through the 19th, 20th and now 21st century. this black-owned independent media company continues to report on local and national news with one enduring mission.for 130 years, we've >> for 130 years, we've been the voice of the african american community. who would tell our story, from our perspective, not someone else's, from those of us that are african american. >> robert bogle, president and ceo for the last 25 years, has helped push and maintain the tribune to see its 130th year of printing for the people.who >> whether it's professionally, whether it's in business, whether its social, the philadelphia tribune has attempted, and has worked hard to reflect what that experience has been. >> the paper creates five weekly editions from its home since 1912 on south 16th street with a staff of over 100. >> the lifestyle segment is one of their most popular. >> different events that will happen over the weekend, they'll end up in this paper e/ everyone's photo. everybody loves it. >> we tell stories that the mainstream entities [cut out] sometimes overlook or do not tell. >> the tribune has an unprecedented history with century plus of reporting on the most pertinent issues facing black america from segregation and civil rights to the first black president and now the black lives matter movement. y believe the need continues to exit. we have been denied, inclusion into the visions of a community, a society, and it isn't what it was, it isn't what it should and can be but we still have a distance to go. >> other important milestones happening in our region include the bicentennial celebration of the african methodist episcopal or ame church founded here in philadelphia in 1816. >> also 2016 will mark 50 years for freedom theatre, the region's longest running community-based african-american theatre. >> now we recognize some extraordinary people of color making huge strides and leading change in philadelphia. >> hi, i'm julie coker graham, president and ceo of the philadelphia convention and visitors bureau. >> coker-graham will now oversee the 60 person agency responsible for promoting philadelphia tourism booking conventions and bringing major revenue to the region that will keep 67 thousand workers employed in the hospitality industry. >> those 67k jobs are supported by what we have >> she's been a significant part of ushering in landmark events such as the world meeting of families and the upcoming democratic national convention. >> and to take the reigns at such an awesome time in our city is just great. i love what i do. i love this city. we've got a great product. >> at the philadelphia high school for the creative and performing arts stands an instructing icon that just hit a major milestone. >> let's talk to you first about how long have you been teaching 50 years. >> 50 years since 1965 ladeva >> ladeva davis has instructed hundreds of students in the dance arts at capa as it's called. even choreographing them for our 6abc live broadcast of the thanksgiving day parade. >> this school is so culturally diversified that i try to expose my students to as many cultures as i possibly can. if my 71 years legs and my harry potter stockings can do it. i know your can. >> and yes, at 71 years young, ms. la deva shows no signs of slowing down! >> hello, i'm nolan atkinson and i'm the city's first chief diversity and inclusion officer. >> mayor kenney tapped atkinson, a prominent trial lawyer, to research and advise the administration on racial and economic inequities within city government. >> we're going to be looking at our metrics of our departments how we can improve those and make them more diverse. >> his office will also review outside vendor and government contracting. >> we want to make sure that where there are disparities between one group and where the dollars are spent. those disparities are corrected. and he knows it's a challenging job ahead. i believe we've got a lot of work to do that's my goal. to bring about change. to be a little bit of a rabble rouser. >> well mayor kenney's cabinet has lots of new faces. but it's unlikely any have a back story as compelling as the city's new solicitor. >> sharrie williams has the story of sozi pedro tulante >> sozi tulante's office a block from city hall is a world away from where he grew up. >> when i was born, my father was on the front his father >> his father was a general in angola's fight for independence when the revolutionaries lost, he fled across the border into what is now the congo. there, the secret police tried to arrest him in the middle of the night. >> it's called disappearing somebody. you go to bed, somebody, your neighbor's there. you wake up in the morning, you don't know what happened. >> the u-s granted his father asylum and, in 1983, the family was resettled to a drug-ravaged section of north philadelphia. >> my vision of what america looked like came from watching dallas and we had this picture. we thought like little white babies were swimming in money >> his father went from being a founding father of angola to cab driver in philly. >> he drove a cab for 30 years and he worked every single day. >> life was a struggle for both father and son. sozi got into a lot of fights. >> my dad would chew me out and say what are you doing fighting? and i said you don't you're a general, you should appreciate that. he said no, i came here so we can stop doing that but by age >> but by age 13, sozi was working as a lookout for neighborhood drug dealers. >> and then one day everything came to a head his father >> his father threatened to kick him out. he ran away and a police officer brought him home. >> he lectured them, very much humiliated them, said you're bad parents. and i expected my paren, my dad to take out his belt whip me and he just looked at me and said you're a disgrace. >> for sozi, it was a turning point. >> and from 7th grade to the middle of 12th grade, i didn't miss a day of school. >> and he became a stellar student. >> i applied to colleges the beginning of senior year and got into all of them you know and sort of like harvard, yale, princeton, penn. >> he chose harvard and became a lawyer so he could serve the public. he tells his story so people understand the power of immigrants. >> it's what makes us stronger. it's what makes us a better city and a better country. >> before being named city solicitor, tulante was an assistant us attorney in philadelphia for 5 years. >> his father passed 2 years ago, very proud of what his son has become. >> coming up on visions 2016. how a few local programs are preparing youth for careers in the culinary arts and engineering. >> welcome back to visions 2016, celebrating black history month. >> we're here at the african - american museum of philadelphia. an informative and inspirational place to visit all year round. >> yes and we're joined by it's president and ceo patrcia wilson aden. thank you for having us! and tell us about the new exhibit that just opened. >> this exhibit is called drapetomania. it's a celebration of afro-cuban art. africa had a global impact for it's history and it's culture and this exhibit celebrates that global impact. >> sounds like a must-see! thank you patricia! >> undergraduate degrees in stem -- science, technology, engineering and math -- for african-americans have remained flat for the past nine years. >> here are some local organizations dedicated to making stem education more accessible to the city's youth. >> i said "let me go to high school to try and inspire young people to try to actually go through to understand what stem is about before they hit college." >> "dr." jalaal (ja-lal) hayes has always been a fast learner. he graduated high school at 15 and at 22, was the youngest student to earn a doctorate at delaware state university. >> i always live with the philosophy of "you didn't become anything until you came back and brought somebody with you." >> now he's teaching at audenried (aud-in-read) charter school in gray's ferry, the only certified career and technical charter high school in pennsylvania. and he's mentoring young scholars looking to pursue careers in stem fields. >> but let me break it down to you where you can understand this simply." >> it really opens up the eyes of the students, to a whole array of additional careers, and career pathways for themselves that they can imagine from the age of 13, 14, 15 from taking a class like math or a class like biology. >> students rely on think tanks to solve civic problems in north philadelphia through the technology they grew up using. now they have a more >> now they have a more complete understanding how stem is important and why they might choose to peruse a stem career that might otherwise be elusive to them. we started from scratch. we had to put all the parts together. >> on the naval base in northeast philadelphia, the navy's eagle program lets students, who are handpicked by their schools, get a hands-on lesson in engineering. >> every year i hear on the news the philadelphia school districts have taken a cut. and i feel like this is a healthy supplement to that cut. >> for me i kinda want to go into the science and math field so i felt i should be in as much programs as possible before i go and try to be like, i, so be a chemical engineer. >> i think it's really good to show people what you can do as a women, as a black women. >> to find out more info about these stem based youth programs, visit 6abc.com. >> and the recipe for success in any industry is all about the right training. >> tamala edwards introduces us to a program that's bringing diversity to the baking and the pastry arts for young people in the region. >> so what are you doing there? >> emulsifying the chocolate with the milk and cream for 18 >> for 18 year old keri white, the kitchen is where she feels most at home.i can relax, >> i can relax, still have fun, and always learn something new. she'd >> she'd originally planned on becoming an architect. but then a r recruiter from c-cap careers through culinary arts program came to her high school offering paid internships working with top philly chefs. >> i could use the money which was great, but i mean after a while you know with the program and having that introduced to me it wasn't really about the money but in baking, she found her true passion. >> she works hard. she goes to school, she has two jobs and she shows up with a smile. >> teaching kids how to work hard is a big part of what c-cap is about. the program targets underserved students in public schools and teaches them both the cooking and life skills they'll need to make it in high-end kitchens. >> why do these kids need the push? why do they need the help? >> most of them are first generation who go to college >> i'm gonna do a jerk pretzel roll. >> brianna wellmon went through c-caps program. now, at age 23, she's a cook in one of the city's top luxury hotels. >> c cap taught me to have standards. this is a good level of cooking, this is a great level of cooking, this is a spectacular level of cooking. and also did a lot of character building for me. >> after c-cap, brianna earned a scholarship to attend the culinary institute of america. what are you looking for what kind of texture? shiny and still together. and keri just got word that she too had been accepted to cia. it's one of the most prestigious cooking schools in the world. >> and both say c-cap played a big part in their success. >> i didn't really know how to go about entering the field then c cap kind of helped open that door for me. >> stay tuned! >> more of visions 2016 coming up! >> welcome back to visions 2016, owning your own business is dream of many. >> and a challenging yet exciting reality for many others! >> here's a preview of a few traditionally successful as well as some emerging african-american entrepreneurs that are making strides in the philadelphia business world. >> ofo ezeugwu was a temple student when he co-created the dot com whose your landlord. >> we were hearing from students the issues they were having with landlords and property managers. we thought what if we could create a platform where they can go and get reviews before signing a lease. >> a rating system is posted by renters for other renters to view before signing on the dotted line putting a sense 'ownership' back in the occupants hands. >> popular restauranteurs the bynum brothers harken back to their roots opening south, a restaurant on north broad street, offering upscale southern cuisine, and live jazz seven nights a week. >> it's a great neighborhood that, that is just brewing and rising up and we're right in the heart of it. >> my new philly dot com is a website dedicated to all things philly focused. >> we saw a need for small businesses, new minds, entrepreneurs, people places and things around the city to give them exposure and a voice. >> founder & ceo kyree terrell gathered diverse local hosts to shoot, edit and upload lifestyle and informational video snippets for people to click and consume at any time. >> the web is growing and how people consume the web is growing and we wanted to be in the forefront of that whole thing. >> entrepreneur, author and small business consultant jamila payne put her proven process for success in an easy to follow system. >> it really starts with our goal achievement journal. the daily success routine. so it helps people begin to setting their 90 day vision. >> african american's buying power is 1.1 trillion as of 2015. as a successful entrepreneur, payne stresses that now is the time for diverse businesses to get into that marketplace. and she shares tips for black-owned businesses that want to go to the next level, >> find ways to look beyond your current circumstances, or even your upbringing, your past does not limit your opportunities to the future, it means having those trusted advisors and mentors who have grown that million dollar business. it important to get around people african american or not, get around those people that will help you reach those higher levels growth cause its out there and people can have >> with such large buying power, there is desire to circulate more dollars within african-american community. >> and heeding the call is a new national grassroots economic empowerment movement called lets buy black 365 dot com that is making it's way to philadelphia. >> it's goal to create a directory and promote owned and operated black businesses. >> you may know kyle lowry from basketball but the nba'er also has a business here in his hometown. >> it's called famjuice and it's a company on a mission to serve and give back to the african american community. >> ducis rodgers has the details. >> 2 days after christmas, famjuice threw a holiday party at abbotsford project community center. they gave out famjuice and t's but there was also food, face painting, and a moon bounce. >> yo, what's up man? >> for famjuice, it's a key to the company's mission to become an integral part of hip hop culture. >> we're recognizing them, that they exist, that they matter, that their consumerism and their dollars mean something to us. richard clancy co-founded the company with kyle lowry in the fall of 2011, when the nba was in a lockout. >> i was his coach for 6 years when he was a kid and he said he wanted to go into business. >> clancy says all of the profits are plowed into grass roots marketing from famjuice-sponsored park cleanups to product giveaways at birthdays, barbecues and block parties. >> it's good energy. it's good karma. >> rap artist ryan banks is famjuice's brand ambassador. >> i know it's rough out here. >> he incorporates famjuice in his music videos. >> famjuice van driving away, toot toot. >> and drives the famjuice van with its life-sized portrait of kyle. all around the city. >> doing so-called fambushings of thousands of people a week. >> it's like an ambush of famjuice. >> free famjuice. >> giving away free product to anybody who wants it. >> with the goal of becoming much more than just a beverage.famjuice has become >> famjuice has become part of the culture. >> uh, it now has a cool factor to it. >> great to see an athlete using his clout to serve the community. >> now, here's gray hall with the story of another local athlete that's making waves! >> the penn charter sophphomore was named sports illustrated's sports kid of the year for his excellence in the pool and in the community - earning him a shoutout from first lady michelle obama.she doesn't >> she doesn't tweet about everybody so i think that it's really special. >> reece stands out from the crowd at 6 foot 8 inches. he also stands out as an african american in a sport dominated by white athletes. research by u-s-a swimming found that nearly 70 percent of african americans don't know how to swim. >> it's unfortunate, but you know i think swimming is a growing sport. >> as he continues to set records and gain notoriety, he hopes his impact can change those numbers. >> that's the message that i want to relay to younger kids is that you kow is that swimming is a great sport. >> don't go away! >> there's more of visions 2016 coming up. >> welcome back to visions 2016 celebrating black history month. >> philadelphia is home to several acclaimed african-american authors such as solomon jones, lori tharps, and diane mckinney-whetstone. >> here are few bookstores keeping the community "stocked" with literature vernon odom has the story. >> ariell johnson opened amalgam comics and coffeehouse just a few months ago. it's the first comic book shop on the east coast that's owned by a black woman. >> you know a black girl geek, not that were not out there but when you, when you think of like a stereotypical of like what a geek is, its not people who look like me. her >> so she's made it her mission to sell comics where all people feel represented. >> heroes of different like you know faiths and colors and gender. creating an environment where they feel like theyre free to be who they are. >> hakim's bookstore was the first african-american bookstore to open in philadelphia. >> my father, the late dawud hakim. he wanted to help educate other african americans cause at time we had no clue about our culture. >> the store became a city treasure, but in recent years has been struggling to stay open. so owner yvonne blake reached out to the community to help her family's business stay alive. >> the support has been overwhelming because i really thought this was over. >> the story has even caught the attention of tariq "black thought" trotter of the roots, who tweeted out support using the hashtag "black-books-matter". >> i didn't grow up with any books with any children in it that looked like me. so, it makes me feel really good. >> hakim hopkins opened black and nobel (no-bell) after years of selling books as a street vendor in north philadelphia. i had such a >> i had such a huge following, i knew i had to open up a store because people would be in line to get books from me outside. >> carrying a wide variety of genres, the store prides itself in being a positive cornerstone in the community >> i do a lot of events with youth. we kind of made it very cool to read books. >> hopkins even helps customers with incarcerated family members pick out books and ships to them prisons nationwide. >> that's what different about us. most people that uh ship books to prisons, you know they do it through a base, a catalog base but what i do is i connect with the families because i realize the person in prison isn't the only one suffering. its something that's been saving a lot of people. >> inspiration can come from the pages in a book or from the words of a song. >> a local african choir is using their music to spread a powerful message as christie ileto reports. the liberian women's chorus for change was formed in 2013 by four well-known recording artists who emigrated to philadelphia from war-torn liberia. >> we decided to put this group together to help our liberian women. >> the chorus creates a community for other liberian immigrants. through song, they >> through song, they are hoping to raise awareness and create dialogue around the issue of domestic violence. >> i was married to a man uhh i was his second wife. he wasn't beating on me but i wasn't getting the total care that i needed. >> philadelphia is home to an estimated 15,000 liberian immigrants. the women's chorus perform the traditional songs and dances from their homeland. >> and then we engage them into our conversation, then we put our message out. which is don't keep silent at all! >> the chorus has partnered with women against abuse to expand their voice. and when they perform, it's their mission to get you on your feet. >> music is actually universal once you feel the beat, you are moved to it. >> well, we hope you've enjoyed the show. >> thank you for watching visions 2016. >> a special thanks to the african american museum in philadelphia for hosting us. >> i'm melissa magee. >> and i'm rick williams. good night. i'm sarah bloomquist with walter perez. coming up the deep freeze will end but now we're tracking snow and potential flooding in your accu weather forecast. a couple from montgomery county proves it is never too late for true love, "action news" is up next. sunday night, flags are lowered to half staff across the country in on on of the supreme court justice antonin scalia. woman speaks out about being attack by two men posing as utility workers. big story on "action news" is today's dangerously cold weather. wind chills, hit the single digits today. >> temperatures will warm up in the coming days but snow remains a

Related Keywords

United States , Montgomery County , Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Congo , Liberia , Angola , Dallas , Texas , Americans , America , Liberian , American , Richard Clancy , Yvonne Blake , Penn Charter , Melissa Magee , Trick Williams , Melisa Magee , Walter Perez , Nolan Atkinson , Sozi Pedro , Julie Coker Graham , Michelle Obama , Robert Bogle , Ja Lal Hayes , Kyle Lowry , Vernon Odom , Harry Potter , Jamila Payne , Dawud Hakim , Wilson Aden , Christopher Perry , Christie Ileto , Hakim Hopkins , Harvard Yale ,