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youngpeopleofcolorinc:

Young People of Color Incorporated Mission Statement:

Dedicated to the acknowledgement, advancement, and achievement of young people of color;  a celebration of urban accomplishment in education, activism, writing, fashion and the performing arts- meant to improve the quality of life of all young people of color, to inform, encourage and to set a positive example while acknowledging the individuality, opinions and preferences of the large and diverse group that makes up our youth with a magnifying glass as opposed to a disapproving glance. We are not here to teach you the answers; we would like to show you how to question- using the written word, the performance arts, deep discussion and the power of the World Wide Web to encourage, inform and uplift in the hopes that young people of color will be able to make decisions that refelct well on themselves, their families, their communities and Black culture across the Diaspora.  

Who can watch YPCTV?

All open minds, hearts and ears are welcome on YPCTV! It is the youtube channel and official video blog of Young People of Color Incorporated. We would actually prefer that educators, community and afterschool program coordinators, parents and guardians view our content with the youth they love in the event that material we provide leaves some questions unanswered. After all it takes a village!

What Young People of Color Incorporated is:

YPCTV is a platform for up and coming artists of color to showcase their talents and represent their heritage. It is a place where major artists and public figures can contribute to the communities they come from by creating a complex discourse related to the state of affairs in urban America with a focus on youth of color. It is a place where students, parents, educators and others with a stake in the future of urban American youth can come together and devise holistic ways to change the status quo within our microcosm, eventually spreading our message of intellectualism, political agency, positive self image, critical thinking and creativity to the masses. It is a place where unique conversations amongst experts in various fields from multiple walks of life will be challenged by one another to answer the questions so often unanswered in relation to youth of color. Such questions relate to representations of people of color in the media, self-hatred, and lack of self-agency and political efficacy, education policy, disunity among different types of people of color and a multitude of other issues.

What YPCTV aims to accomplish:

YPCTV hopes to become the premiere lifestyle source of current events, encouragement, fashion and performing arts information for young people of color. Until the world truly and honestly takes note of our struggles, our hopes and our greatness on a grand scale, we can honor it by acknowledging it amongst ourselves along with our allies.

Additional Details:

Young People of Color Incorporated aims to function as a holistic platform for urban youth to seek empowerment, information, and a creative outlet. To that end, in addition to the interviews, live performances, opinion pieces, and forums that will become traditional to Y.P.C. I., we will also make events such as talent shows, fashion shows, independent movie screenings and shopping parties a part of our repertoire to ensure that multiple types of talent are celebrated in a positive atmosphere, that an ever-growing fan base within the community is fostered, and that a diverse collection of minds with a common goal: to improve the lives of young people of color- is always expanding and growing.

Contact and Submission Information:

There will be Young People of Color Incorporated affiliate YouTube, Facebook, twitter, and tumblr pages as well as a public email account. In this way viewers and potential contributors will have access to the mind behind YPCI/ YPCTV. You are welcome to send your thoughts on the video blog and site, and to submit your own pieces of writing, original films, artwork, photography or submit yourself or a friend for an interview or feature as an educator, student/parent, activist, vocalist, lyricist/poet, singer or model. We are open to featuring other creative entities as well- just shoot us an email and add us on whatever social networking site you use!

About the Creator:

Who am I to decide what youth of color should watch, wear, act like and listen to? I’m just another girl with an opinion. But I’ve noticed something going on with my people and their children that I can’t stand idly by and watch any longer. That is the direct effect of mainstream media and culture on our style of dress, speech, attitudes, and self image. I figure, the more we expose our children to- the wider variety of ideas about what/ who they can be they will have. The more they know, the more they will understand holistically. The more questions they are inclined to ask- the more answers they will surely find through doing their own research and making their own decisions as opposed to letting someone else dictate how they “should” be. Ultimately, it is up to our children what kind of lives they will lead- but we must prepare them with the tools to navigate this world using an informed, cultured, well rounded prism through which to not only see but understand the world they live in and how best they can utilize whatever cards they were dealt to get where they would like to go.

Who am I? I am a parent. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am an education major at Brooklyn College with a concentration in English. I am a member of the Brooklyn College student union. I am a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School. I am a step instructor for Step in Schools Incorporated at the Urban Assembly School for girls in Brooklyn and I.S. 198 in Manhattan. I am an aspiring musician and model. I am a political activist. I am a youth advocate. I am a blogger. Being all these things at the same time allows me to look at various issues that affect urban youth of color as a student, an educator, a parent, someone’s child, a writer, a friend, an ally, a woman, and an ‘African American’ just to name a few of my areas of experience. (I won’t say expertise- because I’m learning every day myself!) Yet and still I feel I have something to offer anyone who would take the time to listen. In the same token I think that you- yes YOU- have a unique experience that would speak to someone in this world. It is important that youth of color know how significant their voices are and how much they could get done if they apply themselves and work together to gain knowledge, find their passions and express themselves.

I also want to let it be known that mistakes are normal, and that learned patterns of speech, thinking and behavior take time to change. Society does a fabulous job of ostracizing and demeaning our young mothers and our low achieving students. We must help them, not ridicule them. 

Check out YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR INCORPORATED on twitter and facebook!

Like!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-People-of-Color-Incorporated/147655592015771?sk=info

Follow!

https://twitter.com/#!/YoungPplofColor

And MOST IMPORTANTLY please be sure to donate to our Indie Go-Go fundraising campaign by clicking the link below!

I have calculated the costs to a T and here are the surprisingly low donation caps if everyone participates:

Just $5 from all 785 of my Facebook friends would get us to $4,000
Just $18 from all 223 of my twitter followers would get us to $4,000
Just $43 from each of my 94 Tumblr followers (at http://tajhiseverywhere.tumblr.com/ - don’t have that many followers here ..yet =) would get us to $4,000

Do you see those numbers???

We are as close as 94 people away from our goal of $4,000 which will lead us to the debut of YPCTV (Young People of Color Incorporated television via youtube) as well as the first Young People of Color panel and – you guessed it- the very first Young People of Color Inc. showcase!

Now I don’t expect every single follower or friend I have to participate. That’s simply unrealistic.

But because you are here I know that you care.

The best way to help out is to become a member of the Young People of Color Inc. community by donating to the incorporation and joining our ranks as an active participant in this movement through your contribution

In addition to our supporters online, we want to go out into the world and make direct contact with the public on behalf of Young People of Color Incorporated. At this moment we do not have the man-power for such a task, but we can reach a larger group of people and get the mission of YPoC out simply by conversingwith others about the movement!

Connect with us on Facebook Twitter and *Tumblr

Share the indie go-go link on all your social networking sites!

Contribute and let everyone know what an awesome thing you did.

Encourage them to do it too!

YPoC Facebook:

“link text” https://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-People-of-…

YPoC Twitter:

“link text” https://twitter.com/#!/YoungPplofColor

YPoC Tumblr:

http://youngpeopleofcolorinc.tumblr.com/

YPoC loves you!

Tajh Sutton

Founder of YPCI and YPCTV (Young People of Color Incorporated- Young People of Color Television)

Model-Musician-Blogger-Youth Advocate-Political Activist

Email: youngpeopleofcolorinc@gmail.com