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Category: Recap

Book asks African-Americans: Where Did Our Love Go? and panel helps to provide answers

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If the comments from panelists at the Where Did Our Love Go book signing and open discussion are any indication, love among African-Americans can thrive. But like anything, it takes effort, honest self-reflection and proper priorities.

The book’s editor, media critic and veteran journalist Gil Robertson, said, “What I discovered was, we want love. We value it. But a lot of us have fallen off on how to find it,” Robertson said.

Where Did Our Love Go: Love and Relationships in the African-American Community aims to help anyone who believes in love find their way. The book is sectioned in three parts — Single, Married, and Divorced — with more than 40 essays from a wide range of contributors, from R&B icon Anthony Hamilton and his wife, Tarsha; to Huffington Post contributor Morris W. O’Kelly; and life coach and author Dr. Nicole LaBeach.

Where Did Our Love Go

Five panelists, including Robertson, gathered at the Hammonds House on Tuesday to celebrate the book’s release with a signing and discussion, partly courtesy of Written magazine‘s Wine and Words series.

Each of the panelists was a contributor to the book: radio personality and ordained minister Twanda Black; From Afros to Shelltoes founder and Spelman College educator Ed Garnes Jr.; publisher and architecture and construction consultant David Horton; and psychiatrist Dr. Cassandra Wanzo.

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JFly and Ken Ford provide freedom and unity for young minds through music

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Big talent comes in small packages. And big names come out to support it.

Parents do, too, of course. Along with band directors representing a few of the 14 schools whose students played and sang their hearts out at the Unity Concert presented by the How Big Is Your Dream Foundation and the Ken Ford Foundation on Saturday, March 23, at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center.

JFly and Ken Ford
JFly (left) and Ken Ford. Photo by UnTamed Royalty Photography.

The foundations were founded by Jorel “JFly” Flynn and Ken Ford, respectively.

The second annual concert is a fundraiser that supports the two foundations. The groups aim to help kids explore their musical talents, and guide the kids on how to navigate careers in music and maximize their life’s potential.

Clearly, these young folks are on their way. They showered the standing-room-only crowd of about 500 with a variety of performances, from Booker T. Washington’s drum line to a trombone trio to a flute player named Summer.

Before the Video Blankets hit the stage, the evening’s host, Sasha The Diva from KISS 104.1 and B98.5, said they were reminiscent of the Jackson 5. True to her claim, the trio didn’t skip a beat when the mics wouldn’t work. It was almost as if the crowd wasn’t sure if a technical difficulty had occurred because frontman JT sang so strong and confidently. He kept his composure like a pro — as did his sister Lexie with her perfectly coordinated rockin’ out dance moves, and baby brother DJ on the drums.

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