Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

The Epilepsy Foundationrecently held the 9 annual Kids Speak Up! conference for youth with epilepsy on Capitol Hill. The 45 selected ambassadors from across the country petitionedcongressional leaders for aid in assuring better access to care, improved public education and more research toward a cure for epilepsy. Kids Speak Up!  participants and other ambassadors were trained to become national and local advocates on behalf of the nearly 3 million people with epilepsy in the United States. Raise Your Voice, the theme of the event, underscores the importance of people with epilepsy sharing their personal stories with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Special Guests:     Kimberli Meadows, Senior Director, Media & Public Relations, Epilepsy Foundation  Kids Speak Up!  Participants: Quinn Allen, 18, Beaverton, OR  Ashley Irven, 12, Jacksonville, FL   Malina Richardson, 15, Ashland, VA About Epilepsy Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures, which are brief disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they have epilepsy, which affects nearly 3 million people in the United States and 40 to 50 million people worldwide.   About the Epilepsy Foundation The Epilepsy Foundation, a national nonprofit with affiliated organizations throughout the United States, has led the fight against epilepsy since 1968. The Foundation’s mission is to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy. www.epilepsyfoundation.org.

Special Guest; Annette Myarick is the Chief Executive Officer for the Lupus Foundation of America's (LFA) Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter. Annette has a Bachelor's degree in Community Health Education from Temple University. Special Guest: Dawn Isherwood is a Health Educator for the Lupus Foundation of America. Dawn has a BS in Nursing from Pittsburg State University, Kansas and a MS in International Relations from Troy University, Alabama. Dawn started her nursing career in the Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU at the University of Kansas Medical Center before entering the US Air Force Nurse Corp where she worked in multiple ICU's, Labor and Delivery and as an Air Force charge nurse. Special Guest: Lupus advocate. Leyla Moreno, supervisor, community relations, Health Partners, is a bilingual (Spanish and English) community outreach professional. .Leyla is a native of Panama. Leyla was recognized in 2008 and 2009 by Impacto Latin Newspaper and the Philadelphia Multicultural Congress as one of the ten Most Influential Latino Leaders under 40.

Special Guest; Annette Myarick is the Chief Executive Officer for the Lupus Foundation of America’s (LFA) Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter. Annette has a Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from Temple University.  Special Guest:  Dawn Isherwood is a Health Educator for the Lupus Foundation of America. Dawn has a BS in Nursing from Pittsburg State University, Kansas and a MS in International Relations from Troy University, Alabama. Dawn started her nursing career in the Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU at the University of Kansas Medical Center before entering the US Air Force Nurse Corp. Special Guest: Lupus advocate. Leyla Moreno, supervisor, community relations, Health Partners, is a bilingual (Spanish and English) community outreach professional. .Leyla is a native of Panama. Leyla was recognized in 2008 and 2009 by Impacto Latin Newspaper and the Philadelphia Multicultural Congress as one of the ten Most Influential Latino Leaders under 40.

Waris Dirie was born in 1965 into a nomad family living in the region of Gallcaio, in the Somali desert near the border to Ethiopia. At the tender age of five, she underwent the inhuman procedure of genital mutilation. This horrible tradition is still practiced worldwide today, both by Moslems and Christians. At the age of 13 Waris fled from a forced marriage to a man, who could have been her grandfather in age.  She was discovered by the British top photographer Terence Donovan as a model at the age of 18 and became an international celebrity. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, appointed her as UN Special Ambassador for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. Desert Flower Foundation: http://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/en/ Desert Flower Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la5apMluzA8

Special Guest: Lauren Morley, MSW, LSW, As Manager of Training and Prevention for American Humane Association’s Child Welfare program, Ms. Morley manages work in the area of child maltreatment prevention. Her responsibilities include oversight of the Front Porch Projecta primary prevention initiative that equips community members with the knowledge, tools and action steps to intervene appropriately, when necessary, to help protect children and assist a parent or family. She also serves as lead curricula developer, trainer and coach for several Child Welfare initiatives, including family engagement through differential response models to child protective services, supervision of staff in differential response systems, engagement of non-resident fathers in the child welfare system, and the prevention of child maltreatment. In addition, Ms. Morley has served as a case reviewer and program analyst for several public child welfare organizational-assessment projects, including those conducted by American Humane Association in South Carolina, Colorado and New York. WEBSITE: http://www.americanhumane.org/

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars started playing music together in West African refugee camps while their homeland was being racked by years of bloody warfare. Since then, audiences around the world have embraced the band and their utterly extraordinary story. On their forthcoming album, Rise & Shine, the All Stars’ sound, as well as their biography, evolves further; the music finds them “establishing an identity based as much on skill, imagination and charisma as on their undeniably touching story” (The Los Angeles Times). Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars' documentary trailer:http://youtu.be/VSgY6n_ek_g WEBSITE:http://www.refugeeallstars.org/

LAZ ALONSO starring in Jumping the Broom. Jumping the Broom (TriStar Pictures): A collision of worlds when two African-American families from divergent socioeconomic backgrounds get together one weekend in Martha's Vineyard for a wedding. Coming out May 6, 2011. Starring: ANGELA BASSETT, PAULA PATTON, LAZ ALONSO, LORETTA DEVINE, TASHA SMITH, JULIE BOWEN, VALARIE PETTIFORD, ROMEO MILLER, DeRAY DAVIS, with MEAGAN GOOD and MIKE EPPS Directed by:SALIM AKIL http://jumpingthebroom-movie.com/ In 2008, Laz starred in Miracle at St. Anna for director Spike Lee, in which he played one of four main leads opposite Derek Luke, Michael Ealy and Omar Benson. Laz Alonso was chosen as one of Variety’s “Top Ten Actors to Watch in 2009.” A star on the rise, Laz can next be seen in the supporting role of “Sheriff John Burke” in Rod Lurie’s remake of the Sam Peckinpah classic Straw Dogs (February 25, 2011) for Sony Screen Gems. Laz can be seen in the lead role of “Tsu’Tey” in the highest grossing film of all time, Avatar! Earlier in 2009, Laz played the lead villain role of “Fenix” in the fourth installment of highly popular Fast and the Furious franchise Website http://www.twitter.com/lazalonso

Special Guests: Actress Khadijah Karriem and Director M. Legend Brown. Kissed by the Devil is an emotional and riveting drama that tears at your heart-strings. Although Oakland Hill is a well known, late night radio personality, her life is far from storybook. She spends most of her time caring for her mentally ill brother Michael, who witnessed their father commit an unimaginable act.   Oakland searches for answers to what really happened. She turns to her brother, who dismisses her in fear of the truth. Unable to find the understanding she's looking for, Oakland decides to take matters in her own hands. She visits her father days before he is to be executed and what she learns will change her life forever. •   Starring Khadijah Karriem, Karen Malina White, Shaun Baker, Victor Williams and Grover Coulson •   Written and Directed by M. Legend Brown (PoorChild Films) Produced by Sharice Henry Chasi (Starving Actors Films), William Brown and Eric King •   Executive Producer Judith Ciancio •   Director of Photography Michael Ciancio (Electric Light and Power) FILM TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO4y24Nhq34 WEBSITE: http://www.kissedbythedevilmovie.com

David C. Miller is the co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the Urban Leadership Institute, LLC, a unique social entrepreneurial firm that specializes in training of educators, social workers and youth development professionals for schools, non-profit & governmental entities that work with youth and families. Miller is the author of several books which include: Where's Mommy & Daddy (2010), Raising Him Alone (2009), Mama Used To Say (2009), Daddy's Girl (2006), Dare To Be Queen (2005), Rhyme & Reason (2005), Lessons I Learned From My Father (2004) and Dare To Be King (2003). Miller received a Master Degree in Education (specialization in conflict resolution and school- based mediation) from Goucher College (Baltimore, MD) and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Baltimore. www.raisinghimalone.com www.changingfatherhood.com www.urbanleadershipinstitute.com

David C. Miller is the co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the Urban Leadership Institute, LLC, a unique social entrepreneurial firm that specializes in training of educators, social workers and youth development professionals for schools, non-profit & governmental entities that work with youth and families. Miller is the author of several books which include: Where’s Mommy & Daddy (2010), Raising Him Alone (2009), Mama Used To Say (2009), Daddy’s Girl (2006), Dare To Be Queen (2005), Rhyme & Reason (2005), Lessons I Learned From My Father (2004) and Dare To Be King (2003). Miller received a Master Degree in Education (specialization in conflict resolution and school- based mediation) from Goucher College (Baltimore, MD) and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Baltimore. www.raisinghimalone.com www.changingfatherhood.com www.urbanleadershipinstitute.com

In THE COSMOPOLITAN CANOPY: Race and Civility in Everyday Life [W.W. Norton], Elijah Anderson illuminates the public life of an American city, offering a major reinterpretation of the racial dynamics in America. Anderson takes us back to Philadelphia, exploring pockets of civility he calls ?cosmopolitan canopies? – the urban islands free of racial tensions that exist amidst the ghettos, suburbs and ethnic enclaves where segregation is the norm. Elijah Anderson is the William K. Lanman, Jr. Professor of Sociology at Yale University. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Book Review.

In THE COSMOPOLITAN CANOPY: Race and Civility in Everyday Life [W.W. Norton], Elijah Anderson illuminates the public life of an American city, offering a major reinterpretation of the racial dynamics in America. Anderson takes us back to Philadelphia, exploring pockets of civility he calls “cosmopolitan canopies” – the urban islands free of racial tensions that exist amidst the ghettos, suburbs and ethnic enclaves where segregation is the norm. Elijah Anderson is the William K. Lanman, Jr. Professor of Sociology at Yale University. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Book Review.

Les Nubians returns with Nü Revolution, their highly-anticipated third album to be released on April 19, 2011 by Shanachie Entertainment. It fully delivers on the promise of their breakthrough efforts with a relentlessly enchanting and energized mix of R & B, hip-hop, African music and other world elements. http://www.lesnubians.com/

Part detective tale, part social and cultural narrative, Black Gotham is Carla Peterson's riveting account of her quest to reconstruct the lives of her nineteenth-century ancestors. As she shares their stories and those of their friends, neighbors, and business associates, she illuminates the greater history of African-American elites in New York City. Told in a vivid, fast-paced style, Black Gotham is an important account of the rarely acknowledged achievements of nineteenth-century African Americans and brings to the forefront a vital yet forgotten part of American history and culture. Carla L. Peterson received her Ph.D. from Yale and is professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author of "Doers of the Word": African-American Women Speakers and Writers in the North, 1830-1880.

Part detective tale, part social and cultural narrative, Black Gotham is Carla Peterson's riveting account of her quest to reconstruct the lives of her nineteenth-century ancestors. As she shares their stories and those of their friends, neighbors, and business associates, she illuminates the greater history of African-American elites in New York City. Told in a vivid, fast-paced style, Black Gotham is an important account of the rarely acknowledged achievements of nineteenth-century African Americans and brings to the forefront a vital yet forgotten part of American history and culture. Carla L. Peterson received her Ph.D. from Yale and is professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author of "Doers of the Word": African-American Women Speakers and Writers in the North, 1830-1880.