NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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The body of Ivanice Harris, the Portland woman who went missing in Hawaii while celebrating her birthday, was found nude on a beach Monday.

RELATED: Portland Woman Goes Missing in Hawaii While Celebrating Birthday

Harris, who was in Waikiki celebrating her 29th birthday, was last seen by her friends last Thursday outside of a bar speaking with a man. Harris worked as a traveling escort and advertised in various online publications, reports The Oregonian. Jillian Gibides, one of the women Harris was traveling with, also reportedly told a local Hawaii newspaper that Harris worked as a prostitute.

The Oregonian reports:

Harris has a criminal record in Oregon for theft and tampering with evidence but no prostitution convictions. But both Harris and Gibides have an extensive footprint on escort websites. While early reports about her disappearance indicated that Harris was simply vacationing in Hawaii, she and Gibides appeared in a joint ad on May 11th marketing their services together in Waikiki Beach. Both women had posted previous escort ads in Hawaii over the last year, including one in April 2012 in which Harris explicitly stated money “exchanged is strictly for my quality time.”

Police in Hawaii declined to confirm whether Harris was working as an escort. Harris’ family confirmed her death on a Facebook page they set up to help find her. They are also seeking financial help to bring Harris’ body home.

Ivanice’s body was the body found in Hawaii yesterday. Ivanice’s family would like to THANK everyone for their support throughout these last five days and would also like time to be in peace alone w/ no calls, texts, emails, or visits at this moment. They truly are appreciative of everyones outpouring of support NATIONWIDE.

Harris’ remains were found in a brushy area on a beach in Wai’anae, which is a 50-minute drive from the bar where she was last seen alive. Honolulu homicide detectives are investigating the case. No cause of death has been determined and police have not named any suspects.

Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, said Harris had family and friends who loved her.

“Our thoughts and our prayers go out to her family. She did not deserve this. She has a mother and sister who were looking for her. Whatever her profession does not negate the fact that she was missing,” said Wilson. “Sex trafficking is a big issue here in the United States.”

According to a study from Shared Hope International, the average age that minor children in America enter the sex trade is 12 to 14 years old. Many of the victims are runaway girls who have suffered sexual abuse as a child.

“So by the time that they’re Ivy’s age, they really feel that they lack any choices to do anything else. They don’t have any job skills; they don’t have any formal education or training,” Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery Executive Director Kathryn Xian told KHON 2.

Pimps lead the women to believe that they will protect them and that they will be safe but nothing could be further from the truth.

“It’s highly violent. It places the girl and woman at risk on a daily basis for sex assault, physical violence and emotional, spiritual, and mental trauma,” Xian said.

Wilson said Harrison’s case should serve as a warning. More and more, Wilson said, the Black and Missing Foundation is dealing with young girls who run away from home only to end up being sex trafficked.

“If Ms. Harris was an escort, we want this to be an example to our young girls and women that this is a dangerous occupation,” said Wilson.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Ivanice Harris

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: May 18, 1985
Missing Date: May 16, 2013
Age Now: 29
Missing City: Waikiki
Missing State: Hawaii
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 125
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Harris was last seen at 2:15 a.m. on Thursday talking with a man outside a bar in Waikiki.

RELATED: Portland Woman Goes Missing in Hawaii While Celebrating Birthday

Circumstances of Disappearance: Harris, 29, who is from Portland, was visiting Hawaii to celebrate her birthday. She was last seen by her friends talking to a man outside of a bar.

Friend Jillian Gibides said she pulled up to the area in a cap and saw Harris outside of the bar.

“When I had gotten out and came around the cab, I looked back over and didn’t see her, so I just figured, okay. She’ll just call me when she needs to,” said Gibidies who told HawaiiNewsNow that she considered Harris to be a sister.

Friends and family say it is unusual for Harris to go this long without contacting family.

“The last message we have from her is a text message to our mom on Wednesday,” Harris’ sister Holley Watson told the Oregonian. “She was having a good time. She went to breakfast [on Wednesday]. She went to the beach in the afternoon and she seemed to be extremely happy and enjoying herself.”

Harris’ mother said they spoke regularly.

“Every single day. She and I talk every single day. And I hadn’t heard from her,” said Harris’ mother, Patricia Harris. “And I said okay, she didn’t text me back. That’s when I got the text from her boyfriend, but she was having a great time.”

“I know her, and I know her well enough that this is not normal,” said Gibides. “And on her birthday?”

Harris had recently enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College. Her family has launched a Facebook page to bring attention to the case. They are also trying to raise money to hire a private investigator.

“I’m just hoping that somebody can tell us anything, you know. I just want her to come home, call, give us something to go on at this point,” said her sister, Ivesha Harris.

Last Seen Wearing: A red-orange, long-sleeve sweater and long blue denim pants.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Ivanice Harris contact CrimeStoppers in Honolulu at (808) 955-8300 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

SEE ALSO: Ct. University Student Who Planned to Pursue Doctorate In Psychology Still Missing

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Evelyn Gunter

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 1966
Missing Date: March 10, 2013
Age Now: 47
Missing City: Detroit
Missing State: Michigan
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’7″
Weight: 170
Hair Color: Brown
Hair Length: Short
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Evelyn Gunter was last seen at her residence by her grandson at approximately 6 p.m.

SEE ALSO: Ct. University Student Who Planned to Pursue Doctorate In Psychology Still Missing

Circumstances of Disappearance: Gunter had just come home from running errands and was dressed to go out.

She left the home and never returned.

Gunter’s adult children say she would never leave for a significant period of time without informing her family. In addition, Gunter had recently welcomed a new grandchild who was just 4 days old at the time of her disappearance.

Adding further to the family’s concerns is that Gunter’s bank account was flush with cash after receiving a 401K deposit and paycheck from General Motors. And then Gunter’s daughter received an odd text from her mother a couple of days later. According to the text, Gunter told her family she was visiting friends in Chicago.

“I know that wasn’t her texting me. Things weren’t spelled right and she doesn’t have any friends in Chicago,” Gunter’s daughter told WXYZ.com News.

Gunter’s car was found outside of a Detroit bar called “Club Celebrity.” There are also unconfirmed reports that a credit card was found near Gunter’s car. Money may have also been taken from Gunter’s account.

The Gunter family believes something terrible may have happened to their matriarch because she was a reliable and steady employee at GM and close with her children and grandchildren.

The family is pleading for the public to provide any detail they can think might help in the case.

Last Seen Wearing: Unknown.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Scar by right eye; C-section scar.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Evelyn Gunter should call Detroit Police at (313) 267-4600 or contact the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

SEE ALSO: Police Search For Missing Las Vegas Man, Truck Discovered Abandoned

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Alyssiah Marie Wiley

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 1993
Missing Date: April 20, 2013
Age Now: 20
Missing City: Willimantic
Missing State: Connecticut
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’6″
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: Yes

Location Last Seen: Wiley was last seen on the Eastern Connecticut State University campus.

SEE ALSO: Foundation That Has Helped Locate 113 Missing To Host Fund-Raiser

Circumstances of Disappearance: According to reports, Wiley was last seen near a Dairy Queen on the university’s campus. According to Wiley’s mother, Corrina Martin, her daughter was a sophomore Psychology major who had plans to pursue her doctorate in the field.

Martin described her daughter as a “brilliantly bright young woman who has her whole life ahead of her” who would not want to “put her family through this much grief.”

“She has her family who wants her home. She has friends who wants her home,” Martin told News 8. “We need your help. We need for anybody who knows something, and I know there’s someone out there who does, to come forward.”

Police do have some leads in the case, including locating the car, a 2009 Nissan Altima, four-door sedan with tinted windows and Connecticut license plate number 297-ZOY, linked to the investigation.

But authorities still need more help to find Wiley.

There has been no activity on her cell phone or credit cards.

“We do have some information, but we are missing that one piece,” Lt. Paul Vance said at a press conference. “No matter how small you might think your information is, that little piece may help us move the investigation to the next level.”

Martin reiterated the plea on her daughter’s behalf.

“Please find it in your heart to open up your mouth and speak. Anything is better than nothing. Please help us bring our loved one, our baby home,” said Martin.

Last Seen Wearing: Unknown.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Alyssiah Marie Wiley call the Missing Person Clearinghouse at (860) 685-8190 or by texting it to CRIMES (274-637) with the heading TIP711 plus a message. You may also contact the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

A Facebook page has also been set up for Wiley.

SEE ALSO: Police Search For Missing Las Vegas Man, Truck Discovered Abandoned

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Kael Johnson

Case Type: Endangered, Other
Date of Birth: February 1, 1977
Missing Date: February 15, 2013
Age Now: 36
Missing City: Las Vegas
Missing State: Nevada
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 240
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Short
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Johnson was last seen on February 15th at approximately 11 p.m. driving a silver 2004 Dodge Ram truck bearing the North Carolina tags AAX2312.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Johnson’s truck (pictured below) was recovered on February 28th at Wetlands Park, 7050 Wetlands Park Nature Preserve.

Last Seen Wearing: Unknown.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Kael Johnson is aksed to call Las Vegas Police at (702) 828-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555. You may also contact the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

Now, Natalie and Derrica Wilson (pictured from left), co-founders of the Black and Missing Foundation, need your help.

In an effort to continue raising money to continue their important work, the Black and Missing Foundation is hosting its first 5k run/walk fund-raiser on May 25th in Ft. Washington, Md.

SEE ALSO: Yes, Black Women Can Get Along

The Hope Without Boundaries 5k, presented by the National Child Identification Program, will allow Natalie and Derrica to continue to help African Americans find their missing loved ones safe and sound. And even in cases where the news is not good, they still are able to provide families with some sense of closure so they aren’t left forever wondering what happened to their loved one.

The work they do is invaluable to those whose loved one has just gone missing, especially since the statistics are discouraging.

While Blacks only make up 13 percent of the country’s population, they make up more than 33 percent of those reported missing in the FBI’s database. According to the National Crime Information Center, there were almost 30,000 active missing persons cases in the country.

Blacks make up almost 12,000 of those cases or about 40 percent. Of the 173 Amber alerts in 2010, 30 percent were for African-American children.

After seeing the lack of attention that some missing African Americans receive in the media, Natalie and Derrica have set out to make change. Using Derrica’s law enforcement background and Natalie’s public relations and marketing background, the two women, along with countless volunteers, have been able to put African-American missing cases front and center.

“Through our personal funding and donations we maintain an online clearinghouse. In addition, we provide support to the families of the missing with flyer distribution, financial support, victim recovery, and burial service assistance,” said Natalie Wilson.

Since launching in 2008, the Black and Missing Foundation has helped locate 113 missing people of color. Seventy-one of those who have been located were found alive.

They’ve also been able to bring attention to the cases of missing African Americans by serving as spokespeople on news programs such as CNN.

But they need our support to keep on going.

“Black and Missing Foundation Inc. is hosting its first annual ‘Hope Without Boundaries’ 5K Run to bring awareness to missing persons of color and honor National Missing Children’s Day. We believe that awareness is vital in finding our missing or providing much needed closure for their families.,” said Derrica Wilson.

Testimonials, like this one from Goldia Coldon, whose daughter, Phoenix, went missing in 2011, show the important work the Black and Missing Foundation is accomplishing:

When my daughter, Phoenix Coldon, did not come home and had not called on Monday, December 19, 2011, after leaving our driveway on the previous afternoon (Sunday, December 18, 2011), I called several local television stations to get her face and missing situation before the local population. I had absolutely no success. I then designed my own flyer with pictures of Phoenix as well as her physical description and description of her vehicle that she was driving. I put that flyer on my personal Facebook page and sent it to everyone on my e-mail list.

Someone down the line gave Phoenix’s information to the Black and Missing Foundation that I had never heard about. Derrica Wilson called me, offered her assistance, and changed the entire process. She and Natalie designed a more professional flyer, listed Phoenix on their website, contacted not only local television stations but national stations and newspapers, and talked with me for hours while I talked about my beautiful Phoenix. They even just held the phone while I cried, sobbed, blew my nose, and cried some more.

I love both of them and am grateful beyond words for their help. I hope to meet them one day and give them a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. We have not found Phoenix yet, but I am more confident that we will find her soon as a result of the exposure that was afforded to Phoenix by the Black and Missing Foundation.

So if you want to be a part of the solution, visit the Hope Without Boundaries 5K site for more information. Check out the video below and see how the Black and Missing Foundation helped to find missing teen Mishell Green.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Daza Smith

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 1998
Missing Date: April 2, 2013
Age Now: 15
Missing City: Irondequoit
Missing State: New York
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5-4
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Medium
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: She was last seen walking towards East Ridge Road and Seneca Avenue near the Irondequoit and the city border.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Police say 15-year-old Daza Smith, of Fairport, N.Y. had an appointment with her mother at an office complex in Irondequoit. Police say Smith was looking to visit friends that live in the city, but no one has seen or heard from her.

Last Seen Wearing: She was last seen wearing a black jacket with a green scarf.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Daza Smith, please contact the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Tayonna Dody

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 2000
Missing Date: March 26, 2013
Age Now: 13
Missing City: Detroit
Missing State: Michigan
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Light
Height: 4-11
Weight: 150
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Tayonna was last seen at 11:30 p.m. at her home in the 11100 block of Rosemary, near Gratiot and Conner on the city’s east side.

Circumstances of Disappearance: They believe she disappeared between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. on March 26. Her mother discovered her missing when she went to wake the teenager up for school. Now family is frantically trying to find the young girl. They say she has never left home like this before.

“I want the city of Detroit to help us please locate my granddaughter,” Shirley Walker told myFoxDetroit.com. “When I say the city that means she can be anywhere – east side, west side, north Detroit, down river. I just need your help to find my granddaughter and bring her home.”

Other relatives sent out a message of love to the teen.

“Tayonna, ain’t nobody mad at you,” said her aunt, Melissa Walker. “We just want you to come home.”

Last Seen Wearing: Unknown.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of  Tayonna Dody please contact the Detroit  Police at (313) 596-1340, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or the Black and Missing Foundation’s Confidential Tip Line.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Latrice Maze

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 1987
Missing Date: March 19, 2013
Age Now: 26
Missing City: Grand Rapids
Missing State: Michigan
Case Number: 13-29171
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 125
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Medium
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Maze was last seen near the corner of Division St. and Burton St. in Grand Rapids around noon on March 19th.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Maze, the Mother of five, including an infant, was reported missing, after she failed to pick her daughter up from school.

Maze is known for cooking delicious breakfasts of eggs, bacon, and pancakes for her family and they are desperate to find her.

“I miss her. I want her to come home,” Maze’s mother, Wanda Rose, told Fox 17. ”Her family miss her. Her kids miss her. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I want my baby back. If anybody got her, please, please let her come home.”

Maze’s dad, Julius Jackson, feels the same.

“She’s always smiling,” said Jackson. ”You don’t know if anything’s going on with her because that’s the way she is. She keeps a smile going on.”

Especially missing her mom his Maze’s 7-year-old daughter, Renea.

“I always pray [that] my mom is alive,” said the girl.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: A tattoo with a small heart on upper right buttock.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Latrice Maze, please contact the Grand Rapids Police Department at (616) 456-3400 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Leon Allan Addison

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 1983
Missing Date: September 5, 2012
Age Now: 30
Missing City: Durham
Missing State: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Complexion: Dark
Height: 5’10″
Weight: 165
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Short
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Near Glen Falls Lane in southern Durham.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Leon went for a walk without taking his cell or wallet and never returned.

Last Seen Wearing: A black polo shirt, blue jeans, a black baseball cap, and black-and-white sneakers with red laces.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Leon has close cut hair and a beard. He has two tattoos on his neck – one says “blessed” and the other is the astrological symbol for Scorpio. He also has tattoos on his hands.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of  Addison should contact police at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29336, (919) 560-4427 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Tiara Moore

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 2000
Missing Date: March 05, 2013
Age Now: 13
Missing City: Detroit
Missing State: Michigan

Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 4-11
Weight: 100
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Police say Tiara Moore was last heard from on March 5th around 11 a.m., when she made contact with a family member via text message while on the 12100-block of Stringham Ctr. There has been no communication with the missing 13-year-old since that time.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown.

Last Seen Wearing: She was last seen wearing a pink sweatshirt with a hood, a thin black jacket, and pierced ears.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: She has braided brown hair with curly ends.

If you’ve seen Tiara Moore or have information regarding her whereabouts, please contact Detroit Police at (313) 596-1340 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

NewsOne honors the GAME CHANGERS: Everyday heroes whose actions make life better for the people around them. SEE ALL OUR GAME CHANGERS HERE.

Byron Patrick Hurt

Place of Residence: New Jersey

Why He’s a Game Changer: Hurt’s documentary “Soul Food Junkies” takes a serious look at the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, pigs’ feet and salty pork-seasoned collard greens that many of us grew up on and asks an important question: Is our culture killing us?

SEE ALSO: Whitney Houston: FBI Files Reveal Singer Had Been Threatened, Blackmailed

In a way, you can argue that that’s the theme of much of Hurt’s work. His previous film, “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” examines misogyny, homophobia, and sexism in hip-hop.

“I’d say I’m trying to make the culture better and stronger and challenge people to think critically about their culture,” said Hurt.

The food that our forebearers ate and then passed down to us holds an important place in our hearts. It links us to the past. But what happens when it exacerbates already high rates of diabetes and heart disease?

“Slaves did what they needed to do to survive and make it through harsh times,” Hurt told KQED.  “Then that way of cooking got passed down from generation to generation. And today there is a reluctance to let go of the vestiges of the way of life of our forefathers and foremothers, even though things have changed: foods are now processed and full of chemicals and we’re not as active as previous generations.”

Dick Gregory calls soul food “death food” in the documentary.

But does that mean letting go of those traditions entirely? Not necessarily.

Not every soul food dish has to be cooked in grease. Deep fried chicken can become oven fried chicken. Greens can be cooked with turkey as opposed to ham hocks. A variety of herbs can season food well and replace the need for a slathering of salt. Isn’t a side of collard greens better than the greasy Chinese fast food I see so many kids scoffing down? Or what about all the processed food I see loaded into the shopping carts of black and brown shoppers at the supermarket?

And don’t forget that in many predominately minority areas, it’s easier to buy a 40 ounce than 40 ounces of fresh vegetables.

Hurt uses his own family as an example of how food choices can affect your life.:

It was my sister who set the first example in my family, when she changed to a plant-based diet and I saw how healthy she looked. I had started to gain weight in my late 20s and early 30s. I realized that not being involved in athletics anymore [Hurt was a football quarterback in college], I couldn’t continue to eat and eat and eat the same way I had been. So I changed my diet and lost weight and felt better. My mom was more open than my father. She was a nurturer. She changed the way she cooked because she wanted to make us happy.

Hurt’s dad resisted and died at an early age due to pancreatic cancer. He was overweight and in poor health when he came down with the disease.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to food activist and eco-chef Bryant Terry:

When people say African-American cuisine, they think it’s synonymous with Soul Food, the deep-fried fatty meats like fried chicken and sugary desserts like red velvet cake — which used to be just for holidays and celebrations. I’m not necessarily trying to discard those completely but get people to recognize these are only a part of our food ways. Things have changed over the past 40 to 50 years. My grandparents had an urban farm. They grew vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Any dietician would tell you we should all be eating more fruit and vegetables. Somehow growing food has taken on the meaning of being backward and just country folk. But it is vital to our society.

That’s why Hurt sees the film as part of a larger, important conversation about food and health and social justice. He tells NPR:

And so, you know, the point with my film is not to throw the entire tradition out, you know, in the trash, but it’s really to say we can continue to enjoy our great tradition if we change the way we prepare it and the way that we cook it — to make modifications, and that’s really what the film is suggesting.

But we also have to pay attention to some other larger food issues that are affecting our community too — like the fast food industry and processed food, you know, that is so easily accessible and readily accessible in our neighborhoods.

So, you know, while the film uses soul food as a jumping off point, it’s a much bigger conversation about food and our relationship to food as a community, which may be a factor in what’s making us so sick.

Check out this hilarious clip from “Soul Food Junkies,” where Hurt runs in to a little Southern Hospitality wrapped in pigs’ feet and turkey necks:

SEE ALSO: Empowered Father Helps Dads Take Care Of Kids

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Terrilynn Monette

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: January 1, 1987
Missing Date: March 2, 2013
Age Now: 26
Missing City: Lakeview
Missing State: Louisiana
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Light
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 180
Hair Color: Brown
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

SEE ALSO: Car Jacked Missouri Baby Harmony Blue Found Safe

Location Last Seen: Parlay’s Bar in the 800 block of Harrison Avenue about 3:30 a.m. Monette was last seen sleeping in her black two-door 2012 Honda Accord with the Louisiana license plate WUN494 in the rear parking lot Saturday about 5 a.m.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Police said Monette told her friends she was going to sleep in her car, because she had just consumed alcohol, before driving home. Police said she was seen in the parking lot with an unidentified man about 4 a.m.

Monette was a 2nd grade teacher who moved from California a year ago. The 26-year-old would never disappear without warning, say family and friends.

“Absolutely not, absolutely not,” said Sheryl Bennett, Terrilyn’s aunt.  “This is not like her at all, not even a phone call.”

Her mother, Toni Enclade, said she’s in regular contact with her daughter.

“I talk to her daily, sometimes several times a day,” Enclade added. “It just doesn’t make sense and we are worried sick.”

The young woman had just been nominated for teacher of the year and may have been out celebrating.

“I absolutely do not regret my decision to move out here,” Monnette said in a YouTube video from 2011. “Becoming a teacher in New Orleans is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”

Monette’s disappearance has sparked wild, unsubstantiated rumors that the Russian Mob may have been involved. Police had to put out a statement to quell the nonsense.

“We cannot substantiate this rumor,” said Officer Frank Robertson, an spokesman for the NOPD, “there are no prudent facts or evidence to support this claim. We are in in touch with other local law enforcement agencies and the federal authorities to make them aware of this hoax.”

Last Seen Wearing: She was last seen wearing a pink and yellow sweater with blue jeans.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: She has a tattoo on her left leg.

If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Terrilynn Monette, please contact police at (504) 821-2222 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential tip line.

SEE ALSO: N.C. Teen Leaves Home To Meet Someone, Never Returns

Reuben Jones

Place of Residence: Philadelphia

Why He’s a Game Changer: Jones was in prison serving a 15-year sentence when he fought for and won custody of his son. When he got out of prison, he started Frontline Dads because he knew how important it was for men to take responsibility for their children.

SEE ALSO: Rodman Declares Love For Kim Jung Un — For Three Hours

“Many times men will say it’s too late to be a Father to their children. Well, it’s never too late. No matter what, every child, every human being wants to be connected to where they came from,” Jones told the Examiner.

Frontline Dads helps men develop communication skills to better guide their children. The group is also targeting young kids who are on the verge of getting in trouble. The goal is to keep those young people from becoming involved with the criminal justice system.

And that’s obviously a difficult task.

Young people are more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system if they have parents or close relatives who have been incarcerated.

“If we are not there to teach our children and be role models, then you better believe that there will be someone on the corner who will. Only they will teach them about stick-ups and dope packages.

“Boys need men to teach them how to be men.

“If they only have negative role models, then that will be their frame of reference. They will think that negative role model is what a man is supposed to be.”

Jones was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Black Male Engagement Project of the Knight Foundation and Open Society Foundation to continue his important work.

Jones originally filed his petition in prison because he wasn’t allowed to see his son, but even when he started seeing his son, he realized there was a lot he didn’t know. Parenting classes helped and Jones realized there were so many men like him out there.

“Some men coming out of jail have never even seen the child they are trying to connect with. They have to understand the anger and resentment that child has. They have to understand the emotional and spiritual needs of that child,” Jones said.

Jones is also a poet. Watch him spit some words below:

SEE ALSO: Pistorius Dad Hit for ‘Racist’ Gun Comment

Iesha Sekou

Place of Residence: New York City

Why She’s a Game Changer: Sekou is on the front lines, trying to prevent gang and gun violence on the streets of New York City and Harlem where she lives, but Sekou is not just one of the activists that you see at the press conference denouncing violence after someone’s been shot and killed.

SEE ALSO: Biden Leads ‘Bloody Sunday’ Civil Rights March

Instead, with her group, Street Corner Resources, Sekou, 55, is engaging young people by helping them to express themselves through various media, such as producing their own radio show, newspapers, and music.

And Sekou has turned her young charges into activists, helping them to lobby at the New York statehouse and in Washington, D.C., for everything from changes to the gun laws to funding for programs to help young people.

Sekou has been working with young people in one capacity or another for three decades now, but Street Corner Resources started in 2007, after two 13-year-olds were shot to death in Harlem in quick succession.

“I said we have to educate kids, find out what they like, and use that to get them to think about their behavior and its consequences,” Sekou said in an interview with NewsOne.

Sekou has seen the cycle before: Kids who grow up in homes where there is not sufficient parental guidance tend to influence their peers with negative behavior. Some of that behavior, such as violence as a response to minor conflict and drug use, is gleaned from their environment and even music where some artists talk about being “high all the time” and putting the “chrome to your skull.”

“The young person who pulls the trigger is promoted by a circle of young people before they ever  pull the trigger. They have to shoot to resolve conflict to keep a reputation among those people.

“There is a culture around having a reputation and maintaining it, but it’s fake.

“When they get arrested and are behind bars and facing 25 years to life, they cry, they have nightmares, and they wish they could bring the person back.”

The effort comes in showing that young person a different route, said Sekou.

“We try to help them create a new circle of influence of people producing music, graduating from high school, going to college, and getting training,” said Sekou. “They represent peace in the street and when other kids see it, they want to be involved. They are the pied pipers, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Sekou is also using her influence to make larger change. After the shooting at Newtown, Sekou got a call from Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s office. The governor was assembling ideas on ways to help end gun violence. Sekou talked about mental health, the private sale of guns, closing the gun show loophole, and updating firearms. Some of her thoughts were used as Cuomo formulated changes to New York’s gun laws in the form of the SAFE Act, which he recently signed into law.

“I was happy to get the call,” said Sekou.

Sekou tries to remain optimistic, but it’s tough. Recently, she met a Mother who said she had lost her 17-year-old son. Sekou assumed the teen had been killed, but the mother surprised her when she said he was alive and serving life in prison because he had taken someone else’s life. The woman was old enough to be Sekou’s daughter; the teen could have been her grandson.

“I’m optimistic, but it is happening all over the country. This is an epidemic we can no longer flip the channel on and say that’s happening in Chicago or Indianapolis. I get messages all day long about shooting across New York City,” said Sekou.

That’s why she plans to hang around and continue to influence the lives of young people in a positive way.

“I want to be there to answer the question or to resolve the conflict,” said Sekou.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Removes ‘Keep Calm And Hit Her’ T-Shirts From Site

Joseph Cole

Place of Residence: Nashville

Why He’s a Game Changer: Cole is mentoring young people who want to follow in his footsteps. As a high school student, Cole always wanted a career in the construction industry. His involvement in Nashville’s Architecture, Construction and Engineering Mentor (ACE) program led him to get a degree in Architecture from the University of Tennessee.

SEE ALSO: Black Girls Run Focuses On Women’s Health, ‘Preserving The Sexy’

While at college, Cole gave a glimpse of the contribution he planned to make in the future when he earned an award for improving diversity throughout the campus and was instrumental in reactivating a National Organization of Minority Architecture Students chapter.

At the same time, Cole was active in INROADS, which helps place minority and underserved youth in positions in business and industry.

“Volunteering gives our students, our youth role models,” said Cole. “It’s very rewarding for a volunteer, but it also pays huge dividends to our community.”

Cole secured a job at Thomas, Miller and Partners in Brentwood, Tenn., after graduation and continues to give back. He’s now a mentor at ACE, the  program that inspired him to pursue a career in architecture. He hopes to increase diversity in that field and serve as a role model to other young people.

“ACE serves the purpose to introduce students to design and construction-related career fields,” said Cole. “I volunteer with the students and provide them an everyday perspective of what architects do.”

Cole was acknowledged for his efforts with the 2013 Allstate Give Back Day Heroes award, which recognizes people who uphold the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Cole said being a recipient of the honor was “rewarding.”

“It shows that the time invested, the resources and exposure we give our youth, is paying off,” said Cole. “Dr. King inspired me to get involved with community service, because I have a responsibility as someone who has had others invest in me to invest in others who need help and opportunities.”

SEE ALSO: NASCAR’s First Black Woman Driver Begins Inspirational Journey

Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks

Why They Are Game Changers: Four out of five Black women are overweight or obese. Hicks and Carey  are out to change that. They launched Black Girls Run! (BGR!) as a blog to document their own experiences, but it turned into something that is now inspiring thousands of other women across the country to get out, exercise, and pursue better health. Carey told Black Enterprise:

SEE ALSO: NASCAR’s First Black Woman Driver Begins Inspirational Journey

One of the things that sparked this whole conversation was when I first started running, I called my mom and said, ‘Hey, I want to start running. I got these shoes, they are dope,’ and she says, ‘Black girls don’t run.’ Just like that. ‘It’s something White people do.’ ‘Really, Mom? That’s racist,’ was my response.  She would say things like ‘your uterus is going to fall out,’ which is a myth, and that was why women couldn’t run marathons until the ’60s. That all led to the creation of Black Girls Run!

What started out as a way to dispel the myths about hair and other impediments to getting Black women moving has turned into a movement.

There are more than 67 Black Girls Run! groups around the country, and the women have thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook.

One of the group’s mantras is “Preserve the Sexy.”

“We’re really changing how people see beauty, how we see health and fitness and all of these things — beauty from the inside out,” said Hicks.

And the effect that the group is having on women across the country is amazing.

“The majority of Black women will take care of their kids, other people’s kids, and family members,” said Janelle Alexander, BGR! Atlanta member told ESPN. “We are the last ones to be taken care of. BGR! allows me to take care of myself.”

SEE ALSO: Community Coordinator Helps Unemployed Find Jobs While Helping Local Entrepreneurs Grow Businesses

Tia Norfleet

Place of Residence: Virginia

Why She’s a Game Changer: It’s usually a diss to say a woman is fast but in Norfleet’s case, it is a compliment like no other. That’s because Norfleet is the first African-American woman to be licensed as a driver for NASCAR.

SEE ALSO: CEO Makes Difference In At-Risk Youth Against All Odds

Norfleet, daughter of racing veteran Bobby Norfleet, made her debut in August. Earlier this month, she started in the ARCA racing series, which serves as a stepping stone to the major NASCAR events. Wouldn’t it be great if Norfleet was in the pole position one day like trailblazer Danica Patrick was Sunday for the Daytona 500?

Patrick finished 8th, the highest finishing spot for a woman. Norfleet has aspirations to smash records one day.

I have been inspired by her a lot,” Norfleet told Reuters about Patrick. Danica has shown that as a female we can hang with the boys. We can do it just as well as anyone else can….She is motivation for me to get out there, do good, and give it my all while knowing that I don’t have to back down because I am a female. It makes me work even harder.

Norfleet started racing in a battery-powered Barbie car that her dad souped up, because his young daughter had a need for speed. Norfleet says she drove the car until “the wheels fell off.” Norfleet’s love from the sport just grew from there and she knew she wanted to race for a living by the age of 14.

Now that she has started on her path to success, Norfleet wants to inspire others. She has a literacy foundation called “Driven2Read.” She tells Reuters:

That’s my main goal — to motivate young girls of all colours, all races and all creeds, and to let them know that you don’t have to go out and do something that is immoral or not right….I want them to know you can be positive and you can achieve things. When people tell you you can’t do something, I just want to motivate them to be all that they can be…I’m all about empowerment and, at the same time, I want to grow into the woman that I want to be.

SEE ALSO: Community Coordinator Helps Unemployed Find Jobs While Helping Local Entrepreneurs Grow Businesses

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

                                                                                                —————————————
Dorien Jackson

Case Type: Endangered, Involuntary
Date of Birth: June 8, 1994
Missing Date: January 10, 2013
Age Now: 18
Missing City: High Point
Missing State: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Complexion: Light
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 140
Hair Color: Light brown
Hair Length: Long
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

SEE ALSO: Devoted Illinois Family Man Goes Missing After His Sister’s Death

Location Last Seen: Dorien was last seen on Penny Road in Jamestown, North Carolina. His bike was found on Penny Road at the back entrance of City Lake Park two weeks after his disappearance.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Dorien recieved a phone call Jan 10th at 12 midnight. He left the house with flannel pajama pants and a jacket and rode off on a bike as if he was going to meet someone. He left his computer, video game, and television on.

Betty Jackson, Dorien’s mother, is bewildered.

“He left out the door that night,” Betty Jackson said to the Thomasville Times. “I thought he was coming right back. He had fries in the toaster and a movie on. He didn’t take no clothes or anything. Somebody had called here just before he went out the door. I asked [his friend] if he came up there, and he said yes. He said [Dorien] left around one in the morning. Between here and there, nobody has seen him. Nobody has seen nothing.”

The family said the teen would sometimes leave home for a few days at a time but has never been gone this long. There’s been no activity on his Facebook page. The family has posted fliers but have had no luck for more than 40 days.

When Jackson’s bike was found, the family became even more worried.

“It’s scary when we found the bike, like for sure enough, something really did happen ’cause here is his bike, he wouldn’t leave the bike,” said Betty.

The park and the lake near where the bike was found have both been searched.

Now, the family is counting on the kindness of the public to help bring desperately needed answers.

“I want them, if they had seen anything, or heard anything, I would like for them to please let us know, because this is very hard on the family, and it’s very hard in waiting and not knowing and if anybody even knew anything about what happened to him, I pray and hope they will let us know,” said Betty.

Last Seen Wearing: Plaid pajama pants and black coat with cream lining. He is light skinned with very large Afro.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Multiple tattoos

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Dorien Jackson, please contact Detective D.K. Jones at (336) 641-5968 or (336) 641-3690 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.

SEE ALSO: New Orleans Business Owner Who Transformed Life Goes Missing

Chris Wilson

Place of Residence: Baltimore

SEE ALSO: Father Helps Young Men Be Better Dads

Why He’s a Game Changer: Wilson, a university student and an employee of Greater Homewood Community Corporation, started the Barclay Business School to help local entrepreneurs improve their businesses and to provide desperately needed employment.

While doing outreach, Wilson noticed a problem.

“A lot of people weren’t able to attain jobs or were falling out of the pipeline,” Wilson said.

And then he looked around the neighborhood and saw a handful of entrepreneurs that needed help. That’s when Wilson came up with the idea to connect the two groups. What if the unemployed and underemployed were able to help the entrepreneurs scale up their businesses?

“A lot of these local entrepreneurs needed things to develop their website, maybe consulting or things like how to secure contracts,” said Wilson.

In reaction, Wilson developed a social entrepreneur program and created a coalition of people to help business owners grow their businesses.

“Maybe everyone doesn’t want to start their own business, but they want to develop the skills to get a job,” said Wilson.

During a 12-week program, participants learn the skills needed to help grow a business. For example, a man with an upholstery business was helped to create an assembly line process that he could use to increase his business. The potential employees will be people from the neighborhood in need of work, and the more contracts the man acquires, the more people he can hire.

“By creating a new model that addresses the needs of Baltimore city’s large low-skilled population, [we] will not only serve as a benefit to businesses but to the community as well,” Wilson told the Grio. “The entrepreneurs also have an incentive because we work closely with them to develop their business models and access resources.”

For this great idea, Wilson, studying for a second Bachelor’s degree in business administration, was recognized by the Knight Foundation and Open Society Foundations as a part of its “Black Male Engagement“ Program.

It’s an idea that needs to spread across the country: It’s a breath of fresh air to see how chronic problems, such as unemployment, underemployment, and the struggles to be an entrepreneur, can be tackled if groups of people with like interests are connected.

“A lot of times, the solution to the problem is right there,” said Wilson. “This is a community that is helping itself.”

Check out Wilson talk more about his innovative project below:

SEE ALSO: CEO Makes Difference In At-Risk Youth Against All Odds

Christine Carter

Place of Residence: New Jersey

Why She’s a Game Changer: Christine Carter is the CEO of the Against All Odds Foundation, which provides educational programs and social services for at-risk youth, but she could be the organization’s charter member.

SEE ALSO: Jeff Friday, American Black Film Festival Founder, Tells Our Stories

As a child, Carter says her mother, a teen prostitute, traded her out for sex in order to get drugs. Her father was also a drug addict. At 5, left alone home with her infant brother, Carter took him to school with her. That’s when she became a part of the foster care system.

When she was 7, Carter’s mother died of complications from HIV/AIDS, and she began bouncing between foster homes and relatives who lived in the rugged housing projects of Newark, New Jersey. Facing abuse and neglect, Carter describes herself as the “residue of the 1980s crack era.”

“My childhood was one that no child should endure. I was physically abused, neglected, and literally left for dead,” Carter told TheBlackManCan.

But Carter refused to let the troubles of her early life define her.

“The adversity that I faced as a child prepared me for life’s greatest challenges. Growing up as an orphan compelled me to become a social worker and give back to those most vulnerable. If it were not for my childhood, I would not be where I am, nor would there be an Against All Odds Foundation,” Carter said.

It all started at her high school, where Carter had a teacher who took interest in her, tutored her and pushed her.

Despite working two jobs while also looking out for her younger brother, Carter made it to Norfolk State on a full scholarship, where she studied social work.

She began working in New Jersey child services, and at 24, she decided to start Against All Odds. Carter told Forbes about her motivation for starting her non-profit:

I think everyone is able to create change. I don’t think that some are chosen over others. For me, what drives me – Against All Odds echoes my life. Against All Odds is not a statement or a phrase. It’s a life and a movement of resilience. At the core, it’s not just a program. Growing up, I was an orphan, homeless, neglected, and academically disadvantaged. Now, I use my adversities to create systemic change in communities.

Now, Carter’s Against All Odds runs a community center and Newark Family Success Centers at one of the city’s public housing complexes. Her group helps raise student achievement and also helps parents learn the skills they need to be successful.

Carter has made sacrifices to help her agency grow. She took out a home equity loan to seed it and used her own funds to keep it going when budget cuts came. There were periods when she didn’t take a salary or have health insurance for the good of the organization.

“At times I call Newark the ‘Non-profits R Us’ because everybody wants to start one,” Rep. Donald Payne Jr. told Star-Ledger columnist Barry Carter (no relation) about Christine Carter. “But she’s different. She’s putting clothes on kids’ backs, making junkies go to rehab. She’s one of the few who does the work. When she says she’s on it, she’s on it.”

And despite all the big picture work she does, Carter still finds time to give back on a more personal level. Carter mentors a 16-year-old whose mother died and is helping Minnie Cuevas get her life on track.

“She gives me a sense of motivation,” Cuevas says. “She’s in tune with me and I’m in tune with her. I’m about action right now.”

That’s why Carter tells everyone that what she went through happened to her for a reason.

“This is God’s work,” she told a Newark church. “It’s the only plausible explanation for the hell I went through.”

Amen.

 SEE ALSO: Father Helps Young Men Be Better Dads

Jeff Friday

Why He’s a Game Changer: Jeff Friday, founder of the American Black Film Festival, boldly compares his work to that of a Historically Black College or University. Friday writes in Ebony:

Black film festivals work year-round to find new ways to help promote our stories and storytellers who too often remain marginalized. We rally to build a strong network within the industry, to grow the power base and the opportunities. Yet, our efficacy is often challenged: “What’s the relevance of Black film festivals?”

The same question is often asked of Black colleges. And across the board, it’s a level response: Underlying their respective missions is the goal of creating a supportive community. And let’s not fool ourselves – we can use all the support we can get!

SEE ALSO: Outdoor Enthusiast Connects African Americans To Nature, Great Outdoors

The mantra of Friday’s company, “Because Hollywoodn’t,” says it all. Friday sees the film festival as a way of uncovering marginalized story tellers. The festival, hosted in Miami, celebrated its 16th anniversary in 2012. The 5,500 attendees were more than double when the festival first launched.

This summer, the festival screened the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” The festival has provided an outlet for independent filmmakers as movie studios pursue a strategy of blockbusters, sequels, and super-hero movies.

“There are essentially two or three films a year, in the past three or four years – if you count them … that are either directed by or made for an African-American audience,” Friday told The Grio.

Given that the playing field has changed, Friday’s advice to Black filmmakers has also shifted. Instead of aiming solely for mainstream theatrical releases, Friday told The Grio he sees opportunities in television. New channels, such as Magic Johnson‘s Aspire, are looking for independent films. The American Black Film Festival has a show on the channel. There are also opportunities at places like HBO.

I think filmmakers have to recalibrate how they think about their film, [and ask] is it realistic that a big studio’s going to pick my film up and it’s going to be on 3,000 screens? Probably not. But can I come to ABFF and get in front of all the major networks that support us and get exposure and possibly get acquired by HBO or one of the other networks I mentioned?

The answer is yes.

So TV (and the Internet) are really the next frontier for independent film. The theatrical thing I think might just continue to be a challenge.”

And Friday wants the film festival to be there to help with those challenges.

“I think true artists have to stay on course,” he says. “Because art breaks through. Art breaks through all kind of biases; I truly believe that.”

SEE ALSO: Father Helps Young Men Be Better Dads

Andre Dandridge

Place of Residence: Detroit

Why He is a Game Changer: When Dandridge was a 21-year-old senior at the University of Michigan, he found out he was going to be a Father. He also found out that there weren’t many resources geared toward young Black men to help him prepare.

SEE ALSO: Outdoor Enthusiast Connects African Americans To Nature, Great Outdoors

“My first reaction to the news was not joy,” Dandridge told the Michigan Bulletin. “I knew the responsibility of being a Father was going to be a life-changing experience, and I didn’t want to be irresponsible.”

That’s when the idea for Dandridge’s group, New Young Fathers, came into being. He knew there were other young men out there who wanted to be good Fathers to their children but they likely did not have had the guidance and resources to help them do so.

According to the U.S. Census, approximately 50 percent of Black children are being raised in single family households where the Mother is the head.

African-American children living in  households headed by a single male account for only 3.5 percent of the total.

Now 39, and married with two children, Dandridge, a law school graduate, is hoping to help young men 25 and younger become better fathers.

Dandridge has used New Young Fathers to host meetings and workshops for young Fathers that deal with everything from anger management to parenting skills. The group has also produced DVDs and materials to help young Fathers. A rap CD with stories told from the perspective of young Dads was another successful project. The goal is to teach young men how to successfully manage their responsibilities in one of the most-important jobs in the world: fatherhood.

“When I found out I was going to be a Father, I had to make some conscious decisions about my behavior,” Dandridge said. “I soon found out that I couldn’t afford to buy both liquor and diapers.”

For his much-needed efforts, Dandridge was named a 2012 recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Black Male Engagement Project from the Knight Foundation and Open Society Foundation. The foundations spotlight Black men working to improve their communities.

There is no cavalry coming to save the day in Black communities in America. The answers we’re looking for reside right within the hearts, hands, and heads of community residents, Shawn Dove, campaign manager of the Open Society Foundation’s Campaign for Black Male Achievement, said in a statement. BME recognizes Black men and boys as assets to the community, not as problems to be solved, and we’re thrilled to be a partner in this strategy.

Dandridge will use the money to give in-depth workshops to young Fathers with the goal of connecting them to a local support network.

“They could be the toughest dope-selling young men, but in their hearts they want to do good for their children.” Dandridge said. “They want to do good and we pull that out of them.”

Check out one of the videos from New Young Fathers offering support and advice to the young Fathers here:

Rue Mapp

Place of Residence: Oakland

Why She’s a Game Changer: We’ve all heard the myths that surround Black folks and the Great Outdoors: “That stuff is for White people” or “I’ve never met anyone Black who is into hiking, camping, or nature.”

Rue Mapp is out to destroy those lies with her group, Outdoor Afro. She deserves to be a Game Changer for the name of the group alone, but wait, there’s more. Mapp uses social media to connect  African Americans with outdoor activities and to family and new friends. Health, both physical and mental, is also part of the equation. Mapp tells Bay Nature why she founded the organization:

I founded it in 2009 after some soul-searching about what I really cared about. There have been a few constants in my life: love of nature, the desire to connect in nature with people who look like me, and technology – when I was younger I was always on my Commodore 64! Later, I studied art history at UC Berkeley, which helped me to understand the power of visual representation to tell stories, to dispel the myth that African Americans don’t engage with the outdoors. And recently, social media has allowed me to connect with people in a more strategic way.

Mapp gained a love for the outdoors as a child when she would split time in Oakland and at her family’s working ranch. It was there that she connected to the outdoors and learned to fish and hunt.

Today, her blog has posts, such as “When Camping Goes Wrong,” and talks about fun outdoor activities like geocaching, which uses GPS to lead people on a fun scavenger hunt to new sites.  Mapp’s efforts are leading people to discover nature that they pass by every day but didn’t know exist. Mapp believes that there are a myriad of benefits to becoming reconnected with the outdoors.

“I consider recreation in natural settings as a form of “dating” the outdoors. I believe that repeated recreational experiences leads to a deeper relationship, passion, and eventual love for natural settings that are necessary to fuel curiosity….,” she told Sciencetopia.

Mapp has been invited to the White House to help with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” health initiative and President Barack Obama’s “America’s Great Outdoors” initiative to develop a conservation and recreational plan for the next century.

“Outdoor Afro has become a bridge to help me connect to many different communities that I never anticipated helping. It has given me a way to enjoy all the parts of who I am – nature lover, family person, technology geek – and get to do some good in this world,” said Mapp.

Check out Mapp below discussing what is known as Nature Deficit Disorder:

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

                                                                                                —————————————

Isaac Winifred Danyus

Date of Birth: August 20, 1950
Missing Date: September 27, 2012
Age Now: 62
Missing City: Waukegan
Missing State: Illinois
Case Number: 2388766
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 170
Hair Color: Gray
Hair Length: Medium
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: Yes

Location Last Seen: 2800 block of Dover Street in Waukegan, Ill.

SEE ALSO: New Orleans Business Owner Who Transformed Life Goes Missing

Circumstances of Disappearance: Danyus, 62, disappeared on September 27th, after helping to make funeral arrangements for his younger sister. Danyus’ family said he helped his 82-year-old mother prepare the arrangements after his sister died of lung cancer.

“We saw him on Wednesday (Sept. 26), when we made the arrangements,” his brother Charles Danyus told the Lake County News-Sun.

Danyus had breakfast with his wife and son the next day, but that was the last time Vicki Daynus saw her husband, she told NewsOne. He stopped answering his phone and wasn’t home when she returned. Issac Danyus also did not show up at his sister’s funeral.

“His clothes for the funeral were laid out just as he left them,” said Mrs. Danyus. “He hasn’t used any of our bank cards. I’ve checked the morgue and the homeless shelter and the police have nothing.”

The couple has been married for 38 years and he has never gone missing before, said Mrs. Danyus. Her husband is a truck driver.

Mrs. Danyus said her husband’s Chevrolet Blazer was found at an apartment complex near Washington Street and Greenleaf Avenue. Their only connection to the area was that their son lived in the apartment complex there two years ago.

“It looked like he just walked away,” said Mrs. Danyus. “There was no cell phone or no car keys in the car. Even his boss said he never misses work and this is not like Ike.”

“We can’t figure out why his truck was there,” his brother said.

The family did a door-to-door search of the apartment complex and searched a nearby wooded area. They even reached out to people from Danyus’ previous hometown with no luck.

Mrs. Danyus said her husband was less responsive than she expected after his sister died.

“He didn’t cry, he didn’t hug his mom whom he’s very close with like I would expect,” said Mrs. Danyus.

But the day he went missing, police still found a checklist of errands and other household chores that Danyus planned to accomplish that day.

Mrs. Danyus said her husband didn’t take any of his medicines or clothes.

With his 82-year-old mother dealing with the death of her daughter, Mrs. Danyus believes her husband would not have left on purpose and added an additional burden to his mother during a time of grief.

Mrs. Danyus worries that his sister’s death may have caused some sort of mental shock in Danyus, causing him to become confused and wander off.

Either way, she believes her husband is in danger.

“This is not like my husband. I’ve been with this man all my life. We are all having a hard time, his kid, his grandkids, his mom. We are taking it hard,” said Mrs. Danyus. “I just want to find him.”

Last Seen Wearing: Brown jacket

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Index finger on right hand shorter than index on left.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of  Isaac Winifred Danyus, please contact the Waukegan Police Department at (847) 599-2608 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confdential Tip Line.

SEE ALSO: Trio Vanishes On Way To Louisiana, Texas After Attending Funeral

This Black History Month, we honor the GAME CHANGERS: Everyday heroes whose actions make life better for the people around them.

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Kenneth Frazier

Place of Residence: New Jersey

Why he is a Game Changer: As the chief legal counsel for pharmaceutical giant Merck, Kenneth Frazier decided to try a series of cases individually for the painkiller Vioxx instead of as a large group. Vioxx was a drug Merck made that was found to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and the company was poised to lose enormous amounts of money in claims and legal issues.

Instead, Frazier’s unconventional and counter-intuitive move saved the drug company by limiting settlement costs, catapulting Frazier to his current position as the company’s CEO and the first African American to head a major pharmaceutical company.

SEE ALSO: Teen Chess Prodigy Smashes Record Books

Now as CEO, Frazier has yet to stop going against the grain. At a time when other giant pharmaceutical companies are bowing to the immense pressures of Wall Street and slashing billions from research and development to keep the bottom line looking healthy and issue dividend checks, Frazier has kept his research and development  division intact.

Instead of snagging drugs from other small companies, allowing them to bear the initial risks, Frazier has tried to keep Merck in the drug development game as original creators. While other companies slashed billions from their research and development budgets, Merck leads the industry with a gaudy $8 billion research and development budget.

Fierce Biotech writes:

With sales eroding, cost cuts help pump up earnings and finance dividends. It can help prop up stock prices (in theory, anyway), or at least buy time for a company to rebuild its product portfolio, one way or another.

Not Frazier. Soon after he took the reins, Frazier pulled the company’s earnings projections for 2013, saying he wanted Merck to focus on delivering long-term gains, not achieving short-term numbers. No “indiscriminate” cost-cutting for Merck. No worries about becoming pharma’s biggest research spender, with an $8 billion budget. “It isn’t we couldn’t cut costs enough to make long-term guidance,” he said at the time. “We couldn’t do that fast enough without sacrificing opportunities.”

The decision by Frazier represents an acknowledgement that short-term gains aren’t necessarily beneficial for long-term growth.

Despite the ethical concerns that have been voiced about Big Pharma in this country, research and development could lead to important disease treatments that could help millions of people.

And even though his strategy has had some successes and failures, with Frazier having to make some concessions, he continues to stick by his decisions.

“When one runs a company like Merck that has long lead times in terms of development,” he recently said, “you’re not necessarily running the company for the immediate reaction of the stock market.”

It’s a worldview that many African Americans understand but are unfortunately getting away from. How many African Americans sacrificed themselves doing dirty, dangerous jobs at the bottom of the totem pole so that the next generation would have the opportunity to run a pharmaceutical company?

Frazier says his worldview was driven in to him by his father:

It’s actually misleading to say I grew up in North Philadelphia. I grew up in my parents’ house, which by accident of geography was in North Philadelphia, Frazier told the Harvard Law Bulletin.

My father had a very strong view of what it took to be successful, and he in effect brainwashed all his children to think that we could do anything. He had very high personal standards. Although he was a janitor by accident of birth, I believe he could have been a CEO of any company.

Maybe it was that same worldview that helped Frazier free James Willie “Bo” Cochran, an Alabama man convicted of murdering a White store manager after 21 years on death row.

Five years after first examining Cochran’s case, Frazier said he found that “despite evidence suggesting an accidental police shooting and cover-up,” Cochran was “denied virtually all of the fundamental rights we associate with a criminal trial, including effective assistance of counsel and a fairly selected jury of his peers. He was ‘railroaded’ in the classic sense,” Frazier wrote in the Toledo Law Review about the case.

“To create justice in the world and to do the things that really matter, you have to be a lawyer who not only has ideas in your mind but also conviction in your heart,” Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative who worked with Frazier on the case told the Harvard Law Bulletin. “I definitely think Ken fits that description.”

And just because he’s the head of one of the biggest drug companies in the world doesn’t mean Frazier has stopped challenging what he sees as injustice. Earlier this year, the Merck Foundation stopped charitable giving to the Boy Scouts because of the organization’s policy of barring gays from its ranks and leadership team.

Merck Foundation has suspended all funding to the Boys Scouts of America. The Merck Foundation will consider funding the BSA again when the organization’s inclusion criteria has been expanded, the company wrote in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Atlanta Teen Advocates For Children In Foster Care

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Freedom Wright

Place of Residence: Atlanta

Why She’s a Game Changer: As a former foster child, Wright knows what it’s like to go without. She understands that the next meal, new clothes, love, and warmth aren’t guaranteed facts of life for everyone.

SEE ALSO: Public Health Advocate Fights To Increase HIV/AIDS Awareness

Luckily, this outgoing 17-year-old was adopted when she was 4 years old, but it was a rough ride.

By the time she was four, Wright had been moved four times.

In 2011, half of the kids entering foster care in this country were children of color. African Americans make up 27 percent of the foster care population despite Blacks making up only 13 percent of the country’s population.

But Wright has decided to reach back and help kids who were once in her position.

Wright hosts “Free Your Mind” backpack drives for foster children. And raising awareness about older kids in foster care is also part of her effort to give back. The enterprising teen also speaks to community groups about her experience in foster care.

When she arrived at the home of the woman who would become her mother, all of her possessions were in a garbage bag, said Wright.

“I remember bouncing from house to house,” said Wright. “You never knew where your next meal or set of clothes were going to come from.”

“I understand that sense of always wanting to hold on to things,” Wright added.

Wright has collected more than 250 new or gently used backpacks. She wants kids who were once in her position to have something of their own.

“When you’re in foster care, it’s kind of hard because certain things aren’t yours to keep. Other kids, they know that pair of jeans, that pair of shoes is theirs to keep, but when you’re in foster care, you don’t have certain things,” said Wright.

Wright was recently named a a 2013 Allstate Give Back Day Hero, an annual award that honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Freedom Wright is an outstanding individual who keeps Dr. King’s legacy alive through her unwavering devotion to bettering the greater Atlanta community,” said Vicky Dinges, vice president of public social responsibility for Allstate.

Not only is Wright of great service to her community, she is also a good student. She was recently awarded a four-year scholarship to Syracuse University.

Just imagine the bright future this young woman has in front of her. She has decided to let her past propel her to greater heights rather than have it be a hindrance.

“Even if I don’t meet a person I’m helping directly I know my actions are still helping them because every little bit helps,” said Wright.

SEE ALSO: Olympic Medalist Is Out To Save Lives

Cullen Jones

Place of residence:  Charlotte, N.C.

Why he is a Game Changer: How do you top being only the second African American to win an Olympic gold in swimming? If you’re Jones, 28, you do it by winning another gold medal and two silver medals, in addition to your first individual medal, in your second Olympic Games.

RELATED: Cullen Jones Talks 4 Olympic Medals, Inspiring Black Youth, And Rio

Jones, the only African American to hold a record in swimming, did that in 2012 London Games without, it seems, breaking much of a sweat. But don’t get it twisted, years of hard work and training went in to helping Jones reach his goals.

He lost the gold medal in the 50m freestyle by just a hair.

“I’m thankful that I got second. I was dreaming of gold and I really wanted to get first, but it wasn’t in the cards this time. Getting silver is enough motivation for the future,” Jones said after the event.

But the words were spoken like a true champion. Jones didn’t trash his opponent. Instead, he said he planned to use the second place finish as motivation for the next time.

It’s similar to the way Jones’ mother used his near drowning as a child as a motivation for him to learn how to swim. It’s turned into an excellent career for Jones as well as foster a passion to help others.

Jones has worked with Make A Splash, an anti-drowning initiative from The USA Swimming Foundation, to teach kids and parents, especially African-American and Latino parents, about the life-saving benefits of learning how to swim.

Seventy percent of Black and 50 percent of Latino kids don’t know how to swim even as drowning is the second-leading cause of child death.

And the biggest factor keeping Black and Latino kids out of the water the USA Swimming Foundation found is not money or lack of access to a pool, it’s parents’ fear of the water.

Jones knows firsthand that fear can be deadly. He toured 9 cities with Make A Splash in 2012 and shows no signs of slowing down in 2013. Here are Jones’ thoughts on the importance of learning to swim:

I always hear so many stories from different people, even in my own family, where they’ve had such bad experiences with being in the water and swimming that I can really relate. I can sit back and go, This is what happened to me. I completely get it. But that’s never a reason for you not to learn how to swim. You see a lot of that, especially in the African-American community. Something happens, and then it’s the first instinct — and I think it’s only natural — is to kind of back away. But the famous saying is when you fall off the horse, you’ve got to hop back on. It’s the same thing when it comes to swimming.

As long as kids are (A) unfortunately out there drowning, and (B) I have a platform from which I can continue to give kids that exposure to a sport that many kids don’t know about and (C) they’re willing to listen, I’m definitely open to doing this.

Jones has a bright future ahead of him. He has an interest in fashion and wants to launch his own denim line one day. He was at Fashion Week just after the summer Olympics, and 2016 and the Rio games are right around the corner. It sounds like Jones is going back for that individual gold.

“Yes, I am pretty focused in that effort. Some of my best swims are still ahead of me. I’m putting it out there—I want to go!” he told Teen Vogue.

SEE ALSO: Chicago Woman Helps Minority Girls Access Careers in Science, Math, And Technology

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Kevin Fenton

Place of residence: Washington, D.C.

Why he is a Game Changer: Fenton, who just stepped down from his position as the Center for Disease Control’s Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD & TB Prevention, ramped up efforts to increase testing and increase understanding that social issues such as racism, incarceration, poverty, and homophobia have a big effect on disease transmission.

“We’ve accelerated our efforts to focus on not just the individual behaviors…but the social, cultural, and contextual drivers of HIV,” he told GA Voice.

Fenton, a gay man, also led CDC efforts to make HIV testing a routine part of medical care and the rollout of a new system to more accurately measure the number of HIV infections. He also partnered with affected communities to fight the disease and introduced the first new HIV public communications campaign in two decades.

Fenton’s work is so important because of the way HIV is devastating the African-American community. There are 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States. Blacks make up just under 14 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009.

Black men made up 70 percent of new HIV infections among Blacks, while the new HIV infection rate for Black women was 15 times higher than that of White women.

Gay Black men have a 1 in 4 chance of contracting HIV by the time they are 25 and a 3 in 5 chance by the time they are 40.

It’s not only HIV but also increases in STDs such as gonorrhea and syphilis,” Fenton said, “that really suggests to me that we need to be ensuring that we are both identifying young people who might be at risk before they become sexually active in our schools and ensuring that we are equipping them with the right information so they can make informed choices when they do become sexually active.

Fenton is returning to England where he will reunite with his partner and assume a new role as Director for Health Improvement & Population Health for Public Health England. It would be wise if the CDC continues to make efforts to fulfill one of Fenton’s guiding principles:

All Americans need the basic tools about HIV to protect themselves. Everybody should know about HIV testing and how HIV is transmitted, and that is work we will always have to do.  But you can target some messages to people who are HIV positive and people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV — the fact that we have very good treatments which are now available, that people who are living with HIV should be on treatment, suppress their virus and practice safer sex to reduce onward transmissions. There’s a balancing act. And that balance is the reality of HIV 30 years into the epidemic.