Emily Diana Gunter came to speak to the class about spiritual coaching. I was not in the class yet but I decided to write a blog any way. Emily Gunter is the Founder of the Rites of Passage Youth Empowerment Foundation, Author of "A Rite of Passage to Spiritual Enlightenment: Living with Compassion" and " Superlearning 2000: Learning Made Simple-Everybody Can Learn" and Thirteen Golden Keys to Learning: A Spiritual Journey.

My class mates take on her was that she was very inspirational and help them realize that they could have confidence in themselves; to be re-assuring of themselves. I wish I really could have been there for that speaker. I feel like that my biggest weekness in life; not being sure of myself and feeling as if I need to have everyone elses guidance and oppinions.

"It is my mission to bring peace to our world through the personal empowerment spiritual development of all people."

UNC radio Awardees!

UNC radio was here and they told us about what their day to day work load was and what they had to do to get a story. I thought it was interesting to hear about the story where one of the reporters had to travel to another state in a day and make a deadline by the next morning. I think that says alot about who they are and what they represent. As a class we awarded them with various awards....So Congrats to them and Good luck in the future!

Louis Gasset jr.

Born May 27, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY, Lou has a flair for projecting quiet authority, and has scored well personally in string of diverse and ocassionally challenging roles. The aspiring actor caught a break in his first Broadway Audition for "Take a Giant Step" in 1953, amazingly beating out 400 other candidates for the role at the age of 16. His acting career soon florished and his work in the state and film versions of the ground breaking drama about an African- American family life in Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the sun" 1961 proved a watershed. This led to numerous appearances on network series in the 1960's and 70's culminating in 1977 when he picked up an Emmy for his eloquent portrayal of Fiddler in the landmark ABC mini-series "Roots". He's been in movies such as The LandLord, The Skin Game, Sadat, Travels with My Aunt, The River Niger, Enemy Mine, The Deep, An Officer and a Gentlemen, and Iron Eagle.

Gasset jr. has been described as a man with many visions. I learned that he attended the University if New York and has Honarary degrees from Spellmen and Shaw University. I thought it was interesting to know that he was here at NCCU doing plays 27 years ago, when I heard that I was actually amazed as to how many celebrities had graced this campus before becoming what they are today. At the Lyceum I learned of his many awards such as his Golden Globe and Peoples Choice award. I also learned about him as a person and his personal batter with cancer and drugs. I just thought it was amazing to share his story from growing up in the streets of the ghetto to living in Beverly Hills. Gasset spoke of the people who inspired him most such as his great grandmother who lived to be 116 years old and his grandfather who sold the best watermelons in the south.

I think that Louis Gasset jr. is an incedible human being not only because of his celebrity but because of what he has done for his community and race. Gasset started a non - profit organization call Eracism. Its overall mission is to do exactly that, erase racist america. He is a man that believes that our most important commodity is our children because they are what makes our future. I think it was interesting of how he spoke of the children of our genration and how they only see big cars, men with money, diamonds, and fine women. I also thought it was amazing that he plans on taking gang related kids on a 30 day pilgrimage to Africa to show them where they come from or as he would say " Try to reconnect our original African values". I enjoyed the Lyceum I think Gasset is a very inspirational and a very big humanitarian. I enjoyed his speech and thought that he sent a great message.

Director Rubin Whitmore II

Rubin Whitmore II a video music director, he has directed videos for artist such as Too Short, Uncle Luke, The Temptation, and many more. Even though many of them are out of my generation...... anyways he was only in class for a short amount of time. He discussed videos of today and what they represented which is basically porn. Which I don't understand he makes these and then talkes about how they are degrating to women and how he wouldn't allow his daughter to watch cable television. Reading the list of videos that he has directed I saw the video Hoe Bangin by Ice cube and Mack 10 all I can say is wow! I hate videos.... the ones with naked females..... making men expect this appearance and behavior from all females. What ! thats funny considering he is the reason that many parents don't allow there kids to watch television. But great guy, great message.....not really much to say....good luck in the future on movies!

Sofia Quintero

Born to a Dominican- Puertorican family in the Bronx of New york. She has written hip- hop novels Explicit Content, Picture Me Rolli and Burn, and a fourth novel Diva Don't Yield, and two screen plays,Corporate Dawgz and Blind Date, as well as co-edited the anthology Friday Night Chicas. Her fiction and film, which are intented to reach a multi-cultural audience, seek to inspire young people to turn their lives toward creative problem solving and self- determination. Pronounced one of the "New School of Activists Most Likely to Change New York" by City Limits Magazine, Quintero she is also the co-founder of Chica Luna Productions, a non - profit organization that supports women of color who use popular media to engage social justice themselves.
Now that you know a little about her you can understand why I say this she is amazing and I love everything that she represents. She is a strong, beautiful, and intelligent Latina and I love it. Its beautiful to see part of me embraced. Her presentation to the class was very good, which I can say because it held my attention. My favorite part of her presentation was the silent movie titled "Slam" . I liked how we had to interpret what we thought was going on in the film through the actors actions. To hear the classes responses was very funny. Some thought the girl was pregnant and the guy was angry and many assumed that they were having a cultural bash amongst each other about who was the blackest. It turned out that they were arguing about him excepting his responsibility's. I thought the message was deep and wanted to see more of the film. She made alot of great points as well, especially sense most of the class is going into the media industry.
1.) All media is trying to sale you something.
2.) Go for your dreams
3.) Anything is possible

I also think that its hot that she started a non- profit organization called Chica Luna Productions, a young minority organization helping females make urban films. I think thats HOT!

I enjoyed her and everything she stands for, keep doing your thing mami ....

¡representando ser más fuerte.... amor qué usted hace y hace lo que usted ama!

(representing a stronger being.... love what you do and do what you love!)

Dr. Cornell West

Dr. Cornell West a graduate of North Carolina Central University's prestigous School of Law, came a year ago and put on what I would have to say an incredible and inspirational speech. He spoke of dreams and reality. The dream to perspire and the reality was to see what the world really was. I found just about every word to be true. He spoke of the younger generation and our ways. He spoke of the older generation and what they became. He stated that Boys today walk with their heads down and their pants low. But not the men of the past, they walked with their heads held high and their shoulders back. He also stated how they had respect for one another and the people that surrounded them such as women. Which all of that is true. Men today for the most part are rude and degrating. They play with women and dont cater to them as they did way back when. That's where the saying" Chivalry is Dead" was born. I loved the peacock and the eagle. He says that you have to be what you wanne be and do what you dream. " The peacock struts so pretty because it can't fly such as an Eagle can, so soar my Eagles SOAR!"

Bishop Eddie Long

In class we watched a tape of North Carolina Centrals University's 2004 graduation. The guest speaker was Bishop Eddie Long. He spoke of the future and what it held for NCCU graduates. I love his African Proverb about the lion and the Gisele.

"Everday when the gisele awakes he must run faster than the lion and the lion must run faster than the fastest Gisele"

He was a graduate frrom NCCU and I loved the fact that he spoke 0f people who told him that he was never going to be anything. I think that was very inspirational to many students. Believe it or not many students were told that as well. I think that his word was very inspirational, watching it I felt as if I was in church. He got the audience very intune.....the students were saying praise and keeping their eyes and ears open for the next big thing to come out of his mind!