Men Ain’t Boys: The Independent Film Everybody’s Talking About

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TRAILER: This is a MUST-SEE film and we are so excited over here at B Intentional because the Tyler Team has done it again! They never cease to amaze us! It is absolutely awe-inspiring at what they are able to do with a little (ok, maybe a lot of) vision, a real sense of purpose, some serious stick-to-it-iveness (ok, so maybe that’s not a word), and a lot of faith. Check out the trailer below and think  seriously about hosting a screening in your town—it’s not as complicated as you’re thinking. And, what do we talk about over here all the time? Being Intentional! Living your life with some meaning and Purpose. So, decide to impact somebody after you’re impacted by this film. Each One. Teach One.  For more details about the film, its producers, how to host a screening and to order your copy go to MenAintboys.com

Film SynopsisTaken from MenAintboys.com

At a time when African American men are often depicted poorly throughout mainstream media Tyler New Media breaks that trend with Men Ain’t Boys. The film offers a thought provoking look at issues such as stereotypes surrounding manhood, the results of effective fatherhood and the requirements for maintaining lasting love, relationships and marriages. Men Ain’t Boys provides a blueprint for men, women and children to learn how real men live and how real men love.

Does This Family Feud Clip Highlight Epidemic In The African-American Community?

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We found this clip on Youtube and thought it was interesting. We, like the creator of this video, want to know what thoughts come up for you after watching this clip and hearing the creator’s comments… Don’t forget to leave a comment and let us know.



Sweet Christmas Proposal: Chivalry Is Still Alive!

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VIDEO: We came across this sweet and romantic proposal and thought…..”Simply Beautiful!” This goes to show that chivalry is still alive and well! Enjoy!

Chuck D Speaks On The Importance Of Kwanzaa

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VIDEO: December is an exciting month in the Ma’at home because there is an increased emphasis on the importance of family and community.  Our children struggle to contain their excitement as they anxiously anticipate Dec. 25th.  Once Chrismas arrives they quickly shift their focus and enthusiasm toward the weeklong celebration of Kwanzaa.  Kwanzaa is a family and community celebration that focusses on 7 principles.  The seven principles of Kwanzaa are Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).   During this time period we attend community events, we make gifts for each other, we spend time talking about the importance of each principle, and on the last day of Kwanzaa which is Imani (Faith) we participate in a Kwanzaa Karamu which is a feast.  We cherish this time of year because it gives us an opportunity to reflect on our unique value and our responsibility to contribute that divine uniqueness to our community.  To set the record straight…Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday.  Kwanzaa is a cultural celebration that reinforces the greatness of our past and present historical experiences.  Kwanzaa is about lifting up who we are as a people, examining our frailties, and being intentional about making forward progress in the year to come.  We invite you participate in this wonderful celebration and remind you that your best days are yet to come.  Habari Gani!

Essence Names 2010 Sexiest Celebrity Couples Of The Year

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There are some couples that just look good together. It seems the longer they’re together, the better they complement each other. Essence listed the sexiest couples of 2010. As we looked over the list…it got us to thinking. Just what does it take to be sexy? Is sexiness just a matter of how you look and how attractive others find you? Is it your attitude? Your swagger? What exactly makes a couple sexy? Is it how they dress, their philosophy or ideas? What about the messages they send and how they present themselves? We think it’s a little bit of all that. Take a look and let us know what you think. Are these the sexiest couples of 2010?

Link above not working? We’ve gotten some reports that our site is having trouble with some links. We’re working on it. In the meantime, try clicking on or cutting and pasting the following into your browser to see the Sexiest Couples of 2010: http://www.essence.com/yearinreview/2010_sexiest_celebrity_couples_of_the_year.php#1

Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey Expecting Twins!

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VIDEO: It’s no secret that Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey are expecting. However, there have been rumors floating around of more than one baby in the oven. E! News recently asked Nick to clear up the rumors of “twins” on the way. Proud Papa to be apparently posted a Holiday card online for his fans and said he’s thankful for “the new ADDITONS to his family” and referred to his baby(ies) using a plural pronoun. Check out what he had to say to E! News on the issue…

Steve Harvey On Family, Failed Marriages, & Being Called A “Relationship Expert”

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Say the name Steve Harvey and you’ll get a multitude of responses–from “Oh, I’ve read his book! It’s the truth!” to “He gets on my nerves…how did he become a relationship guru anyway?” to “That man is  CRAZY and FUNNY!” Well, wherever you fall when it comes to Marjorie Harvey’s husband this multi-talented man is a man of many hats. He is well known as one of the original Kings of Comedy but he is also a top-rated syndicated radio show host, new host of the longtime game show “Family Feud”, a columnist for Essence magazine and is featured nightly in his latest venture “The Steve Harvey Project” on BET’s new channel Centric.) Check Steve and his family out in these clips below and let us know what you think this star who’s gaining momentum as a bona fide King of Media.

Steve, wife Marjorie, and their 7 children

On Life Lessons & Failed Marriages…

On Being Called A “Relationship Expert”….

Sleeping Baby Shot Dead In His Car Seat—How Did We Get Here?!?!

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by Aiyana Ma’at As I sit here and type these words I struggle to hold back the tears so that I can see the computer screen. I cannot describe the hurt, pain, anger, and disgust that I feel in my heart right now. 20 month old Rashad Walker Jr. was killed while sleeping in his car seat in the back seat of his mother’s minivan this past Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 4:30pm. He was shot with up to 10 bullets. Witnesses say the target was the child’s 19 year old father. Why? Why? This innocent baby didn’t do anything. He didn’t deserve this. This is crazy! As a mother of 4 young children  my heart hurts as I imagine what this mother must be going through. One minute all is well and the next minute your child is snatched from you.  Only God can truly heal the hole that has been left in this family’s heart….only God.

I am outraged! And, what really gets me heated is that I don’t have to listen to the news or read any article to know that this senseless murder was caused by some foolish folks in the community who, more often than not, look like me—a young black person who’s more than misguided & doesn’t realize that he (or she) is killing himself. The reality is that we’ve got to save our children—victims and perpetrators alike. I shudder to think about something like this happening to one of my children. I would LOSE MY MIND and the phrase “an eye for an eye” would take on brand new meaning. I need a word today ya’ll cause’ I’m mad as hell. Here’s an excerpt from an article that Dr. Boyce Watkins, a regular contributor on Black Voices.com, wrote about this horrible tragedy:

Excerpt From Black Voices.com

The story of Rashad Walker is clearly one of the most tragic incidents we’ve read about all year. It takes us back to the police shooting of Aiyana Jones, the 7-year old in Detroit who was shot while sleeping during a police raid. This story is also personal to me because I live in Syracuse, a city that (like so many others) continues to be plagued by gun violence.

Events like this emphasize the importance of community policing and helping officers to apprehend those who are responsible for creating this kind of pain in our communities. Also, these incidents tell us that we’ve got to do something to slow down the gun violence in America’s cities. The weapons that are killing our children should be taken off the streets.

Another thing about Syracuse, as well as many other urban areas around the nation, is that the educational system is plagued with significant inadequacies. There are not enough activities to keep young people off the streets, and there are few, if any, jobs available for inner-city youth. Such dire conditions breed the kind of hopelessness which leads to violent incidents like this one.

The criminal justice system serves to make matters worse by showing an insatiable willingness to abuse and incarcerate defendants rather than rehabilitate them. By removing so many Fathers from the inner city, we have children who grow up to become either victims or perpetrators of violent crime. This cycle has got to stop.

B Intentional Family, What can we do to lift our communities out of this senseless space of self-destruction? Everyone (including me and you) is accountable.

CLICK HERE for more details on this tragic story.


Unwed Mother Rate At An Astounding 72% In The African American Community

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Yahoo News recently released an article examining the roots of the “new norm” in the black community—single moms and their children weathering the trials of life and loving the joys of life without a husband in the home. A part of this analysis takes place through looking at the medical practice of Dr. Natalie Carroll, OB-GYN.

From Yahoo News:

As the issue of black unwed parenthood inches into public discourse, Carroll is among the few speaking boldly about it. And as a black woman who has brought thousands of babies into the world, who has sacrificed income to serve Houston’s poor, Carroll is among the few whom black women will actually listen to.

“A mama can’t give it all. And neither can a daddy, not by themselves,” Carroll says. “Part of the reason is because you can only give that which you have. A mother cannot give all that a man can give. A truly involved father figure offers more fullness to a child’s life.”

Statistics show just what that fullness means. Children of unmarried mothers of any race are more likely to perform poorly in school, go to prison, use drugs, be poor as adults, and have their own children out of wedlock.

The black community’s 72 percent rate eclipses that of most other groups: 17 percent of Asians, 29 percent of whites, 53 percent of Hispanics and 66 percent of Native Americans were born to unwed mothers in 2008, the most recent year for which government figures are available. The rate for the overall U.S. population was 41 percent.

There are simple arguments for why so many black women have children without marriage.

The legacy of segregation, the logic goes, means blacks are more likely to attend inferior schools. This creates a high proportion of blacks unprepared to compete for jobs in today’s economy, where middle-class industrial work for unskilled laborers has largely disappeared.

The drug epidemic sent disproportionate numbers of black men to prison, and crushed the job opportunities for those who served their time. Women don’t want to marry men who can’t provide for their families, and welfare laws created a financial incentive for poor mothers to stay single.

If you remove these inequalities, some say, the 72 percent will decrease.

“It’s all connected. The question should be, how has the black family survived at all?” says Maria Kefalas, co-author of “Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage.”

The book is based on interviews with 162 low-income single mothers. One of its conclusions is that these women see motherhood as one of life’s most fulfilling roles — a rare opportunity for love and joy, husband or no husband.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

Janet Jackson Shares How Jermaine Dupri Helped Her To Love Herself

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Janet Jackson recently spoke to extra about how her former beau, Jermaine Dupri, helped her re-learn how to see herself and truly accept and love herself. She recently penned a new self-help book talking about the self-image and weight struggles she’s experienced in her life. We think it is so awesome that Dupri was able to have this kind of impact on Janet. I mean, isn’t this one of the fundamental reasons two people come together— to grow each other up and help release each other from some of our past hurt and pain—much of which is attached to our childhood? At the end of the day it’s up to all of us as individuals to take ownership of our “issues”.  But your spouse, your special someone, your boo, your love…. should be there challenging you, loving you, encouraging you, and pushing you toward putting down some of the bags you’ve been carrying all of your life. That is not criticizing you, reminding you of your failures, and keeping you tied down to the memories of where you’ve been and and who you were. There is a difference. We salute all of the couples out there who intentionally choose to be a light unto their partner’s path! It truly can and does make a difference.

From extra:

“For Colored Girls” star Janet Jackson is opening up about her life as she promotes the film and her new book, “True You,” saying her involvement with ex-boyfriend Jermaine Dupri was pivotal to her growth.

“My life didn’t change until I opened up and started to talk about it,” Jackson explained to “Extra,” adding, “It was my relationship with Jermaine. Up until that point I would still put on a pair of pants and if my butt looked too big, I didn’t want the pants, as much as I loved them. But it was nine years ago when he said ‘your butt’s fine the way it is’.” She and Dupri split in 2009, but Jackson is “really grateful to him for showing me that side of myself.”

As for her book, Jackson now wants to help other women by detailing her own struggles. “It’s a self-help book. And people always ask me about the weight gain, the weight loss. What was the workout regimen, the nutrition, so instead of just writing about that, I wanted to get to the bottom of it, which meant I had to go back to my childhood.”