Alternative Perspectives Radio for YOU

Hi everyone, I posted an episode to my podcast, glbtiq Podcast .

Click this link to check it out:
Alternative Perspectives T Talk Tuesday 617

- Betty

Rock, Rhythm and Rhyme Artist Explosion

It is that time again;
With Rhythm and Rhyme;
To Rock to the Music;
The Lymrics and the Lyrics
Speaking from the heart, mind and spirit;
With a bit of Sass,
and lots of Conviction,
Our stories, loves and passions
The Essence
Rock, Rhythm and Rhyme Cafe

Our Fifth Anniversary
Celebration

;

Atlanta Pride Festival Information

Entertainment Schedule

Dyke March

ROCK, RHYTHM AND RHYME CAFE, IN ITS Fifth YEAR, began with the collaboration of Nghosibooks.com and Woman's World in 2003, with the first Literary Event in 2004. We have evolved and continue to grow...and because of the generosity of THE ATLANTA PRIDE COMMITTEE, STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS, inclusivity continues to be the vision, sharing our resources, our knowledge and our talents, enabling this event to continue to grow and providing a unique venue for all.

ROCK, RHYTHM, and RHYME CAFE

SATURDAY

JULY 5, 2008

2:15-5:15PM

BUD/BUD LIGHT STAGE

CO-PRODUCED by

ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES

and

NGHOSIBOOKS.COM

Mistresses of Ceremonies

L AKARA FOSTER

IMANI EVANS

AFRICAN WOMAN
So straight you walk
so firm you step
so sure of yourself or so it seems
proud of your blackness
proud of your beauty
I have lived with you..and I know your fears, I have loved you...
and I know your fire...
skin soft...intoxicating scent...
chocolate flavors from creamy to dark....all exotic...delicacies... to handle with care...
AFRICAN WOMAN A BEAUTY SO RARE
B.COUVERTIER/COPYRIGHT/AUGUST/2003

PERFORMERS

GHETTO GOSPEL

Fiona Simone Hip Hop Artist

meeK, is an American poet, spoken word vocalist, motivational speaker, writer and photography artist.

KEN J
Acoustic Soul Artist

Queen Sheba Spoken-Soul-Hip Rock-Artist f/Tempo 160

PHOENIXYZ
POET PRIESTESS

LOLA

ATLANTA PRIDE FESTIVAL
ROCK, RHYTHM, and RHYME CAFE
Performance


Artist PERFORMANCE TIME
(Hosts) Lakara & Imani
2:15-2:20

Fionna Simone
2:20-2:40pm

Lakara & Imani
(Hosts) 2:40-2:43

Ghetto Gospel
2:43-2:58pm

Lakara & Imani
(Hosts) 2:58-3:00pm

Phoenixyz
3:00-3:06pm

Lakara & Imani
(Hosts) 3:06-3:08

Ken J
3:08-3:28

Lakara & Imani
(Lakara Performs)
3:28-3:35

Queen Sheba
3:35-4:05

Phoenixyz
4:06-4:12

Lakara & Imani
(Hosts)
4:12-4:15pm

Meek
4:15-4:35

Lakara & Imani
(Imani Performs)
4:35-4:43

Lola
4:43-5:13pm

Look for performers at the Tent near the Stage where you will be able to purchase cd's, books and more...also RRR Artist Explosion will have a booth in the Market Place..near the Bud/Budlight Stage...booth number coming soon.

Following the RRR Cafe Artist Explosion join us for the ANNUAL DYKE MARCH
Kicking off just above the Bud/Budlight Stage on Pine Street.

DYKE MARCH
SECURITY NOTICE: Please be advised that the Atlanta Police Department is responsible for enforcing all applicable state laws and local ordinances during Pride events. Such statutes may include, but are not limited to: public decency, alcohol, controlled substances, public safety, and standard vehicle insurance requirements

What Is Diversity by Michelle E. Brown

What does Diversity mean to you or a VERY GAY community

What does diversity mean to you? Really, to you, personally not some textbook definition, what you heard some diversity trainer say or what you’ve seen or read in the newspaper or magazine. What is diversity to you?

You don’t have to use fancy words, graphs, percentages or head counts. Just explain it to me. Break it down like you were telling a five year old. Just tell me in a way that anyone can understand. Don’t give me a solution or work plan. Let’s just find a place where we can begin a real authentic dialogue.

Sound like a difficult task? Well that’s the opening on-air host and GLBTQ activist Betty Couvertier gave me to begin our conversation on her program “Alternative Perspectives: The Voice of the GLBTQ community and our Allies. ” The program airs weekly on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3 FM every Tuesday night from 7-8PM and is streamed at http://wrfg.org .

Couvertier, a Latina and native New Yorker, moved to Atlanta Georgia in 1995. After her arrival, she became active in gay organizations, including the “Atlanta Pride Committee” and “Georgians against Discrimination.” She was co-chair of the coalition of gay rights groups, religious leaders and straight organizations that formed after the Georgia General Assembly passed a gay marriage ban in November 2004. Couvertier also works with the Human Rights Campaign which is where our paths first crossed.

There we were, two sisters of color, working to build diversity not just within our respective communities but within an organization with the dubious reputation of being “a rich white boys’ club.”

One of the many things we agreed upon was the need for communities of color to act locally but also have a voice nationally. But what we were both seeing that despite all the trainings, goal setting and attempts at inclusivity, attaining real diversity was as difficult, if not more so ,than attaining full equality for the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender and Queer community.

Betty and I often share thoughts, correspondence and even articles that reflect our concerns about a number of social justice issues, especially diversity.

So diversity, just what is it? This is by no means the “Gospel according to Betty and Michelle” but hopefully the beginning of a national, grass roots dialogue everyday people, just like you, will participate in at either of our blogs or maybe even on a future installment of “Alternative Perspectives: The Voice of the GLBTQ community and our Allies. ”

For Betty diversity is the humanity of each of us. It is the right to be free, to express who we are, and be who we are. It is the inclusion of our experiences, our environment, and finding the commonality of it all, based on the human rights that we all are entitled to and the value of each human being. It s finding our differences and transforming them into knowledge, that will enable all of us to understand, and communicate and build bridges of community.

For me it is the recognition, acknowledgement and celebration of our individual differences and uniqueness. It’s seeing each of us as an irreplaceable and invaluable resource in the sustainability of not just humanity/civilization but the earth itself. With this recognition and acknowledgement, especially in the United States of America, we must also come to terms with the truth that despite the wisdom and potential in a literal reading of the constitution for full equality, in reality, it is flawed document built on a patriarchal viewpoint rife with the politics of domination inherent in misogyny, racism, classism and homophobia.

Sitting at the Michigan Opera Theatre recently, I had one of those “Aha!” diversity moments. Here in Detroit, a rust belt city epitomizing all the challenges facing America – high unemployment, job loss, urban deteriorating, violence – I sat, a part of an audience of young, old, rich, poor, black, white, suburban and urban dwellers, enjoying a performance that at one moment brought us to tears and then to our feet in thunderous applause.

The opera, Turandot, by an Italian composer, telling a story of intrigue, passion, sacrifice and ultimately love in the legendary forbidden city of Peking was performed by an international and multi-ethnic cast. Oh beauty, Oh art, that every day life might one day imitate you.

Betty and I share the belief that the GLBTQ and ally community, as we grapple with our own internal diversity and struggle for equality, can be agents of change for a real paradigm shift moving society as a whole towards a country, despite the contradictions of its founding fathers, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all Americans/Human Beings are created equal.

In Betty’s words “Our Diversity is our Army, Inclusion our Weapon and Community our Victory. There is no other community on the face of the earth that brings the colors, religions, cultures, regions, economics, genders, ages, sexual orientations, and political affiliations together in one common cause. We must take advantage of that, and build the bridges that will take us to where we want to be.”

And so I ask again. What does diversity mean to you - Really, to you, personally? Join in our conversation at my website or at http://betty-talk.blogspot.com/. Better yet, start your own conversation. But let’s, at a grassroots, neighbor-to-neighbor, person-to-person level not just talk about diversity but live it.

The result, if we listen to each other and to our hearts, will be a truly diverse and (by Merriam Webster’s own definition for the word as keenly alive and exuberant) very GAY community.

"Age does not protect you from love, but love, to some extent,
protects you from age."--Jeanne Moreau

prose, poetry, essays, books
and new projects of
Michelle E. Brown

http://www.michelleelizabethbrown.com/

Happy New Year

GREETINGS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
THE WOMAN'S WORLDONLINE WEBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING http://womansworldonline.net ...FROM THERE YOU CAN GO TO http://uniteandact.org for all the news by clicking on my pic.The Woman's Worldonline website has the calender...where you can clik and see...also on page is the current month' schedule for Alternative Perspectives. ..the Radio program for you and by you that airs on tuesdays from 7pm to 8pm...the voice of the GLBTQ community and our allies, on WRFG 89.3 fm...your station for progressive information. We stream @ http://wrfg.org.

Have you ever thought about being on the radio...well join the Alternative Perspectives Production Team...and learn about WRFG...the broadcast class...and how you can volunteer to help keep the airwaves of independent radio sending the message. Contact me at
betlear@yahoo.com if interested. WE HAVE A VOICE...LET' S USE IT.

We have some events coming up...
Talk OUT...Feb 22...6 to 9 pm...@ City Hall East...Sherry Lyons Auditorium.. .Our Youth, Our Future. A HRC sponsored event, produced my MYBROTHAZ KEEPER.

MLK March...march with HRC..Diversity Committee... meet us at the free breakfast on monday, Jan. 15, 10am...Postive Impact...139 Ralph McGill...from there we will walk over to Peachtree and Ellis, which is the meetup place for the GLBTQ organizations and marchers.

On January 18th...WRFG and Alternative Perspectives has been invited to have a info table at the AEN monthly meeting.. go to http://aen.org/ for more info...so if you are curious about WRFG...want to know more ...here is your opportunity. ..@ the Sheraton Midtown...all info is at the website for AEN.Mark the dates...

Final Four is coming, a free HRC diversity community event...and it will be either on April 1 or 3...check out the calender at
http://womansworldonline.net for updates...for time and location.

Gospel and Soul is coming again...an HRC sponsored event...July 21,,tenative date...and it will be held at the First Metropolitan Church...on Tullie RD...more info coming...soon

Now back to Alternative Perspectives:
The news is delivered each week by Dyana Bagby of SOVO (Southern Voice)at 7:05pm...she gives us the top local, national and international stories, provides some of the recreational highlights, and what you will find in the next publication. We highlight some of the key social justice activist, up and coming local artist in the literary world as well as the music world, and we want to include you...and you can do that by calling in @ 404 523 8989 and join the conversation, ask questions, and make comments during the show.

Currently, I am in need of folks who are active in the community to help me keep up with all that is happening. 2007 will be a busy year..so if you know or you yourself are involved in the community, especially in the Social Justice/Political issues, I want to hear from you or your friend, again you can contact me at betlear@yahoo.com and provide me with a brief description of the work that is being done.

For music and literary interviews, please provide me with a review copy of cd or book...for approval...again email me and then I will send you info to send. Music can be sent via email in the form of MP3 or Wav...remember that it is radio...and we follow FCC rules...so it must be clean...:)

Do you have a story to tell about being a GLBTQ individual? Do you have experiences to share from work, home, family, church...a personal discovery about your life? I want to hear from you.

My vision for my community is that we will share our knowledge, and our experiences. That in sharing we will recognize our commonalities, and that our differences are assets that will make us stronger as a community.

Woman's World came from that vision, of sharing..we evolved to Woman's WorldOnline, and I attempted to provide information, not only about the parties, but also of the activism that I had become embedded in...and the issues that affect us...as we evolve once again...to a voice for the GLBTQ community... we are at that next level...to be heard...to speak up...and get our message out beyond our niches and tell our stories, talk about how we feel, and to include...and for that I need you....

Don't forget to visit the website http://womansworldonline.net You can post here if you want to send me a message..or email me at betlear@yahoo.com

In Community
Betty
Founder of Woman's WorldOnline
Producer of Alternative Perspectives on WRFG 89.3 Tuesday 7-8pm

TALK OUT 2006..GOD, THE BIBLE AND YOUR SEXUALITY

HELLO ALL...THE FOURTH TALK OUT 2006...TOOK PLACE THIS PAST THURSDAY, 12/14, SPONSORED BY THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN.

The panel pictured, left to right..Elder Elliot Sommerville,of Vision Church, Bryan Endey, Author of 'Filling In The Empty Spaces', Pastor Paul Turner, of Gentlespirit Church, and Rev. Dr. Kathy Martin, MCC.

The next Forum is scheduled for Feb. 22...Our Youth, Our Future...is the topic..the forums are held at City Hall East, Sherry Lyons Auditorium, 6 to 9pm...with a meet and greet from 6pm to 7pm..with a light buffet..and there is free parking. Stay tuned for more info coming soon.

InterPride

Spent 5 days in Portland, Maine...first time visiting Maine...it is a beautiful place aee pics..

I was in Portland, for the InterPride Annual Conference, and I must say it was a enlightening experience.

I was honored to be asked by Jill Barkley, the Dyke March Workshop coordinator for Portlant Pride...to join her in presenting the first ever Dyke March Workshop 101...it was educational for me and I hope that my information on the Atlanta Dyke March was helpful.

Inclusivity or Diversity seems to be what is most needed in the Pride across the country and globally..

First let me say that not only were national prides represented, so were numerous international prides, such as Moscow, Zurich, Poland, Brazil, SriLanka, Philipines, Belgrade, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, along with Atlanta, GA, South Carolina, Florida, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and so many others...a true building of community, that goes beyond our own backyard...but alot more work is needed to include all prides, all around the world...

Back to Portland, Maine...on our first day in Portland we were able to do a bit of sightseeing..so we visited a couple of the light houses...much to my amazement...the rock ledges were extraordinary...beautiful...we were standing at the edge of the world....


Beautiful natural sites..that sometimes seem so far away from us in commercial cities...away from the waters that encircle us...where lights beacon to the ships to keep them safe...and sea gulls sit upon the waves that meet the land...and the sun meets the sea...

Loss of Founding Father of WRFG

Last week, on Oct 12, WRFG 89.3 lost one of its founders, Ebon Dooley, Broadcast Director, and mentor to me and so many others. Ebon was instrumental in the approval of 'Alternative Perspectives' a radio program about the GLBTQ community and our Allies. In the last few days I have learned from many others who knew him for much longer than I, just how he touched all of us in the same way. Ebon was a Scholar, a Lawyer, a Poet, a Humanitarian, a man of the People who loved nature, mild mannered, soft spoken and wise. He taught me patience, with a smile, and offered encouragement to persue the vision, he stood by me and advised me, he knew the struggle and never relented.

Ebon, was the father of Public Affairs programming at WRFG...and 'Alternative Perspectives' is part of that programming. In the next 2 weeks, starting Oct 23, WRFG will be conducting their Fall Marathon, their major fundrasing event. This marathon will be the first for 'Alternative Perspectives' and I am asking for your support...by calling in and pledging your financial support, in any amount. Alternative Perspectives is a unique opportunity for the Atlanta GLBTQ community to have a voice...and engage with the listening audience in dialoque...about who we are.

We have 2 opportunities during the marathon, Oct 24 and Oct 31 to show our support for WRFG. So if you can please call 404 523 8989...and make a pledge...WRFG is a community supported radio station...

Oct 24th Program:
Donna Narducci, Ex. Director AtlantaPride
Jeff Graham, Senior Director, Advocacy and Communications, AidsSurvival

Oct 31 Program
Pastor Paul Turner, Gentlespirit Church
Greg Smith, Director Outreach, AidsSurvival


Peace
Betty

Clik on title of post for more information about wrfg 89.3
Visit my new website http://womansworldonline.net clik on pic for all the news

Protest City of Atlanta

BREAKING NEWS:
City Policy under fire for banning HIV-positive massage
therapists. Read article at:
http://sovo.com/2006/10-20/news/localnews/direct.cfm

On Tuesday, Oct 24th..7pm to 8pm on WRFG 89.3
Jeff Graham Senior Director, Advocacy and Communication
for AidsSurvival will be interviewed on 'Alternative
Perspectives' the voice of the GLBTQ community. We will discuss the
recent SoVo article, link above.

You don't want to miss this program, learn the facts
join in the conversation, call in number 404 523 8989

It is primitive and a ridiculous notion that HIV can
be spread by touch.
It is unjust to prevent individuals from making a living
I am stunned at the ignorance of our City Officials.
Call the Mayor's office @ 404 330 6100

Mayor Franklin must take immediate steps to overturn
antiquated laws, that are so obviously discriminatory.

I speak from experience, as the one time President of
The Putnam Aids Task Force, 1982, in Putnam County, NY.
I dealt directly with the district Health Dept...and
we were educated then about the spread of HIV/Aids.
Where have our officials in Atlanta been for the last 25 years...