Nigerian tech entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo.
(Photo: Google Images)
Nigerian tech entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo. (Photo: Google Images)
African Leadership Magazineis reporting that Apple has acquired Nigerian born entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo’s Hopstop.com.
Founded in 2005 by Chinedu Echeruo, HopStop.com makes mobile applications for both iOS and Android that covers over 300 cities and assists people in need of directions or locating nearby subway stations and bus stops. Presently the terms of the deal have not been disclosed but it is thought to be a billion dollar deal by industry insiders.
Comparison have been made between HopStop and Israel’s Waze which was recently acquired by Google for $1 billion. Apple’s acquisition of HopStop is viewed as a plan to bolster its map offering capabilities following Google’s recent acquisition of Waze.
Chinedu Echeruo, who is now Chairman of the Board for HopStop, grew up in Eastern Nigeria and attended Kings College, Lagos. The serial entrepreneur attended Syracuse University and the Harvard Business School in the United States and founded HopStop.com after working for several years in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Leveraged Finance groups of J.P Morgan Chase where he was involved in a broad range of M&A, financing and private equity transactions.
The author writes:
“He founded and raised nearly $8 million for his two U.S based internet companies; Hopstop.com and Tripology.com. Tripology.com was acquired in 2010 by American travel and navigation information company, Rand McNally. He was named Black Enterprise Magazine’s Small Business Innovator of the year and listed in the magazine’s Top 40 under 40 and is currently a partner and head of the Principal Investing group at Constant Capital, a West Africa based investment bank.
True to form, Echeruo is working on yet another venture but this time, focused on small businesses in Africa…”
This post was written by Reginald Calhoun, editorial assistant for the Burton Wire. He is a senior Mass Media Arts major at Clark Atlanta University. Follow him on Twitter @IRMarsean.
Stevie Wonder (R) inducts Bill Withers during the 30th Annual Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 18, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Stevie Wonder (R) inducts Bill Withers during the 30th Annual Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 18, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Already a Songwriters Hall of Famer, Withers was given a tribute at this year’s 30th anniversary induction ceremony at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland by Stevie Wonder and John Legend. The Slab Fork, West Virginia native with his distinctive, butter soft vocal wails is behind timeless soul and pop classics like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Lean on Me,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Just the Two of Us.”
The 5 Royales’ two-decade career from the mid-1940s to mid-60s combined gospel, blues, doo-wop and jazz. The Winston Salem, NC vocal ensemble originally recorded “Think,” later becoming a hit for James Brown and “Tell the Truth,” covered by both Ray Charles and Eric Clapton. Booker T. & the MGs guitarist, Steve Cropper, delivered the tribute to the 5 Royales.
Withers and The 5 Royales’ are joining a class of multigenerational rock acts including Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lou Reed, Green Day, Ringo Starr and the Paul Buttersfield Blues Band.
The 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony premieres on Sat., May 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET on HBO. Check local listings for future airings.
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
Journalist Charnice Milton, 27, was shot and killed while at a bus stop.
(Photo Credit: NBC Washington)
Journalist Charnice Milton, 27, was shot and killed while at a bus stop. (Photo Credit: NBC Washington)
The Washington Post is reporting that journalist Charnice Milton, 27, is among the six people killed in six days in Washington, DC. Milton, was killed while waiting for a bus after a routine work assignment in Southeast Washington. She was shot and killed by a man on a dirt bike who was aiming at someone else. It is believed that the intended target used Milton as a human shield.
Peter Herman, Perry Stein and Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post write, “[Milton] was known as a tireless advocate for the communities east of the Anacostia where she lived and chronicled everyday life, using grass-roots-style journalism whether profiling a lifelong Ward 7 resident and avid cyclist or examining penalties for selling alcohol to minors.”
Milton attended Ball State for her undergraduate degree and later received a master’s degree in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from Syracuse University‘s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2011.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog the Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (AF&WF) celebrates its fifth anniversary May 28-31, 2015 (Photo Credit: AF&WF/Raftermen Photography)
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (AF&WF) celebrates its fifth anniversary May 28-31, 2015 (Photo Credit: AF&WF/Raftermen Photography)
Foodies and libations connoisseurs are gathering this weekend for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (AF&WF). Now in its fifth year, the mouth-watering extravaganza is chock full of savory dishes, yummy treats and refreshing cocktails, courtesy of some of the Southeast’s most innovative culinary masters and food industry experts.
The festival includes a variety of delectable tasting tents, informative cooking demonstrations, stimulating panel discussions, pop up events and entertaining seminars. Attendees also have the opportunity to visit rotating venues for special dinner series and networking mixers with authors, chefs and food and beverage artisans.
AF&WF was founded by Elizabeth Feichter and Dominique Love, who ran a philanthropic consulting agency, in 2010. The ladies attended the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen while they were managing a campaign for Food & Wine Magazine. Impressed by the spotlight on chefs and mixologists, Feicher and Love thought it would be amazing to re-purpose the event to honor the South’s food and beverage culture.
AF&WF will take place primarily throughout the Midtown area.
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival runs from May 28-31. For a full schedule of events, click here.
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
Grammy-winning bassist Louis Johnson (Photo Credit: Google Images)
Grammy-winning bassist Louis Johnson (Photo Credit: Google Images)
The music industry suffered another loss with the recent passing of legendary funk & R&B bassist, Louis Johnson. Johnson’s nephew, Troy, broke the news on his personal Instagram page.
In the late 1970s and over into the early 80s, the Los Angeles-born self-taught musician was one-half of the Grammy-winning hit making duo, the Brothers Johnson, along with his brother, George. The Brothers Johnson placed memorable singles like “I’ll Be Good to You,” “Stomp!,” “Get the Funk Out Ma Face” and “Strawberry Letter 23” onto both the pop and R&B Top 40 charts.
Nicknamed throughout the industry as “Thunder Thumbs,” Johnson was well-known for his crisp, percussive thumb popping and slapping. It was common for him to play what he felt, not what was written. Music legend Quincy Jones considered Johnson to be a core member of his production ensemble and “one of the best bass players to ever pick up the instrument.”
The instrumentalist’s signature bass licks were essential to the sound that helped shape Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and Thriller albums. Johnson was an in-demand session musician, accompanying an incredible range of performers and artists including Herb Alpert, George Benson, Stanley Clarke, Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald, Stevie Nicks, George Duke and Paul McCartney among others.
Johnson’s cause of death still has not been confirmed. He was 60 years old.
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
Former Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, Oliver Hill (founder) and Spotswood Robinson of Brown v. Board of Education were early members of ODBA.
(Photo: PBS)
Old Dominion Bar Association (ODBA), the oldest statewide predominantly African-American bar association in the nation, will celebrate its 75th anniversary May 28-31, 2015, in Richmond, Virginia. For 75 years, ODBA has served as Virginia’s advocates for equal justice. This historic event will be held at the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel and Conference Center. The four-day celebration will consist of a host of activities including a President’s Luncheon, golf tournament, a Judicial Luncheon and a black-tie gala dinner and dance. Now in its 75th year, ODBA will celebrate its founders, its fortitude and its future.
“I am honored and humbled to serve as President of a bar association whose members have encountered, withstood and overcome the injustices that confronted minorities in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” says Helivi Holland, Esq., current president of the ODBA. “As we remember and celebrate our past, our passion and courage will help us remain attentive and responsive in the future,” she added.
During its early years, ODBA’s members were instrumental in fighting Jim Crow and dismantling the oppression and havoc of Virginia’s massive resistance movement. Oliver Hill, Sr., ODBA’s first president, along with Samuel Tucker, Spotswood Robinson, and Thurgood Marshall are well-renown not only for their work on Virginia cases related to Brown v. Board of Education, but also for many other legal victories all over the Commonwealth of Virginia related to deprivation of voting rights, discriminatory educational spending, and employment discrimination.
Former Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, Oliver Hill (founder) and Spotswood Robinson of Brown v. Board of Education were early members of ODBA. (Photo: PBS)
In addition, ODBA has been, and continues to be, actively involved in Virginia’s judicial selection process for both state and federal courts. The historic organization strongly encourages African American attorneys to participate in majority bars, and collaborates with majority bars and various organizations to promote diversity in all aspects of the legal profession, among other things.
“One of the historic highlights of this celebration of which we’re most proud is that the Virginia Supreme Court will convene a special session of Court in honor of the ODBA and host the opening ceremony that will recognize the African American Justices of the Court: Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., Justice (Retired) John Charles Thomas, Justice Cleo E. Powell, and Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn,” says Beverly A. Burton, Esq., conference chair and past president. “Attorney General Mark Herring and L. Douglas Wilder, 66th Governor of Virginia and the nation’s first elected African American Governor, are featured speakers at this event, which highlights the cultural and historical significance of this gathering,” she offers.
Additional event speakers include Hon. Roger L. Gregory, the first African American to serve on the 4th Circuit of the US Court of appeals and a former president of ODBA; Dr. Steven G. Blunt, President of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, will deliver the keynote address at the President’s Luncheon and the Hon. Angela B. Roberts, Chief Judge of the Richmond J & DR Court, and Virginia’s first female African American Judge, will deliver a keynote at the Judicial Luncheon. The luncheon will recognize Virginia’s African American judicial “firsts”, many of whom will be in attendance, including Hon. (Retired) Willard Douglas, Virginia’s first African American judge.
A one-hour open discussion addressing Virginia’s judicial selection and evaluation process with Justice Cleo Powell and Professor Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond, T. C. Williams School of Law, and moderated by Vinceretta Taylor Chiles, Immediate Past President of the ODBA, will also occur.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog the Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
The Olympic Rings for the 2016 games have arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
(Photo: Google Images)
The Olympic Rings for the 2016 games have arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. (Photo: Google Images)
Reporting for the Rio Times, Chesney Hearst reports officials have unveiled the Olympic rings structure in Madureira Park located in the Zona Norte (North Zone) neighborhood of Madureira in Rio de Janeiro. The park will be one of three future sites where the public will be able to view, on a large screen, live streams of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
The rings were displayed on the Tyne Bridge in the city of Newcastle during the London Games and were donated to Rio. Hearst writes:
“’The Olympic Games are for all Cariocas [Rio residents],’ Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, who was in attendance during the unveiling ceremony, said. ‘It is important that all of them feel that they are a fundamental part of this movement which is transforming Rio de Janeiro. Madureira is the heart of Rio’s suburbs, where our identity was forged. It is in the poorest regions of the city that the Games will have the most impact.’
Weighing almost four tons, stretching 25m across, and standing 12m high, the iconic five-ring structure was donated to the city by the United Kingdom following its 2012 Olympic Games held in London. During the Games, the structure adorned the Tyne Bridge in the city of Newcastle, becoming a tourist attraction.
The rings arrived in Rio de Janeiro after a twenty-day voyage across the ocean during January and February earlier this year. They remained covered in Madureira Park (Parque de Madureira) until Wednesday’s official unveiling.
Featuring a fireworks display and a crowd of celebratory spectators, the unveiling ceremony was also attended, in addition to Paes, by the President of the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the 2016 Games, Nawal el Moutawakel; UK Consul General, Jonathan Dunn; and the President of the Organizing Committee of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.”
This post was written by Reginald Calhoun, editorial assistant for The Burton Wire. He is a junior Mass Media Arts major at Clark Atlanta University. Follow him on Twitter @IRMarsean.
'Southern Rites' director Gillian Laub with the family of Justin Patterson at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (Photos by Kelly Kline).
‘Southern Rites’ director Gillian Laub with the family of Justin Patterson at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (Photos by Kelly Kline).
Southern Rites is the poignant, tear-jerking HBO feature documentary directed by Gillian Laub that chronicles racial segregation still prevalent throughout certain parts of south and middle Georgia. Laub’s directorial debut dates back to 2002 when the award-winning photographer was commissioned to take pictures of Montgomery County’s high school students still attending segregated proms and homecoming events.
Laub’s images accompanied a controversial feature story that landed in the New York Times Magazine in 2009. The photojournalist who studied at the International Center for Photography figured out that her style of portraiture could spark conversations that could hopefully create change.
“That was the catalyst for them to integrate the proms,” says Laub seated directly under a large portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “It’s how I navigate through the world. The camera is my means of communication, my passport into discovering about people and sharing stories about their lives. There is nothing more gratifying than that.”
Once Laub began to take recurring trips to Mt. Vernon, Ga. a year later to follow up on the aftermath of the integrated prom, she was hit with both tragedy and hope just miles apart. Justin Patterson, a 22-year-old black male, was shot and killed by Norman Neesmith, a 60-something white male, in the neighboring Toombs County. It still disappoints Laub that Patterson’s death received no local or national coverage.
A great deal of Southern Rites’ jaw-dropping screen time offers details of the incident and follows the court proceedings to prosecute Neesmith. Laub sat directly beside Patterson’s family when the film premiered in Atlanta. Like Patterson’s relatives, the first-time-filmmaker sobbed during different scenes.
Patterson’s murder was one of many to occur prior to the slew of highly publicized killings of unarmed young black males. An empathetic Laub gives insight to the Patterson family’s grief. “They were frustrated that no one seemed to care that their son was killed,” says Laub. “It was hard to see that no one was paying attention. His story was unfortunately one of many that didn’t get covered.”
“This is happening everywhere,” adds Laub, a recipient of the Nikon Storyteller Award and the Aaron Siskind Foundation Fellowship. “It feels like we’re in a national crisis, but people are starting to pay attention.”
Southern Rites also followed the election campaign for Calvin Burns, a 24-year-veteran of law enforcement, to become the first black sheriff. The support from Burns’ family and various members of the community provided a visual antithesis for the boiling race matters present in the town and film.
As Laub was searching for partners to help support Southern Rites, a close friend of hers showed a “sizzle reel” to Grammy-and-Oscar-winning performer John Legend and Lady Gaga’s former manager-turned-entrepreneur Troy Carter. Both were impressed by Laub’s trailer, so they became two of the film’s executive producers.
Grammy-winning producer Alex Da Kid also signed on as an executive producer. Southern Rites is the first project produced by Legend’s production company, Get Lifted Films, and Carter’s company, Atom Factory.
Legend even contributed an original song, “We Still Believe.” “It was a special experience to have people just as passionate and who care about this film,” says Laub. “Everything in life is timing. I needed a way to tell this story in all of its complexities, and film was the best medium for that.”
Filmmaking was a challenge for Laub. Originally studying comparative literature at University of Wisconsin – Madison, Laub thinks Southern Rites is a low budget movie. She then speaks about making the transition from still photography to moving pictures. “I learned from a lot of mistakes really,” she says resting comfortably on her right leg.
“Still photography is a different muscle you’re using. You’re trying to tell a story in one image. In film, you’re dealing with so many more elements. It was an overwhelming amount of technical stuff to learn.” Laub’s time and dedication in middle and south Georgia was time well spent.
Southern Rites has morphed from a film project into both a photography book and feature exhibit at New York’s Benrubi Gallery. She is proud of the final product(s) and having HBO support it. Laub actually struggled with the title Southern Rites during production.
People interrogated Laub about why she decided to go back-and-forth to make Southern Rites. She credits the town’s young people for motivating her. Laub’s face illuminated anytime one of them called her multiple times on her iPhone en route to the Atlanta premiere.
“For everything, it starts on a local level,” urges Laub. “That’s where change really happens. The students and kids gave me so much hope. That’s what kept me coming back.”
Southern Rites, in essence, is a story that reflects race in contemporary America. Laub hopes viewers, regardless of differences, will come away from the film asking questions about what they can do to make society better.
“This is an American story on a macro level,” she says. “There are no easy answers here. You come out with more questions, but it’s important to keep questioning.”
Southern Rites premiered on Mon., May 18 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO. Check local listings for air times. The exhibit at Benrubi Gallery runs from May 14 – June 27, 2015.
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
The local news media in Salvador, the capital of the Northeastern state of Bahia, are reporting that heavy rains that began on April 26, have led to flooding and mudslides in the capital city. Due to the amount of rain, landslides have caused the deaths of 21 people.
The rain began last month and has not subsided. On April 29, 2015, The Rio Times‘ Jay Forte reported “265 incidents, including 147 landslides, 17 floods and 21 collapses of buildings and walls.” At that point, the death toll was 15 people. That number has risen to 21 as of today.
Some residents that live in 10 areas designated as flood risk zones have been asked by the government to evacuate. In some areas, schools have been closed.
Some families have placed large garbage bags out of their windows so that the rain bypasses their homes, many of which are built on sand. The Northeast is currently in the midst of its rain season.
Conversely, the Southeast part of the country (Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) is suffering through the worst drought in nearly a century.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog, the Burton Wire. She is currently reporting from Salvador in Bahia. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Atlanta Jazz Festival is returning for its 38th year this coming Memorial Day Weekend. Held outdoors in midtown’s Piedmont Park, the three-day extravaganza will feature a variety of performers spanning the globe that promise to stretch the boundaries of America’s oldest and purest form of black music.
Performers slated to take one of the three stages include guitarist and pianist Stanley Jordan, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, vocalist Diane Schuur, Cuban pianist and bandleader Alfredo Rodriguez, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, bassist Thundercat and pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra among others.
Female performers Kathleen Bertrand, Julie Dexter, Rhonda Thomas and Terry Harper will pay tribute to the “High Priestess of Soul” Nina Simone on the main stage on Sunday afternoon.
This year also marks a new partnership between Atlanta Jazz Festival and the iconic Blue Note Records. To celebrate this development, Saturday’s main stage is being headlined by Blue Note recording artists Marcus Strickland and his band, Twi Life, drummer Otis Brown III and Grammy-winning composer and bassist Derrick Hodge.
Following the daytime activities are two late night concerts at Park Tavern, adjacent to the Piedmont Park stages. Trumpeter Russell Gunn is putting on a tribute to Miles Davis Friday night while sought after drummer Lil’ John Roberts and his All Star Jam Band will grace the stage the following evening.
Atlanta Jazz Festival sets out to entertain diverse fans of jazz and to educate future generations of jazz musicians. The city builds momentum for the festive weekend with “31 Days of Jazz,” which features youth band competitions, film screenings, venue crawls and performances spanning the entire metro Atlanta community.
Atlanta Jazz Festival will take place from May 22-24, 2015. Click here for a full schedule of events.
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the BurtonWire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
