Lessons from Trailblazers

Last week, old school and new school converged.  State and local elected officials and some of the foremost voices in social media gathered during the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.  Each to usher in a new movement towards capitalizing on the power of the Internet to mobilize the masses.

The heads of the five largest national organizations representing black elected officials worked with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Media & Technology Institute in releasing Broadband Imperatives for African Americans:  Policy Recommendations to Increase Digital Adoption for Minorities and Their Communities. A full copy of the policy report can be found at http://www.broadbandimperatives.org.  In releasing the report, Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee, VP of the Joint Center and Director of the Media & Technology Institute, was joined by Representative Calvin Smyre, President of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Senator Arthenia Joyner, 1st VP of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women, Mayor Heather Hudson, President of the National Conference of Black Mayors, Comissioner Daisy Lynum, President of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and Commissioner Robert Steele, President of the National Association of Black County Officials.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski was there to receive the recommendations set forth in the report and to offer his thoughts on the impact of broadband on our communities.  FCC Commissioner Michael Copps also addressed the audience about the importance of the National Broadband Plan and the need to get broadband adoption right. 

Later in the week, some of the foremost voices in the Black blogosphere came together to share their insights about the ways that social media can be used to create new social and political political movements, strengthen community activism and enhance opportunities for entrepreneurship online.

The social media forum, sponsored by Majority Whip James E. Clyburn and produced by Donna Brazile was the insipiration behind this site, and furthered the important message that the Internet is a new portal for possibilities beyond our wildest imaginations, particularly for communities of color.  Special thanks to Donna Byrd, Editor of The Root, Gina McCauley of What About Our Daughters and Blogging While Brown fame, Carmen Dixon-Rosenzweig of All About Race and AOL Black Voices Black Spin, Shawn Williams, Editor of DallasSouthNews.org, Eric Easter, VP Digital & Entertainment Johnson Publishing (Ebony/Jet), Navarrow Wright, Founder of Global Grind and Principal at Maximum Leverage Solutions, Angela Benton, Founder of Black Web 2.0, Gary Mack, CEO of Dacodo, Inc. and James Andrews, Founder of Everywhere.  Their contributions to the panel were invaluable and their life-lessons will not soon be forgotten.

I learned a number of lessons from these pioneering trailblazers of politics and media, but the most important is this--find your message, support it with courage and conviction, use the media as a platform to do well and do good, and find ways to bring the enabling power of new media and communications to the people who need it most.

What Works for Companies Can Work for Communities Too

Over at Black Web 2.0, Pepsi's We Inspire Digital Campaign gets a special nod for its use of social media and digital messaging to salute Black Women. According to Robin Caldwell, Managing Editor of Black Web 2.0:

Pepsi has been aggressive lately in creating interesting and engaging digital content. The Will.i.am and L.M.F.A.O. collaboration (Pepsi Taps…Digital Remix Project) is one such effort. However, the brand’s latest project gives a major nod to African American women and is inspired by the growing popularity of mommy bloggers.
PepsiWeInspire.com is an interactive website and community for African American women that celebrates the bonds between women. And they are bringing the star power to inspire the rest of us to share our stories of beauty, laughter, joy, hope, wisdom and love.

I love that companies are finally starting to realize the value of people of color and are finding creative ways to incorporate us more in messaging and branding campaigns. There seems to be a growing sense that if you want us as consumers, you have to be willing to speak to us and through us; blind loyalty is perhaps a thing of the past. My question then, is why can't we do the same thing for our communities? Why can't we start using digital platforms to message to about about our communities about more than product consumption and entertainment?

Across the country, bloggers, social media consultants, online entrepreneurs and digital content creators are finding new ways to expose and promote their brands online. So with all the world a twitter (no pun intended) about social media and online activity, isn't it time that we start using the same tools that make publicity and self-aggrandizement possible for the greater social good? What if someone created an online campaign specifically targeted towards enhancing entrepreneurship, literacy, education and greater proficiency at science and math? What if we supported a site that promoted social services and communitiy projects that enhance the wellbeing of the people in a certain city or town.

There is a vast untapped potential for social media and digital content that we haven't begun to touch yet. I love my entertainment as much as the next person. Now it's time for the next frontier. I'm ready for content and digital campaigns that empower and entertain!

The Revolution Will Now Be Digitized!

We're taking social media to the next level! It's not just about information and entertainment. It's about using new media to improve our lives and livelihoods, better express our cultural values and sensibilities, and create new business opportunities for our communities and ourselves.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is hosting it's first-ever social media forum to in Washington, DC from 2:00-5:30 pm in room 146A of the Washington Convention Center. Entitled "Black Power 2.0: Social Media & Digital Content Mobilizing the Masses," this event will feature some of the blogosphere's foremost experts on the impact of social media on minority communities.

Participants include:

• Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, U.S. House of Representatives*
• Donna Brazile, Principal, Brazile & Associates*
• Farai Chideya, Founder, Popandpolitics.com; Power to Pen Media Group (Moderator)
• Robert Townsend, Actor/Director/Producer, Diary of a Single Mom
• Rey Ramsey, CEO, One Economy Corporation; Founding BBOC Member
• Donna Byrd, Publisher, The Root at WashingtonPost.com
• Eric Easter, Vice President Digital & Entertainment, Johnson Publishing/Ebony Jet
• Gina McCauley, Founder, Blogging While Brown, What About Our Daughters, Michelle Obama Watch
• Carmen Dixon-Rosenzweig, Founder, All About Race; Editor, AOL Black Voices
• Angela Conyers-Benton, Founder, Black Web 2.0
• Shawn Williams, Editor, DallasSouthNews.org
• Gary Mack, CEO, Dacodo
• James Andrews, Co-Founder, EveryWhere
• Navarrow Wright, Founder, Global Grind
• Kristal High, Founding Co-Chair, Innovation Generation Broadband Policy Summit

This is the beginning of a new journey together! The revolution will now be digitized!