'A man on a Mission with his Skateboard' by Brendan Whitt

Ja' Ovvani Garrison

What is passion and how can it contribute to a cause? As America frantically tries to figure out how to enrich and cultivate those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder to keep the country globally competitive, there are hidden gems that are already doing the necessary work to uplift their communities. Ja’Ovvoni Garrison is a 26 year old skater from Cleveland who is carving out his own mold to make things happen.

Ja’Ovvoni started skating around the age of 12 when his mother bought him a cheap Walmart skateboard. Ja’Ovvoni skated with his friends, watched skaters like Rodney Mullen and Kareem Campbell, and frequently played a demo of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater which he had gotten with a pizza from Pizza Hut.

By 16 Ja’Ovvoni had finally gotten his first real deck. “It was really just my grind to learn.” he said when asked what has kept him on a board all of this time. He basked in the challenges that life and skating presented to him. “My aunt inspired me to make a plan for it.”

The sun was shining radiantly over the Cle. I waited anxiously for Ja’Ovvoni to call and tell me that he was out side. We got in his car and talked for a bit as he checked and sent emails. I asked him some follow up questions about Skaters Next Door and Skate RTA, his urban apparel line, before we pulled off to go pick up his friend from work.

Blought #26: Why Did Trump Meet With Black Pastors Anyway?

Trump (Center) accompanied by Dr. Darrell Scott (right)
Courtesy of: USAToday.com

 A few days ago Donald Trump shook up the media and news world when he announced that he had gained the support of 100 Black pastors and religious leaders from all over the country. Not long after that the facts became clear. Only about 50 or so pastors showed up to his meeting at Trump Towers with several of them signing endorsement cards for Trump‘s campaign.

What caught my attention was the fact that two pastors from Ohio were in attendance and here’s why. Ohio is usually a battleground state. Dividing the black vote has become a key strategy for the right wing with gerrymandering. Dr. Darrell Scott of New Spirit Revival Center Ministries Inc. based in Cleveland Heights, Oh was vocal in his support of Trump’s campaign.

Go Support #YoungLangston on November 1st!!!

Later this week I will be launching an Indie Go-Go campaign to raise funds to print copies of A Summer In Harlem and When the Crows Come Home along with my promotional bookmarks and laptop stickers. Here is the promotional video for the campaign set to begin on November 1st. I will be posting a link for the campaign in the near future. Thank to all of my supporters, Peace...



 

'The Mouthwatering Taste of Success' by Brendan Whitt

Ethan and Indians Co-owner Paul Dolan

Anyone who has ever been successful in anything had to have one key character trait, perseverance. Whether it’s LeBron going to the gym before most of us have hit snooze, Jay-Z knowing that a drug dealer could become an all time great rap artist and business mogul or President Obama fighting his way to the White House as a black man. Perseverance will always get us through the rough and uncertain patches in life.

When I first heard of Ethan Holmes and his story I was inspired. I saw a guy who looks like me, is from my city and was on his way to the top. Ethan has always had a passion for business. He and a friend had a lemonade stand as children which they later made mobile and he even sold chocolate bars to classmates at Shaker Heights High School.

Then at 15 the idea hit him. “Why not start an applesauce company?” he thought. The market wasn’t saturated and he didn’t like the taste of Motts and other brand’s applesauces. “They’re flavors were just sugary and bland” he said. Ethan had been inspired by businessman Farrah Gray’s Book ‘Reallionaire’ given to him by his godmother.

Local Clothing Designer's art goes from 'Lame" to Fame by Brendan Whitt (Courtesy of Call & Post Cleveland)

'Ingenuity Born out of Necessity: The Soul of Sole Snatchers' by Brendan Whitt (Courtesy of Volume Magazine Cleveland)

So you’re in your early twenties and the economy is not as generous as it was to your parents and grandparents. Union jobs aren’t booming like they once were and minimum wage is a joke. Now you have to dream. You want the house, car, money, vacations, all of it. Then you want more. You want something real. Something that can get you that dream. So you grind, a hustle that you will grow and cultivate until it bears you the fruit that you so badly wanted when it was just a dream. Now enter Daniel Butler, a young man with a dream and hustle to match. Daniel is the owner and creator of Sole Snatchers, a business that was born out of his love for sneakers and the culture that surrounds them. “My goal is to see as many people in the shirts as possible” he says. Daniel created his own line of t shirts based on his business that didn’t take off as planned. So he put it on hold and waited for the right moment. Sole snatchers was supposed to be a shoe consignment and trade marketplace for sneaker collectors, buyers and sellers.

Daniel had a plan and a product but not enough funds. He had a beta for the site but saw there was still a long road ahead of him. He soon did what all dreamers did, got his hustle together. “I had a logo someone designed for the site and thought ‘That’s a catchy design. I should put that on a shirt.’”...https://volumemagcle.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/ingenuity-born-out-of-necessity-the-soul-of-sole-snatchers/