Reading, Writing and Publishing!

Sunday - February 13, 2011 - 3:00 PM EST

Black Teen Empowerment Radio welcomes Loretta Faith Harris to discuss the importance of not only getting our youth to read and write but introducing them to the world of publishing.

According to the website CH Publishing:

Loretta is the Founder and President of CHPublishing. CHPublishing aphorism is, Capturing the heart of the writer. Publications include seven young adult books that she coauthored with her middle and high school students and the award winning memoir, The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy into Triumph” which highlights Loretta’s personal story of overcoming death defying odds. This gifted author is also the publisher of CHPublishing in the Spotlight News and contributing writer for B.I.G. The Magazine, Signature Women Today, and The Florida Sun.

Do you think more teens would be interested in the fundamentals of reading and writing if they were informed about becoming published authors using desktop publishing tools, social media and distribution websites like Amazon? If Bristol Palin can write her memoirs despite her limited “accomplishments”, why can’t any young person? We are sure some of our youth have stories that are just as if not more interesting. Considering that youth are often credited with having vivid imaginations, with a little help many of them could be the next great fiction writer.

Loretta will also talk to us about her new book “101 Reasons To Live”!

In the news:

·         Student Athletes Accuse Basket Ball Coach of Using the N-Word

·         Consequences of Not Voting: School Re-Segregation

·         Lowering School Suspensions A Priority

Missing Child Spotlight of the Week:

Destinee Silva

Destinee Silva is 13 yrs-old and has been missing from Daly City, California since January 18, 2011. She is believed to be possibly be in the Oakland or San Francisco Area. If you have information concerning this case, 

Please Contact: Daly City Police Department - (650) 991-8092 or (650) 991-8147

President Obama says “The Best Anti Poverty Program Is a Quality Education”

Join us for another afternoon of Black Teen Empowerment Radio. On today’s program Scotty Reid and R Lee Gordon will be joined by youth host Troi Thomas as she makes her debut appearance on Black Teen Empowerment Radio. Read more about Ms. Troi here.



Also joining us today will be Keith Dent of Striving 2 Succeed!


Keith Dent has been developing specific programs to help teens and their families achieve success where they may have had difficulties in the past. Whether it is academics, relationships, athletics, or preparing for college, Keith says he can coach young people to develop patterns and skill sets that will put them on a path to a brighter future.

Keith has a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University, Master Degree from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy and is a Certified Empowerment Coach from the Institute of Professional Empowerment Coaching. He will be speaking with Ms. Troi Thomas today about what teens need to succeed.



President Obama gave the 2011 State of the Union speech recently and while he discussed a number of issues from the economy to national unity, he spoke briefly about the need for investing in education, reforms and specific legislation designed to help students and their families. We will listen to that portion of the speech and offer our commentary on what the President proposed.

To Whip or Not to Whip, That is the Question

Today on Black Teen Empowerment Radio, we will discuss whether parents or caretakers should whip teens under their care.



A video of an Uncle whipping his teenaged nephew with a leather belt is the subject of healthy debate in the online Black Community.



The cause for the whipping resulted from the teenager engaging in a spat with some other teens on Facebook and the teen bragging about being involved in gang activity. There is one thing about his Facebook bragging, it was all a lie and this angered the Uncle to the point that he gave the teen a good ole fashioned butt whipping on camera and had it posted to the Internet.

Many people have weighed in on the video with some praising the Uncle and others saying it was wrong for him to whip the teenaged boy, post it on the Internet and to make a video while the Uncles pants were sagging. What do you think? If you have not seen the video, you can watch it here.

Teens Giving Birth Significantly Reduced Despite Hollywood's Best Efforts

A National Center for Health Statistics report documents reduced teen pregnancies across all ethnic groups. However, experts can not cite the specific reasons fewer teens are having children of their own.

The National Center for Health Statistics report released this Tuesday says that the teen birth-rate fell to 39.1 births per 1,000 teenagers ages 15 to 19 in 2009. This is a 6% drop from 2008 and the lowest rate since 1940. Rates in 1990 were 61.8 per 1,000. Hispanics were the group that saw the greatest fall – by 10% but still stands at 70.1 births per 1,000.

There was more good news in the report about the birth weight of newborns and less of them being born premature. Does this mean pregnant women are getting better access to prenatal healthcare or just doing a better job of taking care of themselves?



While no one has yet made the argument that the Bush Administration's abstinence only education initiative contributed to less teens getting pregnant, it is only a matter of time if Fox News hasn't already. Sarah Palin, an abstinence only proponent, surprisingly has not been pushing this argument on Facebook or Twitter yet. Perhaps no one has thought of it for her or perhaps she is too preoccupied with attacking First Lady Michelle Obama over her imitative to push healthier food consumption on America's youth.

In related news, the Parents Television Council has released a new report accusing Hollywood producers of attempting to corrupt youth through television programs. In it's report "Sexualized Teen Girls Are Tinseltown's New Target", the PTC says......



When underage female characters appear on screen: more sexual content is depicted; the teen girls show next to no negative response to being sexualized; more sexual incidents occur outside of any form of a committed relationship; and there is less accuracy in the TV content rating.



The results from this report show Tinseltown’s eagerness to not only objectify and fetishize young girls, but to sexualize them in such a way that real teens are led to believe their sole value comes from their sexuality.

Join hosts R Lee Gordon and Scotty Reid as they discuss and analyze these two reports and what they means for today's teens. Parents and Teens are encouraged to call in and share their thoughts on these issues.

When Do Teens Get To Be Teens? Constitutional Argument

Today we will discuss whether or not a teen should be free to express his/her individuality. There are many stories reported through out the nation, where teens are sent home because of a haircut, hair style or some alleged clothing infraction. Many times the school’s policy is vague. Black teens are being targeted for being too “outside” of the cultural norms. Similarly, Muslim teens are discriminated against by what has become law in countries like France which bans head scarves and going after those who wear other cultural dress.



Recently a North Carolina student was told by a teacher that she had to put a pair of shorts on over her pants with no explanation but that her pants were inappropriate. The student handbook contained no section identifying “banned pants”. Are female students being punished for their body shape and made to feel like something is wrong with their bodies?

What do you do as a parent in these cases?

InsideOut with Stephanie Humphrey

Stephanie Humphrey will join us on Black Teen Empowerment Radio. Stephanie has a long resume as it pertains to the media industry both entertainment and non entertainment.

She also has appeared in several movies like “The Dark Fields” starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, where she played a reporter as she did in the the film “Law Abiding Citizen” starring Jamie Foxx.



Stephanie has a desire to work with youth through her workshop/seminar InsideOut which seeks to help women between the ages of 12 and 16 yrs old. She seeks to present InsideOut to a national and international audience of youth. According to her website, InsideOut seeks to help young women ages 12-16 develop and grow in two ways: Inside - focuses primarily on fitness and nutrition (another one of her passions), but will also encompass mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being; and Outside - focuses on appearance, grooming, hygiene, and the optimal way in which a young lady may present herself. All of these issues directly affect a young woman’s self-esteem, but in this image-obsessed society, are not being properly addressed. This workshop will be presented in schools, youth centers, churches, and at conferences across the country.

You can learn more about Stephanie Humphrey by visiting her website at http://www.stephaniehumphrey.com

Dr. Paula Fomby - Race/Ethnic Differences in Effects of Family Instability on Adolescents

Dr. Fomby will be joining us today to discuss a recently completed study she authored titled "Race/Ethnic Differences in Effects of Family Instability on Adolescents' Risk Behavior".

According to a University of Clorado Denver press release, Paula Fomby says, "We were interested in what distinguished white teenagers from black teenagers, and entertained various explanations offered by other research and theories. Our study reveals two findings. One, the sheer number of adults that are around to give teenagers or their parents support varies by ethnic or racial group. Additionally, adjustment to economic hardship trumps the growing pains introduced by other family changes such as divorce or remarriage."

The researchers followed the lives of approximately 8,000 American teenagers from their adolescence in the mid-90s to young adulthood (over the course of seven years). The teenagers answered questions about their school activities, illegal behaviour, and romantic lives. Their parents provided information about their own relationship histories." Read More!

What can the Black community learn from this study ? Can lessons be learn to assist youth who are having problems and acting out?

Paula Fomby is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at University of Colorado Denver. Her specialty areas include "Family, immigrants and immigration, poverty, public policy, data analysis".

Black Teens More Optimistic and Cope Better With Family Adversity Than Peers

A couple of new reports are out on studies pertaining to youth that are positive signs for Black teens. Black youth are better able to cope with family breakups or big changes than their white counterparts and Black youth are more optimistic for the future than their counterparts.

What is the catalyst for this positive outlook by Black teens and why are they better able to cope with major family changes than other groups?

Have a thought or answer to share? Call in and make your opinion heard. Black Teen Empowerment Radio bringing you the topics that focus specifically on Black Youth and their empowerment!