrocity,” he said.

Like other social media platforms, the message can reach communities quickly.

“This, as I see it, is truly going to be a powerful platform for us, and yes, we have to support it. Yes, it’s hard to do, yes it is very expensive and nearly impossible but so what. It has to exist. We can do it. It’s already here,” Marcel offered.

Chuck D told NNPA Newswire that he’s excited about Marcel’s invention.

“I’ve been having Rapstation.com, a 10-station channel portal that gets into the curation and total eloquence and narration of hip hop, and I met Marcel through the general manager,” Chuck stated.

“He’s one of those geniuses, and when people look around and say how come we don’t have these portals to get our content around, he ends up partnering with a super mega-company (Apple), and he keeps making inventions and innovations. What’s great is that he’s got one name, Marcel, like Prince.”

Marcel recently received a notice from his Apple submission team that there were still a few bugs that need working through that could delay the app for another week, but that won’t affect Chuck D’s scheduled Town Hall on Rapstation.

“Every time I fix a bug, I have to test with my team as well, and it usually takes a week for just the beta testers to have it,” Marcel stated.

“I am glad to be getting the word out about the app coming, but at the end of the day, I care about the app being done right more than a timetable of completion. It has to be right. As an African American, I don’t get to get it wrong. It has to be perfect or better. Especially in this space.”

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.