#blackinamerica
by Amani Channel

I was invited to to hang out with the bloggers at CNN headquarters for the third installment of Black In America. This was a town hall meeting that was taped as part the program. The topic: Almighty Debt.

Host Soledad O’Brien, Bishop T.D. Jakes, clinical social worker and public relations executive Terrie Williams, syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary, FBCLG senior pastor Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries, pollster Cornell Belcher and others were part of the discussion.

CNN just shared a preview copy of the special with me, so I’ll have more once I digest the content.

6:50p.m. Soledad O’Brien enters the bloggers lounge and answers a few questions (on crutches).

6:55p.m. Soledad enters studio.

7:00p.m. Soledad introduces the town hall meeting. She explains the taping format. Conversation will start soon. She says it’s okay use cell phones during the discussion.

7:01p.m. Twitter hashtag is #blackinamerica

7:05p.m. Soledad tapes show intro. She does it in one take.

7:10p.m. After taping a series of show breaks, O’Brien interviews Bishop T.D. Jakes and Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries about debt, the church, and Black America.

7:28p.m Taping continues. Hurry up and pause. Start recording.

7:36p.m. Conversation continues. You’ll have to watch the finished product on Oct. 21 at 9p.m.

by Amani Channel

If you haven’t heard, CNN’s Rick Sanchez was fired from the network on Friday.

It happened after Sanchez made comments about comedian Jon Stewart, his employer CNN, and Jews during a satellite radio interview last Thursday.

The issue was debated on CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday.

by Amani Channel

I read this morning that Sarah Palin wants Dr. Laura to fight back, but kill that! I hope she gets of the mic and never breathes on one again.

It sounded like she had waited her whole life to use the n-word on air, and she provided no help to Nita “Jade” Hanson.

I’ve been waiting to hear the other side, and I’m glad that American Morning scored this interview.

…But you’re worried about bloggers.

by Amani Channel

I have to confess, it’s weird watching all of the Atlanta flood coverage on TV. Especially since my neighborhood is high and dry. Part of me misses being in the middle of the action, the other half is thankful that I’m not having to slosh around in the disaster areas to share the misery.

Last summer I spent many days on the road covering the tropical storms and hurricanes throughout the gulf coast for the now defunct HDNews. I was talking to Mario Page who was the freelance cameraman I worked with, and if HDNews was still around, I’m sure we would have been covering this disaster together.

Storms aren’t any fun when it comes down to it.

This is how a reporter prepares:

The HDNews version:

by A.man.I

This best of segment features CNN anchor/correspondent T.J. Holmes. So this is the story about how I landed the interview: Shortly after I relocated to Atlanta and started my blog, my brother who happened to work with T.J. at his former station (KNTV – San Jose, CA) told me that T.J. had moved to Atlanta to work for CNN and I should try to get in touch with him.

It just so happened that around that time, one of my blog posts was about an upcoming CNN special. Shortly after, I received a press release from the network.

“Hmmmmm, why is CNN sending me a press release”? I asked myself. So I called the PR rep and had a pleasant conversation with her about my blog. I told her that my brother used to work with Holmes, and asked if I could arrange a sit down interview with him.

A few days later we set it up. I was invited inside of CNN headquarters. I was allowed to tape some footage of Holmes on the anchor desk, and had a pleasant conversation with him after.

T.J. is true professional, and has a very cool news presentation style. By the way if you ladies are wondering, word is: Holmes in engaged (but you didn’t hear it from me).

The interview is below.

by A.man.I

The word is that DL Hughley’s “Breaking the News” is going off the air.

According to the blogosphere, the show was canceled, but that apparently isn’t the case. A CNN insider tells My Urban Report:

“D.L. approached CNN about being permanently based in Los Angeles, where his family lives. To accommodate this, we agreed upon a new role where he will be a contributor for the network based in Los Angeles. We are eager to continue our relationship with D.L., who is a tremendous talent and a valued colleague.”

Any thoughts?

by A.man.I

This is the kind of new story I like to see.

from NBC

In an era when America traveled by train, one of the best jobs an African-American man could land was working as a Pullman porter. It also was one of the worst. The hours were grueling — 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

The first Pullman porters, hired after the Civil War, were former slaves. Their ranks swelled until they reached 20,000 in the early part of the 20th century, making them the largest group of African-American men employed in the country.

Last Tuesday, Amtrak honored the legacy of Pullman porters, who fought bigotry to form the first-ever black labor union in the country in 1925, achieving better wages and shorter hours. Little is known about the extraordinary accomplishments of these men, who were the foot soldiers in the early civil rights movement. They ushered in a new generation of leaders like Malcolm X and Thurgood Marshall, both porters themselves.